#mountain ranger ari

[bigtreefest]

Chapter 8: What Took You So Long

From: Bigger Houses Series

Pairing: Mountain Ranger! Ari x Reader

Summary: Finding forever took forever. Now it’s time to slow it down.

Word Count: 3,414

Content/Warnings: moderate alcohol consumption, mildly negative self-talk, looking back on the past, poking fun, mild swears, entirely too much affection, learning to cook, mild allusions to adult fun times, pet name usage

A/N: hehehe, the thought of grocery shopping with a SO has been eating me up recently. Also, a good friend of mine thinks I’m becoming disillusioned to what real-life romance is like. Oops

Likes, comments, reblogs, and asks are sooooo welcome and appreciated!!

Dividers by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

Below is the song which inspired this chapter. Talk about sappy.

< Prev | Series Masterlist | Next >

You and Ari were grocery shopping when it hit him. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. A part of him had known the whole time, but this moment had really made it click.

You weren’t even looking at him, your eyes instead favoring the rows of produce, mentioning facts about how to determine when each fruit or vegetable was ripe. It was beautifully mundane, it was you sharing a little more of yourself and your wide breadth of knowledge he could never get over, and it was everything he ever wanted to love for the rest of time.

He was in awe of the way you moved through the aisles, your natural understanding of everything a person could possibly need, and how well you knew his preferences.

You pulled out spices, describing the dishes that utilize them. You explained the importance of salt, but not too much, and why a person could possibly need more than one kind. You walked him through different ways to make a balanced meal. The entire time, he was enthralled. He was completely taken by you and hung on to every word like it would save his life. Well, it sort of already did.

The two of you went to the checkout counter with your full cart, Ari pushing it as you began to load the items onto the belt.

Ari helped the cashier bag them up, and before he could even think to pull out his wallet, you’d already swiped your card. Ari cocked his head to the side, his long hair that peeked out from under his hat swaying. The ball cap looked so funny in juxtaposition to his ranger uniform, which he still wore as a product of you picking him up from work. His eyebrow raised as if to say ‘seriously?’

You smiled and shrugged as you took the receipt, skipping off in front of him as he pushed the cart out of the store and to your SUV. You slowed to allow him to catch up.

“You know I could’ve gotten that. These groceries are for my house, after all.” You laughed before reaching the car and pressing the button for the lift gate.

As the trunk began to open, Ari parked the cart and you felt arms wrap around you from behind. His beard bristled against your neck as he nestled in with his chin on your shoulder and kissed your cheek.

A soft smile remained on your face. “Consider it a gift. Welcome to independence, and official adulthood.”

He laughed into your hair. “Well it hardly counts as independence if you just took care of me. Swooping down to save the day again like the Angel you are. If you’re not careful, people are gonna think you’re my sugar mommy. Then I’m definitely not independent or much of a full-on grown-up.”

You rolled your eyes before turning around to start placing the bags into the trunk, keeping your head down doing your best to hide your blush at what Ari just said. You loved that he thought the world of you, and loving Ari like that was easy. Now, in terms of the sugar mommy comment, you both knew your job paid better, but neither had an issue with it, so any time it came up, he loved to joke like that, despite him having some savings from living so modestly.

Once you finished loading, you looked up into his sparkling eyes, creased with the smile he always wore when around you, finally replying. “I’ll give you sugar, you just have to wait until we’re home for it.”

You winked before giving him a chaste kiss, far too short for his liking, closing the trunk, and hopping up into the driver’s side, leaving Ari to return the cart.

When Ari returned to you, you started the car towards his cabin. You drove with one hand on the wheel, the other holding his over the center console. His thumb absent-mindedly stroked the back of your hand as Ari looked out the window, thinking about how he was going to pick out a ring.

Ari was finally losing his bachelor fridge. Gone were the days of it only housing lunch meat and beer.

You had just helped him finish putting away the new haul as he had gotten changed out of his uniform. Everything had a place and he had never seen the cabinets so full. You had a methodical system he really appreciated.

Ari’s hands were on your hips as he was about to set you on the counter before you stopped him, placing a hand on his chest.

“Wait, stop.”

He looked at you confused.

You removed your hand from his chest and held a pointer finger up. “One more thing. Gimme a sec. I left it in the car.”

You dipped under his arm that had you barricaded against the counter, running towards the front door and slipping on the first pair of shoes you saw, Ari’s massive boots clopping as you ran on the driveway. You opened up the back door of your car, looking under the seat to pull out a small package wrapped in brown paper and a twine bow.

You ran back in to where Ari was still standing there with his mouth agape, one hand on the countertop, the other on his hip. You cautiously crept towards him with the package tucked behind your back.

His face morphed into a suspicious smile. “Whatcha got there, Duchess?”

You giggled, toes meeting his as you looked up at his towering form. He made a move to reach behind your back before you quickly slid out of his reach.

“Ah ah ah, surprises are meant to be given, not stolen, ya little klepto. Now close your eyes.”

Ari’s head fell forward with a sigh before looking back at you through his eyelashes. “Fine.”

His eyelids fluttered shut as he held out his hands and you pulled the small package out from behind your back, carefully placing it.

“Okay, open.” Ari looked down at the brown paper intently.

“What is it? What’s the occasion? You already bought my groceries.”

He set it on the counter before propping you up onto the island like he had tried to before. You shrugged, your hands gripping the edge as your feet swung.

“Open it. I know we didn’t really discuss gifts or anything, but happy one year of me almost hitting you with my car.”

He laughed, picking it up again and untying the twine. “The first or second time?”

He knew which time. It was the first one. He marked the day as soon as he’d gotten home from your first coffee shop date, counting back the days to that fateful run-in on the mountain pass.

You kicked his thigh lightly before silently urging him to tear open the paper. It revealed a small cookbook.

“‘Cooking for Two?’ What-“ His eyes grew wide. “You’re not…” he looked around before ducking his head slightly and whispering. “Pregnant…are you?”

You shoved him back. “What!? No. No!”

You shook your head frantically. “Absolutely not. That is not what this means.”

The two of you were more than careful enough to make sure that didn’t happen—at least not right now. You’d made sure to find the right birth control and Ari took proper precautions on his end, as well.

You laughed uncomfortably before going silent. Ari let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, okay, that’s good- I mean, not that I wouldn’t….like, well, kids….um.”

You calmed him, placing both hands on his shoulders. “I-I get it trust me. I want kids, too someday, just not right now. It’s okay, we’re on the same page about that.”

He nodded and placed his head on your shoulder as your hand moved to stroke his hair.

“Thank you for understanding me. Where have you been all my life?” Seriously, he couldn’t believe that heaven ever let him find you.

You placed a kiss on his temple. “I was getting prepared to meet you.”

You leaned back to catch his gaze. “Now let me explain. This book, which is most definitely not a pregnancy cookbook, is because I’m hoping to start spending more dinners here now that you’re all stocked. As much as I love cooking for you, I think it’s important we both know how.”

You gestured your head to the single book that sat on the shelf in the corner of his kitchen. “Plus, I think you’ve earned an addition to the collection. You’ve graduated on to the next best thing. The pizza incident is a thing of the past.”

He shook his head reminiscing on the memory. “It’s not my fault you distracted me.”

You looked at him with feigned shock and disbelief as he leaned in for a kiss. “But as my present to you, let me cook you dinner?”

You nodded, leaning in to meet him. The kiss was soft and slow before it became needier. Ari tried pulling you close, his one arm falling from your waist down to your hip, the other still holding the book, before you placed your hand on his chest again, pushing him away.

“Nice try, Bear, but I’m starving. As much as I wanted to see where that kiss went, I want food more. Chop chop.”

You grabbed the other end of the book still sitting in your lap and gently raised it, pushing it towards his face and turning him towards the stove.

“You pick out a recipe while I get some drinks started for us. Sound good?”

As much as Ari would’ve grumbled at anyone else, he was happy to oblige you, flipping through the pages as you pulled out two glasses and began pouring.

Ari was so happy with the way you took over his space. Everywhere he looked, he saw you. Every room in the small shack had been filled with laughs and memories that filled his chest with warmth. Gone were the days that pained him to even look at the walls as the darkness seeped in. All that existed was light. It shined off of you and stayed reflecting off every surface, leaving an imprint of contentment in Ari’s brain, even when you weren’t here.

Ari leaned back against the counter next to the stove, arms crossed as he simply watched you. Over the period of him preparing the meal that was nearly finished, you had changed into one of his old wildlife conservation hoodies he’d gotten from working a fundraiser.

You danced without a care in the world, swaying with your arms above your head to the music you had blasting through the small cabin. Your one hand held your second cocktail of the evening.

As much as Ari hated to, he had to pull his gaze off you for a second to check the roast on the stove. When he opened the pot lid, you caught a whiff of the truly delectable scent. The sweetness of carrots swirled with the seasoning blend over the braised beef.

You set your glass down on the island, dancing over to him and stepping up behind the wall of a man. No spanks in the kitchen was a long-standing rule, which was a shame for the sweatpants he was wearing, but nothing was ever contested about hugs.

Your arms snaked around his waist and up under the front of his shirt as you rested your cheek between his shoulder blades. You could feel the ripple of each muscle as his arms expertly maneuvered and he breathed steadily, it was like marble that moved. Yet, there was a softness to it, maybe from the sensation of the chest hair under your fingertips, maybe from the smell of the fabric softener he used. There was always a softness to Ari, especially around you.

He hummed, reaching to pull low-rimmed bowls down from the cabinet, serving up the meal and setting it aside before running his hands up his shirt to meet yours. He turned around and pulled your hands between the two of you, placing a kiss on each hand, right on the ring finger. Starting forever was at the forefront of his mind, unbeknownst to you.

“Ready to eat?”

You nodded with wide eyes, grabbing silverware and dancing over to the dining room as Ari followed with your meals, dancing along.

As the sun fell, you and Ari were still sitting at his dining room table. His small work-provided cabin didn’t offer much room to move around, but there was just enough for the two of you and you didn’t mind being cozy.

You were putting together a puzzle under the warm lighting, newly donned fuzzy socks on your feet that he’d tucked away as a surprise for this very special day, finally giving them to you after dinner.

