#hmm...north-west is so specific though?
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Payne added there was a prophecy of the parish priests ruling the realm three days and three nights, 'and then the white falcon should come out of the north-west and kill almost all the priests, and they that should escape should be fain to hide their crowns'. The white falcon was Anne Boleyn's badge and an indication of how widespread was the belief in Henry VIII's new wife's role in the religious turmoil in the country. Records showed no actions were taken, but Arundel believed it was his duty to report the rumors to Cromwell.
Political propehcy in Tudor England (Ding, Jessica)
#hmm...north-west is so specific though?#the prophecy comes from 1535 and the progress of 1535 did not include the northwest of england#i suppose it could have been referring to their time in the welsh marches but that's a bit of a stretch wrt 'northwest'#anyway the falcon was in heraldry other than anne's so...hm#falcon in the fetterlock was one. generally a white falcon given it was the yorkist insignia
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okay under the read more is the rough draft of the first page of my novel. Blease let me know if this is licherally anything luv
Chapter 1:
In which Anya Antov is taken home, country roads1
Anya was well aware that most people did not regard cryptid hunting as a serious endeavor. Anya was even more aware that the few people that did regard cryptid hunting as a serious endeavor had an unfortunately large overlap with people that tended to believe that “ancient aliens” were involved in the creation of the pyramids and/or that amethyst can cure your Gout. When she had her druthers, she would largely avoid those people.
The sweet spot, in her humble opinion, were people that were like her, simultaneous enthusiasts and non-believers. She loved the “ghost hunters” that found and fixed gas leaks all while hoping that maybe this time it really is a poltergeist. She loved the “tarot readers” that were in it to get people talking about their issues rather than take advantage of (false) spirituality for people’s cash2. Most of all she loved people who, like herself, didn’t think Bigfoot was any more than a guy in a suit but thought it would be sick as HELL if they3 were more than a guy in a suit.
This was...not that easy to explain, especially when it took up so much of her time and cold hard cash4.
So she didn’t!
When asked about her job, she told the truth and said remote boring IT job.
When asked about her hobby, she said ‘extreme birdwatching5’. She did not elaborate on what made it extreme.
When asked why she wanted to interview locals (usually by said locals), she said she was doing a thesis on modern folklore across North America, specifically ones that were not considered tied to a specific culture. This was almost true. She was not doing a thesis as much as making posts on a ten year old wordpress account for all ten people that regularly followed her exploits. She neither had an anthropology degree nor could afford to pursue one.
The modern folklore thing was legitimate though.
That was her dirty secret. The term “cryptid hunter”, though succinct and, hmm, evocative6,felt wildly inaccurate. For one, she wasn’t hunting shit. She has no intentions to harm, capture, eat the meat of, or mount a trophy of any cryptid if she did, somehow, run into one. Her neck was not incredibly thick like Gaston.
1Anya, much like John Denver, neither lives in nor is from West Virginia
2And for cool themed art. Tarot really went Off with the potential for themed art.
3Bigfoot is almost always referred to as “he” even though in the famous footage he clearly had large mammaries (Big-foot? More like...Bi-ddies). Bigfoot is one of the most famous transmascs of all time.
4Her ass is not carrying cash. The last time she carried enough cash to pay for anything more than a slightly fancy drink was when she was a sixteen and working at an amusement park. By some miracle, she was never robbed after getting handed a weekly envelope with $400 semi-legal tender in it. Don’t work at an amusement park. Especially one that has a 30% of being a money laundering scheme. Actually, scratch that, if it was a money laundering scheme it likely would’ve had better management. She would rather work for the mob than Barbara any day.
5And really, what WAS searching for the Jersey Devil if not extreme birdwatching.
6Not in the ways she wanted, but evocative nonetheless.
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Statistically analysing my cry log from the last year
I realised that it has now been over a year since I began my 'cry log for the academic year'! Because it is in fact a new academic year, just not for me yet.
Disclaimers/caveats: the judgement of what counted as 'crying' may have varied slightly. I usually judged it by whether any tears left my eyes which to be fair might not even be crying - no sobbing involved - the number of times I sobbed would actually be extremely limited - but also, times I welled up didn't make the cut. And in some situations I would've cried but I just couldn't because I wasn't in private yk? And, if I cried multiple times in one day (ahem, the 25th of January), I was stingey and logged it all as one cry.
The total cry count for the year...... 49. That's quite insane. One of the reasons I began the log was because I remembered this random, probably poorly-evidenced statistic that the average woman cries 50 times a year. A few years ago I was of the belief that it was ridiculous and that I cried a tonne more than that. (I definitely did.) But, this year, now that I've actually tested it, I find that I am a statistic. I am so incredibly normal that I cry the correct number of times each year. What an accomplishment.
But, the monthly cry counts had no normal distribution (actually they probably did because normal distribution is that specific mathematical thing I know and most things in the world take a normal distribution hmm but looks like there's negative skew).
September: 2
October: 1
November: 2
December: 1
January: 6
February: 6
March: 4
April: 6
May: 3
June: 5
July: 3
August: 10
I didn't realise I've been crying so much recently. Probably just about fandoms though. And I can just cry more when I'm less busy.
Number of cries that I flagged as intense prolonged sobbing: 4. Mostly about *Cambridge*. (that's funny). Why the hell am I so ok....
Number of cries that were entirely about fandoms and not about me: 23 (but that's an illusion, all cries about fandoms are kind of cries about me)
Fandom cry counts including overlap with general cries:
Fleabag: 2 (really? that seems faulty. I feel like my cry criteria loosened with time)
His Dark Materials: 9
Lord of the Rings: 5
North and South: 3
Robin Hood: 7 (5 about Guy and Marian)
Bonus one-off books or films/shows that made me cry: Maurice (film), The Book Thief, Tell It To The Bees (ignore that it was awful), Birdsong, The Handsome Stranger Vicar of Dibley
Songs I cried to and specifically noted: You Are In Love, Emma (Lizzy McAlpine unreleased), Triple Dog Dare, Christine, Please Stay, Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron soundtrack (who wouldn't), Would You Rather, It'll All Work Out, Ronan, Letter to an Old Poet, A Little Bit of Everything (Lizzy McAlpine cover), The Party, Lord of the Rings soundtrack (especially Into The West), Careless Whisper, this is how you fall in love, What Was I Made For?
Number of cries involving clear rumination and self-pity: 14. I went off in some of those entries.
Bonus - number of cries about people/me being gay: 8
Outroduction: I'm too stable for this. 15-year-old me would not believe. But I promise I have many feelings often !
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𝙍𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙩𝙬𝙤: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮
A man named Boris sighed, an expression of annoyance visible. He tapped his keyboard keys with hurried movements. A few minutes later, he hears the ding-dong of an email and stares at his screen, the light reflecting off his brown eyes. He turns in his chair and stares out past the glass with a view of trees, plants, and a majestic dream.
Lyla walked, or more accurately, rushed past rooms filled with people and devices, towards a door labelled head researcher and walked inside the office with a curious expression. The man named Boris threw an object towards her and gestured towards the door, so she then left just as quickly as she had come with a brown document in hand, which she opened and stared at the black letters upon the white sheet.
"Hmm."
She was intrigued but knew that this mission was dangerous, so she grabbed herself a weapon, and to be more specific, a Glock 17. She left in a 1969 black Aston Martin DB6.
.
She was heading to West Melbury, which is located in the county of Dorset, South West England, two miles south of the town of Shaftesbury, 20 miles north-west of the major town of Poole, 55 miles south-east of Cardiff, and 96 miles south-west of London. West Melbury lies roughly one mile southwest of the Wiltshire border. West Melbury falls within the unitary authority of Dorset. It is in the SP7 postcode district. The post town for West Melbury is Shaftesbury.
Once Lyla had arrived in the village of West Melbury, she would park her car in a place that would not be too conspicuous, though this village was small with a population of 300 or perhaps a little bigger, so the possibility that a crime would occur in such a peaceful place felt like it would be low.
Lyla left her car and began walking. This place mostly had detached houses occupied by usually one or two people, and any higher number than that was a rare sight. She walked past the homes and other historical buildings this area was known for. As she walked, she noticed some people walking with dead fish eyes and oily skin; others worked on their gardens with obsessive focus, though their plants seemed red in overall colour with a tangy, putrid odour that she could smell from a distance; and additionally, she walked past large slimey-like structures with odd shapes.
She walked through the village and slowly made her way out to the endless green fields. Grass and emptiness were the only things around. Soon she began to create more and more distance from the village, and this lasted a good while before she finally arrived. She saw what looked like a two-story, rather large, wooden structure standing in front of herself. She walked across the wooden base towards a red door and clicked a small white button beside the door.
Soon she heard a click sound, and the door slid open with a squelch, and half of a wrinkly white face pops out through the tiny space left by the door being moved.
"Hello? Can I help you?"
The voice of dry vocal cords emits, and Lyla gives a small smile with a cheery attitude and energy.
"Hi. Sorry for taking so long. I heard you needed some maintenance done at your home."
The door then opened entirely, and an old man with oily pale skin and dead fish eyes, dressed in a blue cardigan with brown trousers and shoes, and a hunched back, revealed himself.
"Ah. Yes. Please come in."
Lyla followed the man as he walked inside and guided her. In front of the door, which was now closed, was a staircase, and she turned right just as the man was entering a room with mixed red and yellow walls, numerous paintings, a couch, a table, and a TV, with a few other doors pressed against the walls. After a few moments of glancing around, Lyla would speak.
"So sir. What did you need help with?"
The man turned to Lyla and seemed to scan her, though he had a rather innocent smile on his face.
"My....tv seems to not work. I have no idea why it won't turn on. I've tried all I can to turn it on, but I cannot seem to get it to work."
He said this as his smile faded and tears swam down his cheeks. Lyla watched and felt generally disheartened by this sight; however, she could not rid herself of this strange feeling that she was being watched.
"I'll go get some biscuits whilst you work."
Just like that, the old man scuttled off through one of the doors and disappeared from the room.
Lyla took this moment of opportunity to have a closer look around the room. The walls felt spongy, like jam.
"Odd. Why does it feel so strange?"
The portraits around the room seem to showcase people in unusual positions, such as standing or sitting on furniture, and the same portraits seem to be of different kinds of bones. The couch was red in colour, and Lyla swore that she could feel a pounding whenever she touched it. The table was white in colour with four legs, and the TV, which was apparently broken, turned on immediately once Lyla found the power button.
"Huh. That was easy? Maybe he just got confused?"
A little more snooping led Lyla to one of the corners of the room, where there was a chair that she somehow missed when she entered the room. The chair was wooden and did not exactly stand out; however, feeling the chair was not meant to be here, Lyla moved it, revealing a hole that looked quite big, and from said hole, Lyla could hear something. laughter? Anguish? Soon she heard footsteps coming from the door the old man went through and placed the chair back over the hole, though she did not realise it was slightly out of place since she was in a rush.
The old man came out of what could be guessed to be the kitchen, as he had a tray in hand with a cup on it and a few different biscuits.
"Sorry for the long wait." The old man stated
Lyla decided, however, that it was time to go.
"Sorry. I'm quite busy, so I'll have to have it another time, but I've fixed your TV."
Lyla then turned; however, she glanced at the tea and biscuits, both looking oily and red. She quickly made her way towards the door and left, ignoring the man's words.
" How much do I pay?"
Lyla rushed, almost running at this point. Something was wrong with both that house and the village itself. Soon she caned across the village again and retraced her steps. There were now a lot more people, but they were all staring at her on the sidelines as if not curious but with ominous intent. Lyla also noticed how the floor, grass, trees, buildings, etc. seemed to be oily now. Everything seemed to wiggle ever so slightly.
She got to her car, got in, and quickly slammed the accelerator pedal, though in the rear view mirror all she could see behind her were waves of red. She quickly headed back to headquarters, though it did take a while, and informed her boss Boris of her findings. A day later, teams had been sent to the village and across the fields towards the house of the old man. The results of the large operation were, well, lacklustre.
It was gone. The entire village was gone. The old man's home was gone. Every individual was gone. All that was left were puddles of water and a protein found in muscle tissue called myoglobin. There were apparently signs of a rift that was previously here; however, said rift was unable to be found now.
No one really understands what has happened here. Lyla's mission was to investigate the numerous deaths that had happened in this village, which were supposedly somehow linked to the old man she had met and his home; however, not much was left to investigate. The whole situation was documented and called the " Act of normality."
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Fic Writer Tag Game
Tagged by @esther-dot. Thank you!
How many works do you have on AO3? 9
What’s your total AO3 word count? 423,039 - clearly the one shot is not my specialty......
How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? Just Jonsa
What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
The Copper Queen - Set in the American Old West
Fresh from their discharge from the army, Jon Snow and his friend, Samwell Tarly, arrive in the small mining town of Copper Canyon, Arizona in hopes of building their future. Unbeknownst to Sam, Jon has picked this location for a specific personal reason. Will his choice lead them to a bright future or will their future evaporate like water in the desert? Sansa Stark had lived in Copper Canyon for over half her life. She and her sister, Arya, are all that remain of their once large family. In the old west rumor and gossip can quickly become legend. And if you believe the legends of Copper Canyon, than you know the Starks carry a curse. A curse placed on them by a man who still styles himself as their friend and protector. Will a chance meeting with the town's newest arrival be enough to break that curse?
I’ll Lead You Home - Modern American setting. Road Trip.
Following a family tragedy, circumstances threaten to suffocate Sansa Stark in her hometown. When her ex boyfriend Jon Snow offers her a chance to escape she takes it. So the exes set out on a cross country road trip that will set the stage for the next chapter in their lives. But will the road lead them back together or will the secrets of Jon's past tear them apart forever?
