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little-mad · 2 years

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Red-Handed Doll in a Little Blue House

Part 3/?

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Wyatt felt as though he wasn’t fully present in his body as he pulled away from that little window and moved around to the front of the dollhouse. Half of his brain was focused on completing movements and carrying out intentions, meanwhile the other half was still trying to comprehend the fact that one of his new neighbors was currently standing inside of the dollhouse he had recently purchased from a garage sale.

“This feels like an episode of the Twilight Zone,” he thought to himself. Surely any minute now Rod Sterling would come out and explain whatever moral lesson they were trying to teach.

Wyatt reached for the small silver latch on the front edge of the house. He had examined the hinge mechanism closely prior to purchasing it from Mrs. Morrison, so he knew how it worked. Unlike some of the other pieces in his collection, this house did not open in the middle, meaning when he opened it up, no floor would come along with the front wall.

“Just stay close to the back,” he called out as he undid the latch. Something told him someone of her size falling from that height would be extremely hazardous.

Slowly, Wyatt began to pull open the front wall of the house. He kept his free hand poised and ready to catch any furniture or tiny people that may come tumbling out.

Under normal circumstances, Wyatt would have been carefully observing the beautiful interior of the house and gorgeous furniture, but this time around his attention was entirely captured by the miniature woman standing inside the bedroom.

With all barriers removed, she somehow looked even smaller, despite the fact that she fit right in with the dollhouse. It was bizarre, she seemed to be the perfect size for the house, almost like it was made for her or something.

“Okay uh-” Wyatt stopped dead, suddenly realizing he had no idea what this person’s name was. He could vaguely recall Mrs. Morrison saying her name, but what exactly it was that she’d said totally evaded him. “Sorry, what was your name?”

She stood with her back still firmly pressed against the back wall and showed no indication of moving. Her deep brown eyes were blown wide, causing her to resemble a frightened chipmunk; although, a chipmunk might actually be bigger than her at this point.

For a moment she just stared out at Wyatt, and he began to wonder whether she’d heard him or not. Just when he was about to ask the question again, she seemed to shake herself out of whatever reverie she had been caught up in.

“It’s…it’s Sandra, Sandra Kasteros.”

The Kasteros family, Wyatt remembered his aunt and uncle mentioning them in the rundown of all the residents of King Street they’d given him prior to his move-in. From what he could recall, the parents now had their house to themselves after their two daughters had moved out, except for when the youngest came home from college that is. Wyatt was going to assume Sandra here was the youngest.

“Okay, Sandra, I’m Wyatt if you didn’t already know.” He supposed he shouldn’t assume she’d remembered his name when he hadn’t remembered hers. “Um, do you want me to call your parents?”

Wyatt truly had no idea how he was supposed to handle this situation. Believe or not, he’d never had a tiny person pop up inside any of his dollhouses before. Considering he didn’t even know this woman beyond a brief confrontation the day before, it seemed the best idea to let her family take care of it. He had never asked to be wrapped up in this nonsense after all.

Sandra, on the other hand, didn’t seem to share his opinion. She was shaking her head vigorously and had finally taken a couple steps away from the wall. “No way, you cannot tell them!” she hissed. “My mom would go all crazy overprotective and my dad would probably have another heart attack!”

Wyatt’s eyebrows shot up. “What exactly do you want to do then, because, no offense, but I didn’t know when I bought this house that I was signing up to babysit a tiny person.”

A deep scowl took shape on Sandra’s face as she folded her arms over her chest. She was beginning to resemble the version of herself Wyatt had met yesterday. “Who said I need babysitting?”

“Uh, I think your size said it for you.”

Sandra gave an indignant scoff. “Oh please, I’ll figure this bullshit out on my own, don’t you worry your pretty little head about me.”

“Is she serious??” Wyatt thought to himself. She had to be delusional if she actually thought she could handle this situation by herself. He doubted she’d even be able to make it down from the table on her own.

“Have you seen yourself? You wouldn’t last a minute on your own,” Wyatt stated, now mirroring her crossed arms.

It was obvious Sandra very much wanted to protest that statement. She opened her mouth as if she was about to unleash a lengthy diatribe about how she didn’t need any help; however, at the last second she seemed to stop herself. Her mouth slowly closed, but the scowl on her face deepened.

This woman was stubborn, that much had become quite clear to Wyatt. It was a trait that would likely prove quite difficult to put up with, but Wyatt could be stubborn too. If Sandra didn’t want to tell her parents then fine, he wouldn’t force her, but he wasn’t about to let a four inch tall person go wandering off into the world on their own, no matter how much she may wish to.

Wyatt sighed. “Listen, I’m not trying to be a dick here. I won’t make you tell your parents about this, but I’m not gonna let you go off on your own either.”

Sandra shook her head. “You said it yourself, you didn’t sign up for this, I’m not gonna-”

“Hold on,” Wyatt interrupted. “I’m not going to agree to let you stay here indefinitely, but I will make a deal with you.” He was well aware that he hadn’t thought this whole plan through, and yet for some reason he was going through with it anyways. “You can stay at my place for three days, and if we haven’t figured your…situation out by then, I’m calling your parents and letting them know what happened regardless of what you want.”

Realistically, Wyatt had no idea how he was going to manage taking care of a tiny person for three days, because no matter what Sandra said, there was absolutely no way she could look after herself. As nice as the dollhouse was, he doubted it was equipped with working plumbing, appliances, or a fully stocked kitchen.

Wyatt was an only child, meaning no little siblings or even little nieces and nephews that he had experience taking care of. His mom was allergic to dogs, so the only pets he’d had growing up had been cats, who were largely independent creatures. By all standards, he was entirely unprepared for the undertaking that was keeping a living thing alive.

Now standing at the end of the miniature bed, Sandra looked out at Wyatt with a contemplative expression on her face. At the very least she looked less waspish, hopefully that meant she was going to think about things rationally now. If she decided not to accept the deal and tried to set out on her own, Wyatt would have no choice but to force her to stay, which he was certain would be very unpleasant for both parties.

Wyatt watched on silently as Sandra mulled the deal over. If he had to guess, he would say she was torn. She probably knew it was the best offer she was going to get, but likely didn't like the prospect of her parents finding out about the situation if she failed to find a solution within three days.

Finally, after several long moments, Sandra blew out a relenting sigh. “Fine, I’ll take your deal.” She kept her arms folded over her chest, as if to signal to Wyatt that she still wasn’t entirely happy with the arrangement. “But I meant what I said before, I don’t need a babysitter and I definitely don’t want you treating me like some kind of charity case.”

“I swear she doesn’t realize how vulnerable she is right now.” Wyatt kept the thought to himself rather than voicing it aloud; he didn’t want to stir up another argument so soon.

He understood Sandra’s desire for independence, he really did. He was sure if he were in her position, he would be averse to giving up his autonomy as well. That being said, she needed to be realistic. If she wanted to have any chance of surviving even just three days, she would need his help to do it. Stubbornness could only get you so far.

—

Ever since one of the room’s walls had been effortlessly pulled away, I had been fighting against base instincts that urged me to run and hide. The terror of being in the presence of someone far larger than myself was multiplied several times over without any form of barrier between us. I felt raw and exposed, and I despised it.

Things had gotten even scarier when Wyatt had suggested calling my parents and telling them about my “condition.” I was positive neither of them would react well to the news that their daughter had shrunken down to the size of a doll, not to mention the fact that the idea of anyone I actually knew seeing me like this made me sick to my stomach.

Thankfully, I had managed to talk Wyatt out of contacting my parents, even if only for three days. I had no clue what the chances of me turning back to normal within three days were, but my options were pretty limited. Despite what I’d said to Wyatt, I knew going off on my own would be…less than ideal. Still, I wasn’t about to allow myself to be treated like some kind of weak, defenseless creature.

“So,” I flinched as Wyatt reached to the side out of my view and pulled back a massive chair, “you really just woke up inside the house, then?” He sat in the chair backwards with his arms resting on the wooden back.

My heart was racing from just witnessing that simple movement. Everything he did was just so damn big. It was like watching a force of nature happen right before my eyes.

It took me a moment to process what Wyatt had just said due to the mini heart-attack I had just undergone. I was grateful he didn’t press me to answer quicker, though I could tell from his lifted eyebrows that he had definitely taken note of the delay.

“Oh um, yeah, that’s right.”

Wyatt pressed his lips together thoughtfully. “What about before that? What do you remember?”

“Well I-” I stopped myself dead.

How stupid was I? I couldn’t just admit to this guy that I had been trying to take the dollhouse out from under him, especially not when he was, for all intents and purposes, a giant who could easily crush the life out of me if he so chose.

“Uh, I was at home…sleeping,” I lied, forcing myself to meet Wyatt’s eyes as I did so.

Wyatt frowned, and for a split second I could’ve sworn he had somehow caught me in my lie; but then, “This is so bizarre.” He shook his head as if in disbelief. “It’s like you teleported in your sleep.”

A nervous chuckle forced its way out of me. “Heh yeah, something like that.” I reached up to rub the back of my neck, eager to do anything with my hands so the compulsion to wring them wouldn’t win out.

I wasn’t a stranger to lying, but it wasn’t as though it was second nature to me. I stretched the truth from time to time when the situation called for it and I liked to think I was usually fairly convincing, but lying to someone big enough to step on you felt like a whole new ballgame. The stakes were so much higher if I got found out.

“By the way-” I snapped back to attention at Wyatt’s voice. “Were you wanting to get down from there?”

My eyes widened. By “get down from there” did he mean come out of the house? I didn’t much like the sound of that. Removing the front wall had been bad enough, stepping outside of the dollhouse altogether would leave me completely exposed to the now gigantic world. Not to mention the fact that the bedroom door wouldn’t open, meaning my only way down would be with Wyatt’s help. Just the thought sent a shiver across my skin.

“I don’t know,” I muttered, eying Wyatt’s hands nervously. God, they were so big, the whole things were easily longer than my whole body currently was.

Wyatt, seeming to catch my wary glances towards his hands, began to shake his head. “I didn’t mean like that,” he insisted, almost sounding as opposed to the idea as I was. “I meant you could use the stairs.”

It was something of a relief that Wyatt didn’t have any plans, or apparently any desires either, to remove me from the house himself. However, he didn’t seem to be aware of the state of the bedroom door.

“It’s locked, or stuck, or something,” I explained, pointing a thumb towards the door.

Those large hazel eyes of Wyatt’s shifted towards the wooden door on the side of the bedroom. “Hmm, let me see.” I was given absolutely zero warning before the giant in front of me was launching into motion.

A near silent yelp escaped me as one of Wyatt’s enormous hands began a swift approach. I stumbled backwards into the corner, bumping into the vanity as I did so.

The hand continued its advance and before I knew it, it had invaded the space of the room. The juxtaposition smacked me in the face hard. Seeing that human hand next to furniture that felt entirely normal sized to me was…humbling. For the first time, I truly felt like the abnormal one.

I watched on with wide eyes as the hand fiddled with the bedroom door; the knob completely disappeared under fingertips larger than my head. At first, Wyatt seemed to have just as much luck as I had; however, after a firm push and a jiggle, he managed to shove the door open.

“There we go,” Wyatt remarked as his hand retreated. My racing heart only began to slow once the room was once again free of any giant appendages. “Hopefully that’s the only door like that.”

Wyatt had resumed his position of resting his arms on the back of his chair. It was only once he had shifted his attention back to me that I realized I was still cowering in the corner of the room. I cleared my throat as I pushed away from the vanity. “Uh, yeah hopefully.” I felt my cheeks warming against my will.

I needed to get better at regulating my reactions. Now that I knew Wyatt wasn’t strictly out to get me, my fear responses just made me look like an irrational coward and I really couldn’t have that.

As casually as possible given the circumstances, I made my way across the room to the now open door. I peered through the doorway and was met with the sight of what appeared to be a bathroom. At the back of the room, in front of a curtained window was a white porcelain pedestal sink. A matching white porcelain toilet was located to the right of the door I stood in.

“That’s the powder room,” Wyatt announced and I had to suppress a flinch from the sudden voice. Observing yet another seemingly normal sized room had allowed me to momentarily forget my current situation.

Like the bedroom, the “powder room,” as Wyatt called it, had a vintage feel to it. Aside from the toilet and sink, there was a floor mirror on the opposite side of the room, a woven hamper in one of the corners, and even a towel bar attached to the wall with a fluffy yellow towel hanging on it. Had I not known better, I might’ve thought it was a real, functioning bathroom.

Directly across from the door I had just come from was another door that presumably led into another room in the house. This dollhouse was very different from the ones I’d played with as a child. The presence of interior doors was one distinct difference. I suppose it was a detail reserved for higher quality houses than the ones I had experience with.

“You can get to the stairs in the next room,” Wyatt explained. It was so strange how he had a complete view of the entire house at one time, meanwhile I was restricted to the room I was in. It made Wyatt seem omniscient of something, which really wasn’t helping me to be less intimidated by him.

I made my way across the room to the next door, which thankfully seemed to possess none of the issues the last one had had and swung open easily. The room on the other side was of a similar size to the bedroom, except rather than featuring a bed and vanity, it had a small wooden desk with a matching chair and a side table topped with a cream and gold colored globe.

Taking a few steps further, I could see the very top of a set of stairs at the opposite end of the room. I began to wonder exactly how big this house was. Even when I’d been human sized it had looked pretty big, it would be interesting to see how that translated to someone who could fit inside the place.

A glance out of the corner of my eye proved that Wyatt was in the same spot as the last time I had checked, his gaze still fixed on me. There didn’t appear to be any kind of malice or ill-intent intended from his continued observation, but the more he did it, the more I felt like a circus freak, or a zoo animal on display or something. It was unnerving.

I blew out an impatient sigh as I turned around to face the giant man straight on. “Could you stop staring at me like that?” I asked, arms folded over my chest.

Wyatt’s eyebrows rose up as if to indicate he hadn’t been expecting this kind of reaction from me. “Shouldn’t he know staring is rude, no matter the person’s size?”

Of course, because this was the same jerk who had withheld a dollhouse from a sweet little girl, he didn’t seem embarrassed by his poor manners in the slightest. “I was just looking, not staring,” Wyatt stated with an unconcerned shrug. I rolled my eyes. “Of all the people to be stuck with when I’m shrunk, why did it have to be this guy?”

#glad ppl seem to be enjoying this so far #g/t writing #my writing #g/t #giant/tiny #g/t story

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bananapepper420 · 3 years

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bruh is amy going to come back or is jonah just like... the main character now

#cause no offense but he cannot carry this show <3 #mine #this is about superstore I started it like a week ago and am halfway through s6 :))))

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halcyon-writings · 3 years

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i checked this list and it said persona so im hoping this is still ok. Date night with the protagonists? (Makoto, Yu and Ren) please and thank you >///

ー『anonymous: Can i get dating headcanons for the persona protags (Makoto, Yu and Ren) please and super thank yous. I love these boys so much. ;A;』

note(s): I am going to combine these requests as they are similar enough I hope that is alright! no real warnings for this one either, I just think these dudes are neat. Also I know they all have like 5 different names, so I just went with the ones I am more familiar with. Maybe(????) spoilers for 3, 4, and 5, so if you haven’t finished or played them, be warned (although, idk if anyone would read it if they haven’t played the respective game but idk warning for spoilers just in case) also idk how i feel about these hcs rn, but i did my best dhdjdj

all my other links can be found in my navigation post!! If you like my writing and you’d like to support me, my tip jar is also linked there!

hcs under the cut so i’m not clogging anyone’s dash (originally these were gonna be a short set of hcs but i guess not dbdndn)

What our dear protagonist lacks in overall extrovertedness, he makes up for in action. Surprise surprise, dates can either range from hanging out in the dorms and cooking a nice meal together. Or maybe going to the mall and heading to the arcade. Or basically wandering around until your legs hurt and your purchases range from new outfits to weird antiques from the antique shop.

However he really does treasure these little trinkets, because the memory of your laughter when you were given a certain item will forever be ingrained in his mind. It’s a comfort in the end too.

Date nights are focused on you and you only. He definitely sets a date where he knows you both are free so that there’s less likely of a chance for being interrupted. He definitely wouldn’t want his time with you to be wasted. Although seeing his small pout when it does happen is very cute.

You also gotta be keen on if he sees something he likes and wants. While Minato won’t exactly say it, his gaze lingers a bit longer than usual. But he ultimately won’t get it, because he wants to focus on you and also save up for when the group goes to Tartarus. So if you surprise him with whatever he had wanted, he’s so happy.

While he is slightly more reserved in comparison to Yu and Akira, Minato speaks through action. Whenever you two are walking together, he always has your hand in his, or keeping close by in some way. He likes to cling to you when it’s just you two, his head buried in the crook of your neck as you two nap tother, legs tangled up together. Or the small jokes he says loud enough for only you to hear, but they’re still so funny. Sometimes you’re asked if he’s really a good boyfriend, and you have to laugh off the doubt, because they don’t see the sides of him that you do.

My god. Yu would absolutely be the best at arranging dates and hangouts. I take no criticism. Like you guys could literally just be walking all around Inaba, or just sitting by the river bed and it could be one of the greatest times you’ve both had together. A romantic at heart, Yu would also be a bit cheesy in arranging dates.

He shows affection through communcating it. Whether it’s a new outfit or something, he’ll say that you look incredible or if you’ve studied for a hard exam, he’ll make sure you know how amazing you are for passing. Idk just anything that has you smiling from sweet compliments and other words of affirmation. A big sap, honestly you try and joke about it but he just earnestly says “Who wouldn’t be for you?” And you have to sit down and hide your face in your hands for a solid 5 minutes.

You also gotta be cool with Nanako. But then again she’s a cute kid and a sweetheart so idk why you wouldn’t be. Although he does get a little flustered if it’s you two watching her while Dojima-san is working late at the station and the old ladies coo over how you three look like a mini family yourselves. Which is kind of a common occurrence. And I feel like Yu would know pretty well if he sees a future with someone he’s with, and with you he does shhh

Date nights in Inaba are really fun and a good way to wind down, sometimes it’s wandering Junes and finding whatever the newly advertised, as seen on tv appliance is. Or other parts of the shopping district, where he can really let go and just have fun for himself. When not worrying about school work or the cases the Investigation Team is working on.

some spoilers here; but after Izanami is defeated and the year ends. When Yu has to leave Inaba it doesn’t mean that he won’t put his best efforts to keep up the relationship. If possible, video calls or just the occasional text too. And when he visits, while he does miss his friends, he’s especially antsy to see you too. And when you’re both together again, he refuses to leave your side.

Now, Akira can be described as this suave, casanova type character. But he’s also a giant dork and you know it, he knows it, the Phantom Thieves all know it, hell even Sojiro knows it. It doesn’t mean his attempts at flirting doesn’t get you blushing. And when he sees the flustered expression, it only motivates him to keep going. But turn the tables on him, and he’s putty in your hands. (And he looks very cute).

Because of the way you met, aka, at Shujin, where his reputation was basically over and done with before it even began, he has a lot of doubt and trust issues, what if someone dared you to speak to the “criminal” or something? While he won’t show these doubts out loud to his friends, it’s still something he thinks back on a lot. But when you defend him vehemently one day, he knows he was right to trust you.

A part of dating Akira, is eventually finding out who he is. Maybe trips to Mementos cause him to be late to dates or not even show up at all. You end up stood up more often then not once things begin to get really serious. From small time school teachers to the literal Yakuza (and eventually a candidate for Prime Minister, and a god), you don’t know where he is. And that becomes really stressful because then the doubt™️ sets in.

To make this less angsty and more funny, imagine you know from figuring it out. He’s suspiciously watching the news on the PT, and no offense to Ryuji, he’s not the most quiet. So he’s so nervous trying to tell you when you’re just “yeah I know, sorry for not telling you, I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to know.” and he’s just the surprised pikachu face.

As for date nights, the city is your oyster. I’d say the world but mans still currently has a criminal record so probably not yet. But he’s gonna take you wherever you want. Whether it’s a themed cafe, or just the streets of Shinjuku, as you take in all the sights from the bright places, he’s willing to do whatever for you. That includes facing off kids at the arcade for a stuffed plush you saw and admitted it was cute. He is a man on a mission. And you cannot stop him. So you both end up back at Leblanc at the end of the night carrying your plushies and eating some curry that Sojiro left warming for you. That even includes the Big Bang Burger challenge he will do it for you , even though you probably do laugh at his pain after but you still coo and praise his efforts.

After he goes back home, record clean and world hopefully peaceful. Virtual dates become a thing, either just sitting and talking while having dinner or something is nice. He still loves to say those cheesy pickup lines that had you hiding your flustered expression as you walked through the streets of Shibuya on call. You only hung up on him once but he quickly called back and was very pouty about it. You were forgiven though with the promise of giving many kisses when he visits.

#persona imagines #persona x reader #persona 3 imagines #persona 3 x reader #minato arisato x reader #persona 4 imagines #persona 4 x reader #yu narukami x reader #persona 5 imagines #persona 5 x reader #akira kurusu x reader #mine

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firelordzukohere · 4 years

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Interior Décor

Hello!

When I made this 4 chapters, I initially thought: “Oh 4 weeks? That’s a long time!”

Why didn’t anyone tell me it wasn’t that long!?! I feel like I just started this and I’m already sad it’s over! Please let me know if you want an epilogue or even some cute little one shots. I already have one in my head but I want to know if anyone would even be interested in it. Please let me know!

Finally,

Thank you everyone who read, re-blogged, liked, commented, or messaged me about this story. I haven’t posted a Zuko fanfiction since I was probably 15 years old and the support I received then wasn’t half as much as I have now. You guys are amazing and wonderful and every single notification I got made me smile brightly. I’d seriously get people asking me why I’m smiling at my phone so much. I’m so grateful to each and every one of you for everything, from my whole heart. Thank you so much.

Please enjoy the last chapter of Interior Décor! I truly, truly hope you like it!

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Zuko X Fem!Reader

Warnings: Fluff, Slight Aangst(heh), and some implications

Word Count: 5k

Summary: Iroh felt it was time for the Palace to reflect the time of Peace and Love that Zuko promised five years earlier at his coronation. He takes it upon himself to hire an interior decorator to help his nephew out and work together. What he didn’t expect was for Zuko to possibly find his own peace and love in the process.

Chapter 3: Jacquard >> Chapter 4: Trompe l’oeil >> Epilogue

The next morning, (Y/N) woke up to a chasm in her chest the size of the Earth Kingdom. It was as if several Earthbenders decided to practice their bending inside of her and leave a massive chunk missing from within. She already yearned to see Zuko again.

Burying her face further into her pillow she moaned. Why did they have to get along so well? Why couldn't she have just worked with Iroh the whole time instead of the Fire Lord? Didn't he have people who were supposed to handle the menial stuff like her, instead of himself? She never considered the fact that all the advisors that would come up to him throughout the couple of weeks wouldn't really stay around much. They always seemed busy doing other things, leaving the Fire Lord to his own devices. Leaving him to spend his days with her, laughing, talking, comfortable silences, and dancing.

She remembered how it felt being led around the floor by him. The moment was so intimate, so right, and she wanted to dance with him all over again. It was like a cloud carried her around, a warm, attractive cloud.

Another groan escaped her lips before she pulled herself out of bed to go and make some tea. Her aunt was already outside meditating for the morning, so she had to be silent as she set the pot on its stand and bent some fire to warm it up.

The silence was disturbed when there were three knocks on their front door. Her aunt looked over at her, brows furrowed in confusion at who could be here this early in the morning.

(Y/N) walked toward the door and slid it open to reveal a courier holding a large package wrapped in intricate silk.

"(Y/N)?" He asked, and she nodded in confirmation. The man shoved the package into her hand before rushing back to his ostrich horse and riding away. She stared at him dumbfounded for a moment and then balanced the package in one hand, shutting the door with the other.

"Ooh! A gift! From the Fire Lord?" Her aunt gushed walking up behind her to examine the beautiful box. (Y/N)'s face burned before she moved to the counter to unwrap the present. She wasn't sure if she hoped it was from him or not. If it was, that meant her aunt could possibly spread more rumors about her having an affair with the Fire Lord, but if it wasn't she was sure there would be a twinge of sadness that this random encounter wasn't from him.