The two of you moved quickly, but not hastily, as you passed Ari the outline pieces and you worked to piece together the internal scenery. Your movements were paired with witty banter and discussions about past lives. No matter how much time you spent together, you could never learn enough. You wanted to know everything.

“So that was the spring break I spent doing cleanup work for a tornado. It’s not like I had any plans otherwise besides going home, but my mom understood it was what I needed to do.”

Ari nodded along. He enjoyed learning about the road you took that led your hearts to each other. All the things you did with your hours and your minutes. Seriously, what didn’t you do? Even now you were constantly on the move, filling your schedule with valuable, enriching things. You chased your dreams even if they took you far away from your hometown. At least, that was how he saw it. How could you always find the time to be with him? To dedicate to him when you had so many other things on your plate?

He didn’t want to question it too much, though, for fear that you’d catch on and think he didn’t live up to how amazing you were. But Ari thought to himself more, realizing the good he really had done. What took him so long? Where had this version of him been all his life? You had awoken it in him. You had pushed him to become a better version of himself.

He was roused from his thoughts by your question. “So what about you? Ever do anything fun for spring break in college?”

Ari’s eyebrows rose as he thought back to it. He hadn’t finished college and it honestly seemed like a lifetime ago. He blew out a breath and leaned back in his chair.

“Well, I only had two spring breaks. I remember going down to Daytona beach with some buddies of mine, getting drunk on Coronas and them all being drunk on love with whoever they met down there.”

You took a sip of your drink, nodding as you swallowed. “Sounds about normal. I bet you were a charmer back in the day, too. Sometimes I wish we’d met then.”

Ari shook his head vigorously at that, taking the drink from your hands and finishing it down. “Ehhhh…I’m not so sure about that. I do not think you would’ve liked to have met me then. I probably wasn’t deserving to be in your arms.”

Your brows pinched together as you took the drink back, going to Ari’s fridge and getting a fresh round of beer, hunching over to reach the shelf. “I don’t agree that you weren’t deserving. Sure, we lived different lives, but you were still you.”

Ari thanked you as you placed the new bottle in his hand, taking your seat again and shuffling the puzzle pieces.

“I mean, Bear, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who actually cares about being a ranger as much as you do. You go to all those little conferences and retreats and trainings and actually enjoy them. That’s not just a trait that develops overnight. It’s character.”

Ari blushed. Not even the cold beer was enough to counteract the warmth in his cheeks that came around when you said little things like that. When he could see how much of the little things you noticed. When you saw him.

He scoffed and tried to brush it off, though. As much as he loved to hear your praise, he respectfully disagreed with your assessment of his college self. Sure, if it had been up to him then, he would’ve been ecstatic to meet you a lot sooner, but God knew what he was doing making Ari wait all this time.

“Nah, I was a bit of a punk. And I wasn’t ready then to meet someone like you, but I think I’m ready now.” It was true. Right when Ari met you was when his world started spinning, but he wouldn’t have been able to handle it as the immature, reckless, and restless young delinquent he was.

“I definitely wasn’t doing humanitarian work like you. Trust me, Duchess, if you would’ve seen me…let’s just say…I don’t think I would’ve ever gotten the opportunity like now to kiss you every morning with the sunshine. I would’ve blown it pretty early on.”

You shrugged and continued to snap pieces into place with one hand while the other reached for his, pulling it to your lips for a kiss. “Agree to disagree.”

The puzzle was shaping up now, as you worked to slide your solved chunks in towards the middle with Ari. Only a few pieces were left to be placed.

Ari continued to work on the task at hand, but it took a back seat in his mind to the main show that was you. Sure, he loved little activities, but mostly, he just loved you and the time you could spend together. He’d do anything if it meant just stealing another moment.

As you were close to finishing, there were two spots open, but only one puzzle piece left. You stood up, looking on your seat, spinning around to check the floor, and even peeking under the mostly-solved puzzle with no luck.

“Bear, stand up. Do you see the last piece anywhere? Can you please help me find it?”

He stood up and cleared his throat. “Sure thing. It’s gotta be here somewhere. This was a new set. Couldn’t have gone far.”

The two of you looked over every nearby surface, Ari even checking the fridge to see if you’d tracked it into there somehow, and to get himself another drink after looking for the piece at the bottom of his bottle.

Somehow this hunt had turned into a dance, though. Or…more of a hobble?, as Ari had wrapped his arms around your neck, hugging you from behind and resting his head over one shoulder, taking big, goofy, swaying steps with you.

He lived for this. Really. Where had you been all his life? This night was another quotidian moment he wanted to bask in. He felt like it had taken him forever to find the one he wanted to spend forever with, but now that he did, he just wanted time to slow down. He wanted to drag out this night just a little bit longer.

You turned around in his hold, hands rubbing his chest and abs over the old hoodie he wore. Your nails raked up and down, sending tingles to the firm muscles under the plush fabric. Ari held you close, large hands splayed against your lower back. As your hand brushed over the pocket in his sweatshirt, you felt something small and flat with sharp edges.

“Hm, that’s suspicious.” Your head tilted as you looked up at the tree of a man, a sly smile on his face, looking back down at you.

“Oh, Angel, I’m just excited to see you.”

Without breaking eye contact, you reached into the pocket, finding exactly what you’d expected, mouth open in a small gasp of fake shock.

“As much as you wish it were, not everything is about your dick, Levinson.”

You winked and leaned up to kiss his cheek. Ari simply gave a shrug as you shimmied out of his hold and back over to the table, sliding the final puzzle piece into place. This was a mimetic moment for him; a visual representation of what you’d done in his life, and he planned to never let you go.

Next >

Bonus A/N: Bro, a lil sap who thinks the world of me? That’s all I want. Fr Fr.

If you agree, I’d love to hear about it. Drop me a comment or reblog. Thank you for reading!!

Series Taglist:

@patzammit

@hawkeyes-queen

@identity2212

@jamneuromain

@whiskeytangofoxtrot555

#Ari Levinson #ari levinson fanfiction #Ari Levinson fluff #Ari Levinson x reader #mountain ranger ari #mountain ranger! ari x reader #mountain ranger ari x reader #mountain ranger! ari #mountaineer monday #bigger houses #bigger houses series #red sea diving resort #Chris Evans #chris evans fluff #ari levinson imagine #bigger houses series chapter 8: what took you so long #what took you so long #dan + shay #dan and shay #grocery shopping #couples puzzle #puzzle #puzzle date

[ronearoundblindly]

Hi Ro! Just wanted to say I LOVE your bedrock and blueprints series. I literally have told everyone in my life about it (I’m sure my friends loved the multi-hour phone call where I went through the entire plot lol). Ari is just so tender with how much he cares and has patience and understanding, despite appearing gruff. I feel like we need more best friends to lovers like this because it makes the relationship so much sweeter. It really got me when Ari was like “who has a kid and doesn’t have an SUV?” And then keeping the signature truck nearby when they got their SUV🥺. Just so much mastery in one fic, I fell in love with it and wanted you to know. I keep coming back to this. Thank you, now what’s a girl gotta do to get an Ari for herself?

WELP, the good news is that I feel like I deserve to answer this because before today I hadn't written anything for B&B since September...

I made sure to put the SUV in the newest piece (where Rachel gets sick for the first time) and it will be mentioned again in the follow-up to that 😊

I miss the good ol' days of having long phone calls with friends, so I am thrilled to have provided some gossip for that. Say hello to your friends for me! I guess they'll be hearing just a little more about these blorbos in the near-future... Also, I have been loving your Ari series, Bigger Houses. I can totally see him as a mountain ranger; it's so fitting 😍🥵

Finally, alas, gurl if I knew where to get an Ari, I would never be on this hellsite. That's the truth of it, lmao, because I would be busy elsewhere if you catch my drift.

🥴😅😭

#ro answers #hoarded niceties #from 12 12 23

[aries-rp-corner]

With the arrival of Rina, the Rangers, Baron’s, and Aries’s confidence grew more and more. While the Rangers were searching through the mountain, they found not only Peons scurrying about but they witnessed old enemies from the past… Dim Sun Grunts using their now improved Miniremo to control Pokémon as their personal guards, and the Pinchers using their own control devices within their gloves to manipulate Pokémon as well. As fears grew more that old enemies are now merged with a foe who can use unknown darkness… making the Rangers and the Trenya family concerned that Cipher have now brought back up to eliminate anyone who gets in their way… even Trainers are not safe as well… both Dim Sun and the Pinchers’ equipment “improved” to also control Trainer’s Pokémon… Yet for Baron, Rina, and their daughter have thought differently. If team Dim Sun and Pinchers believe they can come back for vengeance like Cipher, then they to shall meet their defeat as well.

Aries though, have thoughts of worry for not only her parents, but her friends as well. Cipher grew bold in recruiting help, but it’s the thought of who else is going to get hurt badly from old enemies that the Rangers defeated. Now giving her more ideas of an Protection spell from the two new foes… yet for Baron and Rina, a deeper fear grew… Team Olethros may return as well, or an enemy the matriarch, Lupa herself faced so long ago… once a friend, no a sister to her at the time… who used such darkness to corrupt the sun…and almost corrupted Lupa as well. For now, the two hope it will never happen…for all sake.

#pokémon rp #pokémon roleplay #tag: Cipher’s Conquest #tag: Cipher’s Darkness and Shadows #tag: Team Dim Sun’s return #tag: Team Pinchers return #tag: Trenya’s Ghosts #tag: Trenya’s Past

[aceghosts]

OC Associations

I was tagged by @scungilliwoman, @florbelles, @clicheantagonist, @johnnycranes, and @belorage to share some associations of my OCs.

I'm sure most people have been tagged by this point, but I'm going to throw a few tags to @adelaidedrubman, @commander-krios, @spookyvalentine, @allthearchetypes, @bluemojave, @honeysides, @hoesephseed, @gamer-purgatory, @heroofpenamstan, @henbased and anyone else who would like to do this! (Also, I apologize if I tag you and you've already done this.)

Associations under the cut!

Blue Murphy

Animal(s): Blue Jays, Dogs, Mountain Goats, and Grey Wolves

Colour(s): Navy Blue, Forrest Green, Olive, and Dark Brown.