In the Shadow of the Flames - Set in Europe during World War Two
In the early months of World War II Sansa and Arya are sent to live with their Aunt Lysa in the Channel Islands to help her keep the Tully family farm. In the face of Nazi occupation they work to protect each other, their home and family, and eventually a downed pilot by the name of Jon Snow from forces (German commander Ramsay Bolton and collaborator Petyr Baelish) that are determined to possess and destroy them.
The Justice of Vengeance - Set in a version of 1920/30s America but Westeros
If you had asked Jon when he was a young boy what kind of life he would lead, he never would have guessed it would be this one. He doubted anyone else would have guessed it either. Because anyone with half a mind would never think that a bastard boy from one of the poorest neighborhoods in the north would someday grow up to be the head of one of the most powerful criminal outfits in Westeros.
Sheets of Shattered Memory - this was my first fic and sometimes I re-read it and cringe......
Years of misunderstandings have kept Jon and Sansa apart. Robb's wedding to Margaery provides the back drop for them to reconnect and overcome the past.
Story shifts back and forth between past and present timelines.
Do you respond to comments, why or why not? I try my best, but I’ve been on a sorta hiatus since 2019, so its hit or miss since then. When I am actively writing and posting though I am much better about it and try to respond to all comments. Interaction and feedback from readers is a great motivator and I love the sense of community that comes from the back and forth.
What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? Hmm, I don’t know about angst, but my least happiest ending is In the Shadow of the Flames.
Do you write crossovers? If so what’s the craziest one you’ve written? Nope
Have you ever received hate on a fic? Yes, but it was so nonsensical that I just ignored it.
Do you write smut? If so what kind? Sure do, but I always get anxiety posting it. It can get graphic so that’s probably the reason.
Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I am aware of. Probably because they are so long no one wants to bother. LOL
Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope
What’s your all time favorite ship? Jonsa! There are just so many fabulous people in this fandom.
What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? Ugh. So there is a fic I started in 2017 that is the bane of my existence. The working title is Snowbound. Its inspired by the history of the Stanley Hotel in Colorado and has to deal with a blizzard as well. I have written the most ridiculous amount of back story for it. In fact I have a fic I posted last year that is part of the back story. I keep going back to that story and working on it here and there but keep stalling out in the same part about 30,000 words in. It’ll never see the light of day.................
What are your writing strengths? I would say dialogue. My fics play out heavily in dialogue.
What are your writing weaknesses? Back story, in the fact that I seem to have a ridiculous amount in my fics. I don’t know why, its like I can’t write a story without having an entire pre story worked in.
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I don’t do it a lot really so never really thought about it.
What was the first fandom you wrote for? Jonsa/GoT
What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written? In the Shadow of the Flames. That story spans years and is mostly linear. I picture that one like a movie more than any of the others and is the one I re-read the most.
I’m not tagging anyone else since I am typically always last to the party on these things and rather sure everyone else has already done it. But if you haven’t and feel so inclined, please do.
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Setting: After an unfortunate dust accident, as all things start, Jaune becomes feral and violent, hiding out in the wilderness. He's been gone for months, but has been spotted near a remote location in Vale: the Emerald Forest. He's been spotted killing Grimm, attacking Huntsman that get too close, and throwing rude hand gestures at Bullheads flying overhead. Team RWBY and ORPN are now setting up camp outside what is determined to be his "territory." Once set up, the team begins making plans for capturing their fiendishly feral friend.
---------------------------------------------------
Oscar: The tents are pitched!
Weiss: The fire-pit has been made!
Blake: Are we missing anything?
Nora: Ren just came back with a bunch of twigs, while I brought the REAL firewood!
Blake: I guess we can start planning, then.
Yang: Sounds good to me! Anyone got anything?
Penny: I could set the forest on fire to flush him out. He would escape the blaze towards us, where we will capture him.
Yang: Or he beats the tar out of us for burning his home down.
Blake: We could track him down, see where in this forest he calls home.
Oscar: That could take days, or even weeks. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can use Weiss' dust antidote.
Nora: Even though it was her dust that turned him into this the first place?
Weiss: Hey!
Ren: What if he baited him? (Everyone looks at him) Jaune might be our friend, but he's more or less an animal right now, and animals just need traps and the right bait.
Blake: That could work, but we'd need the right bait first.
Ruby: It should be something he can't say no to. I'd say dinosaur chicken nuggets, but we didn't pack any. (Chuckles) Does anyone have any ideas on what to use as bait? (Everyone stares at her) What?
Yang: W-Well, you and Jaune are pretty close.
Weiss: You both attended leadership seminars together at Beacon.
Nora: You both stayed pretty close together when we traveled to Haven.
Ren: And you have a crush on him. (Everyone looks at him) Was it not obvious?
Ruby: W-What?! No! W-We're just really good friends! Like Blake and Yang! (The two look at each other, then deadpan at Ruby) What?
Nora: So it's decided!
Ruby: What's decided?!
Nora: We use you as bait, and Jaune comes for you, we'll jump out and hit him with a tranquilizer round!
Ruby: B-But wouldn't it be better to have Weiss bait him, slow him down with her glyphs, and then I shoot him with the round?
Weiss: (Shakes her head) It's too risky. With so many Grimm, plus the possibility of Jaune remembering my semblance, he wouldn't try to attack me out in the open where you could be distracted by a rogue Beowolf.
Ruby: But-
Nora: Plus, we already bought your outfit.
Ruby: What?!
THE NEXT DAY, AT DAWN
Yang: (Into her earpiece) Is everyone in position?
Ren: Ren, in position at the north exit.
Nora: I'm at the south exit, over!
Blake: I'm at the east exit with Weiss.
Yang: And I'm at the west exit with Oscar. Does everyone see Ruby?
Ruby: This is bull!
Yang: Ruby, don't shout, or you'll scare away Jaune!
Ruby: Okay, then, let me say it like this. (Clears her throat) THIS IS SUCH A LOAD OF BULL! (Nevermore scatter away)
Oscar: This might actually bring him closer.
Yang: (Whispering) I know.
Blake: We see him! He's entering from east!
Blake and Weiss watch from their position, high in the trees, as Jaune passes underneath. He's dirty, covered in mud and grime, and growing a small goatee. His shirt and armor is gone, leaving only his torn and cut up jeans covering himself. He scans the area and finds Ruby in what appears to be her normal attire, except her collar is cut a little lower, revealing more skin, and the thighs of her pants have been cut out. He approaches her and Ruby takes a step back, causing Jaune to approach more quickly. He stands over her as she shivers, then he walks past her.
Ruby: Phew! He passed me! Maybe I can get out of this.
Yang: (Over comms) Where are you going?! Chase after him!
Ruby: He's not bothering me, so I say let him go and get him from behind!
Blake: Uh, guys-
Yang: Ruby, we can't tranquilize him from here. He's out of range!
Blake: Guys-
Ruby: Out of range?! He should have been in range when he was right in front of me! If I had Crescent Rose, I could have shot him from here!
Blake: Guys, Jaune is-
Yang: I told you why you couldn't bring her! As soon as he saw her, he would have ran!
Ruby: Yeah, I could have got him right in his-!
Weiss: RUBY! WATCH YOUR BACK!
Ruby: Huh? (Turns around, Sees Jaune right behind her) Meep!
Jaune raises his hand up to her, his fingers calloused and fingernails dirty from what she hoped was dirt, and Ruby jumped away. This spooked Jaune and he got defensive. Ruby raised her hands slowly to show she was unarmed. Jaune cautiously approached after a few moments.
Ruby: Easy, big guy! It's just me! It's me, Ruby. (Jaune got closer and put his hand up to hers, then his other hand to hers) See? It's okay. I'm not going to-
Yang: NOW!
Yang leaps from her tree as Nora and Blake do the same from theirs, while Ren, Weiss, and Oscar stay behind to guard their exits. Weiss summons a glyph beneath Jaune and Ruby, but Jaune leaps away, trapping Ruby inside.
Ruby: Dammit, Weiss!
Weiss: You should have jumped out of the way! The animal did!
Jaune turns to run, but is cut off by Nora, who swings Magnhild at him. He steps back, dodging every swing, but is sideswiped by a hook from Yang. He falls to the ground, and Blake wraps his legs in her ribbon. He struggles, but is otherwise immobilized.
Ruby: (Free from her glyph) Tranquilize him now!
Yang: On it! (Reaches into her back pouch) Just gotta... Um, just gotta... Uh, I don't have it.
Nora: I don't have it, either.
Blake: N-Neither do I, but I'm, rgh, also kinda busy here!
Ren: (Into his earpiece) I have it, but I can't shoot it from here. Should I go over there?
Yang: Yes, get over here now before- (Jaune yanks on the ribbon, pulling Blake off balance and freeing himself) that happens.
Ren leaps down, loading Storm Flower with the tranquilizer. Jaune and Yang crash, but Jaune uses his momentum to push her at an angle, then pull in the opposite direction, and swing her into Nora. Nora catches Yang, but falls backwards. Ruby runs out of the way, but Jaune gets behind her, grabs her and uses her as a human shield as Ren fires at him from behind.
Ruby: (Is hit, Slurs before passing out) Oh, you sonova-
Jaune runs away, holding Ruby over his shoulder. He turns and sees Ren pointing at him again, so he turns around and holds Ruby in front of him. He then darts right into the treeline before returning to a beeline for deeper into the forest.
Yang: (Watches as Ruby's carried off) Damn it! (Rips off her pouch and throws it to the ground) Oh, there are the tranquilizers! Everyone group up! This capture mission just became a rescue mission, specifically rescuing our team leader and friend. Everybody split up and find out where Wild Child took my sister! If we don't find her, we go with Penny's plan, and burn this forest to the ground! But until she's found, nobody is going back to camp!
BACK AT CAMP
Penny: Campsite is secure, Patrol number 347 is complete! Now performing campsite Patrol number 348! (Walks around the campsite, Sees rustling in a tent) Unusual activity in Ruby's tent. Investigating.
Penny opens the tent and finds Ruby and Jaune currently fighting each other. She assumed their clothes were removed to make it an even fight between the unarmed combatants. Jaune has Ruby pinned, but it quickly shifts to Ruby somehow pinning him with her smaller form. Due to constant shift, Penny can't intervene, and shuts the tent as she exits.
Penny: Oh, I know! I will cheer on Ruby with some intense music for battle! Now searching data library for fitting battle music. Hmm, since we are in a forest, I will filter for songs with forest-like biomes. It should also feature fierce animals in the lyrics. But it should also be sentimental, since Jaune Arc is Ruby's "cru-friend," as she puts it. Ooh! I think this song fits perfectly!
Penny's speaker extends from her mouth, blasting a yodeling howl that alerts the Grimm to veer away from interrupting this contest of strength, agility, and stamina. It worked, as all Grimm with a hundred kilometers move in the opposite direction.
Penny: (Speaker) Yee-dee-dee-dee, Yee-dee-dee-dee, A-wee-bum-buh-weh~!
Suddenly, the tent starts shaking more wildly, and two combatants grunt and pant louder than before.
Penny: (Thinking) It's working! Ruby is really putting up a fight, if her activity increase by 33 percent is a trusted indication.
#rwby#ruby rose#weiss schnee#blake belladonna#yang xiao long#oscar pine#lie ren#nora valkryie#penny polendina#jaune arc#lancaster
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My belated history meme ask 😂. 18, 26 and 29 :)
In response to: Tumblr History Ask Meme: https://lady-plantagenet.tumblr.com/post/643743359209472000/ive-seen-plenty-of-tumblr-ask-challenges-but
well... here is my belated answer 😜. Thank you for the ask dude you really picked some cool questions.
18. Look at the clock and assume the numbers are forming a historical year (e.g. 17;58 would be 1758) What is the world like in that year? Are any significant events going to occur?
....847AD XD The year some saxon madness was probably going around in England and Charlemagne had long been and gone and united France. So from the top of my mind.. hmm...lemme check the interwebs. well the Pope, Sergius II passes away from gout, there is a MASSIVE earthquake in Damascus to Antioch. It is believed to be one of the most powerful earthquakes ever along the Dead Sea Transform - 20,000 dead (which was a big causality at that time mind you). Hey, at least it’s not like the worst year in history: 536 AD.
26. Who do you think is a forgotten hero we should know about and admire?
I think more figures from the past ought to be treated like heroes in general imo. It is very hard to appreciate how ‘heroic’ most people during the 15th century (for ex but in particular though not uniquely...) were compared to us nowadays. There was such a lack of stability that it not only propelled many consciously to heroify (Idk if it’s a word) themselves but also to do certain ‘heroic’ acts but out of necessity or other compulsions. From what I’ve seen most figures at least in the time periods I know deserve to be more known and admired as forgotten heroes who fell and suffered in their time moulding the world we have today.
While I do think we should know more about Clarence I don’t think we should admire him - and a bit of this is touched on in the last history ask. For one he ultimately failed and as opposed to Warwick and Vlad the Impaler George died a death that strongly reflected and was of his own failing his aims ~ to gain power and tide the country away from Edward one final time. But I do think he ought to be respected and taken seriously. Vlad the Impaler and Warwick remain the forgotten heroes though with a similar tragic death in battle caused by a betrayal. The problem with depictions of both of them is that there is always a focus on the sensationalist aspects and the whole ‘the rich are greedy and tyrannical’ trope without proper acknowledgement of the greater threat they were facing and how small they were in the grand scheme and how brave. In Vlad’s case it was the Ottoman Empire and his country’s independence and in Warwick’s case it was England losing its newly acquired status in Western Europe and the erosion of his status and way of life. Individuals are very powerless on their own and what can be more heroic and worth remembering than one of the few taking on a mighty (sometimes even abstract) opponent? And as such worthy of remembrance.
