#raavi knows no rest

[kuvvydraws]

Raavi: -trying to sleep-

Momo and Kuku: -suddenly in front of their face with a boot in their mouths- -proceed to liquify and slide off the bed-

It's the fact that they have to boast about how much they're bullying Raavi is what kills me 😂

Why do the crime and not be noticed when you can do more and make it a humiliation thingy too - you saw, and you can't do shit 🎶

#delightful little crechurs #raavi knows no rest #first moose #iconic bully horse lady for so many reasons #and now the ferrets #LET'S NOT FORGET SHOE - EVEN IF HE DIDN'T MEAN IT

[fractured-legacies]

Imprudent, Chapter 6: Quest

Prologue | Chapter 5 | Chapter 7

Chapter 6: Quest

According to Lt. Alphonsoni, large urban areas of the planet have been reduced or entirely obliterated, a fact that is corroborated by our limited records. However, we have detected isolated remnants of architecture and other infrastructure, mostly in the form of singular towers and other edifices in various locations. Typically these are singular structures, although there are a few areas that have multiple instances. The reason why these buildings were spared from whatever else destroyed the rest of the planetary civilization is unknown; attempts to communicate with these structures have failed, and neither our records nor the Lieutenant’s memory are detailed enough to determine the distinguishing factor of these buildings.

~o0O0o~

Lady Fiaswith of House Rechneesse

The chill seeped in through the holes in Fia’s clothes; honestly, that was more irritating than getting hit with an arrow. She was still upset over her favorite silk gown that had met the same fate years earlier. Oh, sure, you could get blood out of silk, but a hole right through the bodice!? You couldn’t fix that, not without ripping out the whole bloody panel, and then you had to find matching silk to put in its place.

She knew that she was distracting herself, though, and as they came to a halt at the next lock—by a small village—she could feel Raavi’s eyes on her.

She hopped out of the iceboat and started giving orders. “Yufemya, sweep for any revenants. Don’t engage unless you have to. I’m going to see about finding us some help. Raavi, prep the boat for dismantlement, but don’t do anything yet until we find out if we need it.”

“And me and Zoy?” Stylio asked.

“You’re with me. Zoy, with Raavi.”

Looking around at the group of them, she could see them wondering, but none of them spoke up or demanded answers, spreading out as she’d ordered.

Turning, she marched to the village next to the lock; another canal joined up here, creating a larger pond, which was frozen over. That explained why this lock had a settlement here at all, which was good.

Stylio fell in step with her. They walked in silence, their boots crunching the snow as the wind whipped around them. As they entered the first set of streets between the houses, Fia asked, “See anyone awake?”

“No, but there have been people here. Look.” She pointed down, and Fia followed the line, to see the uneven hummocks in the snow that showed there had been foot-traffic here, even if the later snowfalls had buried it.

They continued searching through the darkened streets and quiet houses. Just when Fia was about to call it quits, Stylio called out in a carrying whisper, “Here.”

Fia turned, and saw a patch of dark ice besides an alleyway next to an oddly shaped hummock of snow.

“Oh shit.”

Stylio brushed the snow away, revealing a dead body, a bloody gash in its belly having leaked out into the snow, making the dark patch.

“Not an oathwalker, then,” she said. “They don’t bleed.”

Shaking her head, Stylio rose. “No. Come, let’s see if we can find any survivors. I don’t know how long this one has been dead, but it can’t have been too long; he was only a few inches beneath the snow.”

Fia nodded and took point as they went deeper into the village. They reached the largest house, and outside, there were more bodies under the snow. The doors were intact, however. Hoping that they weren’t too late, she knocked.

A moment later, the door swung open and someone shoved a crossbow in her face.

Sighing, she pushed it out of the way, and hid a wince when the wielder pulled the trigger and the bolt went clean through her hand, embedding itself in the wall. The whispering in the back of her mind was brief, the hole closing almost as soon as the bolt cleared it, and she pulled the crossbow out of their hands.

“Yo-you-you’re alive!” the man stammered.

“No thanks to you,” Fia said, glancing at the quivering bolt in the wall and setting the crossbow aside. “Bit jumpy, are we?”

“They… they came! In the dark! Monsters! Dead men! They fell on us, killing, murdering…”

“How many?” Fia asked.

“Dozens… maybe hundreds…”

“And you fought them off?”

“We had to! The sleepers… down in the cellars! We had to protect them!”

Fia nodded, and glanced past the man. Another dozen or so overwinterers were huddled around the corridor, clutching weapons and giving her furtive looks. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I am Lady Fiaswith of House Rechneesse. I am on my way to the capital to inform King Luitpoold about these attacks. I need your help to get around your canal locks.”

“But they’re frozen, milady,” said the man who had almost shot her. “It’s winter!”

“We’re using a different form of transport,” she said. “But we need, say, half a dozen men, more if possible, to help. Can you help us?”

A bunch of the overwinterers, apparently heartened and desperate for something to do, rose and started doing up their winter coats.

“Good. We’ll meet you down at the locks,” she said, then turned and left.

As she and Stylio walked back down the road, Stylio abruptly said, “It’s a Death Curse, isn’t it?”

Fia paused and looked at the other woman. Possibilities ran through her mind. She could lie, try to misdirect, to push it off for later…

Or, most scary of all, she could tell the truth about the secret that had kept her alive through all of her adventures, including, most recently, five years of marriage.

So she nodded. “Yes.”

They continued walking. “A powerful Curse,” Stylio said after several more steps.

“I prefer to think of it as a Blessing.”

“Do you know who?”

Fia nodded. “I do. My father.” She swallowed. “He was a healer. Someone like you. And he was murdered. And he blessed me with his dying words.” You will live a full long life. Neither injury nor illness nor poison or anything but old age will take you, my daughter. “I was three.”

Stylio put her hand on Fia’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. It… I don’t remember him. But the men who took him regretted it. I saw to that before I was twelve.”

A nod. “I understand. Come. We have a long way to go to the capital.”

“Not as far as you’d think,” Fia said, and forced a smile onto her face and some levity into her voice. “I know that when this is all over, I’m going to start a business making those things.”

“For courier duty in winter?”

“That, and for fun. Can you imagine taking one out to Lake Stotos and letting it go?”

Stylio laughed. “I’d like that!”

#

Raavi ava Laargan

I squinted, peering into the distance, unsure if I was seeing something or not through the blowing snow.

And then the clouds broke for a glorious moment, revealing the King’s Tower in all of its curved, prismatic glory.

“We made it!”

Behind me, Lady Fiaswith swore admiringly, and if there had been any question in my mind that she’d once been a sailor—and there wasn’t by this point— those questions would have been put to rest by the fluency and skill with which she swore.

I heard a click of metal on metal, and Stylio said, “We just traveled over a hundred and twenty miles in seven hours. I have never heard of such a trip outside of tall tales of people riding on dragons.” She put away her pocketwatch and said, “Well done, Raavi.”

My blush, which had already been in force from the Lady’s profanity, grew. I then almost jumped when the Lady said, “Over there. There are guards there; I can see their lights. Drop the anchor!”

With a joint sigh, Yufemya and Zoy lifted the heavy plate and dropped it over the side as I guided us over to the canal docks where indeed there were a group of miserable looking guards standing with crossbows. They heard us coming—how could they not, with the anchor’s screeching?—and leveled their crossbows at us as we came up to the dock.

“Not a good sign. Overwinterer guards shouldn’t be that jumpy…” Lady Fiaswith mused behind me, and then, taking a deep breath, bellowed out, “At ease, men! We’re coming in with news!”

As we drifted in, slowing, I tried not to stare at the crossbows and those shiny, deadly quarrels waiting to fly through the air at us…

Finally, the first guard moved his crossbow away, and motioned for his companions to do the same. “Identify yourselves.”

“Lady Fiaswith of House Rechneesse, and companions. We have news of an attack by roving revenants on the town of Rhaanbach and several others along the way, and we’re here to report to the King.”

As she spoke, we came up to the pier and shuddered against it with a soft thud. Lady Fiaswith ignored the guards as she started tying down the sails and getting the rest of us to tie the iceboat up to the docks, as if it was a regular ship. We were about halfway done when the head guard nodded and turned to one of his men. “Send a runner to the Tower. Inform them that Her Ladyship here has arrived and is in our custody, and we are awaiting instructions.”

The man nodded and moved off. As we finished tying up the ice boat, the guard looked us over. “If you all would come with me?” he said, although I could tell that ‘No’ wasn’t an option. I looked at the others, and I was the only one who was worried, or at least letting it show through our snow-crusted winter clothing.

Hefting our packs, we left my ice boat behind, and I gave it one last look as we walked away. I’d been working on it, on and off, for over a year and it had worked so well for its first trip.

It vanished behind a building, and I turned back to follow the others. As I did so, I could see the King’s Tower standing on High Point, overlooking the bay. It was beautiful. Three hundred and fifty feet tall, the last forty feet the finial alone, it was an exquisite gem of crystal and light which had stood guard over the bay since time immemorial. It was one of the ancient homes of the Kalltii, according to legend. Many of the pieces of art and architecture around the kingdom were done in imitation or inspiration of the style it and its brethren embodied, just done in glass and metal instead of imperishable, eternal crystal.

“Hey, keep moving!” a guardsman said brusquely, and I realized I had stopped to stare. Flushing, I started walking again, and heard him mutter, “Damned provincials…”

I flushed harder, and, bowing my head, hurried to keep up.

Stylio caught my hand and made me walk in step with her. “Do not let him get to you. You are young and you will have the chance to travel, especially with your new creation back there. He’s older and is a guard on canal watch duty in the winter,” she said to me in a low voice.

I gave her a sidelong look, but didn’t say anything.

We were led into a snow-covered brick building; I was blinded inside, after having been out with only the snow-glow and the Night-Light to see by.

“Travelers from the canal. They’re to wait here pending orders from the Tower,” said one of the guards.

My eyes adjusted, to see several other guards standing around a small oil-fueled stove; a few oil-lamps lit the space, revealing a battered wooden table with some equally battered wooden chairs around it. A card game in progress sat abandoned, along with a few sandwiches and beers. It was still cool inside, but warmer than out in the snow, and I sagged into a chair, grateful, when one of the guards motioned me into it.

I shut my eyes, only to see lines after endless lines of white—the pure white of the snow along the banks of the canal, the darker white of the ice of the canal itself—streaming before my eyes.

I groaned and grimaced, but I must have rested, because the next thing I noticed was the smell of hot food.

Opening my eyes, which took as much effort as lifting an iron ingot, I saw that Stylio had apparently raided our packs for what was left of our provisions, and had taken over the stove to reheat them.

“Oh, good, he’s awake,” I heard, and then a plate, with some steaming mashed potatoes (where had those been?) and fried sausages was slid in front of me.

Looking up, I saw Zoy standing over me, her face split in a grin. She reached down and messed with my hair. “Next time you take the boat out for a long trip, someone else gets to swap out the tiller occasionally.”

“Worried about me?” I managed to get out.

“Naaah,” she drawled exaggeratedly. “I just got bored sitting back there and want a turn to play!”

I laughed and started to eat. It was simple food, but delicious, and I was just about done when a guardsman came in.

“They’re wanted up at the Tower. Now.”

#

As we came up to the base of the King’s Tower, I craned my neck up to look at the smooth, sheer lines; from a distance, the entire structure could have been mistaken for a glass lamp, with a candle-flame at the finial. But up close, I could see that the smooth folds were ripples in the crystal, and deeper patterns and decorations divided it into panels. I’d been told that attempts to remove and study the sections had failed repeatedly through history.

Inside, it was quiet. Incredibly quiet, in fact. The howl of the wind ceased as soon as the doors closed behind us, despite the fact that I could see the blowing snow through the perfectly clear doors, which only had a thin band of metal around the outsides to mark where the edges were.

Lighting, though, was provided by what Night-Light came in through the windows, and from more normal oil-lamps that dotted the space.

We entered a foyer with a group of guards standing around; two were by another pair of glass doors, while another stood behind a counter, with a series of lockers and coat-racks on the wall behind her.