As she removed the silk, opened the box and lifted what was inside, she gasped. It was a beautiful dress, very obviously Fire Nation red, but golden lace lined the halter neckline, and the bodice was covered in red roses with green leafs. The skirt was massive as she continued to pull it from the box. Once the item was fully out she couldn't help but admire the beauty.

However, she was slightly annoyed. This must have cost him at least a hundred gold pieces. She knew she had told him that her wardrobe did not consist of a dress that would be acceptable for the celebration, but that didn't mean he had to go out and buy her a new one!

"Oooh look! There's sleeves!" Her aunt said next to her pulling out sleeves that were the same gold to match the neckline. "And a note!" She handed (Y/N) the note and looked at her intensely to see who it was from.

(Y/N),

You said you didn't have a gown and that's the reason you wouldn't come tonight. I had my tailors work over time to make you this because I cannot imagine spending this evening celebrating you, without you there. I will not make a big fuss about you, so you can slip in silently and leave whenever you feel, but please come, at least to see how amazed everyone is going to be at the site of your hard work. Please come, for me.

I truly hope to see you tonight.

Zuko

P.S. I know you're probably worried about my tailors, they were not overworked and have been overly compensated for their duties.

(Y/N)'s face was as red as the gown as her aunt ripped the note from her hands to read it. With a gasp she looked up at her niece and grinned furiously.

"Exactly how close did you get with the Fire Lord during this time? You implied he was in meetings most of your work days." Her tone pointed and (Y/N) frowned. "Dear, this note isn't just a client 'Thank you' this appears to be a subtle declaration."

Grunting angrily, (Y/N) shoved the dress back into the box and snatched the note and the sleeves from her aunt, forcing them inside as well.

"It doesn't matter, I'm not going tonight anyway. It's highly unprofessional of me to go to this party especially in a dress the Fire Lord had specifically made for me," she grumbled. "I'll just return the garment tomorrow and explain to him how offensive it is for him to expect to buy my attendance to the celebration." Her voice a low hiss as she pushed passed her aunt and into her bedroom, sliding the door shut angrily.

Sitting on the bed, she stared down at the box in her hands. She wasn't exactly angry at Zuko's gift, but she was angry that now she was put in this position. If she went, her aunt would spread all over town that she and the Fire Lord had more than a professional relationship and if she didn't she would waste the tailors' hard work and possibly hurt Zuko.

Who cares what anyone else thinks?

His words rang in her mind as she stared at the golden lace. She honestly only cared what he thought and the fact that he wanted her to go tonight really resonated through her.

Please come, for me.

With a sigh, she placed the box down beside her and dropped her face into the palms of her hands. The internal battle she was dealing with was ripping her apart.

It was easier said than done to ignore what people thought and said about her. If she went tonight, the entire nation's eyes could possibly be watching, scrutinizing her and the Fire Lord.

What was she supposed to do?

Zuko's voice filled her mind once again, "We're supposed to do whatever makes us happy." Why was he always right? He was obviously learning from the notoriously wise Iroh and now passing that wisdom to her.

There was a knock on her door causing her to lift her face from her hands.

"Come in," she mumbled and watched as the door slid to the side and revealed her aunt holding a cup of the tea she had forgotten was brewing.

Sitting down beside her niece, her aunt handed her the cup and then sighed, the deep sound filling the tension stagnant room. While (Y/N) always had a great relationship with her aunt, a strain had formed when her aunt had spread the rumor about her and her first client. She wasn't sure if her aunt ever realized that their bond had weakened slightly, but she tried her best to act as if nothing was wrong.

"I know you know this," her aunt started, "but sometimes I struggle with keeping to myself. I've been alone for a long time. Your uncle died young, your mother and father shut me out after, insisting that I needed to find a new husband or I'd bring shame to the family, and my parents were never really around after your mother and I were married off. Any chance I can, to form a friendship, I take, even if it means hurting the people I love dearly in the process." The older woman frowned as she pat (Y/N)'s knee gently, "I've hurt you with my gossip, and I realize that. I was so excited for your new business and when I thought your first client could also potentially be someone to share your life with, I was happy for you..." trailing off, she couldn't help but sigh again, "but I didn't expect people to take what I had said and turn it into something to harm you. I didn't understand why these women began saying you were a homewrecker when it was common knowledge his wife had already left him. Instead of shutting those rumors down though, I made them worse, and in all honesty, it didn't stop me from creating new ones either."

(Y/N) felt the tears sting the corner of her eyes, begging to be freed from her, to relieve and soothe the pain she was enduring at the memories. They wanted to wash away the sadness. She loved her aunt, but the woman definitely caused a lot of hurt in her life. Even now, as she really did find herself fond of the Fire Lord, she couldn't help but hold back due to the idea that her aunt could spread rumors that would hurt her again. Instead of allowing her pain to show, she gulped down the tea, hoping that it would ease up some of the tension in her body. Once she finished she rested the cup on the bed and stared at her hands, waiting for her aunt to finish whatever she wanted to say.

"I hurt you when I accused you of having anything but a professional relationship with the Fire Lord. I know you're a strong woman who has had to battle many hardships in her life, especially when it comes to love and happiness, and I know I didn't make any of that easier on you even though I was supposed to. For that, I am genuinely sorry." Turning to the box next to her, she lifted the note out and handed it to (Y/N), "I think you should go." The woman whispered and (Y/N)'s head shot up to stare at her aunt. "He clearly cares for you, it's written in this note without even saying it outright. You've been even happier than normal these last couple of weeks whenever you wake up to go see him and when you come home after spending the day with him. I haven't seen that look since you first started your business and you shined at the opportunity to do something you loved. (Y/N) don't let this opportunity of love slip away, even if there is a risk of what people might say. Let them talk about you. As long as you're happy and you've got what you want, let them boil in their own gossip and rumors."

The sob escaped, and (Y/N) shoved her face into her aunt's neck, wrapping her arms around the older woman. Letting her niece cry it out, (Y/N)'s aunt rubbed her back reassuringly and held her tight.

"Thank you," (Y/N) whispered causing her aunt to smile and caress her hair as she pulled back.

"I love you, my dear," the woman smiled, and stood up quickly. "Now, we've got until sunset to get you dolled up and ready for this celebration. When you walk into that room, no one will be able to keep their eyes off of you, especially not that Fire Lord." Her aunt winked before pulling her up and dragging her out of the house toward the shopping district.

Just after sunset, (Y/N) was standing inside her house, dressed in her gown, with her hair curled and flowing around her face, only a small portion was pulled back into a proper bun with golden leaves pinned around it in a circle. She had gotten her makeup done, with golden and maroon hues to accent her dress, and simple gold sandals hidden underneath the dress for easy walking and dancing.

"You look like the queen of the Fire Nation," her aunt gushed as she finished tying the back of her dress. "The poor Fire Lord won't know what hit him when you arrive," she swooned as she came back around to give her niece a final once over. "The party has most likely already begun, so I suggest you get into the carriage now. It's better to arrive fashionably late where everyone will be able to get a good look at you in your grand entrance," she teased.

(Y/N) hugged her aunt and thanked her for everything. She was grateful the woman had talked her into attending the celebration and helped her prepare for it. Their embrace, though only lasting a few moments, seemed to help repair the crack that had been formed for years. When they released, (Y/N) smiled and made her way outside to the carriage they had requested for the evening. A palanquin would have been too expensive, but a carriage was nice, especially since it wasn't too breezy outside to ruin her hair.

After one final wave to her aunt, she was on her way to the Palace, both nervous and excited to see the Fire Lord again.

His eyes darted around, wondering if he'd be able to catch a look at a familiar face with beautiful (Y/E/C) eyes and long (Y/H/C) hair. While he knew that she didn't have to come, he had hoped he had possibly convinced her to with his gift and his note. Though he wanted to spew out in the letter that he didn't want another day to go by without seeing her face, he had to instead be smart about it, in case she didn't return the feelings that swelled within him.

Smiles and hopeful eyes surrounded him as he made his way through the brand new ballroom, filled with diplomats and various other important people that didn't really feel very important to him. Several women had already come up telling him he owed them a dance or two, to which he merely smiled and noncommittally nodded. There was only one person he wanted to dance with tonight and if she wasn't going to be there, he wouldn't step a foot onto that floor without her.

"Ah! Fire Lord Zuko!" A Fire Sage stepped into his path with a bow. "I've been meaning to introduce you to my daughter, Tora," the man gestured to the young woman beside him dressed in a long golden dress with her hair pulled into a tall ponytail. "She's been talking nonstop about this party and the ability to finally dance within the Fire Nation Palace." The Sage chuckled and shoved his daughter toward Zuko.

"It's an honor to meet you Tora," Zuko said, bowing with respect, watching as she flushed but not returning the motion. She giggled and rested her hand on his bicep, squeezing slightly.

"It's my honor, Fire Lord, my father has spoken nothing but good words about you since getting the opportunity to work with you after you took over from your father, shame he didn't turn out to be the man everyone thought he would be." Zuko tensed slightly. No, he turned out to be everything everyone wanted him to be, because the Fire Nation blindly followed his father due to the previous ideals his grandfather and great grandfather had set in their time.

"Yes," Zuko said, already losing interest in the conversation at her words, "it's quite a shame…" he mumbled, looking around to see if anyone could spare him. That's when he spotted a familiar face. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go check on the food for this evening," he rushed away, pulling his arm from her grasp in the process.

Striding up to his hero, Zuko pat his uncle on the back with a grateful smile. Iroh turned to look at him, his face full of roast duck that was being served on a stick.

"Nephew!" Iroh mumbled with his mouth packed, "this party is wonderful! The ballroom is beautiful." Zuko nodded his head, looking around at the glow of the lights from the chandeliers and the ornate imagery of dragons and fire painted into the ceiling. "Speaking of beauty, where is the wonderful creature behind this room? I assumed she'd be here to celebrate with you." The older man said with a wink. Zuko's face flushed for a moment before he took a piece of duck off of Iroh's skewer and shoved it into his own mouth, taking a second to come up with a proper reply to his uncle's very loaded question.

"I've invited her, but she implied that she didn't really like the idea of celebrating herself, she felt it unprofessional," his voice thick with sadness as he thought about her not wanting to be around him. Iroh patted his nephew's face and smiled.

"Don't count your losses yet," he said reassuringly, "she could still come." Zuko nodded his head, hopeful but still disappointed.

He wasn't sure how it happened so quickly. It felt like he went from loathing the idea of someone spending several weeks in his house, going over everything wrong with it, to counting the time until he'd be able to see her again after she had just left for the day. Their bond formed so quickly it didn't seem to be something solid for him to consider, but no matter how hard he tried to banish it from his mind, she just walked right back into his head, perfection and all, telling him that it wasn't that easy to get rid of her. He loved how strong she was but also that she cared so much about him and even his uncle in the small time they knew each other. She was fiery and passionate about her job and he wondered if that would translate the same into a relationship as well… a relationship with a certain head of the Fire Nation.

However, he was worried that he'd never be able to see her again. What if she didn't come tonight? He'd be stuck wondering what would have happened if she had. Would he admit to her his feelings? Would she have returned them? Would they have danced together? Kissed?

Zuko let out a deep sigh and removed himself from his head, turning his attention back on his uncle who seemed to be examining the table of food for something else to enjoy. Shaking his head with an amused grin, Zuko grabbed a slice of ash banana bread and popped it into his mouth, enjoying the warm, sweet taste.

"Sir," his advisor Shuro appeared next to him, "the council would like for you to have a quick word with them in the chambers, it appears there are some rumors of an attack on the Earth Kingdom by Fire Nation rebels," he whispered. Zuko groaned and nodded his head, gesturing for his advisor to lead the way, also grabbing Iroh by the arm and pulling him along.

He wanted this to be a no work event, where he could enjoy himself, his people could enjoy themselves and maybe, just maybe, he could spend the evening with someone he cared about.

As (Y/N) entered the ballroom, she couldn't help but notice several eyes land on her. Scrutinizing faces from several women and lots of whispering began as she strode into the room, looking around for the Fire Lord himself. She knew she could spot him in a crowd of thousands, so when she didn't see him, she had to assume he wasn't there. Frowning, she made her way quickly to the food table to find something to distract her from the ache in her chest at the fact that he was most likely busy with someone else, whether that be a possible courtship or someone from the council. She picked up a single tea sandwich and nibbled on it, looking around the grand room at all the people. Some were dancing, which made her smile, others were swaying while they talked, a few were laughing and drinking heavily. It was a wonderful atmosphere filled with merriment and joy, something the Fire Nation had been without for the last one hundred years, of their own accord, of course.

Women were dressed in beautiful gowns some Fire Nation colored, others from various Nations like the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, some even differing from the cultures and made up of glorious silks that were every color imaginable. She was definitely grateful for Zuko providing her with the dress, because anything she had remotely close to acceptable would have paled dramatically in comparison.

Munching on her sandwich, she watched as a man strode toward her with a smooth smile on his face. Her heart dropped knowing that this wasn't going to be good, he looked ready to hunt and she didn't feel like being the prey today.

"What's a beautiful woman like you doing over here by yourself?" He asked, flipping his head to the side and flashing a toothy smile at her. Internally groaning, she returned a curve of her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'm waiting for someone," she said politely.

"Obviously he's a fool for leaving you alone," the man sidled up to her, reaching behind her to grab a fig and attempting to seductively eat it while staring her in the eye. She let out an unamused giggle, it sounded more like a sigh than a laugh, and shook her head.

"He's just a busy man," she amended, but it didn't help. After finishing his fig, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him.

"Let's dance while you wait for him, though I'm not classically trained, I can hold my own," his grip on her fingers was tense but she managed to rip herself from his grasp and frown.

"I'll pass thank you," she replied harshly. Before he could say another word, she stormed away, attempting to look for any relief in sight. That's when she saw an escape and ducked for it, hoping no one noticed as she slipped down the stairs and out into the beautiful garden. The turtle ducks quacked happily in the glow of the moonlight that now lit up the whole garden.

She let out a breath she had apparently been holding in since her departure from the creepy man, and leaned against the large tree in relief. Tonight was not exactly going how she planned. While it may have been her imagination, she wanted to walk into the room, have everyone stop to look at her in awe, and then watch as the Fire Lord shoved his way through the crowed to pull her toward him in front of everyone and kiss her deeply.

Instead she had been scoffed at, hidden in a corner hoping that maybe she could find some peace in food, only to be rudely manhandled by some obviously drunken man who didn't understand she wasn't interested in him. She felt like a fool for thinking that tonight would be magical, like those tales her mother used to read to her when she was young.

Zuko was too busy for her, she should have expected that. He was the Fire Lord for crying out loud, why did she think he would drop everything for her? Maybe it was because he had during the redecoration… or maybe it's because she hoped that his feelings for her were somehow as strong as hers for him.

Again, she was just a fool though, thinking that the Lord of the Fire Nation would actually see anything in her other than a decorator. That's what she had wanted wasn't it? A professional relationship that didn't come with the backlash of rumors and heartache? Why did she feel so empty though at that thought? Why is it, instead of picturing Zuko as her client, she only saw him as her friend, and even potentially more? Why did she even come here tonight?

Zuko was finally free from his meeting, grateful they had found a solution for the possible Earth Kingdom attack. Now he was able to enjoy the night and freely walk around and mingle.

With his gaze once again darting around the room in hopes of seeing her, he realized he was disappointed that she seemed nowhere to be found. At the sight of the Fire Lord back within the party, several women rushed forward, begging him for their dance now. Zuko cringed outwardly and held up his hands assuring the women that he wasn't really the dancing type. He insisted that he needed a bit of air and politely circled around them to escape their yearning eyes.

The Fire Lord made his way to the garden, silently going down the steps, hoping no one had spotted him in his departure. He froze though, when his eyes landed on a familiar figure crouched down next to the pond, petting the turtle ducks with her finger.

"You came…" he breathed out relieved as he walked toward her. Her head turned to look at him and her face lit up. Standing tall, she watched as he strode up next to her, his face bright with a smile. "You…" he paused as his gaze finally examined her. "You look… good," he said awkwardly and then slammed his palm to his face, causing her to giggle.

"Thank you, it's a Fire Nation original," she teased, attempting to let him know she wasn't offended by his lack of words. "You look really nice too, but of course you always do in Fire Nation colors." His face burned at her compliment. Turning toward the party that still went on in the ballroom she smiled, "you sure know how to throw a party, Fire Lord Zuko, everyone really seems to be enjoying themselves."

"Are you?" He asked, curious as she was out here by herself. She looked back to him and nodded her head with the corner of her mouth turned up slightly.

"Yes, I just can't seem to keep myself away from this garden and these little darlings," the woman said, gesturing to the turtle ducks. "Have you gotten some time to relax and have a little fun?"

"Not really, but that's okay, I have a new bedroom I can use to unwind and relax in at night," he winked, finally gaining a bit of confidence to flirt with her. Another laugh escaped her and Zuko's heart swelled at the sound. "(Y/N), I'm really glad you came tonight. All day I dreaded the idea of having this party and not enjoying it with you." At his words, she blushed. "I also don't enjoy the fact that I won't be seeing you everyday anymore and I want to find a way to remedy that." Letting out a harsh laugh, (Y/N) shook her head.

"Trust me Fire Lord Zuko, you won't even remember me after a couple of weeks." Her insecurities rearing their evil head, attempting to shut down the fluttering in her chest.

"No, I'll remember you," he said, stepping toward her. Her eyes met his and he could see the fear within them. "I'd rather not risk that though and just see you as often as I can." His voice was low and husky.

"What would you have me do? Decorate something else? We did most of the Palace, everything I didn't touch was already perfectly fine."

"The Palace is perfect now, thanks to you, but I was thinking you might want to come and see me, not my Ballroom or my Throne room," he teased with a smirk, resting his hand on her cheek. "Maybe we could have lunches and dinners together, or take a trip somewhere, I'd like you to meet my friends and get to know them because I think they'd love you," he paused and took a deep breath, "like I'm beginning to." She sucked in a breath at his declaration. "I'd like the opportunity to spend every spare minute I have with you and laugh with you. I love your laugh so much (Y/N) it makes my entire day. I play it through my head all throughout my meetings, trying to remind myself of it until the next time I get to hear it," obviously a giggle escaped her lips at the sentiment causing a goofy smile to appear on the Fire Lord's face.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" She asked, sounding fearful, "I know we talked about it but what will people say when they see us together?" Shaking her head nervously she wasn't sure what to do, everything he said sounded wonderful but she didn't want him to make a mistake.

"I know what I want, I want what makes me happy, and that's you. Do I make you happy?" He asked, his voice determined.

"Yes more than anything." Her words left her lips in a whisper, "I couldn't believe I was falling in love with the Fire Lord until I woke up this morning and felt like someone had taken my heart out and left a hole in it, at the thought we wouldn't be together again."

Zuko grinned before moving his hand to take hers, and resting his other one on her waist. She smiled back at him, aware of what he was trying to do before placing her hand on his shoulder and allowing him to sway her around the grass. Their eyes never left each other's as they danced to the softened music behind them in the ballroom.

"I swore to myself that if I didn't get to dance with you tonight, I wasn't going to dance with anyone else," he replied with a chuckle, rubbing her back with his thumb as he guided her. "You're the only one I want to dance with… other than Aang, but that's a dragon thing," he joked and she laughed again.

He couldn't stop himself, at the sound of her laugh, he dipped his head forward and captured her lips with his, relieved when she reciprocated the action with fervor.

Their swaying stopped but their mouths didn't part as Zuko moved his hands to fully encase her hips and hers slid up to his neck where she pulled him closer, as if it were possible.

When they both separated for air, Zuko let out a smile, before pecking her on the lips once more with affection.

Standing on the platform with a bright grin on his face, Iroh watched as his nephew and (Y/N) returned to their dancing stance and swayed in contentment once more. He was grateful Zuko was finally able to enjoy himself and was happy that it was with someone as wonderful as she was. Behind him, Shuro popped up asking Iroh if he had seen the Fire Lord anywhere, Iroh shook his head and led the man away, ensuring that his nephew got some peace and love.

Master List

Tag List: @royahllty @mangoberry43 @mrskeishasdead @taeeemin @blushbadger @shortmexicangirl @fire-lady-livi @jujugentle

#atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar #atla fanfic #atla fanfiction #zuko x reader #zuko x fem!reader #Fire Lord Zuko #zuko fanfic #zuko #zuko x y/n #x y/n #zuko x you #x reader #firelordzukohere #interiordecor #atla x reader

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thecreaturecodex · 4 years

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Desmodu

Image © Wizards of the Coast, by David Roach. Accessed at the Monster Manual II Art Gallery here

[So at the time I’m enqueuing this post, Furtober has been going for a while, and I’m afraid it has not been terribly successful. My thought was to post a bunch of furry monsters, because people seemed to like them and October is traditionally a theme month for internet creative types. But my average notes count is actually lower than it has been! Maybe I’m over-saturating the market. Maybe it’s because I haven’t tagged them with “furry”, instead using “furtober”, which is a tag people don’t search for or follow (I’ve since rectified this). Maybe I was mis-estimating my audience in general, but whatever the reason, Furtober feels like a bit of a failure.

You know what else feels like a bit of a failure? The desmodu! These batsquatches were Skip Williams’ baby, having appeared first in Deep Horizon, a module he wrote all about them, and then reappearing in Monster Manual II and Savage Species. Basically, they showed up in one book per year of the entire 3.0 product line, and nobody ever seemed to like them. Maybe it was because they had a lot of special abilities and gimmicks (sonic attacks! wounding! alchemy! double weapons!). Maybe because the creature misses out on what people want from an anthro bat monster--flight. Maybe because that illustration isn’t great. (Incidentally, two images by the same artist appear in Deep Horizon, and are much better. I didn’t use either of them because I only have access to very low-res versions). My version streamlines their abilities a bit and removes the double weapon gimmick.]

Desmodu CR 9 NG Monstrous Humanoid This hulking creature resembles a cross between a bat and a gorilla, with reddish fur and a wrinkled face. It does not have full wings, but a membrane connects its oversized arms to its somewhat stumpy legs. It wears a harness and leather armor, and carries an oversized hook.

The desmodus are intelligent, bat-like giant humanoids. They were once common throughout the Darklands, but warfare with the drow pushed them into the deepest, most remote corners. Desmodus have relatively poor vision, but compensate for this by an incredibly keen echolocation sense. Their language, Desmon, extends into frequencies above and below that which humans can hear, and their voices tend to jump in frequency dramatically when speaking more common languages. They are omnivores, feeding primarily on fungi and giant insects, but they require the blood of vertebrates regularly in order to stay healthy. Most desmodu obtain this blood by feeding non-lethally on giant bats and lizards kept as livestock.

Desmodus favor the use of weapons in warfare, such as crossbows and their signature hooked staves. They also craft alchemical items, and use these intelligently to disrupt enemy tactics—charging into enemy formations with a lit smokestick in their belt is a common desmodu gambit. Their sonic abilities can be honed into weapons, firing bolts of stunning sound or filling enemies with despair-causing vibrations. As most desmodu are good, most of them will accept surrender, and most would prefer to flee or surrender themselves instead of fight to the death.

Most desmodus live in small enclaves, and community is dearly important to them. Desmodus wear “kinship badges”, which are metallic bell-like structures that resonate when struck with echolocation, the pitch revealing the family and enclave of the wearer. They trade with other enclaves or with other Darklands species, but material goods are not considered valuable for their own sake. Many desmodus are proud of their animal husbandry, breeding new strains of livestock suitable for food, as pack animals, or even as mounts. Desmodus worship a small pantheon of gods and empyreal lords devoted to darkness, earth and kinship. Some clans have fallen to evil, however, serving powers of war and blood.

A desmodu stands between eight and nine feet tall. They walk bipedally with a rolling gait, but when they need speed drop down on all fours. They favor leather as material for armor and clothing.

