#probably won’t be the easiest thing to differentiate

[starsweepers]

RUFFNUT ON ASTRID ( AND SORT OF TUFF ) AND HERSELF

note: this headcanon is actually old and i've only tweaked it slightly since its original writing but didn't do a fully rewrite so don't mind the mess of it. it was also pre h.ttyd 3 coming out so while i tried to fix some things, nothing about it is mentioned/used.

i’m putting these topics together because a lot of how ruff views astrid ( and sort of tuff ) ends up playing into how she views herself.  and i just have this complete and utter fascination with ruff and astrid’s relationship, and i h a t e that it’s never really explored.  as the only two girls in the group, and as the only two teenaged girls on berk, there’s kind of a lot currently riding on their shoulders with the change in how dragons are treated and how the island runs and everything.

but don’t even get me started on ruff just becoming fishlegs and snotlout’s object of affections and her and eret, that whole thing irks me and then there's the disaster that is h.ttyd 3.

the easiest place to start is with the obvious.  astrid is the popular one.  astrid is the one everyone expects things from.  astrid is the strongest, most talented, prettiest, smartest, etc. etc. ( and the implications of the stress this might place upon astrid is an entirely other post for an astrid roleplayer )  so, right from the get go, ruffnut is probably already down the drain.  lets be real, she’s already getting compared to tuffnut and now she’s got the one other girl her age to live under.  not that ruff is necessarily under tuffnut, but in a society that favors the mighty, i’m sure boys are initially considered the stronger gender due to sheer physical differences with biology.  and even despite that issue, they’re twins and always going to be compared in similarities and differences.  thus with tuffnut the generally louder and more talkative of the two, ruffnut more than likely comes off as his shadow to most people, even if she’s stronger and smarter.

ruff is probably in this really odd space of being herself and trying to live up to being a thorston while also trying to not get completely disregarded as a female viking in comparison to astrid.  but, in the end, she’s aware that it’s “astrid this, astrid that.”  she won’t compete in that regard so all she has left is to be herself and try to be the best her she can be.  that doesn’t mean she’s completely happy with the situation, and i think there are a few instances we can see that she’s not perfect with how things have turned out, but she’s made the best of her situation.

she doesn’t hate astrid.  she may, at times, envy or grow frustrated with the other, but there is very little disrespect or hate towards her.  if anything, i think ruffnut uses her feelings towards astrid to hate herself in some regards.  because, honestly, i think ruffnut views astrid in much the same way as the rest of the village, she just tends not to show it through constant praise or attention as even hiccup will give.  ruff finds the other blonde to be cool and tough and amazing.  but astrid’s just all those things in a way that ruffnut isn’t interested in being like.  she doesn’t care to look cool taking down five vikings at once – she’d rather look cool burning down five buildings at once.  her interests differ and so she never met the same scale as her fellow female, leaving her forgotten in the dust and just merely “the girl twin.”

and, in some instances, people don’t even see her as a girl.

this hurts ruffnut.  she does have female-aligned qualities and likes being seen as female.  she cares about her looks to some extent and has shown this when tuffnut generally puts her down.  with astrid already being the “pretty” one, she doesn’t need her own brother making her feel as if she’s not cute in any regard.  she does have a sense of insecurity because she’s so closely regarded with tuff that her being female is either looked over because no one cares to differentiate between the siblings or it’s the only aspect that separates them so she simply becomes the girl version of tuff.  but it’s a trait she doesn’t want to be forgotten or simply skimmed over.  she’s female.  she wants to be pretty and tough and unladylike all at the same time.  but she also doesn’t want to just be tuff with boobs.  and just because she doesn’t have table manners nor rounded features doesn’t mean she should be seen as any less than astrid in the terms of looks.

but she knows she is.

“Astrid, Astrid, Astrid.  Everyone’s always talking about her.  How pretty she is, how smart she is, how muscular and shapely her upper arms are…”

ruff is insecure!  at this point when she says this line in the show, she even holds up her arms to look at them, flexing before growing disappointed and sighing.  she had just come from talking astrid down in terms of astrid’s inability to hold respect for some of the riders, revealing one of the girl’s flaws, and yet ruff still feels that it doesn’t matter because everyone will always favor astrid despite this.  and it is a sense of jealousy to some extent, but it’s also a sort of sadness and understanding that she’s not meeting the standards.  it’s not that astrid is the most amazing, but that ruffnut isn’t doing amazing at all.  hence why she looks at her arms.  she’s not trying to disprove that astrid doesn’t have strong arms in that moment, but instead seeing that she’s the one who doesn’t.  and then goes to wonder why her and tuffnut’s idea isn’t being recognized.

she’s not blaming astrid, she’s blaming them.  herself.  how come she isn’t good enough?

this isn’t something that ruff questions every day, i don’t feel.  she isn’t to the point that she looks in the mirror and is disappointed in that she doesn’t look as strong or pretty as astrid.  in fact, i think ruff believes she and tuff are just as talented and just as smart and just as strong.  it’s just in different ways.  and it’s the fact that no one seems to believe or accept their strengths that bothers her.  that makes her feel downhearted.  she has no desire to be more like astrid, but she wants people to see them on the same level as her.  ruffnut doesn’t like her and her brother to be treated as infants in comparison to the others.  it’s demeaning and annoying, even to someone so carefree at times.  just because their behavior is different, doesn’t make them any less viking.

and the only reason she probably doesn’t feel so strong about situations where hiccup is praised is because he’s a whole different story in regards to his strengths and talents.  and he’s male.  it’s easier by default to compare oneself to a person of the same gender than it is the opposite.  i’m sure, at times, she does think about how even he is getting recognition for his accomplishments and not them, but he’s still just a widely different circumstance while she grew up and trained more alongside astrid until things began to change so much.  astrid had the same goals and aspirations as them all for a while, so it’s always been astrid’s accomplishments up for the comparison.

regardless, another thing i think shows ruff’s insecurity is when barf and belch have left to pay hiccup back for saving his life.  ruffnut is, understandably, sad by what is basically the loss of their dragon.  as far as they’re all aware, the zippleback won’t be coming back to them any time soon unless they can trick him in believing he saved hiccup’s life or he actually saves hiccup’s life.  or they’re all dead ( which isn’t quite what anyone wants ).  at one point, tuffnut says that he left because ruffnut is too clingy.  and she gets angry for a heartbeat, shoving him, and trying to retort with “no, you’re too clingy.”

really, all it does is show a sadness and she sounds bitter when she responds, revealing that ruffnut may actually be rather clingy and she knows it.  where this sort of clinginess stems from exactly is unknown, but i’ve always sort of felt that ruffnut is used to being ignored in a way.  the others mock her and tuffnut so much and tuffnut mocks her, as well.  granted, she does it completely to them back, but maybe there’s something inside ruff that seeks more of a connection than just bickering.  granted, this was probably just done for comedic effect within the show, but i personal love the idea that ruffnut is more of an emotional being and does desire closer friendships aside from her brother.  it also fits in with her desire to be recognized in comparison to astrid and to be her own person beyond just her brother’s twin.  a great way to achieve these notions is through stronger attachments with other people and animals.  and we have seen her form these sorts of bonds with scauldy, barf, and belch.  she has a more inclined love for animals more so than people, i feel, because the animals can’t really call her and her brother names, and are also much more likely to be impressed or amazed by things she does than humans.  since, well, animals are generally more instinctual creatures and will display their gratitude.

tl;dr - ruffnut really admires astrid but, because of this, it gets her down when she ( and tuffnut ) are not recognized for their strengths and efforts the same way astrid is.  she indirectly compares herself to the other, and does hold some jealousy though it’s not abundant.  all-in-all, ruffnut is more insecure than she lets on, wanting to be praised in for the good things that she and her brother still accomplish, even if it doesn’t meet the standards of most vikings.

she wants to be an individual and not just a female version of her brother or the ignored teen girl viking.

she’s a bit clingy, especially with those she cares about, because she she does seek a more emotional level bond with others.  she’s just not exactly good at it in any way.  it’s easier with dragons and perhaps other animals for her.

#&&. ruffnut ( headcanon )

[jay4firefic]

I wish you’d write a fic where after the season 1, Buck sleeps with his therapist and the 118 doesn’t help, Buck reaches out to someone he knows will help if he asks (maybe it’s even someone other than Kelly). And Buck gets the help he needs. The mania can be something he’s already been diagnosed for, or something new.

I'm never gonna write a full fic about this because tbh it grosses me out and I intend to write it not happening in most of my fics but here's a short thing w/ Buck asking for help

Buck knows, logically, that he’s not alone. That he has an entire contact list full of people who would jump to help him the moment he says the word, even with two thousand miles between them. That if he really wanted to, he could buy a plane ticket to Chicago and walk right into the waiting arms of any of a half-dozen people who would help put him back together again, people who know where all of his broken puzzle pieces fit better than he does himself.

But at the same time, he kind of is. Because he can’t call the one person who has always known him best. His thumb hovers over the text message from two days ago, saw you on the news. you ok? aching to press the call button, to type out a reply, to admit he isn’t okay at all. To admit that he’s failed. That he was wrong. That he doesn’t know how to do this on his own, never has and probably never will.

God, he’s so lonely out here in LA, surrounded by millions of people and more importantly by a crew that doesn’t yet feel like a team and certainly isn’t a family. He needs his family.

Buck doesn’t even realize he’s made a call until the line clicks and a familiar accent pours out of the car speakers. “Buck, what’s goin’--”

“Stella,” Buck chokes, voice coming out hoarse and painful. When was the last time he had anything to drink? He certainly can’t remember the last time he ate. Sometime yesterday, maybe - the days have started to blur together without sleep to differentiate one from the next. “I need - I - fuck.”

“Woah there, Buck,” she says, suddenly speaking slowly and calmly, like she’s trying to soothe a spooked animal. Or talk a jumper off a roof. They’ve both done it enough times to know the tone. “Just tell me what’s happening, okay? What do you need?”

“I slept with my therapist,” Buck admits. It’s the easiest place to start. Mortifying, sure, but not nearly as bad as admitting he’s off his meds, off his fucking rocker, spinning out with nothing and no one to stabilize him out here.

“You slept with your--”

“It’s the only kind of sleeping I’ve done in - fuck, I don’t know. A few days? A week? I lost track.”

“Buck.” Stella’s breathing changes, just a soft hitch that’s only noticeable because the background noise on her end has suddenly disappeared. He doesn’t know what day it is, couldn’t do the math right now if he tried, but he’s got a feeling she’s on shift. When he closes his eyes on the view outside his windshield - a wash of pink and orange as the sun sets over the ocean, beautiful in a way he can only recognize from a distance at the moment - he can picture her perfectly. Tight braids, quilted CFD jacket, her breath fogging slightly as she leans against the back of the firehouse, one of the few places one can have private conversation at 51.

“I need help.”

“We’ll get you help, okay? We’ll get you help. Can you keep it together for 24 hours?”

Buck tilts his head back against the seat, thinks about it. His thoughts bounce around the inside of his head like ping pong balls that he’s always just a little too slow to hit in the right direction and he can’t feel much beyond the way his skin is vibrating. In the end he answers honestly. “I’m not sure.”

“Then just give me twelve. I know you can do that. You’re strong, Buck. Just hang on for twelve hours and we’ll figure it all out.”

“Okay,” he agrees, letting out a shaky breath. His next inhale tastes like salt and he wonders absently when he started crying. Maybe he’s been crying the whole time, ever since that kid let go instead of reaching for his hand and Buck had to hang there and watch as he became a paint splatter on the concrete below. But someone would have noticed if that was true, right? Someone would have noticed he’s falling apart. The therapist - shouldn’t she have noticed? “Don’t tell--”

“I won’t tell anyone,” she promises, “but they’ll figure it out on their own eventually.”

“Oh, god.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve gone and found God out there now, Buckley,” she jokes weakly. The background noise returns, a chorus of voices that she dismisses with a few words and probably a meaningful look or two. Yeah, they’re all gonna figure it out in no time, but it’s too late to care about that.

“Not a chance,” he mumbles. The phone slips from his numb fingers as he curls into himself in the driver’s seat, his breaths echoing too loudly inside the car. “Think I lost myself though. ‘M real tired, Stel.”

“Then get some rest, okay? I’ll be there in the morning.”

“Okay.” She probably means for him to rest at home, or at least somewhere other than his car, parked on a remote cliffside overlook only reachable with four wheel drive, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Buck lets his head loll against the window and listens to her breathing down the line, hears her talking distantly to someone else about needing furlough, about it’s an emergency. Hears his own name, at first distant and then near again, growing higher pitched when he doesn’t answer.

He can’t answer. But he did the hard part. He asked for help.

Now he just has to wait for it.

#9 1 1 fanfiction #evan 'buck' buckley #bipolar evan buckley #stella kidd #chicago fire fanfiction #prompt fills #asks and answers #my fic

[ayuuria]

Inuyasha & Yashahime Translation: Shounen Sunday Super December Edition

Takahashi Rumiko-Sensei’s Question Corner Rumic Question

From the many questions we received from readers via the web, we chose 20 questions for Takahashi Rumiko-sensei to answer!!

Q: The names of the characters in “Inuyasha” are not only original but fit them so well that you can’t think of any other name; peerlessly cool good taste! How did you come up with their names?

Once you name a character, you cannot change it so that’s what I worry about the most. Even if I give them a temporary name for when they make their debut, if it doesn’t stick I will think all the way up to the last minute. While all I can say is “That was the name that fit that character” … a name that is easy to call, draw, and remember. A name that fits the story. For example, in flower language, Kikyou means “Unchanging love” or how Kagome is like a children’s song and cute. I feel like Sesshomaru originally had a different name, but I forgot. On the other hand, I remember the outfit design solidified when I decided on the name.

Q: There are a lot of demons that appear in “Inuyasha” but who was the hardest and easiest to draw?

Magatsuhi was the hardest to draw. He didn’t have a solid form afterall. Also I drew them as I pleased so I don’t remember really struggling.

Q: Is Buyo a male or a female?

When serialization first started, I thought they were a male at first but as I continued to draw, I started to think “This cat might be an old lady”. They might be a female. Well Buyo is Buyo so I think it’s fine if everyone decides for themselves whether Buyo is a male or a female.

Q: I want to know how Sesshomaru and Jaken first met. Was Jaken an old man from the time they first met?

I remember their meeting being drawn in an original episode in the “Inuyasha” anime. I can’t remember which episode number though. According to that, Jaken was a demon leader who lost to Sesshomaru in battle and thus decided to follow him, I think that was the scenario. And I think he was an old man as well.

Q: If Kikyo had lived on, would she and Kagome have been good friends

As long as Inuyasha is around, I think it would be really hard for them to be friends like nothing happened… I imagine they would have this strange tension between them as they accepted the other while feeling uneasy. I don’t think Inuyasha could mentally handle that either.

Q: I like small creatures that appear in the Rumic World like Kilala and Shippou so could you tell us what you focus on when drawing these small creatures?

I make sure that they’re fundamentally cute in appearance. Also because of how small they are, they ride on a main character’s shoulder. Anyhow, I make sure they can share the spotlight.

Q: I think Tessaiga is a good sword that is considerate of the main character such as when it gives Inuyasha a warning so as not to hurt him but Inuyasha treats it so recklessly in comparison. (Though he acts like that fully trusting Tessaiga) If Tessaiga could talk, what do you think it would say to Inuyasha? I have loved “Inuyasha” since I was in elementary school and I’ve viewed the manga and anime but looking back, I feel Tessaiga was gallant in responding to Inuyasha’s recklessness… I was curious about this so I decided to ask.

Tessaiga is a sword forged from his (Inuyasha) father’s fang so while being Inuyasha’s “friend”, I would guess that it might be an existence of higher status. If it could talk, it would probably say “Hurry up and catch up to me”

Q: Thank for the Anime Support Project. “What a time to be alive to be able to send a question to Takahashi Rumiko-sensei” Is what I think (laughs). I’ve loved “Inuyasha” since I was a child and it’s my life’s “bible”. I admired Kagome and lived thinking that I want to be a kind, strong woman like her. Now here is my question: There was a scene where Sesshomaru said “I don’t eat human food” but for a demon that doesn’t attack humans, what does he eat to sustain his life? I mean Inuyasha and Shippou ate with Kagome and the others so do demons and humans eat the same thing? Was Sesshomaru by chance bluffing with that line? Lastly, I look forward to the serialization of “Hanyou no Yashahime” and “MAO”! Thank you for all the wonderful works.

Thank you for your support. Sesshomaru’s meals, I can’t imagine it after all. There’s a possibility he absorbs mists of “essence” or “energy” of the demons he’s defeated. Also fruits are another possibility.

Q: Within “Inuyasha”, is there a story that was most fun for you to draw? Also I would love for sensei to tell us your best (favorite) episode!

I have a lot of favorite episodes so it’s hard to decide. Black haired Inuyasha on the Night of the New Moon was refreshing and fun, and the stories of Inuyasha going to the Modern Era and loosening up as he took a break from fighting had me in many laughing fits. Also drawing the story for the Band of Seven made me excited. And, while fun may not be the right word, I put a lot of effort into Kagura’s death and Kikyou’s last moments with the idea that I wanted to give them a proper send off. The process of Kagome and Inuyasha and Miroku and Sango’s relationship gradually changing was also fun. Ultimately if I had to pick one, it’s probably the final episode. I finished drawing it feeling “I finally made it” and it was satisfying.

Q: I love the Band of Seven in “Inuyasha”! Did Bankotsu, who is the strongest member of the Band of Seven, scout the others? Bankotsu and Jakotsu seem close so are they the first members? I’ve always wondered this. I look forward to appealing enemies appearing in Yashahime.