29. Are there any great historical mysteries that you are interested in?
Ok. I don’t wanna sound lame but by this point the Princes in the Tower has been discussed so heavily that I genuinely get tired of it. Don’t get me wrong my ears prick up when I hear of developments eg the whole Thomas More being acquainted with one of the sons of the people who knew what was going on or something, but at this point I groan whenever I hear it brought up and without any new types of arguments. Nevertheless it’s nice to see people so engaged in history.
Ok what I really want to know is what actually happened to Isabel Neville (and her son Richard) XD. I know on the scale of historical importance this is pretty much the furthest thing away from a ‘great historical mystery’. For one most people don’t even consider it a mystery - they say with all certainty ‘it was childbed fever’ despite the fact that we know it wasn’t as Isabel was described as delivered of her son easily both being healthy and they (with George) all travelled together to Warwick from Tewksbury in October (according to George). This is like a 60km journey to make during a very cold month, honestly why the hell did they even make it? I also think it breaks post-confinement rules - keep in mind Richard of Clarence was born that same month October.
Of course, her going to the infirmiary to give birth and pass her confinement may indicate that she was ill from before, but this also isn’t conclusive evidence because Elizabeth Woodville had also pulled a similar thing - when she gave birth to her own Richard: choosing to stay confined and give birth in a cloister of the religious orders she promoted (I think it was Carthusian monks of Shrewsbury) as opposed to a castle. We know George and Isabel heavily promoted many of the old Beauchamp foundations eg St Mary’s George had worked hard to consecrate and Tewksbury was one of them and I genuinely think this birthing arrangements might have been this as opposed to Isabel necessarily having been ill.
Our dude George insisted it was poison, he made the executions 4 months after the death, no one else is said to believe him (although the dude writing the genealogical history papers that you send me appears to have listed Isabel’s death as ‘poisoned’ hhh) and since there’s no evident political gain in doing all this (if anything a disadvantage as we’ll see later) people just conclude he went mad. I am inclined to put it down to grief but the odd thing is ~ some of stuff were happening at that time which could lend credence to George’s claim of poisoning but we don’t often speak about. The person he accused was Sir Roger Tocotes (with Ankarette and Thursby as accessories) who Hicks described as someone who could nearly be said to have been someone George considered a friend, however, it appears that there was a chain of Warwick gentry who were having it in for George a bit at that time (this is something I still have to look into more), and he might have thought this conspiracy was aimed at weakening him by getting at Isabel and child. Remember Isabel in theory was what drew a lot of support to him because it was through her he got such an influence in the west and north midlands. After Isabel died some people indeed left or turned disinterested in offering their continued service. There’s also that episode at court after her death when George refused to food and drink from Edward which while it could indicate George had some suspicions towards his family’s role in all of this it could also be just a statement of rejecting hospitality. But if it were belief in the fact that the family were poisoners or something that would be quite wild because it means that George believed Isabel poisoned and this belief arose during the first 2 months after her burial, but why he waited for 4 months to act on it then? See? Even the link to the royal family is unclear in this whole thing - you somehow feel it is connected but you don’t know how (in George’s head).
Then there’s that whole speculation about Ankarette’s Woodville connections (which in and of itself isn’t that big of a deal because many people were connected to the Woodvilles somehow at that time) but at the same time that it could have been a weird local conspiracy instigated by Roger Tocotes... yet for some reason George believed Isabel was specifically targeted (in the court report he says her ale was poisoned in October at Warwick Castle and Thursby did the same to the child) and the thing is maybe she could have been? Obviously the reason I care about this is because I’m writing a story about their lives so obviously I would be the type to even care XD. I still don’t think she was poisoned, it’s just that... I’m realising it could actually remain a mystery and there’s so many weird threads underneath that not enough people have explored because admittedly Isabel is a fairly inconsequential figure. Nevertheless this does all link to a greater consequence so it should be questioned more as a matter of intellectual interest at least. So yeah Isabel may have actually been poisoned, or if not, died of tuberculosis.
#🍷❤️#what dafuq is up with the length of my last question#I’ve gone overboard I’m so sorry :(#isabel neville#george duke of clarence#george of clarence#george plantagenet
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When you think of the queens of Six (Aragon Boleyn Seymour Cleves Howard Parr), which actress do you picture as each queen? Alternatively (no pun intended), when you hear the name of a swing, which queen portrayal do you associate them with most?
Hmm these aren’t perfect but these are as close as I can get. If you picture them differently when you read my stuff, that’s totally fine! And of course, I still love and respect every queen who isn’t in my head as I write.
My Aragon looks like Jaye’J! Aragon but has more of Renée! Aragon’s voice and mannerisms.
My Boleyn looks like Millie! Boleyn, but has the mannerisms of Courtney! and Andrea! Boleyn with the voice of Andrea! Boleyn (with a British accent).
My Seymour is just Natalie. No disrespect to other Seymours, that’s just how it is.
My Cleves is primarily Lexi! Cleves with a bit of Britt! Cleves in her mannerisms.
My Howard looks like Alicia! Howard primarily, but she’s the height of Sophie! Howard and has some of Sam! Howard’s mannerisms. And also sort of my body type because I project onto characters I relate to.
My Parr sort of looks like a cross between all the Parrs. I don’t have a specific Parr in mind when I think of her. She actually sort of shifts. One night she looks like Maiya! Parr, the next she looks more like Athena! Parr. She’s always medium height no matter what, though.
Ok for the alternates I’m gonna just do West End, UK Tour, and North America:
Grace Mouat: Aragon
Vicki Manser: Howard
Courtney Stapleton: Parr
Hana Stewart: Seymour
Zara MacIntosh: Aragon
Cherelle Jay: Cleves
Collette Guitart: Aragon
Cassie Lee: Aragon
Jen Caldwell: Boleyn
Harriet Watson: Seymour
Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert: Cleves
Mallory Maedke: Seymour
Courtney Mack: Boleyn
Final count:
Aragon: 3
Boleyn: 2
Seymour: 3
Cleves: 2
Howard: 1
Parr: 1
This was so fun!
#ask the theater nerd#musical asks#six musical#catherine of aragon#anne boleyn#jane seymour#anna of cleves#katherine howard#catherine parr#jaye’j richard noel#renee lamb#millie o'connell#courtney bowman#andrea macasaet#natalie may paris#lexi mcintosh#brittney mack#alicia corrales connor#sophie isaacs#samantha pauly#grace mouat#vicki manser#courtney stapleton#hana stewart#cherelle jay#zara macintosh#collette guitart#cassandra lee#jennifer caldwell#harriet watson
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Heyya darling! Such a cool non-US ask game, so here a bunch of numbers for you: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 19, 20, 26, 28 (just wanna know your favourites, I kow your country has plenty of beautiful, beautiful nature :P) xoxo, - alexa
Ahh, Alexa, honey, thank you so much for the ask!❤ Now, this is a long one so *cracks knuckles* brace yourselves.
1. Favorite place in your country?
Well, my favorite place would have to be the island I live on. I like places where you are close to nature, with trees and mountains and, most importantly, the sea. So my home island is definitely my favorite place in Norway, by far. No place like home, right? ;-)
2. Prefer spending your holidays in your country or abroad?
Hmm... a little bit of both. The only time we really travel is during the summer holidays. For example, right now I'm in Crete, boiling and wanting to shed my own skin, it's so fucking hot. But sometimes we've just driven down to Oslo to spend a couple of days there, exploring our capital. But during Easter and Christmas we stay at home. So while I like getting out of the country sometimes, I always look forward to going back home. In case you can't tell already, I'm a home body;-)
4. Favorite dish specific for your country?
Does Grandiosa (Norwegian frozen pizza brand) count? We don't eat much traditional food in my family, but one of the weirdest and coolest to tell people about is "smalahove" ( boiled sheep's head with eyes and (sometimes) the brain intact. And everything is eaten).
5. Favorite song in your native language?
Ooh, I like both "God Morgen, Min Kjære" (Good Morning, My Love) by Benny Borg, though I listen to Hanne Sørvaag's version the most, and Sissel Kyrkjebø's "Se Ilden Lyse" which also has an English version, "Fire In Your Heart". It was the song for the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer and they are both beautiful. "God Morgen, Min Kjære" always makes me emotional and "Se Ilden Lyde" makes me patriotic and long for the winter and snow.
7. Three words from your native language that you like the most?
Kjærleik (love), the nynorsk version of the bokmål word 'kjærlighet'.
Æva (enternity), the nynorsk version of the bokmål word 'evighet'.
Melankoli (melancoly).
(For reference, we have two written languages in Norway: nynorsk and bokmål. Nynorsk is based the dialects around villages and places/ islands away from the city, like where I live, and bokmål is based on the Danish language and how they spoke in upper class Oslo in the 1800's. They also have bokmål- like dialects in eastern Norway today. The words are spelled and pronounced differently, but the meanings are the same, in Norwegian and English).
8. Do you get confused with other nationalities? If so, which ones and by whom?
We often get confused by Americans ( I think, but don't take my word for it) as being Swedish, as some think that Norway is the capital of Sweden. Though, if you wanna get technical, we used to be in a union with Sweden, from ca. 1814 to 1905, after they won us from Denmark.
Psst! I recommend you read up on Norwegian history, especially from around the middle ages to the present day, it's SUPER interesting!
9. Which of your neighboring countries would you like to visit most/ know best?
I'd love to visit Russia and learn their language, I think it's so beautiful. I'd also like to visit Sweden, as my great- great- grandfather was from Sweden and I'd like to improve my Swedish as well.
10. Most enjoyable swear word in your native language?
"Faen!" It means "damn" in English, but in Norwegian it's actually a fancier word/name for Satan/ the devil. I also like the phrase "faen i helvete", which litterally means 'the devil in hell" and I use it quite frequently.
11. Favorite native writer/poet?
I love Henrik Ibsen to death! There is a reason why people call him the second best writer to ever live, after Shakespeare.
13. Does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders?
We probably have a few, but the only one that comes to mind is that we don't open our Christmas presents on Christmas Day/ Boxing day morning. In stead, on Christmas Eve, we dress up all fine, you know, dresses and suitpants and shirts, and eat Christmas dinner. Then we gather together and one person gets up, read out the labels on the presents and hand them out to the person they are for. And then, when everyone has gotten their presents, we open them together, not one by one. Then we have dessert later and enjoy family time. Sometimes it's just my immediate family, sometimes it's my entire mother's side as well.
16. Which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with?
Ohh, this is a good question. There are quite a few that I hate, and it's difficult to pick just one. The one about polar bears roaming free in the streets is one that always irks me, but is also funny. (BTW, they don't, at least not in the main land. The only polar bears that exists in Norway is on Svalbard, an island very north of Norway.) Or the one about everyone being tall, blonde and blue-eyed, which is not the case. (Yes, I'm blonde, but I'm 5' 4" and my eyes are green).
Another one is that people consider us rude. That is not the case. We consider it polite to not unnecessarily bother a stranger with, for example, small talk and we just respect other people's personal space. It doesn't mean we are cold or rude.
However, I do somewhat agree with the fact that we are a 'cold' people, just not in the way people think. We are very... introverted, I suppose you could say. For example, we don't ask strangers for help unless we absolutely have to and we generally avoid sitting next to people on the buss, prefering to sit alone. And we don't randomly go up to people we don't know and strike up a conversation about the weather, which is why we might seem a little frazzled when strangers/ tourists ask us questions or for directions. We just prefer our own space and company. But we are a very, very polite people who are happy to help, despite our perhaps confused exterior, and who smile quite a bit. Sure, you might run into some grumpy people, but who hasn't had a bad day in their life?
19. Do you like your country's flag and/or emblem? What about the national anthem?
🎶Det er Norge i rødt, hvitt og blått!🎶 I love our country's flag, it always make me exited to see it during the Olympics or while walking around the streets in other countries. I love our national anthem as well! The lyrics, written by the wonderful Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, contains so much love for our country and describes it so well. The melody, I have to admit, is a little slow and melancolic- sounding compared to other nations', but I can't imagine it being any other way, nor do I want to!
20. Which sport is The Sport in your country?
Many, many, maaany people will say soccer, and I suppose they are right, as it is the sport with the most supporters and what they talk about the most. Personally though, I prefer handball, mostly because it's a sport at which our national team is actually good at. Our women's team has won both the European Championships and World Championship several times through the years. Has the soccers teams ever done that? Yeah, I don't think so, my friend.
26. Does your nationality get portrayed in Hollywood/American media? What do you think about the portrayal?
I don't think so, at least not a lot. And if they do I think they often portray us as barbaric Vikings, stupid blondes, or bad at English. And I've never seen an American movie/ tv- show where they portray someone Norwegian, so I don't really know what I think about it.
28. Does your country have a lot of lakes, mountains, rivers? Do you have favorites?
If anyone has ever seen photos of litterally anywhere in Norway, you'll know that we have the most stunningly beautiful nature. Tall, strong mountains, long, winding rivers, big lakes you can swim in, deep, long fjords, small waterfalls. Norway is full of nature and the nature alone is worth a visit. As for favorites, I can't choose as I barely seen it all, but the Geiranger fjord is gorgeous, though packed with tourists and cruise ships in the summer, but its beauty never fails to amaze me, espacially from a high vantage point.