Desmodu CR 9 XP 6,400 NG Large monstrous humanoid Init +3; Senses blindsight 120 ft., darkvision 30 ft., Perception +17 Defense AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +6 natural, +3 armor) hp 114 (12d10+48) Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +10; +4 vs. sonic Defensive Abilities soundproof Offense Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft. (40 ft. when galloping) Melee ogre hook +16/+11/+6 (2d8+7/x3), bite +11 (1d8+2 plus bleed) or 2 claws +16 (1d6+5), bite +16 (1d8+5 plus bleed) Ranged screech bolt +14 touch (5d6 sonic and stun) or light crossbow +14 (2d6/19-20) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks bleed (1d4), subsonic hum (12 rounds/day) Statistics Str 20, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 11 Base Atk +12; CMB +18 (+20 vs. trip); CMD 31 (33 vs. trip) Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Improved Trip, Quick Draw, Vital Strike Skills Acrobatics +19 (+14 jumping, +23 jumping w/ gallop), Climb +20, Craft (alchemy) +17, Handle Animal +12, Heal +10, Perception +21, Stealth +14; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Perception Languages Desmon, Terran, Undercommon Ecology Environment underground Organization solitary, pair, company (3-7) or troop (8-20) Treasure standard (Large masterwork studded leather armor, Large ogre hook, Large light crossbow with 20 bolts, other treasure) Special Abilities Blindsight (Ex) A desmodu’s blindsight is hearing based. They cannot use this ability if deafened or in the area of a silence spell. Gallop (Ex) A desmodu can move at a speed of 40 feet if it travels on all four limbs. It cannot hold an item in hand or draw an item when it gallops. Screech Bolt (Su) As a standard action once every 1d4 rounds, a desmodu can fire a ray at a range of 60 feet. A creature struck by this ray takes 5d6 points of sonic damage and must succeed a DC 22 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution based. Soundproof (Ex) A desmodu gains a +4 racial bonus on all saving throws against sonic effects. Subsonic Hum (Su) A desmodu can create an area of sonic vibrations in a 30 foot radius around itself. It can use this ability as a standard action, and maintain it on later rounds as a swift action. A desmodu can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to its Hit Dice + Charisma modifier. It gains access to the following two abilities: Despair All enemies in the area must succeed a DC 16 Will save or be struck with despair, suffering a -2 penalty to attack rolls, saving throws, skill and ability checks and weapon damage rolls for as long as they remain in the area of the hum. Hope All allies in the area gain a +2 morale bonus to attack rolls, saving throws, skill and ability checks and weapon damage rolls as long as they remain in the area of the hum. A desmodu can switch between effects as a standard action. This is a mind-influencing emotion effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.

#desmodu #furry #D&D #pathfinder 1e #batsquatch

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kihyunswrath · 4 years

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A masterpost about Wonho leaving and Starship being whiny wankers

It’s been a full day since the news came about Wonho leaving and I finally also decided to write a post of my own. So I came here to bring some logic to this thing because they haven’t cancelled the news yet and it looks like Starship has given up on literally every bit of sense they had. I’m still so fucking pissed off. I’m 10000% ready to fucking fight, as I always am, because I am true to my fucking username.

So away with the crying and missing Wonho, and wailing and lamenting because I think other fans have done their part with that. I’ll focus fully on just listing the things Starship should have automatically realized if they had even ONE fucking sensible person working in there. This will be fucking long but I don’t care, this needs to be said and heard. So tl;dr: Do they have the slightest idea how to run a business? This is most likely the end of Starship, too, so how can they be THAT dumb to not realize they decided to screw themselves over SUCH A SMALL ISSUE?

1) First of all, Wonho loved his job. This is not about me being sentimental or pretending I don’t understand how pretentious idols can be about their actual working conditions, this is simply the truth. He loved communicating with fans, he loved improving his body, he loved making songs, he loved performing. No kpop companies are treating their idols perfectly, but Monsta X was in general doing very well. This means he with 99% certainty did not want to make things end like this, he just felt he had no other choice, and was panicking.

2) Wonho thinking there will be a huge backlash against him because of his problematic past and there actually being a backlash against him are two separate things, and if he himself cannot distinguish this difference because of his anxiety, his company should at least be able to. They are the ones holding the money and the power. It’s not like their careers are not at stake, too.

3) He was fucking popular. Like he had a LOT of fans, those that were specifically dedicating their money and attention to him, and then those who liked several members at the same time, but he was still among their most favourite. We can pretend all day we love all Monsta X members equally, but looking at it from a purely transactional perspective: there are members who are popular, and then members who are EXTREMELY popular. The more popular members bring more money to the table, and Wonho was clearly a part of that latter group. Him facing not one but two scandals in a very short time period did not change that yet, which can be proved by how much support he and the other members still got in the first days of their comeback. Which brings me to point number four:

4) We do not have evidence these scandals were ever going to affect Monsta X members careers in an indispensable way. We do not know whether Wonho’s reputation would have tarnished the group’s future for good, mainly because WE NEVER GOT TO SEE FOR GOOD. This all happened in one WEEK. What can be said about one week? If one comeback of theirs, after a string of VERY successful albums, singles, concerts and world tours, gets ruined because of this one thing, does it mean Starship should have torn their clothes and started throwing temper tantrums like little babies? After they STILL got a nice amount of money out of this comeback TOO? After not even waiting it out to find out if they could have still received number one positions in the comeback show, for at least one week?

5) Follow the logic mentioned in point two and even the dumbest person in the universe should realize that Starship will end up losing a LOT of album sales, views and ticket revenue now. There was no way of proving that Wonho would actually damage the group long-term by deciding to stay there, and looking at the amount of support he’s now getting, that’s actually unlikely. BUT by kicking him out? DEFINITE LOSS OF REVENUE. People are all now saying we will continue supporting the other members, but the fact is this: many of us won’t. I probably will not. If this is how Starship decided to deal with things, kicking out a member three DAYS after a relatively harmless scandal, started by an absolute embarrassment of a person, I will not support such a company. Kihyun is my bias and I love him to death, but if he’s accepting how things are being handled in his own company, he’ll have to do without my support. That’s how simple it is.

6) Monsta X is the moneymaker of Starship. They screwed everything with Boyfriend, they disbanded Sistar, and WSJN and Starship solo artists are all nugus compared to Monsta X. This is not to say they’re not good, but they do not bring even near the same amount of money to the company. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that Starship cannot afford to make dumb mistakes in relation to how they’re handling Monsta X.

7) As a fan who has followed this industry closely for almost 13 years now, I have seen the rise and death of countless kpop groups. At this point I can say one thing for sure: groups can survive or return back to their old glory even when their members leave, but only on certain conditions. If members 1) leave because they want to change their career, 2) leave because they’re not satisfied with their company or 3) have health conditions that prevent them from continuing, the group might still manage to survive without them. If they are kicked out, there’s a smaller chance for continued success and support, but it might work anyway, if 4) they are kicked out relatively early during their career and 5) if they aren’t popular at all at that point. None of these cases apply to Monsta X’s situation. And if and when Monsta X falls, there is no other groups within Starship that could take their position.

8) Now, we don’t know the truth behind all this. Later on Wonho’s leave might turn out to have other motives we are not aware of yet. But as it is, this juvenile prison thing combined with the debt will be the scandals people will remember until forever. That will affect the reputation of Monsta X, YET that’s not how things needed to go. And why is that? Because those scandals actually caused Wonho to leave, unlike so many of the other things we keep hearing every single day because of twats like Han Seo Hee and other antifan wankers. Idols are under constant attacks, but most of the time these DON’T end their careers. Typically, when it hasn’t been about anyone actually getting hurt (rape, abuse, assault, harassment, murder, etc.) or about anything S. Korea specifically condemns idols for doing (drugs, promiscuous dating/sex life, being piss drunk and causing damage, DUI), people will forget things real quick and move on. There are a lot of scandals I will accidentally find out about years later they actually happened, and the idols in question are thriving. But now? People for certain are going to find out, because the consequence was so dire, and so fucking QUICK.

9) Someone going to a hiatus to solve their private life issues is one thing. Idols canceling or postponing their comeback dates and events because of private life matters is, again, one thing. However, leaving in a matter of days after the scandal started? That’s suspicious, irresponsible, stupid and may make Wonho look much more guilty than he ever was. It may make people think there’s more to this than they know at this point. They may think Starship is partially responsible for hiding things, not checking Wonho’s background or that some of the scandals Wonho is involved in were actually happening while he was in Starship. Because, you know, someone holding a job and having his non-offensive past explored from over a decade ago should be two TOTALLY SEPARATE THINGS. That brings me to point number ten:

10) Making someone all of a sudden, over all these years, face consequences for things that happened ages ago, with a punishment that is not relevant, fair or just? Yeah that does make people think Starship is unreliable, irresponsible, childish and acting in a rush. It’s not like they didn’t KNOW Wonho had been in juvie. It’s not like they hadn’t already decided to give Wonho another chance. It’s not like Wonho DID anything at this point to show he was no longer earning that trust. Actually, he did not do anything at all. Starship changing their mind about it so quick just revealed how vulnerable, spineless cowards they are and how they don’t want to carry responsibility over any of their actions. Not good for any business, let alone one whose LITERAL JOB is to gain profit from positive publicity and keep a close watch of their reputation. They do not survive without fans. They do not survive without Monsta X. They do not survive if they have THIS presumptuous and careless attitude, thinking they can quickly cover up all their “mistakes” by removing people out of their way.

11) The entire concept of Monsta X is revolving around the solid formation of the group. Every single member has a very steady role within the group, one that is not replaceable. Wonho’s position as the muscular, sexy dancer and soft-voiced vocalist was crucial to the image of Monsta X. People became interested in Monsta X because of their masculine energy, and Wonho was one of the key members in that. He was also very important in terms of how often he catered to the fans’ needs, how often he thanked us and sent messages to us and how frequently he wanted to hang out with us in vlive. He was a steady composer and had a plenty of potential, and all of his songs turned out to be popular. His role as a specifically health, bodybuilding and fitness -oriented idol was widely recognized and celebrated. His character as a cute, aegyo-filled, emotional and extremely kind “fake-maknae” was loved by literally everyone in this fandom. I don’t think I ever knew anyone who didn’t have a specific soft spot for him, even when he wasn’t their bias or even if people mainly followed other groups. Other members in Monsta X have their own, just as solid, roles that are irreplaceable, but it’d be stupid to not acknowledge Wonho has been among the first members people notice when they learn about Monsta X. Without him, it’s almost like not one but two members are missing.

12) There goes Starship’s good reputation among kpop companies when it comes to foreign record label deals as well. Did the company in Japan or the US like what happened? Would they have punished Wonho for this kind of a meaningless bullshit? Do they like the idea that they are now supposed to interact with a company that acts this recklessly, isn’t loyal to their employees and throws their hands in the air as soon as a problem occurs? I bet not.

13) Why did no one in the company actually sum up together what damage Wonho had allegedly done, like, for real? 1) He made one non-malicious, absent-minded joke half a year ago not a single Monbebe present at that time complained about. This was brought up by a person who intentionally made him look bad. He apologized and people moved on. 2) He has been in a juvenile prison for a small thievery (or something about as stupid as that, according to the information I found about this) over a decade ago, and he most likely did not get a criminal record for this. Starship however, probably did know this when they took him in, so at least back then they thought he’s atoned for his errors and can fucking move on, right? Being in a prison means rehabilitation, especially if you’re there just once as a kid after committing a very minor crime that does not involve hurting people. Bringing this up now is totally irrelevant. 3) Him not paying back to his old friend (3 million won) has absolutely nothing to do with his career. Haven’t people ever been indebted to their friends? Is that a crime worth you ending up kicked out of your company that doesn’t have anything to do with, well, anything? When he accepted that money, he was still a child. For years afterwards, he didn’t have money to pay it back, and he could now handle that issue in privacy, because it’s no one else’s fucking business but theirs. Considering the people who brought this up and their reputation, there’s also a chance this entire thing was somehow fabricated. In conclusion, none of this means anything at all. These are not big enough reasons to make your entire company lose a substantial amount of money, followers and fans, plus a really good performer who had repeatedly proved he had grown up, changed and was capable of taking responsibility of his own life. However, by kicking him out Starship has now reinforced the idea these things were indeed a huge problem, their company can be attacked by these means in the future too, and that their idols’ wellbeing and career paths don’t mean shit to them.

14) All of these scandals, including the very first thing involving that Me Too -movement mistake, COULD HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO FUCKING STRENGTHS. The thing that was in common with all of them three things was that they have happened in the past. Sure, the debt is, I assume, still unpaid, but there’s a small chance Wonho did not remember it anymore, or that there was blackmailing or other kind of shady business going on with that. With clever strategy, Starship could have turned these “scandals” upside down, disclaim them, say they have happened long time ago and do not reflect the company’s current values. They could have accused Han Seo Hee and that another twitter wench of slander and point out to their decreased sales revenue as a proof of damage they caused them. They could have said they are fine with Wonho’s past because they are not merciless bastards but a good, forgiving company that is giving its workers second chances in life. They could have said they SAVED Wonho and his family from a dark path. They could have said they have learned from the Me Too -movement joke and that they are now strongly joining the feminists struggling against rape and sexual harassment. They could have proved they are a good, steady company with good moral values, a backbone and trust toward their employees. All this could have happened with a couple of announcements, a week-long hiatus from the promotions of Follow and a post about how Wonho has paid his debt with a big interest. JUST LIKE MANY OTHER COMPANIES, CELEBRITIES AND OTHER WORKERS HAVE HAD TO DO THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREERS. Not at all hard.

15) Most importantly: DID ANYONE AT ANY POINT, INCLUDING WONHO HIMSELF, CONSIDER HOW THIS MIGHT AFFECT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THE OTHER MEMBERS? Did anyone at any point stop to think that they might not be just fine with this, after fighting to debut together, after they have become such a strong, unified group, after they have seen so much together, when they are now very well aware that this could happen to them at any second, too, considering how these accusations were torn from peoples’ dirty shitty anuses? That they might not accept this, that they might not be able to move on from here, that they might want to resign now too, that they know for sure earlier this year was the peak of their career and nothing they will ever produce without Wonho will receive the same amount of popularity.

So yeah. I actually do not hope Monsta X continues as a six-member group. There won’t be “many, exciting things” waiting for them, like those Starship announcers said. There will be depression, more hardships, flopped comebacks and members separating on their own ways, resigning from Starship. The chances of the fucking company itself collapsing are not nonexistent.

I fucking do hope Monsta X members will refuse to cooperate with Starship until they can negotiate a new contract for Wonho. But if I’ll see them continue performing as a six-member group with these sad, depressed and angry faces I saw today in the comeback show, that’s the end then, for me, as a Monbebe.

Fix your shit, Starship, or fuck off forever. That’s the deal.

#wonho #monsta x #monstax #kpop #shownu #kihyun #changkyun #jooheon #hyungwon #minhyuk #mine #gif not mine #pic not mine #원호탈퇴반대

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bellamyblake · 3 years

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I love your thoughts on stuff especially when you post funny things or metas. I was wondering if you had any toughts on Bellamy's love choices apart from Clarke?

aw, thank you, that’s so sweet! i think im horrible at meta, my brain just won’t order my thoughts the right way.

it’s funny you’re asking me that cause the other day when i was rewatching the scene with mel, bellamy, murphy, finn, monroe and sterling i remembered kimsh*um saying how mel was supposed to be a love interest for bellamy but the actress wasn’t available if i remember correctly.

and that made me think about his love interestest apart from clarke and gina who we saw briefly.

now i think gina would’ve been great to see in terms of bellamy because they met i believe, in our headcanon land, while he was trying to kind of drown his sorrows in the arkadia bar where we see her serving later on briefly, again in season 3 and though i know it wasn’t a deep relationship, it wasn’t a bad one.

it was one produced out of the circumstances that probably (though we know nothing about her) they both felt like shit but kind of found something within each other that they liked/perhaps enjoyed. maybe gina was a good listener, maybe she let him pour his heart out about all of the mount weather horrors.

maybe, and i am reaching here, but she was the only one who knew about all of it-his torture coming in the mountain, his responsibility for his people and the guilt for those they killed inside. maybe bellamy even shared some stuff of his childhood with her because gina seems like the kind of person who is a good and understanding listener and she wouldn’t offer judgement but she’d get him, you know?

i think that’s why i loved gina out of them all (apart from clarke, like we’re putting bellarke aside in this whole debate) because she was a good kind yet smart and persistent person-a nice match for a hurt, confused guilt-ridden bellamy who felt all alone after season 2 and who had all this anger and helplessness inside him. we can see her worry about his leg after he went out to look for clarke and she worries sending him out there beyond arkadian walls-

basically something i’ve always wished for, for bellamy-someone to give a crap for him ( i exclude e/xho s7 narrative cause it makes zero sense and we didn’t see it in any depth)

so apart from gina we have what? e/cho right? and what makes it interesting for me here when our favorite racist kimsh*m talked about mel possibly being a love interest for bell is that i feel like they wanted to instill this...idea for a bellamy love interest where he falls in love for someone that he ultimately-

saves.

maybe that is also the case with clarke too but it was never explored as we know because they refused to for a variety of reasons, the last one being out of spite, the previous being c/lexa-we’re speaking honestly here and that’s how it was.

so they wanted bellamy to fall for someone he *saves*

which i don’t think is a good like treatment of his character at all. i believe jroth in his stupid brain makes sense from the fact that because bellamy always took care of octavia, his entire life, those were the circumstaces he grew up in, then it’s only logically (and psychologically, yes it is), that he falls for someone that he *saves*, like he saved his sister and raised her from a baby to a grown adult.

so mel was someone he saved and she would’ve been a nice fill was she of age (not sure she was) and was the actress available.

but then came ta/sya and her nepotism, aka her being on the show cause she has connections to jroth and since bellamy so perfectly saved her from the cages in season 2 suddenly mel was easily replaced with-

e/cho.

of course they played around it for a bit and i assume they didn’t do it before season 5 for two big reasons-

one was that bob who frankly was absolutely right in that, didn’t want a love interest in season 1, didn’t want bellarke to happen in season 1 and thank god IT didn’t cause it would’ve been absolultely nothing left of it by season 3, and the other was

e/chos betrayal which needed time to simmer into a forgivness and what better way than trapping them on a ring in space for 6 years, right? who would you pair him with other than-oh well it could’ve been raven which frankly, much better choice or it could be e/cho which again-

first to spite the fandom (and i believe we played a big role in jason choosing her and not raven because he saw how panicked we were in season 4 about it especially after 4x13 all everyone talked about was how yep it’d be becco in season 5 and he just said ha-ILL SPITE YOU YOU STUPID FANGIRLS you don’t want it-HA BUT YOU GOT IT and I am sure to this day had we talked more about not wanting bellamy and raven the more we would’ve gotten that instead of becco)

and second cause again of nepotism-here’s this actress who can absolutely not act and has zero chemistry with the main lead-yep, only seems logical we put her as his love interest.

and mind you I wanna reiterate here that bob has chemistry with everyone else including male actors like richard and chuku way more than he ever did with ta/sya so jroth’s logic here that oh yeah beliza were always kind of maybe in love that’s why that worked-LACKS and is beyond offensive

so yes, i believe the idea was always to portray his love interest as a continuation of the cirmustances of his childhood-so he falls in love with someone who he saves like he saved his sister, that being mel (that fell through) and eggo and...ultimately also clarke though with her is much more complicated but think about that

how many more times had he saved her than she him? right?

when is he the saved one?

if we count season 2 when clarke supposedly lets the bomb drop on TonDC to save him though again-grey area, she mostly listens to L/exa who doesn’t want her people to turn on her and then you have season 7 when again Eggo supposedly goes on this journey for him and ends up killing people but not because OF bellamy but because she simply has been hiding the beast inside her for six years and she cannot keep it at bay anymore.

so apart from gina and ...well debatable here but clarke too, he’s never had a love interest that he didn’t save. also we don’t know how exactly he did come by to know gina-did he know her from before? did he maybe save her too? did he just randomly started talking to her?

so that is it on this particular subject and whilst it may be psychologically correct if there is such a term i find it too weak of an excuse for a character like bellamy because when he loves he loves dearly and it is clear that yes he carries the big baggage that is octavia but i dont believe that should attach to his love life and his romance.

#bellamy blake #the 100 #bellamy blake meta #the 100 meta #bellamyblakeedit #sorry maybe i dont make sense #thanks for the questions though!#anti jason rothenberg #Anonymous

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mordoriscalling · 3 years

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The Shrike and the Lark (pt. 4)

Jaskier and Renfri are disaster twins ruling Creyden. When the Warlord of the North knocks at their door, Queen Renfri and King Julian are at an advantage - they know him. As in, they know him. (Inspired by the Warlord AU and “the heart is a winged beast”).

(Pt. 1) (Pt. 2) (Pt. 3)

Creyden, 1237

“My Queen is a match for your Lord,” King Julian remarks.

A match they are indeed. Queen Renfri’s skill with the blade is legendary, and the Warlord wields his weapon with the same level of mastery. The two are sparring in the courtyard, with a continuously growing audience. Witchers, the Royal Guard, courtiers and servants passing by; everyone stares at them in awe, for such lethal grace is staggering to witness.

The Queen and the Warlord are locked in a breathtaking, violent dance. One may almost see the sparks fly as they spin, duck, and par each other’s blows. When their swords cross, their faces mere inches apart, they freeze. The warrior and the wariorress stare at one another, panting heavily. The tension between them is palatable, but then Queen Renfri moves, and they are dancing again.

“That’s only because Geralt is on the defensive,” Eskel replies.

The sound of the King’s surprised laughter carries far. Some of the onlookers in the courtyard look up but, as they behold King Julian the Eskel standing together on the wall overseeing the ward, their attention returns to the ongoing duel. The King and the White Wolf’s right hand sharing each other’s company is an expected sight at this point.

The Warlord and his entourage arrived a week ago. Half of the witchers who came then have now left for good, for their presence is not necessary. In truth, only the Wolf and his two advisors have been constantly working for the past five days, endeavouring to negotiate the new treaty as quickly as possible. In the meantime, those witchers who remain in Creyden have taken to sparring in the courtyard, sometimes fighting with some of the more daring knights of the Royal Guard. Today is the first day that their Lord has joined them, soon followed by Queen Renfri.

“Why do you put so much faith in your Lord?” King Julian asks.

“Geralt is the strongest and fastest among us,” Eskel answers with a shrug. “If he were on the offensive, it would take him less than five moves to disarm your Queen.”

At least a part of Eskel’s claims is true – Queen Renfri has been the aggressor from the start of the duel. She attacks the White Wolf mercilessly, with viciousness she is infamous for. In a moment like this, the notoriety of the Shrike shows its foundations.

Yet, on the very same basis, the efficacy of Creyden’s army was built; after ascending the throne, Queen Renfri saw to the training of her knights and soilers by herself. Her experience in pardonless fighting proved invaluable; thanks to it, she led her warriors – just as she had led her bandits before – to victory.

“Beat him, my Queen!” King Julian calls loudly so that his sister can hear him. “I know you can, you’ve practised for this!” he cheers her on, “Day and night, you did! You’ve dreamed of defeating–”

“My King... please!” Queen Renfri exclaims between blows, “Will you... stop... that?!”

“Never!” her brother proclaims, drawing some laughs from the crowd below.

The King’s support seems to bear fruit then – Queen Renfri’s strikes become even faster and more violent. The White Wolf can no longer last under the assault and yields. As he does so, loud applause for the Queen rings out in the ward.

“He let her win not to cause offence,” Eskel says.

King Julian chuckles, shaking his head. “You know your Lord well, don’t you?”

“He’s like a brother to me,” the witcher replies, “We’ve shared a strong bond since we were boys.”

King Julian only hums in response. Eskel considers him for a moment, then speaks again, “And yet, when Geralt returned to Kaer Morhen for the winter after three years of not doing so, he refused to speak of the bard who had kept him away, even to me. He ignored all my questions. He couldn’t hide his hurt from me, though.”

King Julian does not answer at once. Instead, he observes as Kan, the Captain of the Royal Guard, and Lambert, a witcher with fiery hair and even fiercer temperament, begin to spar. Yet, Eskel’s gaze on him is a heavy, insistent weight, and he surrenders eventually.

“I am guilty of hurting him,” he admits ruefully. “Geralt only knew me to be Jaskier the bard. A troubadour who loved him... but who wasn’t honest with him. When he discovered who I really was, he didn’t hear it from me.”

Eskel scowls but calmly inquires, “Why didn’t you tell him?”

“My own safety,” the King replies. “I feared for my life. I couldn’t tell him of how Stregobor imprisoned me in one of the towers of this very castle. Of how after I finally escaped, I ran and ran, and ran. I lived in fear of being pursued, stole and forged identities to survive.”