I think all the other members of the Band of Seven most likely had enough strength to make it on their own. For all those people to come together would require a very strong leader at its core which is basically what Bankotsu was. Also, being together made jobs easier or they felt there may have been a merit. I feel like Bankotsu and Jakotsu being the founding members does indeed fit really nicely.

Q: I really like Monk Miroku and Sango in “Inuyasha” and I continue to support them even now. My question is in the end, how many children did these two, who said “Would you be willing to bear 10, 20 children?” when they purposed, have? If you have back stories and such for the children, I would love to hear them.

I only remember the twins and the newborn baby boy that appeared in the last chapter of “Inuyasha” making an appearance in Yashahime. In my mind, I didn’t think of anything beyond that but they are still a young married couple so I think there’s unlimited possibilities. I am happy that you like these two even now. Thank you very much.

Q: I have a question regarding the different use for “Scent” and “Odor”. The expressions for when Sesshomaru smelled something, for Rin it was constantly “scent” and for everything else it was “odor”. When they first met too, the expression was “A human’s scent”.  Just as Inuyasha called Kagome’s smell a “scent”, is it because it is a “smell” that they like?

I had an image of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru differentiating between friend or foe with “smell”. Of course “scent” is friend while “odor” is enemy. In addition, keeping in mind of the image that comes to readers minds when they see these words, I fundamentally had “scent” used for female characters. I wanted readers to get a sense of purity and cuteness from it.

Q: If there’s an episode or scene in “Inuyasha” that ended up turning out differently than what was originally thought up prior to serialization, could you please tell us?

First, I only started the story with the idea of half-demon Inuyasha, getting back stabbed by Kikyou and getting sealed away, and having a sword that was his father’s memento. Everything else, I created while thinking on the week of. Thus, Naraku came after, as well as I thought of Shippou, Miroku, and Sango when they debuted. I had thought of Sesshomaru possibly dying after protecting a human but it seemed like such a waste and I became unable to kill him. The direction of the story was decided when the antagonist, Naraku, was born. I’m an adlib (improv) type person so I won’t be surprised by what I draw if I decide things too far ahead. It’s fun to imagine every week “What will they do, what will happen”.

Q: “Inuyasha” is my bible on life! When talk of Yashahime happened, what was your first thought?

In my mind “Inuyasha” was complete so when they spoke to me about this, I thought “You’re going to do this?”. However Sumizawa-san, who handled the scenario for the “Inuyasha” anime, is a person who, in addition to being adept and talented, does not make mistakes so I felt that I could leave it to him.

Q: In the final chapter of the original work, Sesshomaru was gifting Rin a kimono but how did he go about obtaining it? I’m really curious as to if Sesshomaru delivered something Jaken prepared or if he went and bought it himself?

I thought about this over and over after I received this question. I think after all, he would order Jaken to go buy it and to continue buying until he bought a kimono that fit his image. On top of that, he probably doesn’t tell him (Jaken) a precise image to begin with.

Q: In “Hanyou no Yashahime” we saw Grandma Kaede. Seeing her surprised me… she hasn’t changed from the time of “Inuyasha”! Is Grandma Kaede by chance a demon?

She’s a human. However she still has the role of advising the young folks and having them listen to stories from the past so maybe she doesn’t age because it’s something worth doing.

Q: In “Hanyou no Yashahime”, Inuyasha and Kagome’s child, Moroha, appears. Inuyasha is a half demon, Kagome is a human, and Moroha is cross between a human and a half-demon. Do the three of them age differently in the Feudal Era?

In the span of the story, they seem to age the same. I’m sure the results will gradually begin to show after a few decades.

Q: In “Hanyou no Yashahime” Moroha wears a red ribbon; is this ribbon something with Inuyasha’s ears in mind? Also why is it that Inuyasha, who is a half-demon, has dog ears but Towa and Setsuna, who are also half-demons, do not? I can under Moroha since she’s a quarter (demon)… is there a basis for the dog ears? Please tell us!

Just as you guessed, Moroha’s ribbon was a projection of Inuyasha’s image. In regards to the dogs ears for Towa and Setsuna, Sesshomaru takes a human form and reversely, Inuyasha was something like half beast. The half demons that appear in Inuyasha have all sorts of appearances so understand that it depends on the individual.

Q: Ever since I watched the anime, “Inuyasha”, when I was 5 years old, it has been my absolute favorite work. When I was young, whenever I looked at the sacred tree at the shrine, I always imagined “Was Inuyasha sealed to this tree?...” It’s been 12 years since the original work was concluded. 10 years since the anime “Final Act”. I’m so excited for “Hanyou no Yashahime” beginning this fall! What was the most important thing when you designed the half-demon princess, Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha?

Scenario writer Sumizawa-san asked of me the following images: Towa as a “White Sesshomaru” and Setsuna as a “Black Sesshomaru”. While they’re twins, they grew up in two completely different eras so I designed them as two separate individuals. In addition, while Towa wears a boy’s uniform, I thought it would be good if she had a feminine streak to her. Moroha strongly resembles Inuyasha and Kagome. She’s a cheerful character so I didn’t have any second thoughts when I drew her into what she is now.

Q: Is there anything in “Hanyou no Yashahime” that you would like readers to pay attention to?

Sunrise’s beautiful pictures and animations as well as the story is also entertaining. The previous generation will periodically make an appearance and I think Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha are each charming. I think it’s a work that both first time people and people who watched “Inuyasha” can enjoy. Also Wada Kaoru-san continues from “Inuyasha” as being in charge of music. I’m excited for this as well.

We received a comment, autograph, and illustration for all the readers from Takahashi Rumiko-sensei!

#Hanyou no Yashahime #Yashahime #yashahime: princess half-demon #translation #Inuyasha

[ghostpeblewrite]

Paradoxical - Chapter 5

~~~~~~

Ghost knew deep down that walking out on Toast right then was a bad idea. However, he didn’t know how bad of an idea it actually was.

Only now he realizes that, his head pounding and his wrists tied behind his back. As he comes to his senses more, he realizes he has a blindfold over his eyes. He’s also tied to a chair.

And he can also hear sound in the room he’s in. Quiet whispering to his left. The voices almost sound familiar to him. Hey, maybe if he knows them, they won’t kill him!

“Hello?” he groans. Maybe he can talk his way out of this.

He can hear a gasp followed by a quick, shrill, “He’s awake!!” Two sets of footsteps approach him. One stops to his left, the other directly in front of him.

“Oh, please let me take his blindfold off!!” the shrill voice says, sounding almost like a begging kid.

“I’m not letting you do it,” a deep voice says. It has a weird accent, almost like a mix of southern and British- Wait a fucking minute.

“Oh, you mother FUCKER!” Ghost exclaims. He’d know that fucking voice anywhere. “Gavin you piece of shit!”

The man, correctly identified as Gavin, chuckles. The shrill voice laughs as well, a disturbing cackle that chills Ghost to his bones. “Long time no see, Ghostie.”

Ghost’s blindfold is taken off his head, and he’s face to face with the twin brother of his best friend.

Despite being identical twins, many things help differentiate the two brothers. First of all, Gavin doesn’t have the same baby blue eyes as Toast. His eyes are instead an abnormally vibrant green colour.

Another thing is the scar on the left side of Gavin’s face, stretching from his jaw up to the corner of his eyebrow. Gavin also has a few face piercings, one of them being on his eyebrow, another on his lip. He also does his hair differently than his brother’s.

The easiest way to tell though, is Gavin is a total dickhead, and Toast isn’t.

“What was even the point of the blindfold??” Ghost huffs, glaring at him.

“So you didn’t see him,” Gavin says, backing away from Ghost as he motions to the other guy in the room, presumably the owner of the shrill voice. Ghost freezes when he sees him.

The man looks a lot like Ghost, like he could be his brother or something. However, the man has shaggy nearly black hair that hangs into his face, red eyes, and more scars than a tortured war hostage. The guy’s face splits into an eerie smile, his cracked and scarred lips twisting, forming into something almost inhuman. He has sharp canines.

Everything about the man unsettles Ghost, and he hates to say he knows exactly why.

“We meet again, Ghost!!” The guy says, then lets out a chilling cackle, the effort from it shaking his entire body.

Ghost squeezes his eyes shut. He thought he was finally rid of this parasite, but his cackle drives its way deep into his brain again. He hasn’t seen him since the incident. He never wanted to see him again.

Yet there he stood, in front of him. His parasite. The thing he got ripped from his skull.

Jimmy Casket.

---

“Good morning,” Toast greets. His voice is tense, and he looks like a complete mess.

Spooker, who had just woken up after staying the night at the HQ by accident, blinks in surprise at Toast’s appearance. Toast never looks like this.

“Hi…” Spooker says slowly, “did you sleep?”

“Er, no,” Toast admits, seeming to shake a bit as he goes to grab his mug off the table. “But it’s fine. Have you seen Ghost?”

“Not since yesterday morning. Why?” Spooker raises an eyebrow. “Is he not here?”

“No. He’s not. And he didn’t bring his phone with him. And this isn’t like him,” Toast says quickly, shaking a bit as he takes a sip of whatever’s in his mug.

“Well, I’m sure he’s alright!” Spooker says, putting a hand on Toast’s shoulder. Toast just sighs.

“I don’t know. What with all this … Paranormal stuff going on, I’m worried. This isn’t like him! He always comes back- It’s been 24 hours maybe I should report him as missing?”

“Cmon, Toast! He’s a 30-year-old man, he can spend 24 hours on his own, right?” Spooker says, smiling at him. Toast thinks about that.

“I… I suppose you’re right,” Toast sighs, looking down.

“Yeah!” Spooker nods. “Anyway, Colon and I are gonna go somewhere today. You’ll be okay alone, right?”

Toast looks at him, in such a state that he is most definitely not good to be alone. He nods. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. You two have fun.”

“We will!!” Spooker says as the two head out the door.

Toast watches them go quietly. As soon as the door closes, he feels the weight of being alone settle on him. He can’t stand being alone. It reminds him too much of that dark time of his life.

He can barely remember any of it, really. Just the feelings he had. He remembered the apartment he and … she used to share, once a bright place full of laughter and love, turned to a dark blur in Toast’s memory. He still hasn’t quite forgiven himself for it, but he’s moved past it with Ghost’s help.

Ghost.

His childhood best friend. The memory of Ghost is the only thing that pulled him out of that place. Lead him all the way back to America. All the way to Ghost’s front door. He barely even remembers the first few weeks with Ghost. Ghost doesn’t bring them up either. All Toast can remember is a few blurs of the bottom of the bottle, an overall feeling of shit, and Ghost’s face when he found Toast unconscious on the floor of the kitchen. He had slapped Toast awake, and the face Toast saw when coming to consciousness was one of fear. Sure, he’d seen Ghost afraid before, but nothing like that. It was pure panic, fear from worry. It hurts Toast’s heart to think about.

He remembers Ghost yelling, but none of what he said. He was too captivated by him. Ghost was his own guardian angel back then, always there for Toast whenever he needed him. Toast was there for Ghost too. They sort of relied on each other, both coming out of dark times in their lives.

But now, remembering Ghost’s face the last time he saw him, the anger there. Toast sighs, looking down at his mug of coffee. He hates coffee, he could never understand how Ghost drinks it. He thinks he can understand now.

Part of him thinks he is overreacting. Ghost is a grown man. He can do what he wants, he doesn’t have to stay with Toast. It’s just odd. They’ve always been there for each other, always right nearby. It’s not like Ghost to be gone for so long.

Toast thinks about Ghost’s incident next. It’s barely been a month since it happened, and it’s been a relatively smooth road. Sure there are moments like these where Ghost would get irritable for no reason, but Toast just brushed it off as him adjusting. Maybe he shouldn’t have.

He can still remember the day he found Ghost. He’d been missing for a whole day before Toast finally tracked him down. He had found him in an old warehouse where Gavin resided, a place off the grid and abandoned, but big enough for all of Gavin’s needs. Gavin had stopped him near the entrance, trying to hold him back, saying how Ghost needed time to adjust. Toast had no idea what had happened, or how Gavin was involved. He just knew he needed to get Ghost out of there.

Toast had pushed past Gavin, into a room where there were two cots laid out, a body on each. Both looked similar to the other, with similar body types and faces. However, Ghost had redder hair. That’s how Toast recognized him.

Not to mention, the other guy had way too many scars to be Ghost.

Ghost later explained to Toast what had happened. How Gavin had contacted him, told him he had a way to solve his problem. Toast knew his brother could use magic, but he still does not know to what extent. Apparently, it was enough to extract Jimmy from Ghost’s head though.

Toast shudders at the memory. Knowing that the body on the other cot was Jimmy. He’s done his best to memorize that face, in case he ever sees him again. But he hasn’t seen him since. What’s shocking though is the fact that despite keeping an eye on murders in the area, Toast’s seen no change. Knowing Gavin, he’s probably got Jimmy locked up somewhere so he can’t draw attention to himself.

Toast goes to take a sip of his coffee, gagging a bit when he realizes it’s cold. How long has he been sitting there?

He sighs, standing up to go pour the coffee out. He’s probably had too much anyway.

~~~

haha evil men

#cw cursing #swearing tw #dsfksdhfkjhsdkf this is prolly so bad im so sorry #but hey!! evil men. #and toast angst ig #paradoxical story

[never-enough-fandoms]

FACE family headcanons

This is older, and I didn’t know the characters as well as I do now when I wrote this, but I’m writing more headcanons so I thought I’d put this out there

When England gets really upset, he slips into old English, and no one has a clue what he's saying. He sounds like he's speaking German, bit it's not quite right, and he confuses everyone

Alternatively, he slips into a random language. Maybe French, maybe old English, maybe Norse, it's unpredictable

America makes really odd decisions when it comes to food. He'll mix two foods that seem like they would be disgusting together but they aren't. That isn't to say that they're particularly good either, but they aren't bad

Canada is a good cook. He gets it from France, who taught him a lot of stuff that he took to heart. Also a lot of stuff he completely ignored

Canada accidentally flirts a lot. He doesn't even realise he's doing it. He's just talking to someone, and they're swooning

He also doesn't realize when he's being flirted with. He registers it as flirting, he grew up with France, he isn't an idiot, but he thinks he's probably mistaken, because who would want to flirt with him?

France once tried to get Canada to call England really rude names, but it backfired, and he ended up complimenting him

America knows lots of phrases in other languages. He isn't fluent in any other than English, but he can make simple requests in plenty

He's also conversational in Spanish. It's a bit disjointed, and his grammar isn't great, but you can understand the point he's getting at

Canada knows a bit of Spanish too, though he isn't fluent either, and when he needs to speak Spanish he keeps a dictionary on him because he isn't quite conversational

Canada gets upset with America easily and often, and struggles to forgive him, but in the end, he has a soft spot for him and caves every time

Occasionally he'll get fed up with America and yell at him, and while he pretends to have not heard due to being distracted, he always does and it bothers him

America knows how rude he can be, and how overbearing he is, and wants to try to be better, but in the end he gets too caught up in having fun that he doesn't realize he's being an asshole. He still feels terrible about it afterward

England has freckles. They only show during the summer and are very faint, but they're there

The reason Canada has grown out his hair is so he won't get mistaken for America as much. It's barely helped, sadly. He also did it in an attempt to resemble France more because he looked up to him so much

When presented with just one of the brothers, England struggles to differentiate which one it is, but when seeing them side by side, he can always tell them apart

England and France both prefer their own little brother, and neither attempt to claim they don't have favorites. They constantly argue about who's better, America or Canada. 

The boys think it's stupid, but secretly enjoy watching them argue. It's a confidence booster for Canada, having France point out everything good about him

Queen is both England and America's favorite band, though America listens to a lot of different bands and artists

France like more classical music, though he also likes love songs

Canada listens to just about anything and doesn't really have a preference or favorite

England listens to the Beatles and Queen and that's about it. Not saying they're bad, not at all, but he never listens to anything else. If someone is playing something else, he will just tune it out and mentally play some other song over it. Or actually play another song over it just to piss the other person off. He also listens to a lot of rock, though he'll never admit it

America loves meeting his celebrities. He has a book of autographs from throughout the years of his favorites. He plans to get Chris Evan's next

He also has signatures from all the characters at Disneyland. He got as many as he could as soon as he could, and gets in line as quickly as he can whenever a new character is added to the parks

France likes to stand dramatically on balconies overlooking his city. If you find France on your balcony holding a wine glass gazing out into the night, don't freak out and call the cops, he's just being France

France has revealed to random citizens that he's the actual embodiment of their country despite it being a national secret. They rarely believe him anyway

England calls the queen mom on a regular basis. She's used to it

America called George Washington dad on accident once, and Martha joked about adopting him, and George said they wouldn't be able to handle him with his superstrength and all. He's also accidentally called other presidents of his dad. None had quite a positive reaction

England used to jokingly call America Hercules, and they still joke about it to this day. Mostly America though

America loves poptarts. On busy days he'll eat them for breakfast. Just poptarts, nothing else. He also likes bagels with cream cheese

America eats a lot of breakfasts that shouldn't be considered breakfasts

-Poptarts

-Bagels

-Donuts

-Toast and jam

-PB&J

-Just the first thing he pulls from the fridge

-Ice cream

America eats a lot. It's why he's seen eating junk food so much. He can just stop by McDonald's on his way to a meeting and pick up a hundred hamburgers and give large sodas

He eats really unhealthily purely because that's what's easiest to get in bulk. He eats bbq a lot too. And steak. And chicken. And anything with meat, really

He eats so much because he needs to eat a lot to keep up his strength. Being a superpower doesn't come easy!