“Before you proceed to meet with the King, you must surrender any weapons or arms you might possess. They will be kept securely here and returned to you before you leave,” the guardswoman by the counter said. “You may surrender them voluntarily, or after a search.” She smiled thinly. “Your decision. Cloaks and coats can also be given here.”

Lady Fiaswith stepped forward. “Lady Fiaswith—”

“Of House Rechneesse. I know and I remember. You’re supposed to be dead,” said the woman.

“And some people are going to be so disappointed, I know,” she said lightly, and unbelted the sword and crossbow she’d come with, putting them on the counter, followed by her cloak and coat. Her shirt had a noticeable hole in it and a bloodstain where she’d been shot, but the guard said nothing about those, instead just bundling up the cloak and coat and sticking them on one of the coat-racks. Then she waved Lady Fiaswith forward over to the set of doors by the guards. “Next.”

Yufemya stepped forward and put down her bow and the quiver of arrows, followed by a few knives from a thigh sheath, along with her cloak and coat.

“Name?”

“Yufemya.”

“Relation to the Lady there?”

“Traveling companion.”

The guardswoman paused and frowned before glancing at Fiaswith. “She one of your pirates?”

“No, but I’ll vouch for her and the others. Come on, you know that if they’re not even giving us a chance to change clothes before going up to see Luitpoold, he’s not going to wait for a whole song and dance number.”

The guardswoman snorted and nodded. “Fine, but if there’s any problems, it’s on your head.” She motioned Yufemya through. “Next!”

I stepped forward.

“Name?”

“Uh… Raavi ava Laargan. Ironworker of Rhaanbach.”

“Good. Give up your weapons here.”

I looked around at the others. I didn’t have any weapons, so I just shrugged off my cloak and my coat, and handed them over.

“What are those?” the guardswoman asked, pointing at my toolbelts.

“Uh… my tools…” I started to say.

“Give them here,” she said, in a tone that brooked no argument.

After glancing around at the others, I saw Stylio give a nod, and I complied, taking off my toolbelt, my vest with all of the pockets, and the bracer I had on my arm for slipping in small tools.

“Brought a whole workshop with you?” the guardswoman asked, putting them away.

“Uh… no?”

“It was a joke, kid. Next!”

Zoy and Stylio looked at each other, and Stylio motioned Zoy forward.

With a put-upon sigh, Zoy stepped to the counter, and—making my eyes go wide—started pulling out knives from her cloak and putting them in a stack on the countertop. Two knives each from sheaths concealed in the outsides of her sleeves. Another two from the collar. Two more from the forward hem, the handles disguised as part of the closures.

She shrugged off the cloak and handed it to the guardswoman before producing more knives from her coat—four from her pockets, another four from sheaths along her spine, another two from her shoulders.

As she pulled the coat off, I glanced around the room. The guards were looking at her with respect, their hands on their own weapons, while Stylio was watching her with an expression that made me think of my mother when she sighed and chuckled at my enthusiasm.

The clink of more metal on metal made me turn back, as Zoy produced another two knives from the sides of her boots, and then another two from the bottoms, followed by four more from her belt. Another two from sleeve sheaths were produced, and then another four from her vest.

Then she glanced at Stylio, who had her arms crossed; she gave Zoy a wave with her exposed hand, and Zoy… pouted and pulled out two hairsticks from her hair, popped them open to reveal pointed stilettos, and added them to the pile.

“There. Done,” she said to the awed silence.

Stylio sighed. “And the holdouts, Zoy.”

“But—”

“Give them up.”

“Fine.”

She unbuttoned her shirt and I suddenly felt the need to look away… but I still saw out of the corner of my eye that she pulled another four from the boning of her corset and put them on the counter before doing her shirt back up again and then, at a pointed look from Stylio, reached up and pulled out a wire, from some hem on her shirt, that had a pair of wooden rods on loops at either end.

“Am I done? Or are you going to make poor Raavi burst into flames from embarrassment over there?”

I flushed and looked firmly away, instead turning my attention to the guards by the glass doors; they were staring in horror and awe. One of them had his mouth hanging open and his eyes were wide white circles in the lantern-light.

“I think you’re done, yes.”

A moment passed before I heard Zoy say dryly, “You can look again, Raavi.” Flushing, I turned, to see Zoy walk over to stand next to me, her hands on her hips. She sighed. “It’s going to be such a pain to put that all away again.”

Yufemya, her voice a little strangled, said, “If you need help, just ask…”

“I’ll take you up on that.”

“Quiet. Next!” said the guardswoman, looking at Stylio. “Name?”

Stylio sighed. “Stylio of Kasmenarta.”

There was a pause. A very long pause, only to have the guardswoman say cautiously, “The Stylio of Kasmenarta?”

Another sigh came from Stylio, longer and more drawn out. “Yes. Once.”

The guardswoman motioned frantically to the two guards standing at the exit, and they left, returning a few moments later with six more.

Stylio shook her head. “This isn’t necessary, but fine.” She reached down to her belt and, opening her pouch, pulled out a knife… and a battered brass fork, followed by a spoon, and set them down. Her healer’s flute, a set of small tuning forks in better shape than the eating fork, a small wooden wand, and a small first aid kit of bandages, needles, and thread followed.

The guardswoman, moving like she was about to try to put a muzzle on a snarling dog, came out from around her counter and cautiously patted Stylio down. The hairstick in her bun turned out to be just a hairstick, but was taken anyway. Her belt turned out to be just leather, and the boning in her corset was just ordinary steel boning.

I shared a look with Lady Fiaswith, who was watching, looking like she couldn’t decide if she was offended or amused, and then looked back as the guardswoman reluctantly declared Stylio to be ready to meet with the King.

I leaned over to Lady Fiaswith. “Do you recognize that name?”

“Vaguely. I don’t know if I’m a little jealous or not!” As Stylio joined us, the Lady turned. “Come on, let’s not keep His Royal Highness waiting.” The two guards saluted and opened the glass doors, revealing a glass box with crystals mounted to the corners.

We went inside, followed by two guards. One of them was about to do something when the Lady said, “Let me. I know you lot are probably aching from this by now.”

I was baffled—what was she talking about?—only to jump as Lady Fiaswith hummed and breathed out a cloud of blue-white Breath, which settled into the polished pyrite and quartz crystals in the corners.

They glowed, and a moment later the glass box lurched into motion, upwards.

I stared, knowing that I looked like a provincial, and not caring. How was it moving? I didn’t know of any means by which Breath could be used to power a mechanism! You could heal and augment your body with it, douse and control fires with it, nudge the winds, and throw sparks—even large bolts of lightning, if you were really skilled—and of course you could imbue a crystal gem with it first thing upon waking and get an answer to a question about the future, but that was it. Okay, you could also, in a pinch, imbue an appropriate crystal with it and use that as a light source, but given that candles and lanterns didn’t require ripping out a bit of your own life force and suffering the pain that came with that, most people just used those!

But I was in a glass box with gemstones filled with Breath and it was climbing into the air.

Clearly I was missing something.

I was still thinking when the box ground to a halt and the doors opened, revealing a golden-hued chamber beyond.

#

Lady Fiaswith of House Rechneesse

Doing her best to assume a cloak of dignity and command, despite how battered and torn her clothing was, Fia walked out of the lifting box, followed by her compatriots. The ache of her donation to the crystals powering the box had faded by the time they were halfway up, and she was ready to fight this next battle.

The King was standing by a map-table, with several of his generals and marshals around him. Thankfully, he was wearing a normal working suit of black and gray wool, instead of his dress whites. That was good.

She came to a halt at the prescribed distance; as much as she hated it, she needed his help, and bringing a report back of attacks wasn’t going to be more than a down payment. Going down on one knee, she bowed. “Your Majesty.”

King Luitpoold the Second looked down at her. “Lady Fia. I see that reports of your demise were greatly exaggerated.”

“Not for lack of effort, sire,” she said, suppressing a shiver at the reminder of the trunk.

“So, what is it that you have for me? And rise.”

She came to her feet. “The town of Rhaanbach was attacked about forty-two hours ago by a force of about a hundred oathwalkers.”

He frowned. “Forty-two hours ago? Impossible. You can’t tell me that you made the trip here from Rhaanbach in forty-two hours!”

She stepped aside and pulled Raavi to the fore. The boy looked like he was considering fainting, and she squeezed his shoulders supportively. “Young Raavi here is a credit to the kingdom, sire. He built a boat that can travel over ice using skates. We traveled over the canals; according to the milestones, we were moving at close to forty miles an hour.”

Luitpoold paused, and then turned to one of his men. “Have this skate boat brought to the Tower. I want to see it, and have it tested.”

“Aye, Sire.”

As he left—going for the stairs, Fia noted—the King turned back to her. “So, Rhaanbach was attacked. So were a lot of other towns. Most of our western lands, in fact. They started attacking at the start of Winter and have been out there for weeks now.” He leaned in. “I know that you wouldn’t come here with the news if you didn’t have some ulterior motive… pirate.”

She bristled but held her tongue. Especially since he was half-right. While she would have come regardless… she did need his help.

“You said that my death was reported. By whom, and how, sire?”

He scoffed. “Who else? Duke Rechneesse. Your dear father-in-law.” He chuckled lightly. “He didn’t quite dance a jig, but…”

Glowering, Fia said, “And Faalk and Stoor?”

The King shrugged. “Hasn’t really been my concern. I believe they’re at your family’s estate, mourning your loss.”

“Well then. No need for that, is there? You can very easily announce that I am alive and that reports of my death were… incorrect.”

“Ah yes, but that would upset your father-in-law… and I rather need his help, given that my kingdom is being invaded.” He balled his fists and then relaxed them. “Lady Fia, I will be blunt with you, because I know that you are nothing more than a jumped up peasant with no long experience in courtly manners, and watching you try is amusing, exasperating, and a waste of my time. You brought your report of the attack. All well and good. It is appreciated. But I have no need of Lady Fiaswith of House Rechneesse right now. Especially when I will need Duke Rechneesse when spring comes to muster a response to these attacks.”

He looked her straight in the eye. “But. Fia the Bloody, terror of the Center Sea? Someone capable of traveling at forty miles an hour through the depths of winter? That I can use. So I will make you an offer, Lady Fia. Right now, I can’t march an army through the winter to fight back against this invasion. I’m going to be hard pressed enough to muster enough to secure the towns that have been attacked. They’ve come from the west, meaning the Gehtun tribes. They have oathwalkers, we know that. Go find out why they’ve suddenly set them upon us, after more than a hundred years of quiet at the border. Find out their terms. Sue for peace if you can, or just bring me back the heads of those responsible. I don’t care, so long as they stop. You do that, and I’ll help you with your family drama.”

Feeling rage but also a degree of admiration for how expertly the king was using his limited resources—resources that included her—she bowed stiffly. “I don’t think I have much of a choice, now do I, sire?” She rose. “I accept your terms.”

He nodded. “I don’t think you have much of a choice, no. You’re dismissed. Go and get yourself and your people here cleaned up and rested. I’ll see that you can requisition what supplies and information we have.” He smiled thinly. “It’s not as if I want you to fail.”

#

Raavi ava Laargan

The King’s words echoed in my head as we walked into a set of rooms in the Tower; they were luxuriously furnished, with a thick carpet and curtains hanging from the walls. A window that stretched from floor to ceiling of perfectly clear glass showed the howling winds and gusting snow outside. We were at least two hundred feet above the ground, and I could see the waters of the bay churning and thrashing in the wind below… and yet, in here, it was perfectly silent.

Lady Fiaswith went over to a table that had a lantern on it, and with a whistle, lit the wick with a spark from her fingertip. I winced in sympathy. That had to hurt. But she ignored it, and turned to me.

“Raavi,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself. “I need to borrow—or better yet, buy—the ice boat from you. I’ll go with you as far as your home, and then I need to keep going. You can stay there.”

I shook my head. “So, what, you’re going to go out there, alone, to fight against all of those undead!? Why does the king want to get rid of you? Why does your father-in-law want to get rid of you?”

She looked around at the group.

“I’m coming with you,” Yufemya said. “You’ll need me to watch your back.”