“He would’ve kept your secret at all costs,” the Wolf witcher counters.

“I know,” Julian agrees easily. “But the scars which Stregobor inflicted upon me were too fresh. I couldn’t bear to talk about it back then.”

The conversation lulls for a while after that. The two watch Kan and Lambert spar until it is Eskel who speaks.

“I’m glad to see that you’ve healed enough,” he says, bereft of any anger or judgement.

The King’s gaze snaps to his witcher companion, the look in his eyes as warm as a summer sky. “You’re too kind,” he says.

Julian then reaches out and tucks a strand of Eskel’s blonde hair behind his ear. His hand lingers there, by Eskel’s cheek. The witcher stills, clearly taken aback by the touch.

“Your Majesty?” he murmurs uncertainly.

The King hesitates. Gingerly, he starts rubbing his thumb against the witcher’s skin. The caress is met with no resistance and he confesses, “I find myself wishing to be near you every minute of the day. To wake up and fall asleep beside you.”

Eskel sighs and moves away. “King Julian –” he begins, his tone suddenly formal.

“Jaskier.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I’m Jaskier to my friends.”

The witcher nods. “Jaskier, then. You honour me with your attention, but I must ask you not to pursue any further intimacy with me.”

“Must?” Jaskier echoes. “Why do you “must”?”

“I... don’t want to make these negotiations any more difficult.”

“So loyal,” Jaskier says, regarding the witcher with admiration, “So dedicated, to staying in the shadows. Why won’t you let some light shine on you?”

Eskel smiles wryly. Then, he turns his head, displaying the side of his face that is terribly marred. “Some scars of mine will never heal,” he admits.

Jaskier’s features twist into an expression both pained and compassionate. “I could provide you with some relief, at least for a short while,” he offers, “I could take your worries away, ease the tension in your shoulders.”

The witcher seems immune to the ardent willingness. “No, thank you,” he declines. “I suspect you want me so because you see him in me. We bear a lot of resemblance to each other, I’ve been told.”

Jaskier is not deterred by the bitterness, nor the self-depreciation, in Eskel’s tone. With an earnest, wide-eyed gaze, he steps in closer towards the witcher.

“I see wonder in you,” he says quietly. “All the things you’ve told me about, about how much you do to serve your lord... You achieve whatever is asked of you because you care about your kin so deeply. What is your limit? Or can you make anything happen for the ones you love? What a wonder you are.”

Eskel looks upon Jaskier as if he was seeing him for the first time. “You are sincere,” he says.

Witchers, with their enhanced senses, are able to notice when someone is being disingenuine. The human body does not function normally when a lie leaves one’s mouth, and witchers have learnt to discern even the barest hints of untruth. Yet, it does not seem to be the case now.

“That I am,” Jaskier affirms, bold certainty in the whole of his posture. Then, he moves even closer to Eskel, looking deep into his amber eyes. “I cannot stop thinking about the wonder of you.”

“Gods be damned,” Eskel breathes out. “How am I to resist your song, Lark? How am I to deny you when you call to me so sweetly?”

Jaskier tilts his head up invitingly. “I call to you because I can hear you howling, Wolf,” he whispers, his voice low and husky.

Eskel cradles Jaskier’s face in his large, rough hands. The delicate features of Jaskier’s face seem overpowered by the lines of Eskel’s strong palms.

“You maddening creature,” the witcher murmurs.

They breathe the same air now and their eyes are half-shut, heavy-lidded with desire. They are drawn to one another, inch by inch. Their lips are about to meet in a kiss, but then loud cheers erupt below, extinguishing the heat between them. Eskel and Jaskier jerk away from each other and look down, searching for the source of the interruption.

Lambert has just won against Kan.

Eskel clears his throat. “Let me consider it,” he tells Jaskier, “I shall give you an answer later today.”

At dinner, Eskel and King Julian are seen to retire for the evening together.

Read the rest on AO3

#myfic #geraskier #jaskier/eskel #the accidental warlord and his pack #jaskier &renfri are disaster twins

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dittomander · 4 years

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A Comprehensive Guide to Magic in Elena of Avalor

With Elena of Avalor coming to a close, I decided to compile a guide to every spell, enchantment, potion, magical creature, and artifact that appears in Elena of Avalor, including use cases, limitations, and other facets of magic. Some notes on notation:

italics - formal name and presumably canon spelling for an incantation. Spellings are based off how things are spelled in the iTunes subtitles except where noted

[transcription approximate] - cases where the subtitles were either vague, incomplete, or absent and I had to make my best guess based on other standard spelling conventions used in the show

“quotations” - spells that had backfiring or incorrect results, where its unclear if it’s truly a unique spell that just wasn’t intended to be used or just a mispronunciation of the actual spell in question

I’ll be updating the spell list as the last few remaining episodes air. Currently up-to-date through Día de las Madres. Spells are listed in order of appearance, with Elena and the Secret of Avalor being treated as episode 0. Follow the link to the Google doc or go below the Readmore to see the spellbook.

Let me know if you notice any obvious absences and I will update accordingly.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xbylfktNY2clqLpLadPALaK4RxBL0-vpwyhRpLtjWj0/edit?usp=sharing

EDIT JANUARY 3 2021: The spellbook is now complete, at least in terms of content, all the way up through the finale. I’ve also corrected some spellings and added a few more miscellaneous magic descriptions. I’m still trying to sort out some updates for readability and organization, as well as approximate translations, but verion 1.0 is effectively done.

SCEPTER OF LIGHT SPELLS

Blaze - Blasting spell. Can destroy objects completely. Has the capacity to kill (or at least trap someone inside the jewel of its sister scepter) but not its primary function. Can be sustained with concentration.

Glow - Creates a bright light that can temporarily blind others, and banish magical darkness and creatures that thrive in magical darkness.

Reveal - Allows the caster to see through walls. The viewport is one-way. With additional concentration, can see through multiple walls at once.

Envision <noun> - Illusion spell. Projects an image of the stated noun that requires concentration to maintain. Can create multiple images at once, and even moving images.

Illuminate - Reveals invisible text. Requires concentration to maintain.

Waili telitsli la wheili y cawea senyowoh tonamit - [Transcription approximate] Ritual spell to seal away the Jewel of Maru. Requires the Scepter of Light.

Farsight - Scrying spell. Can view people or places from a distance when concentrated on. Assumed that it can be used on someone the caster has never seen but has not been confirmed.

Vanish - Invisibility spell. Can turn objects and people invisible. The last Level 1 scepter power that Elena learns.

Bloom - Creates a beam of light that when maintained, causes plants (and coral, which technically isn’t a plant but actually an animal composed of colonies of identical polyps) to grow. Possibly a Level 2 power, since it isn’t brought up until after Elena learns vanish, which Quita Moz states to be the final Level 1 power.

Magic deflection - Extra ability of the Scepter of Light after being powered up by the crystal forge of Takaína. No incantation required; simply striking the scepter against the incoming magic will deflect it. Unclear if this works on any spell or simply on offensive magic.

Truesight - Shows a projection of a past event to reveal the truth. Nicknamed “tattletale vision” by Flo. A rare case where the name of the scepter power is not the same as the incantation used to evoke it. Instead, it is activated by asking a question or saying “show us.” Extra ability post Takaína.

Seal it - Creates nearly indestructible crystals while maintained. A sword cannot break through them but the Moyacu’s jaw strength can. Notably the one spell that doesn’t seem to have an obvious connection to light. Extra ability post Takaína.

Ignite - Starts fires. Only used post Takaína, but unclear if this is a new scepter power or just a Level 2 standard power.

SCEPTER OF NIGHT SPELLS

Demolish - A blasting spell, but apparently not the Scepter of Night’s equivalent of blaze.

Inferno - Creates dark fire. Can be counterspelled by blaze, though it seems to be more the equivalent of ignite. The Scepter of Night’s most powerful ability, but dramatically drains the user’s strength.

Obscure - Temporarily blinds targets with cloud of red smoke. Likely the Scepter of Night’s equivalent of glow.

Chaos - Temporarily disorients and confuses the target.

TAMBORITA SPELLS

Illuminara <Name> Wayohel - Summons the chanul of the named individual. Apparently only requires the individual’s first name. Possibly requires a degree of concentration on the specified individual, since although the name ‘Alacazar’ is reasonably unique, I find it hard to believe there’s only one ‘Mateo’ in the entirety of Avalor.

Tlahcuilolli apartad, Tlahcuilolli apareced, Tlahcuilolli vivid - Ritual to reverse the enchantment that sealed Francisco, Luisa, and Isabel inside a painting. Chanted while striking a tamborita in a rhythm.

Vetzi - Basic knockback spell. Strong enough to cause damage to terrain but causes no lasting damage when used on a living creature.

Llévaluq/llevaluq/levaluq - Levitation spell. Can be used to lift one or more people and/or objects. Requires concentration. Also used to catch falling people and/or objects and lower them gently to the ground. A note on spelling: the former two are the ones used in the subtitles, but the spell is consistently pronounced as if it starts with one ‘L’ instead of with the Spanish ‘Ll’. The root word of the spell can’t be reliably used to determine the appropriate spelling, either, since both ‘llevar’ (to carry) and ‘levantar’ (to lift) could make sense in the context of a levitation spell. For the sake of my sanity and consistency with Fanon spellings, I’ll be using levaluq for the rest of this document.

Mortoloz jaquirando - Mortoloz appears to be the standard prefix for illusion spells, since it’s used in tandem with other words later. This specific variety conjures one or more sparkly images of jaquins.

Akatok - Petrification spell. Turns the target into a stone statue, and they remain unaware of events around them until the spell is reversed. Supposedly permanent after the next sunrise following the spell being cast, but can be reversed after an indefinite amount of time with the Maruvian Spellbreaker potion. When cast improperly, produces an ecatuul like effect, for some reason.

Ximocu - Shielding spell. Creates a deflective barrier around or in front of the caster that can reflect magic and physical hazards.

Bajaluq - A lowering spell. The opposite of levaluq. Unclear what the specific use cases are since it’s established that levaluq can also be used to carefully lower things.

Meyázami - A spell to bring the targeted object to the caster. Exclusively used by malvagos.

Canaza - A spell to bring the targeted object to the caster. Exclusively used by good-aligned wizards. It’s never explained why this spell in particular has a good and evil version.

Boqato - A knockback spell. Appears to be a more concentrated blast than vetzi. Presumably meant to be the malvago equivalent of the spell, but Mateo casts it once while offscreen in “The Jewel of Maru.” We don’t get to see if the spell works for him or not, though.

Solaza - A blasting spell. Treated as a wizard’s rough equivalent of blaze. Can destroy objects or blast holes, but appears to be less destructive than blaze since it doesn’t destroy the weathervane it makes contact with in “Nothing But Blaze”. Unclear what its effect on living creatures would be, since so far it has only made contact with objects, unless you count water spirits as alive, because that guy got obliterated.

Talact - Completely immobilizes target. Unclear if they are aware while immobilized. Can be reversed by zanamo, but unclear if this is the only way to undo it or if it would wear off after a certain amount of time.

Zanamo - Standard reversal spell. Dispels magical effects set by the caster. Olivia claims that it doesn’t work on other people’s magic, but Mateo once tried to use it to dispel Chiloya’s magic, and was confused when it didn’t work. In the context of that episode, it’s stated to have not worked because the enchantment on Chiloya’s ship prevented the use of any other magic, but the fact that Mateo still tried it implies that he expected it to work, despite someone else having cast the spell he was trying to dispel. Seeing as that was still in season 1, it was possible he just wasn’t an experienced enough wizard to realize it wouldn’t work regardless. As an additional discrepancy, it’s used in the spell to reverse someone’s malvago transformation, despite the initial spell being cast by someone else.

[Unknown Aesthetic Spell] - A wordless spell that changes background for a song in “Navidad.” Seeing as other characters are also able to change the background without use of magic, it’s possible that this was just done for flavor and is not an actual spell.

Nochecer - Creates a dome of magical darkness. Can be dispelled by glow.

Chihufeti - Creates a controlled burst of fireworks. Apparently an “advanced spell.”

“Chihuleti” - The mispronounced version of chihufeti. Creates an uncontrolled burst of fireworks. Unclear if this was just a result of chihufeti backfiring or if chihuleti is its own spell.

Yotzi - Spirit spell. Necessary for making a yotzi potion for banishing spirits. Unclear what it does beyond that.

Mocachi - Abundance spell. Used to create more of the liquid it’s cast on within its container. Unclear if it exclusively affects liquids.

“Moyotzi” - Conjures a water spirit when cast on well water. Unclear if this is a spell in its own right or just a backfiring effect from Olivia mixing up the abundance and spirit spells. Unclear what its effect would be when cast on other materials.

Desparci - Vanishing spell with a limited strength. Not powerful enough to banish a powered up water spirit. Just punches a hole through it instead.

Conglari - Freezing spell. Freezes a target solid, provided the target is not more powerful than what the caster can manage. Reversible by some means, but we’ve never seen it reversed on screen. Possibly zanamo would work? When cast improperly, it picks up the fire effect of the anchimon and ricochets it around, for some reason.

Mortoloz imagenar - Displays a sequence of illusory images in a magical viewport. Presumably the images displayed are controlled by the caster via concentration.

Mortoloz chihimagenos - Creates an illusory adversary that can be dispelled by contact.

Mortoloz cahuimatla - Creates an illusory timer in the shape of an hourglass.

Cachoa - Generates a gust of wind. Can be sustained without direct concentration, or can be just a short burst. The sustained variant can be dispelled by zanamo.

Latopo - Similar to chihufeti, creates a burst of fireworks.

Grandeluq - Enlarging spell. Works on objects and on people. Possibly doesn’t work on food, since Mateo apparently needs to make a potion to enlarge apples, anoki berries, etc.

Esfumarse - Dispels the illusory images of Victor and Carla Delgado. Unclear what this spell actually is. Possibly the way to dispel mortoloz variant spells? Possibly another generic blasting spell? We may never know.

“Hualaca” - [Transcription approximate] A wake up spell. Turns the twin xolo statues into actual giant dogs. Apparently bears verbal similarity to a speed up spell.

Nitla abrax conzaportil - An unlocking spell. We never get to see it in action.

Quittiz - Reveals invisible text. Similar to illuminate, but the text remains visible even without active sustainment of the spell.

Zapota - Opens the sealed doors of a Maruvian temple. Unclear how it interacts with locks.

[Unknown Light Spell] - Nonverbal spell to light torches, but since it’s cast during a musical number, we don’t get to hear what the incantation actually is, and it hasn’t been used since.

Boqata/poctaka - Unclear if it is a vanishing spell or a teleportation spell, but it creates a cloud of smoke that renders the caster and those standing near them not obviously present. A note on spelling: the former spelling is used when Fiero casts it in “The Race for the Realm”, the latter used when Victor casts it in “Song of the Sirenas”. Seeing as the effect is the same, they’re being treated as the same spell despite the drastically different spellings.

En cualani en malvago, en acualli en malvago, en catzacti en malvago - Ritual to transform someone into a malvago. First case of a “double hit” spell, though the concept of those types of spells isn’t introduced for several more episodes. Can be reversed by a wizard using the same incantation but ending with zanamo. Unclear if the target has to be willing or if this could forcibly transform them. The transformation includes: creating a tamborita, even in the absence of a chispa, a clothing upgrade, and (presumably) bestowing dark magic that operates in some sort of fundamentally different way than standard wizard magic, since there are curses that require dark magic to undo. Despite the unorthodox creation of the tamborita, the tool itself is apparently not the source of dark magic, since Mateo briefly threatens Victor with Victor’s own tamborita in “Naomi Knows Best”, but was unable to simply use a malvago tamborita to undo the sealing curse on Ixlan in “The Lightning Warrior”; rather, a malvago was a specific requirement to undo the spell. However, the malvago tamboritas are not utilized by the good-aligned characters at any point after the capture of the Delgados, even when the spare standard tamboritas are destroyed and new ones are needed, so there’s likely still some magical taboo against a wizard using a malvago tamborita.

“Hualoa” - Makes horses and coach run in rapid circles. Unclear if this is a spell in its own right or if this was just a backfiring effect from a mispronounced mualoa.

Mualoa - Speed-up spell.

Calooz - Dispels mualoa.

Ecatuul/ekatuul - Creates a powerful tornado that disappears after a short time. Its direction can be directly controlled, or it can be allowed to fly off on its own.

Oncholoz - Some sort of levitation or flight spell. Only used once, by Fiero, during his fight with Mateo in “Song of the Sirenas.” Not the malvago equivalent of levaluq, since Ash uses that spell later in the series.

Cepayák - Conjures a snowstorm that can rapidly spread across large distances.

Cepayák yamanák - Dispels a snowstorm. A double-hit spell. If cast incorrectly, it causes the snowstorm to worsen and spread even further.

Anahun - Imprisons creatures (or evil vases) in the Creature Compendium created by Alacazar. Requires a potion to reverse.

Clausanda - A shielding spell that puts up a large protective barrier around an area and prevents exit from said area. Presumably prevents entry into the area as well. Can be dispelled by another repetition of clausanda, even by another spellcaster. Notably discovered on a page from a spellbook describing Orizaba and the Eye of Midnight.

Doblecazán - Duplication spell. Creates an identical copy of the targeted object. Unclear if there are size or material restrictions on the spell. Unclear how it would affect living creatures.

Calterra - Used to dispel a possession spell that was afflicting King Joaqín. Possibly the spell that was used to control him in the first place, but we never see that cast. Unclear what the degree of direct control the caster has over the target while the spell is active. The possessed speaks in a monotone and has awkward, stilted movement, but still has their own handwriting.

Bilicú - Immobilization spell. Differs from talact in that the target is still obviously aware of what’s happening around them and can still speak. Also, their body can be physically manipulated by others, such as lowering their arms or taking things out of their hands, which does not seem to be the case with talact.

Emenari - Causes the target to emulate the motions of the caster, at least from the waist down, so that as the caster walks away, the target walks with them. The target is still able to move their arms freely.

Despoloz - A destruction spell, similar to solaza. Destroys the jewel from the Scepter of Night, which not even the high-powered blaze that destroyed the rest of the scepter could do.

Contali - A powerful blasting spell that proves fatal if it lands a direct hit. Dissipated enough to be non-fatal if blocked with a tamborita, but destroys the blocking tamborita (though not irreparably) in the process.

Macaquentia - Takes the clothes of the targeted person and puts them on the caster. Size and body shape differences do not seem to be an issue.

Cochimoc - Sleeping spell. Puts the targeted person to sleep, and can affect multiple people at once. Duration unclear.

Talazia - Throws the targeted person or object. Can act like a powerful knockback spell or be used to lift and throw an object.

Quamoti - Creates a barrier wall that prevents passage through it. Presumably does not require active concentration to maintain, and only lasts for a brief amount of time.

Calanía - Another speed spell. Dramatically speeds up an individual or targeted group, to a degree presumably controlled by the caster. On the small scale end, can speed up an individual horse. On the large scale end, capable of allowing a group to cross oceans in a matter of seconds.

Pesari - Creates trail of fake footprints for an indeterminate distance.

[Unknown Animation Spell] - Animates a suit of armor to attack a nearby adversary. Unclear if it is acting entirely on its own, on a simple instruction, or being directly controlled, although the latter seems unlikely since Mateo is mid-musical number at the time he casts it.

Siletzi - Silencing spell. Covers the mouth of the target. It’s dispelled by the caster snapping, however it’s unclear if this is built into the spell or if that was just a nonverbal cast of zanamo.

Cahua - Shielding spell. Creates a single pane barrier that dissipates magic rather than reflects it.

Huyacalli - Enlarging spell. Unclear what the distinction between this and grandeluq is, but there must be something going on there since Mateo insists he would’ve needed a potion to achieve this same effect prior to learning this spell. Possibly intended exclusively for edibles?

Pantoto - Changes one kind of bird into another kind of bird. Unclear if the resulting bird is random or if the caster selects it.

Quixcapa - Flips a person upside down, except then it flips them right side up again and seems to function like levaluq after that point until dispelled.

Ixotaz - Reveals the Dalia Salida on its bush.

Vetzilli - A powerful knockback spell. Based on the root of the word, it is likely the next level up from vetzi.

Portaliz - A blasting/knockback spell. Fairly nondescript.

Cascamo - Covers the ears of one or more people and prevents them from hearing anything.

“Reversamo” - Spins the caster (or their tamborita) around. Unclear if this is an actual spell or just a backfiring effect from an improperly formed spell.

Reveloa - Presumably, a revealing spell. Clears the roots blocking the doors of Chatana’s sealed chamber and the water blocking the Shadow Gateway.

Tlalt-ilitzli - Some sort of showy levitation spell. Unclear what the distinction is from levaluq or quixcapa. It might also conjure music?

Ayamín - Blocks an area or group of people from being scryed on. Duration unclear.

Quicana - Removes bindings. At the very least, removes bindings made of spiderwebs. Some of these spells have excruciatingly specific use cases so it's entirely possible it’s limited to that.

Levoltario - Levitation spell, similar to levaluq. Unclear why there’s a distinction. Regional dialects of magic, perhaps?

Flotamío - Levitates someone to the ground, similar to bajaluq.

Velatzi - A pushing spell, likely similar to vetzi. We never actually get to see it.

“Levatzi” - A vanishing spell of some kind. It’s unclear if the affected area is invisible or gone completely. Likely the former, since it can still be struck by spells. Also unclear if this is an actual spell or just a backfiring effect.

“Colarci” - Color changing spell. Creates a polka-dot pattern on the affected area. Unclear if the color can be specified by the caster, or if this is even an actual spell rather than a backfiring effect.

“Mongarki” - Unclear what this spell does. Something gross and unpleasant to look at, apparently. Unclear if this is an actual spell or a backfiring effect.

“Vicarsi” - Turns the target into gingerbread. Powerful enough to affect the palace and everyone inside it. Unclear if this is an actual spell or a backfiring effect.

“Vamoosi” - Distraction spell. Creates a puff of smoke and sparkles. I filed this under the “possibly not an actual spell” notation because I’m pretty sure it’s just supposed to be a joke, but there definitely was a magical effect so it still made the list.

Choctli quatic - Creates one or more tamboritas by fusing a chispas with the physical drum-wand. Unclear if a specific shape is required or if a chispa could be fused with anything, or at least with any drum-like object. It’s possible regular drums can be used, since the very first chronological use of tamborita magic in the series is actually done with a drum rather than a drum-wand, though it’s still referred to as a tamborita.

Mitzomo ticarsi - The reversal spell to turn something back from gingerbread into its normal material. Unclear if this is the only use case for this spell or if it can be used to restore things from other materials as well.

Cahuetzi quicaniz - A dark magic spell that reverses dark magic encasing spells. Repeated three times for the whole ritual, though the tamborita is only struck once.

Campatic - Opens and holds the mouth of the Moyacu. Unclear what the generic intended effect is. Must be maintained by the caster, and requires obvious physical effort to do so, which is rare for tamborita magic.

[Unknown Light Spell] - Produces a generic glowing effect that swirls around in front of the tamborita for a second or so.

Quitanzi - Similar to farsight. It projects an image of a faraway scene, and though it can work around the cloaking spell that impedes farsight, it does not include any sound. Shows a more ¾ view of a wide scene rather than farsight’s eye-level viewport.

Pitzini. Coyoni. Cehualli. Yohalli. - Ritual to open the Shadow Gateway and free the Shadows of the Night. A multi-hit spell, although unclear how many times the tamborita must be struck. The words are chanted 3 times, and the tamborita is struck at least 5 times over the course of the chant.

Malatza - Rapidly spins the target around like a top, to the point where they can spin away.

Ayahut - Imbues the targeted object with a paralysis effect, so that anything it strikes is held completely in place. Unclear if it wears off after a certain duration or a certain number of strikes.

Hui tlalli yot - A triple hit spell designed to banish creatures to the Spirit World. Possibly the spell that wiped out the Maruvians long ago. Has a chance of backfiring and banishing the caster and their allies instead. Apparently difficult to maintain, this is the rare case of a tamborita spell taking a physical toll on the caster.

WAND SPELLS

Vadisima - Destruction spell that completely obliterates target. Capable of destroying the barrier conjured by ximocu, but cannot blast through it. Fatal on contact with a human, barring intervention by magical amulets.

