#or how about diamond and pearl for time and space
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what people get wrong when they try to create fake/fan titles for pokémon games is they think the two words have to be opposites in some way. sure some of them are, or at least counterparts, but a lot of those pairs are just whatever they honestly felt like that had even the smallest thing in common. now thematically the version differences are likely gonna be opposites or counterparts in some ways but like the titles aren’t always gonna reflect that
#like. would you guess that scarlet and violet represent past and future respectively#probably not#and it’s funny cuz it seems like the only reason they chose those two words is bc *phonetically* they share similarities#or how about diamond and pearl for time and space#ruby and sapphire? at least for those there’s color coordination of a sort between land vs water#black and white definitely do the whole duality thing well though cuz it’s about yin and yang/tao stuff with ideals and truth or w/e#pokémon#what i’m saying is pokémon home depot and pokémon lowes are pretty convincing as far as titles go
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Highlights from the stream:
Here are the anecdotes shared during the epic draw-fest. Nearly all of them have been shared elsewhere at least once, but the new ones for me were about Greg Universe's orientation and the prototypical name for what Steven and Pearl's Fusion was going to be.
Rebecca Sugar loved Peridot's floating fingers and wanted to do all kinds of fun things with them before they would be gone forever. That's why we see her making arrows with them and biting them nervously in the episode right before she loses them.
When selecting clips for promotional use, they tried to be super careful about not picking anything that would show Peridot's real hands before the reveal had been aired. They didn't want a promo to accidentally ruin that surprise.
While doing the show they had an "eye theory" where the three main Gems would always have a different number of eyes showing. Pearl had both her eyes visible; Amethyst usually had one covered; and Garnet had either no eyes showing or three eyes showing.
With Rebecca and Ian's decision to get married and the characters Ruby and Sapphire being based on them, they figured well, of course now they have to get married too. (Though Rebecca and Ian got to do so AFTER their characters did!)
One of Rebecca's "post-Future theories" is that Steven gets a Gibson Hummingbird guitar.
Cookie Cat was originally based off of Cookie Puss, a very strange Carvell ice cream cake. It had a complicated backstory, which was appropriate for working with their own characters' complicated backstory. The branding and packaging of the Cookie Cat is important within the show.
Jeff Liu composed the Cookie Cat theme on a Game Boy and pitched it.
Rebecca has a "theory" regarding how Steven and Connie's faces kind of "fit together" with Connie's face sticking out at the top and Steven's face sticking out at the bottom.
Rebecca used to do a lot of fan comics, and learned a lot about storytelling while practicing with others' worlds and characters. They love when people make things based on these characters.
The original appearance of Rainbow Quartz was inspired by a music video from the Cars that Rebecca loved when they were younger. The Cars are referenced a lot throughout the show because their videos were a huge inspiration to Rebecca.
Lapis is very much based on a character from one of Rebecca's comics from the art school days.
Everybody on the Crew had different ideas of how Steven's head connected to his body and how his hair worked; Rebecca felt that they learned from everyone's various ideas.
If you've heard that Rebecca was against Finn being in a relationship while working on Adventure Time, that is not true. Rebecca worked on lots of the Flame Princess episodes. Finn and Flame Princess were still together when Rebecca left the show (last episode "Simon and Marcy").
Greg Universe's sexuality was never explicitly stated on the show, but Rebecca thinks of him as sexually fluid. Regarding him as bisexual is also completely valid--and appreciated by Rebecca as a bisexual creator who puts lots of their own personal traits into characters and feels that bisexual characters are pretty rare. Greg's gender on the show is pretty solidly established as male, so Ian says he is probably not gender fluid, but Rebecca is fine with alternate headcanons about that too.
Some of the earliest concept art from "Mr. Greg" was everybody in suits. Getting everyone in a suit was a primary agenda.
Everyone also wanted Connie to have a Space Camp outfit in the earliest concepts for her design in the movie.
Rebecca used to love doing signings while doing the show because it was like a chance to come up for air and go back to work energized by knowing how many people were touched by the show.
Rebecca Sugar wanted Pink Diamond to feel a bit influenced/inspired, design-wise, by the work of Iwao Takamoto. Rebecca loved his work in the Hanna-Barbera Alice in Wonderland and on Sleeping Beauty.
Rebecca drew the rough of the poster's art and Danny Hynes did the colors. Rebecca loves that they got to do this poster because they didn't get to do the final Comic Con with any art depicting Future or beyond (the finale of Future coincided with the emergence of Covid, so everything was closed down), so this is their way of "going rogue" and doing it!
An early prototype of a Steven/Pearl Fusion was called Coral. Rebecca said maybe they could share some drawings of this Fusion sometime. Rebecca shared this factoid with the viewers while drawing Rainbow Quartz 2.0, and mentioned that Ian boarded the scenes including their introduction.
Rebecca would often draw Garnet with a huge smile on her face whenever Garnet was the requested character--even before Garnet had made an expression like that on any aired episode. They had to be careful not to drop any Garnet lore before viewers knew what her center was about. For the short period before "Alone Together" had aired that they were doing conventions, some people were getting mysteriously grinning Garnets and not being familiar with that expression, but once the episodes aired, they understood for sure.
Shelby Rabara, Peridot's voice actor, is a professional dancer, and she choreographed the tap-dancing in "Mr. Greg" as well as provided the foot-taps that you actually hear in the show during the dancing.
Rebecca thinks of art and writing as just two different ways of expressing what you mean--they're not exactly as different from each other as most people think.
Everyone on the Crew was so excited about Steven's neck as an older teen. Mainly because figuring out how Steven's head joins to his body was an issue in original SU.