“And I am coming as well, as is Zoy,” said Stylio. “But Raavi has good questions… and I think that you owe him and us, at least something of an answer.”

Lady Fiaswith sighed and sat down in a chair. She glanced around, and rose. Going over to one of the walls, she knocked on it and listened, her ear against the wall. Then she moved down the wall a bit and knocked again. “I don’t think we’re being spied on… so fine.” She sighed. “One life story, coming up.”

I sat down in a chair and leaned in to listen.

“Due to my… talents,” she motioned to the hole in her shirt, “I fell in with a mercenary crowd when I was… younger than Raavi here. Eventually, I ended up as a pirate at sea. Same basic skillset, after all. By the time I was twenty-five, I was captain of the ship, after the previous captain… well, he made a mistake and I ended up in charge. The crew knew, and they thought of me as lucky, and for seven years, we pillaged; I was a privateer, Fia the Bloody. We did some pirating, and some protecting, as if we could balance the books…” She sighed. “Six years ago, I was on shore leave in this city when I heard that House Rechneesse was looking for a bride for their son and heir… with a substantial dowry to go with it. Too substantial, really. I did some digging. According to rumor, he was under a Death Curse that his first wife would die a horrible death.”

I blinked. “Wait. Death Curses are real?”

They all looked at me, and Lady Fiaswith chuckled slightly. “Yes, Raavi, they’re real.”

“But I thought that they were just a, a, fiction! Something that they came up with for dramatic tension in plays and books and stuff!”

“Why do you say that?” she asked, leaning in, a smile growing on her face.

“Because Breath doesn’t work like that! You can’t cast a spell powerful enough to kill yourself! You pass out first, either from lack of energy or from the pain!”

Stylio spoke up. “You’re right. But a curse spoken with one’s dying Breath… well… that breaks the rules.” She nodded to the Lady. “Continue. The heir—your husband, if I understand correctly—had a Curse on him that his first wife would die horribly.”

“Yeah. And, well… I was thinking that it could be fun! Get the dowry, see what the Curse could throw at me, and then get on with my life.” The Lady shrugged. “You could tell that they just saw me as disposable, there to just discharge the Curse, and I was thinking that I was basically going to scam them. Faalk—my husband—didn’t exactly come into it with a lot of sentiment, either. And, well, the Curse tried its best. I fell down stairs, off of horses—out of a fourth story window once, that wasn’t fun… and… well…” She sighed. “If we hadn’t fallen in love… but we did. My daughter Stoor is two, now.”

“Ouch,” said Zoy. “So how did you end up getting reported dead, if you’re that hard to kill?”

“Well, my in-laws were hoping to marry him off to a princess once I was dead. Once I refused to die, they sort of… tried to help me along. Poison, assassins… that sort of thing. And I was getting cocky. Why wouldn’t I? I could survive a bullet to the brain!” She shivered. “But if half a dozen men jump me in the middle of the night and, and…” She swallowed and a tear went down her cheek, “and held me down with ropes and then came with axes and cut my head off…”

I stared as she started to cry.

Stylio rose and went over to her, and hugged her.

“I… I never had felt so helpless in my life. I was terrified. They showed Faalk my head, and I could hear and see everything but I couldn’t feel or do anything! And then they shoved me into that trunk with the rest of my body in pieces and told their men to drive as far away as they could and bury them.” She was shaking, and I couldn’t hold back anymore and went over and joined the hug.

She broke down in tears, sobbing. “And, I, I was still alive. I could feel my body trying to heal itself… but I was terrified that this was going to be it… that they were going to toss my head down a hole and I’d go insane before I finally died…” She looked up. “And then Yufemya here rescued me outside of your town. Broke open the trunk… and put me back together.” She looked across the room at the other woman. “How did you know to do that?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Yufemya said, looking down at her hands.

“Try me.”

“I saw it in a vision of the future,” she said, and the Lady frowned.

“You’re right. I don’t believe you. Fine. You still did it and I owe you. What do you want from me in return? You never said.”

“For the moment, I want to deal with these attacks on this kingdom,” Yufemya said. “So I will come with you. And I cannot let you do this alone. Not after what you have already suffered.”

The Lady… Fia broke down at that, crying into our arms.

I couldn’t imagine that. How horrible it had to have been. She’d… she’d laughed off everything—an arrow through the chest, an army of undead—but she wasn’t invincible.

And then I realized what she’d said.

“Wait. You’d just gotten out of that trunk, and you ran over to help my town!?” I demanded.

She nodded, her eyes red… and I watched the redness fade in a matter of moments. “I… I couldn’t stand back and just let it happen.”

I looked her in the eye, and knew what I had to do. “Lady Fiaswith… Lady Fia. I’m not super strong. I’m not a skilled healer like Stylio, or an archer like Yufemya. Or even someone who is a walking armory like Zoy—”

“I resemble that remark,” came from behind me.

“—but whatever help I can give you, it’s yours. I’m coming with you.”

“But why?”

I took her hands in mine and squeezed. “Because I can’t stand back and just let it happen.”

<<<<>>>>

Prologue | Chapter 5 | Chapter 7

And there we go! As usual, here's the Patreon link! I'm hoping to get some more support so I can set up an independent website to host my writing. If you're liking the story, please follow this tumblr, reblog the chapter posts, and consider supporting me!

#fractured legacies imprudent #imprudent #original writing

[hallasimss]

— introducing: abhilash raavi, young adult. ( he/they ) ( @rainymoodlet - kiss me in komorebi+ entry. ) for your information this post tried to delete itself twice via my browser crashing and then kept giving me error messages whenever i tried to post. thankfully i back up all my sh*t but it was a struggle i tell you so have him!!! and take care of him pls he's my best boi and very fragile. also excuse any sentences that do not make sense, i am not Englishing properly today an edit bc i am dumb and left this out: i maxed out all of their "likes" slots so i cannot list everything here but it will be in the tray! just in case you were wondering where it went rip

* biography.

nickname. — Abhi age. — 31 (August 7th, 1992, Leo; my young adults tend to fall within the range of 18-35) birthstone. — peridot, ruby (Hindu calendar) faceclaim ref. — Abhilash Vadada height. — 5'9" (176 cm) sexual orientation. — bisexual gender identity. — questioning mbti. — isfj (the Nurturer) traits. — shutterbug (custom mod, included), child of the ocean, cat & dog lover, music lover, vegetarian, morning sim skills. — photography, knitting and wellness mastered, singing, piano and violin level 9. fitness and komorebigo level 7 (custom mod, optional), logic and cooking level 5, charisma, comedy and rock climbing level 1 native languages. — tartosiano (custom mod, optional), telugu, simlish aspiration. — renowned photographer (custom mod, included), lord of the knits (completed) lifestyles. — close knit, outdoorsy current occupation. — freelance photographer a native of Tartosa and an only child born to a single parent/immigrant, Abhilash has always had to work just a little bit harder than the rest to achieve his goals. but whether it was snatching bits and pieces of lessons from the music tutor in town or convincing the boss for his summer job to let him do overtime on the weekends so he could use the weekdays for studying through high school, somehow he found a way to get it done. all of that eventually paid off, though, and after getting accepted to (and graduating at the top of his class from) Britechester with a distinguished degree in Fine Art, pursuing his studies in order to have a future career in orchestral work and composition seemed like the most natural next step. an accident shortly after, however—one that resulted in the partial loss of hearing in one ear—brought those plans to a halt, and after their physician suggested against going into music full time, Abhilash fell back on an old passion of theirs; photography. a few well timed snaps within the past few years may have only now brought them into the limelight, with a tidy 12.5k followers on Simstagram, but they would consider themselves anything but a celebrity. (their assistant is still trying to convince them that that one star means more than they think.) still, he makes it work, this newfound fame, splitting his time between running his own small business as a fashion and wedding photographer and exploring his various hobbies. he was hesitant at first after his best friend, Gulab, surprised him with plane tickets and a filled out form, but with everything else in his life gradually falling into place, he figures he might as well give this a chance and see where it goes—regardless of the fact that he may just be more than slightly terrified at the idea of opening himself up to a new relationship. (and if it fails, well, there's always their best friend to blame for that.)

* things to know.

not everyone can say they've dated their best friend and had the relationship come out intact on the other end, but Abhi considers himself one of the lucky ones—he and Gulab may have, uh... f*cked around with each other during their college days as part of a dare, and then for several years after that as well. the upside to all of this? they both realized they were very, very much bisexual. the downside? they both realized they were very, very much romantically incompatible with each other. despite the breakup, both are still close, and Abhi regularly keeps in touch with Gulab and his partner since the latter moved to Komorebi. (and as for Gulab? he would be lying if he said that he didn't sign them up for the show just so they could stop by and visit in case things didn't go as planned.) despite his apparent love of jewelry (as is evidenced by his extensive receipt history *cough*), Abhi has no piercings except the stud on his left nostril—several bad experiences in college during his attempts to pierce his ears (in all fairness, it was the artist's fault and the scars never did heal properly afterwards) firmly turned him off from the idea of getting anymore anywhere else, and he compensates by layering on the bracelets and rings. if you bribe them with enough chocolate, however, you may be able to convince them to get that septum piercing they've been putting off for ages. (we're going to pretend i didn't write this entire section bc the ear presets i had for him were literally incompatible with every single earring in my CAS library sksksk) unlike the piercings, his love of tattoos seemed to have fared better—to date, Abhi is in possession of several, including (but not necessarily limited to) two small botanic tattoos done on his left foot during a trip with his first ex-girlfriend (no initials, thank goodness), a Ganesha tattoo on the inside of his right wrist as a buddy to Gulab's Om tattoo in the same spot, a full back snake piece, and (his personal favorite but as of yet incomplete) lightning bolt ensemble. next on their list? a memento of their mother's handwriting. although his dreams of becoming a world-famous musician may have been placed on the backburner (or taken off of it entirely) Abhi still plays both piano and violin, sings and composes as a hobby—recently, they were contacted by a recording studio interested in their rendition of Vaughn-Williams' The Lark Ascending, and just before that performed at a charity concert for an orphanage. they haven't decided whether to take the studio up on the offer just yet, but the joy of being able to continue to polish their skills—something that immediately after the accident would have been considered impossible—is enough for them. when he's not taking photos or working on his music, Abhi is proud to say that he has quite the stash of knitted projects in his arsenal—no matter how many times he's fallen prey to the curse of the boyfriend sweater (or in his case, more girlfriends than boyfriends), you'll mostly find him starting up another one in his free time, usually while curled up on the couch watching his favorite movies and ugly crying whenever the saddest parts come on. (and no, despite his love of any and all Indian cinema he can possibly get his hands on, he still hasn't seen the end of Kal Ho Naa Ho. do with that what you will, but that's probably for the best.) if you ask nicely, they'll be more than happy to give film recommendations, and if you ask them what they're making? prepare to be swamped with excited chatter (and possibly fitted for measurements, just so they can go shopping for materials all over again).

ps: pls also have these full length versions of the headshot photos of Abhi, taken by Gulab when they stepped outside in the park for two seconds bc the latter insisted on taking 'proper business shots' when he visited last year—Abhi isn't wearing his hearing aid bc he forgot to put it back in after a (rather indulgent) practice session (his approach is something like this, last section), but he does come with it included sksksksk

#* mine. #* abhilash. #* sim intro. #hallasimss #kmikapp #ts4 #my sims #new simblr #simblr #maxis mix #ts4 portrait #ts4cc #ts4 simblr #ts4 edit #sims 4 edit #ts4mm #sims 4 cc #simmer #black simmer #( * i almost regret submitting him he's so f*cking cute #| putting him in my pocket and never letting him go but no he needs a boyfriend. he needs to go out and get d*ck #| Gulab and i are on the same page we are the wingmen when it comes to this man and his relationships #| fun fact i had a whole text message thread planned out where Gulab just dumps the plane tickets on him on the 8th[?] of March #| and says 'happy holi bitch. break out the colors i'm going to get you laid'. tbh i had too much of Jai Jai Shivshankar on loop then #| so when i resurfaced i ended up scrapping most of that but. i am mourning that loss!!! mourning i tell you!!! #| it's saved in another draft don't worry it just never got to see the light of day. rip #| idk maybe i'll end up keeping a copy of Abhi for myself and they'll hang around town like the king they are #| anyway God i love them sm <333 ) #— ( * edit: i just realized he and Dan are wearing the exact same shirt and htg i have no idea how that happened #| ig you could say they have the same fashion sense??? take that as a bonus )

[dogmomwrites]

Find the Words

It's been a while since I was tagged for this, and I'm behind on a couple others, but I am working on catching up! Thank you so much for this tag, @j-1173! I'm passing it along with soft tags to @cljordan-imperium, @mercurialsmile, @fearofahumanplanet, @inkspellangel, @briannaswords, and @eli-writes-sometimes, as well as an open tag for anyone else who wants to join!