[Unknown Youth Spell] - A nonverbal, topically applied spell that removes wrinkles and age spots at the place touched.

Obscura - Darkness spell that covers the sky in storm clouds.

POTIONS

Akatok reversal potion - A potion to reverse the effects of the spell akatok. Must be used before the next sunrise to be effective. Only a drop is required to undo the entire effect, allowing a single batch of the potion to be enough to restore an entire room of people. Contains extract of whistle weed.

Yotzi potion - Banishes spirits. We never see it used. Requires the spell yotzi to be cast on it. Won’t solve your mouse problem.

Potion to break El Guapo curse - Breaks the possession curse on the sword of El Guapo, at least insofar as allowing the afflicted person to release the sword. Does not completely destroy the curse on the sword. Apparently takes hours to brew.

Enlarging potion - Makes fruits bigger when poured on them. Makes creatures bigger when consumed. Unclear how it affects other items, but apparently has distinct use cases from spells like grandeluq. When made improperly, it shrinks things instead.

Reversal potion for enlarging potion - Restores an enlarged creature to normal size when consumed. Presumably not the same as a shrinking potion, since a normal-sized object doused in it does not seem to be affected.

Human shapeshifting potion - A horrible smelling potion that when consumed, changes the physical appearance of the drinker, including their clothes. Does not last for an indefinite amount of time and wears off gradually, with the drinker’s appearance slowly turning back to normal. The effect does not fool mirrors.

Ensmalling potion - Shrinks creatures on contact.

Disappearing potion - Causes creatures to vanish on contact. Unclear if they’re just invisible or if this functions like desparci where the creature is intended to be vanished to… somewhere else.

Maruvian Spell Breaker - Can reverse the effects of the spell akatok, even after an indefinite amount of time. Unclear if this is supposed to be the same potion as the original akatok reversal potion and the writers just forgot about the time limit (which seems like a weird thing to forget given that it was such a significant plot point in its introduction episode) or if it really is something distinct.

Jaquin shapeshifting potion - Transforms someone into a jaquin of a conveniently similar color scheme to their own when poured on them. They remain transformed for an apparently indefinite amount of time until the spell is explicitly reversed by another potion. Fools mirrors, unlike the human shapeshifting potion.

Jaquin shapeshifting reversal potion - Reverses the effects of the Jaquin shapeshifting potion and restores the affected person to human form.

Releasing potion - Frees a creature (or evil vase) from the Creature Compendium when dripped onto the corresponding page. Thankfully doesn’t seem to soak through to other pages when poured in large quantities or “Movin’ On Up” would have been a much more challenging episode.

Ungilding potion - Reverses the effects of the noblin’s golden touch when poured on an affected object or creature.

Book spell reversal potion - Reverses the spell that sealed Alacazar’s spirit inside of a book to restore him to human form. Requires jaquin eggshell, mist of butterfrog breath, an indeterminate amount of other presumably common ingredients, and a petal of the Dalia Salida. The ingredients must be placed in a pouch and shaken in a rhythm while the associated spell is chanted.

A potion to magically inspire magnificent singing - Spreads a curse that compels people to break out into spontaneous song and choreography with no discernable music source, with the exception of whoever drinks it. Contains spidervine sap, McGuffin oil, and a lock of the caster’s hair, and then must be consumed. Unclear if the resulting effect is the intended one of the potion; Mateo points out that Armando messed up in making it, but doesn’t clarify if the potion was made incorrectly and thus produced a result different from what Armando expected, or if Armando misinterpreted what the potion was for in the first place.

Reversal potion for singing potion - Breaks the spontaneous musical curse. Contains spidervine sap, and is activated when the caster of the original curse sings. Rather than being consumed or poured, the potion just absorbs the curse back into the bottle.

Smoke cloud potion - Creates a cloud of smoke that dissipates after a short time.

Color changing potion - Changes the color and pattern of the creature it’s used on. Unclear if it’s completely random or if the pattern is decided by the brewer.

EMOTION MAGIC

Happiness - Yellow dress. Possible effects include: conjuring butterflies, growing flowers, compelling others to sing and dance, bringing inanimate objects to life, conjure rainbows

Anxiety - Purple dress. Possible effects include: making objects spin, creating rockslides, bringing paintings to life, making people run around fast (after consuming magical chocolate, specifically), bringing statues to life, breaks objects, making people dance ballet

Anger - Orange dress. Possible effects include: making objects fly around, bringing inanimate objects to life, turning a faucet to spray someone, cause dreams to manifest, summons aggressive vines, summons Esteban, lift large chunks of the ground

Calm - Cyan dress. Possible effects include: calming enraged creatures, restoring anxiety-activated magic to normal

Love - Pink dress. Possible effects include: calming enraged creatures, restoring anger-activated magic to normal, conjuring flowers, shape hedges

Sadness - Blue dress. Possible effects include: turns fountain spray into rain, conjure localized rain, compel others to cry

Self-doubt - Grey dress. Possible effects include: shrinking surrounding area

Forgiveness - White dress, gold detailing. Possible effects include: Reversing the magic of the Four Shades of Awesome

ESTEBAN STAFF MAGIC

Teleportation - Transports a person or object from one place to another. There are a few variants on how this ability works. Tapping the staff on the ground transports the user and surrounding people to an alternate location, typically not within view, and if the user has poor control, they can end up in random locations nearby. It can also be used by pointing the staff at a person or object and then pointing to the desired new location. Has a limited range, but with two people using it, it can even reach the Spirit World.

Farsight-esque - Scrying spell. Presumably, similar requirements and restrictions as the Scepter of Light’s farsight power apply.

Canaza-esque - Likely just the teleportation power again but it seems weird that an otherwise instantaneous teleportation effect would result in a magical beam battle, so this gets a separate listing. Presumably more powerful than canaza, seeing as it was also dragging Mateo across the ground.

NONSTANDARD SPELLS

“I wish to be small” - A power of the Amulet of Avalor that Elena bestowed upon Sofia during the events of Sofia the First. Shrinks Sofia down and is reversible upon her command. Still works even after Elena is freed from the amulet.

Shapeshifting into mermaid - A power of the Amulet of Avalor that Elena bestowed upon Sofia during the events of Sofia the First. Transforms Sofia into a mermaid on her request.

Ritual to free Elena - Wrapping the Amulet of Avalor around the wand that was used to seal Elena inside of it, and then placing it upon “The Crown of Aziluna” raises the statue of Aziluna from below the water (though not permanently) and frees Elena from the amulet. Unclear if the statue is specifically required or if Aziluna himself could have reversed it.

Nonverbal, wandless spell to change writing - A quick hand gesture to add a small piece of writing to a document. Unclear what the restrictions are on the length of the writing, the duration of the addition, or other factors, but can at least add a five-letter word. Unclear if there is an associated incantation for casting with a tamborita.

Mázico quitemo pok - Cast with a mázico to forcibly send someone to the Spirit World. The caster presumably has no control over where the target ends up.

Mázico místico más - Cast with a mázico to bestow the target with spirit guide stripes and all their associated powers, including the ability to traverse between the spirit and human world and locate the people they’re meant to guide. Unclear what would happen if cast on something that isn’t a spirit.

Purun - Forces the target to dance. Cast with a feather. Unclear if this is also a valid tamborita spell.

Assorted Chiloya spells - Chiloya can also use his feather to dispel purun and cause items to vanish.

The immortality spell - Enchanted the Alegría so that all those on board remain immortal. Once a year, the ship can pick up new crew members that also fall under the spell. No other magic works on board the ship except for that of the Captain. Unclear if it’s possible to ever leave the ship once the spell has taken hold.

“Magic from the great beyond, turn this stone into a wand” - The incantation to turn a magic-infused gemstone into a usable magic wand. Fails if the stone does not have enough power in it.

Amaláy’s conjurings - Despite being a ghost, Amaláy can still make use of magical abilities; although it could be that these abilities are due to her being a ghost. It’s unclear which. She performs magic to conjure a windstorm and manipulate floating masks, and both these spells are unspoken.

Coyo mote tozaza - Reveals hidden writing on Commander’s Rock and opens (and closes) the door, provided a jaquin paw is in contact with the switch stone outside.

Nonverbal, wandless silencing spell - Briefly seals the mouth of the target so they can’t speak, although they can still make noise. Possibly a variant on siletzi.

Vaya raya mística - A spirit guide spell to transfer one’s spirit guide stripes to another spirit. Requires contact between the two spirits.

Regresa raya mística - Spirit guide spell to reclaim one’s spirit guide stripes from another spirit. Requires contact between the two spirits.

Cuan metzli alza el atl, mocentlalia mágica de cihupilli a mi - Incantation for a ritual to siphon away another’s magic. Performed by holding the jewel from the Scepter of Night over the spell’s victim at moonrise. The incantation is repeated at least twice for the full ritual, and the jewel must be exposed to the moonlight. Unclear if this ritual would only work on Elena or if it would work on other magical individuals or creatures as well. Potentially fatal to the target of the ritual. Unclear if the magic is siphoned into the caster or into the jewel.

Assorted Zopilote magic - Zopilote can shapeshift at-will into a vulture, summon items to him without a wand, and shoot blasts of magic without a wand. It’s unclear if these are abilities specific to Zopilote or if he is simply casting non-verbal magic. He does use a tamborita later to perform at least the latter two abilities.

Caja coyó hina loyá - [Transcription approximate] The incantation associated with the use of the book spell reversal potion.

Nahua cencama momaquá - Old Maruvian releasing spell to break magical seals. Translates to “magic word escape.” Can be cast with a tamborita, but can also be cast by just reciting the words. It’s unclear which situations necessitate a wand to be used with the incantation.

Nahua cencama cazá - Old Maruvian disempowering spell that both removes the Chiki-Chiki’s ability to curse others and reverts the curses it had already cast. Unclear if this disempowering spell is specifically designed for the Chiki-Chiki or if it would work on other magical creatures as well. Does not require a wand to cast.

Nahua cencama quazicá - Old Maruvian sealing spell to imprison creatures. Does not require a wand to cast. Unclear why this is different from just closing the door to the shrine it was cast on.

Chatana summoning rituals - “Legs of spider black as the night, wings of an eagle, a web woven tight, fast as the wind, sharp as a bite, conjure a creature to give them a fright.” Conjures arañaguilitas. “Jellyfish, grow kraken size, with mighty wings and opal eyes.” Conjures a giant jellyfish. “Tibur��n teeth and dragon fire-” Presumably would conjure a shark-like creature. Presumably all require Chatana’s diadem to cast, but unclear if anyone else would be able to replicate this effect even with the diadem. Chatana can also shoot generic blasts of magic.

Assorted Bronzino effects - Bronzino produces multiple magical effects, often without a tamborita, making it difficult to gauge which are spells, which are sleight of hand, and which are just flavor for the musical number, so they’re all grouped here for simplicity’s sake. These effects include: conjuring flowers, appearing in a puff of smoke, voice throwing, conjuring and dispelling conjured lions, growing muscles, conjuring a tea set, conjuring a flying shark, turning a flying shark into flowers, conjuring money, conjuring a crowd of people, conjuring a horse, and making a fountain spray water in patterns.

Coyo nahua kalikwah - Old Maruvian revealing spell to expose a magically disguised passage.

“Toktlee choktlee hekuppah” - Likely supposed to be toctli choctli hekupa, given other standard spelling conventions. Restores a withered chispa plant to a healthy state.

Tlaso tonatu, tlaso mestli, tlaso tipak - Ritual to supposedly create a circle of peace. Chanted while pacing in a circle and shaking a bundle of herbs. Unclear if there’s an actual magical effect.

MAGICAL CREATURES/ENTITIES

Jaquins - Flying jaguars capable of speech that are native to Vallestrella. They lay eggs to birth their young and seem to have a consistent, species-wide preference for the taste of anoki berries. Young jaquins can fly and speak in simple sentences shortly after hatching. Jaquins are specifically the only creatures that can open the gateway between Avalor and Vallestrella, but it’s unclear if they have any specific supernatural abilities beyond that.

Chanuls - A type of spirit that acts as a guide to humans, providing them with advice when they’re struggling. Wizards can conjure and speak to their chanuls with a spell. Each chanul has multiple humans that they’re tasked to guide, but it’s unclear if there is a cap on the amount. Chanuls must train before they are granted the magic stripes that let them pass between worlds to advise their humans.

Noblins - Small, purple, bipedal creatures capable of speech and at-will shapeshifting into dogs. They can also blow large gusts of wind and turn objects and living creatures to gold with a single touch. This effect is not reversible by the noblins themselves, but can be reversed by other means.

Rocadors - Large creatures that appear to be made entirely of stone and live near volcano peaks. They have some sort of bond with their volcano of residence such that they can cause it to erupt when their tempers flare. They can also cool their bodies by calming themselves. Unclear if the species as a whole is prone to struggles with anger management or if it’s just a wacky coincidence that the two rocadors we’ve met had that problem. Unclear what the status of a rocador’s volcano is once it moves out.

The Yacalli - A very polite and powerful giant that guards the bujitos of Cordoba. He wakes up when their homes have been endangered. Unclear if he has any supernatural abilities beyond existing.

Duendes - Mischievous elves from another world that can turn invisible at will for an unclear duration. Three especially significant ones can use their jewels to form a key that opens the portal to their world. Speak in a jabber.

Marposas - Bright purple dolphin-like creatures that lay eggs on the shore and have very devoted parent/child relationships.

Orizaba - A moth fairy that lives in the spirit world and gains the ability to cross into the human world during a total solar eclipse. She is only able to stay as long as the sun is blocked, and light harms her by burning holes in her wings and stifling her powers. Her powers include flight, shooting blasts of magic, and conjuring swarms of moths, which can be used to bind others, snuff out torches, and form shapes.

Troyo - A talking coyote with super speed.

Zanies - A group of especially eccentric spirits that live in the Loop of the Spirit World. Prone to making random strangers their rulers.

Water Spirit - Large, humanoid entity made entirely of water. Grows stronger by absorbing more water and can shoot blasts of it at adversaries. Unclear if this entity was created or summoned from a different world.

Butterfrogs - Brightly colored frogs with butterfly wings native to Vallestrella.

Velociervos - Brightly colored, exceptionally fast deer native to Vallestrella.

Peabunnies - Brightly colored rabbits with peacock tails native to Vallestrella. They have an elaborate friendship ritual involving dancing.

Flaringos - Brightly colored, remarkably relaxed flamingo-giraffe hybrids native to Vallestrella.

Sunbirds - Large and powerful feathered serpents that live for centuries and have an assortment of supernatural powers, including shapeshifting, projecting illusions, and restoring power to magical items. At least one has proven capable of divination, and can listen to the flames to see visions of the past and predict the future. One other was reportedly a powerful magical healer, such that even a statue of him can break powerful magical curses.

Marimonda - A forest sprite with powerful nature bending magic. She can create vines, trees, flowers, and other plants at will and in large amounts. Very agile.

Chonopos - Mischievous creatures said to come out from the underground during thunderstorms after three consecutive lightning strikes. They play pranks on people, like stuffing mud in their socks, stealing their food, or putting rocks in their pillow. Unclear if they’re real creatures or not, since they’re never seen in the show.

Sirenas - Aquatic humanoid people with fishlike tails and the power to sing a hypnotic melody that lures sailors into crashing their ships. Certain sirenas can turn their tails into legs when they go on land, based on their parentage. They only eat seaweed and kelp. Unclear what their relationship is to the mermaids that exist in other parts of the EverRealm.

Cuco & Ocho - A talking hippocamp and octopus, respectively. Unclear if they have any supernatural abilities beyond that.

Malandros - Talking, shapeshifting river dolphins. Whatever they shapeshift into seems to always have the purple color scheme of the malandros.

The Macoco - A two headed, talking sea beast. A powerful swimmer, and also capable of walking on land.

Kupi-Kupi - A creature capable of cursing people so that they run backward for an indefinite amount of time. The curse is cast via eye contact. Very agile, and speaks in a jabber.

Anchimon - A small, fiery imp that starts fires wherever it steps. A powerful jumper. Speaks human language, but only in small, broken phrases. Created by Chatana.

Chatana - A winged sorceress with the power to create magical creatures of varying degrees of sapience. Gains her power from a golden diadem that she wears. Unclear what she is capable of without it. Unclear how others would be affected by wearing the diadem themselves, but presumably it’s usable only by Chatana, since otherwise there would have been no reason for Ash to recruit her once she had the diadem in her possession.

Dragallos - Fusion of a lizard and chicken that can eat disproportionately large amounts of food very rapidly. Capable of treating even typically inedible material, like rocks, as edible. Native to Vallestrella, and a rare case of a Vallestrella creature not speaking human language, instead just communicating in a jabber. They can move at fast speeds by rolling up.

Alpacamundis - Fusion of an alpaca and a coatimundi. Native to Vallestrella.

Snurtles - Fusion of a turtle and a snail. Very slow. Native to Vallestrella.

Chiki-Chiki - A small blue gnome created by Chatana that curses people with a never-ending laughing fits when it touches them. Can be rendered harmless by a disempowering spell, at which point any already cast curses break as well.

Pili - A talking weasel conjured by Chatana with the ability to spit small bursts of fire.

Sea Nymphs - Humanoid women with nature bending powers, specifically over water. They can raise and lower precise sections of it at will, even in areas where they themselves are unable to reach. They can also create and destroy barriers that can imprison other sea nymphs, along with magical, concealing fog.

Tziloco - A magical, talking bat with the power to shapeshift into other creatures. He can also use his wings to detect when he or someone near him is being scried on.

Arañaguilitas - Baby spider eagles created by Chatana. They fly in swarms and shoot entangling webs.

Kizin - A giant created by Chatana. Capable of speaking, but uses babyish speech patterns. His skin deflects magic, with the exception of a small patch on the bottom of his left foot.

The Moyacu - A giant sea beast that guards La Isla de Yalcatura. Large enough to eat small ships whole and has a strong enough bite to break the crystals conjured by seal it, making it the first thing we’ve seen powerful enough to break them.

Giant Jellyfish - A giant jellyfish created by Chatana. Has a powerful, electric sting and can float through the air.

The Four Shades of Awesome - Formerly known as The Shadows of the Night, this group of four powerful magical entities destroyed the civilization of Maru long ago before the Jewel of Maru was used to seal them away. The specific entities are detailed below.

Vuli - The Chaos Shade. With a single touch, he can cause the targeted creature to behave erratically. The affected creature seems to still have awareness and control of their actions, but their perceptions are skewed in such a way that they may attack their allies or take other abnormal actions.

Yolo - The Animal Shade. Can shapeshift at will into another animal or forcibly shapeshift another creature into another animal by firing a ball of blue magic at it. Implied that the resulting creature is random, even to Yolo, but that may be a choice on his part. His powers can affect the other Shades as well.

Hetz - The Weather Shade. Can conjure powerful, localized thunderstorms, and can be destroyed by his own power.

Cahu - The Time Shade. The most dangerous of the shades. She can slow down time in a localized area by turning her hourglass on its side, and she can freeze an individual or an object in time in the form of a stone tablet by striking them with a sand grain.

Grand Macaw - The eccentric ruler of the dark side of the Spirit World. Has a fondness for parties, olaball, and ambiguous promises. The only spirit that can allow a mortal that has fallen through the Shadow Gateway to return to the human world.

MISC

The Amulet of Avalor - A powerful Maruvian relic with an assortment of powers. It can draw its wearer inside of it to protect them, trap others inside as a prison, dole out powers and curses based on the will of someone contained inside of it, or acts as a more general wish granting artifact when someone is not inside. Bestows magical powers upon someone trapped inside for a long duration.

Wand - A type of arcane focus usable by certain spellcasters. Made from gemstones that have already been imbued with magic. Spells are cast by pointing the wand at the target and saying the corresponding word or words, but apparently there is some additional factor required to use one. Certain spells can be cast wordlessly.

Tamborita - A drum wand used by Avaloran and Maruvian wizards. Made from a variety of materials. A regular wizard’s tamborita gets its power from a gem called a chispa, but a malvago tamborita gets its power from another malvago casting a ritual on it. Spells are cast by pointing the wand, striking the drum, and saying the corresponding word or words. Some spells take multiple hits to cast. Presumably, a skilled wizard can cast certain spells without a verbal component.

Scepter of Light - A Maruvian arcane focus created by Amaláy, the final Royal Wizard of Maru, and powered up by a dip in the magical well of Takaína. In its original state, it could control light in all its forms, and had a finite list of spells revolving around that principle. Unclear what the extent of its powers are in its new state, but can now manipulate physical matter as well by creating crystals. Capable of destroying the Scepter of Night, but apparently not the scepter’s jewel. Only channels ‘good’ magic. Glows when in contact with someone with powerful good magic. Spells are cast by just pointing the scepter and saying the corresponding word or words.

Scepter of Night - A Maruvian arcane focus considered equal and opposite to the Scepter of Night. Never explicitly stated to have also been created by Amaláy, and depicted as being wielded by an unknown spellcaster on the walls of Tepet Muul. Presumably, it can control darkness in all its forms. Capable of damaging the Scepter of Light, but is ultimately destroyed by it. The pieces can be safely separated and put back together, but the parts are inert while separated, save for the jewel, which can be used in other dark magic rituals. Spells are cast by pointing the scepter and saying the corresponding word or words.

Magic cell bars - Enchanted, glowing green bars used to imprison the Noblins under Shuriki’s rule. Unclear what benefit they provide over regular prison bars, since they vanished upon Shuriki’s defeat.

Fountain of Youth - A magical spring located on the vanishing isle of Santalos. Drinking the water makes the drinker younger, presumably in rough proportion to the amount of water consumed. The effect occurs in fairly abrupt stages and does not kick in immediately after drinking.

Aging flower - A magical flower located on the vanishing isle of Santalos. Eating petals of the flower makes the consumer older, presumably in rough proportion to the amount consumed. The effect kicks in much faster than the effect of the water from the Fountain of Youth.

Enchanted journal - A notebook formerly owned by Alacazar that has been enchanted to reveal clues that lead to the discovery of the hidden Codex Maru. Each clue is revealed as the former is solved, with the exception of the first, which is revealed by the Royal Wizard asking the book where to find the Codex. Probably a good thing it was Mateo that ended up in the position.

Eye of Midnight - A powerful Maruvian jewel that can freeze a solar eclipse in place when the jewel is placed atop the Sun Stone in the park. It can be destroyed by glow, and once destroyed, the frozen eclipse will end.

Alchemy - A process that seems to be somewhere between chemistry and potion making. Capable of turning liquids into solids and back without temperature changes. A beginner's form of magic, but unclear what its practical uses are.

Invisibility spell/potion - Something is used to turn the statuettes in Realm of the Jaquins invisible, but we never see if it is a spell, potion, or some other kind of magic. The objects themselves are rendered invisible, though they still leave shadows.

Quita Moz’s magic jars - Enchanted jars used to contain magical creatures. Anything that partially enters one is sucked inside and trapped when the jar is closed. It can be freed by opening the lid.

Cursed gecko statuette - A small golden gecko statue that transforms anyone who takes it from its pedestal into a giant gecko. The curse can be broken by returning the statue.

Coza Kex - An enchanted fire opal used by the Maruvians to punish wrongdoers with a “dose of their own medicine.” The curse is inflicted by contact with the stone, and undone by reversing the action that the stone deemed inappropriate. The stone can adjudicate these wrongdoings and curses on its own, without any input from a spellcaster.

Enchanted masks - A trio of full-head masks shaped like a bird’s head, a crocodile’s head, and a bull’s head. When worn, they partially transform their wearers into the creatures they depict. The curse is broken by removing the masks. Unclear if more of these masks exist.

Jewel of Maru - Supposedly, the most powerful magical jewel in the Kingdom of Maru. Powerful enough to drive back the forces of darkness that escaped from the spirit world, but also completely wiped out the Maruvians in the process.

Cursed sword of El Guapo - A sword that once belonged to a General that called himself “El Guapo”, and now contains his disembodied spirit. When held, Guapo’s spirit hijacks the wielder’s body and exercises a limited amount of control over it. He can control it in totality for unclear periods of time, but if the host’s and Guapo’s objectives are not aligned, they fight for control of the body, with Guapo having varying degrees of control over different body parts. The sword also returns to the new wielder’s hand regardless of measures taken to contain or dispose of the sword until the curse is broken. The curse can be broken with a special potion, though it only removes the spirit from the host body, not the sword.