Unfortunately, while it was also kinda nice to see so many people enjoying Rebecca's drawings and commentary, there was a lot of rudeness and obnoxiousness in the chat. I know, I know, it's expected; I too live on the internet. But I'm disappointed to say the chat was full of people demanding Black Diamond, or repeating their own name and what character they want every 3 seconds (like, literally, pasting it over and over again for a long period of time), or harassing them about "weird Ed Edd and Eddy art," or spamming "REBECCA WHAT WAS IN THE CHEST," or wanting constantly for them to say hi to them personally, or repeatedly asking if Rebecca has read Homestuck. Or even writing snotty things like "maybe you should stop drawing and get up and give us a new season." Holy shit. can u not
(I didn't want to get a live-signed one, but I did get one of these to be sketched later! Mine is supposed to get Lion on it. I love Rebecca and the SU crew for bringing us new art and fun discussions in 2024.)
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hello :) will you write something fluffy with tashi duncan and reader? thanks!
Thanks for the request! I didn't really know what to write so here's a thing I created:
Tashi Duncan fluff alphabet:
Affection (How affectionate are they?)
Quite affectionate when in private but she still has problems with it. Sometimes in the evening after a long day she will come to you and let you hug her. In moments like this she fells weak but the comfort you provide her makes all problems go away.
Bonding (What's your favorite mutual bonding activity?)
You like when she teaches you how to play tennis. At first she didn't want to do it because she felt like she was obsessed with it before and it would ruin your relationship. When she finally gives in, she's the most gentle trainer ever. Delicately adjusts your posture, softly points out mistakes and how to fix them and gives you lots of praise. You make tennis feel like fun and not competition.
Cuddling (How do they like to cuddle?)
She loves cuddling while on the sofa or bed. In the beginning of the relationship she was always the big spoon but she eventually found comfort in being the small one from time to time.
Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)
She definitely wants to settle down. Insists on buying a house or at least a flat when the relationship gets more serious. She wouldn't let you clean and she wouldn't like to do it either so she would get a maid. If you like cooking, she's in love with it and the sight of you in the kitchen always makes her heart melt. She doesn't mind, if you don't.
Equal (Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?)
She's the dominant one but gives you a lot of space and is much softer than she was in previous relationships.
Fight (Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?)
She doesn't scream or throw hands when she's mad at something. She tends to say rude things or point out things that aren't necessary true. Once she notices she has hurt you she immediately tries to fix it. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what it was. I don't mean it, you know it.". She will try to hug you but if you need some time she will leave you alone.
Gifts (How do they feel about gift giving? What are their habits when it comes to this?)
She loves giving you gifts. Matching jewellery!!! Anniversary? A ring. Got a promotion? Pearl earrings. Birthday? A diamond necklace that's more that you thought she can afford.
Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often? What are their hugs like?)
Quick hugs and a peck on a check in public. In private, every evening there's a cuddle session that ends in you two falling asleep.
I love you (Who said it first? How often do they say it?)
She said it first. You were the first person she had ever said it to. You were already dating for more than half a year and you knew that her not saying it didn't mean she didn't feel it. When she said it she felt very vulnerable but it's a sign that she trusts you endlessly.
Jealousy (How jealous do they get? Do they get jealous easily? What do they do when they are jealous?)
She gets jealous very easily. You usually notice it and calm her down. She would be very obvious - would tighten her grip on you or change her tone towards the third person.
Kiss (Do they like kissing? How often? What is their favorite type of kiss?)
She wouldn't say she enjoys kissing but she does. From small pecks to heated make outs. She loves your lips and would gift you lip balms to make them even softer. Her favourite thing is when you kiss her neck - it makes her melt.
Love language (What’s their love language?)
I think it's either quality time or gift giving. She's usually busy so when she gets a moment she loves to spend it with you and no distractions.
Morning (How are mornings spent with them? What’s their morning routine?)
Definitely slow mornings. Yoga or stretching together, a healthy breakfast and some time spent on the couch.
Nickname (What do they call you?)
Doesn't like nicknames but will call you love from time to time.
Obvious (How obvious is it that they like you?)
Very obvious. She changes her whole tone when she's around you. She becomes more soft. Big hearteyes. People can easily notice it.
PDA (Do they brag about you? Do they gatekeep you from others?)
She is very proud of you and will show you off all the time. Won't be really affectionate in public tho as she thinks it should be something between you two.
Quiet (How are the calm, quiet moments with them?)
Usually the mornings and evenings are really calm and quiet. You both have you routines that consist of some activities that you do together and some that you do alone. You two like to have soft music playing in the background.
Romance (How romantic are they? Cliche or creative?)
Very cliche. She would bring you flowers every week. Candle lit dinners are definitely something that happens regularly.
Security (Are they protective? How?)
Very protective and very jealous. God forbid someone looks at you in a wrong way, they are done. She won't leave you for even a second. If you get injured by any chance, she is more stressed than you are.
Talking (What do they like to talk about?)
She doesn't like talking about tennis. She feels like it ruined her relationships in the past.
Understanding (How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?)
She can usually sense something is not okay but can't really tell what. She doesn't always fully understand you but tries her best and believes in communication.
Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)
Depends. If she's going out than she always tries to make herself look good. But when it's only you two she doesn't mind not being the prettiest. She loves matching outfits with you.
Warrior (Would they fight for you?)
Definitely. Maybe not always with hands, but she would for sure scream or say some pretty rude things if someone hurt you.
X-ray (How well are they able to read you?)
Like I said, she tries but prefers to ask you rather than assume how you feel.
Yes (Would they and how would they propose?)
She loves the idea of her and you creating a family. She would buy a diamond ring and have it hidden for months. She wouldn't make a big deal out of it and plan it. She waits for a good, calm moment and one evening while you are in the garden she just pops the question.