America picked his human name to be Alfred when he first became a nation. After Davie died he took his last name. After he became independent of England, he changed his last name to Freedom briefly. He felt bad after a while, and felt he wasn't properly honouring his fallen friend, so he changed his last name back to Jones, and now his middle name is Freedom, hence the F

Canada and America go on hunting trips together occasionally, and will hunt invasive species in an area. Sometimes they just relocate them instead of killing them

Sometimes Canada will forget a word in English, but remember it in French, so he'll just sit there mumbling to himself, trying to figure it out, listing synonyms, until either it clicks or France recalls it for him

#hws #hetalia #hetalia axis powers #hetalia world stars #aph hetalia #aph #hetalia america #hetalia canada #hetalia england #hetalia france #hetalia face family #aph face family #aph america #aph canada #aph england #aph france #hws america #hws canada #hws england #hws france #hws face family #hetalia headcanons #face family #face family headcanons #aph headcanons #hws headcanons #hetalia america headcanons #aph america headcanons #hws america headcanons #hetalia canada headcanons

[phoenix-downer]

I was wondering if you saw the official Melody of Memory announcement trailer with the subtitles added. There seems to be a controversy on how the localization team changes Kairis words from "because I wasn't strong enough" to "because of what you've done" I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Do you think this changes Kairi's character or is it not a huge thing?

Thanks for the ask! 

Spoiler alert: taking a look at it, I think the fan translations are technically correct about Kairi blaming her lack of strength for Sora and the others getting hurt, because she does, but the official localization team better captures the overall meaning of what she says, because she also blames the hooded figure for her fate being messed with, which presumably led to her lack of strength in the first place. I’m basing my reasoning on how the scope of certain grammar patterns she’s using probably impact the meaning of what she’s saying.

Looking at the Japanese version in more detail...

(This transcription is done by me, so the commas and periods are just guesses, and the Japanese version of KH doesn’t really use periods that much anyway, they’re more for my convenience. Usual disclaimer applies about how there are still things I don’t know about Japanese and my language and translation skills are a work in progress, etc.)

 JP: あなたのせいで、私の運命は運動され、私の力が足りないせいで、みんなや、ソラが傷ついた。今、目の前にあなたは、たとえ記憶や幻あても、私はあなたを許さない。

Romaji: Anata no seide, watashi no unmei wa undōsare, watashi no chikara ga tarinai seide, minna ya, Sora ga kizu tsuita. Ima, me no mae ni anata wa, tatoe kioku ya maborshi atemo, watashi wa anata o yurusanai. 

EN: You’re the one who keeps messing with my fate. If it weren’t for what you’ve done, then Sora and everyone would be safe. Even if you’re not really here and this is just a memory or an illusion... I won’t let you walk away! 

TN: Because of you, my fate keeps getting messed with. (And because of you), my power isn’t strong enough, (and because my power isn’t strong enough), Sora and everyone else got hurt. Now, you’re in front of me, and even if it’s just a memory or an illusion... I won’t let you get away! 

Notes: Kairi starts out the whole thing by resting the blame on the hooded figure with the grammar form ~seide. This is used to indicate something or someone has caused a negative result. It’s a means of placing blame for something that happened and pointing to someone or something as the cause. A different phrase is used to give credit for something good that’s happened, ~okagede. Both of these words are covered by English words or phrases such as “because of~” or “thanks to~,” and we rely on tone of voice and intonation to differentiate between “good cause” and “bad cause.” Unless, of course, we choose to use something else (like the phrase “It’s your fault,” which is only has the “bad cause” meaning) to make that more clear in the semantics of the word. 

Because Kairi uses anata no seide to blame the hooded figure (who she refers to as “you” or anata at the very beginning of her speech for all the things she lists off afterwards, it sounds to me like the blame for all the things she lists afterwards falls on the hooded figure. That’s what the official localization captures that some of the fan translations did not. 

I think that the way that the “my fate keeps getting messed with” part ends also indicates that what comes next is linked to it, and thus the hooded figure is responsible for it, too. Why? Well, because the verb the official localization translates as “mess with” ends on sare, which is the stem form of the passive form of the verb “do.” Why Kairi uses the stem form of sareru instead of the te-form sarete, which would normally be used for connecting sentences or phrases, I’m not sure, but IIRC the stem form can also be used to link sentences and phrases together. The stem form also sounds more formal to me, so maybe that’s why Kairi uses it? To give her that “princess” air, and because she’s generally pretty polite (though here she’s using casual verb endings and not formal ones). Don’t take my word for it though, as much as the social aspects of language are my favorite, they’re also the easiest for me to mess up because they’re the kind of thing you generally need to engage in lots of real world conversations involving the specific piece of grammar in question to pick up on.

Also, the compound that the official localization translated as “keeps messing with” is literally “is moved,” but we don’t say people’s fates are moved in English, it’s not the right collocation (which means the set of words that normally combine together), so that’s why there’s a discrepancy there with some of the fan translations as well. 

Anyway, the next part, which has Kairi blaming herself for being too weak, is something like, “Because my power is insufficient...” in Japanese, with the grammar form ~seide being used to blame her insufficient strength on Sora and the others getting hurt. However, remember what I said earlier about scope? While it’s true Kairi blames her insufficient power on Sora and the others getting hurt, I believe this still falls under the scope of the hooded figure’s fault. She wouldn’t have been too weak if it weren’t for the hooded figure messing with her fate, in other words. 

That’s what’s captured in the official localization that’s missing in some of the fan translations. Now, it’s true that the official localization does not spell out in the grammar that Kairi blames the hooded figure overall for everything AND blames her insufficient strength for leading to Sora and the others getting hurt. However, this might not be the final translation, and even if it is, it’s not really inaccurate or anything, especially when you look at the original Japanese version. And they may be able to make up the “lost” meaning of Kairi blaming her insufficient strength in other ways, like with the tone and intonation of Kairi’s English line delivery. 

The last point of contention I’ve seen is the very last thing Kairi says, “I won’t let you walk away!” When you walk away, you don’t hear me say, please, oh baby, don’t go, anyone? Putting on my tinfoil hat, I’m gonna laugh if this is some A+ foreshadowing from the localization team about the identity of the hooded figure... Anyway, people have been wondering how fan translations could come up with things like “I’ll never forgive you!” when the official localization has  “I won’t let you walk away!” 

It all comes down to the verb used, which is yurusu. Yurusu can mean many things. It’s a very flexible verb. I’m gonna copy several of its possible meanings from jisho.org to give you an idea of its range: 

Now, while it’s true that the negative form, yurusanai, which is what Kairi uses here, tends to be used in anime a lot for characters to scream at their enemies about how they won’t forgive them, that’s not the only possible meaning of yurusanai. 

Notice how the official localization uses something close to meaning #3, to release, to let off. An important part of localization is context, and the official localization team looked at the entire context of the sentence and decided that this was the meaning that most closely matched the situation. I am nowhere near their level, so I trust what they went with and defer to their expertise. 

Plus, it makes sense, you know? Right before this, Kairi says the part about  how even if this is just a memory or an illusion, she’ll... When you think about it, it makes sense that she wouldn’t want the figure that’s messed with her fate so much to get away, so that’s why she says she won’t let the person walk away in the official localization. 

(Also, just an interesting side note, Kairi uses pronouns a lot in this speech. The norm for Japanese conversation is to drop pronouns when they’re understood from context, which is different from English, where we need to use them most of the time with some exceptions. If my hunch is right, she’s stressing the pronouns so much in the Japanese version because she wants to clearly demarcate herself from the person she’s addressing, to draw a “me vs. you” line in the sand. She means serious business and these are her fighting words, basically.)

Hope that answers your question!

#kingdom hearts #kh translation #kairi #phoenix translates #tfaisit23 #answer #long post

[dungeonmalcontent]

Thoughts on Encounter Balancing and the Meat Grinder

I’ve talked about running a meat grinder, and given a brief description of what that entails. But I want to go into detail on the matter. Below the cut there will be some visuals and ttrpg philosophy discussion for how to run good and balanced encounters in 5e d&d, primarily through the use of Roll20. This is a long post. I would put it on my Wordpress blog, but that’s getting some work and requires more effort.

So what is a meat grinder?

A meat grinder is a combat only one shot that allows for variety of play at high speed. Key aspects of the meat grinder are challenging encounter composition, terrain (re-positionable), and increased difficulty with every encounter round with the players leveling up between each. Ideally, the players have pre-planned how they want to level up their characters, have a different character ready for every level, or use a character manager tool like Aurora Builder, Fight Club 5e, or DNDBeyond (which I had my players use, because they could randomize and build widely varied characters) to facilitate fast level ups.

So how did I run the meat grinder? What does it look like? How do you even start this sort of project?

Well, let’s look.

This is the setup I used on Roll20. This is without FoW on, and I’ll zoom in on various aspects as I go on, but it isn’t that complicated. At the top we have a waiting room, where players can pick a token that speaks to them, and a “lion cage” with the tokens for each planned encounter (I deleted a few during the game I ran). Below that is the “arena,” which by itself isn’t all that special, as it was emptied out completely at the end of every encounter. At the very bottom, and pretty much never visible to the players, is the terrain room where I have shapes or tokens with terrain. My terrain was essentially just columns of various size that ran from floor to ceiling and either made walls or obstacles, but that was only because I put this together in a couple of hours.

Lets start with the waiting room.

At the start of the game, this is all the players should be able to see. There are a variety of tokens and instructions for how players can pick theirs; which in Roll20 you will then have to assign to the player (and then ideally color code as shown with the last four). All the tokens I threw on there, and I picked for variety, were pulled from the free assets on Roll20 (though I have plenty of my own, this was faster than uploading to my library). You can add on player/character names to help differentiate, but that also takes some extra time. The important part is that the players use this space to get used to what is about to happen. I also used an airlock room attached between the arena and the waiting room, just to give them a little more immersion and warning when the next round was ready, but that’s not really necessary.

Next is the “Lions Cage,” and I call it that in the spirit of the Roman Colosseum.

This is where I kept the tokens for each encounter. I had then arranged in rows with the first being at the top (which was deleted after it was beaten, but contained an Evil MageTM, two zombies, and two skeletons). I started at CR 1 (with four level 1 players), and went to CR 2 (animated armor and dragon wyrmling) and so on, following basics for balancing encounters based on CR. I will get into monster selection more later, but this is the room where I had all of that laid out. It is always blacked out for players. (I also had two spiderman PNGs and a barrel to use as variety tokens like Spiritual Weapon or familiars, they’re a running joke in my games.)

Now, the arena.

This is a big empty area. Every round I add in the tokens for the encounter monsters, the terrain, and I adjust the lighting as needed. The lighting is probably the biggest brain thing I’ve ever done on Roll20 and I encourage the use of this system for any arena or massive dungeons you build on the platform. You write out “Lighting” as well as “bright,” “dim,” and “dark.” You add this text to the background layer (along with all the boxes and things you don’t intend to move). Then you get boxes big enough to cover whatever lighting options are not in use. For bright rooms where there is enough light for all characters (save those with aversion to bright light) to see clearly, you cover up “dim” and “dark.” It’s that simple and it does so much for the players too, because it gives them actual use of their darkvision and they don’t have to ask you what the light in the room is like, they can just see. If they have disadvantage due to lighting, they can see the precedent based on the setting. It’s a good system and I am quite proud of it.

As a secondary note, FoW is interesting in this room. For after round cleanup and next round setup, it is recommended to black out the arena. When starting out a round, particularly if you are using sneaky creatures, it is advised to reveal the room gradually as the characters move about it. This is a great place to use the token lighting feature thing you get with a premium Roll20 subscription, as this feature enables rapid revealing and occluding of space in the arena based on the token’s given sight range. But that costs money. I got along just fine doing it manually.

Lastly, the terrain room.

This is just an empty space below the arena map, used to store terrain pieces. For my meat grinder I used six objects. Three squares and three circles, made to equilateral sizes with the shift function (should use high contrast colors and have both line and fill colors selected before making shapes, hence the purple and green). More shapes would have been ideal, but weren’t necessary. And shapes aren’t even required, you can add in terrain features from whatever map builder you use, but shapes are the easiest to prepare and move.

Another good option might be to add in one big solid black square to cover the whole arena and use other colored squares to represent platforms (possibly even color coding certain platforms to indicate height from a base level like the precipice of the waiting room). This adds an additional challenge to navigating the room and rewards characters with mobility based abilities like flight, or spells like spider climb. Alternatively alternatively, the room could be indicated to be submerged and the players given potions of waterbreathing, as this allows for underwater combat and aquatic monsters.

So what might an encounter look like? Here’s an idea for CR 4.

It doesn’t look that hard, honestly. Nothing in the lineup is actually even CR 4. But you also have to remember that most classes don’t get anything interesting or impactful at level 4. Level four is the designated ability score improvement level. So they aren’t going to be able handle anything much more challenging than before, even if they all take super useful feats instead of score ups (if you use those rules). The challenge of this setup is the terrain and the cube. Gelatinous cubes are a menace in group fights with small spaces, and gargoyles and werewolves have a lot of basic damage resistance and high speed.

So, suppose you open the room like this.

“The room is dark. You can see several pillars in front of you and not much else. There are vague shapes near the tops, as though they are ornamented with some statuary that you can’t quite make out. The room smells foul, like decay, and you can hear an uncomfortable squelching noise coming from further in.”

The players guess: Well, something is clinging to the tops of the pillars, and there’s some form of ooze in there. They probably won’t split up, so they can avoid getting taken out by falling creatures, and they expect to gang up on the ooze to take care of it quickly. But the cube is a tank and they have no clue the werewolf is hiding in the shadows. They are going to get ambushed, boxed in by the cube and divebombed by gargoyles. Now, if they’re smart they will take advantage of the tight spaces between pillars and act like tunnel fighters. The center middle or the bottom right are ideal for using the cube in their favor, as it will likely absorb the werewolf or careless gargoyles on accident if they don’t all have enough space. Worst case scenario, they all fail to see the cube (which I’ve made a size larger, arbitrarily), they stay in the open and split up to get picked up by big swooping maneuvers (which I would play out to the sound of Roundabout by Yes playing in the background).

So say, you run a round and the players win easily. Then what?

When the players win a hard fought battle I give them loot. One item from each killed monster, and there is usually at least one monster per player. I used the donjon random loot generator set to uncommon magic items. In the case of an easy victory you can adjust to no loot or less loot, or maybe just non-magic loot.

The players beat an encounter. I move them to the waiting room to level up and sort loot, cover the arena back up, move tokens and terrain around, and start again.

How did I select the encounters? Why certain creatures and why put them together?

The answer isn’t satisfying. Gut feelings, matching mechanics, and CR. I like thematic encounters for the meat grinder, though those themes are sometimes very arbitrary. My CR 3 lineup was themed “This looks like the dumbest and best hippie van art ever” and consisted of a gnome bard riding a gryphon and three centaurs. It used mounted combat, high speed, and mobile casting. Terrain would be sparse and likely against the walls to make crevasses for players to trap or get trapped in. If it felt like it was going to be too tricky, I could drop one or two centaurs from the encounter.

Generally speaking a creature of a certain CR is balanced for a party of 4-5 players of the same level as the creatures CR, with “boss” monsters being occasional outliers. So typically, an encounter consists of a high CR monsters (at or just above the PCs level/CR) and some fodder minion of a lower CR. Some monsters are also designed as fodder monsters, however, so putting just a lot of fodder monsters of the same CR as the players level is also an option. The beauty of the lions cage is that it allows you to also mix and match lineups on the fly, you can add or subtract monsters easily to make it harder or easier for your players. My players got wiped out by the animated armor and wyrmling, and had I used one less armor, they would have definitely survived, but it might have been too easy if they had picked up on the theme of the round (high armor, low health, so using save spells and abilities was the most effective method).

When putting together an encounter, I start by looking at the donjon creature index (another great tool you should have bookmarked) and browsing for a key creature for the encounter. This is usually the same CR as the players level. I pick one and then build up complimenting creatures from the same or lower CR. And that’s most of it.

The beauty of the meat grinder is its simplicity. It’s perfect for practicing combat balancing, getting new players used to the mechanics of combat, or running a quick one shot with little prep. You can even adjust it into a sort of tournament arc sort of narrative or a game show sort of last man standing operation (with killed players running pvp fights).

If you read this whole thing, holy cow. You’re a trooper. I hope you learned something useful or got some ideas. If you run a meat grinder of your own, I wish you all the luck in the world. It’s fun and can be very rewarding. Think of it like the infinity train (the one from Adventure Time, not the show [I haven’t watched the show and probably should]), lots of possibility—itty-bitty living space.

#dnd #d&d #5e #gming #dming #dungeons and dragons #meat grinder #combat #encounter balancing #monsters #arena #pvp #options for running a quick one shot

[thedistantstorm]

Project Compass 30

Read along on AO3 here

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This time: Thrawn makes a choice.

Next time: Eli is pissed.

-/

The trap was worse than they could have imagined.

The bridge of the Steadfast was near-silent, with only the sounds essential tasks being carried out in the background. The crew worked as silently as possible, mindful of the activity being carried out on the command walkway, the way Ar’alani paced back and forth in front of the holo, her anxiety only noticeable for the way she clenched one hand with the other behind her back. Thrawn stood a respectful step back, unflinching. His shoulders were tense but he held himself together.

Senior Captain Khresh looked resigned, not panicked. His fate was already decided, had been before Ivant made his way to the bridge. Vah’nya gravitated to him like a moon orbiting a planet, her fingers wrapping around his elbow as if to keep her from drifting away. “Eli,” She murmured, her worry thinly concealed.

“I know,” Ivant hissed quietly. Careful, with his back against the wall, he reached beneath the back of his tunic, unholstered a blaster and handed it to her. He nudged her left boot with the toe of his right one. She nodded.