Nico Quixo - A large, magical, Maruvian hammer than when held, hammers whatever is in front of it automatically. Can drag its user roughly around if they aren’t strong enough to control it.

Milagra - A special type of seaweed that acclimates people to the water. When wrapped around a person’s torso, it allows them to breathe underwater, and when wrapped around their legs as well, it transforms them into a sirena. The sirena transformation does not become permanent until the tail stops glowing.

El Escudo - A shield enchanted to block magical attacks. Operates like the spell cahua, where it stops the magic short rather than redirecting it.

Red Avari blossom - A plant that when eaten, can reverse a sirena transformation, provided that the transformed sirena’s tail has not stopped glowing yet. Grows on Isla Botigua.

Vidaflor - A dandelion-like plant with seeds that can temporarily restore youth to someone by blowing the seeds onto them. Very rare.

The breath of life - An enchantment obtained by touching the forehead of the statue of Aziluna. It manifests as a glowing orb of light that can restore life to the dying when they inhale it.

Grotto Metamo - A cavern in Vallestrella that contains a magical tree, capable of forcibly transforming people that come into contact with its roots. To transform a creature, one must say the name of the desired creature, and the next thing to come into contact with the roots is transformed permanently unless the one who called the transformation decides to turn them back. Direct contact is not necessary; simply coming into contact with water that the roots are in can also cause the transformation.

Sunbird Temple Curse - A chamber of a Maruvian sunbird temple enchanted to curse the people inside it if anyone raises their voice too much. The curse in question shrinks the occupants, and can be reversed by a simple enlarging spell.

Crystal forge of Takaína - A well of magic crystals underneath a temple in Tepet Muul. The crystals hold immeasurable power, and reportedly contact with just one is enough to grant a person powerful and potentially dangerous magic. Falling into the well grants an enormous magical boost, along with a costume change. The Maruvians made all their magical artifacts at this forge. Presumably can’t be teleported into.

Fire stones - Some type of magical reagent found only in Paraíso. Unclear what their specific use is.

Salma - A silver guitar that places people under a trance when they hear music played on it, with the exception of the one playing. The affected can be distinguished by an eerie blue glow washing out their regular eye color. While under its spell, they perform any orders given by the one playing, even to the point of attacking their allies.

Bolagro - A bag that’s enchanted to fit anything inside, regardless of size. The bag stretches around whatever it is trying to contain, and then shrinks back down to its regular size. Implied to only be able to hold one thing at a time.

Ixlan’s gloves - A set of gloves enchanted with powerful lightning magic that drastically enhance the power of the wearer’s blows. Unclear if they only work for Ixlan or if another wearer could utilize their full power.

Quita Moz’s closet - A pocket dimension used for storing magical artifacts like the crystal tamborita and sending people on Wonderland-esque quests. Either contains a myriad of magical creatures living in the pocket dimension, such as golden noblins, a talking jaguar, and tiny glowing ghosts, or just conjures elements as needed for the quests. Likely the latter given the presence of Peaches the guinea pig and the grumpy butterfrog.

The Shadow Gateway - A portal to the Spirit World located under the ocean just outside of Nueva Vista. A sigil on the wall of Nueva Vista lights the way to it. The portal is specifically used to trap the Shadows of the Night within the Spirit World, and a mortal entering through the Shadow Gateway can only be returned to the human world with permission of the Grand Macaw.

Potion-holding arrows - Arrows designed to hold small amounts of potions in the arrowheads, so that the potion can be activated on the arrow’s contact with a target.

#elena of avalor #eoa #disney #eoa spellbook project #praying that the readmore works bc this post is a doozy and it's my first time using one #this started as a personal reference but I got lost in the sauce #ditto original

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vore-scientist · 4 years

Text

The Discourteous Duke

[Safe, soft, G/t M/m vore with fear.play and tiny female observer]

A Tale of the Mystic Woods

Summary: An asshole from Princess Sophia’s past shows up at Yonah’s wizard tower and finally learns his lesson about not making unwanted romantic advances and taking no for an answer (and hopefully stops making shitty poetry). Lots of G/t interaction in this one.

Warnings: A lot of fear.play. Intended to be comedic, Yonah and Sophia make some pretty intense/morbid taunts, however nothing graphic/detailed but the implications are unsettling so beware. I personally feel it is Hilarious banter!

[All character involved are adults.]

If you enjoy my story, please tell me so, and reblog if you can. I live for feedback! And reblogs spread my work.

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The sun was setting slowly behind the Kingdom of Orr, and the Mystic Woods. Not that Sophia nor Yonah could see the outside, even with the magical windows in the living room that displayed the area around the tower. The pair really needed to get their sleep schedule in order, what had been meant to be a brief snooze, just 10-20 min between potion brewing and enchanting, had turned into almost 3 hours. The half-giant had made the mistake of laying down and Sophia made the mistake of laying on Yonah’s ample middle. So soft, and as it rose up and down with his breathing she was lulled almost comatose. Especially with one of his hands pressing down on her like the warmest weighted blanket, removing all worries and anxieties.

And yet Sophia woke up as a migraine-inducing familiar sound reached her ears.

She shouldn’t have been able to pick up such a quiet sound, especially since Yonah stayed slumbering. But to the princess this sound was so distinct, so irritating, her hearing had become especially attuned to detect it even at the lowest decibel.

What is this amazing sound? Don’t get ahead of yourself. Sophia is still unsure if she really heard it or if it was in her dreams, causing the dream to become a nightmare so quickly as to wake her up instantly. But as she was now awake in a very quiet room, except for Yonah’s breathing.. ohhhh the slow rumbling was incredibly soothing, and his pulse, steady and strong beneath her, tempted her back to sleep.... Unfortunately that noise… as she calmed a bit she heard it again. That noise was in fact very real, and it made her blood boil.

Without waking Yonah (a feat that deserved an entire epic written about it) Sophia slipped out from under the giant’s hand, sliding nimbly down his side. She almost fell very audibly to the floor, since Yonah’s girth did not leave any couch cushion for her to land on, but she anticipated this and swung to grab onto the lower seam, which was just a little higher than her height above the ground. So she dropped without making a sound.

Amazingly Yonah still did not wake as she hurried out to the staircase and started up the stairs. Aggravatingly the noise only grew louder. Which made Sophia start to stomp her way to the window once she was in the workshop and even if she could not discern words, her fears had been confirmed. Maybe fears isn’t the right word. She was not scared of the noise, she was mad at it. At the person making it.

Full of rage she clambered up to the windowsill and made her second mistake of the day, looking down.

50ft below with hair so platinum blonde it was like a beacon in the dimming light, eyes so blue they were a cloudless sky, a nose so sharp it could prick holes in leather, and a smile of perfect teeth so broad it almost tore at his face, stood The Duke. To Sophia’s extreme dismay he was holding a lute. Of course he brought the damn lute! That’s what she had been hearing. That and.

| There once was a young lass from Orr. And she was Never a Bore. As she danced to my music, her heart did totally lose it. Sophia and the Duke be True Loves for Sure |

Ugh. His voice was just as bad as she remembered. Sultry yet whiny. The absolute worst. She glared down as best she could, even if he wasn’t paying attention, and hopefully couldn’t see her expression from that far. And his POETRY - It was so deeply terrible Sophia wanted to cry. But she didn’t, because he might hear her-

“Ah Is that my Dear Sophia so high in yonder window?”

NO!!!!!!

Of course he had looked up! Why the fuck had she looked down!!?!? She could not look him in the eyes. Eye contact would be a third and final mistake.

“FUCK OFF DUKE!” She called down with her eyes tightly shut.

“Ah!” his voice confidence did not waver, “But I am here to rescue you, and win your heart!” he strummed the lute.

“The lovely Sophia, trapped so in despair, I bid thee to let down your hair!” No. That wasn't the worst rhyme she’d ever heard. But it was up there.

Instinctively she held her braid, not to undo it, but as if it would undo itself just to fulfill the fairytale. It could! It was very long, just like that girl from the original tale, though her name was lost to time. Thankfully it didn’t, but a small voice in her head did suggest pulling it all out and using it to strangle the Duke.

“Even if it was long enough, which it is NOT,” she shouted down, “I wouldn’t do so for you! Go away!”

“Then shall climb up the old fashioned way,” said the Duke, putting his lute on his back.

Sophia had not expected him to leave. He never listened to her. Not years ago, not now.

When Sophia was about 16 she’d come to terms with the fact that she would never be sexually or romantically attracted to anyone. She’d tried a few times before, and even a few times after, but every attempt was painful, mostly emotionally, for everyone. After that it was common knowledge among the nobility. Spreading news about someone’s orientation was important, so that it could be respected. It was pretty embarrassing when, for example, a prince rescued a princess who wasn’t into princes. But even when Sophia’s status was made known, that didn’t stop a few folks from trying to rescue her once she was kidnapped.

Or in this asshole’s case, from courting her very publicly and loudly.

Over and over and over again.

Before she was even sent away! And Ben refused to ban him from the kingdom because he didn’t want to set a precedent of using his position of power to remove those who were simply an annoyance. He did however ban Duke from the castle. Eventually.

Sophia had tried a lot of things to get rid of him. Dumping honey and feathers on him from her bedroom window. She tried cursing him (which… failed spectacularly). She even tried shooting him, with blunted arrows but still… Thankfully she was a terrible shot. But she’d also tried, you know, TELLING HIM SHE WAS NEVER GOING TO BE INTERESTED.

Perhaps he needed a stronger message, and one that had not been possible before. A small part of her felt a bit bad for coming up with this plan, he didn’t really deserve this treatment. No wait. He totally did. He fucking harassed her for years and had gotten it in his stupid head that because she’d been kidnapped he could now rescue her. In theory she was to marry whoever rescued her. Not that her father would force that tradition on her. With little convincing that small part of her rejoined the rest. And she smiled as she heard movement from downstairs.

She took one more glance down the window. Duke, engrossed as he was with avoiding the illusory thorns, noticed and smiled up.

“I am coming my sweet chocolate princess”, he smiled with perfect teeth.

Sophia did not tell him off, though his offensive comparison of her skin color to chocolate made her wish the thorns were real and poisonous. Instead she climbed down to the floor and then back up, onto the workshop table. It was just a better set up there. Easier to get into character if Yonah was sitting down opposite her. Plus she wanted to see if Duke would fall to the floor. That was always amusing.

When Duke reached the window he looked confused to find her on a table, especially given that, from his perspective, the room looked normal.

“Sophia, what are you doing over there?” he asked so sickeningly sweet.

“Why don’t you come and find out?” She still avoided his gaze.

His eyes got wide as for the first time ever she hadn’t told him to scram. Then Sophia cackled as loud as she could when indeed, the Duke dropped to the floor, and crumbled as the distance was much greater than it appeared.

“My love, why must you laugh at my agony?” He almost sounded like he might finally get the hint. Almost.

Sophia resisted saying she wasn’t his love. It was pointless. Anyways, the unmistakable footsteps of a half-giant walking up stairs had been getting louder, until the trap door lifted and Yonah entered the scene.

The half-giant wizard had taken his time arriving. Probably calming his hair down, as it tended to make funny shapes when he slept on his couch. Even from across the room he towered over Duke. Yonah looked at Sophia, then Duke, then back at Sophia, a bit bemused.

“This. This must be your-”

Duke paled, which Sophia had not thought possible, but he didn’t immediately run. Which meant she and Yonah were going to have some fun. He had clearly forgotten that captive princesses were guarded by their captors, who were usually monsters. Idiot.

“Yonah, could do me a favor and eat this fucker?” She waved a hand at Duke.

With the skill of a true professional, Yonah’s face became one of wicked glee, and whipped his head around to lock eyes with Duke. Making sure to show his teeth, he licked his lips and approached Duke.

“It would be my pleasure,” he said, and scooped up the nobleman who had not yet processed what Sophia had said.

He carried Duke over to the worktable, holding him tightly in one hand. As he heard the giant’s stomach rumble he connected the very blatant red dots.

“No- please- don’t eat me!” he pleaded, then, thinking correctly that he couldn’t persuade the giant, “Sophia- You cannot be serious!”

“I sure can!” she said, ‘Gods it’s going to be great to finally be rid of you.”

Yonah in the meantime was removing the duke’s accoutrement: a sword, the lute, anything he didn’t want the duke to have once in his stomach. All the while the duke was crying. Sophia had jumped from the table to Yonah’s lap and clambered to his shoulder, laying across it to enjoy the duke’s emotional peril.

“Please, I’ll do anything! Anything!” he pleaded, as Yonah licked his lips again.

“Oh but you are! I told you to leave, so you’re leaving. Just not alive,” Sophia said, both cheerfully and menacingly. “Goodbye!”

On that cue Yonah shoved the man headfirst into his mouth.

Sophia, for all she loved being the one eaten by Yonah, she also loved watching other people get eaten by her wonderful wizard. She liked seeing his teeth barred as he worked a person to the back of his throat, as he was unable to close his mouth until the last moment. He looked a little ridiculous, but also powerful, and happy, swallowing down something that by all means should be impossible. The distortion of his throat was both freaky and very cool to see, and if the person was strong the struggles were visible.

She liked seeing him take the last exciting gulps that got the person down his throat and the swelling of his neck recede down, the last impression of the person disappearing into him.

As that happened with Duke she hauled herself over Yonah’s shoulder and slid down his chest, dropping into his lap a few swallows before Duke arrived in his stomach. In anticipation, she hugged Yonah’s stomach, and felt the duke get squeezed into it. She giggled.

Visually it didn’t make much of a difference from an outside perspective. Yonah looked a little fuller, but that was it. Though, Duke’s muffled screams did penetrate the fleshy prison. His previously irritating voice was now music to Sophia’s ears. Some of his more forceful struggles produced movement visible to those looking for it, and was very obvious to Sophia who still embraced her giant. She did shift to lean her hand on a spot that she felt confident Duke’s elbow had been.

“Thanks Yonah,” she said, looking up into the proudly evil face. She made sure she was loud enough for Duke to hear her.

Yonah beamed with his shimmering fangs even if Duke couldn’t see him. “My pleasure, Sophia. He tasted amazing!”

Then he leaned back and pat his stomach affectionately. He was not acting, he was very much enjoying this treat, he still had a little drool at the corner of his mouth.

“Who was he anyways? Why did I need to eat him?”

Sophia put her elbows over his stomach and her head in her hands.

“He was some duke who tried to court me before I was sent here. I thought he’d leave me alone, but as you saw…or tasted... I’m finally rid of him.”

Now Yonah went back into his act. “Nobility!” He said with elation, “no wonder he tasted so good.

Then he sighed while rubbing his stomach; Sophia swayed with his gut, Duke continued to cry.

“A pity though.”

Sophia, also in on the act though a bit disappointed, asked “what!? Why a pity?”

“I have to spit him up. I can’t just gobble up every nobleperson that you don’t like.”

“Can’t you make an exception this once! He was really annoying!” She sounded so sincere that Yonah was a bit taken aback. However he understood. This duke had harassed her over the years, felt that he was special and above Sophia’s incapacity to feel romantic love. What a dick.

But not enough of a dick to deserve death. A good scare was sure to be enough, and very well deserved.

“I mean! If he wants to be around me so much, then maybe being eaten is the way to go! Once he’s a part of you he’ll also be with me.”

Now Yonah was confident she was saying things to scare Duke, and it was working. So he went along with it.

“That’s a good point Princess!” He grinned wickedly down at Sophia, very pleased with his next choice of words, “How about we ask him, he’s still kicking, though I can’t tell for how long”

He poked his stomach, hard, “You’ve got a choice to make,” he declared. “Stay in there, die, and become part of something Sophia does love... Or get out of me, out of Orr, out of Mystic Woods, and remain alive, But Never Ever EVER Contact Her Again. ” He made sure to lower his voice and growl for that last part to really make sure the duke understood that if he showed his face again, or even sent so much as a letter, Yonah would find him, and finish the job.

“OUT! LET ME OUT! I’LL LEAVE HER ALONE!” Duke answered with no hesitation.

Yonah put Sophia back on the workbench and went over to the windowsill. He placed one hand on the stone and one hand on his stomach.

“Are you letting me out!? I promise! Please!! I’ll-”

Pressing into his gut Yonah started to retch. It was not as pleasant to watch him throw up people as it was to watch him swallow them. Still mildly entertaining to see Yonah in distress. Retching turned to choking as he regurgitated the duke, but as Duke recovered and stood up, Yonah stepped to the side, cutting off his view of the workbench and Sophia.

“Can’t- Can’t I see her just one more time?” he asked. His face was red from screaming and crying.

Yonah smiled at him and coughed up more phlegm, “Sure you can.”

The duke brightened.

For a second. Before Yonah drew his tongue over his shining fangs.

“If you want to so badly, go ahead, but then I get to finish my meal.”

Duke gulped, “Nevermind- I- I’ll be going”

“Awwww, are you sure, you were really delicious,” Yonah growled, and reached for Duke as if to eat him regardless.

Duke squealed and nearly jumped out the window, but managed to snag a foot in the vines, and eventually got down and ran away.

Yonah watched to make sure, but he also felt Sophia climbing up his robe and hair so she could peak over his shoulder to double check.

“He’s gone?” she asked as if she couldn’t believe it, “he’s really gone!” she said with more confidence.

“WAHOO!” she almost fell backwards off of Yonah but caught herself on his hair. He reached a hand around and grabbed her. She didn’t comply and kicked his hand away. Sophia scrambled back up to his shoulder and sat down to hug Yonah’s scruffy cheeks, adding in a few kisses for good measure .

“Thank you!” she said, and now she was crying. It was finally over.

“I love you sooooo much!”

“Aww it was nothing, Princess,” he said. It really was nothing, and he’d enjoyed it. But he was proud to have helped Sophia, and glad she was finally rid of this horrible nuisance. And in a way, proud that Sophia loved him, even if it wasn’t romantic. He loved her in the same way. What a world where he got to show that love by eating people, not that he was complaining.

“Man, we really slept through the day.” He indicated the dark sky, “That potion we left to simmer before our nap is definitely ready to be completed. If you’re fine with a late dinner.”

Sophia started to climb down his person, her intent on the otherside of the room, where a half-giant size hearth and cauldron bubbled. He laughed as it ticked. Once she had made it to the prep table he walked the eight short steps it took to join her.

[FIN] if you liked PLEASE REBLOG!

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#safe vore #soft vore #extreme cuddling #g/t vore #nonfatal vore #sfw vore #vore writing #fearplay #unwilling

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blvejeanbaby · 4 years

Text

Pairing: Yeosang x reader (as Wooyoung’s sister) Word Count: 2842 Part: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