Zen (What calms them down?)
When she can lay her head on you chest and feel your heartbeat. She loves to listen about your day as you lay and caress her back.
April 28, 2024
#writers on tumblr#fan fic writing#challengers imagine#challengers x reader#tashi duncan x reader#tashi duncan imagine#zendaya x reader
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More of @chrisrin‘s gemcyt au :D part 2 to this!
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Earth is…different.
It’s been raining for three days, (at least that’s what Etho called it, back when they landed). Three days of rain, no light from this system’s sun. Outside is reflecting how he feels inside, gray and storming and he’s-
He’s never going to see his diamond again.
It’s fine. That’s fine. He doesn’t think about it. He can’t think about it, not when it makes him feel like he’s raining.
He’s thinking about it.
She was beautiful, graceful- let him speak and laughed at his jokes. She complimented his fighting, thanked him when he helped her with even the smallest things- things he shouldn’t have been thanked for, in all honesty, like opening doors, or turning off the lights.
Stars, he’s really never going to see her again.
He curls further into himself. He’d reformed with a hooded cloak this time, the desire to hide manifesting physically as soon as he’d Reformed on the ship. He’d had to Reform twice, the first he did himself, without Etho saying he could. He’d been poofed immediately and whisked back into a drawer for what felt like centuries.
After they made it outside, he was allowed to Reform after the ship took off again. Etho said his hair turned black.
He doesn’t know what Etho’s talking about. He can see it, when he looks up at his fringe. It’s a darker green now.
It doesn’t matter. He’s never going to see his diamond again.
“Pearl?” Etho sing songs, footsteps crunching across the dirt of the kindergarten, “Peaaarl, you in here?”
Pearl stuck himself into one of the many gem-shaped holes in the wall, pressed as far back as he could manage, grateful his cloak is dark enough to blend in with the walls, “Go away, Etho.”
“I brought some friends,” Etho says, his face popping into view as he leans over the opening, setting down an oil lamp to light up the space, “you up for some chitchat?”
Pearl tugs his hood down. “Not really.”
“They’re nice, I promise,” Etho assures him, “they’re some of Impulse’s friends! Impulse was nice, right?”
“I guess.”
Impulse was nice, Etho’s right. Their little tour of Earth’s Gem Base had been brief but informative, with a few landmarks. Impulse’s forge. A warp pad. A crash site. Then Pearl got overwhelmed and ran, warping at random and landing in a kindergarten. Nobody came after him.
Until now.
“Do you wanna come out?” Etho asks.
“Not really.”
Etho laughs, “fair enough,” and disappears.
New footsteps- Pearl catches a flash of green and blue outside.
“I brought an aquamarine and a peridot,” Etho explains, voice louder now that he’s further away from the opening, “Grian and Mumbo. They want to talk to you about stuff.”
“Goodie.”
Etho bids him goodbye, and leaves. Then the aquamarine pushes his way into the hole, with a wide, one-eyed grin. There’s more than enough room for the two of them and all the rain water he’s bringing in here, but Pearl curls further into himself anyway.
“You’re Pink Diamond’s pearl,” remarks the aquamarine.
Pearl bristles, “I was Pink Diamond’s pearl.”
The aquamarine waves him off, “specifics don’t matter. All that matters is whether or not you’d like to overthrow the diamonds.”
Pearl freezes.
“Grian!” The peridot- Mumbo- scolds, “you can’t just say that!”
“Well, why not?” Grian turns around, his wings nearly whacking Pearl in the face, “it’s not like he can say no, if he goes back to Homeworld he’ll be shattered.”
They dissolve into bickering. Pearl doesn’t care. He can’t hear them.
Overthrow the diamonds.
It’s treason. Rebellion. He’s suddenly connecting dots he didn’t realize were there- the crash site. A hidden warp pad. So, so many mismatched gems living together in an uncharted, unregulated base. Not being allowed to Reform on the ship.
Oh stars- what has he gotten himself into?
The aquamarine yelps and disappears with a poof- Mumbo catches him, flustered when Pearl rushes past him, sword in hand, back to the warp pad, back to the warp, to warp, warp warp warp warp warp-
A blinding flash of light- he stumbles off the pad and falls to his knees.
Rebellion. Treason.
If he goes back to Homeworld, he’ll be shattered.
He’s being shattered right now, he thinks- that’s the only way he can think to explain this feeling. He’s being crushed, turned inside out, trying to reform in a place that’s too small. He shouldn’t be here- he’s raining- he should have stayed on Homeworld, should have let himself be-
Someone is humming.
He freezes. He’s good at this- disappearing into the background. He’s nothing. An accessory, a set piece.
He lifts his head.
They’re hovering over a lake (he hadn’t realized he’d warped to a lake), twisting in a way that looks like a dance, something bright and cloud-like in their arms. Something about their posture is familiar- friendly. Pearl pushes himself to his feet- his knees trembling, and forces himself forward.
One foot in front of the other. He makes out features- wings made of water. A bouquet of roses and sunflowers and little red things. Too big to be an aquamarine- a lapis? His gem a little to the left of where Pearl’s is, on his chest, right over where a human heart would be.
His humming has turned to singing. Pearl stops on the bank- he knows this lapis. This was one of the messengers, they used to talk all the time.
What is he doing on Earth?
The lapis bends over, dropping petals into the water, and notices Pearl with barely more than a glance.
“Oh, hello! You’re n-” he does a double take, eyes wide, his smile fond and familiar as if he remembers Pearl too, “you’re Pink Diamond’s pearl!”
This is the same lapis. The one he used to tease and trip in the hallways. They’d salute to each other- then to their diamond- then drop form and laugh. They made jokes- they called each other names and playful insults and make faces at each other when the diamonds weren’t looking. This lapis is- is like home, even after he disappeared for a hundred years without explanation- and he’s here right in front of him. Pearl feels like he’s being shattered all over again.