Your words will be overhead, interest, threat, annoyance, and comfortable

My words were bell, hold, kind, ground, and silence, and my excerpts are all under the cut and taken from the third book in my Castle series!

Bell Mayne snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. Nothing’s faster than the harpies of Mogro.”

Ryder was assisting the Ropes Crew by climbing up with Kinsley. “The whats of whom?”

“The harpies of Mogro. Don’t you landlubbers know what harpies are?”

“Yeah, they’re people-bird things. But who’s Mogro?”

“Demon. King of demons, actually. Banished from Hell. Not even Morsani could deal with him. He commands harpies. Unleashes—well, I almost said Hell, but it’s worse. Is none of this ringing your bells?”

“My bells remain unrung.”

He paused, bucket of ocean water resting on the rail. “Don’t ever say that again. Just don’t.”

Hold “We know everything,” Pipkin said with a slow blink of amusement. 

“That’s not at all unnerving,” Caleb said sarcastically.

“It wasn’t meant to comfort you. It was meant to ensure you don’t try to stand again, because trying to stand in your current condition is very stupid.”

Raavi couldn’t help but smile at the look Caleb shot the purple cat. In addition to the scowl, Caleb made a rude gesture, but Pipkin didn’t know what it meant. However, he did understand the gist of it, the intent, and in response, he pulled his lips up in a grin.

“I’m not hearing a denial.”

His scowl darkened. “That’s because I know it’s stupid.”

“Then why did you try?” Pipkin asked. “And after that didn’t work, why did you try again?”

“What are you, doctors or spies?” Caleb grumbled.

“Can we not be both?” Pipkin tried to keep his face neutral, but he couldn’t hold back a purr when Caleb began muttering to himself. Hopping down from the bed, he padded to the door. “I’ll see if I can find steps for your noisy friend. No more trying to hurt yourself, if you can manage that.”

“I’m not trying to hurt myself!”

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem for you.” He gave them a farewell wave of his tail. He didn’t expect them to know what it meant. It was more out of habit than anything else.

Kind She scoffed. “You take me for a fool, Ryder. Perhaps I was better off as a hostage, if my accidental rescuer is this incompetent.”

He cursed, making her gasp. “For someone who was just rescued, you’re kind of an awful companion. Now shut up. I’ve had a long day.”

“You—”

“I said shut up.”

Ground “Of course. The details of magic removal are complex, so I’ll suffice to say I don’t know them. I know how to perform the ritual, and that’s all that matters. It’s extremely difficult to take it all at once, and some magic can be left behind, especially if the people aren’t in contact with each other. Since I wasn’t touching him, there’s a chance I may have left some of his magic with him.”

Jay perked up at that.

“However, before you get excited,” Haow said, obviously noticing his interest. “When magic gets removed like that, particularly from an unwilling, it doesn’t renew like usual. It’s like a plant that was ripped from the ground. Uprooted. It takes much longer to come back. If it ever comes back at all.”

“You said he would die.”

He shrugged. “I was hoping. And there is a chance he will, even this long after. It’s very hard to predict. Besides, I’m a terrible, horrible person. Lying isn’t such a stretch for me.”

Silence The man's entire body changed, swelling until he reached nearly eight feet in height and towered over them. His shoulders broadened and hunched, bulging with muscle. Bones cracked as they rearranged themselves. Fur appeared over his skin, down his arms and up his neck to cover his face.

His jaw stretched and his teeth sharpened into fangs. Long fangs made to rip and tear. Pointed ears jutted upwards, twitching as they picked up sounds far off in the woods. Black claws grew from his fingers, curved and wicked.

Frozen in place, they watched in stunned silence as the man changed his form until what stood before them was a monster of horror, a nightmare creature found only in legend and myth.

Saben was the only one aware enough to stay tense, ready to defend if the creature chose to attack. But he only stood there, panting from the exertion of shapeshifting and watching them.

“Wow!” Nuka said, his eyes wide and lit with excitement. “That was maybe the second coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”

#find the words #find the word tag #find the word game #tag game #writer games #open tag #open to everyone #my writing #yavs writing #castle in the ice series

[nikolazuli]

My 3 ffxiv ocs, in order: NA: Nowi Noksho, main oc, (WoL and non WoL lore are separate). A Gridanian-borm moon keeper who was kidnapped by black marketeers at 5 and rescued in Limsa where she was raised till adulthood. Changed her family name to Noksho after her brother after a failed reunion with the rest of the family who assumed her dead following the calamity

JP: Raavi Copihwesfv, veena Viera who left his homeland to go adventuring. His hobbies are composing songs and teasing his friends.

EU: Rana'to Binbotaj (i swear the name was randomly generated), formerly a Gridanian archer who survived a freak hunting accident and whose life was saved by a Sharlayan sage who happened to be nearby. Although he lost the ability to wield a bow he gained an interest in medicine instead and decided to go to Sharlayan to study (not knowing that the entry requirements are extremely strict). Unfortunately he's a binbo with no sense of direction and only realised it once he was in limsa long enough to become a scholar that "hol up this isnt sharlayan".

#nikoshii #nowi noksho #raavi #rana'to #you can tell i dont have much lore for raavi becuase he started out as my retainer wwwww #and rana'to's just a himbo binbo

[thepringlesofblood]

*SPOILERS FOR NEW TAZ SEASON FROM THE 1ST EP*

griffin, we have to talk about your addiction to alliterative organizations that start with b that have sketchy characters named robbie in them. (disclaimer: this one might be raavi I’m not great at hearing)

other highlights below cut

(know that every time I compare something to a previous taz arc i do it with all the love in my heart and knowing that it will be its own fully realized creation)

- “and then you see what looks like a cube of hard light-” light of creation....but square....

- ol uncle joshy’s voice is like if u took barry bluejeans and turned gravel up to extra coarse

- justin funnyname officially fulfilled. i cannot fucking wait for the rest of the boys to find out that ambergris is a fancy name for whale barf that’s used in perfumes and thought to be an aphrodisiac. no i am not kidding

- does france exist in this world????? WHY?????

- idk why but I keep imagining brother seldom as literally just griffin in a big brown monk robe

- finally, the badass competent older woman is a player character

- i can’t stop hearing rick diggins im so sorry

- deep cut, but the vibes here really remind me of when polygon did a cyberpunk 2077 ttrpg series, u got competent woman who works in black market and can definitely fuck you up (amber/dasha), himbo muscle (zoox/burgerchainz), and wildcard who is Still Learning about how the world works (dino/vango bango) (is it dino or deeno or divo or deevo my hearing sucks)

things I crossed off my “taz campaign bingo chart”

- The Gang Commits Crimes

- Justin PC weird name

- Domes/orbs

- Secret kinda shady organizations

- Justin character voice = VERY

- The party does not know how to have conversations with real people

- Fantasy == sci fi

- Fantastical character has incredibly ordinary name (e.g. jeffandrew) (I would say ol uncle joshy is pretty fantastical but i suppose its a matter of opinion)

#spoilers #taz spoilers #taz ethersea #taz ethersea spoiler #taz ethersea spoilers #taz e spoilers #taz:e spoilers #taz: e spoilers #ethersea spoiler #ethersea spoilers #original post

[milkcakejamun]

ShiVi X HP Crossover, Part I

“For the Japanese, who know so much and intuit more, human relations are predestined by a red string that the gods tie to the pinky fingers of those who find each other in life. Legend has it that the two people connected by this thread will have an important story, regardless of the time, place, or circumstances. The red string might get tangled, contracted, or stretched, as surely often happens, but it can never break."

----------Page Break -------------

His little finger interlocked with her own, “Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to find you?” He brought his other hand up to her face and gently caressed her cheek as she leaned towards him in comfort. “In any shape. In any form. In any world,” he whispered as his thumb brushed across her lower lip. “I will find you,” he leaned closer to her as she angled her body towards him, “because we are fated for each other.” — C. K. Rani

Raavi smiled as she lowered the book. Her eyes trailed over to the boy… no man, sitting right across from her. His hair was neatly combed and parted to the side, uniform was clean and well ironed, quills organized by size and shape of the tip.

He was Ved Pandya, and he was absolutely perfect.

As someone who believed in soulmates, Raavi knew that Ved Pandya was the one for her, perhaps from the moment she first laid eyes on him on Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station hugging his family. A warm feeling blossomed in her chest when she saw those happy smiles, and for the first time, she knew where she belonged… and that was with the Pandya family…

For that reason alone, she did her best to pursue a friendship with Ved, even though they were sorted in different houses, him in Hufflepuff and her in Ravenclaw. She would try to sit at his table, she would meet up with him after class asking about doubts, and she would try to be involved in whatever activity he was involved in (with the sole exception of Quidditch).

Slowly, but surely, her efforts paid off… Ved and her began a friendship in their third year of school, and now as seventh years, they were essentially inseparable. She knew every little secret of his, and he knew almost everything about her as well… and fairly soon, he would know the last truth she was hiding.

The truth that she loved him…

“If you spent as much time as you did watching me on your studies, you would’ve cleared all the exams with straight O’s,” she heard his soft murmur. He glanced up from his book with a frown adorning his face, and again, she was absolutely mesmerized by how good-looking Ved was… his soft eyes, the gentle curve of his cheeks.

She smiled lazily at him as she leaned over to close the book he was reading, “Grades don’t matter,” she stated as a matter-of-fact. Not when my goal is to be by your side anyway. “Not when I have a job, at least,” she mentioned with a smirk. The Pandya family already offered her a job after graduation, regardless of what her final exam scores were.

Ved rolled his eyes, “I might not mind, but my cousin—,”

Raavi scowled at the thought of working for anyone else other than Ved. Ved’s father, the sweet and charming Dev Pandya, would not allow her to work for anyone else. Most especially that “dreaded” and “tyrant” of a cousin… She’s never met that good-for-nothing cousin (and never even cared to inquire about him), but she knew he was not good news.

No man was good news when he sent her plastic lizards for her birthday… and that man even knew of her crush on Ved, as every birthday note included a small message of, “Do not even dare!”

Ansh Pandya… the beloved son of Gautam and Dhara Pandya, and the heir apparent of the wonderful Pandya Store… Someone with such a great legacy should have been a model citizen… instead, Ansh chose to be the bane of her life… the villain of her love story.

Even when he wasn’t there, he made her life miserable… suggesting Ved should get a girlfriend, and even offering a list of potential girls he could begin talking to…

“Let’s not ruin this afternoon by speaking about him,” she huffed.

“He’s not that awful,” Ved’s lips curled upwards in amusement. “He was the one to offer you a job, after all.”

And it was a halfhearted and insulting offer should she say so herself. Without even being there, he sent her an offer letter after Gautam Pandya made the initial offer. His letter claimed she would make the perfect addition to the company, as their next project was developing the operating system to their cell phone line. The Chipkali operating system… and as a “chipkali” herself, she would offer the perfect inspiration…

If he wasn’t related to the wonderful Pandya family, she would have throttled him years back when he sent her a toy lizard which came to “life” the second she touched it. The only good thing that happened with that was that Ved hugged her and stayed by her side the rest of the night.

“When you join company, you’ll understand,” Ved stood up and stretched. “His heart is truly filled with gold… and he honestly is the beacon of the family, especially after…,” he trailed off as his eyes were filled with anguish.