PS: If you are ever going to visit Norway, I suggest getting out of the big towns like Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim, as the most stunning nature is along the roads, highways and smaller towns. Also, most of our fjords are situated along the entire west coast, so be prepared to take ferry boats to cross them.
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Kagura raised an eyebrow as Jellal got up from his kneeling position. The two of them, in addition to a recuperating Erza, were currently on the ship that Neinhart and the other Spriggan Shields had been in command of. The swordswoman had thought the felon was taking time to catch his breath after nearly drowning, but that didn’t seem to be the case as he’d only stayed sitting for a modest amount of time.
Then again, he wasn’t exactly as roughed up as Erza.
“You’re re-entering the fray?” It didn’t sound much like a question.
Jellal paused in his stride, back still facing Kagura.
“The fighting here in the South is over, for the most part. I will leave the remainder to Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Mermaid Heel. From what Erza said, there are still these ‘Spriggan 12’ warriors invading Ishgar; I will help eliminate them. That is something I can do.”
Kagura frowned at the tone in his voice. He didn’t think it was something he ‘can’ do – Jellal believed it was something he had to do. Defeating three of the Shields here in Hargeon, in addition to the ones that attacked Magnolia, that dealt with a chunk of the threat, but they were still at war.
Kagura looked off to the side with a conflicted expression.
“… Erza will prefer to have your support, when she wakes up.” The swordswoman knew Jellal was… an important person in Erza’s heart. Kagura didn’t approve of it, but she was putting Erza ahead of her own misgivings about Jellal.
Jellal turned his head a fraction, but still didn’t face Kagura.
“If you’re speaking of what happened to Natsu… Erza will be fine. I’m not the one she’ll need by her side – that would be you, as well as Milliana and her family in Fairy Tail. The best way I can contribute is by continuing the fight while you all recover…”
Kagura’s mouth became a thin line as she gave Jellal a hard stare.
“You’re not saying this halfheartedly, are you? Erza will fully expect you to make it back alive, not in a body casket.”
Though Kagura couldn’t see it, Jellal had a small, somewhat self-depreciating smile on his face.
“… I’ll admit, I was prepared to throw my life away at any given moment, in this war. In the end, compared to you all, my life is expendable.” He could sense this provoked the purple-haired woman, and he shook his head to quell whatever objections she was going to spew. “But as usual, Natsu gave me a fresh perspective on what I should do. Do you remember what he said, before fading?”
Kagura’s brow furrowed.
“He… hated you.” To herself, she thought, ‘Not that I can blame him.’
Jellal gave a small dry laugh.
“Natsu was a very temperamental individual… He had a heart of gold, and often his rage was very much warranted. If I hadn’t hurt Erza like I did, I have little doubt that I would be as protective of Erza as he was…” Jellal looked up at the nighttime sky. “I don’t blame Natsu for being angry with me. He had every right to. But it isn’t as if I could never earn his forgiveness… No, that’s not quite right. The point isn’t to earn forgiveness. In atoning for my past sins, I cannot dwell on such things; if people forgive me, it will be of their own volition. I can’t expect everyone to just move on, when I’ve stolen family from them or worse. Rather, I must dedicate my life to helping others. To fight back against oppression and cruelty. To help lost souls find their path in life. And if I am to do all this, I must… live. Dying would be my escape from this heavy burden on my shoulders… But it is a coward’s retreat.”
Jellal began to walk away once again.
“I was a monster and a murderer. That stain will never leave my soul. But Natsu freed me, so for him, for Erza, and for everyone I ever wronged, this is how I will live my life from now on. Ultear established Crime Sorciere for the purpose of saving lives and ending evil, so I will carry out that will.”
Kagura watched his retreating figure until he was out of sight; she was unable to think of anything else to say back to him. It was a shock to see her brother’s murderer change so much, in such little time. A year ago, she was prepared to take revenge for Simon, but now she wasn’t so sure that she could… Not just because of how it would affect Erza, but because of how the man in question had found an answer he had been searching for.
Jellal likely wouldn’t find happiness in life… But Kagura knew about “duty” and “purpose” all too well; if that’s how Jellal chose to forge on, she wouldn’t stop him.
‘… Natsu managed to pull off another miracle, even in death. It’s little wonder he was dear to Erza’s heart as well…’
Kagura turned her gaze to the bound Neinhart, who was near her and unconscious. It was fortunate how Erza had Magic-restraining handcuffs; now that despicable man was removed from the war. Apparently Dimaria was similarly restrained elsewhere in Hargeon.
Kagura clenched her fists in determination.
‘For Erza, and for Natsu, we will win this war!’
~*~
“The port of Hargeon has been liberated!!!” Warren announced excitedly, to the jubilation of his Guildmates. “There’s a few residue forces on the outskirts, but we’ve got ‘em on the ropes! The Spriggan Shields were killed or captured.”
Makarov couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“Very good… Now it’s just a fight on three fronts.”
Mavis cupped her chin as she stared at the map hologram.
“… Have everyone in Hargeon move to intercept the Alvarez forces to the West. It’s our least guarded area, and there’s only the one Spriggan Shield.”
“Invel…” Makarov frowned as he bore holes into the map with his eyes. “I’m certain he’s the Spriggan Shield in the West. If he is in fighting shape, please send Gray to intercept him. He may be our best option now.”
“Yes, sir!” Warren confirmed and proceeded to relay the orders to those stationed in the South, as well as relay the news of Hargeon’s liberation to the other battlefields.
“The East still troubles me…” Mavis furrowed her brow. “I still don’t have a solution for August.”
Makarov nodded heavily.
“Even if Warrod and the other Gods of Ishgar hold off God Serena and Jacob, he is most definitely the most imminent threat.”
“Do you have any ideas?” Mavis asked for his opinion, which for Makarov was a rare occurrence. The First Master was usually so confident she could come up with a strategy for any occasion… But to be fair, August was on his own level in terms of sheer power.
“If we cannot find a strategy to take him down, I think it would be best to try negotiations with him… He would certainly be more approachable than Invel.” Makarov reflected on his time in Alvarez, seeing the stark contrast between Zeref’s Chief of Staff and the Magic King.
This brought the attention of Mest, who was seated nearby. He stood up in alarm.
“Master, surely you can’t be serious…! That woman was the one who suggested it first! We can’t trust her!”
Makarov sighed at Mest’s unchanging position on the matter. It was a good thing Lucy was busy watching over Brandish; after saving the Spriggan Shield from an attack by her former subordinate, and learning of their shared past, Lucy had become rather attached to her. There was no need to get the child worked up over this.
“I understand your hesitation, but it is not an option that we can dismiss. I’m not sure that Erza, Laxus, Mira, and Gildarts with their combined powers could defeat August… Mest, use your head. Negotiations may be our only hope of avoiding annihilation by the enemy. It’s risky, but we must consider all the cards in our hand.”
Mavis’s frown deepened.
“We killed Zeref… Are you sure he would listen, even after hearing that news?”
Makarov shook his head solemnly.
“I imagine that may very well provoke him… But what other options do we have left?” The elderly Guildmaster studied Mavis’s face keenly, to which she could only stare down at the floor, lost in thought.
“You’re right, of course… There’s also the Spriggan Shield to our North that we still don’t know specifics about. If we could negotiate an end to the war with August, that may be our best chance at survival.”
“First…!” Mest cried out in a strangled voice.
“Mest, that is enough.” Makarov barked. “We’re not giving up. The war is far from over, and Acnologia has yet to make an appearance. If we can cooperate with Alvarez, we may stand a chance against him. But if we exhaust ourselves fighting Alvarez, I fear Acnologia may swoop in to pick the meat from our bones!”
At this, Mest could utter no objections. He knew the frightening power of Acnologia, had witnessed the carnage he could wreak firsthand. Still, cooperating with an enemy that was trying to steal their First Master and annihilate them… It didn’t sit well with him.
“A-About that…” Warren spoke up with a very pale face.
“Hmm?” Makarov urged the telepath to continue with the new information.
Warren squeezed his eyes shut tight.
“Acnologia has appeared in the East…”
All Guildmates listening in could only gasp and tense up. That battlefield was turning into quite the scene… and could spell bad news for Fairy Tail.
~*~
God Serena tsk’ed as he avoided another tree sprouting out from the ground underneath him. He’d been going at it with his former allies for a while now. Despite overwhelming them with his eight Dragon Slayer Lacrimas, the old fossils just wouldn’t stay down. They should’ve been dead at his feet by this point, but somehow they were tapping into a wellspring of power he hadn’t seen from them in all the years he served Ishgar…
‘Who knew they had it in them…?’ Serena thought to himself grimly as Hyberion paralyzed him long enough for Wolfheim to charge at him and savagely slash his torso while in beast form. He regained control of his body pretty quickly, but in that lapse of control, the other Wizard Saint – Jura – attempted to smash Iron Rock pillars into him. Spreading his arms out, Serena managed to halt the momentum of both pillars, but now his arms were heavily embedded in the rock, and were profusely bleeding from the strength he needed to exert. He snarled as Warrod yet again made a tree system appear beneath him and wind around his body, twisting it enough to nearly snap his neck. ‘This is not happening…!’
Though the four new Gods of Ishgar were bedraggled in their appearance, and looked to be on their last legs, but they were still somehow managing to reverse the tide of battle on him. It infuriated the Dragon Slayer that he had to go all-out against his contemporaries – part of the reason he left Ishgar was because they lacked this defiant fire in their eyes, back when he was their ally. They were old, stuffy, and never actually took pride in their power, never ‘doing’ anything with it. They just roamed the continent in their ‘retirement’… It sickened Serena to be associated with such spineless worms. Alvarez’s attempted invasion all those years ago was the most action he’d seen in years; the threat of the Balam Alliance never interested him, as they couldn’t hold a candle to the kind of power that Alvarez possessed. And he was proven right when a single guild did the brunt work disassembling that makeshift patchwork of Dark Guilds.
Alvarez had power, and they flaunted it. Serena could support the continent of Alakitasia because they had pride as a people. Had the geezers before him shown even a fraction of the potential he was seeing now, he might’ve reconsidered his choice to betray Ishgar. But now that they’d pushed him to this extreme, he wasn’t going to forgive them or show mercy.
Seeing Serena getting his ass handed to him, Jacob stretched out his gloves over his wrists as he cracked his knuckles. However, before he could step into the fray, August blocked his path with his arm.
“Wait. It’s not over yet.” He rolled his eyes as Jacob let out a grunt.
Channeling his Purgatory Dragon Slayer Magic around his body, Serena burned through the tree and snapped it like a twig. He then used Gale Dragon Slayer Magic to blow back his enemies before touching back on the ground and using Cavern Dragon Slayer Magic to overwhelm them again. Once the four mages were knocked down again by boulders, Serena coated one fist in Purgatory Dragon Slayer Magic, and the other fist in Fulmination Dragon Slayer Magic… A combination they hadn’t seen yet.
“I hear an impudent brat in Fairy Tail was combining Dragon Slayer Magics…” God Serena smirked maliciously, the pupils in his eyes now black. “I figure, why not show you that I can do it infinitely better?!”
As he brought his potent fists together, a vortex of flames and lightning overtook the four strongest mages of Ishgar. Serena cackled uproariously when Warrod and Jura made an effort to defend all four of them, but his attack burned through Warrod’s walls of tree bark. Jura’s Rock Mountain looked like it might hold up, but then Serena’s combination attack violently exploded, shattering Jura’s powerful defense and severely incinerating and electrocuting them all. It got to the point that Warrod, Wolfheim, and Hyberion’s hearts gave out from the severity of the electric shock. Jura was on death’s door as he lay gasping for breath, lying defeated on the ground after the fatal assault.
‘I… Impossible…! Wiping out the Gods of Ishgar in one strike?!’ Every cell in his body ached, and it felt as if his skin would melt right off.
Serena tsk’ed as he noticed that Jura was still living, after the blast. It wouldn’t be much effort to finish him off, but he’d poured so much power into that last attack that his body was left shaking somewhat.
“Still holding on, huh…? Here, let me put you out of your misery… faker…” Serena scoffed at the notion this man had become one of the ‘Gods’, in his absence. He charged his fist with Purgatory Dragon Slayer Magic one more time. “God bye-bye~”
Just as he was about to unleash one more devastating attack, Serena, Jura, Jacob, and August all tensed up as immense Magic power abruptly flooded the area. All eyes turned to see a distant figure approaching, an unrecognizable one as he appeared to be a human.
“I smell a dragon…” The figure drolled with a bored expression. It took a scarce few moments for everyone to register who this was.
“A… Acnologia…!” Jura wheezed out, his face petrified.
Jacob took a weary step back, and August’s face settled into a stony expression. Serena’s face went from one of surprise to a twisted sort of pleasure as his pupils darkened once more.
“Heeeh… The King of Dragons is here!” He arrogantly spread out his arms before pointing at Acnologia. “I’ve been waiting for you! I’ve come all this way to slay…!”
But before Serena could finish, Acnologia had passed by him with such blind, unbelievable speed that no one had seen him move. But the evidence of his one fatal strike was evident, as a good chunk of Serena’s torso was now missing, and the artifact on his back was irreparably smashed.
“Wh… Wha…t…?” Serena violently coughed up blood before collapsing and expiring.
Seeing his ally get cut down in the blink of an eye, Jacob prepared to fight back. However, August once again stopped him.
“Don’t. You would die instantly, if you raised your hand against him.” The King of Magic warned his comrade. “Not even I could hope to defeat him… Only His Majesty, with the power of Fairy Heart, could hope to slay this one. We must hurry to Fairy Tail…”
Jura was at a loss for words. He should be happy that his comrades’ murderer was annihilated… But this did not bode well. If Acnologia was going to take part in this war now, there was no hope for any of them.