“Was,” he corrects, “I was Pink Diamond’s pearl.”
Lapis comes to hover in front of him, holding his bouquet. Pearl does not meet his eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“I uhm-” Pearl pulls his hood down over his eyes, “I fused with her.”
“Oh.”
Raindrops drip down his cheeks- he reaches up to wipe them away, turns his head to the sky and wonders how they’re getting on him if his hood is up. The sky is clear. Lapis lands in front of him, wings disappearing, his mouth a worried line.
“Why is it raining on my face?” Pearl whispers.
Lapis smiles, quiet, warm, and gently pulls Pearl’s hood down to rest on his shoulders, “you’re crying.”
Pearl sniffles, “what does that mean?”
“It means your eyes are making rain on your face,” he explains, still gentle. He tucks a little yellow rose over Pearl’s ear.
“How do I make it stop?”
“It’ll stop on its own, eventually.”
Pearl wipes his eyes on his sleeves. He feels exposed without his hood.
“Lapis-“
“Jimmy.”
Pearl makes a face, “what?”
“My name is Jimmy.”
Pearl scoffs, furiously wiping his eyes again, “what is with you Earth gems and your weird names.”
Jimmy laughs, moving to sit next to Pearl and tugging him down with him, “who have you met?”
“Impulse,” Pearl says, “which sounds dumb, and Mumbo, which sounds dumber, and Grian which sounds like grain!”
Jimmy laughs and nods again, “that’s us.”
“Stupid,” Pearl snaps. He needs his eyes to stop raining now.
“Would you like an earth name?” Jimmy asks, and Pearl scoffs at him again.
His first thought is no, he doesn’t want one. But then he remembers treason, and he remembers rebellion, and he remembers that he’ll be shattered if he goes back to Homeworld, and he thinks of making fun of long winded messages from important gems and making faces at each other behind the Diamond’s backs.
Surely naming himself isn’t the worst thing he’s ever done.
“Maybe.”
“Go on then,” Jimmy says, nudging him with his shoulder. “There’s lots of things to choose from.”
And there are a lot of things to choose from.
He likes the J from Jimmy’s name- it’s a good sounds- he just doesn’t know what comes after it. He looks around for inspiration. Jake isnt right. Jloud sounds weird, and so does Jeaf.
He takes a rose from Jimmy’s bouquet and twirls it around in his fingers- he can’t name himself Jasper, even though he’s off color he wouldn’t ever name himself after another gem. He can’t call himself Jimmy either, because then he’d be naming himself Pearl all over again and that’d just lead to problems.
He thinks further back- Impulse was showing him something at camp. Barrels of something called oil- the stuff in the lamp. Stuff for cooking. It’s stuff that helps other stuff work like it’s supposed to. He figures that’s a good a thing as any.
“Joil.”
“Joil?” Jimmy dissolves into laughter.
“Wha- hey, it’s not like it’s better than Jimmy!”
“No, no, it’s worse!”
Pearl growls at him, trying to be upset, but the way Jimmy is doubled over, cracking up, makes it hard to keep a smile off his face.
“Oh-kay, it’s bad,” he admits, trying and failing in the not laughing department, “but do you have a better idea, oh great Jim?”
“Maybe,” Jimmy straightens, smiling wide, “‘Joil’s’ a bit awkward to say, is all. Why not try Joel?”
He’s gotta admit that is easier to say.
“That’s fine,” Joel says. “You can call me that.”
“Well then, it’s nice to meet you, Joel,” Jimmy says, ever smiling, “welcome to Earth.”
#there’s gonna be a part 3 and then I’ll be done for a while probably#this is such a fun au !! I’m going on the hunt for other peoples fics now :3#Joel is goin through it. the next one will be fun lol#gemcyt#sorry for two pings in one day waugh I saw an ask u answered where u wanted to be mentioned if someone writes a fic?? so. uh#hiii. sorry. don’t mind me sksjdjd
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Raine and Eda's gem fusion (TOH / Steven Universe crossover)
Their fusion dance is just the scene in Eda's Requiem where they play their instruments back-to-back, but then they glow and fuse - but continue playing, because now they have 4 arms, Raine's arms on top playing the violin and Eda's arms on the bottom playing the cittern.
Their combined gem is sphene/titanite - base colour gold (eda) with green (raine) and red (both of them) sparkles. More designs and AU description under the cut:
Separate designs for them (Eda is big and shaped like Garnet because she's a fusion between Eda and the corrupted Owlbeast. Her harpy form is the harmonious fusion that happens after the Owlbeast's corruption is healed):
Alt design for the fusion, with merged/faceted eyes instead of separate ones - I just love how perfectly Eda's pointy eyes fit under Raine's round ones!
I imagine their combined personality might be like a rock star, because Eda's brashness and showmanship overpower Raine's stage fright, so they can finally be a star musician together. I love to think about how elated they would be after their first performance!
Plot (?):
So titans can travel through space, just because they're so magical. Several hundred years ago a titan arrived on earth to hide from the Archivists, carrying with it a lot of refugees from its original planet. The titan died, exhausted by the stress of the trip, but the refugees whom he protected survived and started a new life. They are protected by shielding magic from curious humans. They are a little different from the witches and demons of the boiling isles - they're gem-based lifeforms who form visible bodies around their gems, and they have very long lifespans.
One summer, Luz the human (obsessed with gems and magic) accidentally goes through a portal that Eda has made, ends up on the island and decides to live there instead of summer camp. She meets Eda, whose gem has become fused with the corrupted gem of the Owlbeast, so sometimes the Owlbeast takes control of their shared body.