Month: March

Song(s): Raise Hell by Brandi Carlile, Rocky Mountain High by John Denver, Way Out There by Lord Huron, Sunshine on My Shoulders by John Denver, and Elijah by Matthew and the Atlas.

Number: 13

Day or Night: Day (Specifically Sunrise)

Plant(s): Colorado Blue Spruce, Aspen Trees, Douglas Fir Trees

Smell(s): Pine Trees, Coffee, Earthy, Woodsy

Gemstone: Aquamarine, and Amazonite and Smoky Quartz

Season: Winter

Place(s): Forests, Mountains, Ranger Stations, Parks (Anywhere outdoors really)

Food(s): Sweets, Granola, and Burritos.

Astrological Sign: Aries

Element(s): Fire

Drink(s): Coffee (with too much sugar), Orange Soda, Energy Drinks (The more likely to give you a heart attack, the better).

Commander Rooney Shepard

Animal(s): Panthers, Lions, Black Cats, and Screech Owls.

Colour(s): Black, Royal Blue, Red, and Silver.

Month: November

Song(s): Legends Never Die by Against the Current, Saturn by Sleeping at Last, Butterflies and Hurricanes by Muse, Meteor by Architects, and Leaving Earth by Clint Mansell.

Number: 7

Day or Night: Night

Plant(s): Oak Trees, Blackthorns, Black Tulips, and Red Corn Poppy.

Smell(s): Metallic, Spearmint, Tea, and Model Ship Paint.

Gemstone: Onyx, Obsidian, and Sapphire.

Season: Fall

Place(s): The Normandy

Food(s): If it isn’t drowning in hot sauce, Rooney isn’t interested. (The only exception is Shepherd’s Pie.)

Astrological Sign: Aries

Element(s): Water

Drink(s): Tea (of all varieties), Guinness, and Water (Hey, you gotta stay hydrated to save the galaxy.)

#tag memes #blue murphy #commander rooney shepard #I won't let fear compromise who i am #I did not mean for both of them to end up as aries #but oh well lol #also this made me realize how similar and dissimilar rooney and blue can be at times

[the-melting-world]

🍉 About Adrenaline 🍉

portrait by @ aircane

Significant Tags:

🍉 mestra adrenaline - Everything including fics, asks, hcs, and picrews 🍉 art of adrenaline - art commissions 🍉 adrenaline energy - aesthetics and inspirational quotes

Appearance / Picrews:

“An exiled capoeirista who hangs in the balance of forgetting her past and preserving what’s left of it in order to survive...”

Picrews: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

*Rest is under the cut!*

Full name: Mestra Rosario Adrenaline

Nicknames: Adrenaline, Nali (most commonly used), Rio, Zar, Dre (these last three were only used before her exile from her homeland.)

Age: 34

Height: 5′10

Pronouns: she/her

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual

Most likely to… make you call in sick and drag you to a day spa.

Occupation: Formerly a lightning paladin (a small elite militia made up of storm mage capoeiristas). Currently works as a freelance bodyguard.

Favorite Food: barbecued pork ribs (the stickier the better)

Favorite Drink: watermelon daiquiri

Zodiac: Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon, Aries Rising

Patron Minor Arcana: Three of Cups

Upright: friendship, community, happiness

Reversed: herd mentality, conformity, solitude

Flower: Corsage Orchid

Personality:

LOUD. AND PROUD

Boisterous, energetic, playful, scrappy

She’s the most high maintenance of the three. One of the things she and Bai bond over

If you look up the phrase “Work hard, play harder,” Nali’s headshot is right next to it

A proud party animal. Don’t tempt her with a drink unless you came to go hard.

Fiercely loyal. She doesn’t play around when it comes to people she cares about or even her clients. She would absolutely die, and more importantly, kill for them.

With that being said, good luck trying to fight her. She’s built like a mountain.

Legendary Origins: Brazilian/Amazonian legend of the boto encantado – a dolphin shapeshifter known to behave similarly to the Western concepts of incubi/succubi, Power Rangers, Capoeira (Brazilian dance-fighting)

Magic/Abilities: A black belt (mestre) in Storm Capoeira (also known as Capoeira Tempestade) Think Last Airbender’s Princess Azula’s style of lightning-redirection/firebending mixed with Brazilian dance-fighting. If it sounds very cool to see, believe me, it is.

Backstory: Follow Nali’s journey (past, present, and future) through fics/asks that feature her with the tag: mestra adrenaline. You can also gather clues to her personal history and growth with the tag: adrenaline energy

#all the pirate + solo bios are done #so let me know who u want to see tomorrow #the arcana #mestra adrenaline #about adrenaline #oc bio #picrew #oc picrew #coco's pirates

[transdeputy]

#3 from each section of the oc asks for ariel?

Ooooh

Basics: do they have any nicknames?

The in-game nicknames as well as “Ari”

Appearance: What’s their style like? Clothes, hair, makeup?

Very functional. Short, low maintenance hair, no makeup, long sleeves and sturdy jeans and heavy boots.

Personality: what are their hobbies and interests? Do they have any favorites?

They love nature! They want to be a park ranger, so they spent a lot of time studying and reading about that stuff. They also enjoy camping and stuff, heading into the mountains and traveling when they can. Also their favorite food are apples.

Background: What factions or organizations are they part of? What ranks and titles do they hold?

I mean obviously they’re a Junior Deputy of the Sheriff’s department in Hope County lol. They’re also an honorary member of the Cougars and Whitetail Militia

Relationships: What’s their love life like? Do they have any kids?

They’re divorced and have a late daughter named Asa. There are no current romantic entanglements.

#oc: deputy ariel towers #fc5 #ask memes #meowthvevo

[villain-princess]

Hi friends! I got a new puppy and I need help choosing a name! He’s a Bernese Mountain dog and Golden Retriever mix. All these names have at least one meaning behind them!

1.) Aries

2.) Draco

3.) Chief

4.) Stout

5.) Ranger

#savannahlea #savannah lea

[namelists]

names inspired by: lord of the rings

this list includes names inspired by tolkien’s epic high-fantasy, and the various people, places and things that inhabit it

disclaimer:

please don’t take this too seriously. it’s just a list of words from lotr that i think would make cool names. if i changed any spellings, i put “from [language]” in the meaning. i had fun with this, and i hope you will too!

Adan: the Elves’ name for those Men who first crossed the Blue Mountains

Aduiel: from Sindarin (an Elvish language), meaning “eventide, twilight, star-opening”

Adun: Adûnaic (an extinct Mannish language) meaning “west”

Aelin: Elvish, meaning “lake, pool”

Aiglos: Sindarin for “icicle”

Ainura: from Quenya (an Elvish language), meaning “holy ones”, refers to the angelic spirits created by Ilúvatar

Alda: Quenya, meaning “tree”

Aldaloma: from Quenya, meaning “tree-shadow”

Alqua: Sindarin, meaning “swan”

Amarië: a Fair Elf woman of ancient Valinor

Ambarona: Quenya, meaning “world’s birth”

Amila: from the Elvish for “mother”

Amon: Sindarin, meaning “mountain, hill”

Anarya: Quenya, meaning "day of the sun”, the second day of the Elvish week

Anna: Sindarin, meaning “gift”

Anodo: from Sindarin, meaning “Ent”, the ancient race of tree guardians

Anárion: a human who lived in the Second Age

Aragorn: the king who returns in Return of the King

Arda: Quenya, meaning “region, realm”, became the term for the world

Áre - Quenya word for ‘Sunlight’.

Ari: from Adûnaic, meaning “royal”

Arnu: Adûnaic, meaning “king”

Arwen: half-elven daughter of Elrond and Celebrían, and wife of Aragorn

Avallone: the name of a city on the eastern coast of the Elven island realm

Avari: Quenya, meaning “unwilling”

Balin: Dwarf companion of Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit

Barliman: the owner of The Prancing Pony Inn in Bree

Beleriand: a vast region located in north-western Middle-earth during the First Age

Benadar: another name for the enigmatic Tom Bombadil, a nature spirit who lived in the depths of the Old Forest Beren: a hero whose romance with the Elf Lúthien was one of the great stories of the Elder Days

Bilbo: the hobbit from The Hobbit who discovered the One Ring

Boromir: warrior of Gondor and member of the Company of the Ring

Bowman: Bard the Bowman was a Man of Esgaroth who slew Smaug the dragon

Brethil: Elvish, meaning “silver birch”

Calaquendi: the Elves of the Light

Calen: Sindarin, meaning “green”

Calma: Quenya, meaning ‘lamp”

Coirë: Elvish, meaning “stirring”, the last of the six Elven Seasons

Corana: from Quenya, meaning “sun-round” (aka, a year)

Cormallen: Sindarin, meaning “ring bearers”

Cuivie: Elvish, meaning “awaking”

Círdan: Elf leader. Shipwright and bearer of a Ring of Power.

Dae: Elvish, meaning “shadow”

Dagor: Sindarin, meaning 'battle’

Denethor: the name of at least three rulers

Dina: Elvish, meaning “be silent”

Drego: Sindarin, meaning “flee”

Drúedain: a strange race of wild Men that lived in the Drúadan Forest

Duin: Elvish, meaning “long river”

Echor: Elvish, meaning 'encircling mountains’

Edhel: Sindarin, meaning “elf”

Edhellen: Sindarin, meaning “of the Elves”

Elbereth: the Vala Varda, goddess of light

Eldaliéva: Quenya, meaning “elven spirituality”

Eldar: Quenya, meaning “people of the stars”, the Elves’ name for themselves

Eldarin - Quenya word for the languages spoken by the Elves

Elear: Sindarin, meaning “visionary”

Eleni: Quenya, meaning “star”

Elenya: Sindarin, “day of the stars”, the first day of the elvish week

Elessar: another name for Aragorn II

Elrond: powerful leader of the elves, and ruler of Rivendell

Emyn: Sindarin, meaning “hills”

Endari: the middle of the year in the Elvish calendar

Endóre: Quenya word for 'Middle-earth’

Éomer: the eighteenth King of Rohan, and first of the Third Line of their kings

Éowyn: female member of the royal house of Rohan who kills the Witch King of Angmar

Eriador: a region of Middle-earth located between the Blue Mountains and the Misty Mountains

Eryn: Sindarin, meaning “forest, wood”

Esse: Quenya, meaning “name”

Estel: Sindarin, meaning “hope”

Estellio: Sindarin, meaning “trust”

Ethuil: the first season of the Elvish year, equivalent to spring

Eärendil: First Age half-elf who eventually became a legendary figure. He and his wife Elwing are key to the victory of good in the Silmarillion.