The live projection cast into the center of the Steadfast’s bridge was complete. Large and grandiose, as it typically was when one was trying to make a statement. It projected its speaker in larger-than-life dimensions and higher than usual quality.

The most minute details were visible. Most alarming was the skeletal looking, sharply armored fingertips of a gloved Grysk hand where it held Khresh in place securely. That wasn't where Vah'nya was looking, however. Vah'nya knew better. She, like Eli, knew something their enemy did not know they were privy to. That made sense, though, since none of those who had revealed such secrets had gone on to live long enough to tell their allies the tale.

“It is there,” Vah’nya whispered to him.

“I see it,” Ivant confirmed. It was impossible to tell by the armor. The Grysks strived for utter domination and absolute anonymity until their prey were subjugated in totality. And yet, they had their tells. It was impossible to know if Ar’alani had been looking for it (though he suspected she had), or if Thrawn had remembered (probably), but they knew. And it was important.

If a Grysk commander was bold enough to stand aboard one of their capital ships, it meant that they believed that complete and utter submission of the Chiss people was highly possible. They would give no names, not even when they completely culled a civilization. Their darkness was so complete, without exception that differentiating them mattered little amongst individuals. Rank mattered. It spoke of wider access to the overall Hegemony.

"You have something we want," The commander said, voice harsh and grating in Messe Calf. "You will relinquish it to us."

Ar'alani looked at Khresh. He stood ramrod straight, eyes flickering sharply to his left and back in an indication to the negative. The Grysks commander must have noticed because he tightened his grip on the Compass's commanding officer past the point of pain.

"You have not stated your demand," The admiral said, face a cool mask, even as Khresh's face rippled faintly in agony. "What is it that you want?"

The commander remained still; They did not speak. They only looked straight ahead with fathomless black eyes concealed behind an armored mask. Ar'alani followed that gaze - to Thrawn.

Thrawn met it head on.

"Twenty nine hours," Their enemy said, not quite laughing but clearly amused at themself for the ultimatum. They did not say what would happen, though there were certainly plenty of possibilities. Senior Captain Khresh shook his head minutely, as if to tell them no, not to consider meeting any demands, or perhaps that it was already too late.

When the feed from the holo faded, the low-lighting of the Steadfast’s bridge felt dimmer than usual, the dark wash of space, cold and expansive seeming to close in on them. The ship’s operations were cut to stealth - life-support and secure comms only - as if that would prevent their enemies from tracking them the second Admiral Ar’alani had realized the Compass had been compromised. Not that it mattered.

Murmurs from the officers coalesced into a dull roar. Disbelief, shock, fury, all of these emotions seemed to crest like an incoming wave, trying to drag the rest of them with it.

Ar’alani did not say anything, did not move at all, her sharp gaze locked with Thrawn. Vah’nya removed her fingers from Eli’s arm, and they shared a quick, slow glance. The enemy was making their move. There was no time to wait, the eldest Navigator knew. She looked to Eli and there was no doubt he was also thinking the same thing.

Pride and vanity were difficult to shake. It was one thing to consider it happening, to prepare for it, on the off chance something occurred. It was another for it to truly happen, for speculations and perceptions to become some warped, new reality.

Concepts were easier to understand when they were optional, Eli knew. Ar’alani’s pride was wounded, her command well and truly compromised. She did not have the flexibility of perception like the Navigators he helped nurture. She was bound by the Ascendency.

“Eli’van’to,” Ar’alani’s voice was soft.

“That was a commander,” Vanto confirmed. He strode forward, onto the center walkway, the underlighting casting a dim glow upon his face.

“The crew?”

Eli winced, but spoke evenly just the same. “Anyone who doesn’t swear fealty will be killed. We need to assume that’s already happened. They might keep Senior Captain Khresh alive, but I don’t think they’d do so for long.”

“If they murder our people, what motivation do they leave us to acquiesce to their demand?”

“Does it matter?” Thrawn countered.

“Think,” Ar’alani urged. “They are changing the game, Mitth’raw’nuruodo. We must adapt our strategies accordingly.” She looked around the bridge for a long moment, the crew falling silent under her scrutiny. As if coming to a conclusion, she added, “Before I approach the admiralty.”

Thrawn swallowed, fanned his fingers over his chin, stroking once, and then nodded, resolute. "We must at least appear to play their game," He agreed, then turned suddenly to Vah’nya.

The Senior Navigator nodded. “They will save the Navigators for last,” She said solemnly. “The youngest will be easiest to imprint upon, so they may kill the older ones if they put up a fight, but they would rather not waste valuable servants.”

Now was about the time Thrawn would come up with an ingenious, emboldened plan. Eli prepared himself to talk Thrawn down, to try and bridge the gap between Ar’alani’s frustration and Thrawn’s detached assertion that his proposal was the only fitting one. None came. The conversation continued, Thrawn, Vah’nya and Ar’alani speaking in quiet tones, working together to formulate their course of action.

He looked to Faro, who lingered off to the side. She caught his sideways glance and gravitated toward him silently. Eli could see the frustration in the mild, but deepening lines at the corner of Thrawn’s eyes, the way he clenched his jaw in such a way that only seeing the action would allow one to notice it had happened at all.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Faro said, the sound of her words barely leaving her lips.

“Me too,” Eli said, something dark and foreboding curling tightly in his belly.

-/

“It is a trap,” Un’hee had whispered into the Admiral’s ear. Her voice had trembled, but she managed to keep the tears that seemed to burn at the corners of her eyes at bay. “We have given them what they want.”

Ar’alani had shrugged her off. Un’hee didn’t want to understand, even if she knew there was nothing that could have been done by the time she’d confessed what one of her sisters had seen. She didn’t want to see any more of her people die.

Now, she paced. Ezra sat with her, coming to her after they had left Sarvchi. They had unburdened their fleet of all that terrifying poison, and now… this. Ezra had been informed via Thrawn over comms. He had not been invited to their briefing, nor to what Un’hee was sure would be a call to high command.

The young man’s presence was a swirl of chaos and harmony. Peace lingered at the surface, but there was anticipation lying in wait underneath. It was soothing, in a way, to know that he felt the tense electricity that seemed to linger in the air. Perhaps he felt it even deeper than she could.

“It’s okay to be afraid,” Ezra said into the silence of the room.

Un’hee whirled around on him. “I’m not afraid,” She insisted. She wasn’t afraid. There was nothing to fear, she insisted, but, "We wouldn’t-”

Ezra’s eyes held no measure of pity, just concern. “I don’t know, Un’hee,” He admitted. “They definitely won’t want the Navigators getting anywhere close to the Grysks, so I think you’ll be just fine.” He smiled at her reassuringly. It wasn’t that he was lying, but she couldn’t help but feel like he was placating her. They both knew the enemy they faced.

“We’re always fine,” Un’hee breathed, eyes going far-away and haunted before she blinked her memories away. “The Grysks will take us alive, if we’re taken. And they’ll-” She shuddered. “I do not wish to go through that again, and I don’t want Eli or Vah’nya or Mitth’raw’nuruodo to be taken by them, either.” She looked away from Ezra and back again, then admitted, “I guess I am afraid.”

Ezra nodded. “That’s okay. I’m a little afraid, too.”

She frowned, seeming to think something over, then climbed onto the couch next to him. The officer’s lounge they’d holed up in was vacant, the rest of the crew occupied with preparations for the possible battle or extraction or rendezvous yet to come. Ezra slung an arm around her gently, careful not to grab onto her bony shoulder or give her the indication she was trapped.

Together, they sat quietly. There were voices in the corridor outside, urgent orders being flung over comms and Chiss moving to prepare for what would lay ahead. Un’hee wasn’t so naive to think that they wouldn’t encounter Grysks. Admiral Ar’alani was a fearless leader. She would do what had to be done. She would do everything to protect her people, and if she couldn’t she would give them a warrior’s death.

Except, Un’hee didn’t want to die. She didn’t even want to see another Grysk for as long as she lived. But more than that, she wanted her sisters and all the other people she cared for to live. The message from Thrawn had informed them that he was what the Grysks were after. That they had a time limit. She glanced at the clock. They had been given twenty-nine hours, and only twenty of them were left. She sighed.

Beside her, Ezra was not meditating. His fingers were warm where they rubbed her shoulder soothingly. He couldn’t be taken by the Grysks, either, she decided. She knew Vah’nya was fierce and brave, and would willingly give herself to them, if it meant saving others. She also knew Ar’alani would never let that happen. Vah’nya was different. Special. They said Un’hee was too, but Un’hee was just herself. She was made up of so many broken, scattered pieces. The Grysks had tortured Vah’nya, had tormented her by using Eli who they both cared for so much.

Un’hee wasn’t special for surviving what they’d put her through, she thought to herself. She had been a tool. A slave to the Grysks whims because she had been too young to know better, to understand or resist. She had barely known how to be a Navigator before they’d taken her, and she’d spent two very long years as a husk who did only what they instructed her to.

Maybe that could be helpful. She could mention it to Eli and if there was to be any risk, it could be to Un’hee and not Vah’nya. Yes, she thought. That felt right. Something in her both despaired and beamed at the prospect.

“Bridger.” Un’hee’s heart sank. They’d come to a decision. They were out of time.

Ezra raised a hand to his comm, toggling it gently. “Yes, Captain?”

Thrawn’s voice was tight. “Come to my office immediately. I will brief you on the situation.”

“Yes sir,” He replied, before the comm went dead. He looked down at Un’hee. “Will you be alright?”

Un’hee nodded. “Walk me back to the Navigator’s section on your way?”

“I can do that,” He agreed, letting her rise to her feet before following. He was careful to walk slow enough that she could keep up without rushing. He waited until she’d toggled the door to her room open before stepping back, but a small blue hand latched onto the back of his tunic. He turned back to her, a question in his eyes.

“Have…” She frowned and tried again. “Have you ever known that there was something you had to do,” She began, “Something you didn’t want to do but knew you were the only one who could do it?”

The Jedi looked surprised. He tilted his head. “Yeah,” He said softly. “I have.” Then, with a small smile, he said, “Hopefully you’ll never have to make a choice like that.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Thrawn and Ar’alani will figure this out,” He said. “I’m sure of it.”

Un’hee was sure her smile was reassuring enough because Ezra didn’t say anything else, he just continued to smile at her until he had to turn away to find Thrawn. She let the door slide closed behind her and leaned against it for a moment. Some distant part of her wanted to cry.

But another part of her, a new part, fire-forged and new, the part that cared so much about more than just herself was resolute. She felt the call to arms like a tingling sensation that started somewhere in the back of her ribcage and along her spine. A sense of purpose and necessity. She let it fill her. Was this how Vah’nya felt?

It didn’t matter how Vah’nya had felt, she realized. Their paths were different. She took a deep breath, held it, then let it go. Vah’nya had been Eli’s guide, had seen him through, had brought him home.

Un’hee was not meant to navigate Eli through this. She was meant to help Thrawn. And that meant she would be in danger. Whatever plan Admiral Ar’alani came up with, she was almost positive from the tone of his voice that he was displeased. She felt like she understood him, somewhat. He cared so deeply, but he kept it hidden. The Grysks wanted him. They would not stop until they had him, or they were destroyed. He would confront them on his terms and he would minimize collateral damage.

All she had to do was get Thrawn alone and convince him to let her help him with his plans. That couldn’t be too difficult, right?

-/

Thrawn left Admiral Ar’alani’s office and found himself at a crossroads. He needed time to think, unobstructed. The plans had been drafted. Ar’alani was presenting them to the Admiralty, for better or worse. He had no doubt she’d deviate just enough to prevent any issues from potential leaks, but he was no fool.

As it was now, their plan was hardly anything. It would fail.

The only reason they weren’t outright destroying the ship was because there were four navigators aboard. Four Navigators that Vah’nya had been monitoring closely, that had been rotated between the Steadfast and Compass over the last year and a half. Even if the Admiralty had declared them lost, their project demanded that they at least attempt to recover them, if no one else. But the Admiralty would not do so. It was a capital offense to kill a Navigator, and a high crime to kidnap or torture one.

Their plan all but guaranteed them to lose everything. The Ascendancy wanted negotiations with these “compromised” Chiss. Bureaucratic nonsense that would muddle things, waste time, and ultimately end with the Grysks taking the ship in its entirety at worst, or at best end with the ship being blown to smithereens.

In the light of there only being horrible plans and slightly less horrible but no more salvageable plans, Thrawn allowed his own to take shape in his mind. Everything in this moment revolved around him. He was the prize the Grysks desired. He was a pawn they believed they could play against Palpatine, and Palpatine was an evil surely beyond comprehension, but he had weaknesses now. He was desperate enough to reach out to enemies he surely thought were beneath him, if Thrawn’s own interactions with the Sith had displayed anything. He was selfish enough to make contingencies to secure his own safety in the event of defeat, no doubt. Palpatine was not a warrior. Thrawn needed only to survive long enough to make it to the Empire. From there, he could manage whatever punishment came, and formulate an escape.

He knew Ezra’s whereabouts, which meant he had a bargaining chip with General Syndulla, if nothing else. It was a risky endeavor, but it was the one most feasible. If he could convince them to exchange the Navigators for his own life, it would be worth it. He had no doubt he Chiss aboard the ship were unknowingly subservient, but believed themselves in control. He would be able to secure the majority of them. Perhaps they would argue to keep one, but the Chiss would not stand to see them harmed. Their ever-patient overseers would indulge them to keep them compliant, Thrawn thought. He could work with that.

As he continued down the corridor, he realized the girl was following him. She was quiet, managing to remain relatively unobtrusive, nearly invisible, but Thrawn paid attention to detail - especially in particularly charged, almost hostile situations like this. At first he believed it to be something small, a titter of anxiety or a short question that she would inject into the natural flow of his present conversation. She did not. He continued his conversation with the lieutenant in front of him, directing the man to prepare a shuttle for their upcoming operation and to inform him immediately upon completion.

When the lieutenant snapped to attention and departed, Thrawn did not immediately turn to regard Un'hee. He looked down at his datapad under the guise of confirming information he had long since memorized and waited for her to slink out of the shadow of one of the ancillary corridors. His patience was rewarded when he stepped forward once, twice, and she moved to follow. Peripherally he saw her eyes slide from one end of the hall to the other, gaze cast wide like a net, checking for anyone who could be watching. There was no one.

Thrawn spoke facing forward, as if addressing the air. His voice carried. "I do not particularly enjoy being followed, nor should you be wandering unattended in a situation such as this."

"I'm sorry, Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo," Un'hee said, and Thrawn turned to her. She did not appear to be in distress of any kind.

His gaze narrowed. "You do not appear repentant," He observed.

She squirmed under the intensity of his glare. "I wish to help," She admitted, biting her lips. She clenched her fists and looked up at him, eyes burning.

“I will escort you to your quarters,” Thrawn said. “The Navigators were instructed to stay in the Navigator’s section until our maneuvers are complete, unless summoned to the bridge.” He turned around with the intention of similarly spinning her around, but Un’hee looked up at him, feet spaced shoulder width apart, arms crossed defensively. “The admiral’s plans are explicit and non-negotiable.”

“Which is why you asked the hangar to prepare you a shuttle,” She murmured, raising an eyebrow.

“Last I checked, you were not at our briefing, Navigator.”

“Last I checked, hyperspace travel is unsafe in this sector,” She quipped back, calling his bluff. “You need my help.”

The conflict passed through his face so quickly Un’hee nearly missed it. “I will not endanger you to further my plans.”

“Then I suppose it's good that I’m volunteering.” She cocked her head. “You want to protect everyone, right?” His nod was so slight she thought she imagined it, but his eyes reinforced his intent. “So do I.”

Thrawn exhaled. It wasn’t a sigh, but it was close. “I cannot endanger a child,” He argued again and her eyes flashed, perhaps in indignance, as he continued, “Much less a Navigator, be their actions voluntary or not.”

Un’hee sized him up, a strangely potent move despite their distinct difference in size. She was sure not to look away from him, eyes seeming to peer into his like she could see through him. Fiercely, she said “I am a Navigator of the Chiss Ascendency. But I am only one and on that ship there are at least four. Any potential sacrifice on my part is worth it. Besides, if our enemies have-” She closed her eyes, nostrils flaring. She willed herself to respect her fears and move beyond them. “If the Grysks have harmed them, I can be useful.”

While he did not dismiss her outright, he also didn’t relent. She waited, her face still locked in that severe scowl, ready to fight him. “Your gifts are a compelling reason for you to stay,” He said. “I could certainly procure another Navigator who has not shown your particular talents.”

“None who would go willingly. None who trust you completely.”

“And you do?” He looked at her seriously, but she sensed his words were warped to try and convince her not to follow him. “I am not a good man, Un’hee,” He said, shaking his head. “And my fate will not be pleasant. Going with me will most likely be a suicide mission.”

“I don’t think it will,” She said. “You have a plan, do you not?”

He nodded gravely, and Un’hee felt a subtle shift. She had him, she knew it. She pressed on.

“You would not execute a failing plan,” She said. “You would adapt to the situation. You would be more successful with my help.” Then, taking a risk to appeal to his emotions, she added, “It is my duty both as a Navigator and as a warrior to assist you.”

His eyes did soften, just barely, at that. He understood her calling. Good, she thought. “Un’hee,” He tried, a little softer now. “I will not willingly endanger your life. It is not because I believe you incapable, but-”

Un’hee stood her ground, mouth twisting meanly. “I know your plan. If you do not let me come with you, I will tell the Admiral. And Eli,” She said, finally playing her hand. “And they will stop you.” Her chin jutted up. “Then what?”