Luz becomes best friends with King (King is basically Steven and doesn't know he's actually a titan/diamond), who didn't have any friends before her because nobody has seen his type of gem before so everyone thinks he's weird. (The gem society in Steven Universe is kind of obsessed with roles, ranks and hierarchies, so seeing an unknown gem is unsettling). She basically becomes Connie to King's Steven (non-romantic, lol).
Luz has some adventures learning about the island. She gets to know Willow, who is an "overcooked" jasper and insecure about it just like Amethyst, but v. powerful once Luz helps her overcome the insecurity. And Gus and Amity.
Meanwhile, on the titan’s home planet, Belos (not a human in this AU) has formed a deal with the Archivists to be allowed to rule the planet in a way that the Archivists approve of in exchange for trying to find the escaped titan. And now they have found earth somehow. Raine, who leads an underground rebellion against Belos, manages to be the one sent to earth. Unfortunately for them, Belos sends Hunter (Belos’s pearl - Hunter has big pearl energy, right?) along with them.
Once they arrive on earth Raine keeps trying to secretly sabotage Hunter’s attempts to find the island so they can find it first themselves and warn everyone.Don't know how that goes, but eventually they find Eda - maybe even in the human world and not on the island? So they finally meet again after a long time. Back then she was too afraid to tell them she's a fusion but now she doesn't give a fuck, which leads to them rekindling their relationship!
#raine whispers#eda clawthorne#raeda#the owl house au#the owl house fanart#steven universe#steven universe crossover#thinking with quadrants art#my art
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Beautifly, Mudkip, Grovyle and Lucario please 👌
Beautiflies may be adorable, but they would not make the best pets. This may catch you off guard (I know it did for me), but I suppose it just goes to show that you shouldn’t judge a pokémon by their looks alone.
As far as size goes, beautiflies are on the larger size when we’re talking about airborne pets. A pet that needs space to fly about, especially one that’s over three feet tall, is going to have needs that not every owner will be able to handle. Look at those tiny legs: beautiflies aren’t exactly the most nimble on their feet, so providing them with some open air to stretch their wings would be a must.
That being said, like with many pollinators we’ve covered thus far, you must be careful not to let your pet wander too far and get lost. Beautiflies don’t tend to stay in one place, traveling from place to place on the spring breeze in search of fresh flowers (Ruby, Sapphire). While, as I mentioned earlier, you would need to provide your beautifly space to fly around, you would need to keep an eye on them in the spring months, lest they fly off in search of sweet nectar. This would make keeping a beautifly rather difficult for a lot of owners. If you have a garden (or something like a hummingbird feeder) yourself, you may be able to incentivize your beautifly to stay nearby, but I’m not sure how long that would last. I mean, this is a pretty large pokémon: how many flowers-worth of nectar would you need to satisfy them?
Interestingly, the pokédex indicates that beautiflies are actually omnivorous, which may explain what they eat in the fall and winter months, where less blooming flowers are available. The needle-like appendage on their mouth is used to such nectar out of plants (HeartGold/SoulSilver), but that’s not all: beautiflies have been observed attacking prey by stabbing them with this appendage, before using it to drain their body fluid (Diamond). It’s hard to say if a beautifly would try to attack humans for this purpose, but it’s certainly possible. Perhaps this sort of attack would be non-lethal on humans, sort of like a real-world vampire bat. It would be… unfortunate… no matter what.
Even if a beautifly doesn’t choose to try and drink your fluids, they may attack you out of pure aggression. Unfortunately, beautiflies do not have a good temperament to be a pet. The pokédex describes this species as “ferocious”, “aggressive”, and “savage” (Emerald, FireRed/LeafGreen, Pearl). They are known to attack if disturbed in any way while seeking food (Black/White) or unexpectedly, whenever they are angered (Emerald). As far as the threat this species poses goes, you certainly wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a beautifly attack. They can use their needle-like mouth to attack with moves like Giga Drain, Leech Life, Bug Bite, and even Poison Sting. Considering the size of their jabbing mouth, an attack would be painful at the very least.
All things considered, a beautifly would not be the best pet for many owners. They’re large, high-maintenance, and aggressive. Luckily, if you’re a big fan of this species, coaxing wild beautiflies to visit you from time to time isn’t that hard, so long as you live in a region where wild ones live. In the spring, leave a flower near an open window: you’re sure to have a beautifly visit you in no time (Ruby). Just…uh…don’t bother them.
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Week 2 of @shepscapades Hermit design event! I went with the video game swap 'cos I thought it'd be fun. I wanted to do something Pokemon related but just giving a Hermit a new outfit and a couple pokeballs felt too easy. Then I remembered I'd been playing Legends Arceus again a few weeks ago and came up with this instead!
So! Here we have Etho and Bdubs as members of Hisui's Diamond and Pearl clans! This was super fun and I had a great time drawing them in these outfits!
But now if you've played Legends Arceus you're probably thinking. 'Hey Violet, a major point of that game is that the two clans don't like each other, why are they holding hands?' Well my friend, let me explain (under the read more, I wrote a lot whoops)!
Whilst out exploring Etho is attacked and knocked unconcious by wild pokemon. He's found and brought to safety by Bdubs, who patches him up the best he can. When he wakes up Etho is a little alarmed that he was found by someone from the Diamond Clan, but Bdubs is friendly and not trying to hurt him further. They are a little uneasy around each other at first, but slowly start to relax whilst Etho recovers from his injuries.
The attack damaged Etho's left eye and Bdubs wasn't able to save it, leaving him mostly blind in one eye now, but Etho is nothing if not adaptable. Once he's well enough he thanks Bdubs and makes his way home, neither of them expect to see each other again.