“There are now 6 dragons left…” Acnologia spoke coldly, without regarding the fallen Jura or the other Spriggan Shields. He turned on his heel and stalked away without another word to them. As a breeze carried some dust to obscure his retreating form, he was gone the moment the dust blew past.
August slammed the end of his staff on the ground.
“We must not delay any further… Jacob, go on ahead.” August declared as he began to walk in the direction of Magnolia. As they were still near the border of Bosco, it would still take time for August to reach the guild…
“Gotcha…” Jacob got a crick out of his neck as he started walking as well. Though he did pause to take one last look at Jura. “… It’d be a pain if you survived… Sorry, I really did like your ‘do.”
Jura’s eyes widened as some invisible blade sliced into his neck, making blood gush up like a geyser. In a few short moments, the light faded from his eyes… He couldn’t even lament how he had failed Lamia Scale and Fairy Tail… All four of Ishgar’s mightiest snuffed out, just like that.
~*~
Back in Hargeon, Dimaria wept bitter tears as she was restrained to a chair. She had heard Ishgar had managed to take back the port, and that incited her. But even so, all she could dwell on… was her own cruel words she had spoken, earlier.
“Randi became… a prisoner of war… Oh, how splendidly miserable she must be at this moment…”
Now she had a taste of what being a prisoner of war felt like…
Dimaria gritted her teeth as the tears kept coming, leaving hot streaks on her face.
“Randi…!”
~*~
High on Mount Zonia, an exotic-looking scarlet-haired beauty looked down on the forces that were beating back the Alvarez troops. Though the members of Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, and Sabertooth were outnumbered, they definitely possessed higher quality Magic. She had sent her personal guard, Heine Lunasea and Juliet Sun, to do battle in her stead. However, even they were taken down by the mages from Fairy Tail…
“It’s almost time we get started in earnest…” The woman chuckled cruelly. “The third and fourth guests will be arriving shortly~…”
With the deaths of Larcade and Bloodman, Irene Belserion knew that she would have to pick up the slack for them, but she also knew what their deaths signified. “Emperor Spriggan” was dead. She didn’t even need to use her “eye” to confirm this fact.
Still, it was Zeref’s will that they slaughter Ishgar and take Fairy Heart to kill Acnologia… And that was precisely what she planned to do. The other members of the 12 certainly weren’t going to stop the assault, especially not their Chief of Staff.
“Perhaps ‘the Scarlet Despair’ is an apt name, after all…”
~*~
Note: Four Shields down, eight still in the game~. ... Three of which are captured, and one is licking his wounds. Plus, Acnologia on the hunt for dragons, though I imagine that's within expectations. I think I nailed Jellal and Serena the way I wanted to nail them... Even if Serena still got taken out. I like to think that at least in this AU, he was weakened in his fight with the Gods of Ishgar, which is why Acno took him down with ease. I would've liked a more prolonged fight, I suppose, but I think I conveyed the feelings I wanted to put out there. And Jellal? Much as I don't like his canonical representation, I didn't wanna half-ass his character, so Natsu's words encouraged him to cling to a new purpose in life, rather than sitting around and wondering if he'd ever be forgiven. ... Oh. And there absolutely won't be a narrative revolving around Erza for him. We're gonna get him off his ass and be an actual character. >.>
#Fairy Tail#Kagura Mikazuchi#Jellal Fernandes#Makarov Dreyar#Mavis Vermillion#Mest Gryder#Four Gods of Ishgar#God Serena#Jacob Lessio#August Dragneel#Dimaria Yesta#Irene Belserion
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Miles to Go Before I Sleep - Ch. 06
It didn't take long for one of Nyriss's servants to come sniffing around, a sniveling creature who seemed so beaten down by his master that his shoulders were permanently bent in a submissive hunch. While he had the red skin and odd cheek tendrils of the other Sith, his was shorter and slimmer than most of his kind.
"Are you the Human they call Vann Chis?"
"Maybe." Vann was holed-up in a cantina, waiting for this exact moment. While he had a drink in hand, he'd purposely been nursing its contents. "Who's asking?"
"My name is Sechel, and I am a servant of my master Darth Nyriss."
"Huh. What do you want?" It was a risk for Vann to act this brazen to one of the purebloods, as even the lowliest of them technically outranked all of the Humans on this planet. Still, it was a calculated power play.
Luckily, Sechel seemed appropriately cowed by the Human's apparent lack of fear. "My master wishes to meet with you. She may be interested in acquiring your services."
"Alright, you have my attention. I've heard your master is a powerful leader around here. So, I assume the pay is good."
Chuckling dryly, Sechel nodded. "Oh, you will be adequately compensated for your time. But the true reward of this job is the prestige. If you please my master, many more opportunities on this planet will be open to you."
Vann honestly doubted the claim since the Sith largely viewed Humans as beneath them, only useful for tasks that were too odious for purebloods to touch. Still, he hoped that he only needed this one job to accomplish his goal.
"You Sith are too concerned about prestige and standing. But so long as you're paying good credits, I'm willing to hear your master out."
"You'd be wise to adopt some humility, Human. My master has been a member of the Dark Council for over twenty years, a feat that should not be taken lightly."
"I'll be humble once we're actually in the presence of your master." Sliding out of the booth, Vann purposely shoved the Sith aside with a jab of his shoulder. "You, I'm not too worried about. I know how this planet works. Your master and the other rulers view my kind as slightly below kath hounds, so she probably sent her lowliest servant to come and fetch me."
Sechel was silent at this assessment but for a moment something glittered in his eyes, a shrewdness that implied his submissive nature was merely a facade. It vanished in an instant.
So, maybe Nyriss had actually sent someone genuinely capable. "Go on, lead the way."
The walk through Kaas City was a strange though uneventful one, only notable for the handful of bystanders who paused to stare openly at the duo. It was undoubtedly unusual to see a pureblood shuffling silently along while a Human trailed confidently in his wake, but Vann wasn't afraid to attract a little attention; in fact, he was depending on it. Remaining alert to his surroundings, he noticed that a few of the other purebloods paused specifically to peer at Sechel, fear flitting across their faces. That confirmed the theory that this Sith was definitely more than he seemed.
It turned out that Nyriss's citadel was located at the western edge of the city. Everything about the location and the building's arrangement smacked of paranoia, which could be a good or a bad sign. Either way, Vann was here and turning back wasn't an option. The journey ended in a large courtyard that was bordered to the north and south by high stone walls and to the west by the citadel itself, which looked more like a military fortress than any typical estate of the rich and murderous. While the east side was open to the street, even that was blocked by a gated fence that only opened with Sechel's fingerprints.
"Wait here," the Sith ordered in a tone that sounded more like begging. "My master will be with you shortly."
Vann knew this game and he settled himself on a hard bench to await Nyriss's arrival. Time passed and he continued to wait, slipping into light meditation to prevent himself from growing bored. If he'd been on the Hawk or Rakata he'd probably have taken his lightsabers out to tinker with them, but right now it was more important to uphold the facade of a normal Human mercenary for at least a little while longer. Eventually, footsteps sounded along the pathway leading to the citadel, one set hurried and uneven while the other sounded smoother and surer. Vann looked up just in time to spot Sechel, who was scurrying in front of a taller figure who moved with natural poise and grace.
Ah, so this was Nyriss.
Unsurprisingly, she had the typical features of a pure-blooded Sith, though hers were less refined than others Vann had encountered. The power of the dark side had obviously taken its toll, and she looked aged and rotted with dark black veins marring the pale red hue of her skin. Her body was also withered, though there was still obvious strength to her limbs. She was dressed in the black hooded robes that her species seemed to favor, though hers were more ornate and featured delicate silver embroidery along the hems.
Sechel bowed low as he announced, "My master, Darth Nyriss. Lord of the Sith, conqueror of Drezzi, the destroyer of Melldia, and a member of the Dark Council."
Without prompting, Vann stood from his seat before dropping to one knee, bowing his head and silently thanking his past self for leaving a set of notes on proper Sith etiquette. "My lady."
There was a pause before a strong voice chuckled in amusement. "Finally, a Human who knows how to show proper respect. Tell me, little mercenary, who taught you manners?"
"One does not come to a strange world without knowing their proper place."
"And what makes you believe that you're even worthy of serving me?"
"I'm better than the rest of the scum lurking around, hoping for scraps of favor from a Dark Lord without any real skills to back them up."
"Hmm. You're a confident one. Or at least you hide your fears well." Stepping closer, Nyriss used her remarkable command of the Force to jerk Vann's head up so that their eyes met. Her irises were bright yellow lined with red, the fierce gaze of someone who had given herself completely to the dark side. For a moment, something akin to recognition flickered across her countenance.
Appearing bare-faced on Dromund Kaas had been a calculated risk on Vann's part. He knew that he'd left his signature mask behind when he came here as Revan, but he was also aware that he still had the almost innocent appearance of a fresh-faced Jedi. He'd been mostly clean-shaven at the time, his hair just past his shoulders and held neatly back in the type of low ponytail that he still favored. While he was brash, he wasn't completely foolish and had taken some steps to alter his appearance. Over his weeks of planning, he'd grown out his beard and kept it just long enough to disguise his more distinguishing features. He'd also cut his hair, shaving down the back and sides while keeping the top long enough to tie up in a top knot that hopefully changed the balance of his face.
Whatever emotion Nyriss was experiencing, it quickly faded as she peered closer. "No, I don't sense fear in you. Arrogance perhaps, but not fear. Tell me, what lies deeper in that simple Human mind of yours?"
Now came the dangerous part. Since arriving on Dromund Kaas, Vann had been keeping his Force presence tightly concealed, not daring to allow his awareness to seep out for even an instant except when he slept locked safely on the Hawk. Surrounded by other Force users, his camouflaged signature was easily overlooked as nothing more than stray tendrils of power coming from someone else. But this technique wouldn't withstand Nyriss peering directly into his mind. The trick would be to give her just enough of a glimpse for her to realize that he was different, all without revealing just how special he truly was.
An icy stream of dark energy sunk into Vann's skull and he bit back a hiss of discomfort as Nyriss began to claw her way through his mind without a shred of finesse. Though he kept most of his mental walls in place, the former mercenary purposely let certain things slip out so that it seemed like errant thoughts were accidentally coming loose. It was fortunate that most of his memories were of mercenary work along the Outer Rim, as that made it easy to display job after job to support his supposed identity. But he also allowed a few more personal moments to slip free, like sitting around the fire with the Mandalorians and even the disastrous kiss he'd shared with Tagren. Finally, at the very end, he released just a fraction of the durasteel grip he had on his Force presence, allowing some of his awareness to seep into the Sith's mind.
Nyriss immediately recoiled, throwing the Human across her courtyard with a wave of her hand. It took most of Vann's effort not to use the Force to cushion his landing and he struck the flagstone hard enough to bruise his hip and shoulder. Shouting in pain he rolled to his knees, keeping his head down in supplication.
The crackle of a red lightsaber filled the air as Nyriss ignited her weapon. "Who sent you?" she demanded, purple electricity gathering in her other hand.
"Nobody," Vann coughed, which was technically the truth. "I'm just a mercenary looking for work. Ask your servant if you don't believe me."
Completely unbothered by his master's show of power, Sechel merely arched a brow as his sniveling demeanor instantly vanished. "It's true, my lady. The other mercenaries only know him as one of their own. None of them breathed so much as a whisper about him being particularly special, aside from some notable combat skills."
"Because he wields the Force!" Sending out a strong bolt of lightning, Nyriss watched impassively as Vann screamed in agony, his limbs shaking uncontrollably and his teeth clenching almost hard enough to crack.
The pain didn't subside even when the surge of electricity stopped, leaving the former mercenary prone across the ground. He wheezed. "I do. I'm Force-sensitive, but it's nothing compared to what you're capable of. It makes me stronger, faster, even tougher, but I'm still no match for a Sith pureblood."
For a brief time, Vann had considered completely denying any knowledge of his powers and providing the Sith the pleasure of 'discovering' them for herself. But that seemed too farfetched. Instead, he was hoping to use his talent for manipulation and flattery to his advantage.
Nyriss scowled, pressing her lightsaber less than a centimeter from the side of the Human's head. "Who sent you?!"
"Nobody! I'm just mercenary scum from the Outer Rim!"
There was a long, tense pause as Nyriss considered this information, the heat of her weapon burning the skin of Vann's cheek. Her awareness reached out again, probing for signs of a lie. The irony was that there weren't any to find because, in the Human's mind, everything he said was true. Revan was long gone, a larger-than-life hero who fell in battle, while Vann Chis was nothing more than a violent and volatile mercenary. A nobody. Scum.
Suddenly, Nyriss laughed. "And nobody else sensed you. They don't know what you are or what you can do." Extinguishing her lightsaber, she returned it to her hip. "Thus, you'll be a surprise to them when they attack."
Sighing in relief, mostly because he didn't have to blow his cover, Vann dragged himself into a kneeling position. "Thank you, my lady. Thank you for sparing me."
"Yes, you'll do little mercenary. I think you'll do quite well."
Read the whole chapter on FanFIction or AO3!
#kotor#kotor 2#Revan#male Revan#The Jedi Exile#Female exile#kotor fanfic#Star Wars fanfic#Miles to go before I sleep#not perfection but completeness#My writing
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Nuzlocke SLLD liveblog, part 8
We’re back B)
We’re starting things off today with a catchable boxing kangaroo!
A Fighting/Ground-type kangaroo, to be more specific...