The look on Thrawn’s face was not kind, nor did it give her any satisfaction. If she wasn’t trying so hard to get him to agree with her, if she didn’t feel so strongly that she needed to come with him, to help him, and her sisters trapped aboard he Compass while protecting those she cared for here, aboard the Steadfast, she would have been afraid. This was not the hidden kindness of the man she knew. This was a man who had very little left to lose, who was making a great gamble.

Who knew, in his heart, that he could not afford for his plan to be thwarted.

“Very well,” He said and his voice made Un’hee want to shiver. “Let us prepare.”

-/

He was exceedingly capable of focusing on the task at hand instead of his emotions. It didn’t stop them from existing, no matter how hard he pushed them down, refusing to acknowledge him. It didn’t change what he had to do, either. It did, however, increase the need for precision and deception, now that his plans had been irrevocably changed.

He hadn’t wanted to include anyone else in his plans. It was another variable that made things messy. Too messy. Regardless of her courage - courage Thrawn couldn’t help but admire for flourishing in one so young - everything in him found the prospect of endangering her life knowingly to be revolting, even if he was relatively confident that they would not murder any of the navigators outright.

In any other situation, he would find a way to lose an unwanted accomplice. He’d done it countless times, leading a helpful (but more often meddling) ‘assistant’ out of the way of the sequence of events. This time, however, he could not.

Thrawn could not outmaneuver a Navigator with precognition. Un’hee would be accompanying him.

So, in the meantime, because she was clearly on the lookout for him to ‘innocently’ lose her, she’d let herself onto the shuttle he’d had the hangar prepare for him under the guise of highly sensitive, mission critical, and immediately redacted orders from Ar’alani. The censure should obscure things enough within the hangar as to prevent news from reaching back to the Admiral, who was his real obstacle.

Eli, he wanted to think, if Eli wanted to stop him, he’d be able to handle it. As soon as the thought slipped into the forefront of his mind he inhaled, controlled, and forced the thought back. He clenched his fists. There was no one around to see the lapse in control.

If Eli intervened, he’d handle it. He’d have to.

This was bigger than Eli or himself, he told himself, slipping into the armory and selecting a number of armaments he knew would be useful. He skipped tiny, compact grenades, not trusting the enemy to leave their quarry free of booby traps. Thrawn knew his happiness was not a priority. It had never been. His life had been driven by duty, always. Eli is - would be - a bright spot, a moment of brilliant color in the otherwise routine canvas of his life, warm reds and oranges amongst a backdrop of black and gray and blue.

His desires, nor his happiness could ever supersede that of his people’s survival and protection. Thrawn did not allow himself a moment to want it. It would be foolish to do so now, he knew. He could think about it all he liked later, when all the moves were on the board and he was waiting to face his fate.

On his wrist, his comm blinked and he toggled it quietly, stepping around a rack of armor that wouldn’t do him any good in a situation where tactical gear would only give his enemies the indication that he did not plan to surrender as he would lead them to believe.

“Thrawn.”

“I am supposed to be reporting for my shift in one hour,” Un’hee hissed. He was almost surprised by the urgency in her voice. Beneath it was still resolve, not uncertainty. “We need to leave before anyone seeks me out.”

His sigh was more of a scoff, but he didn’t argue with her. “Stay where you are. I will join you shortly. Thrawn out.”

He did not carry a pack, but he did pocket several additional blaster cartridges, even going so far as to tuck one in his boot alongside a vibroblade that he’d had since his time in the Empire. He could rig it, if they did not take it from him. With purpose, he slipped out of the armory unseen and made the short trek to the lower hangar. It was the one with more security, and not the one scheduled to receive the ‘shipment’ coordinated by the traitorous enemies lurking aboard their ship.

The sound fervent, angry voices reached him as he approached the waiting vessel. When he’d left her with the shuttle, it had been left dark, a purposeful deception. Now, it was lit up, and he could see the slight shadow of the young Navigator, impatient and red-faced in the infrared.

“We have to go now,” Un’hee said, furious. “Navigator Mi’yaric knows you’re up to something.”

An answering malaise was visible in Thrawn’s face for a fleeting moment, wordlessly demanding an explanation.

Un’hee made a gesture that indicated nothing, but Thrawn understood. Precognition. Sight. The other Navigator. The small one, smaller than Un’hee. She was demure and quiet, but no less talented. She’d been with Un’hee earlier and had been the one who Un’hee relayed the message to Ar’alani for. The shy one who had seen this entire endeavor as the trap it inevitably was.

“She’s going to-”

It didn’t matter who the girl told, he told himself. It was too late to go back now. Thrawn interrupted her sharply. “Is the ship ready?”

Un’hee nodded. The sound of hydraulic locks disengaging behind Thrawn’s back had him sliding his gaze to indicate that she should make herself scarce. She dipped around the corner.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Eli bellowed, coming up behind him.

Ar’alani would not believe this to be him ‘doing what must be done,’ Thrawn thought. He doubted he would ever be able to argue the point with her.

Thrawn closed his eyes and squared his shoulders. Inhaled, exhaled, and turned to face him. “I do not wish to fight you, Eli.”

“I know you don’t,” His fellow captain said. His eyes were as bright as ever, and it hurt Thrawn viscerally to know what he had to do might hurt Eli most of all. “If the plan is no good,” Eli continued, “Let’s figure it out together.” He did not beg, and he did not back down. His approach continued until they were little more than an arms’ length apart.

He was more Chiss than Thrawn had realized. Not nearly as prideful, but the way he spoke indicated he felt himself to be every bit Thrawn’s equal, in rank and intellect. Fiercely, selfishly, he wished he didn’t have to disappoint him. Thrawn was a rational man.

And it was with this rationality that he recognized this to be the last time he would see Eli Vanto in his life. He always entertained uplifting possibilities, concocted alternate and intricate escape plans, regardless of how unlikely success would be, in spite of all the unknowns.

It didn’t diminish from the starkness of reality, the reality that the Grysks would likely maim him looking for whatever it was the Emperor wished to possess him for, if not secrets to destroy the shattering empire and subjugate it as well. And if he survived that, the Emperor was a Sith. A man who could send a young, but fully-grown Jedi into a tailspin with only a recording of his voice. Thrawn had outsmarted him for a while, but Palpatine would be distrustful in his desperation to retain the pieces of his crumbling regime. He kept Anakin Skywalker on a leash. Thrawn did not doubt the man incapable of doing the same to one single Chiss, especially one who had been weakened first.

Warrior’s fortune would only carry him so far. Regardless of what so many thought, he was aware of his limitations. His mortality.

“I must do this,” Thrawn admitted. He did not have the heart to lie.

Eli frowned. “Krayt spit,” He swore in his native language.

Thrawn couldn’t help it. He laughed, a single baritone huff of amusement escaping him, tempered with a grief that gripped him like an fist wrapped around his heart. “Eli,” He said, and the fondness bled into that one word, unrestrained.

“Thrawn,” Eli answered, and like always, Thrawn realized, like he had from the first, Eli always made the initial move. He took that half step between them, braced Thrawn’s arms with his hands. They were warm, even through his uniform. “Whatever you’re thinking, tell me. Let me-”

“There’s no time,” He pushed.

“Look, I’ll stop you if I have to,” Vanto said. “I don’t want to, but I will. Don’t be a martyr.”

He’d tried to convince himself it was selfish, yet Eli deserved to know. He deserved to know where he stood, his worth. That Thrawn had had the express privilege of watching him grow from an awkward, kind young man with low expectations into a tenacious, inspiring leader that Thrawn - that his people - would follow, anywhere. That he-

Thrawn broke free of Eli’s grip and took the human’s face in his hands. Eli’s pupils dilated, his eyes deep and dark and bright just the same. “I love you,” Thrawn said, not in Basic or Cheunh, but Sy Bisti. He kissed Eli, hard and relentless, trying to relate everything he would never have the time to say. Eli met the intensity, fingers tangling at the back of his neck, pulling them flush.

When they inevitably pulled away, Thrawn’s hand crept toward his waist and the blaster there, already set to stun. He never looked away from Eli.

“Don’t,” Vanto whispered, catching the motion in his periphery. His tone was understanding, yet unyielding. He always chose to believe the best in Thrawn, even when he knew otherwise. “Whatever you’re thinkin’,” He drawled, “Don’t do it, Thrawn.”

Thrawn didn’t want this, not really. This was simply the only feasible option, he thought. His duty. His fingers caught on his blaster, his hesitation lasting no more than a second.

Several things happened, all at once:

Eli reached back for his own weapon, the concealed blaster tucked beneath the back of his tunic, betrayal blooming dark in his eyes. Thrawn heard motion to his right, in his awaiting ship. Eli’s lips parted, the sound of his voice raw, “I-”

The tell-tale crackle of a stunbolt interrupted him, and he went limp, falling backwards, his face rippling in surprise before going slack as he was rendered incapacitated. Thrawn caught him before he hit the ground, shooting an incredulous look up the ramp at a stone-faced Un’hee.

“We have to go,” She reminded him. “I would like to leave before the Admiral sends a squad to stop us.” She holstered her blaster, and Thrawn was certain he would not like the answer about where she’d procured this weapon, much less that she’d felt confident using it on Eli. Still, he had to admit the Navigator was right.

Thrawn dragged Eli a safe distance away from the ship’s thrusters, leaving him sprawled out in a place security holos would see. He was not trying to hide his plans. His only deception was aimed at escaping unhindered.

“I am sorry, Eli,” He whispered, careful as he let the other man's head touch the durasteel plating of the hangar floor. It would never be enough, Thrawn knew. But it would have to do.

#thranto #eli vanto x thrawn #mitth'raw'nuruodo #eli vanto #ar'alani #un'hee #sw fanfiction #my writing #well... this WAS a slow burn story

[dipulb3]

2021 Ford Ranger Tremor is ready for your overlanding expedition

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2021-ford-ranger-tremor-is-ready-for-your-overlanding-expedition/

2021 Ford Ranger Tremor is ready for your overlanding expedition

In recent years, not only have sales of pickup trucks increased, interest in overlanding — the phenomenon of off-grid adventure travel to remote destinations in specially prepared vehicles — has skyrocketed. This off-road pastime’s dramatic rise in popularity predates COVID-19, but today’s pandemic somehow makes the idea of zombie-apocalypse-ready 4×4 ownership suddenly seem like a sensible investment.

Like

Beefier suspension and tires add capability

Torquey engine = good tow/payload ratings

Class-leading ground-clearance

Visual tweaks look sharp

Don’t Like

Dated interior

No front locking differential

Significant fuel economy penalty

MSRP is competitive but costs as much as an F-150

In any case, the Blue Oval’s product planners didn’t necessarily have Armageddon in mind when they came up with the 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor, but that doesn’t mean this pickup wouldn’t make for a good truck upon which to build out an end times overlanding rig. Even if you’re not a prepper, as far as social-distancing machines go, Ford’s go-farther 4×4 is better suited than most.

After a long hiatus, the Ranger reentered the North American market in 2019 and its popularity has been gaining steadily. Last year, despite the coronavirus hamstringing new-car sales, Ranger sales actually increased, with the model claiming the midsize pickup segment’s second-place sales slot behind Toyota’s Tacoma. There’s still a lot of daylight between the Ranger and Tacoma on the sales charts, however, and Ford figures much of the hill it has to climb is with the type of buyers who gravitate toward the Taco’s many TRD off-road models.

2021 Ford Ranger Tremor is ready for your overlanding gear

See all photos

Now, the Tremor isn’t a standalone model, it’s actually a $4,290 package that can be added atop the truck’s mid-grade XLT and range-topping Lariat trims. The Tremor starts by incorporating most of the performance and aesthetic hardware from today’s existing FX4 off-road package and adding Ranger’s Sport Appearance trimmings. Combined, those two option groups normally total about $2,000, so after spending a couple of weeks with this model both on and off-road, the nearly $2,300 cost premium for all of the Tremor’s additional gear feels like a pretty solid value.

Like other Rangers, the Tremor uses the same 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo I4 mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Good for 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, this is still one of the torquiest and most modern drivetrains available in a midsize truck. The engine has more than enough oomph to tote this 4,571-pound pickup around and the stop/start tech is well behaved to boot.

The Tremor package is available exclusively on four-wheel-drive SuperCrew models with a five-foot bed.

Nick Miotke/Roadshow

Foxy suspension and a geometry lesson

The Tremor’s main upgrades are centered around the Ranger’s suspension, with the headliner being a set of expensive Fox 2.0 shocks, including more sophisticated remote-reservoir units on the rear axle which pair with Tremor-specific leaf springs. The front end gets new springs, too, along with different control arms and a thinner anti-roll bar for better off-road articulation. The steering system is tweaked, too, with unique knuckles to help accommodate the demands of the Tremor’s larger 32-inch General Grabber off-road tires which wrap a set of Magnetic-painted 17-inch wheels.

All of this new hardware yields a modest 0.8 inches of additional ground clearance for a total of 9.7 — slightly better than a Tacoma TRD Pro. Most of that increase is due to the larger tires, which also lend this truck a slightly more planted, 1-inch-wider stance. So equipped, the Tremor’s approach angle is 30.9 degrees, departure is set at 27.1 degrees and breakover angle is 24.2. Those are improvements of 2.2 degrees, 1.7 degrees and 2.7 degrees, respectively.

Spendy Fox 2.0 monotube dampers feature remote reservoirs for better thermal management on the rear axle.

Ford

On-road manners and visual tweaks

While these modifications are designed for off-road use, most of these trucks will still live on pavement for the vast majority of their days, so it’s good to know that this isn’t such an extreme setup that the Ranger’s on-road demeanor has been ruined. The ride is a skosh softer, and there’s a bit more body roll when attacking corners on dry pavement, but the difference is neither alarming nor offputting. If anything, the ride quality is actually more agreeable than the last Ranger I remember driving. Better still, the truck’s all-terrain rubber doesn’t drone on the freeway the way a lot of big-lug off-road tires can. The Tremor may be an off-road-focused package, but over the course of several weeks, I found it more than livable as a daily driver. 

I even dig the subtle Tremor-specific visual tweaks. There’s a unique grille with red-outlined nostrils and the blacked-out bumpers and wider wheel lips give a bit more stance and presence. Look a little closer, and you’ll probably note the front steel skid plate, the pair of rear tow hooks and the running boards. The latter sit higher and tighter than the optional side steps you can get on other Rangers, but don’t worry, you can still unbolt ’em for better off-road clearance. There’s also a splashy, retro-look graphics package available, if that’s your jam.

The Ford Ranger’s interior is no great shakes, even with some Tremor-specific touches.

Ford

Dated cabin with a few extras

Inside, the Ranger’s cabin is largely the same as ever, which is to say, not very impressive. Yes, there are modest Tremor-specific touches like the script logos and suede-like panels in the seatbacks, plus a useful set of rubber floor liners and black dashboard trim. I also appreciate the six-pack of auxiliary power switches designed to easily accommodate extra lights, an air compressor or myriad other useful accessories. But otherwise, the interior feels pretty dated. Believe it or not, this XLT actually still has a switchblade ignition key (fortunately, Lariat trims get pushbutton start).

Even though Ford invested a bunch of money in Ranger when it returned to the US in 2019, it wasn’t a brand-new truck upon arrival, as the same basic generation had been selling overseas for years. Despite a bunch of upgrades meant to bring the truck in-line with the heightened refinement expectations of US consumers, the Ranger’s interior is the easiest way to date this truck. Its plastics are almost universally hard, its infotainment lives on a small-ish touchscreen that isn’t flush mounted and isn’t running the latest version of Sync. Even the last-generation F-150 feels far, far more advanced and substantial, let alone the freshly redesigned 2021 blockbuster now wheeling out of dealers.

To be fair, the cabins of midsize pickups are all quite disappointing these days, whether you’re talking Ford, Toyota or General Motors. Jeep’s Gladiator is somewhat better in terms of tech, but it’s very expensive. In fact, only the Honda Ridgeline really feels up to snuff all the way around, but because it’s a unibody, many buyers won’t even look at one. This Ranger’s cabin remains in the hunt, but interior niceness is a prime reason for potential buyers to consider stretching to even a lower-end F-150.

Lackluster fuel economy

If you’re thinking fuel efficiency is a good reason to go with this smaller truck, you’re going to want to think again. Partly because of its larger tires and blockier profile, the Ranger Tremor only manages a straight 19 miles per gallon across the board (city, highway and combined) according to EPA estimates. That’s a surprisingly stiff comedown from the standard Ranger 4×4 XLT’s 20 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined.

Incidentally, that’s also the same combined-cycle rating as a 5.0-liter V8-powered F-150 4×4, which gets 16 mpg city and 22 highway (let alone more efficient F-150 options like the 2.7-liter EcoBoost, diesel or PowerBoost hybrid). Again, these numbers are competitive within this segment, but not unlike the interior accommodations mentioned earlier, the Tremor’s efficiency comes across as disappointingly yester-tech.

The 2.3-liter EcoBoost isn’t much to look at, but with 270 horses and 310 pound-feet of torque, it doesn’t need to be.

Nick Miotke/Josh Krzywonos/Roadshow

Off-road performance and towing/payload

I spent a wintry day at Holly Oaks, a newly opened quarry-turned-off-road playland in metro Detroit to test the Tremor’s mettle. With a mix of hard-packed frozen ground and mud-and-snow slurry, this ORV park was a suitably tough test for this pickup. Better still, I enjoyed practically free run of the place, as it was closed to the public, enabling me to go back and try the same trails and obstacles in different drive modes while taking different lines to assess the truck’s full capabilities.

Like the FX4, the Tremor features Ford’s Terrain Management System, so you can poke a button and optimize the vehicle’s various drive and brake systems for whatever surface you’re about to roll over (it’s kind of like the dial-a-nap controller on your vacuum). Ford says it recalibrated the Tremor’s traction control for this model’s larger, knobbier tires for better traction on gravel and I found the system worked equally well in the slushy stuff as it did on the hardpack.