It doesn't last though. They cross paths again a few times whilst out and about and gradually they become friends. They get along well, Etho likes to study pokemon (from afar, preferably) and talks to Bdubs about the things he's seen. Whilst Bdubs teaches him what herbs and plants can be used for medicine in any given area. Slowly that friendship becomes a little more... Forbidden love between two rival clans. They can't tell anyone and have to keep their meet-ups secret, but it's fine! They can manage!
The one thing they don't agree on is almighty Sinnoh but perhaps that's to be expected. Etho will occasionally bring up the subject though, simply because listening to Bdubs rant about how almighty Sinnoh is absolutely a god of time, Etho, not space!, is incredibly entertaining, even if he is wrong.
#hermitcraft#ethoslab#bdoubleo100#ethubs#hermitblr#mcyt#mcytblr#hermitshipping#digital art#violetattemptsart#I wrote a lot here I apologise pffft
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I'm super late to the party but it baffles me that the devs were so committed to R/S/E lore when writing PLA. Of course, everyone knows about the portraits of Maxie's and Archie's ancestors, but it does go deeper when you compare the similarities between Archie and Maxie's relationship and Adaman and Irida's. Just like Team Aqua and Magma, the Pearl and Diamond clans can't see eye to eye because they firmly defend their own beliefs and are not open to cooperate with each other.
But then the protagonist shows them that their visions are limited, narrowed, and they finally realize that one is incomplete without the other (space and time, the sea and the land).
ALSO
Remember that couple in ORAS? The Aqua and Magma grunts who fell in love and ran away because they were afraid their leaders would hunt them down for their betrayal? Not quite the same storyline, but there's a glimpse of it when you learn more about Iscan and Palina. They are both afraid of embracing their romance based on the fear of their respective clans.
I just love how Hoenn and Sinnoh are deeply connected, especially when it comes to my favorite ecoterrorists 💜
#yes this is also about hardenshipping#hardenshipping#aqua leader archie#magma leader maxie#pla adaman#pla irida#pla iscan#pla palina#r/s/e#oras#pla
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man what gets me about pearl is how much harder so much of her dialogue hits in retrospect.
I touched on pearl and secrets a bit the last time I rambled about her. I can't remember the exact line but her literally saying "that's what makes such a good leader", talking about rose keeping secrets. just, in retrospect...how much of her idolizing the concept of secrets was her need for this all to be good? yes, she's hiding this massive period of her life, but it's okay. it's good, even. it's great. rose wouldn't tell her to do something that was a bad idea. it's fine not to tell someone something to protect them, and it'd just make things worse for everyone if they found out. so she doesn't say anything. she needs rose to be this perfect figure who has never done anything wrong, because if she isn't then what does that make the person who adored them so long after they're gone?
and also the fact she was panicking over rose having A Lion. a *pet.* that sent her spiralling. that's how badly she needed rose to trust her. because she'd upended her entire life to follow her, to be near her, shed told her everything and done everything for her and the thought that it might not be mutual? that fucked her up so bad.
the slightest idea that maybe rose didn't trust her as much as she trusted her sent her completely spiralling.
it's not just about the lion it's about the fact someone else knew rose as well as she did, maybe even more. it's about the dawning idea that she had no clue when this lion came in. it's about the fact she had no clue about rose inviting anyone else to these spaces. it's about the fact that she had no idea of any of this, and she told rose everything. it's about the fact there might be things about rose greg knows more than her, garnet knows more than her, amethyst, the other diamonds-
she was willing to keep her entire past a secret for rose's sake, because they had each other. they had each other and they could tell each other anything. until they didn't. until rose chose someone else. until she was alone. no, not physically. but she had so many secrets she kept because rose asked her to and rose knew best, and now she had no way of saying it at all. she was isolated, no quiet knowingness, no sharing the burden. rose was there and then she wasn't.
steven says rose was probably just trying to protect her, and that sends her spiralling. because she was the one gem rose knew she didn't have to protect. the one she could trust with anything.
until she wasn't.
fuck. SO much about pearl makes so much more sense in retrospect.
it was never about the lion.
(this was really badly worded sorry I'm very tired and have a headache)
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Semper Eadem (iv, ao3)
Chapter four: In the aftermath of the jousting match, Elizabeth and her court go hunting, where Cassian has conspired to get Nesta alone.
(chapter one // chapter two // chapter three)
Nesta wasn’t thinking of the joust.
As the morning after dawned bright and clear, full of promise and expectation, she swore to God and all the old saints above that her mind would not stray to yesterday. She willed resolution in her chest, begged for strength, and as the sky lightened beyond the lead-paned windows of the Queen’s chamber, she focused instead on dressing her mistress. She refused to remember the tiltyard beyond those stone walls— kept her thoughts far from that bastard-born son of a nobleman who had so decidedly won command of her heart, like it were just another treasure he had plundered.
Obstinate, she clenched her jaw.
No.
By almighty God, she was not thinking about it.
Around her, the ladies of the royal household tittered and laughed, the soft sounds of shifting fabric filling the chamber as Nesta tied the ribbons on the Queen’s kirtle. A steady thrum of excitement hung heavy in the air, so thick it was palpable, and beyond the glass, not a single cloud marred the blue of the August sky.
There was to be a hunt, today.
A column of bright golden sunlight blazed through the chamber as the Queen angled a small Venetian mirror, its gilded frame heavy in one lithe hand as she tilted the glass to better glimpse her reflection. Her Tudor-red hair was afire in the morning light, her painted skin as pale as chalk, and glimmering she stood in the centre of her rooms, bedecked in so much wealth it was nigh on incalculable. Assessing, the sovereign let out a single contented hum.
What she saw pleased her.