Falas: Elvish, meaning “shore, line of surf”

Faramir: the Captain of the Rangers of Ithilien

Faroth: Elvish, meaning “hunt, pursue”

Finwë: First king of the Noldor

Firith: Sindarin, meaning “fading”, the fourth season of the Elvish year

Formen: Quenya, meaning “north”

Frodo: the nephew of Bilbo Baggins who bore the One Ring to its destruction in Mount Doom

Fëa: Elvish, meaning “spirit”

Fëanor: one of the Elves that first departed from Valinor

Galad: Elvish, meaning “light”

Galadriel: Queen of the Elves

Gandalf: ancient wizard badass. a member of the Fellowship of the Ring

Gildor: Elf of Rivendell in the Third Age

Gilthoniel: Varda, the Vala responsible for the outlining of the stars

Gimli: Dwarf and member of the Fellowship of the Ring

Gondolin: a hidden city of the Elves

Gríma: an ally of Saruman who gave false advice to the King of Rohan

Haleth:  Haleth was the daughter of Haldad, leader of the Haladin

Húrin: a hero of Men during the First Age

Iarwain:  another name for the enigmatic Tom Bombadil, a nature spirit who lived in the depths of the Old Forest

Ilúvatar: the supreme deity of Arda

Incánus: another name for the badass wizard demigod Gandalf

Indis: a female Vanyar Elf of Valinor

Istari: five Maiar spirits sent to Middle-earth as human forms to aid the Free Peoples against the threat of Sauron

Kaliondi:  the Elves of Darkness

Khôr: Adûnaic, meaning “lord”

Laira: from Quenya, meaning “summer”

Lalaith: an Edain child, named Urwen at birth, but renamed after the stream running by her house

Legolas: beautiful elf warrior, member of the Fellowship of the Ring

Lindon: an important Elvish realm, known for its harbors and Elven Ships that would sail for the West.

Luin: Sindarin, meaning “blue”

Lórien: a magic forest and Elven realm into which evil could not enter without difficulty

Lúthien: An ancient elf, predating the First Age

Maedhros: one of the princes of the Ñoldor, the eldest of the seven Sons of Fëanor

Maia: near-primordial spirits that descended into Arda to help the Valar first shape the World

Melkor: the original evil being in Tolkien’s legendarium, succeeded by Sauron

Mellon: Elvish, meaning “friend”

Meriadoc: a hobbit and companion of Frodo Baggins, and member of the Company of the Ring

Merry: Meriadoc’s nickname

Minas: Elvish, meaning “tower”

Minelle: from Adûnaic, meaning “sky”

Mithrin: Sindarin, meaning “grey”

Mordor: the Land of Shadow, a dark volcanic plain that Sauron used as his military base

Moria: an underground kingdom beneath the Misty Mountains

Moriquendi: the Elves of Darkness

Morwen: Wife of Húrin. one of very few female characters in this series

Muindor: Sindarin, meaning “brother”

Muinthel: Sindarin, meaning “sister”

Namárië: Quenya, meaning “farewell”

Narya: one of the three Elvish Rings of Power, described as having the power to inspire others to resist tyranny, domination and despair

Navaer: Sindarin, meaning “farewell”

Nelya: the largest of the three houses of the Elves

Nenya: one of the three Elvish Rings of Power, wielded by Galadriel, normally invisible

Nikerym: Elvish, meaning “captain”

Nilu: Adûnaic, meaning “moon”

Nimir: Adûnaic, meaning “elf”

Nimrais: Sindarin, meaning “white peaks”

Nin: Elvish, meaning “my” (example: ‘mellon nin’ means ‘my friend’)

Olórin: Gandalf’s original name

Orod: Sindarin, meaning “mountain”

Palantíri: Quenyan, meaning “far-seeing”

Parma: Quenya, meaning “book”

Peredhel: Sindarin, meaning “half elvish”

Peregrin: a hobbit companion of Frodo Baggins, and a member of the Fellowship of the Ring

Pharaz: Adûnaic, meaning “gold”

Phelle: from Adûnaic, meaning “daughter”

Pippin: Peregrin’s nickname

Quelre: Sindarin, meaning “good day”

Quenya: one of the Elvish languages, along with Sindarin

Rivendell: a peaceful, sheltered Elven town, located at the edge of a narrow gorge of the river Bruinen

Rohan: a great kingdom of Men, located in the great vale between the Misty Mountains to the north and the White Mountains to the south

Samwise: loyal companion of Frodo Baggins who accompanies him to Mordor

Sarati: an alphabet and writing system invented in Valinor by Rúmil of Tirion

Saruman: A wizard. Once a leader for good, he formed his own empire as a rival of Sauron and was defeated at the Battle of the Hornburg.

Sauron: The primary antagonist of The Lord of the Rings. He crafted the One Ring, and was destroyed upon its destruction at the end of the The Return of the King.

Shire: the homeland of the majority of the Hobbits in Middle-earth, located in the northern region of Eriador

Silma: from Quenya, meaning “starlight”

Silvan: the name given to the woodland Elves

Sindarin: one of the Elvish languages, along with Quenya

Strider: one of Aragorn’s nicknames

Taliska: the language of the Bëorian and Hadorian Houses of the Atanatári

Tauriel: Elvish, meaning “daughter of the forest”

Tavrobel: a town in the northwestern part of the island of Tol Eressëa

Teleri: the third of the Elf clans who came to Aman

Thalia: from Elvish, meaning “bravery”

Thalin: Elvish, meaning “dauntless”

Thorin: Dwarf that led the company of dwarves that retook Erebor from the dragon

Théoden: King of Rohan

Tuilë: Quenya, meaning “spring”

Túrin: A First Age man who later became the subject of legends

Undómiel: another name for Arwen

Ûrî: Adûnaic, meaning “sun”

Urulóki: Quenya, meaning “hot, heat”, also used as a name for Fire-Drakes

Vala: Elvish, meaning “mighty”

Valar: the Powers of Arda who shaped and rule the world.

Valdra: Elvish, meaning “inferno”

Valinor: Quenya, meaning “land of the Valar”

Vanya: one of the Fair Elves, or Light Elves

Vilya: one of the three Elvish Rings of Power, may have provided the ability to heal and to preserve

Zadna: Adûnaic, meaning “house”

Zimra: Adûnaic, meaning “jewel”

Zîra: from Adûnaic, meaning “friend”

Zôr: Adûnaic, meaning “flame”

#name list #masterlist #name help #character help #lotr #this took two full days you guys #these names are cool as hell though i want 27 dogs now #lol jk i always want 27 dogs #rph

[chunsoftie]

what four disney world attractions you are based on your zodiac sign

we’re all experiencing the the disney withdrawals a little differently for those who are locals and those that travel to the parks in general, especially those who were supposed to visit but didn’t get a chance - so let’s cut the intro and jump right in, yeah?

aries - toy story mania // rock n’ roller coaster // the magic carpets of aladdin // tomorrowland speedway

taurus - splash mountain // dumbo the flying elephant // buzz lightyear’s space ranger spin // turtle talk with crush

gemini - it’s a small world // jungle cruise // rise of resistance // spaceship earth 

cancer - the many adventures of winnie the pooh // na’vi river journey // star tours // living with the land

leo - big thunder mountain railroad // kali river rapids // pirates of the caribbean // country bear jamboree 

virgo - space mountain // soarin’ around the world (california) // dinosaur // kikimanjaro safaris 

libra - slinky dog dash // frozen ever after // enchanted tiki room // peoplemover 

scorpio - tower of terror // millennium falcon: smugglers run // stitch’s great escape // mad tea party

saggittarius - flight of passage // the boneyard // mission: space // monster’s inc: laugh floor

capricorn - seven dwarfs mine train // carousel of progress // test track // hall of presidents

aquarius - alien swirling saucers // haunted mansion // journey into imagination with figment // primeval whirl

pisces - peter pan’s flight // mickey and minnie’s runaway railway // the seas with nemo and friends // triceratop spin

*tag yourself as your personal favorite ride and sign!!

#disney world #zodiac #tag yourself #my post #text post #zodiac signs #disney

[bigtreefest]

Bigger Houses Masterlist

An Ari Levinson Series based off Dan + Shay’s latest album

Mountain Ranger! Ari x Female Reader

Main Masterlist

Series Summary: A year after shattering break-ups, two hearts start life anew in the Rocky Mountains. It’s always just when you swear off love that a new beast crosses your path.