One thing that’s nice is you can cycle through TMS’ modes on the fly. I primarily relied on Grass/Gravel/Snow for hills, but when I was just having fun intentionally sliding around at speed on the flat stuff, I chose Sand mode (and occasionally Mud and Ruts) to allow for more wheelspin to indulge my adolescent need for rooster tails.

Like the FX4, the Tremor also features Trail Control, which is Ford’s low-speed, off-road cruise control for both ascending and descending hills at preset speeds from 1 to 20 mph. It’s really, really useful and confidence-inspiring tech, as it allows you to focus on steering the vehicle without having to worry about modulating the pedals. Combined with the Ranger’s other electronic aids and the Tremor’s upgraded hardware, the entire package is so capable that these assists ultimately remove some of the sense of challenge and accomplishment of off-roading. It’s nice to know it’s there, but sometimes, it��s just more fun to go manual and do it yourself.

At moments like this, a forward-facing spotter’s camera would’ve been really convenient.

Nick Miotke/Josh Krzywonos/Roadshow

That said, there are a couple of hardware tricks that I wouldn’t mind seeing on the Tremor’s spec sheet, including a front locking differential. A rear e-locker comes standard, but there’s no front-axle equivalent like a Chevy Colorado ZR2 or a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, so you’re ultimately going to give up some ability when rock climbing. Fortunately, the vast majority of the time, you’ll never know it’s missing.

On the other hand, there’s one thing you will definitely miss while off-roading: a forward-facing camera. I didn’t have a pal to stand outside in the blustery cold to help guide me over and around obstacles, and when on steep ascents and descents, you can’t see over the hood to know what you’re about to crawl over. While it’s understandable that an older and more-affordable midsizer like the Tremor might not yet be offered with 360-degree camera coverage, a low-mounted front-facing camera would be mighty welcome and would provide a further point of differentiation from lesser Ranger models.

As it is, the Ranger’s tidier dimensions are inherently easier to manage off-road than a full-size truck. There’s less chance of scraping your fancy Cactus Gray paint in narrow forest passages and tight turns are easier to negotiate than they’d be in an F-Series, as well.

Off-road, you really appreciate that this turbo four has so much low-end torque and it’s great that the transmission has so many gears to choose from; you never feel like the EcoBoost is straining to get you through, even if it does sound flaccid compared to competitors’ V6 engines. All that torque helps on-road, too, delivering a best-in-class 7,500-pound tow rating or 1,430 pounds of payload in its 5-foot bed. Those numbers are right at the head of the class, and they’re important metrics when building an overlanding rig laden with lots of heavy gear.

Pricing and final judgment

So, the Ranger Tremor isn’t a high-speed off-roader like a Ford F-150 Raptor (or even the overseas-only Ranger Raptor), nor is it a hardcore rock crawler. This truck feels like it’s been designed to sit right in the middle capability-wise, which could have resulted in a vehicle that feels muddled and indecisive, like one that can’t figure out what it’s designed for. Instead, the Tremor seems like it’s found a capability sweet spot. It’s quite good at a variety of off-road disciplines and that makes it a better baseline platform for customizing if you haven’t decided what kind of off-roading you really want to commit to, be it desert bombing, overlanding or forested mountain ascents.

If you’re someone who off-roads a lot, the 2021 Ranger Tremor is big fun, but it isn’t cheap. Whereas a non-Tremor XLT SuperCrew 4×4 starts at $35,940 (including $1,195 destination), an XLT Tremor will run you $41,900 delivered — without extras. An option-free, top-trim Lariat runs $46,275 in your driveway, but it includes niceties like a B&O audio system, leather seats, navigation, remote start and adaptive cruise control. With options including the Technology Package ($995 for adaptive cruise, navigation, etc.), spray-in bed liner ($495), remote start ($195) and SecuriCode keyless-entry pad ($95), my XLT tester rings up at $43,680 delivered.

Overall, the Tremor is competitively priced within its segment (a Tacoma TRD Pro starts at over $45,000), but this Ford’s base MSRP is also really close to that of the new F-150 XLT 4×4 with a 5.0-liter V8. The F-Series is a much, much more advanced machine with similar efficiency.

Of course, not everyone wants or needs a full-size pickup and the number of buyers splurging on smaller, costlier, factory-backed hardcore off-road specials like this 2021 Ranger Tremor appears to be growing every day. In order to stay competitive, it’s important that Ford play in this space. And you know what? Despite this truck’s shortcomings, I still kinda dig it.

[knivestothroats]

Part 7

Previous Parts

I’m excited about this one! And even more excited about the next one, but we’ll get there when we get there. This is set during Luke and Ace’s captivity again. It’s a little longer, but it’s chock full of good stuff.

THE GOOD STUFF/BAD STUFF depending on your preference: Mind control, captivity, broken bones, knives/stabbing, forced to hurt others, forced to hurt self, defiant whumpee, hurt/comfort but like... mostly hurt and not much comfort

~

Luke didn’t know if he was ever getting out of there.

He had been stuck in Miranda’s hideout for… it had to be more than a month now. Maybe two? There was very little to differentiate the days from each other. It’s not like he went anywhere. It’s not like he knew what Miranda and Ace were up to when they left him behind. Just boring days and restless nights. His whole body ached from weeks – months? – of sleeping on the floor, never quite able to shake the soreness of the last time Ace beat the shit out of him.

Although it should have been the least of his problems, the loneliness was the worst of it.

Ace couldn’t hold a conversation, despite Luke’s best efforts.  Miranda wouldn’t even look in his direction.

That’s probably a good thing, he kept reminding himself. He hated it none the less. Why had she even taken him captive if she didn’t care enough to spare him a glance? And they kept fucking leaving him. Alone, in this fucking prison of a… what was this place, anyway? It was like a shitty apartment.

If Miranda did acknowledge him, it was only when she was telling Ace to do something with (to) their “chew toy.” If Luke had to hear her call him that one more time, he was going to...

“I have a fucking name, you piece of shit.”

…Say something he shouldn’t.

At least Miranda finally looked at him.

That probably wasn’t a good thing.

Luke doubled down. What did he have to lose?

“You can’t just keep people as toys and pets,” he spat.

Miranda had not deigned to speak to Luke since she had “gifted” him to Ace, and she wasn’t about to change that now. She merely drew her arm back to strike. Luke readied himself for the backhand that was clearly coming, but it never landed.

Ace caught Miranda’s wrist. There was a moment of shock from all parties before Miranda wrenched her arm away and hissed, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Ace faltered. “He’s… my toy… and you have to keep your toys – you can’t break them if you want to keep them,” they struggled to get the words out.

“You’re right,” Miranda said, mouth twisting into a cruel smirk. “It is your toy. So you do it.”

Ace looked at her. “Do… what?”

“Hmm…. Break a bone.”

Ace knew this was wrong. They have to keep their toys in good condition if they want to keep them. Just how Miranda kept Ace in good condition so they could fight. Breaking part of it directly contradicts that. But ultimately, it didn’t matter. Miranda told them to do something, so they were going to do it.  

They turned to Luke, who looked back with pleading eyes. Ace wasn’t paying attention to his expression, however. They were running scenarios in their head, deciding what bone would be the easiest target, what would do the most damage, what would do the least damage, how best to cause a break.

Ace put out their hand to Luke. Palm up, waiting.

“I… what..?” Luke stammered.

“Give me your hand,” Ace said flatly.

“Ace, come one,” Luke begged. “You don’t have to–”

“Don’t wait for his permission, Ace, just do it!” Miranda roared.

Ace quickly grabbed Luke’s arm and pulled it forward. They took ahold of his pinky finger.

“Wait, Ace, wait–” Luke started, but Ace didn’t listen. They wrenched his finger backwards, snapping it easily. Luke cried out in pain, but Miranda wasn’t satisfied.

“That was too easy,” she said. “Break another.”

Luke didn’t try to protest this time. He just tried to steel himself as Ace took his ring finger and broke that too. Luke screamed and swore. Ace did not react.

“Look at me, Ace,” Miranda said. Ace turned to face her. “Where is the knife I gifted you?”

“In my pocket,” Ace said.

“Take it out.”

Ace did as they were told.

“Open the blade. Now, stab yourself… here.” Miranda poked Ace in the lower abdomen, a couple inches above their waist. Ace did not hesitate to follow the order, plunging the knife into themselves. They let out a groan of pain through their clenched jaw.

“When I give you an order, you obey it,” Miranda spoke sternly. “You do not question me, you do not argue with me, you do not defy me. The pain you feel now is a punishment. Give me the knife.”

Ace pulled the knife out of their abdomen and held it out to Miranda. Blood began to flow steadily from their wound.

Miranda took the knife and said, “I want you to stand here and let this lesson sink in.”

With that, Miranda returned to her room, leaving Ace wobbling on their feet as their blood dripped on the floor. As soon as her door was closed, Luke, ignoring his own pain, ran to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. He hurried back to where Ace was standing, staring glossy-eyed at the floor.

“Here, hold this tight over the wound,” he said, trying to staunch the bleeding. Ace did as they were instructed, and took hold of the towel.

Luke returned to the bathroom to scour for some kind of disinfectant. He opened the medicine cabinet to find it empty.

“Ace, what did you use to clean that cut on your face?” Luke called out. No response. He poked his head out to make sure Ace hadn’t collapsed.

They were standing where they had been left.

“Ace, is there disinfectant somewhere? Like, hydrogen peroxide, or… fucking… Neosporin? What did you use when you stitched up your face?”

Ace gave no indication that they had heard Luke, so he went back to searching. As he was grappling with the thought that maybe Ace hadn’t cleaned their injury, he found something under the sink.

Rubbing alcohol. This was gonna suck.

“Okay, let me see real quick,” Luke said gently when he returned to Ace. He guided their hands away from the wound and carefully pulled up the hem of their shirt. “This is, uh, I mean, it’s gonna hurt, but, we have to do it. Okay?”

No response.

“Okay,” Luke whispered to himself before tipping the bottle over the wound.

Ace let out a scream of pain and sucker punched Luke in the stomach. He lost his footing and tumbled to the ground, wind knocked clean out of him. After a few agonizing seconds, he drew in a painful gasp of air, and then another.

“S… Sss…” Ace was trying to say, face twisted in pain. Their knees were shaking, but they remained on their feet.

Luke ignored what he assumed was Ace hissing in pain and pushed himself off the floor, careful to keep all weight off his broken fingers.

“Okay,” Luke sighed. He pressed a clean towel over what he hoped was a sufficiently sanitized wound. “Keep this here, I’ll take the old one,” he said, easing the bloodied towel from Ace’s fingers and guiding their hands over the fresh one. “Press – keep pressure on it, like that.”

Luke didn’t know what else to do. He hadn’t found any bandages, nor had he found the needle and thread Miranda had made Ace use on themselves previously. Not that he believed he had the stomach to try that himself. Beyond that, it wasn’t exactly like he could get Ace to a hospital. He thought about trying to appeal to Miranda, but he wasn’t optimistic about his odds. All he could really do was hope that Miranda was still invested in her “weapon” staying in peak condition, and that she would return to remedy the situation herself.

And then maybe, after Miranda went to bed, he could ask Ace to help him finagle a splint for his fingers. Hopefully that wouldn’t get them in any more trouble.

After several long minutes, Miranda did return, staff in hand. Ace was pale and unsteady on their feet, but they were still standing, just as they had been told.

Miranda instructed Ace to move their hands – and the now bloodied towel – and held her staff up to the wound. Both glowed for a moment, and the bleeding stopped.

“You are supposed to be my perfect fighting machine,” Miranda said. “Do you understand this?”

“Yes,” Ace said.

“I can’t leave you injured as long as I need you to fight for me. But, if you stop following my orders, I won’t need you to fight for me. You will be useless, and I won’t care if you bleed out. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Miranda suddenly swung her staff, catching Ace on the jaw. Ace, already unstable, toppled to the floor.

“When you feel pain,” Miranda said, “remember my orders.”

[Continues Here]

#writings #original #ace #whump series #mind control #captivity #knives #stabbing #broken bones #broken fingers #whump ocs #whump blog #magic whumper #defiant whumpee #hurt/comfort

[theramseyloft]

sorry for being vague! in about a week and a half, i’m hoping to beginning a set up for a single indoor hen (who i have lots of time for), who probably won’t be coming for another month / month and a half down the line. i’m hoping to get an old classic frill but i don’t have any particular bird picked out. also, i’m very sorry for your very rough day today. i hope tomorrow’s better! this question is not urgent at all so take your time, & thank you for sharing all your glorious pigeon knowledge.

COF sized birds do great in a modified Kennel.

these are lined with paper towels. Those are garden stakes cut to size that they are perched on.

That’s a ferret/bunny corner litter box they are nesting in. Alfalfa hay is great for nest material, but if you aren’t hatching eggs, you can use shredded paper, baby blankets, or anything soft.

Avoid towels or rags, as the loops in thread can snag on claws and tangle around toes.

God knows I have repeated this ad-nausium, but:

When I describe humans as learning exactly like a human child, I mean that very literally!

Pigeons are capable of high level cognition. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas…/2009/…/090212141143.htm

To the extent that they understand the concepts of space and time! https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas…/2017/…/171204144805.htm

They are self-aware enough to distinguish themselves from other pigeons, able to recognize themselves in photos, video, and mirrors AND differentiate between the three. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas…/2008/…/080613145535.htm

Their brains are wired SHOCKINGLY similarly to ours: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas…/2013/…/130717095336.htm

They categorize things and learn the equivalent of words the same way human toddlers do!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas…/2014/…/140402095107.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas…/2015/…/150204184447.htm

They can even learn to read written language well enough to differentiate between a real word and an acronym with the same number of letters.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas…/2016/…/160919111535.htm

They are pattern mapping social learners.  Exactly like we are!

They can literally learn to understand both spoken AND written human language, and literally all it takes is talking to a pigeon as if it is a nonverbal human toddler who does not know that word yet to be able to teach them to understand object words, action words, emotion words, names, and locations.

So, remember to talk as much as possible to your bird.

It’s easiest to teach weanings, but adults are just as capable. It’ll just take them a little longer to learn, just like a human adult learning a new language.

[jeramiahsental2]

Oh hey look it’s another thing.

Ack, I kept forgetting to post this (and then when I remembered, it was either the crack of dawn or the dead of night). I mean, it’s only been (checks calendar) 20 days since I finished it? Oh, feels like it took longer. I mean, that’s a pretty long time between completion and posting, compared to the last two drawings (both posted pretty much same day)... ANYWAY.

Same thing applies as usual: more info on the drawing (and lots of rambling) will be under the "Keep reading”!

Start date: 5/30/19

End date: 8/15/19

Total time taken: 78 days (actually 56, since there were 22 whole days where I either did nothing with it or undid any changes I made after getting some feedback).

This was actually a birthday gift for my friend! That’s why it’s so much more complex than any of the others I’ve drawn... It didn’t have the little watermark at the bottom of course, but I kinda wanted to show it here, too.

Firsts: first time drawing more than one character, first time drawing characters directly interacting with things and each other (does it show?), first time drawing ANYTHING with the perspective Chikorita has, first time drawing that kinda fiery glow that Typhlosion has behind his back, first time giving the character an actual surface to stand/sit/lie on, first time drawing a character looking down, first time drawing a character without complete separation between their head and body...

In all seriousness, Typhlosion was the hardest part of this thing to draw.

Not only because I had to put Cyndaquil and Cubone in before I could draw his arms, and then figure out how to position everything so the arms weren’t super stretched.

Not only because I completely changed the position of his head about 3/4 of the way through, and it took me 1/2 of the remaining time to figure out how to position his body.

But the main reason it was such a pain - and this is the most infuriating part of any drawing I have ever done, to the point that I freaking cried - was because I could not for the life of me figure out how the heck to draw him sitting. I mean, I still don’t think it looks good. There’s just something off about it that I can’t put my finger on. But it wouldn’t look half as good if not for @possiblytracker​‘s help (although, it was... indirect help. I was a bit too cowardly to message them directly or send an ask off anon, so haha anon ask for the win *finger guns*).

(Also can I say holy shit I am really nervous tagging them. Like, FRICK this is the reason that I rarely send asks off anon, because I’m always worried about how people will react. Even when I am 99.57% certain that the interaction won’t be negative in any way, shape, or form.)

(Anyway back to drawing stuff.)

Chikorita! Let’s talk about the cute little bean. She was the last of the four to be drawn, so I guess I’m going in order of difficulty. For the most part, she wasn’t all that hard to draw. Except for the perspective. She has a back leg, I swear.

She technically doesn’t have a definition between her head and neck, which admittedly made it a bit more difficult to draw, but her collar made it a lot easier to differentiate between them. She also has leaf hair, which I love.

Onto Cubone! Technically the most complex of the characters, but the second-easiest to actually draw. Can I just say, holy crap his skull helmet has a lot of damage. Like, I wasn’t intending to put that many cracks and chips into it, but that’s how it ended up! Can’t say I’m unhappy, though.

He’s hugging his bone like a teddy bear. He’s also supposed to be leaning against Typhlosion, but I’m not sure how well that second part came across.

Finally, Cyndaquil! There’s a reason this little guy’s body is mostly concealed behind Typhlosion’s hand, and that’s because I had no idea how to draw his leg from this angle. I’ll figure it out eventually. (Side note, that’s also why Chikorita’s that close to Typhlosion, though she’s supposed to be leaning against him too.)

I’m honestly happy with the glow behind Typhlosion. It’s not supposed to be flames; he had his fire when I was first drawing him, but I figured it would be easier and probably better overall (both in terms of how it looks and because Chikorita’s leaning against him and Cyndaquil’s on his head) if I just made his dorsal vents glow instead of actually have fire come out of them.