She swallowed, knowing to stay silent. A few years back, prior to Ved’s birth, the Pandya family suffered their greatest loss. They had been the most spoken about family, especially with the advent of their new wizarding products… a phone that rivaled the ones used by Muggles… computers that connected every aspect of the community… quills that were able to engineer anything from the imagination…

They had transformed the Wizarding World… and just as they celebrated their greatest success… the inventor of it all passed away…

“I wonder if he’s proud of us,” Ved murmured as he glanced out the window, gazing at the blue sky.

Raavi smiled softly as she squeezed his shoulder. She had never known Shiva Pandya… and she seldom hears of him as well since he always invoked the tears from the family. But she knew, that regardless of who Shiva Pandya was, he would be proud of Ved and Ansh…

Ved placed his hand over hers and turned to her with a soft smile, “Anyhow, it’s time for us to part,” he slowly packed up his quills and belongings into his bag as Raavi turned to him curiously. “Sruthi and I will be practicing today for the big game next week.”

Raavi had nodded her head… until he had uttered that vile name from his lips… Sruthi… the woman that Ansh had come up with. She had thought Ved would break the connection, just as he had done so with the four other women… but, after going out for butter beer once, Ved and Sruthi had hit it off. They had been speaking to each other much more, despite Sruthi being an entire two years younger. And even though they were in different houses, they practiced Quidditch together…

She wasn’t one to become mad with jealousy… but there was something in Sruthi that brought the worst in her… that made her worry about the future she envisioned for herself.

“I want to come, too!” she announced as she quickly packed her belongings herself.

“You?” Ved raised a brow. Raavi nodded her head, ignoring the bewilderment in his expression. Even after nearly four years of friendship, she had hoped Ved would’ve known. How relentless she could be. “You do understand we will be riding our brooms,” Raavi raised her brow as Ved continued, “Playing Quidditch.”

After a moment of silence, Raavi crossed her arms, “So?” She was fully aware that she could not ride a broom… however, that doesn’t mean her eyes were not perfectly functional. She could sit in the bleachers and shout whenever they became too close. “I’ll watch!”

He rolled his eyes as he motioned for her to tag along.

Grinning with pride, she skipped along his side, briefly glancing over at his profile every now and then, admiring everything she could about him. He was absolutely perfect for her in every way. He was just about an inch taller—so he wouldn’t have to bend down and hurt his neck whenever they kissed. He had the most impeccable fashion when they did not have to be in their uniforms.

“Are you excited to join the company?” Ved murmured as their hands brushed.

Raavi felt a gentle tingle go up her arms as a smile split wide on her face. She gently rubbed the area that had touched his hand. Nodding her head, she felt a warm flush come over her face, “Yes,” she breathed out. Working alongside him was a dream come true.

“Ansh is excited as well,” Ved brought his hand up to his mouth as he tried to hide his smile. Raavi raised a brow as she glanced over in his direction. “Wait… do you not know?” he began laughing. “Ansh will be your supervisor once you start working.”

Raavi’s eyes widened as she stilled to a complete stop. Ansh? My supervisor? She could only see a dark cloud over her head… They were never able to meet because he had chosen to attend Durmstrang (thank Somnath, otherwise they would’ve killed each other), but from the small tidbits she knew of him, and from the letters he had sent her, he would be a brutal boss.

“Ansh is not bad, Raavi,” Ved whispered. “He would never hurt anyone. Most especially you.”

Me? She scowled remembering all the gifts he had sent her over the years. The toy chipkalis, the dung bombs, packets of oils and masalas (though she had no understanding of why he would give her such a thing… she was an absolutely wonderful cook!). Not a single gift was sweet… and she didn’t even know what she did to deserve this! They hadn’t even met before!

Which was why she began sending him inappropriate gifts as well. From sending him acid pops, frog spawn soap, bulbadox powder… unfortunately, nothing terrible had happened to him.

“Raavi.”

She glanced at Ved as Ved reached out for her hand.

“You’re Raavi… anyone can fall in love with you,” he smiled at her softly.

Warmth blossomed in her chest as she followed Ved to the Quidditch field. Anyone can fall in love with me… her eyes zeroed in Ved’s back. Does that mean he actually loves me? A smile found it’s way onto her face. Then I don’t need to wait to confess? I can just do it right now?

“Ved,” she called out at the same moment Ved’s face brightened with joy.

“Sruthi!” he called out as the happiness fizzled out of Raavi.

She turned to Sruthi with a glare… She didn’t even exist a few months ago, but now, she became a mainstay, an unwanted third wheel, and despite all the hints she was giving Sruthi… that girl really didn’t understand.

“Ved!” Sruthi smiled as she ran over to him.

Ved pulled her into a hug as Raavi bit her lower lip, feeling excluded. In all her years of being good friends with Ved, he had never taken the liberty to hug her in such a manner. Is it because he thinks I don’t want to hug him? How do I let him know that I do want to hug him? That I want to do much more with him like hold his hands and go to Hogsmeade with him on a date?

Sruthi turned to Raavi with a small smile, “Will you be sitting on the bleachers?”

Raavi nodded her head slowly, wishing she didn’t have to sit on the bleachers. Wishing she could ride a broom just as well as Sruthi, if not better.

“Could you hang onto this for me?” Sruthi handed her a gold necklace with a small hourglass in the middle.

“Time turner?” Ved asked excitedly. “Aren’t they all gone?”

Sruthi nodded her head, “Yes, but,” she glanced at Raavi briefly, and Raavi quite honestly felt very insulted. She and Ved shared everything. How dare this girl treat me as the outsider! “My uncle actually works in the Ministry, and after I told him about how I wanted to take extra classes… he kind of gave this to me,” a warm blush colored her cheeks as Raavi scoffed in annoyance.

Know it alls… She hated those people the most, and this “using a time turner to take as many classes as I possibly could” was yet another reason for her to despise dislike Sruthi. She’s just a fifth year student! She has a few more years…

“And because it’s so precious, I can’t let anything happen to it, so Raavi di,” Raavi did her best to not react to the ‘di’ that was spoken. “Could you hang on to it as Ved and I practice?”

Before she could utter a single word, Sruthi placed the necklace in Raavi’s hands. Ved and Sruthi, then, both grabbed their brooms, heavily engaged in their own conversation. What surprised her greatly was the chemistry they shared with each other. Sruthi was able to touch Ved’s arm, and instead of shrugging her off, like he normally does, he just stood there, smiling at her and whispering something that made her laugh.

V-Ved?

Raavi swallowed as she watched them zip through the sky. Sruthi’s dark brown hair zipped across the wind, and for a second, Raavi’s heart wavered. All these years, she reassured herself that she was the most beautiful girl in all of Hogwarts—and her long list of admirers only made that so much easier. But as the sun shone on Sruthi… Raavi wondered whether she was truly beautiful enough…

Ved’s younger sister had taken a liking towards Sruthi as well… and Ansh… he was the one who suggested Ved speak to Sruthi…

N-no Raavi… you can’t give up. You’re Raavi! The girl who can make anyone smile and laugh. No one can hate you…

Raavi bit her lip as she quickly ran to the storage closet, picking up a broom for herself. It doesn’t matter if I can’t ride a broom… besides how hard can it be? Whispering a small prayer, she gripped onto the broom as she mounted it, and gently, she tilted the broom up, eyes widened as she slowly rose into the sky.

Taking slow, steady breaths, her racing heart slowly turned normal again as she stabilized in the sky, “I-I really did it,” she cracked a small smile, ignoring the drop of sweat that was forming at the side of her forehead. She let out a few airy laughs, “And it wasn’t even that hard,” she began laughing a little more comfortably. “I don’t even know what I was so worried about.”

She patted her shoulder with the hand that held the time turner, “G-good job, Raavi.” Her eyes briefly glanced down, getting a glimpse of the small architecture that was underneath her and she instantly regretted it. “N-no, no, no… don’t think about it. J-just figure out how to g-go forward.”

Swallowing, she raised her head at the same time she heard her name be shouted.

Oh bugger… the blood from her face drained the second she saw the bludger coming towards her. She brought her hands up to her face, feeling a searing pain pierce through her abdomen as she was knocked off her broom. Her nails dug into her palms as she closed her eyes, embracing her free fall.

This was certainty not the end she thought she would meet.

At least you’ll be remembered as the girl who brought a smile to everyone’s face… I wonder what Ved will think… will he remember me afterwards? Or will he forget about me, too…

Warmth enveloped her as her head was cradled. Instead of feeling a searing pain rip through her… she was held by someone strong… someone well-built.

V-Ved… did you catch me?

A waft of masalas and oils drifted towards her as she clenched onto the uniform with trembling hands.

No… it can’t be him… then who…?

Even through the dull pain that was throbbing at her head, she slowly opened her eyes.

Sharp facial features, long hair, dark, smoldering eyes… He was the exact opposite of Ved. Manly… terrifying… not at all her type. Heaviness fell upon her eyelids as her face fell on top of his chest.

Who are you?

[nosfagratu]

okay so i got really curious about your ocs so i tried reading everything i could find but i feel like i'm still missing some things. raavi is my favorite! i don't know if you ever posted this and i just can't find it, but is there a story behind raavi's and jorge's scars?

omg thank you! and no i didn't really post about that before and i'll be glad to explain the story behind them

raavi got the scars on his face when he was very young, 10ish or so, the plantation he was born on was lead by his alleged father who was kinda a really terrible guy, his slaves got sick of his shit and rose up against him and raavi was unfortunate enough to get caught up in the whole thing but since he's a child the former slaves took pity on him and took him to a healer in vivec city where they left him, the rest of his scars, arms and rest of the body came from him fighting his targets for the morag tong and some corprus scarring

as for the scars on jorge's face, they came from fighting a bandit chief before he joined the companions

feel free to ask me whatever else you want about them i'll be glad to ramble about my ocs

#ask #em talks bs #oc: raavi #oc: jorge

[scarlet-rose17]

Late post but... What do you think about Shiva? And Raavi? Taking off from what KD said in the segment- "Whose side are you on?" To answer his question, I'm on both Shiva & Raavi's side and no, I don't think that Shiva did anything wrong. (Don't @ me about it, just go argue with the wall 👉🧱) I am happy that Shiva is upset because of all the allegations put on him. I'm also happy that he standing up for himself. But I'm rooting for Raavi to win Shiva's trust back. Can I root for both of them? Individually and together? Because I am. Since this is such an important phase in their relationship I find myself being able to enjoy these little things about them because it shows how much they have grown. Now you may see little to no progression in the storyline but you can't deny that they have both grown a lot. As individuals, and as a couple. @kanwardhillon_ 💖 A lot of people are upset with a lot of things, and rightfully so but you know what? I don't care about any of that because all I care about is ShiVi. This is their storyline. This is them finding their way back to each other. I don't know about you but I'm fastening my seatbelts and hitching in for the ride. With a bucket of popcorn. So I'll switch on my TV at 7:30. What about you? P.S.: What do you think about Shiva's confrontation with his brother? What do you think about their equation? (This is about the brothers only, not Dhara, Suman or the rest of the family) . . . #ShiVi #ShiViSupremacy #ShivaRaavi #ShivaPandya #RaaviShiva #RaaviShivaPandya #RaaviPandya #KanwarDhillon #AliceKaushik #PandyaStore #KDIceSlayingAsShiVi #iTV #StarPlus #SphereOrigins #SphereOriginsProduction https://www.instagram.com/p/CaUkgVBKHNt/?utm_medium=tumblr

#shivi #shivisupremacy #shivaraavi #shivapandya #raavishiva #raavishivapandya #raavipandya #kanwardhillon #alicekaushik #pandyastore #kdiceslayingasshivi #itv #starplus #sphereorigins #sphereoriginsproduction

[too-scared-to-do-this]

So! This quarantine we had another great idea with my friends. Like we did last time - turning feelings into drawings and sims - this time we did the elements :D

So, here are my Elements as people:

  1. Air

This is Fluff. She’s a transgender diva. Like, you wouldn’t believe how much this girl looves the spotlight. If they’d be a band (Cause like, maybe. That’d be cool.) she’d be the lead singer. She loves everything extra, over-the-top and loud. Oh and glitter. Of course, glitter. We can’t leave that out.