*chapters are arranged in the order they are to be read but track # in parenthesis is as they are on the album

1. Breakin’ Up With a Broken Heart (Track 1)

2. Heartbreak On The Map (Track 3)

3. Save Me The Trouble (Track 2)

4. Neon Cowgirl (Track 11)

Thunder + Birds

5. Heaven + Back (Track 7)

Leads to You

Rocky Road

The Pizza Incident

6. Missing Someone (Track 9)

In The Stars

A Night Out

7. Then Again (Track 6)

8. What Took You So Long (Track 8)

Garden Party

9. For The Both Of Us (Track 5)

You’re a Gem

Words Are Just Words Unless They’re Verbs

10. We Should Get Married (Track 10)

Keep it Move-in

Bound to You

11. Bigger Houses (Track 12)

A Little Rain

12. Always Gonna Be (Track 4)

Drabbles & Extras

Sexy Sasquatch

#ari levinson #ari Levinson smut #ari levinson fanfiction #ari levinson fluff #masterlist #bigger houses Masterlist #chris evans #mountain ranger ari #mountain ranger! ari x reader #mountain ranger! ari #mountain ranger ari x reader #mount

[wonpiris]

INSTRUCTIONS: TAG 10 PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER!

and [thor voice] ANOTHER! a much longer one, too. tagged once again by the loveliest of lovelies @kidmannicole <3

name: sheryl starsign: aquarius sun, gemini moon, gemini rising hogwarts house: i’m finally a ravenclaw height: 5′3″ i think sexuality: queer favorite animal: doggos, pandas, elephants average time of sleep: 5-6 hours but i wish it was more current time: 10.34pm dogs or cats: doggies blankets you sleep with: one big one i like to wrap around myself so i’m a human burrito when you made your blog: this blog? maybe 3 years ago? but i’ve been on this site since 2009 omfg followers: about 150 why you made your blog: surprisingly, tumblr now seems like the least harmful social media platform for me since i can curate this space as much as i want reason for your url: bong joon-ho is a boss

RULES: ANSWER 21 QUESTIONS AND TAG 21 PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER

real name? sheryl nickname? sher zodiac? aquarius favorite musicians or groups? janelle monáe, julien baker, pvris, my chemical romance, fall out boy, taylor swift, lady gaga, blackpink favorite sports teams? i am Clueless here other blogs? not anymore do i get asks? only sometimes how many blogs do i follow? about 100 and like maybe 10 of those are probably chris evans fan accounts tumblr crushes? ari you’re one of them!! also @whatelsecanwedonow whose blog is EPIC lucky numbers? 2, 7, 11 what am i wearing? black shorts, meg & dia t-shirt dream vacation? i want to visit all of scotland and ireland dream car? ya girl can’t drive and doesn’t really plan to LOL favorite food? carbs. <- SAME drink of choice? black tea or black coffee, no sugar instruments? piano and guitar languages? english and a little mandarin celebrity crushes? many many many people. i get crushes on talented performers all the time. and idk if you knew this but if you just spent a teeny bit of time on my blog... the answer is chris evans random facts? i cannot ride a bicycle

THIS OR THAT

coffee or tea | early bird or night owl | chocolate or vanilla | spring or fall | silver or gold | pop or alternative | freckles or dimples | snakes or sharks | mountains or fields | thunder or lightning | egyptian mythology or greek mythology | ivory or scarlet | flute or lyre | opal or diamond | butterflies or honeybees | macarons or eclairs | typewritten or handwritten | secret garden or secret library | rooftop or balcony | spicy or mild | opera or ballet | london or paris | vincent van gogh or claude monet | denim or leather | potions or spells | ocean or desert | mermaids or sirens | masquerade ball or cocktail party

20 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT MAY SURPRISE PEOPLE.

1. do you make your bed? NO 2. what’s your favourite number? 11 3. what’s your job? i write 4. if you could, would you go back to school? fuck nooooooooo 5. can you parallel park? the bitch can’t drive. 6. a job you had which would surprise people? eh i’ve always worked within my field 7. do you think aliens are real? yep. 8. can you drive a manual car? is this quiz just trying to make me feel inadequate for not knowing how to drive!!! 9. what’s your guilty pleasure? nothing anymore 10. tattoos? sadly, none 11. favourite colour? lilac, powder blue, obsidian 12. things people do that drive you crazy? people who willfully miscommunicate drive me bonkerssss 13. any phobias? butterflies and moths 14. favourite childhood sport? netball 15. do you talk to yourself? all the time. 16. what movie do you adore? the lord of the rings <- DITTO 17. do you like doing puzzles? i haven’t done any since i was a kid so i don’t know! 18. favourite kind of music? anything with narrative, introspective lyrics 19. tea or coffee? truly both 20. the first thing you remember you wanted to be when you grew up? buzz lightyear space ranger. seriously.

honestly if you got to the end, you’re such a champ!!! ily. tagging you reading this specifically.

#about me #text post #tag games

[pinpuku]

pokemon partner + team + trainer class for @fantasticfelicityfox​

original request & description under “keep reading”

I’m an Aries with a Sagittarius moon and Cancer rising. My MBTI is ITSP.

My favorite color is purple and I live by the beach but I like the forest and mountains better. I like to go on nature walks, play video games, and take naps. I also really like the paranormal especially vampires and I love a good soap opera. (My favorites are Dark Shadows and General Hospital). My favorite foods are coffee and french onion soup.

I’m currently a grad student and I want to be a park ranger or work in a museum when I’m done. I would also love to write a book one day.

Positive Traits are that I am resourceful, and always try to be polite. Negative are that I’m always tired and kind of irritable and lazy.

If you don’t mind could I also have a trainer class (I prefer female).

Thank you!!

Hi! I unknowingly went ahead & made this team mono-color, too lmao. Let’s meet your partner! 

♡ Your partner is Tsareena☆! Tsareena is a noticeably human-like, intelligent pokemon. When they have a close bond with their trainer, it’s more like having a somewhat silent best friend. And this pokemon is definitively known for bonding strongly with their trainers. They have an calm, collected but powerful aura, and they will not be timid with letting you know how they feel. Especially if they aren’t liking something! Otherwise, Tsareena is a self sufficient & easy pokemon to care for. Almost nothing will spook her. They usually have nerves of steel & they know that they are not ones to be messed with! Tsareena won’t mind watching scary movie or being involved in your paranormal interests. Feel free to walk around the forest at night in hopes you will see some ghost-types or dark types! They do have a softer side, however. You will have moments when Tsareena will act quite motherly & affectionate with anyone she’s close to. Tsareena also has a great love for nature. Nature walks are some of the things Tsareena loves most. Plus, with its powerful legs, it will not tire easily from physical activity. Taking care of nature, protecting it & even enforcing the law in said nature’s name are right up Tsareena’s alley. Tsareena would be an invaluable asset to any park ranger. And of course Tsareena would not turn down any chances it gets for some self pampering, so naps & lazing about are also ideal situations. Tsareena has a queenly attitude, and while they can seem intimidating by default, they are usually very polite & friendly to those who pose no threat. 

♡ Your trainer class is Pokémon Ranger! Pokemon Rangers are trainers that have chosen a life that is dedicated to protecting wildlife, pokemon & nature. They are usually quite adept when it comes to pokemon battling. They also make sure to protect & help other people/trainers they comes across while on patrol. Resourceful & ready for all situations, they always have medicines, food, tools, maps etc.. at hand & ready to use. Given their job description & lifestyle, Rangers often come across rare pokemon & hard to reach/unexplored locations. People enjoy learning from rangers as much as they can & hearing the tales they have to tell. Especially fellow trainers & nature enthusiasts!

Hope you like your team! If you have any other questions about your other team members, feel free to ask! I’m trying to save the lengthy descriptions for partners these days! xx

#pokemon #pokemon team request #pokemon partner request #request #pokemon partner #pokemon team #shiny pokemon #tsareena #shiny tsareena #crobat #illumise #gothita #gligar #venomoth #pokemon ranger #istp #aries #sagittarius #cancer #mbti #astrology #pokemon tcg #pokemon tcg art #requests

[enidangleanna1]

Heart of Winter

Icewind Dale. The hours seem longer here. The days don’t feel like days. There is very little sunlight. The cold is unforgiving. Most can only last a few hours journeying through this frozen tundra.

It had been several days since Toruviel set foot in Icewind Dale. She knew it would be many days more, as she traveled alongside Prince Neronvain of the Misty Forest and Yaevinn, one of the most skilled rangers to come out of the forest.

Only the most skilled rangers could survive Icewind Dale. Because of the harsh conditions and windy paths, only an experienced tracker could navigate through the terrain. On top of that, some of the most deadly and dangerous beasts roamed these lands.

The mission was an important one - retrieve tomes from a very powerful wizard, known as Meltharond. Neronvain led the expedition, as he had been researching Meltharond's work for years. The biggest obstacle - this wizard had one of the most powerful enemies at his expense: the ancient white dragon Arveiaturace (better known as Iceclaws).

This is why Toruviel had begun to feel impostor syndrome invading her thoughts. While she was a skilled ranger in her own right, she was nothing close to Yaevinn, a seasoned veteran. And, of course, traveling with the Prince of the kingdom she served put the pressure even more on herself.

“Why did Neronvain choose me?,” she thought to herself that morning as the three of them suited up for the fourth day of traveling through the icy mountain. “Surely there are so many other skilled rangers in our kingdom that could do a better job.”

She kept these thoughts to herself as they ventured out from the small alcove where they had made camp for the night and pressed on through the side of the mountain. Alongside Tor was her beast companion, Arivae the fox. Or Ari, for short.

Toruviel traveled everywhere with Ari, the two were bound together in a special way that any ranger shared with their beast companion. Before venturing out to Icewind Dale, Toruviel was uncertain of bringing Ari with her on the journey - this was the first time she had considered separating from her companion. Her fox had always been a forest dweller and was particularly keen to the warmer climate - she named her little companion after the Elvish word for "sunlight", and Icewind Dale was not a place of much sun.

Ultimately, she knew Ari was a strong and steadfast little creature that would likely adapt to the colder climate even faster than she could. And he did. Within a day, Ari's coat had grown thicker than she had ever seen it. And it even began to slowly change shades of lighter, cream-like orange hues to blend with the environment.

Those who dared to explore Icewind Dale usually had to wait until the sun was at its highest to travel, as that was considered the warmest time of the day. But those sunny hours did not last long. A small window of comfortable travel, at best.

Yaevinn had been tailing a tracks of a potential dragon den that he suspected was nestled along the windy mountain trail. Based on the evidence he had spotted the day before, it would only be one to two more days of travel before they made it.

Toruviel had learned much from Yaevinn during this journey. While Yaevinn had dedicated his life to tracking beasts, Tor's skills lied more in her archery and keen eye for detail.

“Toruviel, keep your eyes up. It looks like there is something - or someone - ahead of us,” Yaevinn said as he looked down at a small trace of remains not far off the snowy trail. “Looks like they tried to cover their tracks, but did a poor job at it. Could only be a few meters ahead of us.”

Yaevinn always made sure to describe every detail of his work to better help Toruviel hone her own skills as a ranger. He had always been a mentor to Tor - as he was much older and had centuries of experience - and she always looked up to him.

Back in the kingdom, Yaevinn had taken a liking to Toruviel and always made time to teach her. Many other rangers and knights that served alongside them had always suspected that he was giving her preferential treatment. These  rumors didn’t bother Toruviel much. The fact that she was able to learn to be an expert hunter in only a few years of training, as opposed to the centuries it had taken other elves in the kingdom, meant to her that this was indeed her calling and that Yaevinn was the ideal master.