Hmm. I should’ve saved the name Hercules for this guy. How about Philip for a lil dude who likes to pick fights
:)
...
Here are some more Pokemon found in the desert sand.
...
Presumably this move description ends with “foe’s Accuracy” and I am ALL ABOUT IT. Toby’s been needing a better Ground-type move for a while now anyway
...
A trainer had this new face on his team. I’m guessing Ground/Ghost?
Or... perhaps just mono Ghost?
All I know is when Truly hit it with Draining Kiss, I got a message saying “Truly was mummified by the foe”. I have no idea what the actual effect of that was.
Anyway just north of that trainer is, uh, this
There was a Stardust on the ground. What could they be implying
‘kay, there’s an unreachable item ball to the east of this area, behind some Rock Smash boulders
And to the west, there’s a Strength boulder blocking an item AND a cave
And looks like that’s it for now in the desert. Time to enter the city
Now THIS is the town I’ve been told will force me to choose between “catchable” Pokemon. I know some Nuzlockers consider gift Pokemon exempt from the Nuzlocke rules, but as far as I’m concerned, the first thing you encounter in a new area is THE thing you get to keep.
So we’re going to be extra cautious here
NPCs - they’ve got important shit to say.
yESSSS
Now I’ll have to backtrack to that cave before I hit the Gym
OH and here’s one of the gift Pokemon I heard about! ... hhhhHHHHHh I wonder if it’s an Ice-type then, if it’s LITERALLY A HUSKY PUPPY
I might end up going with this, but I’ll wait for now
Well! That’s where I was going to end up first anyway, so that works out nicely.
Just a couple more houses to check out before we head there
I have to choose between a puppy and a DINOSAUR???
YOU MONSTERS
I WILL... CONSIDER MY OPTIONS... AND COME BACK LATER...
...On to the cave I suppose...
First encounter: Wraphro!
Uhh... okay. We’re definitely going to name her Emily, tho
This guy again
So you two are friends now, I take it
... Ah, nope. He says “I tripped over a piece of fossil sticking out of the ground and just had to stop to dig it up. Awesome, right!?” To which Rick replies:
So blah blah we agree to each take one fossil before heading to the gym.
The options are “Plate Fossil” or “Teeth Fossil”.
I know it’s probably the obvious/popular choice, but I definitely want the Teeth more, so we’re going with that
...
So... do I want a predatory dinosaur... or a husky puppy... a Rock-type... or a probable Ice-type...
Well.... of all of my Pokemon so far, the only types I don’t have represented are Poison, Steel, and Ice.
In addition, there don’t seem to be any icy areas until waaay over in the southeast corner of the map.
That doesn’t mean we won’t find ANY other Ice-types before then, but it’s something to consider
... counterpoint: DINOSAUR.
In this case I think I’ll let the fiction of the story take over, and I’ll say it’s no real choice at all when one option is to leave a miserable Pokemon in the heat of the desert.
Jasmine, let me take you away from this hot, arid prison -- let me share a whole new world with you!
Okay, time to train up the pup
...
yooOOOOOO
Train me, Tyto
Train me all night long
‘Cause if you train me, Tyto
I can GROW UP--
--BIG AND STROOONG!
And the rest of the troupe is ready to go, too
I’ve run out of patience training Elphaba for now, since all the wild Pokemon here are Ground-types. She can sit this gym out and get some extra love on the next route, lmao
Who’s ready to take on Gym #4??
Shocking
Oh neat, the gimmick is the quicksand holes in the floor from Gen V
There were also some simple Strength boulder puzzles, but otherwise a pretty typical gym. No new Pokemon from the trainers, though I’m hoping Dustin himself will have something unique
I’m planning on taking Tooey, Moana, and Truly for this battle: Tooey to hit hard, Moana to cover Tooey’s weaknesses, and Truly as a safe backup in case Dustin has a Roobeo.
O rly?
Come at me, you sandy nerd
I do admit the paleontologist thing is a good look for a gym leader
Oh!! Wow, this is like a superior version of Crustle
And I say that as someone who caught a shiny Dwebble while playing through Black 2, and loves him mightily
Oof, that’s some heavy Sp Def. Moana’s Water Pulse isn’t anything to sneeze at
Ha! Punk
Feels GOOD
Feels less good
Couple more Water Pulses will take care of it, though
... but not before it hits Moana with a move called Quicksand. I hope that doesn’t prevent switching out...
Oh??
A superior Shieldon?!?
yIKES that’s a scary Bulldoze
SO CLOSE TO A OHKO...
Don’t need no twist of lime...
... and now it’s SUPPERTIME!
The evolution of Sandster, I presume?
I think it was Ground/Dark, so Tooey should be fine
Damn this game has good Fakemon designs
Pfft. One Razor Leaf.
The guy sure looks like plant food to me!
The guy sure looks like plant food to meee!
Your metaphor is a little forced, there, bud
Badge #4!
Lmao you’re a little bit bland, you know that, Dustin? Kind of like the Ground type itself wHOOPS
So. That’s half of the Rikoto region gyms done
Four down, four to go
And... not a single casualty so far
I’ll be honest. Pokemon Vega is TOO difficult. But SLLD might be... a little too easy? For a Nuzlocke, at least.
I’m going to go ahead and toggle over to the Set battle style to ramp up the difficulty a little. Normally Nuzlockes are hard enough without any extra rules, but this time I’ll try it out! If I manage to get another badge without any KOs, maybe I’ll add something else.
Anyway, we’re gonna keep on keepin’ on. Apologies if this run hasn’t been as exciting as Uranium or Vega so far--hopefully the plot and amazing fakemon designs have made up for it!
#Pokemon#SLLD liveblog#liveblog#90% of this post has been finished in my drafts for uh. a few months whoops
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Hi imanes, what would you say your favourite food/cuisine is? Is there any food that you’re craving atm?
hello! thats funny u say that bc i literally spent the afternoon in another city bc i was craving specific donuts and food from that one asian fusion restaurant lmao. ok so i love food (obv if u have ever seen my instagram) so hmm it’s a long list, in geographical order from east to west: japanese, korean, chinese (i’ve only had shanghainese food tho so there are still many regional cuisines i have to taste), indonesian, thai, punjabi/pakistani (i don’t wanna say ‘indian’ bc there are many regional cuisines i have yet to taste as well), levantine, turkish/greek (many overlaps so sorry for putting them together), italian, moroccan (obviously), brazilian and mexican!! i REALLY want to try food from the rest of the world though especially ethiopian and somalian food but honestly i tried to list what i wanted to taste still and i was literally listing every country except 70% of europe and nearly all of north america (except tex-mex and soul food it looks delicious and also the jewish food institutions of new york) and then idk what constitutes aussie cuisine except beer so i don’t really care about it i guess? ANYWAYS food is a topic that i love what do you want to try most?? and what are your favourite cuisines?
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The Legends Quest-Pt. 1
A thing I did for fun when I saw Adam’s idea behind the adventurer guilds and most specifically the Legends’ Guild, where you get a title based on the quest you did. Funny enough, I've already had a title of sorts for Rallis due to the fact that it's the name I use in Monster Hunter, so I looked at it and thought ‘well this could be fun.’ So I ended up writing my own Legends Quest to fit the title and it ended up being so much fun to write. It'll be split into a couple parts though because it's a bit too long for one post imo. Thanks for the inspiration, Adam!
Second part here: https://rallis-fatalis.tumblr.com/post/174585438262/the-legends-quest-pt-2
The Legends Guild... Gods was it imposing. Beautiful too, but man was it a step up from Champions and Heroes. Rallis walked toward the front gate only to be halted by the two posted guards. "Halt! Only members of the guild may go beyond this point!"
"I want to join," she replied. "A friend of mine even recommended I try. Maybe you've heard of him? Name's Dionysius. Tall guy, blue hat, magic strong enough to crack the kalphite queen open like a crab?"
The guards gave each other unsure glances. Rallis huffed. "Just let me talk to Radimus before I hop the fence and let myself in."
One of them grumbled and opened the gate. "Fine, but I'm walking you there. Don't try anything funny, understand?" Rallis gave a noncommittal yes and followed the guard inside. It was gorgeous inside the guild. Well kept gardens and elegant fountains framed a meticulously paved stone path all the way up to the guild hall proper. There were even statues of adventurers and plaques placed at the end of some of the paths in the gardens. Everything looked so crisp and clean, so different from the wild and messy gardens Rallis kept at home.
They neared the massive hall at the end of the path, but turned into a much smaller building nearby. The guard knocked on the door and opened it after a moment, leading his 'guest' inside. An older man sat at a large mahogany desk, a stack of papers on one side and a smaller stack on the other. He was scribbling away on one of them, so focused he hadn't seen or heard his visitors come in. The guard cleared his threat. "Radimus, sir! I have brought a guest who wishes to speak with you!"
The man slowly looked them over, face serious and calculating. He rose from his seat, pushing the chair in, and walked over to them. The guard visibly stiffened, nervously watching the man come closer. He gave the two a harsh stare, as if he were appraising a valuable antique. Rallis just looked up at the man, curiosity plastered on her face. Suddenly, the man broke out into a smile. "My, my! You're a new face, aren't you? Welcome to the Legends Guild! My name is Radimus Erkle. What can I do for you today?"
Rallis smiled back. "My name is Rallis and I want to join!" she exclaimed excitedly. "My friend said I could, said I've done a lot, and I want to try!"
The man thought for a moment, running a hand down his beard. "Hmmm, are you sure? The tasks assigned here are not easy. And you must already be part of the Champions and Heroes guilds to join, you know."
"Yup! Way ahead of you," she proudly stated. "I've been a part of those guilds for a long time. And I've done stuff and seen things they couldn't even dream of! I think I can do whatever you ask of me, if you're willing to let me try."
The man laughed. "Confident! Like nothing could stop you! I like it! In that case, maybe I will let you try." Rallis could hardly contain her excitement, having to hold herself back from bouncing up and down. "It won't be easy though, I can assure you of that." He went back to his desk and fished a single paper out of one of the many large piles and brought it back to her. "There is a place we need explored," he said. "No one knows its name, what is there, or anything about it. It is completely uncharted. All that is known is that it is said to be the home of something terrifying, a monster of incomprehensible power. Are you willing to explore the unknown, no matter what you might face?"
Rallis nodded furiously. "Yes! Absolutely!"
"Just what I like to hear!" Radimus exclaimed. "In that case, here." He handed her the sheet he was holding. "The details of what I want done are listed on here. Don't lose it! Come back with your findings and we shall see about your joining the guild."
Rallis grinned wide. "Thank you, Mister Radimus! I won't let you down!" And she sprinted out the door and out the guild before anyone could say another word.
Radimus chuckled to himself. "Quite the spirit in that one! What I wouldn't give to be young and adventurous again." He quietly resumed his work at his desk, eager to see what unfolded.
_______________________________________________________________________
Rallis looked over the paper in the comfort of her home. The place to be explored was an island to the north of the Wilderness, beyond the poisonous waters of the Volcanic Forge. She was to document everything there, from the structures to the wildlife to the weather and more. Every little detail was to be drawn, written, and documented. Rallis rolled the paper up into a notebook and brought plenty of supplies to write and draw with. She packed food and gear and anything she needed in case she got into a fight. She threw on her white dragonhide and frozen whip, but debated on the shield. "Winter? Champion? Hmm... it's gonna be near fire with that volcano so..." She pulled out a large rectangular orange shield with the fearsome face of a steel dragon plastered on its front. "Stahlflaam, you're coming this time!"
She wandered over to a room with a scrying pool and portal. She stuck her hand inside the pool and thought about a place deep within the Wilderness, an old destroyed fort frequented by demons. The pool turned an inky murky black and a distorted view of the place she wanted to go came into view within the portal. Rallis shook the water off her hand and leapt through.
The sudden change from the perfect climate of her home to the dry and chilly Wilderness was quite extreme. Rallis shivered, trying to shake the cold off. "Ok, first we gotta get a boat. Time to visit some friends!" Rallis skipped through the Wilderness, completely uncaring of the massive dangers it held. This place was no place for the living, and what little did live here were strong and dangerous. There was nothing to survive on, with all the plant life burned away and long stretches of land holding nothing but ancient charred skeletons and deposits of soot and ash. This was a place few humans ever frequented and that's why she was alright with it, even if it was creepy. There was nothing to bother her out here as long as she knew where she could and could not go (and luckily she did).
She soon neared a long stream of lava, happily purring from the heat it gave off as she stood close. She followed the stream west until it broke off in two directions, north and south. She followed it north, skirting around its edges until she reached a break in the lava with a sign staked into the ground. It had a skull on it with the words "DO NOT ENTER - DEATH INSIDE" hastily painted on the front. Appropriately, it had a bloody handprint dried in a permanent smear. Rallis rolled her eyes and stepped beyond the sign. It was much hotter the farther she walked in, the lava hissing and bubbling all around her. She stopped walking after a moment, lava surrounding her on nearly all sides like an island. Rallis cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted. "Niu! Sinmara! Anyone! Where are youuuuu?"
The island shook and rumbled as all around her, things started to crawl out of the lava, drops hissing as they burned they ground they fell upon. These things were massive and powerful, the lava sliding off of them like water. They slammed their clawed paws down upon the ground, swished their long bladed tails back and forth, and reared their fearsome horned heads around to face whoever dare disturb them. Three of these beasts stepped forward and Rallis just smiled and ran over, hugging one by the leg. "Ooohhhh hello friend," she cooed to it. "How are you today?"