And Nesta did not disagree— the dress alone could rival the work of the great Italian masters.
The fabric was light in colour, a pale cream with embroidered roses and vines picked out in such detail it was almost enough to stun. A threaded thistle sat above the Queen’s ribs, and on her left sleeve a large needlework snake was coiled, studded with pearls and gems, and from its mouth dangled a small ruby charm— heart shaped, and surrounded by golden thread, silver cloth, and shining, opalescent pearls.
The snake was Nesta’s favourite part of this particular dress.
An emerald no bigger than a fingernail served as the serpent’s eye, and its tongue was rendered in a line of golden thread darting from between embroidered silver teeth to hold that small ruby heart. A symbol of wisdom and cunning, the snake was everything that Elizabeth represented, everything she valued, and the message wasn’t lost on Nesta as she circled the Queen and brushed a hand over the jewels that made up the serpent’s curled and curving tail.
Her sovereign was as slippery and as dangerous as an adder, one that had used the sharp edges of her diamonds to carve a space of her own in a world shaped for the pleasures of men.
And that ought to have been distraction enough, but no matter how many times Nesta hauled herself back to the present…
Her dastardly eyes wandered to the window, and despite the promises she’d made to the Lord above, she damned her soul when she caught sight of the tiltyard beyond the glass, where a privateer had competed for her honourand—
“Are you looking forward to the hunt, your majesty?”
Nesta tried to not startle as Blanche, the Keeper of Her Majesty’s Jewels, stepped forward and voiced her question, bearing in her hands an oak jewellery box with the lid lifted open. Inside, nestled in velvet, lay a staggering number of pearls and jewels and gems, shining in every colour.
Elizabeth was silent a moment, handing off her mirror to another of her ladies as her fingers trailed idle over the priceless objects before her, hovering above diamonds and sapphires and emeralds and rubies. Before she answered, she plucked up a ring set with a large ruby and extended it out, holding it towards Nesta in one smooth movement.
“Ah,” she said breezily, waving her hand, and as the sunlight refracted off the myriad jewels scattered across the fabric of her dress, shards of red and silver light danced across the floorboards, “you know that I do so love to hunt.”
The Queen extended a hand as she spoke, and Nesta slid the ring the sovereign had chosen onto her waiting finger. Another of her ladies draped a necklace of pearls around her neck, and if for one brief moment they reminded Nesta of the pearl that hung customarily from Cassian’s ear…
She forced the thought away, and focused on straightening the Queen’s sleeve, her eyes returning to the snake.
But it’s spine was a line of more pearls— to symbolise wealth and purity, virginity, and it shouldn’t have reminded her of Cassian, of the one set in gold that shone amidst his dark curls. After all, Cassian could lay claim to neither wealth nor virginity, and yet the one he wore was a symbol nonetheless. Nesta brushed her hand over the Queen’s sleeve, and thought that perhaps his pearl was instead a symbol of something precious, something rare. Something plucked from the ocean and brought home to treasure.
Oh, the joust had softened her.
That was for certain.
Her conviction had already been wavering when she’d read Cassian’s letters, and seeing him race down the tiltyard yesterday had all but secured his forgiveness. The flames of her anger had burned away to nothing, and now when she thought of him—
She heard his laugh, saw his rakish smile, and felt her heart beat a little faster inside her chest. Like she were a witless maiden, borne of nothing but dreams and naïveté; like she hadn’t spent years at the royal court, growing as used to politicking as she was breathing. Cassian had made her yearn for real romance again, the way she had once as a girl, when her father had told her of Arthur and Guinevere, of Tristan and Isolde, and all those famous tales that made her heart swell. Oh, after years of ruthless pragmatism and the endless facade of courtly love, she thought her desire for the real thing had been stifled, strangled, but it had resurfaced now, more fervent than ever before. And when he’d bowed before her in the tiltyard, his helm cast aside and his face aglow with triumph…
Her hand fell away from the serpent on the Queen’s arm.
God— she needed to focus.
She pulled her awareness back in time to hear Blanche ask of Elizabeth,
“Will the Earl of Leicester be your hunting partner?”
Nesta paused.
It was a bold question— so bold that if anybody but the most favoured of her ladies had asked it, the Queen might have found reason to divorce a head from some shoulders. After all, they had all of them heard the rumours. Leicester and the Queen had been close friends since childhood— and there were whispers that perhaps it was once more than friendship, and might someday be something more again, if Leicester got his way. He had organised this entire pageant in the Queen’s honour, a gesture far grander than any he could reasonably have been expected to lay at his Queen’s feet. But as Nesta looked up, half expecting to find fury in the lines of the Queen’s face, instead she found her monarch’s mouth pulling into a coy smile, one that said Elizabeth would allow the question.
“I think perhaps he shall,” she answered.
Nesta remained silent, only rounded the Queen to stand before her. She assessed the dress, the jewels, straightening the pearl necklace that twice circled her throat before hanging down to her navel. Elizabeth merely tilted her head in the wake of Nesta’s ministrations, causing the lace of her ruff to tremble.
“And what of you, Mistress Archeron?” she asked. “Who shall be your partner?”
Nesta did not blink, did not pause, did not hesitate.
“Who should you like it to be, your majesty?” she asked, tilting her head in an echo of the monarch’s stance. Approval glimmered in Elizabeth’s eyes, a rare jewel of its own.
“Northumberland, perhaps?” the Queen ventured. “Master Vanserra seemed most determined to compete for your honour yesterday.”
Nesta’s mind flicked back once more to the joust - her soul be damned - and to the way Cassian had almost killed Eris in the tiltyard. As if the Queen could read her mind, Elizabeth snorted and said, smoothly,
“Or Master Cassian?” She tapped Nesta on the wrist with one long, thin finger. “My handsome Bat seems to have an eye on you, dove.”