Toruviel scouted the area ahead to see if she could find an easy opening to keep an eye ahead of the others. She glanced back to see Ari pranced off the trail down an icy alcove sniffing the remains of what looked like bones of a beast. The fox grabbed one in his mouth and brought it to Yaevinn. She could hear Yaevinn talking to Neronvain.

"Bones. From a wolf? Or perhaps a bear. Whatever creature was here likely feasted on this,” Yaevinn described the details to Neronvain. 

Neronvain was conjuring some kind of spell on the area, likely to locate or identify the creature. He had his own set of skills in the arcane arts, and was also an exceptional fighter.

Finding a rather bare and icy pine tree, Tor quickly scaled it to get a further look ahead. When she and Yaevinn went on missions back in the Misty Forest, Tor had always been the scout - so naturally she continued these tactics while surveying Icewind Dale. Yaevinn, on the other hand, focused his ranger combat in more close quarters.

Looking out several meters ahead, it seemed there had been snow covered hills that continued for miles beyond, it was hard to believe anything could live up here. Thankfully, today had clear skies with not a cloud in sight, so Tor had good vision of the path ahead.

She quickly spotted movement, though it wasn't fully clear to her what it was. The figure had almost blended in with the white snow. As she continued to keep an eye on it, she gestured to Ari who then returned the message to Yaevinn and Neronvain. Although Yaevinn could not directly communicate with the fox, he had a clear understanding of the danger ahead.

The three on the ground had quietly pushed forward, while Tor remained on the high ground. She quickly drew her bow and honed in on the moving creature - not losing sight of it. It seemed to not be moving much from one small indent between two icy hills. 

Tor waited for the three to gain a more advantageous spot before she made any moves, as her sights remained set on the creature, she saw it was not even sitting up while moving. Then, it began to stand up. 8 feet tall at least. It had to have been an ice troll - and it was carrying an icy blue axe with it.

As Neronvain and Yaevinn approached slowly from behind the hill, Tor noticed that Ari had begun moving away from the group and sniffing more. That meant trouble - Ari sensed something else nearby. 

“An ambush,” Tor immediately thought. “This is not the only ice troll - there are more nearby.” Her heart sunk as she knew she needed to take her eyes off her target and survey the area around Neronvain and Yaevinn to spot any other danger. 

This didn’t make sense in her head, because every other troll she’s seen in the hills west of the Misty Forest had been solitary creatures. Were there more nearby? As she scanned the area, she saw no sign of others.

Then, she heard cracking, the hollow tree she had been hiding in was slowly beginning to wither and break. She quickly made a move to get back on the ground -- and that’s when things suddenly began to take a turn.

As she calculated her path to get back on solid ground, she peered over to the top of the hill, above Yaevinn, where another troll had a boulder, ready to drop on him. The trolls must have been aware of the group’s arrival.

“Yaevinn, up!” Toruviel yelled to him, now at least 20 feet ahead of her. This broke the element of stealth, but gave Yaevinn enough of a reaction to move out of the way before the troll could drop. “How did I miss that one? Should have seen him coming!”, frustrated, she thought to herself.

At this point, Yaevinn was able to quickly scale the hill to take on this troll, while Neronvain continued moving forward toward the other. Toruviel moved quickly to another tree so she could continue to scout from above. Then, three more of them made an appearance from higher ground. She grabbed a flurry of arrows to distract them, and the three quickly drew their attention toward Tor.

The three trolls picked up their pace and moved toward Tor, realizing she was an easy target. She called to her companion to move toward her - Ari was able to distract one of the three for some time. While the other two moved closer and began shaking the tree she was on. 

Tor quickly spotted another tree about 10 feet away - and she considered the option of jumping, though it would be quite the jump. Suddenly, one of the trolls pulled out a dart and pinpointed it upward in Toruviel’s path. The dart struck her arm and immediately her arm was covered in ice. One of her arms was immobile for the time being, making her bow useless.

She knew this wasn’t good - while Neronvain and Yaevinn were distracted with their one-on-one combats, she had to face two - and soon-to-be three ice trolls. She jumped down from the tree and drew her shortsword to begin melee combat with her only usable arm.

Taking on multiple, 8-foot giants was a lot for Toruviel, even with her being very quick on her feet. She was able to dodge most of their blows, but then one of them had her grappled. As she struggled to break free, that is when a scimitar came flying from behind and impaled the troll that was about to strike her while still grappled.

The impaled troll fell limp to the ground, leaving only two left. She noticed Ari had signaled to Yaevinn for help, and then she saw him run up and grab his scimitar from the dead troll. He immediately swung at the grappling troll and Tor was able to slip from its grasp and kick his lower legs to deliver a final crippling blow. 

Soon, the third troll that Ari had previously been dealing with also fell dead to the ground from a blast of a poison wave from Neronvain’s spell. The two elves had made their way back to Toruviel after dealing with the other trolls and finished the off ambush.

Toruviel fell on her knees into the snow for a second, grabbing her icy arm in pain. Yaevinn immediately kneeled down to her side.

“Tor, are you alright,” he asked with a heightened concern while looking at her arm.  “Ahh, my arm is completely numb - I can’t feel anything. That troll struck me with some ice weapon - I’ve not seen anything like it before,” Toruviel explained while grasping her arm.

Yaevinn put his arms on hers, feeling how cold it was. Despite how cold it felt to him, he tried his best to thaw out the ice. He gently helped her up and assisted her movement toward Neronvain. Neronvain, upon inspecting the arm, casted a gentle somatic spell that produced a small flame near her arm, expediting the thawing process. He was careful not to let the fire hit her flesh.

As the feeling began to return in her arm, she could feel the biting cold and it stung hard. She winced in pain and Yaevinn continued to hold her up.

“Easy there - it may sting for a while. You’ll be alright,” Yaevinn said gently to her.

“I’m sorry - I didn’t see the others. I think...it was a trap. There’s no way they blended that well with the ice - I think they had some sort of illusion magic on them.”

Neronvain spoke up, “That doesn’t seem right - trolls can’t cast spells like that. Unless they have arcane items from other means.”

“I should have known better” Yaevinn explained. “Many ice creatures tend to be highly cooperative with their own to ensure survival. You’ll rarely see lone wolf monsters wandering these parts. I should have known there would be more than one. I’m sorry, Tor,” 

“It’s OK - I, too, feel ashamed that I wasn’t able to properly track this. I was supposed to be the scout,” Toruviel said with her head down.

“Hey, you still saved me from a giant ice boulder landing on my head - I owe you for that one,” he smiled.

As the pain became less intense for Tor, Ari then rubbed against his master’s legs. She gave him a pet with her good arm and the group continued forward, closer to the caverns.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

Another early night. The hardest part of this journey was the limited amount of time that one could travel - it made most of the day seem wasted as the three of them had to begin to make camp early. Especially after today's encounter, it seemed like they made no progress following the events.

To an elf, normally this wouldn’t matter. Elves had all of the time in the world to explore and travel. But Toruviel could sense that Neronvain was very anxious about this particular mission.

Truthfully, Toruviel didn’t mind that the three had to pack it in early. It meant she could to spend more time getting to know Neronvain, whom she has admired for years now. The three of them didn’t have much to do in the bitter, cold nights beside talk. Yaevinn himself was not always full of conversation. So Neronvain and Toruviel did most of the talking.

Tonight, however, as Yaevinn took the first watch as he routinely did each night, Tor made her way over to him, toward the front of the cave. Ari had already nestled himself near the fire that Neronvain was also sitting next to.

Yaevinn never took his eyes off the icy tundra in front of them, so Tor placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey. I wanted to say thank you for saving me today. You arrived just in time before those trolls would’ve had my head. Even when we’re not in the forest - you’re always looking out for me,” Toruviel said to him as she took a seat next to his watch spot.

"Of course, Toruviel. You put up a good fight today - we all had no idea of the ambush. I am the one that is supposed to be the most expert on this area, and I made a mistake. You still handled yourself very well and I'm proud," Yaevinn took a moment to take his eyes off the horizon ahead of them and look at Tor in the eyes, then down at her previously frozen arm. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. At least I fully have feeling back in this arm again. Nothing I can't handle," she had a slight smile on her face as she responded. "You know I learned from the best how to be resilient after any fight." She tugged at his arm playfully.

A rare smile came to Yaevinn's face as she said this. He placed his arm on hers, where a large scuff had been from the now thawed ice and gave her an encouraging look. "We're almost to the end of this journey - and I'm confident you'll be able to handle what lies ahead. Now, go back to the fire and get some warmth, my little protege."

Tor’s smile widened at those words. After taking another moment with Yaevinn she quickly got up to return to her already sleeping fox and Neronvain.

Tor was the next up to take watch, and then Neronvain after. Tonight was an exceptionally cold night as the three nestled inside a small alcove as a storm raged on outside, making the area beyond 10 feet barely visible.

“I feel so bad every time I have to kill an elk for his fur, but damn does this coat keep me warm,” Toruviel said as she buried herself deeper in her long elk cloak. She had taken off the rest of her armor for the night, but that cloak almost never came off her.

“Come on, Neronvain, you must have a few spells that can help keep us warmer," Tor asked as she snuggled up next to her fox, who was still peacefully curled up by the fire. Ari seemed to not have a care in the world while he slept.

“Is the fire I produced not enough, dear? If you’re really that cold, you can have my cloak," Neronvain, who was sitting a few feet from her, was resting his head along the back of the alcove wall.

“I would never take that from you. You are the VIP of this mission, remember?”

“Hmph. No need for special treatment on this journey. We are all in this the same.” He noticed her shivering and moved closer to her, extending his own cloak from his body to partially cover hers.

All three of them would take shifts to keep an eye on the alcove opening. That night, the cold was unbearable. Toruviel could barely get herself to concentrate in her trance-like elven slumber. She only needed a few hours to keep herself recharged for the next day. But tonight, she just couldn’t get herself to trance.

She finally jolted and got hoisted her body up from her resting state. Neronvain, who had been on his turn for watch that night, was leaning against the cave wall and looking out over the alcove, turned to her.