Shading was a mixed bag. On the one hand, I had to completely ignore the glow because I tried including shadows from it and it just looked... bad. On the other hand, apart from that, shading was its normal fun self. It didn’t really seem to give the drawing as much depth as on the other drawings I’ve done, though (except maybe the headshot of my sona).

I’m still not 100% happy with it, but at this point I know that I’m not going to be. Better to move on to other projects, look back at this one as progress (and progress it is!), and maybe come back and redraw it in a couple years to see if/how/how much I’ve improved.

Whether you read all of that or skipped to this, I hope you liked the drawing!

#typhlosion #cubone #cyndaquil #chikorita #pokemon #I'm honestly a bit nervous about posting this? #not just because I tagged someone #but also because I'm not totally happy with it? #I know I shouldn't be nervous to post just because I don't like it #it's impossible for me to like everything I draw #I get that #that's just how things like drawing work #but it's still kind of an #'eeh what if whoever sees this also doesn't like it?' #kinda thing #I don't know #oh yeah I should tag this as 'my art' before I forget #again #my art

[echodrops]

Hi, I‘m the one who asked for writing advice. Could you please outline the different types of character arcs that exist, and whether they can be mixed together? My central storyline is a romance, and I wanted to develop their growing feelings with hints of future plot development before it becomes more plot-driven. At first, I thought maybe my character writing was bad, because I could tell character B had was changing and had an arc while A doesn't. now i think i might have been writing pt1

This is a big question,so I hope my response does the ask some justice. I’ll do my best to cover asmuch as I can, but if you have more questions, just let me know.

First, I want to makesure we’re on the same page when we talk about “character arcs,” because Ithink that term gets used a lot of different ways in different areas and Idon’t want to confuse anyone.

When I talk about character arcs what I mean, and I thinkwhat you mean too, is the path acharacter takes through the narrative—from Point A all the way to Point Zin their personal story, whichdoesn’t necessarily have to line up with your main plot. Generally characterarcs correspond with major changes in acharacter (also known as character growth), but that isn’t always the case.

Probably the easiest wayto approach character arcs is to think about them visually. We call them “arcs”because that’s how they tend to graph out:

(If you write a lot, youprobably recognize this same arc as the “narrative arc” most stories gothrough—that’s because the path stories take and the paths characters takeare often identical.)

But that’s only the mostbasic diagram for a character arc, and they certainly get more complicated.

Ibelieve that most writing guides will group character arcs into certain broadcategories:

- Transformationalarcs – The character grows/changes for the better… or the worse

- Staticarcs – Also known as flat arcs. The character doesn’t change.

- Backgroundarcs – The character may change a little but their personal change comes ina distant second to the role they play in helping other characters grow. Theseare typically the arcs of lesser-developed side characters whose primary rolein the plot is to move the main characters along.

These are all fairly easyto understand and, for the most part, to write.

In a transformational arc where the character undergoes positive growth, the character will:

1) Start in a neutral or bad place. If they’realready happy as hell, then they won’t have any motivation to change, right?

2) Experience a “spark”—something (or someone)comes into the character’s life and either directly or indirectly causes thatperson’s life to change. In a hero’s journey plotline, this is thecall-to-action. In other cases, it might be something as simple as “a travelercame to town.” This is the precipitating event that encourages the character todo something outside of their normal routine, to suddenly shake things up abit.

3) Go through small changes snowballing into bigger and biggerchanges. More and more, the average life of the person from before is forgottenas they experience all manner of new things, including potentially dangerousthings.

4) The character faces at least one majorchallenge. This can be external, in the form of an antagonist or simply someonewho opposes the character’s viewpoint. It can be internal, in the form of apersonal conflict—for example, a character finds out that something he or shebelieved was true wasn’t, prompting a crisis of conscience.

5) The major challenge forces a personal re-evaluation.The character has to reflect on themselves, identify how they have changed or needto change to overcome the challenge, reaffirm their desire and motivation, andset out on the new path to overcome the challenge. If they were doing somethingwrong before, now they have to rethink and come to terms with their mistake. Ifthey were insecure before, this is the point where they overcome theirinsecurities.

6) Face the challenge head-on, and almostinevitably succeed. It might take a couple tries, but in the end, the heroalmost always wins or at least comes out of the encounter better than he or shewent into it.

7) Finally,the character ends by capitalizing on the change/growth he or she went through tolive a happier, better life than the character had at the beginning.

This is the typical maincharacter/hero arc. Sophie from Howl’sMoving Castle is an excellent example of this type of arc, for example.

In a transformational arc where the character undergoes negative growth, the character will:

1) Often (but not always) start in a good place ora place of privilege in which he or she exerts power over others.

2) Experience a “spark”—someone comes along thatupsets the happy status quo, shakes up the power structure, or causes thecharacter to have to deviate from his or her normal routine.

3)Often experience several small challenges, eachof which present the character with the opportunity to grow in a positivemanner. Some of these opportunities may be taken, but most will be rejected asthe character clings to his/her old, trusted ways.

4) The character faces at least one major challenge,framed in the same way as the positive challenge: the character COULD grow andlearn from this opportunity… But in the end, chooses not to. Either thecharacter will fail the challenge, surpass the challenge using illegitimate orunpleasing means, or (most frustrating of all) surpass the challenge in theright way—but still refuse to acceptthe change and growth that comes hand-in-hand with overcoming the challenge.

5) The character either will not reflect on him- orherself after the challenge or will drawthe wrong conclusions from the self-reflection. Expect to hear a lot of “Iwas right all along” from this type of character. Their logic is oftendistorted or self-centered, leading them to reject positive and advice andhelpful gestures from others. Sometimes their failure to reflect is treatedtragically, and readers are supposed to feel sympathetic for the character’sinability to grow.

6) The character’s increasingly incorrectunderstanding of the world and refusal to change will result in a downwardspiral that sends the character further and further from a positive path. Fromtheir initial position of happiness, the character will descend in to sadness,anger, hate, or despair as a result of his or her own actions, often losingmeaningful things and relationships along the way.

7) Sometimesthe character’s story will end there, where they are simply slightly worse offthan they were at the start. Other times, the character will go far enough tocross the line and become a villain whom the heroes must now defeat. Yet OTHERtimes, the character will hit rock bottom and finally be blessed with a moment of enlightenment that prompts themto reverse course, undo the damage, and go on to become a positive growthcharacter. Sometimes.

This is a typical villainorigin story arc. This arc is also very common for the “fall from grace”character, where someone starts out looking admirable and then reveals theirtrue colors later on. An example of this is Kylo Ren’s arc in The Last Jedi.

In a static arc, the focus isn’t on the way the character changes, but oftenon how he/she changes others:

1) Where the character starts out is irrelevant.Whether they start out in a bad place or a good place, their attitude andunderstanding of the world is based on their personal values and isn’t likelyto change any time soon. Oftentimes, this means the character has what we’dcall “unshakable morals”—they know right from wrong right from the start, andthey have no trouble differentiating between the two. Other times, thischaracter is the cynical, jaded, but world-wise type who knows the ugly truthsthat other characters haven’t been exposed to yet. This person knows what’s upand isn’t in for any shocking surprises over the course of the story. Expect tohear a lot of “I told you so” from this character.

2) Like the other characters, this characterexperiences a “spark” that shakes up their daily routine and causes them to setoff on a journey or to take part in actions the character would normally not beinvolved in.

3) However, instead of facing a major challengethat forces him or her to reflect internally, this character will face anexternal challenge that doesn’t require them to undergo any self-searching. Thecharacter already knows how to deal with his or her challenge—instead offocusing on introspection, the plot will focus on the “how” of the showdown.How is this character going to use his or her beliefs, talents, or existing worldview to overcome the external challenge? Instead of struggling to find a pathto victory, this character’s path is already obvious, and they’ll justdouble-down on their existing morals or skills in order to overcome.

4)Typically the process of overcoming thechallenge will prompt massive changes in other characters. This character willinspire others, will pass their world view, skills, or drive on to othercharacters, prompting others to reflect on themselves and grow. The world maychange dramatically as a result of this person sharing their existing talentsor views with others.

5) The character ends his or her storyin roughly the same personal state as he or she started—their views andattitude has not changed, even if the whole world and all the other charactersaround them have.

This is the arc of mostaction heroes—the emotional trajectory and introspection of the main characteris not as important as the dramatic action that goes on around the hero. Traditionalsuperhero stories are this to a T. The main character has unshakable moralsfrom the start, and the story isn’t about how the hero changes, but about howhe/she changes others with thosemorals.

(You asked about whetherit was possible to combine these arcs… The answer is definitely “Yes and no.”For the most part, these arcs are mutually exclusive. A character who is facedwith a challenge can choose to grow from the challenge or not to grow from thechallenge; they usually can’t choose to both grow and not grow. A character can be static and know everything he or sheneeds to know to defeat the big challenge right from the start—if they changein any manner, the character no longer qualifies as “static.”

But, that said, acharacter can have more than one arc, sometimes even going on simultaneously. Acharacter may grow in one direction and when exposed to one person, but mayregress in another area or with another person. A character can be static inregards to one personality trait, and dynamic/changing in regards to anothermajor personality trait. So while I don’t think it would be easy to directlycombine multiple transformational/static arcs into one, well-written charactersare usually complex enough to have multiple layers, so it might be possible tobalance more than one of these arcs simultaneously. However, be aware thatdoing so would be a massive undertaking and might introduce more complexitythan you have the time or space in your story to properly address. Proceed withcaution!)

Back on point, related toa static arc but also slightly different is the background arc. This type of arc, typically under-developed orirrelevant to the main events of the story and therefore left unspoken, is usedfor side characters or plot-relevant characters who are necessary to moveevents along, but aren’t major characters in and of themselves. Unlike static arcs,these side characters can and sometimes dochange—it’s just often off-screen, barely mentioned, or relegated to a later spin-offseries. This type of arc can mirror any of the other arcs, but is usuallyhand-waved as “While you were away, this happened to me” in your main story.Think of the “hero of another story” trope—stuff is happening to this side character… you just don’t have time to doanything more than briefly mention it.

This character’s role inthe story is, first and foremost, to move the main characters along, and soanything that happens to this character will always take a backseat to the mainplot. They are often the “spark” that leads the character to change, the “plotdevice” who suddenly appears mid-story to help the heroes solve a challenge, orthe decoy antagonist, who shows up to throw a wrench into the heroes plans butultimately isn’t there to do much but be a distraction. This character isnecessary but not central.

And that’s totally okay—notevery character needs a fully developed arc, and in fact, if you spend timegiving every single tiny character an arc, you’re probably going to get burntout before ever actually finishing your story. Let some people be background;it’s okay.

OKAY, BUT! In allhonesty, I think you should take all the stuff I just said and throw it out a window.

Broad patterns are usefulfor categorizing things after the fact. But they’re a really, really poor tool for deciding how to start or buildfrom the get-go. If you look at these broad categories and try to make allyour characters match them, you’re going to run into a situation in which allyour characters become cut and dry, with predictable and inorganic arcs.

When we get right down toit, there are no “set” character arcs. There is no right way to build an arc orwrong way to build an arc.

There are as many possible character arcs in the world as there arecharacters.

Every well-writtencharacter arc is unique and specific to its specific character, and the moreunique a character arc, the more interesting and compelling the character.

So instead of sittingdown and trying to plot your character to a broad type of character arc, Isuggest you build from the inside out,looking at your actual individual characters instead of models based on otherpeople’s characters.

Start with this question:

What does my character want?

Character arcs, especiallytransformational arcs, are driven by the character’s internal motivations. Whatdoes your character want? What is driving him or her on? Does the characterwant to restore his or her life to the way it was before? Save someone? Getrevenge on someone? Find a husband? Defeat a terrible evil? For every majorsection of your story, ask yourself what the character wants during thosespecific moments. Sometimes wants stay the same for the whole story; othertimes they change based on the plot. You need to know what your character wantsand when from start to finish.

Then you need to know whether or not the character is going toachieve their want. Are they going to get what they wanted by the end ofthe story? Are they going to defeat the evil? Save their beloved family member?Marry the princess? Achieve their personal dream? Whether it be the beginning,middle, or end of the story, is this character going to achieve one or more ofthe things he/she wants to achieve or gain?

If yes, answer this nextquestion:

Does my character need to change in order to achieve this want?

Can you character achievethe want/fulfill their desire without changing? If they can, thenwhy would they bother to change? Remember, real people generally try to take the path of leastresistance! If your character can achieve his or her wants in your story withoutneeding to change, you might have a static arc incoming. The character has every trait, talent, or attitude they need to achievetheir goals already. If this is what you intended, okay, go for it. If not,you might want to rethink and aim for the second option instead:

Your character needs tochange in some measurable way to fulfill his/her desire. This is where apositive or negative growth arc comes in. The character has to overcome achallenge, do some introspection, deviate from their normal routine, or learnsome hard truths about the world that change their attitude and world view.They have to act differently than they did at the beginning in order to achievetheir wants (or they have to fail to achieve their wants by acting in the wrongway–negative change arc). If you choose this path for your character, instead of just mimicking thestandard transformational arc, I highly encourage you to spend timebrainstorming and thinking on points like:

What is my character doing right now that would prevent him/her from achieving the desire?

What mistakes, incorrect attitudes, lack ofknowledge, skill, or other unhelpful character traits does my character have rightnow that would prevent him or her from achieving the desire?

What knowledge, skill, attitude change, etc.does my character need to gain in order to achieve the desire?

What are some logical ways for my character toovercome the character’s current short-comings? What is the most reasonable wayfor this character to gain the aforementioned knowledge, skill, attitudechange, etc.? (What’s the most ridiculous way? The saddest way? The mostexciting way? Try coming at the issue from multiple angles to give yourselfmore options in the character’s story!)

What challenges can I invent to naturally teach my character the lessonshe/she needs to learn? (Think about challenges that feel logical and organic,rather than contrived or forced.)

Can I tie this character’s change into my mainplot or other character’s personal plots in any reasonable way?

How important is this change? Is this a massive,life-altering change that is going to have lasting permanent impacts on myother characters and world, or is this a small personal change that won’t be abig deal? Spend some time thinking about how the changes in one character canripple out to affect other characters.

Basically, don’t workfrom the top down. Rather than trying to makeyour character fit a classic arc, work withyour character from the ground up: decide on the wants of your character, andthen focus on picking challenges and moments of introspection that best match your character and your mainplot overall. What small steps and growth does your character need to completeto get from his/her Point A all the way to his/her Point Z? If you plan on yourcharacter achieving what he or she wants, that’s all you really need to thinkabout!

But what if you don’t plan on your character achieving his or her want?

Sometimes the situationarises where your character initially wants something, but you know, as theauthor, that the thing they want isn’t good for them, isn’t their destiny, isn’tas amazing as they expect, or is better off going to another character. If yourcharacter wants something they shouldn’t or can’t have, and you don’t intendfor them to go mad trying to get it (read as: negative growth arc) then youneed to ask yourself a different question:

What does my character need?

Sometimes what thecharacter wants and what the character needs are the same thing. But moreoften, they’re totally different. Your character might think Thing A or PersonB is amazing and perfect and desirable… but actually, your character willbenefit much more from Thing C or Person D.

As the author, you (usually)possess some foreknowledge of the story’s main plot, ending, or plot twists,and so you have greater foresight than your own characters. You know thatsometimes people’s goals and motivations needto change in order for the person to progress. In essence, you sometimes canand must guide your characters away from what they think they want and toward what they actually need to grow andadvance the story’s plot. (Be careful with this, though—if you’re tooheavy-handed about pushing the characters away from what they want, you riskboxing your characters in or making them feel less like people and more likeyour personal toys.)

When you know that whatthe character needs to achieve, and the place the character needs to end up bythe end of the story does not align with their wants/motivations from thebeginning of the story, you can focus in on these points:

Why is what my character wants in the beginningso different from where I want him/her to be by the end of the story? Is thisplot relevant? (If it’s not… why? Can you make it plot relevant?)

Where did my character’s wants/goals start, andwhere do I intend for them to end?

Why doI want/intend something different for my character than the character wants forhim- or herself?

How big is the gap between the character’sinitial wants and their ultimate achievement at the end of the story I’m planning?Is it a huge gap, a small gap?

Does it make sense for my character’s wants tochange during the course of the story, or for them to accept something they did not initially want? Is there a logicalexplanation for this motivation flip, or will it come out of nowhere to thereaders?

How much will my character’s motivation, worldview, knowledge, or skill level needto change in order for him or her to “switch” goals during the story or accepta new goal/achievement?

What are some logical ways for me to reveal tothe audience that what my character initially wanted isn’t the best course forhim or her? What are some ways to naturally shift my character’sgoals/motivations without being too forceful?

What is the most reasonable way for thischaracter to realize the thing/person he or she initially wanted isn’t theright choice? (What’s the most ridiculous way? The saddest way? The mostexciting way? Try coming at the issue from multiple angles to give yourselfmore options in the character’s story!)

What knowledge, skill, attitude change, etc.must my character gain in order to achieve the things he or she needs toachieve by the end of my story?

Finally, can I tie this character’s change into mymain plot or other character’s personal plots in any reasonable way?

At the end of the day,more than setting out to follow a proscribed arc as it was set in stone byother authors, I believe that character growth is best plotted by just knowing your characters very well.Growth, change, or being static… Rather than “fill-in-the-blank” on an arcchart, these things should organically evolve from your character’s personalmotivations, and the way those motivations clash and interact with othercharacters’ motivations.