The massive beast, a lava dragon, lowered its head and rubbed against her face. The other two dragons nearby came over to be pet as well. Rallis giggled as she scratched them all under the chin. "Ohhh you're all so sweet! Yes you are! I love you all so much." One of them purred in delight from the attention. Rallis rest her head against one of their muzzles. "I'm sorry to bother you but I have a favor I need to ask." They were at attention in an instant. "You know those pirates up north? I need your help uh... 'borrowing' a boat from them if that's not too much trouble." They gave her a determined growl, one lowering itself to her so she could get on its back. She scrambled up and the three took off into the skies towards the northern pirate encampment. Moments later, three dragons were flying through the sky with a small one man boat in their claws, angry eyepatched men 'yaaarring' after them.
The dragons dropped Rallis and the boat off where she needed to go, in the water by a small strip of land jutting out from the Volcanic Forge. She thanked them and they flew back home. Rallis unloaded her things into the boat and looked around. She didn't like this place much. She had forged two shields here in the fiery depths of the Forge, and it felt like something was watching her the whole time. It made her shiver just remembering it. There was also a massive boat crashed against the burnt shore, skeletons of men thrown about from what seemed to be a harsh impact. Odd thing was, that ship wasn't wood, but rather metal. Not a sight commonly seen south of the Ditch. There was a massive hole on the ship's front as well. At first, Rallis thought it was a type of cannon, but it looked like something could retract back into the hole judging from the chains that dangled off its sides. Whatever fit in there was long gone, though.
Rallis pushed her little borrowed boat farther into the ocean, steam rising as something disturbed the waters. The water by the volcano was scalding hot and poisonous to boot. It smelled horrible, like old rotten eggs, and definitely not safe to drink. Rallis scrunched up her nose in disgust and hopped into the boat, rowing into the vast uncharted sea.
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It was hard to tell the passage of time out in the Wilderness ocean. The sun didn't naturally shine in the Wilderness, giving it a permanent dark and barren atmosphere, and it seemed to be no different out on the water. The sky was dark, but not the shadowy black of night. No, it was a deep crimson red, like a bloody sunset. Rallis sighed, arms getting tired. She could have been rowing for 10 minutes, 10 hours, or 10 days and be none the wiser. She couldn't see the Forge anymore so that was progress at least. She couldn't see anything else either but she tried not to think about that. Getting lost on the ocean was infinitely more terrifying than getting lost on land. And she should know! She once got lost in the desert for a week trying to find some pretty birds.
Rallis carefully stood up and scoped out the horizon, trying to find any specks in the distance that could be land. Sure enough, far, far in the distance was a small black dot. She had to rub her eyes to make sure they weren't playing tricks on her. Nope. Totally real spot. Which meant totally real land. Rallis grinned and continued rowing full speed ahead.
That small spot certainly turned out to be land, but it was definitely not small. As Rallis neared, its imposing facade sent chills up her spine. It was an island made of sharp black rocks and bluffs. Jagged fangs of obsidian jutted out from the water on all sides of the island, acting as a protective barrier. It was hard to see anything on the island from down below in the water. A wall of sharp black rock acted as a wall, separating the inner part of the island from the outside world. Even the large open bluff stretching out over the ocean was impossible to see any details of, bramble thickets shielding it from view. All that was visible was what looked like the top of an imposing black building. "This place is creepy..."
She found a small rocky beach at the base of a mountainous climb and weaved through the rocks toward it. As she neared the shore, Rallis noticed a mass of white beneath the waves. She slowed and looked over the edge of her boat to gain a better view. 'Is that sand? White sand?' She gasped and scooted away from the edge, hands over her mouth. It wasn't sand. The white creating the ground in the shallows all around the island was bone. She was swimming over a massive graveyard.
"Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it," she chanted as she tied the boat down to a rock on the beach. She focused herself on the long climb ahead of her, desperate to ignore the ocean of bone only a few feet away. Crude stairs were carved out off the rock, salty air and winds smoothing them over and making them dangerously slick. "Good thing I have claws or this could be bad." Rallis gripped each stair as she climbed, talons sinking as best they could into the slick blackened stone, tail waving back and forth for balance. On either side of her was a menacing wall of rock, shielding her from both the view and the wind.
She eventually reached the top, panting and winded from the climb. She dare not look down. She could feel how high up she was and didn't want a visual reminder on top of that. The ground opened up at the top of the steps, forming a circle of paved stone framed by six decrepit statues and a pair or foreboding metal doors fallen off their hinges. Above where the doors would have been framed should they still have been standing was a weathered sign, onyx lettering embedded into stone. "Kreathkren," she read. "The Black Fortress."
Rallis took her notes out to start and get to work. She was better at building than drawing, but wasn't too shabby nonetheless. She examined the statues before she moved on. Most were broken, completely beyond repair, but one stood in mostly one piece. It was a large dragon, just your typical four legged two winged dragon, carved out of obsidian. It had rubies for eyes and the inside if the mouth felt almost oily. 'I wonder...'
Rallis lifted up her shield and willed it to set the statue ablaze. Fire flickered over the statue, disappearing into the air, but the mouth caught fire and burned, statue's ruby eyes glowing brightly. Rallis ooh'd and aah'd over it, taking good notes before moving on. She stepped over the fallen busted metal doors and stepped out into the island proper. The view was breathtaking, incredible, but also horrifying. There were massive buildings and equally massive statues everywhere. There was a courtyard with a fountain, two dragons coiling around each other near the top, mouths open presumably where water would shoot out. The craftsmanship of the buildings was also a sight to behold, black and gray stone interwoven into complex patterns, obsidian dragons decorating the roof. Some ever had red stained glass windows. Rose tinted glass lamps hung from black metal frames around every perfectly paved stone path. In the distance, closer to the large bluff she saw on her ride down below in the water, was a behemoth of a castle, larger than any she had ever seen. It had a large elegant contraption pointed toward the sky, like the eye of a needle cutting a hole through the sky. It was a magnificent sight to behold. There was so much painstaking care and beauty here... and it was all destroyed. Crushed, shattered, broken, and most unnerving, burned. Something large and powerful destroyed this place, something Rallis couldn't even begin to imagine the magnitude of.
She slowly surveyed the scene, cautiously stepping over piles of broken glass and warped metal hunks. It was unnervingly quiet, so much so that even the slightest scrape seemed to echo one hundred fold. The silence started to make her ears ring after a while. It was painful. Being in the middle of a town and having it be this quiet was just wrong. Honestly, she didn't even know where to start. This place was bigger than both halves of Ardougne for Guthix's sake! That was a lot of wreckage to sift through and document. She turned away from the looming castle in the distance and walked. 'Save that for last.'
Rallis drew a perimeter of the island as she walked, making note of any important features as she went. She explored what few buildings were left standing and found hardly anything at all. The houses held no clothing or signs of families living there, the shops held no goods to be sold, everything was gone and empty. There weren't even broken objects outside of the glass windows and toppled buildings and statues. "Jeez, it's like these people just... disappeared," she muttered. There weren't even corpses amongst the carnage, but she shuddered as she figured as to why that was, remembering the watery mass grave. "I have to go pull some of those up, don't I?" she whined. "Gross..."
It was just a repetition of the same structures on the eastern half of the island, mostly consisting of toppled homes and shops. One building had even been sliced in two from who knows what, halves discarded on the path like waste. Rallis made her way back to the center with the fountain and to the western half of the island with the castle. If the sliced open and crumbling buildings to the east were a sign of destruction, this was a sign of a complete massacre. Massive claw marks gouged holes into the ground, buildings were practically thrown out of the way, part of one even precariously hanging on the spiked top of the black rock wall like a hangnail. Blackened patches dotted the landscape, presumably from powerful fire. Rallis groaned. "I know it said 'monster of incomprehensible power' but if it's another dragon I swear..."
Rallis soon found herself at the steps of the massive castle. It was elevated above the rest of the city, dwarfing it all by comparison, raised and poised like something royal. It was absurdly tall, reaching far enough into the sky that it looked to pierce the heavens. Rallis squinted at the castle in confusion. It wasn't burnt or collapsing or clawed. Some of the onyx dragon ornaments had chipped or fallen, sure, but it was mostly intact. It was a pristine obsidian monolith against the mass destruction below, which she could see quite clearly from her elevation upon the top of the steps. 'This doesn't feel right...'
Rallis cautiously crept toward the hulking black doors, placing her hands on it to push it open. At once, it was like an electric current ran through her, jolting her back with ears pinned back and claws out. She growled at the door, but nothing happened. Her wings folded back behind her and her tail stopped swishing about, but she still flared her claws out. 'Something is here,' she thought. 'Something dangerous.' She slowly opened the doors, slithering through and sticking to the walls inside. Elegant purple carpeting lined the middle of the tiled walkway inside, onyx dragon statues standing in silent vigil as they watched visitors walk with their judgmental ruby eyes. Rallis peeled herself from the wall and walked down the hall, hating the openness of it all.
At the end of the hall rest a massive throne of obsidian seated upon a raised altar, framed against a wall of red glass in the shape of a circle. It cast a bloody light onto the throne below, illuminating every detail in a gruesome manner. Rallis walked over to the throne, curious. The light made it seem like something was in it, but it was just as black as the throne itself. She couldn't tell what it was. When she got a closer look, her ears shot up in surprise. 'A human?! But, but, 'Kreathkren!' That's not a human name. What is going on?' The human wasn't a skeleton either as she would have expected. It was just a man, though he certainly looked old, skin wrinkled and long beard white as snow. He was covered in something black and scaly too, like armor. From chest down he was almost encased in thick black dragonhide, white sharp spines digging into his skin to hold it in place. It looked fused with him more than equipment cloaked over him.
'How odd...' Rallis gave the scaled gauntlet a poke. It was harder than any dragonhide she'd ever felt. It felt stronger than most metal too. She reached to touch one of the spines holding the armor in place in his arm and screeched as something grabbed her. The man in the throne glared at her with cruel red eyes, crushing her arm with a gloved fist. "Let go!" she cried, trying to scramble away, but the man wouldn't budge an inch. He pulled her closer, grabbing her by the neck with his other hand and forcing her to look him in the eye.
"Kill... it..." he rasped. "Kill... it... THE FATALIS!"
He let her go with a scream, armor digging into him more. His hands weren't human any longer, clawed black talons growing over what remained of his fingers. Spines dug into his chest, further cementing the armor into place. Scales started to crawl up his neck, stopping once they reached his face. Rallis staggered back horrified, rubbing her neck where he had grabbed her.
"Kill it," he whispered. "Before it kills again." His head slumped forward, not to speak another word.
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Mahianō: A G2 Story
Part 7: Back to start
Nuju slowly retraced his steps down the catacombs, taking careful note of everything, down to even the minutia. He had opted to stay behind at the city center. His presence was not particularly needed among his former peers in the Ice Sector, as it had the lowest incident rate of any Sector. At least, it had thus far.
Former data could not exactly be depended upon, Nuju had concluded. All evidence up until now suggested that Toa were built as Toa. And yet, Nuju himself was apparently proof that Toa could be created from a Tekoan.
Precisely why he was scouring the ancient tunnels below the heart of the city.
The entrance itself had been disguised as one of the many decorative hexagonal extrusions that lined the Grand Temple. Even though the passage was now well-marked, Nuju still had difficulty in distinguishing the door from the rest of the building. This of course brought up, as they say, the prize-winning question. How exactly did six Tekoans manage to wake up underneath the Grand Temple in a vault that was both sealed and disguised?
It was clear from the furnace room that this place had been in use once. The sheer abundance of tools and weapons suggested that it had also functioned as an armory. A logical suggestion, due to the scale of the room, was that it had been used by the city’s Toa and Protectors in days past. However, a historical monument such as this would have been protected and preserved as the Toa and Protectors retired or passed away.
It would be reasonable to think that Lhikan and Tuyet would have made someone aware of this place before their time came. But Tuyet died and Lhikan vanished, leaving no one aware of the vaults.
Nuju pressed a button on his scope. A small light blinked in the corner of his vision, indicating that it was ready to record.
“Toa Nuju, Log 1-37. First chamber under Grand Temple, designated ‘The Forge.’ Architecture is Pre-Tenth Era design, suggests construction during founding of Tekoa. Depth of Two-point-three Metra, instrumental. Equal depth to Earth Sector, no indications of chamber on city maps.”
He turned to the still-lit forge furnace, panning along the odd hexagonal anvils and up the staircase to the smelting basin. The smokeless fire had grown in size since initially lit, burning a bluish color, the steady blaze lighting the room far better than the light-crystals had. It should, by all means, have gone out by now, though there could be some unseen mechanism at work keeping the fire ablaze.
“The specific materials appear to originate from Stone Sector, Fire Sector implementation. Depth indicates heavy Earth Sector involvement. Forge seems is contemporary and powered, leading to conclusion of creation six to nine cycles ago, maximum.”
Nuju tilted his head up to the ceiling, observing the tiling of the dome above. It was what one would expect of a ceiling over such a furnace, caked with a crystalline layer ash, soot and slag.
“Er...Personal reminder: Inform Toa Vakama that, despite his fine handiwork in crafting my batons, it regrettably seems that the amorphous Vahki’s glass remains cannot be removed from them. I will continue using them to the best of my ability.”
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The quartz-like hall ahead of him felt cold, even to the Ice Toa. A more superstitious person would have assumed that it was destiny or some force of the deities that allowed him to find the correct route through the maze. He had felt a draft running through the passage, and subtle markings on the wall made it clear which way they were going.
Pure and simple logic. And the cold was most likely a way to sterilize or preserve certain artifacts stored at the other ends. Some sort of refrigeration units in the sides passages probably maintained a constant temperature far lower than what he was feeling.