“Having trouble?” He asked.

She let out a small sigh. “Yes, it is impossible to trance tonight. It is so cold. My lips are blue. It hurts to even move my joints. This fire is too weak.”

Neronvain didn’t seem as troubled as she did about the cold. “I don’t know how I’ve gotten used to it so quickly already. Maybe it’s different for you, a high elf. For me, I embrace the cold. The bitterness of these winter nights do not feel like anything to me. Come here.” 

He gestured for her to come closer to him. She grabbed her elk furs and scurried the few feet across the cave toward him. Ari opened one of his yellow fox eyes to see where his master was moving to, but once he saw she had stopped near Neronvain he then closed his eyes again and continued to sleep, now near just Yaevinn who was deep in his own elven trance.

Neronvain took his hand and placed it on her shoulder, slowly gesturing for her to lean her body against his. She could feel some of the body heat from him, but as she laid near him she felt shame.

“I want to be stronger than this. I want to be like you and Yaevinn, not afraid to tough the cold. This is so pathetic of me,” Toruviel said while she laid herself on his side.

“Toruviel, you will get used to it. Do not worry, and do not pity yourself. None of the rangers at home were equipped for these conditions. Not a single person at home could have handled this job. We are meant to be forest-dwellers. Not tundra. But I knew I could trust you, and I knew you had the willpower to survive this. Which is why I chose you,” Neronvain reassured her.

In that moment, she felt the most secure she had felt throughout this entire journey. A small part of her still thought that he was just telling her what she wanted to hear in that moment. But as Neronvain gently stroked his hand on her shoulder she felt his warmth and it felt...genuine. The words he spoke were genuine.

She rested her head against his side and slowly drifted into her trance.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

As the days of travel continued on, the group came closer to their final destination. They knew they were getting closer to the dangerous den of Iceclaws. They knew because the caverns nearby had many hot springs, produced by a different red dragon known as Klauth. 

One long cavern that stretched about half a mile down had looked safe for the three to rest for the next cold evening. But for the first time since reaching this mountain, they experienced a comfortable, warm atmosphere thanks to the smoldering springs.

Toruviel felt beyond relived. This was the first night she wouldn't be shivering in her cloak. When the three reached a safe location, Tor immediately strung her cloak off and began undoing her gear.

As usual, Yaevinn volunteered himself for taking the first watch of each night. Toruviel assumed he did this so he could get a good scout of the surrounding area and identify any dangers to relay to Tor for the next watch.

With the hot springs producing enough heat in the area to keep the group warm, Yaevinn one more quick scan of the area. “I guess we don't need a fire tonight. I'll go ahead and keep the first watch for the evening."

As he dropped off some of his items and made his way back toward the front of the long cavern with his bow, Neronvain also made haste to remove all of his gear.

"Amazing to see these smoldering hot pools in such a cold place. I've heard much about Klauth and his ability to create springs like these," Neronvain began as he looked down at each of them. The springs ranged from small, 2ft pools to larger 7ft pools. "They remind me of the springs of Lady Summer in the Feywild. not as pleasant an atmosphere, of course."

"Hm, I don't know much about Lady Summer. But sounds like a very relaxing time. I must say these do look inviting," Tor replied as she placed a hand in the nearest pool to check the temperature. It felt good on her arm that had once been completely frozen a few days ago.

"Well, we didn't fight through these icy tundras for a week and make it all the way here just to look at them," Neronvain said with a smile. He then began to undress the rest of his attire.

He made no time at all to remove all of his clothes and slowly dip his body into one of the smaller springs. For a brief second, Toruviel was shocked that he did all this in front of her. She looked away quickly and felt herself flushed.

"Neronvain, we're still in danger here. What if there are creatures around us? What if there's something lurking down there?" Toruviel asked, still slightly looking away. In her awkwardness she hesitated on what to do.

"Good thing I have an expert ranger here to protect me," Neronvain winked, but Tor was not looking at him to see it. "But if you're really that concerned..." Neronvain began conjuring a spell that created a mirage around a 20-foot radius surrounding them. Tor wasn't sure what exactly he casted, some sort of illusion spell.

"Now, come on, Tor. Are you going to just sit there with that blush face of yours, or are you going to join me?" Neronvain asked.

Toruviel felt her heart beating out of her chest. Then the feelings she felt for Neronvain began surfacing again. These feelings have always been there, but then her mind began racing again.

She always felt close to Neronvain. She was a very young girl when Neronvain had saved her and her brother from being sold into slavery. He was quite young back then, too. In a way, they grew up together and Neronvain had always looked out for Toruviel and her brother in a special way. But Toruviel always felt something more for him. She was never fully able to act on those feelings, as he is a prince and she herself is not royalty.

So, for the most part, Toruviel always kept those feelings to herself. She was certain her brother was aware of her feelings for Neronvain, though the two never fully talked about it. But, to her knowledge, not many others knew about this. In a way, it always remained as her secret crush.

There were a few close moments that Toruviel and Neronvain shared in the past, Tor remembered them all very well.

One was another time that Neronvain had saved her life. They were on a mission together when Toruviel had

One was at a royal wedding in the misty forest court, between two noble elf houses. It was a lovely occasion that much of the kingdom and knights attended. That night, many of the nobles and knights had been drinking and having a great time. Neronvain asked Toruviel for a dance, and the two shared a wonderful dance together. She had been so worried that the other nobles would say something about a prince dancing with a knight of his, but Neronvain assured her that he didn’t care about their petty gossip. Toruviel knew for certain that Neronvain’s father, King Melandrach, would not approve of the two having a relationship.

Later in the evening, the two walked out onto the balcony and shared a kiss. It was an evening Toruviel would never forget.

As these moments resurfaced in Toruviel's mind, she realized she needed to keep it cool. She didn't want Neronvain to think she was a hopeless schoolgirl with nothing but doe eyes for him. Even if that was the case. She had to keep it cool.

So she then quickly undressed herself. She wasn't sure if she should fully undress or not. There was a slight hesitation. But he just did it. And he might think it's weird if she doesn’t follow. So her process of elimination thinking and "keeping it cool" mentality led her to conclude she needed to fully undress, too.

She walked over - of course acting cool - and stepped into the hot spring. She wanted to ease into the pool but she was so nervous that she just went fully in as quickly as possible, even if it did burn her skin a bit.

She sat a few inches from Neronvain - she wasn't sure how close she should be from him. Her mind was racing with thoughts So she decided to give him some space. In her continued attempt to "act cool", she stretched her arms and let out a big sigh.

"Ohhh, this feels so good," she exclaimed as she let all of her aching joints relax. "I feel bad that Yaevinn has to take the first watch, but this is so worth it."

"Yes, well he'll be able to enjoy it later. It's nice to be able to relax for a few hours. Shame we can't stay here longer," he said. 

"So, it seems Yaevinn has taken quite a liking to you," Neronvain said, after a pause.

"Huh?" Toruviel was confused by his choice of conversation. "Oh, yeah. He has always been such a great mentor to me. I respect him greatly. He's taught me almost everything I know."

"Toruviel, darling, don't be coy," Neronvain began. "It's quite clear he feels something more than that. It doesn't take much to see that he clearly has feelings for you. I've been traveling with you both for so long now and I can see it clear as day."

"Oh...really? You believe that to be true?" Toruviel hesitated. Maybe this was something she noticed, but she never really thought about until someone literally said it out loud to her. She knew he liked her because of her skills as a ranger, but some reason she never associated that it could have been more than that.

"Of course, dear. I find it hard to believe you didn't notice yourself," he responded.

"I guess it was something I thought could have been there..but I didn't fully realize it until you told me now.”

“So, you're telling me you don't feel that way about him?”

“Well, no...not really.”

“Not really? No? Why's that?” Neronvain continued. “Sorry, dear, if I'm being too prying. But you two are very important to me.”

Toruviel wasn't sure how to respond. Well, she knew the reason why. But was this the best time to tell him?

“Because...there's someone else,” she finally said.

Neronvain didn't respond immediately.

“I mean, there's always been someone else. Do you know who?” she continued.

He still did not respond. He looked at her, she was looking down and not making direct eye contact with him as clearly she was nervous about speaking this. But he continued to look at her and wait for her to continue.

“You know...just now you said it,” Toruviel began. She was worried about how he would respond to the next thing she was about to say, but continued anyway. “You literally just said it about me - ‘I find it hard to believe you didn't notice.’”

She paused again, then continued, “Well I find it hard to believe you didn't notice the person I'm talking about is you. It's always been you, Neronvain.”

He still did not immediately respond to her. Making her even more nervous that maybe she shouldn't have brought this up.

"I've always tried to keep my feelings in check, because you are royalty and I'm not. You should be with another noble. And, of course, we grew up together. I wasn't sure if you thought of me as a little sister. But I never looked at you like an older sibling. You were always the person I've had feelings for. Always."

He finally spoke up. "Toruviel..”

Her nervousness led her to begin backpeddaling. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up now. Not here. I know, this is kind of weird. This a weird place to do this." She looked down.

"No, Toruviel, I am glad you are telling me this." He never took his gaze off of her the whole time she shared. But she very much did not always look back at him.

He finally reached his arm over to her chin and gently pulled it up so she could look him in the eyes.

"Thank you for telling me this, Toruviel." He said gently go her. He leaned in for a kiss.

The two shared a kiss that was much longer and more intimate than the previous kiss they shared many years ago. Soon the moment became more intimate and passionate between the two.

They spent the next moments in the hot spring, and as things heated up they both excited and shared their moment together in this cavern.

Toruviel was finally able to be one with Neronvain, the person she loved.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

To be continued in part 2:

Fighting the wizard and Ice Claws, getting the wizard’s tomes

Neronvain leaves Icewind Dale to head back to the kingdom after the mission 

Tor and Yaevinn spend time alone in Icewind Dale to train

Yaevinn disappears after fighting a Remorhoaz

Toruviel pregnant, spends time in the small village of Ten Towns and raises her son there for a few years

[erintoknow]

The dead mouse at your doorstep

Fallen Hero: Rebirth fanfiction! set after the end, before the in-progress sequel

“Ortega, what is it? I’m kind of in the middle of something right now.” You hiss into your suit’s headset as you scramble under the barricade.