I think that oftentimes alack of clear arc for a character isn’t an issue of not knowing how to plotyour own story, but an issue of not having fully developed the character’smotivations yet.

I recommend, in thissituation, going back to take another long look at your individual character.Do you know what motivates this person from start to finish in your story? Do you know where you want them to beat the end of the story? How much do they need to change to get to where youintend for them to go?

That’s where you shouldstart when it comes to shaping your characters’ arcs.

Well, that’s my three(thousand word) cents on the topic, anyway!

#writing advice #character arcs #character development #writing characters #writing character arcs #writing is hard #there's no right way to do things either #take this with a grain of salt #but I always recommend people who feel like their characters aren't going where they want #to spend more time examining their characters' motivations #so much of the time it's not a problem of the plot #but a problem of figuring why a character would even want to be part of that plot #I hope this helps anon! #echo answers asks

[jojo-lity]

Can I get some merman/siren Gio with a surfer S/o?? (scenario or hc, which ever is easiest tbh)

fascinating idea!! i blame the number of words below on 2 things: hype for part 5, and a childhood obsession with the little mermaid. enjoy?

ao3 link

Painfully bright colours lurched back and forth, refusing to stay in a single place long enough to make any sense. For the unfortunate individual laid out in the hollow base of a seaside cliff, even raising a hand was an impossible abstract, let alone remembering how they had gotten there.

Had they been in a state to differentiate between the two, they might have picked a voice from the swirling landscape. As it was, all they could do was breathe, and even that took some effort.

Even before the idea of passing out occurred to them, they accepted it. Unconsciousness was quiet, even, and above all, painless. The only thing it wasn’t was permanent. The next time their eyes opened, they could see, and move, but an awful pain that they had been oblivious to was clawing at their chest and throat. 

“Wh…. where…” That was as far as they got before doubling over, a stream of water forcing itself from their mouth. All they could do was let it happen, spitting and coughing once it was over. “Ugh…”

“I’m sorry, that didn’t look pleasant… but I’m glad you’re alive.” The gentle voice came from below, where a boy looked up at him with concern. Though only his head, shoulders, and arms were visible, he seemed made for the water, sharp and streamlined in a way that let him float effortlessly. Even his eyes were the colour of the sea, shimmering at the dimmest hints of light. “I thought it might have been too late.”

“I’m fine.” They waved a hand. “But where am I?” No matter how far they looked, they couldn’t find a single sign of the beach. It was starting to come back to them- the search for the perfect wave, paddling further and further out while insisting it was perfectly safe. Afterwards, it was a blur, but the sharp taste of salt and the low rumble right behind them were enough of a clue. An accident, that could have happened to anyone, but could have easily killed them if they hadn’t been found.

“It’s not too far. It was just the nearest safe place I could think of.” He reached out with one hand, almost patting their shoulder. “Just one question… can you keep a secret?”

“Huh? Sure, no problem. I won’t tell anyone about this place.” They shrugged.

“No, no. Not that. A bigger secret.”

“I… guess?” It wasn’t as if they knew him, but something about him seemed trustworthy. Agreeing with him was easy, and when he smiled, the warmth inside them felt like a good decision.

“Good. Then I can bring you back myself.” He leaned forward a little, and a delicate, curling fin broke the surface behind him. It was followed by another, directly attached to the base of the first, and where the two met, rows of shining scales spanned the unbroken length of his lower body. They cut off neatly at the waist, joining an upper half that was human with a lower half that was decidedly not. And yet he was a complete picture, as natural and perfectly shaped as the sun itself.

At their shocked silence, his tail dropped a little, and his smile faded. “Or I could leave, if that’s what you prefer. Fishing boats pass by here every day, one of them will pick you up.”

“No, no.” Despite the pain, they reached with both arms, seemingly trying to prevent him from leaving even if they couldn’t actually manage to get anywhere near him. “I was just surprised.” Surprised that someone so beautiful had any right to exist, but they couldn’t say that. Though they had never witnessed a merman with their own eyes, spending all their free time on the beach meant hearing plenty of stories, ranging from the obviously fabricated to the surprisingly convincing. Sometimes they were cruel and vicious, but usually kind, or at least not actively hostile. Even when they caught a few glimpses of sharp teeth in his returned smile, it was hard to feel like there was anything to fear.

“Then get on.” He tapped at his back, where skin met scales. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. I’m pretty strong.”

With some help, they carefully slid themself off the rocks, sitting on his back as lightly as they possibly could. “Is this right?” They couldn’t shake the fear of hurting him, no matter how much he insisted it wouldn’t happen.

“Hmm, this would be better.” If he noticed their sharp, quickly cut-off stammering when he grabbed their hands, he didn’t take it as a sign of protest, pulling them forward to securely meet across his neck. “I wouldn’t want you to fall off.” With a flick of his tail, he turned back to the wider sea, skimming through the waves with all the grace and confidence of someone who owned them.

The view was beautiful, and it was a chance to see it in an entirely new way, but it just couldn’t hold their attention. In the position the merman had moved them into, they were much closer, heads almost bumping together whenever they took a sharp turn. Though his hair was perpetually wet, it cradled their face in silky softness every time.

It was over too soon. The scenery became increasingly familiar, until they approached the beach they had come from. The corner they were gently deposited on was virtually abandoned, but the merman still kept his tail below water, just in case.

“It was nice to meet you.” Without the echo of the cliffside, his voice was much quieter. “The ocean’s a big place. If it’s fate, then maybe we’ll meet again… but probably not.”

“Wait, don’t leave yet.” He hadn’t been in the process of leaving, but he still looked directly up at them, signalling where his attention was. “Can I at least know your name?”

“Of course.” A few droplets fell from his hair when he nodded. “Giorno Giovanna. And you?” Once their names were exchanged, he did start sinking back into the sea, but slowly, savouring one last look at the world above.

It was getting late, and the sun didn’t have long left in the sky, but for a long time afterward, they stood and watched the endlessly rolling waves. “Goodnight, Giorno…” As soon as they said it, a gentle gust of wind seemed to steal it from the air, leaving silence.

—

After Giorno’s insistence that only an accident of fate could bring them back together, they hadn’t really expected to see him the very next day. And yet there he was, seeming to think that they hadn’t noticed him watching from further out. They had hoped to get in a bit more surfing practice throughout the day, especially to make up for yesterday being cut short, but they didn’t hesitate to put the board aside and swim out.

“Hey!” They raised an arm mid-stroke. “You’re still here?”

He was still a little far away to hear, but his mouth opened in a way that suggested a small, surprised cry. Though he didn’t come any closer, he also didn’t move away, allowing them to approach. “Yes, I am. I thought I was going to be busy for a while… but something else seems to have come up.”

“Well, then.” They wondered what else to say. Giorno wasn’t giving away any hints about whether his previous responsibility was a good or bad thing, so they couldn’t congratulate or sympathise with him. “So you have new plans now?”

“You could say that.” He seemed to interrupt himself in the middle of a slow smile. “So how do you do that, with the board? I’ve seen other people doing it, but it doesn’t exactly come naturally.”

“Surfing? It takes some practice, but it’s not too hard once you’ve learned. Here, I’ll go get it and show you…”

Keeping his tail hidden enough to pass as a human swimmer, Giorno could enjoy watching his new friend ride wave after wave to shore. They even showed off a few tricks, making him clap with excitement. They were so talented! Of course, they did eventually get tired, and the two of them spent the rest of the day talking. It was only when darkness fell that they realised how much time had passed.

The pattern continued, day after day, though occasionally one or both of them had somewhere else to be.  It got to the point where Giorno must have seen every trick they were capable of three times, but still insisted on seeing them again, happily floating in the shallow bay while watching them.

It had taken some time for them to admit, but they had been charmed by him from the moment they met. And not only was he beautiful, but his quiet exterior concealed an unwavering kindness and love of life. Though his thoughtfulness and restraint were admirable, it did make it almost impossible to tell how he really felt about them. Of course, being his friend was enjoyable enough that it was only a mild frustration.

“Look at this.” One day, when they first caught sight of Giorno, he was apparently so dedicated to showing them something that he practically swam onto shore. Clutched in his hand was a huge pearl, flawless and shining.

“Wow, did you find that?” They leaned down to get a closer look, face dipping quite close to Giorno’s. If that affected him in any way, he didn’t show it.

“You could say that.” Was there a shifty look in his eyes? No, they must have imagined it, and any evidence of it was completely gone by the time he offered the jewel to them. His fingers brushed over their palm when he handed it over, damp and cool but bringing out a warm blush.

“For me?” They brought it to their face to get a closer look, admiring its flawlessness from every angle. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“Of course.” He had been watching them carefully, but when their eyes met, he looked back down to the water. It wasn’t easy to tell, but it almost seemed like something was troubling him.

If there was, they couldn’t just let him suffer alone. “Is everything okay?” They stayed close to him, trying to meet his eyes.

He sighed, shoulders stiffening. “I haven’t been honest with you. About myself.”

“Huh?” That came as a surprise. Giorno didn’t exactly share much about himself in the first place, what could he have been lying about? Was he not really a merman? If that was the case, he made a convincing enough fake that they could only be impressed. “Hey, you can tell me. I promise I won’t be mad.”

“I don’t know about that.” He smiled, but there was no happiness in his eyes. “But you deserve the truth. I’m not a merman… but I’m not a human either, before you say anything.”

“Then what are you?” No matter what he was, he was Giorno.

“Ah…” He tilted his head. “I guess you would call me a siren, or something like that? Honestly, there’s only one big difference.”

“Your voice.” Growing up the way they did, it would have been almost impossible not to hear the stories. Sirens might have looked just like their more benign cousins, but their singing voices held a powerful charm, capable of luring anyone into death. “Right?” But maybe it was just a rumour, and Giorno was perfectly harmless-

“Yes, that’s right. Oh, wait, one more.” For the first time, he flashed them a full grin, letting them see just how needle-sharp his teeth were. “Our diet’s a little different.” Wide as his smile was, he didn’t seem able to keep it up for long. “I understand if that makes you uncomfortable around me.”

“No, no, not at all!” It was a lot to take in, and maybe it hadn’t fully registered yet, but they felt no fear. If Giorno had really wanted to eat them, he could have done it from the very beginning- they had trusted him the whole time. “So… do you sing very often?”

He shook his head. “Never. People should be free to follow their own path in life.”

“Then…” Slipping the pearl into a pocket, they took a gentle hold of his shoulders to draw him closer. “I want to follow the path that brought me to you.” They had braced themself for a strange taste on his lips, but besides the salt of the sea, nothing felt any different from kissing a human. He was slow to respond, only pulling them to hold against his chest when they were about to break contact.

“Thank you,” he whispered, maintaining the hug despite its awkward position. “I just need you to know one more thing, okay?”

“Anything.”

“Well… if anyone asks about that pearl, you’ve never heard of me, okay?”

“Huh? Giorno, what did you-“ His smile said it all. “Did you steal this from someone?”

“I had no choice. It was the only one that was good enough for you.” He had been sneaking backward for the past few moments, ducking below water when he was deep enough. Before they could yell again, he had vanished into the glittering sea.

#giorno giovanna #scenario #they them pronouns #sfw #halloween requests #merman #siren #golden wind

[artisticvicu]

Five Words, One Story | Unnecessary Interlude

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He woke slowly. Thoughts muddled together incoherently leaving him to wallow in the ache of his body. Honestly, he wished he had stayed unconscious. Everything hurt - some parts more than others - and even the thought that pulled itself from the rest of possibly feeling more pain due to waking fully was not welcomed.

But no matter how he tried to bury himself back under the dark recesses of blissful unconsciousness, it slipped farther and farther from reach till he was opening his eyes and greeting the world that awaited him.

The view wasn't quite what he had expected.

He wasn't sure what he had been expecting as he took in the unfamiliar roof overhead. Maybe a night sky or something equally wild but it was the reason behind those expectations that eluded him. Everything was still rather muddled in his head leaving memories to be swallowed up by dreams and fantasies with no differentiating between them and reality. But at least his current reality was dry and warm.

And soft, he realized. Whatever he was lying on and covered by were equal parts soft. It felt almost wrong even as it soothed some of the ache in his body.

A hand came into view and with it the birthmark on the wrist.

He hissed, memories suddenly tearing themselves from the muddled mess in his mind and he made to move away, to put distance between him and the person he wanted nothing to do with for the rest of the cycle.

His efforts bore him nothing more than searing pain.

"Easy," an all too familiar voice urged, careful hands pinning him down. "Easy."

"What do you want," he spat, glaring up at a sea of gold that's only flaws were two islands the same color as water. He blinked and the other's features separated out, though those blue eyes still bore into him despite his cleared sight.

They frowned at him. Was that a pang of guilt or pity in their expression? "For you to rest," they chided as if his comment warranted such a respond. And maybe it did - maybe he was relying on ingrained habits too hard in this situation and finding anything and everything to fight the hero with, but he was too damn tired and in too much pain to care. Despite the hero being, well, a hero, he didn't trust them to not have ulterior motives with helping him. He wondered if they knew that somehow as they sighed, shaking their head. "Just...rest, ok? You suffered some serious injuries when you hit the water at both ends and it'll take time for the healer to arrive so it would probably be best if you didn't agitate any of it by moving."

He gave them a flat look even with them not looking at him. "And how, exactly, do you expect me to go however long it'll be before the healer arrives without moving? I'll still have to eat, drink, and use the restroom." His eyes narrowed, a suspicion rolling through him. "How long will it take for the healer to arrive? Hours?"

The hero closed their eyes and he felt his stomach drop out as they opened their mouth.

"Days."

His mouth went dry.

"Possibly a week." The hero let out a sharp breath and he was surprised when frustration and remorse twisted the hero's expression. The strangest part was that neither were directed at him. "I hate the limits of this cycle. A quick phone call and you'd already be at some major hospital getting proper aid for your injuries."

"And exactly how bad are they?"

The hero flinched. He could almost feel their breath escaping them as if he had slammed his fist into their gut. It took a moment for them to gain that breath back. The longer it took, the more numb he became to his own emotions.

"If we don't get you help soon, fatal," the hero finally confessed. "And not the fast kind of fatal, either."

The bitter chuckle was breathy but it still sent waves of pain through his body. Their hands on him didn't help but he didn't care to use the energy to fight them off. He was too busy shoving down the anger at having been saved and the fear of what kind of death he was subjected to this time. "And you're caring now because why?"

The hero shook their head causing their golden hair to halo around their head. "This is different. You weren't supposed to fall."

"Oh? Says who?"

"Says me."

It would seem he was in for numerous surprises that particular day as he rolled his eyes. "Oh please. The number of times you've met an untimely end, you haven't seen me wasting my time trying to save you."

"Neryk," they tried to plead but he was already cutting them off.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not call me that, Kyren," he spat. He paid for it with a spasm of pain but it was worth it, even if all it did was make them chuckle. Not his intent but he much preferred it to the self deprecating tendencies that were starting to show. "Now get me up and out of this bed. I don't want to be trapped here if I can help it."

"Please, Ne-"

"Don't," he spat, moving to stop them out of instinct than thought through action and he paid for it. By the time the pain had diminished enough for him to think, he was far too exhausted to even breathe. Unfortunately for him, his brain wasn't about to let him suffocate and he doubted the hero would as well.

"Where did you want to go?" they asked softly, their voice curling around him carefully, gently.

He took in a deeper breath in hopes it would push back the exhaustion; it didn't and despite his desire for blissful unconsciousness earlier, he wanted to stay awake. "Just outside. If this is the last night I'm able to even sit up straight without keeling over dead in this cycle, I want to at least see the stars clearly one last time."

"Do you want to sit in a chair or be laid out?"

He went to shrug and regretted it. "Whichever is easiest that won't cause me tremendous pain."

The hero got to their feet, pointing out, "The trip there will be horrendously painful."

He gave a sharp, humorless grin in turn. "I'm counting on it."

It was probably not the wisest thing to say and it wasn't like he cared. He knew it was going to be excruciating and having them point this out was helping no one.

He groggily realized that he had been moved but he didn't remember the trip, nor the hero picking him up. It was probably for the best as the sea of gold and its two blue islands filled his view again till his sight cleared enough to discern the hero's features; it was hard to miss the streaks of blood on the hero's chest. "Seems I bled on you."

Was he seeing things or was that really relief in the hero's expression. "You've been doing that quite a bit. I'll have to make sure to bill you for the dry cleaning in a few cycles."

He gave them a flat look. Or at least attempted to. It felt strange on his face. "It's not going to be there in a few cycles, you nitwit."

The hero laughed, settling more next to him.

It was then that he became aware he was lying on his back underneath a never ending sky.

The brightest star he saw wasn't a star at all, but Mars reflecting the sun from its position in the solar system. He wondered if it would be just as easy to find in the next cycle.

"You let me know when you want to go back in," the hero informed him, settling back on their hands to watch the sky.

"Ok," he replied as his eyes roamed the rest of the sky he could see.

Slowly it all started to fade and as much as he wanted to fight the impending sleep, he went without a fight.

When he woke next, it was to the sight of some unfamiliar room and the slow reintegration into a new cycle.

His memories started sorting themselves out. It took some time so he remained on his chest in the strange yet familiar bed staring at the black and white image of a cowboy hat sitting on a table, the background blurred enough that the people in it were nothing more than rough shapes - the pair dancing alone in the negative space to the upper left of the hat almost becoming a single odd shape because of it. A satin cushion a third of the size of the hat sat on the table under the blurry dancing pair, two wedding bands on display against the small cushion's fabric.

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#All the Creation #Creative and Prompt Writing #five words prompt #Mars #gold #fear #cowboy hat #blood #RPApril Extravaganza 2019 #Five Words One Story #1 of 4 #Part 3 of 6 #500 to 1500 words limit