Her hair is made out of clouds, even if that doesn’t transfer great through the 

drawing. She has this loud personality, but you know this bitch’s got your back. Nobody messes with her or her friends! She has heels and is not afraid to use them.

2. Fire

This is Kai. The cool chick with a maaaaajor crush on Water /comming up/.  Runs on coffee. She’s pretty chill and ‘I don’t give a fuck’ but if she doesn’t get her coffee she bites. Sometimes literally.

I’m pretty sure she’s a pyromaniac, but I mean, that makes sense, considering she’s... ya know... fire. Oh and did I mention she love’s drums? No? Well, let me tell you. She loooves drums! Mainly if she can set them on fire! And yes. She can do that while playing (and they’re still in one piece after she finishes).

Fluff’s got her cloud hair, let Kai have her burning drums. 

As I said, she’s all ‘whatever’ and ‘who care’s’ but the moment you mention anything remotely mean to Water she’s got her sights on you. I’d be careful and watch my back. She’s got an unholy amount of knifes on her at all times.

3. Earth

Raavie is pretty cool. You could say they’re pretty down to earth (pa-dam ccc). They’re the parent of the group - always have everything at hand and can deal with problems in the most civilized manner. They’re the calmest one of the bunch, honestly. Outdoors and extreme sports, like rock-climbing, mountain-biking, cliff-diving, hiking and pretty much anything that has something to do with nature is they’re hobby. And they love to share it with the others (You can imagine how Fluff fusses and curses every time they go somewhere: “Why do I have to do this? I’m not meant to walk such terrenes!” And Raavi is all like: “I’s not my fault you decided to wear heels to a walk in the forest.”) 

Honestly, they love them all. Are not really conflictful. Rather deal with things in a calm and collected way - talk it out (Which doesn’t always work with Kai... she’s kind of a hot head when she hasn’t had he coffee yet and/or tries to ignore the problem until it goes away - no confrontation here, thank you!)

They have no specialties like the other too. Just an exceptional poker face. Like a stone wall, this person.

Aaaand finally, my personal favorite: 4. Water

She’s the youngest out of all of them. The baby of the group. Her name’s Leenie. Caroline actually, but nobody calls her that. She has a bunch of nicknames - this one’s what Kai uses, so she goes mostly by that one. Raavie calls her Carry and Fluff just makes up whatever comes to mind at the moment (Car-Car, Line, Rolie, Hon, Babe and so on...) She’s the quiet and shy one. And funnily enough, even though she would never set foot on a stage, because of her stage-fright and anxiety, she’s actually the one who plays guitar in real life and sings. No imaginary band for this girl. Just a normal classic guitar and a sweet melodic voice that could melt hearts. But that’s plenty enough for this precious little being. But nobody has heard her sing before, at least to her knowledge that is. 

Though the reality is, that Raavie has heard her a few times, when they followed her to the school theater to see whether she was alright after this or that stressing event. And every single time they found her sitting in the corner of the stage just strumming and hummin and singing. Sometimes even scribbling into this little notebook she carried everywhere. It was a beautiful sight. 

And kai could just attest. You see, one day after she caught word of a pretty bad bullying incident that concerned Leenie, she got so mad she went and punched that “fucking bitch” in the nose. And then proceeded to run around the whole school to find her best friend. The theater was her last chance - if Leenie wasn’t there she’d go to her house, she didn’t care. Thankfully, she was there, sitting on the edge of the stage in the corner as always. Sobbing, but playing this beautiful melody Kai has never heard before. And then she started singing. That moment, Kai knew she was in too deep. 

Leenie is smart. Very smart. Has good grades, doesn’t party. Prefers her own company and a good book over the others. Maybe except for her little group. Those people are nice, she likes them a lot. She’s an excellent listener and will try to help the best she can. Sometimes she forgets that she’s just as important as she perceives the others to be - and Kai is always there to remind her of the contrary.

She’s not exactly the best with people, but... that’s alright. Being autistic doesn’t make you weird or bad. It just makes you a little different. And the rest of the group can attest, that this girl is the best thing they have ever met. Fluff would die if anything happened to this precious little being, and that is saying something! Kai could kill for her (maybe literally) (probably literally). And Raavie rather won’t think about it.

So, Leenie’s finally found her group. Found friends she loves more then anything in the world! And the best thing is, they love her back. Exactly the way she is - autism and all.

#elements #elements as people #stories to tell #do not repost without tagging #lgbtq+ #autistic spectrum #pretty nice people #a lot of music #personality tipes #a nice little friend group #original art and story #original characters #sorry this was too long... #weird places the imagination goes #interesting stuff these things #interesting places the mind goes #a friendly chalenge #what else should I tag?

[fractured-legacies]

Imprudent, Chapter 7: Plans

Prologue | Chapter 6 | Chapter 8

Chapter 7: Plans

Regardless of what has happened to Nephaas specifically, it is abundantly clear that something catastrophic has happened to our society, as we originally feared before we set out. The Primal Arts are not functioning as they should, but we have seen instances of the people on the planetary surface engaging in some form of Art. We had a lengthy debate among the crew on the possibility of attempting contact and learning what the local population knows, but our ship was not designed to land and take off again. And it seems doubtful that we would be able to make use of the local production infrastructure to manufacture replacements.

~o0O0o~

Stylio

Sitting in one of the splendidly plush armchairs, Stylio closed her eyes and leaned her head back. After the discussion earlier, Fia broke down completely; she’d spent most of a month inside of a trunk, unable to move and unable to die. So they’d found the master bedroom for this suite and put her to bed to rest a bit. Gambling that her Death Blessing merely healed her injuries but didn’t do anything more, Stylio had stood over her and given her a brief prayer—a spell that she’d been taught, once upon a time, to weaken nightmares and aid the mind in dealing with horrors.

And now the Lady slept. Raavi was watching over her for the first shift, to help calm her in case of nightmares, while Yufemya had claimed first call on the washroom.

Which meant…

“Hey.”

Stylio opened her eyes to see her ward standing there, hands on her hips.

“So… you were right. I’m sorry.”

Giving a small, patient smile—enough to acknowledge the concession, but not so much as to gloat—Stylio said, “I understood your skepticism. But it wasn’t as if we had had other plans.”

“No, I guess we didn’t.” Zoy sagged into the other chair. “But didn’t it make you suspicious? Even a little bit?”

“Of course it did. And if it turned out that we were walking into a trap, I was expecting you or I to spot it first.”

Zoy frowned and crossed her arms before sighing. “Fair enough.”

They sat in silence for several moments as Stylio reflected. At the Equal-Night, the midpoint of Autumn, when the day and night were of the same length, she and Zoy had been traveling around the kingdom, helping as best they could. Healing here, some legally dubious but morally important aid there…

They had stopped at a roadside inn, only to have the proprietor tell them there was mail waiting for them, and that it was about time that they’d arrived, as it had been there for three days already. Accepting the letter, addressed to women of their descriptions, they’d opened it. Inside, they’d found a passionate plea from one of the kingdom’s most renowned seers, telling them that she had had a prophetic dream, brought on by overuse of her skills, and that the two of them needed to be in the town of Rhaanbach within a month of Winter setting in or doom would come for thousands.

Zoy had been skeptical to say the least.

But they had heeded the letter, and now they were here as a direct result of it.

“Do you regret coming with me?” Stylio asked.

“No. You know I don’t. You might be a stubborn old cuss, but you’re practically my mother, and where else would I go?” Zoy scoffed. “Back to the Empire? Be a street mongrel?”

“You could be a mercenary, or a pirate. Perhaps Lady Fia could make introductions,” Stylio said with a smile. “You would get more opportunities for some fighting and glory and loot that way.”

“You’re right. I could. But I’m not going to.” Zoy smiled at her—and then jumped as there was a knock at the door.

Zoy went to pull a knife, and then scowled as she came up empty. Moving in a crouch, she walked over to the door as Stylio watched, amused, and then opened it a crack. “Who is it?”

“King’s orders, ma’am. Intelligence and other documents for Lady Fiaswith. I’ll need a signature,” came an unctuous man’s voice from the hallway.

“The Lady is currently resting,” Zoy said.

Stylio rose. “I will sign for them in her stead. I am apparently known to the people here.” Not that she was that person anymore, but if she had the reputation, she might as well use it, even for something as minor as shielding Fia from being woken.

The man—dressed in a sharp blue uniform, with a starched cap over his hair, his skin a shade or two lighter than her own—stared at her. “Y-yes, ma’am.” He held out a clipboard and a pen. “Sign here.” Standing next to him in the hallway was a handcart laden with two crates packed with folders and papers.

Trying not to smile or sigh, Stylio took the proffered items and signed before handing them back. The man fled, and Stylio watched him go.

“Do you think one day they’ll stop treating you like that?” Zoy said, moving out to the cart and wheeling it inside.

“When I’m dead and forgotten, maybe,” Stylio said. “It has been… nice, these last few years, this far from… home, to be able to travel unrecognized.” She looked at the crates. “Come on, let’s get this organized so we know what we’re looking at.”

Zoy sighed. “Can I go sneak upstairs and eavesdrop on the King instead?”

“No. Too much chance you’d get bored and try to steal his belt or something.”

“That was one time, and it’s been four years.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t funny,” Stylio said with a smile, heaving a crate up onto a chair and taking off the lid. “I could use your help here.”

With another dramatic sigh, Zoy took the other crate and started unloading it.

They were about halfway finished when the door to the washroom opened and Yufemya, dressed in a robe with a towel wrapped around her head, came out. “Oh, that was nice. Who wanted to go next?”

“I think Zoy can go. I’m going to be busy with this for a bit,” Stylio said.

Zoy gave her a grateful look and moved into the washroom without hesitation.

As the door closed, Yufemya looked up at Stylio. “What’s this?”

“Intelligence reports and the like. Just delivered a few minutes ago. I was going to start going through them. Want to help?”

“Sure.” Yufemya bent over, making a stone on a chain dangle from her neck.

Stylio eyed it. It looked like a six-faced quartz cylinder, etched with runes, about the size of her thumb. Perfectly respectable to use for foretelling, but most people didn’t like the cylindrical style, citing it as too hard to read, while others swore by it, saying that the points made for additional means by which the foretelling could work. And Yufemya had said that she’d had a prophetic dream… and while Stylio didn’t quite believe her, it was perfectly understandable that she would keep her die with her at all times. People could be superstitious that way. She had once met a man who had believed that his dice needed to be aligned with magnetic north at all times when not in use.

But rather than call attention to it—she wasn’t in the mood for Yufemya getting defensive over how she carried her dice—she just continued unpacking the crates. Fortunately, whoever had packed them had some sense, so organizing the papers went quickly. By the time Zoy emerged from the washroom, also dressed in a robe and towel and looking very pampered, they had things sorted.

“You need to try the shower dial set all the way to the left,” Zoy said with a grin. “I feel clean.”

Stylio smiled and rose. While she certainly did not regret her choices in life these last few years… she wasn’t going to begrudge herself a little pampering.

As she passed, she glanced at the table, and the map, with the dozens of attacks and raids along the kingdom’s western flank marked with red.

No, she wasn’t going to begrudge it at all. Not now.

#

Raavi ava Laargan

“So what do we know?” Lady Fia asked, leaning over the table, her hands braced on the surface. The remains of the food that had been delivered from the Tower’s kitchens sat in a cart next to the table. Good brown bread with butter and cavern-ripened cheeses, berry preserves, and a carafe each of tea and what Lady Fia had identified as “coffee”. I’d only ever heard of the stuff, and after having tried a taste of it, I’d decided to stick with the tea, which I’d sweetened with some stewed cherries at Zoy’s suggestion.

I shrugged and sipped at my tea. Oooh. I could taste the cherries and I liked them. “So the attacks began right after Winter started along the western reaches of the Kingdom, near the White Mountains.” I pointed to the map and the high mountain range that formed the western border of the kingdom. “No idea if they’re also attacking our neighbors, though. Reports only started reaching here a few days ago, due to the difficulty in travel; some people were able to use the main courier routes but given the difficulty in getting to the smaller towns and villages, it’s almost certain that this isn’t anywhere near all of the attacks.”