“Nearly there. Traffic is crazy,” you texted Wooyoung and Yeosang separately. In reality, you were at a cafe on the corner of the street, just a stones’ throw away from the dorms. You were nervous and while passing the cafe, you had felt the sudden urge for a hot chocolate. That was what you were sipping on now, watching the people outside pass by. Some were carrying umbrellas above their heads and even though the sky was grey, it had ceased raining while you were on the bus. You leaned your head against the cold window, your hands wrapped around your half full cup of hot chocolate. You could use someone to calm you down right now. It had been an entire week; an entire week of sneaking Yeosang out to your dorm room or other ‘secret’ locations where you could kiss and go over and over your plan again and again. After all, this was the day you were going to tell Wooyoung what was going on between you two. Granted, it was not too much yet. You knew that if you were to pull out of whatever this thing between you and Yeosang was, you would be hurt for a while, but you weren’t that involved yet. You would cry for days, maybe even weeks, but not for months. But that wasn’t the only or even the most important reason Yeosang and you had decided to tell your brother only a week into your careful relationship. It was mostly because you both were sure neither of you could keep something like that from Wooyoung. Fifteen minutes and twelve texts later, you couldn’t drag the moment out any longer. You got up, tossed the empty cup in the trash and stepped out into a light drizzle. Fine, maybe those people with the umbrellas were right. You rushed across the street and into the apartment complex, taking the elevator up to the dorm. You had specifically chosen this time of day so the dorm would be as empty as possible. No need to alert all 6 other members to what was going on if you didn’t have to. You would love to save that embarrassment for some other time. Yeosang had wanted San and Hongjoong there for support in case anything happened and so you guys had waited an extra day so they could be at home at the same time. To the best of your understanding, Seonghwa was shooting a commercial, Jongho and Yunho had a vocal session and Mingi had a check-up at the hospital. San opened the door to the apartment at your ring. “Hey, Y/N,” he greeted, his happy, dimpled smile somewhat calming your nerves. But they went wild again as Wooyoung appeared in the hallway. “Hey,” he said excitedly, enveloping you in a hug. “Did you bring snacks?” Fuck. You forgot crispies. Yeosang would kill you. You shook your head. “No, I was running late already.” You petted your brothers’ head. “Where’s Yeosang and Hongjoong?” “Here!” Yeosang came almost running out of the kitchen, slipping on the floor with his fuzzy socks. He had told you about them, laughing tears in your eyes as he showed them to you - white and grey fuzzy socks with snowflakes and polar bears on them, in black shoes so they stood out even more. “Hyung is in the shower. Hear?” There was faint rapping in the distance, followed by a shout: “Ah! Shampoo in my eye!” You chuckled, but it quickly faded as you remember what you came for. Sensing the sudden tension in the room San gestured for the living room: “I uh... am over there if you need me.” “Yeah, me t-” Wooyoung wanted to follow him but you grabbed his arm. “Wait. Woo, Yeosang and I need to tell you something.” There was no surprise in your brothers’ eyes, but he turned around anyway. It was an odd moment. You hadn’t really expected to be confessing your love to Yeosang in the entrance way of the dorms. You hadn’t even taken your shoes off yet. “Tell me,” Wooyoung said. There was a long silence and then you said, before you or Yeosang could change your minds: “We’re dating. Sort of. Kind of.” You grabbed Yeosang’s hand to emphasize your words. When you saw the look on his face, you gave it a quick squeeze, hoping he would take it as a reassuring gesture. You glanced back at Wooyoung, already fearing his opinion. “Woo, before you can say anything,” you said as you saw your brother attempting to form words, “I just want to say that this is not a rash decision.” It kind of was. “I really like him.” You really did. “And I think he likes me too.” You were kind of sure. “And it will not be awkward. We won’t make it awkward. I promise. We’ll do strictly no touching in the dorms or something.” At this, Yeosang finally tore his eyes away from Wooyoung to look at you. As if you were crazy for suggesting not to touch in Wooyoung’s presence. As if you two would not be able to behave yourselves while the other was in the same room. It’s not like that’s true, you thought sarcastically to yourself. “You’d better,” Wooyoung said. There was actual anger in his eyes and it made you fall completely silent. “Y/N, I always said I would never let you date one of the members. And Yeosang, you know that! So the two of you just decided to go behind my back and figure it out by yourselves? And what is this?” He gestured at your hand still locked in Yeosang’s. “Trying to get my blessings?” He frustratedly ran his hands through his hair, which instantly stood in all directions. “Y/N, do you know why I wouldn’t want you to date any of the members?” “Because I’m your younger sister and you’re protective of me?” you guessed, your voice rather small as a response to his outburst. Yeosang squeezed your hand before letting go. “No! Because I’m supposed to want the best for you and no offense to Yeosang, but do you really want to be with someone who doesn’t know how to control their emotions, positive or negative? With someone who holds grudges for not cleaning up after eating ramen? And you’re a messy person, Y/N. Do you want to date someone that can never be fully honest with you because they’d rather deal with everything they’re going through by themselves?” “Ouch.” Yeosang didn’t even look Wooyoung in the eye. “I’m working on it, Wooyoung.” “Doesn’t matter if you’re working on it,” Wooyoung shot back. “Right now you’re not the best version of yourself and I only want the best of the best of the best for my sister.” “Yeah, but Wooyoung?” you said, interrupting him before he could complete his rant. “Have you ever thought about what I want?” “Oh, don’t get me started,” Wooyoung said. “Y/N, I love you, you’re my sister and I could never say a bad word about you, but you don’t belong with Yeosang. He needs someone who is sure of themselves and you can be even more insecure than mum and that’s saying something. You’re always in your own head, dreaming about things that are never going to happen... You trust people too soon.” “But we can make it work,” you said, not being able to say more because your brother wasn’t finished yet. Tears stood in your eyes. “You two don’t match well. In fact, you two don’t match at all. And- and you don’t even know his favourite snack.” “Who cares about snacks when-” “Okay!” there was a sudden loud voice. When the three of you turned to see where it was coming from, you were faced by Hongjoong, naked safe for the towel wrapped around his waist, hiding his private parts. “Wooyoung, into the living room. Right now. Y/N, Yeosang, go to your room.” He sounded like a dad in that moment. You were happy to stand your ground and fight Wooyoung but the authority in Hongjoong’s voice was enough to make Wooyoung stomp to the living room. You kicked off your shoes and followed a running Yeosang to his bedroom. He was already laying down on the bed, staring up at the underside of Wooyoung’s bunk, as you closed the door behind you. “It’s home run balls, by the way.” “What?” you said, confused and quite frankly, still trying to keep the tears out of your eyes. “My favourite snack. It’s home run balls.” “It’s not about your favourite snack and whether I know what it is.” “I know.” You sighed and walked over to the bed. Yeosang made space for you in between him and the wall, your preferred spot. You climbed over him, being careful not to hit your head. And then you laid down. “I hate him,” you said. “You don’t. I don’t.” “Okay, but he was not right.” “No, he was,” Yeosang said. “About me at least. You’ve seen me around you. I cannot control myself, or my emotions. And I like cleanliness. You’re kind of messy. I like to keep the things I’m going through to myself and it frustrates Hongjoong hyung to no end.” It was quiet for a while as you tried to find the right words to say. “He was right about me too. I am insecure, I daydream a lot and I trust people too soon. And I didn’t know your favourite snack.” You closed your eyes in an attempt not to cry. The situation was frustrating you and you could only hope that Hongjoong was talking some sense into Wooyoung right now. “You’re right. Maybe we don’t fit together.” “Hey!” Yeosang pushed himself up on his elbows now, causing you to open your eyes. He was staring at you intently, as if trying to get you to understand with his eyes alone as he told you: “That’s not what I said, okay? I just- I was trying to say that yes, maybe he was right about our personalities, but he’s not clairvoyant. He doesn’t know what the future holds. And he can’t look into our heads and hearts.” “That’s cheesy,” you said, but you pushed yourself up now as well. “Are you trying to say...” “That no matter what Wooyoung says, I still love you? And I want to be with you?” “But how can you love me?” you said, trying not to sound too pitiful. “We’re so different, we barely know each other-” “But I do. I know what I’ve seen so far. If I grow out of what I think is love I will let you know. Like you said back there, we will not make it awkward. I won’t allow it. But... You will forever be Wooyoung’s sister.” Yeosang sighed, one of his hands coming up to cup your face. “I can’t stand in between a brother and sister. And I don’t want to.” “No,” you said, “let’s wait.” “Wait on what?” “What Wooyoung says,” you said. Hongjoong came back nearly 45 minutes later, fully dressed this time. In the meantime, Yeosang had fallen asleep on the bed, you just stroking his hair and listening to his steady heartbeat and breathing as you waited, silently crying. You had expected the worst from Wooyoung, but this colossal Comedy Central roast, complete with a doom declaration for your love for Yeosang, was enough to make you sad. You woke up Yeosang. For the sake of not further angering Wooyoung, you made sure to keep your hand out of Yeo’s as you made it to the living room, Yeo wiping the sleep out of his eyes. San was not there, but Wooyoung was, seated on the couch. “Okay, Wooyoung, you start,” Hongjoong said as you and Yeosang had taken a seat. Wooyoung sighed and he stood up, as if he were about to give a presentation. Perhaps he was about to pull out a Powerpoint presentation. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t’ve started out insulting the two of you like that. It was unfair and mean and I didn’t mean it. I was just... hurt. And I wanted to see you two hurting too.” “What hurt?” Hongjoong said. It felt odd to have him interview Wooyoung, coaching him on what to say, but you knew your brother. He needed to be coached, although the words needed to come from himself. “Realizing the two of you went behind my back. Realizing that I cannot keep you safe.” He looked at you then. “Y/N, I know you’re strong and truly, if you were going to pick anyone from Ateez, I’m glad you picked Yeo.” Wooyoung looked at Yeosang then. You glanced at Yeo, his face set in an expression you couldn’t read. “Because he’s my best friend and whatever I said about him might be true, at least from my point of view, but that doesn’t mean I should throw it into your face like that, Yeosang.” “And what about us now?” you gestured between you and Yeosang. “I don’t want to know what you two get up to. And if anything happens between you two it better not be in the bunk beds because then I’m switching dorms,” Wooyoung said. He sounded serious, despite his joking. “Wait,” you said. “Does that mean you accept it?” You jumped up. “Woo, if it really bothers you we’ll call it quits.” You looked at Yeosang, who didn’t seem particularly happy about your words, but then again, he was right about what he said. Wooyoung would always be your brother. And if you had to pick Wooyoung, your blood for life, or Yeosang, who was ‘just a friend’, the choice would be rather easy. “No. Don’t do that, not for me. I just need some time to get warmed up to the idea. I need some time to process all of it. I really am sorry about what I said. It was never meant to come across that way and... I don’t know. I’m so sorry.” Wooyoung sat down now, elbows on his knees and hands running through his hair. “I’m sorry we dropped it on you like this.” Despite your previous anger and sadness at his words, you could feel your heart breaking at the sight of your brother. He was always your strong big brother, he never gave up despite how hard it would get, and you knew you had probably dropped a bomb on him. But then again, he reacted too soon and should’ve thought about what he said before he did. You got up from the couch and sat on the arm rest next to Wooyoung, wrapping your arms around him. “I’m sorry. And I accept your apology.” There was some silence, disturbed only by the sound of keys at the door. Then there was a loud bang followed by Yunho’s adorable laughter. You straightened up, not wanting everyone to know what was going on, or that there was anything going on in the first place. Hongjoong saw the shift in everyone’s demeanour and left the room to notify 2ho of what was going on. You looked at Yeosang. Was he going to accept Wooyoung’s apology? He hadn’t said much of anything yet. “Yo,” Yeosang said, his voice sounded weird. Had he just cried? There was no evidence of it on his face though, but the way his voice sounded and the alarmed look in Wooyoung’s eyes told you enough. “You were right, you know? All those things you said. But those are just humans flaws, human mistakes. I will do my best to work on it, not just for Y/N but for you and the members. But when it comes to Y/N, you’re wrong you know? About how we would not be able to work. I’m going to do my best to be good for her.” “I don’t doubt you will,” Wooyoung said. And they nodded. And that was that. Hongjoong returned, followed by Jongho and Yunho, who had to pass through the living room to get to their rooms. “Hi,” Yunho said. “I just wanted to congratulate the couple.” You felt your cheeks heat up. “Yunho, I don’t know-” “Thank you,” Wooyoung said, standing up and walking over to Yunho to clap him on the shoulder. “I was fearing your reaction but San? Oh, he will be over the moon when he hears this.” It felt good to know Wooyoung could still joke around. That you and Yeosang, whether that was going to actually be a committed relationship or not, had not crushed him. You looked up at Hongjoong and mouthed: “Thank you.” He just stuck up his thumb. Then you looked up at Yeosang. He still stood in the middle of the room, eyes no longer trained on the floor, or where Wooyoung had previously been, but at you. “So...” he said softly. “No snacks huh?” “I’ll get you home run balls next time I’m at a convenience store.” “I’d rather have crispies.”

A/N: That was the final instalment of Crispies! I hope you enjoyed reading the series because I definitely enjoyed writing it n.n

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jade4813 · 4 years

Text

Like Moths to a Flame, Chapter 8

Fandom: North and South

Title: Like Moths to a Flame

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: John/Margaret

Synopsis: “I hope you realize that any foolish passion for you on my part is entirely over.“ Margaret decides to confront John about his unjust judgment of her character, but the two have always been drawn to each other, and things quickly get out of hand. In the aftermath, she agrees to marry him to satisfy propriety, but she cannot forget how ready he was to believe the worst of her. Can love survive without trust, or will the two find a way to work through the misunderstandings that have plagued their relationship from the start?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

As John put her back on her feet, Margaret told herself that she should release him from her grasp, but her hands seemed unwilling to comply. He seemed no more inclined to move away than she, his breath warm against her cheek as he gazed into her eyes. She longed for him but lacked the words to say as much. Nor did she quite know how to continue, her mother never having had the opportunity to guide her on such matters prior to her death.

Of course, she wasn’t totally ignorant of what was to happen. She had already given in to physical passion once – it was the entire reason she was now married, after all. But she wasn’t entirely certain how these matters were supposed to proceed as a matter of course. She assumed he would come to her tonight, but would he assume the same? Did he depend upon her to issue an oblique invitation?

Whether he felt as anxious and uncertain as she, or whether his thoughts were occupied on other matters, he asked, “Were you sorry to have to leave the dancing so soon?” With the millworkers expected to return to work in the morning, the celebrations had not gone as long into the evening as they had at Edith’s nuptials, but Margaret had been gratified that her new husband had stood up with her for more than one number. His dancing had perhaps lacked a certain amount of polish, marked by the occasional slight hesitation that suggested he was out of practice – but he had acquitted himself well enough for her mind.

“I’m not much for dancing,” she confessed. She enjoyed the occupation upon occasion, but she wouldn’t go so far as to call herself accomplished at the activity.

“I thought Southerners liked nothing better than to spend their days in idleness and their evenings in dancing,” he teased.

“For shame, Mr Thornton!” she cried in mock indignation, her tone too light to either cause or fear offense. “It hasn’t even been a day, and you’re already marking your new bride’s failings? It’s not the way of a gentleman, you know.”

His hands began to stroke the length of her back, his touch releasing tension in muscles she hadn’t realized she had tensed. His voice caressed her, encouraging her to melt in his embrace, as he replied softly, “I may not be a gentleman, but if you have any failings, I can’t see them. Forgive me?”

Although she was distracted by his touch, there was one matter that had preyed upon her mind throughout the day. Pulling away slightly, she looked up at him in concern. “You’re forgiven, provided you’ll forgive me in return for the day’s distractions. You’ve been working so hard at the mill—”

“A day’s loss won’t make much of a difference,” he reassured her.

They had been standing in the entryway, lost in each other’s eyes for far too long, even for newlyweds. Particularly since theirs was not a love match. The servants would talk – Margaret was well aware of the predilection for gossip in Milton – and her behavior would only reinforce their conviction that she had long conspired to trap the most eligible Master of Marlborough Mills into marriage. “It’s been a long day. Is there somewhere I could freshen up?”

John looked at her in consternation. “Yes, of course. I’ll show you to your room. I wasn’t sure if you’d prefer to – well, I didn’t want to assume.” Taking her hand, he escorted her upstairs. Halting outside a closed door, he displayed a slight degree of uncharacteristic sheepishness as he explained, “Jane set up your room earlier today. I hope it’s to your liking.”

Striving to hide her surprise, she pushed open the door and peered in at the furnishings, though she didn’t enter. “It’s lovely,” she acknowledged. Was there a genteel way to inquire as to the location of his room? It wasn’t a question she’d ever had to consider before.

As she pondered her predicament, she felt herself drawn to him and stepped back into his embrace. Their mouths met, and Margaret closed her eyes. Her heart started to race, as she wondered once again if she was expected to invite him to join her in her bed that evening, and if he would think less of her for being so forward if she did. Then again, she had been unthinkably forward in her father’s house, and he had still married her, so perhaps he didn’t find her unseemly for her boldness.

“And your room?” she asked, striving to hide her embarrassment at the implication.

“Next door.” He hesitated. Surely in time, they would grow more comfortable with each other, and these encounters would lose this initial awkwardness.

He was offering her an opportunity for her own private sanctuary, and she appreciated his thoughtfulness and care. She was even tempted to accept his offer, though she feared that impulse did her little credit. She was a bride, now. His bride. A lifetime of sermons had instilled within her an awareness of her wifely duty, even if it had failed to address some of the more pertinent logistics. But it was the longing in her own body and heart rather than any spiritual, legal, or moral decree that compelled her to move past him and enter his room.

She was unsurprised to note that it was a very masculine bedchamber, the furnishings large and imposing, but it was not without its charm. Clutching her hands before her, she made a show of gazing about her with an appreciative smile. “It’s perfect. Just needs a woman’s touch. I can have my things moved in tomorrow.” Then, afraid she might have overstepped, she added with a bashful smile, “Unless…do you mind? If you’d prefer your privacy—”

She was afraid of seeming too forward, but they were married now. Was it even possible to be too forward with one’s husband? Alternatively, was his decision to set them up in separate rooms due as much to his own inclination as his assumption of her preference?

He shook his head, brushing the back of his fingers along the curve of her cheek. “You’re my wife, Margaret. Everything I have is yours. Everything I am is yours.”

She had intended to return to the room he’d prepared for her, to ready herself for her first night as his wife. But when she felt the first brush of his lips upon hers, her resolve to leave him fled, and she melted into his arms. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her to a nearby chair, pulling her into his lap. His kisses were slow and unhurried, and he caressed her back, soothing her with his touch.

It seemed to John that holding Margaret had to be the closest he would ever come to touching Heaven. How long had it been since she had left that first, indelible imprint upon his heart? He could swear it beat now only for her – a fanciful thought, but wasn’t a man entitled to a bit of whimsy on his wedding day?

He longed to carry her into his bed, to do as he should have done that day in her father’s sitting room. To linger where he had once hurried, to request what he had once demanded and she had freely given in return. But when he kissed her, he could taste her fear, her anxiety, and that wasn’t what he wished for her on their first night as man and wife – or any evening after.

But if John was anything, it was patient, and if there was anything that was worth waiting for throughout his entire existence, it was this. He kissed her until she became liquid in his arms, her breaths warm and ragged in his ear. Then he lifted one hand, stroking her through her gown.

She stiffened at this contact, but he kept his touch soft, undemanding, until she relaxed into him once more. Only then did he pull away, resting his forehead upon hers. “Are you afraid?” he whispered softly.

“Not anymore,” she responded in kind.

Though he shook with the urge to touch her, he helped her to her feet. Then he rose and reached for her, helping remove her dress and corset with much more care and a good deal less grace than he usually employed. She laughed when he attempted to assist her in letting down her hair, their hands tangling as they sought out errant pins until her hair cascaded down her back. Her sigh of pleasure became a soft moan when he ran his fingers through it, marveling at its texture, and laughed again – this time, with nervous shyness – when he placed her on the bed to assist with the removal of her stockings. As willing and pliable as she’d been, however, she balked when he reached for her chemise.

He was moving too fast, and he drew back, ready to wait until she was ready for him, but she reached for his hand, pulling her back to her. “May I see you?”

He was more than willing to comply, quickly shedding his clothes until he was stripped to the waist. Upon consideration, he left his trousers untouched. Although his bride seemed eager, he reminded himself that she had been an innocent, before he had touched her. It wouldn’t do to scare her now.

Returning to the bed, he stretched out beside her, forcing himself to remain still as she reached for him. Her touch was cautious, exploratory, but she couldn’t have more effectively teased him if doing so had been her intent. He closed his eyes and willed himself to relax, to regulate his breathing, as her hands swept along his chest. She seemed entranced by the play of muscle and bone, her fingertips tracing the lines of his ribcage and muscles of his stomach, which quivered under her caress.

When he opened his eyes once more, he was gratified to see his own desire reflected in her face, and this time, she didn’t pull away when he reached for her. Lifting her into his lap, he was drawn to her warmth, bowing his head to moisten her breast through the thin fabric of her chemise. She shuddered in his arms, and he swept his hands beneath the hem of the flimsy undergarment, stroking her soft thighs.

His own breathing was ragged as he grabbed the bottom of her chemise, but he waited until she met his eyes and nodded slightly, a silent acquiescence to his unspoken request. In one smooth motion, he lifted the garment over her head and tossed it aside, leaning her back until she lay upon the pillows. Then, resting his weight on one arm, he drew back to look at her.

Margaret, so bold in her passion, grew shy under the weight of his regard. A blush stained her chest, rising up her neck to color her cheeks, and she pulled her arms across her breasts to hide herself from his view.

“It’s all right,” he reassured her, placing one hand over hers. He waited until she relaxed once more beneath him to slowly draw her hand aside. This time, she allowed him to reveal her body without protest, though he could still see her uncertainty in her eyes. Resting one hand upon her stomach, he trailed his fingertips slowly along her smooth skin, marveling at its softness. A faint cluster of freckles dotted the skin between her breasts, and he found himself both entranced and enchanted by this unexpected slight imperfection.

“You’re beautiful,” he breathed in rapt wonder, wincing at the sound of his own voice as it broke the silence that had fallen between them. Everything about him was harsher and harder than she, including the edges of his thick Northern accent. By rights, he should never have been allowed to touch, let alone tarnish, someone as lovely as she, and he blessed whatever fortuitous star had shone upon him, to bring her into his life. “I’ve never seen such beauty.”

“John,” she whispered in return, her voice sweeping along her skin and twisting something beneath his breast. It hadn’t been lost upon him that she’d largely avoided calling him by his given name since their reckless coupling in her father’s house. Even earlier in the evening, when she had gently teased him, she had referred to him as ‘Mr Thornton.’ He hadn’t protested, fully understanding that she would require time to grow used to their (and undoubtedly unwanted, on her part) altered circumstances.

He treasured the sound of his name upon her lips and committed each instance to memory, well aware that she had only spoken it thrice since that fateful day – once, in response to his proposal; once, when she had requested a boon of him as a wedding present; and once, when she had pledged herself to him ‘til death they do part.

Even his well-honed capacity for self-denial had its breaking point, and he didn’t know how much longer it would last. Rising off the bed, he extinguished the lamps before quickly removing the remainder of his clothing. John was a proud man – and he believed he had every right to be – so it wasn’t shame that prompted him to undress in the dark. Rather, it was in consideration for his new wife’s feelings. She’d felt shy in her own nakedness; he didn’t wish to overwhelm her by a confrontation with his own.

Stripped bare, John climbed back into bed, pulling Margaret with him under the blankets, and he began to caress her body with greater intent and purpose. Lovemaking was an act which seemed more accommodating to a man’s desires, but he was determined to deny her no pleasure it was in his capacity to give. With his hands and his mouth, he explored her body, reveling in every sigh, every gasp, every moan until she was quivering in his arms.

With her back pressed against him, he thrust two fingers inside her, pressing his palm against her as he simulated with his hand what he longed to do with his body. She cried out, her head falling back against his shoulder, and his body responded, his hips bucking fruitlessly toward hers, but he didn’t give in to his own need until he felt her grow rigid in his arms, the cords in her neck stiffening as she became undone in his arms. Only then did he allow himself to move over her, bracing his weight on his arms as he knelt between her legs and entered her with an exultant cry of his own.

John wasn’t a “proper gentleman” like the men Margaret would have known in London, or even in her beloved Helstone. In truth, he had never wished to be such a man, but for her. He’d always believed a man’s worth lay in his actions, in his honor and his industry, rather than in the size of his purse. He knew the value of hard work and appreciated the satisfaction that came from a job well done. A life of idleness would suit him ill.

But he knew Margaret had always longed to marry such a gentleman. Moreover, a man such as that was what she deserved, sweet and gentle lady that she was. Had circumstance not forced her hand, she never would have chosen a man such as he, and though it was not in his inclination, he would try to be a proper gentleman for her.

How would a such a gentleman act, in an occasion such as this? He would treat her with courtesy and care. Gritting his teeth, John closed his eyes and tried to be so with her, his thrusts soft, slow, and gentle, but Margaret was both impatient and a quick study, and she had learned from their previous experience together. When he would have treated her with cautious gentility, she responded with imprudence, wrapping her legs around his hips and drawing him into her.

It was an unlikely reversal of roles. When John thought he should ask, she demanded. When he would have attempted to exercise care, she threw caution to the wind. The threads of his self-control frayed and he succumbed to his passion for her, thrusting into her hard and deep until he felt his own release wash over him. Then, for fear of how they would betray him and his innermost feelings, he pressed his lips upon hers and allowed her kiss to forestall the ill-conceived confession of love that struggled to break free.

Later, as Margaret slept beside him, her body curled into his and her head resting upon his chest, he ran his fingers through the silken strands of hair that tickled his cheek with every breath. Though his body was sated, his mind was ill-at-ease, fixated upon a conundrum at the expense of his rest.

Although he had fully enjoyed their lovemaking, he could no longer ignore the signs of her innocence and unfamiliarity with the act. Her modesty and inexperience felt too genuine to have been feigned, and while he treasured their first kisses, he could vividly recall her initial awkwardness that spoke of a lack of practice. But how could that be, if Margaret had enjoyed the attentions of another lover? She’d sworn her innocence and his misunderstanding of the embrace she’d exchanged with the stranger on the train platform. Had she been telling the truth?

He also had to acknowledge an inability to reconcile the conflict within his own mind regarding his perception of her. In his jealousy and heartbreak, he’d believed her to be capable of bestowing her charms upon another, but his heart and mind were almost cruel in their conviction that he could never aspire to deserve a woman such as her, that she was too far above the likes of him. So which was it? The lightskirt or the lady? The wanton or the innocent?

Everything within him (save, perhaps, for his wounded pride) believed her incapable of the charges he’d once laid upon her doorstep. He wouldn’t have loved her before – he wouldn’t love her still – if he truly believed in her disreputability and shame. With his life’s breath, he would vow that she’d do nothing to dishonor him or their marriage. How could he hold so deep a conviction if he truly had no faith in her or her character?

And yet he couldn’t pretend that his accusations had been without either cause or merit. He’d seen her on that train platform, embracing another man. She’d sworn the embrace was innocent, but how could it be? He wasn’t her father, who might be entitled to claim such evidence of attachment, and she had no brother – at least, none that either she or her father had ever claimed. Why would they keep such a man secret if he were to exist? It didn’t make sense that they would do so, but that left the question of who could he have been, that such an embrace could have been apparent and yet blameless?

Furthermore, if she was innocent of the implication of such improper conduct, why wouldn’t she confess the truth of the situation to clear her reputation of any untoward and unjust accusation? And why in heaven’s name had she agreed to marry him? He might be willing to fool himself into believing that her passion for him had been too great to ignore, but not even for the sake of his own broken heart could he ever deceive himself that she had developed a genuine attachment for him.

“I do not love you. I never have. I never will.” No, there was no attachment there, not on her part, at any rate. Not even in his most desperate and fanciful imaginings could he delude himself into believing her feelings for him had changed over the course of their engagement.

Had she married him in the hopes he could provide for her a secure future? If so, he could hardly blame her for it, though the situation at the mill was too precarious for him to have unwavering confidence in his ability to do so at present. He had warned her as much, and while it was true that she’d kindly rejected his offer to cry off the engagement, she didn’t have to care for him to have faith in his business acumen. She might have been willing to gamble her future on the belief that they wouldn’t suffer under financial constraints for long. Perhaps she’d decided he was worth the risk, particularly given the comparative dearth of other suitable prospects in Milton.

That she’d married him to secure her future was the only possible conclusion his mind could reach, and yet it rested poorly in his heart. And so, while Margaret slumbered in contented peace, John wrestled with the confusion and doubt that continued to plague him until the faint light of dawn spilled through his bedroom window and he finally, mercifully, followed her into a dreamless sleep.

#like moths to a flame #john thornton #margaret hale #fanfiction #my fanfiction #north and south #john x margaret

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lewlthea · 5 years

Text

The Actual Thing Going On With Edelgard Von Hresvelg.

Spoilers: It’s not fascism, nor racism (at least not in the way people think). Also, actual spoilers for the game.

If there has been a controversial character in Fire Emblem Three Houses, it’s Edelgard Von Hresvelg, one of the game’s main three lords, the house leader of the Black Eagles, the princess and sole heir of the Adrestian Empire, and an antagonist in every single route but hers. She has been a polarizing figure within the community: Some people think she’s an irredeemable monster, others think she’s a misunderstood leader. When it comes to Edelgard, theres hardly a grey opinion towards her; She’s either black or white. Today, I wanna talk about Edelgard’s actions towards the 4 routes, what they actually portray, and how and why the entire discourse towards her was caused deliberately by Intelligent System’s incredible mishandling and mistreatment of the character.