Nuju paused to check his scope. Readout was 25° Rel.
That... couldn’t be right. From feel alone, his estimate would be close to -10° Rel. But the thermometer did not match.
...Clearly, the surface of the hallway was... something like quartz, which was causing interference from it’s piezoelectric traits.
...Yes, that was it.
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The canister room was rather... unnerving without the others present. In the low light, the six Toa canisters seemed dark and foreboding, not unlike the burial tubes in the Grand Mausoleum, and asymmetry of the fallen and vertical canisters gave an eerie, though artificial, feeling of decay. Even the dried puddles of stasis fluid made the room unsettling, the greenish-yellow stain on the floor looking for all the world like-
Nuju shook the thought from his mind and continued to work, choosing to focus on the canister he woke up in as a generalized example.
“Augmented medical canisters have a hinge-and-gear mechanism that theoretically would expel the Tekoan inside upon completion of transformation to Toa.”
He lifted his own canister back into place, where it sank back into a socket. He studied the floor around it for a while before continuing.
“Experience, however, maintains that the subject wakes before being tipped over. Certainty of shared experiences not known-”
The clock on his HUD blinked, alerting him that it was now the regularly scheduled time to consume food back in the Ice Sector. Against his better judgment, Nuju sat down at the base of his canister to ingest the rather bland nutrient paste.
Alternating between eating and recording his thoughts, he continued. “Average time of transformation: unknown. Individual members of current Toa group emerged separately. Until the exact dates of disappearance are known, immediate conclusions cannot be made...”
He trailed off as he watched a small glob of nutrient paste fall to the floor.
Outside contamination. A forensic nightmare.
He quickly closed the paste container and knelt down to try and scrape the offending food from the scene without disturbing anything else, chastising himself on bringing a faulty food case.
In a short time, the paste was removed, bringing along with it a thick layer of dust and revealing a faintly glowing square of glass embedded in the floor.
Hmm. Even accidents can have their uses.
The icon etched into the glass reminded Nuju somewhat of a cracked plate of ice. Inspecting the floors underneath or in front of the other canisters revealed similar pieces, each one’s slight glow seeming to denote the element of the Toa who had been inside the canister. A marker, perhaps, to tell whoever operated this place to select Tekoans from specific Sectors.
It could also be symbolic. From the center of the room, the canister that Vakama woke up from pointed North, towards the Fire Sector, Matau’s pointed West to the Jungle Sector, and Nuju’s Southwest, to the Ice sector.
Whenua’s canister was the odd one out, oriented towards the Southeast, whereas the Earth Sector was subterranean.
It made sense, of course, you can’t have a canister pointed down.
Unless...
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It had taken half a day, but Nuju was able to schedule a meeting with Elder... erm, Tulaga Dume. He had, of course, tried to meet with Councilor Solek, his representative Elder, but the administrative attendant had simply told him that his message would be passed on to Elder Solek.
However, they had been quite adamant that the entire Council, save for Tulaga Dume, were in a very, very important meeting, and so might ignore Nuju’s request for the time being.
To be honest, if this had not been urgent Nuju would have waited whole Cycles to talk to Elder Solek, rather than Dume. Solek had a reputation for being so insistent and willful to the Council whenever a new or interesting crisis emerged, even to the point of seeming humorous to the other Sectors. However, he almost always swayed the Council to his favor, so having the Elder of Ice on his side would have ensured that Nuju gain the resources...
“<Toa Nuju? Tulaga Dume will speak to you now.>” Nuju flinched slightly when the Vahki spoke from behind him. He was not caught of guard, of course, it was a natural reflex, considering his last few incidents with the enforcers were not so... pleasant. “<This way.>”
“<Zero Delta Six. We are here.>” The large stone doors to Dume’s office had been recently reinforced with hexagonal shields of iron, reminding Nuju quite a bit of the Great Temple’s exterior. And most of the architecture in all of the important buildings in the city, really.
As the doors opened, Dume swiveled around in his chair to face the Toa of Ice. The synchronicity somewhat unnerved Nuju.
“Toa Nuju! Welcome.” Dume motioned to a seat.
Surprisingly, it was adequately sized for a Toa such as himself, and sat down as requested
“I had it moved from Toa Nidhiki’s Home Unit. I thought it would be an admirable... reminder of Toa past.”
“Toa... Nidhiki?” Nuju was puzzled; He had not heard of any Toa by that name.
“My apologies, he was a Toa far before your time. Or my time for that matter. He had just started to fade into obscurity while I was a young child...” The Tulaga moved forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his desk and interlocking his fingers. “But we are getting off topic. What did you want to discuss?”
“I would like to request fellow Toa Whenua and Onewa aid me in a small expedition. Below the Earth Sector”
The Elder of Fire made an expression the Toa of Ice did not quite recognize, tapping his fingers together. It was somewhat of a stern look, but elements of a smile were visible. “I’ll see what I can do. Your expedition seems like quite the interesting new prospect.”
Nuju stood up. “Thank you for your consideration. And time.”
“It is not a problem, Toa Nuju. I will get your request to the Council as soon as possible. In the meantime, I believe that it would be best if you return to the Ice Sector and resume your duties.”
Nuju nodded. Yes, the Knowledge Towers seemed like the right place to be at the moment. History records should have all that he was looking for.
Perhaps Toa Nidhiki could lead him to some answers.
...Metaphorically, of course.
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The Year of Keroro Challenge Update 6 (Yes Sir)
I’m finally back (^.^) And Sweet Goodness I’m far behind in terms of writing, though at least some of the episodes I have to catch up are already written about
So before we do anything, let’s cover the names of the partner Humans, we all know about the Hinata family’s season themed naming but there’s another neat pattern to find
Fuyuki Hinata: Fuyu=Winter Ki=Shrub (it can be a bush or small tree too), while Hinata means Sunny Place, so his full name in proper order is Sunny Place Winter Shrub
Natsumi Hinata: Natsu=Summer Mi=Beauty, so her full name is Sunny Place Summer Beauty. It’s also worth noting the “Mi” is read that way when paired with another kanji as part of a word, either way it’s a surprising names considering her birthday is in December
Momoka Nishizawa: Momo=Peach, Ka=Blossom, Nishi=West, Zawa=Swamp or Marshland. So her full name is Western Marsh Peach Blossom
Saburo/Mutsumi Houjou: Saburo means third son while for Mutsumi Mutsu=Harmonious Mi=Truth, but considering the meaning of the first kanji it could mean someone who is emotionally close to/on friendly terms with the truth Hou=North Jou=Castle, So his name is Northern Castle Third Son or Northern Castle Harmonious Truth. It’s also worth noting that he uses numbers to write regular name and radio persona name and each is the reverse of the other (Saburo=326, Mutsumi=623)
Koyuki Azumaya: Ko=Small/Little, Yuki=Snow, but together it can mean light snowfall, Azuma=East, Ya=Valley. So her full name is “Eastern Valley Little Snow”
As you can see, the other Humans have a compass direction theme set completed by Alisa Southerncross. During one of the next two sets I’m hoping to cover the Keronians’ forms of “I” and their sentence endings (I may have to split this one up, but the “I” needs to be done before I write about episode 65)
And The Plan Count:
Serious Plans: K66:18 D66:1 MMK:1 TMM:1
Funding Plans: K66:4
It’s a plan, I Swear!: K66:8 (Yes Powered Natsumi falls under this category, I’m fairly sure it was mostly to needle Natsumi & Giroro)
Oh look! Progress!: K66:3
Episode 36: Now I’m curious just how cold it actually gets in this part of Japan during the winter (I know from the Northernmost islands to the Southernmost there’s quite a difference, but most of it is around the temperate zone). I have to admit my reaction to people complaining about the cold on T.V. is more curiousity than anything else since I have a fairly good tolerance for the cold....Not quite because I’m Canadian, mind you, even other Canadians seem a bit surprised by my tolerance for the cold (though it bothers me more when it’s only slightly cold, so that raining cold from the fall actually bothers me much more than the cold in mid-winter when the snow is two feet deep).
Also why does Tamama care about how big his bonus is? He can basically buy whatever he wants regardless (Though given what we learn in episode 40, it does seem weird they get paid so little). And it’s a bit surprising that Dororo isn’t the one in the old fashioned straw snow suit.
Episode 37: I feel in a way the first half of this episode illustrates most cases where you go to teach something that people have a certain image of and they expect what they see in movies and T.V. shows instead of what the thing you’re teaching actually is or at best expect to be doing the advanced things right away. Part b was also a bit surprising in terms of the range of emotions it runs through since at first it doesn’t seem like it would go in that direction at all; it starts off with a sort of Jurassic Park premise but actually ends up surprisingly sweet at times.
Episode 38: So apparently the opening shot with Sumomo is quite famous as one of the strangest anime gifs ever, hmm. Alright I’m going to admit, I think I’ve only seen this one once before and I know Giroro & Natsumi is a really popular pairing for the series and it’s not that I dislike it but I don’t really have any strong feelings about it or a lot to say about this episode.
Except that I’m fairly sure that password was chosen specifically to embarrass Giroro, and that the bit about the apron might tie into how Geisha would leave a small portion of the back of their necks unpainted because it suggested the bare skin under their make-up (It’s been a while since I read the book it’s from).
Episode 39: I’m going to admit that I really like Japan’s “Always been fun” Christmas, in some ways more than what we have here; namely because here there are a lot of people who have trouble with Christmas because it went from having a lot of emotional meaning to being commercial and Japanese Christmas seems to be in a nice middle ground where it never had the meaning it used to for Westerners, but didn’t go the other way either. Or maybe it’s more commercial than I think, either way the episode is really sweet and charming.
As for part b. I know about the Japanese tradition of having a big clean up around the end of the year to have a fresh start in the new year, but I have to wonder if having Fuyuki throw out those books was really necessary. I know my books don’t really fill the entirety of their space on my bookselves and you can fit more books or even an entire second row behind them, and Japanese books are generally much smaller than Western ones (probably because it take fewer characters to say what you need to) plus there’s all that space in the secret base. Long story short, I sort of like to think that Keroro didn’t actually throw out Fuyuki’s books (or at the very least took them out of the trash) and sold them to Momoka to make up for getting such a small bonus
Episode 40: It’s the News Years episode! And goodness it’s different from it’s manga counterpart, really, really different. Now in a way I can understand why they changed it; even though children’s anime have no problem showing adult characters getting drunk (Ojamajo Doremi actually has a few episodes where the girls’ magic teacher/mascot is shown using alcohol as an emotional crutch when she loses ownership of her store), minors are a different matter entirely and in this case it’s a bit of a grey area since Mois’ Human form is based on a girl who is either in high school or late middle school and we don’t know what stage she’s in in terms of her own species, the latter sort of applies to Tamama as well. Actually, speaking of the manga, there’s a good bit that seems to either have been dropped from the earlier chapters or possibly was part of some trial and error process; I know the first few volumes included a chart that shows Giroro’s organs as including a reactor and they had an interview with Tamama which, along with a few other moments makes it almost seem as if he was originally planned to have some form of hypopituitarism, the one that keeps you from aging normally....
Moving right along, the kite bit is a pun on kite & octopus both being pronounced “tako” (this isn’t the first show to do this pun) and the “Tamaya!” is something that’s commonly done when fireworks are launched (Though some shout “Kagiya!”); it started as the result of a competition between two firework making rivals to make the most spectacular fireworks, each would call out his own surname every time one of his fireworks was launched.
Also sweet goodness this episode got a bit meta, possibly more than the one where they make anime.
Episode 41: I’m really curious about sugoroku, I’ve never actually seen a normal version of the game; not simply I’ve only seen it in T.V. shows where the game is enhanced by either magic or technology and has you do things that normally wouldn’t be possible or practical, even the versions I’ve seen that are regular board games are always themed.
Dororo’s story was quite nice, though it’s a bit funny that 556 misremembered his name as “Terere”, “Tereyasan” means “Shy Person” (”Tere” being what marks it as “shy”) it’s also really close to his name if you look at a syllable chart (both are one place off from where the right one is). Either way it was really nice seeing him get the spotlight and be noticed for once, even if it was short lived (though I wonder why when all of them lost their footing none of them tried to grab the cliff face again).
Episode 42 (I’m warning you now, this one is about to get weird):
♪Viva the beautiful game, it’s what saturdays are for. Ooh! Ah! The triumph and pain. Work to live, but live to score. We’re on our way now! To Wemberly~ Up for the cup it’s the classical game, the marvellous game. Thank Frog for football~♪
Actually my opinions on soccer aren’t especially strong either way, I just really love musicals (This one is called “The Boys in the Photograph” which is an updated version of “The Beautiful Game” but with a happier ending)
Now part 2 is adorable but rewatching it left me wondering, how exactly does the timing of this episode work? To clarify the opening scene shows this episode starts directly after part one with Keroro being punished for losing the game (how is the barbed wire actually working by the way? Keronian hands are small enough to fit between the barbed section) but then it seems an entire winter goes by over the course of this episode, one where he goes to the park every day in case the boy comes back; even if we go by the snow actually holding and not being the very first snowfall of the year and taking place after the Natsumi Birthday episode and ending before valentines day when there clearly was no snow on the ground, that still leaves a lot of episodes where Tamama would have gone to the park at some point that day and there are a few where I have to wonder when he had the time to do that.
Even if we say that the episode started in fall 2004 the opening of the first part mentions the approach of spring so that would mean feeling the approach of spring before winter even starts....Or was that snow just a random one from that weird point where it can snow and hold for a few weeks, but the bulk of snow from the winter melted earlier?
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