“Definitely not. And there’s… at least fifty reported so far. That’s… bad.”

“So what do we know about the attackers? For sure?” Yufemya asked.

“Well, they’re oathwalkers,” Lady Fia said. “I’ve fought some before.”

I frowned. “What’s the difference between an oathwalker and a normal revenant? Is there a difference? You’re talking like there is one.” I was thinking of Beeno and what lore I did know—which wasn’t much.

Stylio spoke up. “That is a good question, and we should examine it to make sure we’re all on the same page.” She nodded at me. “Yes, there is a difference between ‘normal’ revenants and oathwalkers. Normal revenants have some form of unfinished business or obsession that binds them from moving on, but they will continue on once that business is complete. Over time, they tend to go insane. They can still eat, drink, and to some degree sleep, but they have no Breath of Life and their healing can only be done by someone donating Breath—although they need food to give their body the materials to work with. Generally, they’re still the same person they were before they died, but outside of that specific unfinished business they are dealing with, they tend to be missing some ‘spark’ and last for less than ten years before they either go insane, need to be destroyed, or finish their business and move on.”

I nodded. “That fits with what I know. What are ‘oathwalkers’, then?”

“Oathwalkers, through some closely guarded secret, are voluntarily revenants. We know that it involves some form of formal oath, but the particulars of how are unknown outside of the few groups that have them.”

“Wait, nobody’s studied them?” I asked.

“And potentially discover some weakness? Not that I’m aware of, but then again, I’m not a scholar.”

“We should ask at the Willworker Institute,” Lady Fia said. “Get those blowhards to actually do something useful for a change.”

“That’s a good idea, but I wonder if they will find anything before we have to leave. Time is precious, after all.”

Lady Fia frowned. “Yeah. You’re right. So, I’ve fought some oathwalkers before—yes, I’ll tell you that story later, but it involved a prince traveling incognito and me and my pirate crew finding that the fat trade ship we’d just boarded had some fangs—and getting this is a good place to start. So, continue?”

“Yes. As the Lady noted, the royal guards of a few kingdoms are oathwalkers, sworn to forever serve and protect the royal line,” Stylio said, tapping her chin. “Little is known about their capabilities, but I do know for a fact that they can survive for centuries in following their oath.”

“Unless they run into a pirate who treats getting stabbed through the chest as an annoyance,” Lady Fia said with a grin. “I kept that sword for two years. It was a good one. Made up for the shirt they ruined.”

“I shudder to consider your clothing budget,” Zoy said dryly, and I snickered.

Lady Fia glanced at her and smirked. “You should. Fortunately, I often manage to get myself a discount. But getting back to the matter at hand, I’m fairly certain that these revenants are oathwalkers.”

“Why?” Stylio asked.

“The sheer number. There were a hundred or so when we fought them and they’re ranging out across most of the kingdom, meaning that there’s probably thousands of them.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how often someone goes revenant, but it can’t be more than one in a thousand. And when they go revenant, they focus on their task, like you said. I escorted one once across the Center Sea back to his family so he could bless his son. He spent the entire trip when he wasn’t helping with the sails standing on the prow, watching the horizon. So for them to be ordinary revenants, we’d be talking about, what, a few hundred thousand people all dying and having enough of a grudge against this kingdom to come rushing in in the middle of winter to cause havoc?” She shook her head again. “Doesn’t make sense.”

“My thoughts went in similar directions, so it’s good to see that we agree. Also, it’s known that the steppe tribes to the west have oathwalkers.”

“Tell us about them,” Lady Fia said. “Especially since we’re going to go see them, apparently.”

“Of course. So what is known is distressingly fragmentary, layered on with hearsay and supposition and more than a fair portion of lurid exaggeration.” Stylio scoffed and smiled thinly as she raised one eyebrow. “For example, I highly doubt that they routinely duel to the death over basic matters of honor. You tend to run out of duelists in short order, but the idea is repeated as fact in a number of these stories—I won’t dignify them by calling them ‘reports.’”

“Cobble-sized grain of salt noted. So what do we know?” Lady Fia asked.

“Not much. They are apparently great traders and warriors with noted skill at horseback archery. Past attempts to settle past the White Mountains have been repulsed by groups of horse archers within a year or two, but otherwise they tend to stay on their side of the mountains. In terms of trade, they’re exporters of high quality cloth, various craft-works, and slaves, and buy metal, weapons, and other manufactured goods.” She pulled out one sheet of paper. “There are a few trading posts and military outposts along the passes through the mountains. Lurid tales are one thing, but tax reports are quite another.”

Lady Fia snorted. “That they are. All right, what else?”

“Well, they were never under the dominion of the Dormelion Empire, so the language they speak is completely divorced from most of the tongues around the Center Sea,” Stylio said. “Only a few people are at all skilled with their language, and most of those are at the mountain pass forts and posts.”

“And therefore either dead or in trouble,” Zoy said. “Great.” She leaned forward. “What else?”

“Very little of substance. They have a king who rules over a number of their tribes, but little is known of him beyond the fact that he has a capital by a river and a lake a few hundred miles from the mountains—or at least, that’s where he was when the King of Wintersfenn sent an envoy to make a treaty after one of his attempts to plant a settlement on the western side of the mountains was repulsed and they sent raiders through the passes, but that was a hundred years ago. They possibly have a number of other settlements where they overwinter, but that’s mostly supposition. What we primarily know is they occupy a vast grassland on the other side of the mountains, generally keep to themselves as nomadic herdsmen, and trade quite sharply. They’re accomplished artists and artisans, and there’s a ready market for their wools, silks and other fabrics, plus what they have for their small scale crafts.” She nodded towards Lady Fia. “You’ve probably gone through a fair bit of their materials over the years.”

“Probably. So that’s it? That’s all we know? They’ve been neighbors with this kingdom for centuries and that’s all we know?”

“At least here. There might be more in the archives, but if there is, we weren’t given it. And there’s a rather tall stone fence in the way, I’ll point out, and the kingdoms tend to be more concerned with their other neighbors and the Empire than to try to settle a marginal grassland.”

“Point. Anything else?”

“Yes, but mostly more lurid materials that I don’t want to repeat in the same context as verifiable facts.”

“Such as?”

“I’d want to go looking in the archives back in the Empire for other sources, but according to legend, the Empire did make an effort to conquer them, and they defeated the Empire in a great victory, destroying the armies sent to pursue them, and taking the survivors as slaves. This would have been centuries ago, though. Nearly a thousand years.” She shrugged. “Other rumors of the sorts told about foreign peoples everywhere. That their men can survive in the winter with only a loincloth. That their women are either steadfastly monogamous or care not for who they sleep with. That they tame dragons and can speak with trolls. That sort of thing. There was one source—and I hesitate to give him that much credence—who claimed that their strength is because they live in hard conditions, unlike the weak, soft, overly civilized conditions here. That every man of theirs is a warrior. That sort of thing.” She smirked slightly. “I remember reading another book once that had a similar line of thinking, speaking about how overly soft and decadent the Dormelion had become, and that we should aspire to be more like the simple, strong Kalltii with their ‘strong, barbaric ways.’”

“Wait, what?” I blurted.

They all looked at me, with Stylio smiling. “Yes, Raavi?”

“But… but… I’m Kalltii! What was this person talking about?”

“Remember that your people—the Kalltii—were once conquered and subjugated by the Dormelion Empire,” Stylio said politely.

“Yeah, I know, I know. Hundreds of years ago. And then when the Empire weakened, we split off into our kingdoms.” I spread my hands out. “What are they talking about?”

“Think of it as less a comment on your people, Raavi, than as a comment on the people saying these things. They’re trying to say to their own people that they dislike something about themselves and want to change it, so they point to this other group as ‘Hey, we should be more like them,’” Stylio said politely.

“And it’s usually the men saying that,” Zoy commented dryly.

I turned and looked at Yufemya. “You’ve been quiet. Do you have anything on this?”

She shrugged. “Not much. I’m not terribly familiar with these people, so I’m listening as well, and wondering what our plans are?”

“Yes, we’ve gotten a bit off track,” Lady Fia said. “So we know next to nothing about them. But we do know that they have oathwalkers? How?”

“Reports from the forts, primarily. Apparently the traders will occasionally show up with some in tow, helping carry trade goods, and they recognize some of the revenants from year to year. At least some are decades old, judging by the descriptions, but there are also some that serve their King in his capital, based on the report from that Wintersfenn envoy.”

“I guess that’ll have to do,” Lady Fia said. “It’s not much, but I guess we can take that as confirmation.” She frowned. “Of course, now there’s the question… why now? If they’ve had these revenant oathwalkers for all of these centuries, what changed?”

“We’ll have to go ask them,” I said.

“Across the frozen winter, with most of the season still ahead of us, we need to travel…” Fia looked at the map, “seven hundred miles to the nearest pass as the bird flies, and then find this capital of their king, find out why they’re attacking us… in a language that none of us speak, and then return. All without being attacked and killed, or freezing to death, or dying of hunger.” She took a deep breath, and then said quietly, “Faalk, you are so lucky I love you.”

I shifted uncomfortably. I guessed that we were lucky too. Lucky that she loved her husband, lucky that Yufemya had found her out there in the snow and cold, lucky that Stylio and Zoy had come to the town… lucky that I had been building the ice boat.

We’d been very lucky.

Could we keep being lucky?

#

Seventy-two hours later, we were preparing to get underway; more reports had come in of additional attacks across the west, and we needed to get going. We’d rested, resupplied, and even rebuilt the ice boat. I’d gotten rid of the old oak canoe that I’d originally bought for it, and replaced it with a box made of prized steelwood, which was four times the strength of oak and yet only two-thirds the weight. It was a pain and a half to work with, though. Hilariously, the box had been cheap to construct—I’d literally raided the bin of cutoffs and ruined pieces from the shipyard and assembled my box out of that. The mast had also been replaced using the tip of a broken ship’s mast, and the sails were silksteel. I’d also built a better brake than the anchor—toothed levers that we could pull from the inside of the box to slow down, saving us the weight of the heavy metal plate. All told, we’d cut the weight by a fifth, despite adding more room, and added handholds to the outside.

Now, standing by the same canal dock that we’d arrived at, I took a deep breath, knowing what was ahead of us, and got into the ice boat. I turned to wave to the group of men who had come to see us off. Some of them were soldiers and officers, but others were workmen who had helped me rebuild the boat and wanted to see it in operation, and more were here to help push us off.

The boat rocked a little as the others boarded. Lady Fia, dressed in her new clothes, took her position by the sails, while Zoy and Yufemya went to the back; each of them would be ready to pull one of the brakes. Stylio took position behind me, next to our bags and supplies.

The winds picked up, coming from the south. The Night-Light was visible through the clouds, along with the stars, while a quarter of the way across the sky, the moon was a half-full disc.

“Are we ready?” Lady Fia asked.

I did a last check. “Supplies.”

“Six meals worth,” Stylio confirmed.

“Clothing.”

“Change of clothes for each of us, plus an extra for Fia, since she likes to bleed.”

“Runners.”

“In their brackets.” It had been a bit embarrassing to realize that, since they were attached to the bottom of a vehicle, they were technically runners, not skis. It had taken me and one of the workmen ten minutes and a comedy act to get that hashed out.

“Papers.”

“Two copies, Fia carrying one, and one in the strongbox.” The King had given us letters of authorization to draw supplies and ease our passage west. We had a long way to go.

“Maps?”

“Strongbox.”

“Tent?”

“Folded up and ready.”

“Lanterns? Oilsap?”

“Three, with ten gallons of fuel.”

“I can’t think of anything else. Can anyone think of anything we might have forgotten?”

“Sanity?” Zoy commented from her spot in the back.

Stylio made a production of patting herself down, and then patting me on the head. “Nope. We seem to be all out.”

“Then we’re ready!” I said, and we all laughed.

Lady Fia motioned to the men waiting by, and they started pushing us forward. With the winds from the south steady, we were in luck. It was going to be a problem when we would have to take the southward canals, however. Either we were going to have to tack, zig-zagging to make headway, or go cross-country on the runners.