I remember Nintendo’s 2018 E3 conference quite well. I was at with a group of friends, watching at one of them’s house because he had a bigger TV. I remember making jokes about how “there was going to be a new Fire Emblem” because loving Fire Emblem when Intelligent Systems is Like That is a living nightmare.

And then this happens.

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Words could not express the joy I felt when the trailer was over. It wasn’t just a new Fire Emblem game: We were going to have another lady lord, and an axe-wielding one at that - something the fanbase had been desperately craving since the recent surge in Hector’s popularity - and for once, it was like when I first found out that there would be a new female character in Shadows Of Valentia with Faye, and it was the tipping point for me to finally buy a Nintendo Switch.

Of course, just like Faye, things weren’t that simple.

Because some months before E3 2019, which promised to reveal more info on Fire Emblem 3 Houses, Reddit exploded. All because of someone who goes by the username Thanibomb, who claimed to have leaked info on the game, saying a lot of information about all the characters, some of them very questionable (With things such as Lysithea would die due to her crest complications, and it would cause the major 5-year war, and other things like Claude being the one who shot Dimitri’s eye off), while other info being oddly specific. A part of it that made me particularly chuckle was when such user said that Dimitri would have lost an eye, and would cover it with an eyepatch. I found it so silly and, along with some friends, claimed it to be fake and carried on.

And then E3 2019 happened.

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And Dimitri had an eyepatch.

And still, even after Thanibomb, things remained optimistic. All lords looked nice, they seemed to have their own ideals, their own paths, and no fights were breaking out within the fanbase yet. But then early copies were sent to reviewers. And then 4chan got a hold of one of those. And then the main leaks started. And by the time the game got released, it was too late. The amount of hate comments towards the character was so overwhelming; some calling Edelgard a fascist, others claiming that she was racist, others even saying that she gives racist remarks towards Claude ingame (a blatant lie). A personal favorite comment of mine was how Hubert and Edelgard looked like the perfect alt-right couple.

(Should I remark that these kinds of comments stopped as soon as they found out that Hubert could A-support Ferdinand, and most of them moved on to fetishize the relationship between the two of them instead. Ironically, before that happened people despised Hubert in general solely because of his unusual appearance and shady behavior, but that was soon seen as ‘nuanced’ the moment he could be paired off with another man.)

And so, a fight between the fanbase begun: (Mostly) Blue Lion fans bashing Edelgard’s character, Black Eagle fans defending her vehemently, and Golden Deer fans between either on any of those sides or just making memes for Joe Zieja’s rally campaign for the GD. Mostly the latter. But that’s beside the point.

A (Kinda) Brief Summary of Edelgard’s Presence In Azure Moon, Verdant Wind, And Silver Snow.

Throughout the game’s second part, unless you’re playing the Crimson Flower Route, Edelgard will always be an antagonist who cannot be spared, and she cannot survive unless it’s in her own route. However, the way she is percieved changes depending on each route you are making, with each route leaving small fragments depicting Edelgard’s past and shaping her character in full scale.

In Verdant Wind/Silver Snow, Edelgard isn’t the final boss. She is one of the bosses before the big fight. (Nemesis in Claude’s case, Rhea in Seteth’s). She’s one of the obstacles, but not the main one, therefore there is not much insight on her character; However, there is still one element present in those routes that is curiously omitted from Azure Moon that is the reason why she doesn’t really have too much focus, that being Hubert’s final letter.

In both routes, Hubert seems to highly respect Seteth/Claude’s prowess in the war and their cunning mind. (Especially Claude; Throughout both Verdant Wind and Crimson Flower, he commends Claude’s tactics and strategies multiple times). In the letter, he gives the location of where Rhea is confined and asks them to eliminate Those Who Slither in the Dark, the game’s true villains and the ones behind most, if not all the game’s tragic events. Even more curiously, though, is the fact that the letter does exist on the Crimson Flower route, and can be seen briefly on Hubert’s B support with Ferdinand, being the reason of their argument throughout the conversation. Not a single mention of the letter exists in the Azure Moon Route. (Of course it would not make sense for it to exist gameplay-wise due to the player having already murdered Arundel/Thales earlier in the game but. It’s still something to be accounted for).

Speaking of Azure Moon, this is a much more trickier route to talk about. Not only due to the fact that Edelgard is this route’s final boss, but also because all of the things we discover about Edelgard within it are never mentioned in any other route, only brief mentions about the time she spent in the Kingdom; nothing more.

In here, her time spent on the Kingdom is expanded: Both Edelgard, her mom Patricia and Arundel were sent off to Faerghus due to exile, with Patricia being set off to marry King Lambert. There, she meets Dimitri, and they both become fast friends. By the time she has to leave, Dimitri gifts her with a dagger (Which, in Faeghus, are important gifts that mean ‘to cut a path towards a better future’), and she returns to Adrestia. Some time after she leaves the Tragedy of Duscurr happens, caused by Those Who Slither in the Dark. However, due to a misunderstanding caused by eavesdropping on a conversation between Thales and the Flame Emperor, Dimitri mistakenly believes that the Flame Emperor was behind it all, and once the Flame Emperor’s identity is finally revealed to be Edelgard, she is instantly demonized and called a ‘witch’, even though she openly declares how she had nothing to do with it. This goes on until Rodrigue’s death and Cornelia’s reveal that Patricia was the one behind the Duscurr Tragedy so she could return to the Empire and “reunite with her daughter”. (We never find out about what happened to her and she is not mentioned during the Crimson Flower). Dimitri tries to talk Edelgard off their final confrontation, but Edelgard insists that it is far too late for her to back down for their ideals are far too different, and she refuses to live in a world where the Church of Seiros exists. Dimitri then hands back her dagger (Which she accidentally dropped before the timeskip), and they both retreat to prepare for the final battle.

This route’s final boss is an Edelgard who was absorbed direct power from Those Who Slither in the Dark, and adquires a grotesque, corrupted form. No other character in the canon possess such a thing, and only Edelgard can assume such form. Once she is defeated, Dimitri tries once again to spare her, only for Edelgard to stab him with the dagger, making Dimitri realize that she would never give up on her dream, and finally kills her.

An Even More Brief Explanation of What Does All of This Means.

Okay, all of that info was nice, fun, good, yadda yadda. What does this mean and why was it needed.

Well, for starters, let’s ask ourselves a question: After reading the summary, can you say that you know what drives her to seek out the destruction of the church?

What is her reasoning behind the unification of Fodlan?

Do we get anything out of her other than “Scary dictator” or “An obstacle that had to be sadly removed” or “Under better circumstances... We could’ve been Allies (tm)”?

We don’t. Because Intelligent Systems did not bother to show Edelgard’s motivations, despite her being the villain in almost all the routes.

During Verdant Wind and Silver Snow, Edelgard herself does not matter: she’s solely important because she is threatening the church, she is your scary big bad dictator that you have to beat in order to rescue Rhea, only to find out that in reality she was just a stepping stone to the real villains, Those Who Slither in the Dark. (In game it is said that Hubert came up with this name. In my humble opinion Hubert can go fuck himself because this is the shittiest name I have ever seen and I am tired of having to type this five word long thing every paragraph or so). As soon as you read the letter, suddenly Edelgard, the Empire, and all the questions you had as to why she Did It dissappear because now you have another objective, another goal.

This is even more offensive during Azure Moon because she is the focus, the final boss, but it doesn’t matter why she did all of this nor what her ideals actually are despite them being the reason why she cannot be spared. The game would rather focus on getting reactions out of the player when the intimidating big meanie does something that makes Dimitri go angry than actually focusing on the clashing of Dimitri and Edelgard’s ideals, why they cannot go back to what it once was, what happened to her to change this way, why did ‘El’ actually die. All you have is a dictator in red which does things for no reason other than “I will destroy the Church and unify Fodlan so I can govern over all of it”. Nothing more, nothing less.

....Of course, you do realize that I have avoided to talk about a certain thing.

So, About That Crimson Flower Route...

If there is a way to truly understand a villain, one must walk on such person’s footsteps. Most people criticizing Edelgard were the ones who hadn’t played her route yet, or had only played Azure Moon and was led to believe that all of Edelgard’s actions are unwarranted or pure nonsense.

There is a reason why people sing their tune differently as soon as they experience the Crimson Flower.

For starters, to be able to fight for Edelgard, you have to first have her support up to C+, go with her to Enbarr once she asks of you, and then defend her from Rhea at the Holy Tomb. The reasoning behind that is so that you fully understand what Edelgard has gone through and the reason why she cannot agree with the existence of the Church.

The Azure Moon route tells you of Edelgard before she returned to the Empire.

It never tells you what caused her to change after she went back.

Edelgard was part of the crest experimentations caused by Those Who Slither in the Dark, alongside all her siblings. Her father, the emperor, was unable to do anything about it, as the real people in control of the Empire were Arundel/Thales and Duke Aegir. Being the sole survivor of such things to return to society and see how everything is defined by whether you have a crest or not and finding out that the Church, who instead of breaking down such system to favor equality would rather turn the creatures who run it into figures to be worshipped is. Something.

There’s another reason for Edelgard’s sudden betrayal, a more sinister one, and why she feels like everything needs to be done in a quick pace. In her C+ you find out she has a second crest, The Crest of Flames, just like the player. People who bear two crests have a shortened lifespam, however.

When Edelgard declares war against the Church, and to unite Fódlan, it’s not solely because ‘Church bad’: She declares war against the unfair crest system, against the hypocrisy of Rhea’s dragon entourage, and of course, to destroy Those Who Slither in the Dark later on the road.

However.

Just because Edelgard’s behavior is justified, does not mean she is 100% in the right. She herself admits that the path she follows is one drenched in blood. But there are several times in the game that makes you stop and think for a second that she can still make bad decisions, and that sometimes her decisions might have horrible consequences. One of them is for example to never take away Brigid’s status as a vassal to the Empire and return it back to it’s former glory as an actual country, which shows how the entire Brigid kerfuffle is something akin to colonization. We should also point out that when she unifies Fodlan, in some endings she remains the Emperor, completely missing the point of what she fought for.

Another case that shows one of Edelgard’s biggest flaws is with the Silver Maiden incident.

Edelgard had just conquered Arianrhod, the Silver Maiden, and due to murdering Cornelia, enrages Ariandel/Thales, whom causes the situation above out of a show of power. She knows it was Those Who Slither in the Dark, but she needs to give explanations fast and she can’t reveal their identity or else they would slip away and it would be impossible to locate them and destroy them. So what does she do?

She says it was Rhea who did it, actively lying to her closest allies, one of them being the Prime Minister of the Empire.

For Edelgard, the ends justifies the means, and as long as she gets the results she wants, she will do what it takes. Even by alienation. And that’s a dangerous way to go on.

...So, where do I want to go from here? Who is to blame for the hatefest Edelgard is receiving?

Intelligent Systems Kind of Didn’t Know What To Do With Edelgard.

Now hold on. That sounds a bit too harsh, don’t you think? She was the first lord shown in the E3 2018 trailer, they have placed a very big emphasis on Edelgard everywhere hell the game’s main theme is about her, why would you claim that??

Well, first and foremost, I should start by saying that Crimson Flower is the game’s shortest route, with the total of 18 chapters. From those 18 chapters, there is only one cutscene, with most of the route’s major events being shown with either the game’s basic models or still images.

For comparison, Verdant Wind has the total of 8 cutscenes, counting the final one before the timeskip, with 3 of them being unique to its route.

Azure Moon has the total of 5 cutscenes, 3 of them being unique to its route.

Silver Snow has 4 cutscenes, having 2 unique ones to its route.

The other two main lords have several support options with people outside of their respective houses; Edelgard only has one.

Remember when I said that one of Edelgard’s main enemies are Those Who Slither in the Dark? The game never lets her deal with them personally. You never truly fight them during Crimson Flower.

In a way, the game feels as if while Edelgard is the focus, you shouldn’t side with her. It really makes it feel as if someone at Intelligent Systems just snickered and said ‘Hey wouldn’t it be cool if we could let our players side with/date our villain?’ without even considering or respecting such villain’s motivations, her ideals, and what truly makes a character unique.

In the end, all they truly cared for was if Edelgard was romanceable enough for the player, not if she made sense or was appealing as a character, whether as a villain or a savior.

And considering how the fanbase is behaving towards Edelgard, they succeeded.

#fire emblem #fe3h #fire emblem 3 houses #fe edelgard #i spent an entire night writing this #my neck hurts so badly

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marlalarraz · 3 years

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USA vs Serbia Full Game | Basketball Men's Gold Medal Match | Olympic Games Rio 2016

Court Dimensions

The length of a basketball court is 28m. These measurements can be reduced to 26m for Premier, Club and Community courts where only smaller spaces are available.

The width of an International-standard basketball court in the UK is usually 15m. The court lines can be reduced by no more than 1m (14m) if required for lower levels of play.

The total area of a professional basketball court is 420m². The minimum area allowed under Basketball England's guidance is 364m². These measurements apply to both indoor and outdoor courts.

The addition of 2.05m run-offs and 2m for teams and officials on the sideline increases the total area to 677.31m².

Basketball court markings

Regulation line markings must be 50mm width in a contrasting colour to the playing surface.

Sidelines

The outer edge of the court is denoted by the sidelines, which run the length of the court. On a full-sized court they measure 28m.

Baseline and endline

The terms baseline and endline both refer to the ends of the court running behind the goals. Typically they measure 15m.

The use of the different terms depends on the direction a team is playing. Endline is the term for the end of the court which a team is defending, baseline is the for the attacking end.

Mid court

This is the halfway mark on the court and is used to denote the offensive playing area during a game.

On a full-sized court, the mid court line would be 14m from each endline.

Centre circle

Used for the opening tip off, the centre circle has a 3.6m diameter.

Three point line

The three point lines are the arcs that mark a range boundary from each hoop. Scoring from outside this line is worth three points. The distance of the line will vary depending on the level of game, but is typically 6.75m from the basket.

Free throw line

The free throw line, marked 4.6m from the backboard, is the mark at which a player must stand when shooting free throws.

Free throw circle

The free throw circle is the same size as the centre circle (3.6m in diameter). Shooters must stay inside this circle when taking a free throw. The circle is also used for jump balls.

Free throw lane lines/key

Lane lines run from the free throw line to the baseline, to form the 'key'. The shape and width can vary depending on the level of the game, but FIBA (International Basketball Federation) regulation changes in 2010 set it as a 4.9m by 5.8m rectangle.

Some also include space markings to keep opposing players from obstructing the free throw shooter.

Equipment

Basket

A hoop or basket with net around its circumference and of 18 inch diameter is firmly hung horizontally from a rectangular backboard of 3.5 feet height and 6 feet width on either sides of the court. The rim of the hoop is 10 feet above the ground. The backboard in various international competitions is transparent for better visibility.

Ball

Basketball is an orange-colored and rough-textured spherical ball with black contours usually made of leather or composite tough materials.

The ball is bounced continuously (dribbling), thrown through the air to other players (passing), and towards the basket (shooting). So a typical basketball must be very durable and easy to hold on to.

Other Equipment

There may be some more equipment for convenience. Some international courts have a game clock that makes a beep at the end of each period. Some also show the shot clock countdown. Sometimes, the back boards have bordering lights that light up and indicate that a period is about to end.

Basic Skills

Dribbling

Dribbling is an important skill for all basketball players. This skill will allow you to move up and down the court, maneuver past defenders and execute plays. Proper dribbling requires ball-handling skills and knowledge of how to spread your fingers for ball control. It is also best if you know how to dribble equally well with both hands.

Shooting

In order to score points in basketball, you need to shoot the ball into the hoop. This requires the ability to properly hold and throw the ball into the air toward the basket while avoiding defenders. A proper shot requires precise aiming, arm extension and lift from the legs. There are different types of shots you need to learn, including jump shots, layups and free throws.

Running

Running is a big part of basketball. In a full-court game, you will find yourself running back and forth as the game quickly transitions between offense and defense. When you have the ball, running will help you to avoid defenders and get to the basket quicker. On defense, you often will find yourself needing to run after the opponent, especially during fast breaks.

Passing

Passing is another skill that when mastered can help you become a complete basketball player. Basketball is a team sport that involves finding a teammate who is open for a shot. The ability to pass the ball to this player can make the difference between scoring and not scoring. Really great passers are an important part of a basketball team and usually the ones who set up scoring plays.

Jumping

Jumping is another skill that can define how good a basketball player is. Jumping is involved in offense during the jump ball in the beginning, while taking shots and sometimes while trying to catch a pass. On defensive you will need the ability to jump when trying to block a shot or a pass. Being able to out jump your opponent for a rebound also is important.

Rules of the Game

Rules for the offense

The basketball team on offense is the team with the basketball. When a player has the basketball there are certain rules they must follow:

1) The player must bounce, or dribble, the ball with one hand while moving both feet. If, at any time, both hands touch the ball or the player stops dribbling, the player must only move one foot. The foot that is stationary is called the pivot foot. 2) The basketball player can only take one turn at dribbling. In other words, once a player has stopped dribbling they cannot start another dribble. A player who starts dribbling again is called for a double-dribbling violation and looses the basketball to the other team. A player can only start another dribble after another player from either team touches or gains control of the basketball. This is usually after a shot or pass.

3) The ball must stay in bounds. If the offensive team looses the ball out of bounds the other team gets control of the basketball.

4) The players hand must be on top of the ball while dribbling. If they touch the bottom of the basketball while dribbling and continue to dribble this is called carrying the ball and the player will lose the ball to the other team.

5) Once the offensive team crosses half court, they may not go back into the backcourt. This is called a backcourt violation. If the defensive team knocks the ball into the backcourt, then the offensive team can recover the ball legally.

Defensive Rules

The team on defense is the team without the basketball.

1) The main rule for the defensive player is not to foul. A foul is described as gaining an unfair advantage through physical contact. There is some interpretation that has to be made by the referee, but, in general, the defensive player may not touch the offensive player in a way that causes the offensive player to lose the ball or miss a shot.

Rules for everyone

1) Although the foul rule is described above as a defensive rule, it applies exactly the same to all players on the court including offensive players.

2) Basketball players cannot kick the ball or hit it with their fist.

3) No player can touch the basketball while it is traveling downward towards the basket or if it is on the rim. This is called goaltending. (touching the ball on the rim is legal in some games). Every player on the court is subject to the same rules regardless of the position they play. The positions in basketball are just for team basketball strategy and there are no positions in the rules.

Officiating the Sport

Officials Conduct Game

During actual play, there is no practical difference between the referee and umpire(s). They are equally responsible for the conduct of the game; and, because of the speed of play, their duties are dictated essentially by their respective positions on the court from moment to moment. For this reason, the rules specify that no official has the authority to question decisions made by another official. The officials' control, which begins 30 minutes before starting time for men and 15 minutes for women and concludes with the referee's approval of the final score, includes the power to eject from the court any player, coach or team follower who is guilty of flagrant unsporting conduct. When the referee leaves the confines of the playing area at the end of the game, the score is final and may not be changed.

Officials’ Signals

When a foul occurs, the official is required by the rules to (a) signal the timer to stop the clock, (b) designate the offender to the scorer and © use his or her fingers to indicate the number of free throws. When a team is entitled to a throw-in, an official must (a) signal what caused the ball to become dead, (b) indicate the throw-in spot (except after a goal) and (c) designate the team entitled to the throw-in.

Duties of Scorers and Timers

Scorers must (a) record, in numerical order, names and numbers of all players, (b) record field goals made and free throws made and missed, (c) keep a running summary of points scored, (d) record fouls called on each player and notify officials when a player-disqualification or bonus-free-throw situation arises, (e) record timeouts and report when a team' s allotted number has been used, and (f) record when a squad member has been ejected for fighting. It is the game-clock and shot-clock operators' responsibility to keep everyone abreast of key factors while carrying out the timing regulations.

Scorers and Timers

When a basketball referee makes a call, he or she will use hand signals such as these to notify players and spectators of the exact nature of the foul, violation, or stoppage of play.

The Officiating Staff

The makeup of the officiating corps is strictly a matter of choice. The minimum number is five: a referee, an umpire, a scorer, a timer and a shot-clock operator. In some cases, eight officials are used in a lineup comprising a referee, two umpires, a shot-clock operator, two scorers and two timers.

Referee (Official in Charge)

The rules of basketball are the rules and regulations that govern the play, officiating, equipment and procedures of basketball. While many of the basic rules are uniform throughout the world, variations do exist. Most leagues or governing bodies in North America, the most important of which are the National Basketball Association and NCAA, formulate their own rules. In addition, the Technical Commission of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) determines rules for international play; most leagues outside North America use the complete FIBA ruleset.

The referee is the official that controls the game. He is the one who tosses the ball up for the center jump at the start of the game and each overtime period. He duties range from inspecting and approving all equipment before the game's starting time to approving the final score. In between, the referee is responsible for the notification of each team three minutes before each half is to begin and deciding matters of disagreement among the officials. The referee has the power to make decisions on any point not specifically covered in the rules and even to forfeit the game if necessary.

Technical and Tactical Skills, and Analysis

Led by 30 points and four assists from two-time Olympic gold medalist Kevin Durant and dominating on both ends of the court to outscore Serbia (4-4) 33-14 in the second quarter, the 2016 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team (8-0) claimed a third straight Olympic gold medal on Sunday afternoon at Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro. The USA now has a 25-game Olympic win streak and a 53-game win streak in major competition, including Olympic, FIBA World Cup and FIBA Americas games. Spain (5-3) edged out Australia (5-3) 89-88 for the bronze medal. Leading by four-points at the end of the first quarter, the USA blew the game open in the second period. The Americans finished with a 54-33 rebounding advantage and got a 13-point, 15-rebound double-double from DeMarcus Cousins The game started off with four tied scores and five lead changes. The USA fell behind 14-11in the first quarter after Serbia made a free throw at 3:12, but the USA closed with a 7-1 stretch that included a 3 from Durant, and the USA headed into the second period with a 19-15 advantage. Paul George started off the second quarter for the USA with a steal and slam dunk, which was followed by four free throws from Cousins, and the USA led 25-17 1:46 into the second. Serbia scored to end the streak, but the USA was not slowed. Durant went on to sink four 3-pointers to lead a U.S. charge that outscored Serbia 33-14 in the quarter to lead 52-29 at halftime. The U.S. defense in the second quarter held Serbia to 31.6 percent from the field (6-19), while it shot 55.6 percent (10-18). By halftime, the USA had a 31-16 rebounding advantage. Cousins already had 11 points and 12 rebounds and Durant had scored 24 points, including five 3-pointers. Carmelo Anthony, the first four-time Olympian and first three-time Olympic gold medalist in U.S. men’s basketball history, started off the second half with a 3-pointer and went on to score seven points in the quarter, while six other U.S. players added points to help the USA take a 79-43 lead into the fourth period. All 12 U.S. players scored, Klay Thompson added 12 points and George finished with nine points. Kyle Lowry handed out five assists and Kyrie Irving dished out four assists as the Americans recorded 24 assists on 34 made baskets. The USA held Serbia to 38.2 percent from the field (26-68 FGs), turned 18 Serbian turnovers into 26 points and recorded 30 fast break points. Overall in the tournament, the USA beat teams by an average of 22.5 points per game.

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Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtm0khT1qec

References

Ducksters. (n.d.). Retrieved from Ducksters: https://www.ducksters.com/sports/basketballrules.php

Harrod Sport. (2020, 24 6). Retrieved from Harrod Sport: https://www.harrodsport.com/advice-and-guides/basketball-court-dimensions-markings

Janeiro, R. d. (2016, 21 August). USA Basketball. Retrieved from USAB: https://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2016/08/moly-vs-srb-gold-medal-recap.aspx

Stewart, T. (2018, December 11). SportsRec. Retrieved from SportsRec: https://www.sportsrec.com/8072917/the-five-basic-skills-of-basketball

Tan, M. C. (2014, August 31). Prezi. Retrieved from Prezi: https://prezi.com/wvvzwu2qcp64/officiating-officialsrules-and-regulations-of-basketball/#:~:text=The%20makeup%20of%20the%20officiating,two%20scorers%20and%20two%20timers.

Tutorials Point. (n.d.). Retrieved from Tutorials Point: https://www.tutorialspoint.com/basketball/basketball_equipment.htm

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