“Are you okay there?”

“I’m fine. It’s fine. Everything’s fine here. We’re fine. It’s fine.” The ground rattles as a screeching metal beam crashes through the floor behind you. The lights flicker for a second then go out. In the distance you hear people scream and shout. There. That should buy you some time.

“Woah– hey, uh, Ari, what was that noise?”

“Things are a little… hectic at work right now. This really isn’t the best time.” You run through your escape path in your head as you make sure the bag clipped to your waist belt is secured.

“I thought you said you worked at a repair shop.”

“Look Ortega, some things are more–“ There’s another crashing of metal through drywall behind you. Load bearing drywall? Really? Shoddy construction job. “–more resistant to fixing than others. You know how it is.” You put your best upbeat smile into your voice, willing Ortega to accept it at face value.

That gets a laugh out of her. “Yeah, don’t I know it.”

You cut her off before she can press you again. “Look, I really gotta go.”

“Uh-huh. Are we still on to meet at the park this afternoon?” You’re going to have to really work on an explanation to explain this away later..

“Y-yeah, sure, 3 o’clock? Great-see-you-then-bye.” You end the call, count to ten, and then make a run for it. 

———

“So, this isn’t what I had planned on talking about; but you’ll never guess what happened this morning.” Ortega looks at you, leaning in, an edge to her smile.

You look back over the rim of your milkshake, straw in your mouth. “Mm?”

“You remember Pennybags?”

You drum the side of the glass with your fingers, making a show of thinking back. “The magnetic guy?”

Ortega nods. “Yeah. Big bank robber, stole a bunch of things from the old Rangers HQ too, remember?”

You nod, grimacing. “Yeah, that was a mess.” Of course you remember. One of the few times you had actually seen Julia really upset.

“Well, did you see the news today?” Ortega leans in further.

You lean back, shaking your head. “I was a little busy this morning, remember?” Stupid, you berate yourself. Don’t call attention to it.

Ortega tilts her head, side-eyeing you. “Yeah, I still need to ask you about that.” She waves it off with a hand. “Anyway, there was this big complex that collapsed up in the mountains in Hidden Springs.”

You eyebrows shoot up, practiced concern in your voice. “Oh geeze, an earthquake? Was anyone hurt?”

Ortega shakes her head, “That’s the weird part, no quake and most of the service staff were just hanging around outside when Steel and I got there. I tried talking to them, apparently everyone just felt… compelled to go talk a walk at the same time.”

You frown, why had they all gone back? “That’s… kind of spooky,” you say aloud.

Ortega gestures with a fry as she speaks, “You think that’s spooky, turns out, this is where Pennybags has been held up the past nine years, can you imagine? Stole millions of dollars and then vanishes so he can spend a decade playing stockbroker out in the sticks.”

You take another sip of your milkshake before saying anything, “So… you found Pennybags then?”

“Not yet, but he might be still be in there, Ground sonar shows an intact safe-room under the rubble. They’re still digging out the mess to get to it.” You take another sip of your milkshake to hide the possible smile. It had taken a lot of effort to leave only the single path.

But still, would it really be so bad if Pennybags… didn’t make it? Your smile wilts and you shift your arms under your poncho, always uncomfortably warm in the California heat. “Shouldn’t you be up there then?”

Now it’s Ortega’s turn to make a face, “Steel’s overseeing the effort.”

“Doesn’t trust you?” You ask, innocently.

Ortega’s response surprises you however, how her shoulders slump a little. “Maybe the right call in this case.” After a few more fries, she picks back up, “You’ll never guess how we know it’s Pennybags down there though.”

“Voice of god? Welcome sign? Villains Weekly magazine subscription?”

“Good guesses, but no.” Ortega’s smirk melts back into a frown. “Right outside what would have been the entrance someone left a folder… and an action figure.”

“An… action figure.” You repeat, skeptically.

“The signed Marshall Hood figure Pennybags stole actually. And the folder was full of all the photographs he’d taken from us too.”

“Oh.” You say. You hadn’t expected her to actually talk about this.

“I… don’t really have a lot left of him. I thought I’d lost these for good.”

“I remember.” You remember seeing the front door of its hinges, running through wrecked room after room, finding an alarmingly sobbing Ortega. The first time you willingly hugged someone.

“There’s maybe five people who know about that figure, Ari, and two of them are dead now.” Ortega’s voice is quiet, her hand on the table balled into a fist.

“What are you saying?” You whisper back, mirroring her tension with your own.

“I don’t think that building collapsed on its own. No, I think that new villain did this.” Ortega looks at you, questioning. “I just can’t figure out why.”

“Do…” You fish for an idea, “do you think they’re trying to send you a message?” 

Ortega looks you straight in the face, half-eaten hamburger now completely forgotten. You wish she wouldn’t. “A message? For what?”

You look back, willing yourself not to look away, not to look guilty. “I don’t know… I mean, it’s no secret you and Hood were close, is it?”

The look on Ortega’s face only intensifies. “You think maybe it was a threat?”

Your face blanches, and shake your head. This is not going how you thought it would. “I’m not in this game anymore, remember?” You shrug your shoulders theatrically, “for all I know it could be a love letter.”

The absurdity of it gets a laugh out of Ortega and you both relax a little. “Mierda,” she shakes her head. “That’s a hell of a way to send a letter.”

#fallen hero: rebirth #fallen hero fanfic #fhr #fanfiction #wlw fanfic #fhr/Ariadne #dialogue heavy #if you understand the title #gods bless you #trans character #mc #ortega #villiany #suspicious behaviour

[truetgirl]

Hey look it’s the rest of those adventurers I came up with! Once again, basic of who these people are under the read more.

Piper: Human fighter, samurai, neutral good. Youngest child of a noble family bless with many children, Piper knew she stood to inherit little if anything. As such, she planned to train as a tactician and offer her services at court either to her eldest brother or perhaps the king if she were lucky. However, she was a poor tactician. In the end she found her true talent in her combat training, and so went on to become a knight of her brother’s new court. Now she travels as a knight errant and emissary for her house.

Edria: Half-Elf bard, college of swords, chaotic neutral. A sailor all her life, Edria was a fine hand to have on a vessel but her true value was in keeping her crew mates happy and entertained with music, dancing, and the occasional display of skill with her blades. Never happy to settle in one place long, she still wanders, looking for excitement and adventure.

Tina: Kobold monk, way of shadow, lawful neutral. Exiled by her people for failing to return from hunting with any food, Tina nearly went blind as she wandered the mountains above her people’s tunnels and the sun stung her eyes for the first time, magnified by the snow all around. After a few days and having largely resigned herself to death, Tina happened upon a monastery. Knowing she had nothing to lose, she knocked. Nearly twenty years later, Tina has grown comfortable among her new clan, as she sees the other monks. Now she ventures out again, wondering what else this world has to show her.

Marion: Fallen Aasimar ranger, monster slayer, true neutral. Once the pride of her small village, Marion’s life was shattered when her presence drew the attention of a demon lord and his forces descended upon the town, taking her and burning everything and everyone else. Tortured, corrupted by dark magic, and abandoned by the angelic guide that had once spoken to her in her dreams, Marion despaired for weeks. Eventually, once she could cry no more, Marion’s resolve turned to steel and she was able to break free of her prison. With no idea where she was, she fled into the forest, where she has lived ever since.

Brinel: Half-Elf storm sorcerer, chaotic neutral. Though she does not know it, Brinel was born under the clouds of a storm that is legendary to those that lived through it. And so, though she is unaware of it’s origin, she has always known she had magic. Given up by her parents when she was a baby, Brinel grew up first in an orphanage and then, when her powers emerged, under the watchful eyes of mages of a local academy. Finding this life suffocating, she ran away as a teenager. For a few years she worked as a barmaid, but eventually her boss asked her to dance and she could not take him up on it fast enough. Now, having danced her fill for the time being, she strikes out, wondering what the world beyond her home city might hold.

Rain: Tabaxi warlock, archfey, true neutral. A traveler for many years, Rain never dreamed she might find a crossing to the feywilds. Not one to miss such an opportunity, she struck a pact with a fae lord there, and now seeks to learn as much of magic as she can.

Val: Wood-Elf rogue, scout, chaotic neutral. This is another character I’ve played, though not as much as Ari. An orphan from the streets of Waterdeep, she drifted out of the city one day seeking entertainment in the wider world and encountered the inciting incidents of Storm King’s Thunder. The scout archetype is meant to reflect her growing affinity for the wild since leaving the city.

#Dungeons and Dragons #D&D #DND #kelly things

[floodnetworks]

tagged by @dandelionquartz thanks for being epic king

name/alias: ezra!!!!!

birthday: march 23rd!

zodiac: aries sun, pisces moon, leo rising

height: like 5'7.5"

hobbies: skating, art, reading, writing, zines, hiking, cooking, being gay, crimes

favourite colour: currently its red

favourite books: no one belongs here more than you by miranda july, the phantom tollbooth, night sky with exit wounds by ocean vuong, this thicc book of bosch art

last song you listened to: dark room by choir boy, i was on a long ass car ride and put on passive with desire and fell asleep during the first song and woke up during dark room while we were driving thru a canyon. luv that album

last film you watched: i think it was legally blonde lmao

inspiration/muse: my friends, nature, the moon, science, my favorite bands

dream job: *starts foaming at the mouth and snarling like a rabid dog* idk like travelling around the world and writing about art, and also a forest ranger type thing where i just hang out in the rocky mountains

meaning behind your url: its just epic

top 3 ships: cecilos, tenrose, and uhhh idk im not that into shipping mayb like maebea or angel n buffy idk

lipstick or chapstick: chapstick 4ever except the rare occassion where i wear the dark purple goth lipstick i got at age 13 and have almost worn completely down over 5 years

currently reading: a bilingual edition of a lorca collection, always rereading no one belongs here more than you by miranda july, also im rereading varjak paw which i loved as a kid

im tagging (if u wanna no pressure):

@eldritchcowboy @dykey-fish @ajolote-mexicano @cryptidsagainstcapitalism any other mutuals who wanna, or nonmutuals too !!!!