For now, though…

The ice-boat lurched as Lady Fia opened the sails and they caught the wind, and we were off, speeding down the frozen canal by the light of the full moon and the Night-Light.

<<<<>>>>

Prologue | Chapter 6 | Chapter 8

And there we go!

And if you're enjoying the story so far, please, spread and share what I have posted around. Real Life problems have recently hit hard, and the need to build an audience and my Patreon as much as possible have become significantly more pressing.

[kuvvydraws]

How would the boys react if they found out their partner hadn't slept for 24 hours while still awake and insisting they do things

They're all dragging them to sleep.

Raavi tries to be cute about it, with coaxing and promises of kisses and affection to guide their mate to a decent bed and staying until they conk out.

Órdago knows no mercy in these kind of situations, he picks his mate up and takes them to his bed, where they'll be wrestled into a nest and covered with his own bony body so they stay put. He's not moving from there until they've sleep 8 decent hours if not more.

Luque is hardly as methodical as Órdago but his approach is the exact same. He finds the closest surface that looks comfortable, throws there two or three blankets to make the lamest nest you'll ever see and then his mate follows the same fate. He'll physically fight them so they stay put and rest.

#kuvvytalks #raavi #órdago #luque #hc #undertale #bitch ily but go to sleep 💕

[dogmomwrites]

Find the Word!

So excited to be a part of this game! Thanks @houndsofcorduff for tagging me!

My words were hand, show, missing, clear, and stumble, and the excerpts are under the cut! The tag is open to everyone, but I'm gonna do some targeted bullying at @fearofahumanplanet, @penspiration-writing, @marinesocks, and @breath-of-eternity

Your words are fall, glare, horizon, start, and apologize

Hand, taken from Castle in the Ice

A loud, rumbling growl drowned out Raavi’s words. He froze. The beast had turned to him and now its rancid breath washed over him, almost knocking him over with the sheer force of its reek. The stench of rotten fish filled the air in a sudden, powerful rush.

Raavi covered his mouth, tucking his nose into the crook of his elbow. It didn’t help much and the smell still made his eyes water. “Can you get up?” he asked, jumping when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“What are you doing so close?” Seen whispered in his ear, dragging him back. “You could get yourself hurt.”

Show, also from Castle in the Ice

Hank turned to them when he heard his name, and the rodent horde flooded over to them, chittering and squeaking in excitement. “Well, it’s about time you all showed up.” He looked as exasperated as Raavi felt. “Where’s the rest? Magic Hands?”

“We don’t know.” Seen stared at the crowd of rodents and added in a hesitant tone, “What’s going on here?”

“And why weren’t we invited?” Blue demanded.

“These are skakoree. That’s Mochta.” He pointed to the cat. “He’s a cat, he talks, he’s a jerk.”

Mochta flicked his tail at Hank, but didn’t deny it.

Missing, taken from my secondary main WIP that doesn't yet have a proper title

“Avalanche!” Jimmy squinted in the bright sun.

Either way he looked, the street was empty. No sign of the dog. Two days since Aaron had left him in charge of her. Two days, and the only way he could keep her inside was by bribing her with Balto and chicken nuggets. Any time she went outside, she was gone, running off to wherever her nose led her.

He considered preparing missing posters for when she inevitably got herself lost.

I should fix my fence, Jimmy thought. Then he realized he didn’t actually have a fence. I should get a fence.

Clear, from Castle in the Ice

“Those wolvins are very interested in what they are after.” Aero didn’t bother to look. He couldn’t read, so he wouldn’t be much help anyway.

The wolvins clawed at the ground in a frenzy. The ice cut their paws open and the snow grew dark as blood soaked in. Despite their clear injuries, none of them stopped or even slowed down.

“Do you think Arial or Marrick would know what is down there?” Aero asked.

“I don’t know, but I’ve never seen or heard of wolvins doing anything like this. I didn’t think they were smart enough to be so organized.”

Stumble, also from the unnamed WIP

Riley stumbled into view, falling heavily against the doorjamb. He was bleeding from multiple wounds, the most serious a bullet hole in his shoulder. The others all appeared to be grazes or through-and-through shots to the arm and leg. He grimaced, his face a mix of pain and anger. He turned his face to Aaron without looking at him. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Look at me,” Aaron said.

“I told you, we don’t have the fucking time for that!” Riley yelled, baring his teeth against the pain, but then he gasped, doubling over. New blood spread out across his stomach. He began to slide down the jamb, his grip on his gun quickly weakening. Another bullet hit his chest, missing his heart by an inch. “Why?” he asked Aaron.

“You’re in Michigan,” Aaron said, watching him die.

#writer #writers #writing #writeblr #writerblr #writblr #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr #tumblr writers #writer community #creative writing #wip #current wip #ask game #find the words #find the word tag #find the word game

[kuvvydraws]

dont know if its been asked, but since we got info on how raavi and órdago would go sharing a partner... what about adding luque into the mix?

This is a direct quote of an ask I cannot dig up at the moment, regarding how Raavi and Órdago would feel about someone having a crush on both of them:

It’s a bit of a balance in the beginning, definitely tricky, but I think it can work out in the end if you play your cards right.

If you’re not dating either at the moment, I suggest you tell them both at the same time, because it’d help smooth out some misunderstandings…

Raavi is no stranger to being with more than one person, but it’s usually in R18 settings… Under normal circumstances, if they were to join a poly relationship, they would probably get game with the rest of the partners, but… Not with their brother, man. That’s some dick they don’t need in their life.

Emotionally-wise, yeah, Raavi is down. Their bro is a cool guy and Raavi trusts him, so that’s that. For them it’s not really complicated.

Órdago, on the other hand… it’s a delicate matter with him.

If you’re dating him while wanting to confess to Raavi, his insecurities are going to surface. Is he not enough for you? Of course you’d want Raavi, they’re so much more put together than him, and he’s got so many boundaries and-

And then he needs to remember poly is not an odd thing in monster culture, so what if you’re a human? It doesn’t mean he’s not good, it means his sib is also good, and they make you happy, and why wouldn’t he want you to be happy, or for his sib to be happy?

Basically, he’ll need a couple of days to pull his head out of his ass and come back to his senses. He might be a bit possessive in the beginning, but in the end is Raavi you’re with and it’s not like Órdago is going to get in between that.

Just keep them separated when it comes to bedroom shenanigans, please.

Now, Luque is... He's difficult.

Luque definitely doesn't mind being a side piece, the third one.... He's good with being the hush hush lover. However, emotionally, he's a brick wall.

On the good hand, Luque is good to enter any relationship at any point, no matter how long his partner has been with other people; on the other, he has the same insecurities as Órdago.

(Un)fortunately, Luque is so desperate for any crumb of affection despite his huge distrust and paranoia he's willing to give the poly a serious go.

He needs a lot of reassurances and he has some problems being a team player, specially in the beginning, because he's possessive and he doesn't like Órdago very much - they're too alike.

It can work, and once Luque gets used to the other two he's just as loyal to them, but that relationship needs hard work and a lot of communication - and Luque is not the best at the second. So... Add patience to the mix as well.

#kuvvytalks #raavi #órdago #luque #hc #undertale

[kuvvydraws]

For the trio!

G = giggle (what is their laugh like? What makes them laugh?)

N = no (what is their pet peeve?)

T = together (how clingy are they? How long do you two spend together per day on average)

Y = yuck (what do they hate? Could be a food, sent, word anything)

Giggle = what's their laugh like?

Raavi usually giggles a lot, it's a musical and cute sound, and half the time they cover their teeth if they think they're being rude (it's when they don't cover then when they're actually being rude because the funny thing caught them by surprise and they forgot to be mindful)

Órdago doesn't really laugh, but he does huff these little puff of air through his nose to indicate amusement - sometimes he pairs them with a click of his tongue or some tsking.

Luque's laugh is full of snark and can be perceived as offensive sometimes because he's trained himself to sound like a shitty thug . If you get him real good he does these full blown belly laughs that have him gasping for air, but those are rare.

No = What's their pet peeve?

Raavi absolutely hates it when people tap on fishtanks or some other cage for animals, be it at the zoo, the aquarium or the pet shop. They do this very obvious AHEM sound and, if they do not stop, they're openly calling them out in a big voice. Public embarrassment is such a useful tool.

Órdago gets immediately irritated by puns. They're a cheap form of humor and the way strangers or jittery people use to interact with him because "jokes help break the ice". He hates them. Shut up and let him enjoy the silence.

Luque will yowl, and I mean it, whenever someone scratches their nails/claws on a chalkboard. It's a sound he can feel in his bones abd it's awful. His teeth will clatter even when it's only a sound effect in a movie, ugh.

Together = How clingy are they?

Raavi seeks company but that doesn't mean they're clingy by default. Surely, they'll end up gravitating towards wherever their partner is resting, but that's only to be a menace from time to time and maybe honk a titty. When they sleep they do get a bit more clingy but it's very easy to encourage them to give you space once they're fully asleep.

Órdago is incredibly clingy. Once he finds a mate he wants to be constantly around them - which is a bit difficult to handle because he's a guy who really enjoys being alone and who needs to recharge his social batteries fairly often. Once he learns how to balance that, he'll try to maximize the time he spends with his partner and balance it with his valuable alone time. But! He's quite clingy for sure, his favorite thing to do with his mate is hold hands and he's very stubborn about it.

It could be said Luque is clingy... But maybe not to his face. He craves affection and companionship like nothing - he's clearly touch starved but terrified and unused to intimacy, so he never really knows what to do with himself. What does he do? He claims the possessive gestures, like keeping an arm around his mate, or having them sit on his lap, or curling his tail close to them... Just! Because!

Yuck = What do they hate?

Raavi profoundly despises being accused of something they haven't done. It's true they're a gremlin, but their pranks are hardly harmful and they can't stand when someone assumes they're hurting people on purpose. In those occasions they also get really anxious and tend to break down because they don't know how to handle those feelings, so it becomes a real fucking mess in barely seconds. They feel very strongly about this.

For Órdago is rather easy: no one messes with Raavi. His sib was the only happy thing in his life for the longest time. He's very good at giving them their space and respecting their choices, they have the freedom to do anything they want! But the people around them don't. Órdago knows Raavi is harmless and a peacekeeper, and they have a job that puts them in the spotlight constantly, which means many monsterphobes know who they are. As soon as those seem to take action, Órdago is there to tear them a new face. No one is hurting his sib.

Luque hates people who litter. He's a huge nature lover and if he sees someone throwing trash on the ground this guy is throwing hands without hesitation. No one is going to ruin one of his very limited sources of joy, fuck you.

#kuvvytalks #raavi #órdago #luque #hc #undertale

[kuvvydraws]

How would your boys react if a small child came up to them to show them some cool rocks they found. Zero relation, kid just wanted to show the skeleton monster their cool rocks.

Raavi does well with children, it's like two puppies meeting each other for the first time - they'll engage with the child and chat with them happily, oohing and aahing appropiately as they're shown the rocks, nodding along and keeping an eye out for the parents so they know where their kid is. Mascot or not, there are a lot of weird people who think monsters eat kids, so Raavi is in their best, most harmless and cute behavior all the time the interaction lasts.

Órdago likes kids, specially young ones but he's... very intimidating. He's been yelled at several times when kids go to him, and he can't fault the parents for being scared of him when that exactly what he wants and why he behaves like an eternal sourpuss. So, he'll give the kid a few nods and quickly disengage from the situation, leaving at a brisk, disinterested pace - he doesn't want any trouble, neither to get it nor to give it, so the most peaceful outcome is born from him extracting himself from there.

Luque is very neutral about kids - he doesn't want to have them, personally, but he doesn't hate them and will settle if a partner already has children with little trouble. That is, he cares about kids if he has some sort of connection with them, the rest are, unfortunately, easy EXP for those lowly enough to dare get it. On the other hand, this random kid has rocks. Luque likes rocks very much - so he's staying, kind of nodding to whatever the kid says while he ogles the stones like a magpie. He's not harmless nor tries to look like it, so he gives the parents a real scare when they find out who their kid is hanging out with. If he's accused of something, he doesn't try to defend himself - why bother.

#kuvvytalks #raavi #órdago #luque #hc #undertale