Nesta forced herself to shrug.
“Perhaps he does, majesty.”
She fought a smile, and Elizabeth hummed. Mirth danced at the corners of her lips, and even though she didn’t approve of her ladies marrying, something about the joust yesterday had humoured her. Perhaps it was the way Cassian had bowed to his Queen, or the way he had cast off his helm and looked up to the stands in such a perfect display of chivalry that Nesta half thought he might have plucked it from the pages of some Arthurian romance. Either way, something had snared the Queen’s attention, but Nesta was not fool enough to say anything more. She merely took a single step back and bowed her head as the Queen smoothed a hand down her skirts one final time.
“Well,” she said, her tone one of musing. “Perhaps we shall see.”
A moment later the Queen clapped her hands, the sound sharp and cutting in the silence of her chambers. As the rest of her ladies waited for instruction, Elizabeth looked the window and allowed another serpentine smile to grace her lips. Her eyes were lit with purpose as she lifted her chin and said, with all the authority and determination only a monarch could muster,
“Let us hunt.”
***
It seemed, Nesta thought from atop her horse a half hour later, that all of England had descended upon Warwickshire to bask in the majesty of the Queen.
Riding two or three abreast in a great train behind Elizabeth, the hunting party stretched across the grounds all the way back towards the castle— all noblemen and horses, ladies and squires and hunting dogs. Trumpeters and drummers followed too, and a host of staff from the kitchens carried the baskets containing the food they would lay out at noon for dinner. Sheaths of arrows were slung across backs, crossbows stowed in saddlebags, and the drumming mirrored the footfalls of the horses as beyond the castle walls, Kenilworth’s expansive lawns began to slope before eventually giving way to lush woodland.
Grand— it was all so immeasurably grand.
Ahead, the Queen’s standard fluttered in the breeze, held aloft by a standard bearer, the embroidered lion shining golden beneath the morning sun. All the trappings of royalty gleamed— the richness of the Queen’s dress, the pearls that had been threaded through her hair; a glimmering vanguard as the trees of the forest grew closer. And at Elizabeth’s right, just as Blanche had suspected, rode the earl of Leicester.
As casually and as easily as if it were the only place in the world that suited him, Robert Dudley filled the space at the sovereign’s side, and their heads were inclined towards one another as they spoke, their horses so close their flanks almost touched. The breeze carried behind them the sound of Elizabeth’s laughter, and as Leicester glanced sideways at his Queen, Nesta saw a flash of teeth, a wide smile beneath the brim of his hat, and she knew with unerring certainty that the earl was in love— so desperately and madly in love that it warranted all of this display, all of this pageantry.
And the reminder that all of this grandeur was on the behalf of a man simply trying to turn a woman’s head…
Well, it was foolish perhaps, and more than a touch sentimental, but… charming, too.
And after all, hadn’t Cassian done something similar yesterday— something just as foolish? When he’d all but declared war on Eris, one of the richest dukes in England, because he had dared to ask her for her favour?
She shook her head, pushed the thought away, and kept her gaze straight ahead.
On the Queen’s left was Rhysand, riding silent and all but ignored. His heavy chain of office was draped over his shoulders, and the gold was bright against the deep black of his doublet. He wore a cap with a raven feather at the top too, and though from her position behind him she could not see his face, she could see his hands gripping the reins of his horse— could see, too, his velvet gloves, and the three rings he wore atop his gloves on each hand. His shoulders were stiff, and Nesta smirked.
If there was one thing Lord Rhysand did not appreciate, it was being overlooked, and with Leicester by her side, the Queen had no attention to spare for her dark-haired councillor.
The sight should not have made Nesta as smug as it did.
On Nesta’s own left rode Madge, another of the Queen’s ladies. At their backs was the Duke of Northumberland and one of his many brothers, and Nesta did not think it a coincidence that he had managed to secure such a spot in the procession trailing behind the Queen. Indeed, as she had stood in the courtyard and mounted her horse, Eris had offered her his hand, and though Nesta had not accepted his assistance, he had bowed his head anyway, before taking her own hand and placing a fleeting kiss to the back of her fingers.
She had never been so thankful to have been wearing riding gloves.
Beside her Madge was silent, as if she could tell that her riding partner was entirely preoccupied with her own thoughts. A frown almost creased Nesta’s brow, and she almost considered striking up conversation, but then her eyes fell to her gloved hands tight on her reins, and all she could think was—
I hope Cassian did not bear witness to that ridiculous kiss.
It was a thought as ridiculous in itself as the kiss Eris that had dropped on her hand, but one that persisted nonetheless. So consumed was she by it that the world and all its noise seemed to fade away, until—
“Mistress Radcliffe,” a smooth and all too familiar voice said easily from the empty space at Nesta’s right. Her heart kicked in answer as Madge turned her head, eyebrows rising as she beheld who addressed her. “My lord Azriel asks for you. He wishes to give you news of your brother in Ireland before the hunt begins.”
Cassian did not let his eyes stray to Nesta as he bowed his head; a vision of courtesy.
Madge smiled wide. It was no secret that she missed her brother, sent over to Ireland on the Queen’s orders. A lady from the north, she missed her family greatly, and it was no surprise to Nesta when she nodded her head and gave her thanks before turning around and leading her horse back along the procession that trailed them, to the space about four riders back, where the Queen’s spy had been riding beside the privateer and now sat alone.
Nesta looked behind as Cassian’s horse fell into step behind her. Quietly, she thought she heard Northumberland curse.
“Lady Nesta,” Cassian said in greeting, his voice light and airy as if this were the most ordinary of meetings.
But— merciful God, have pity on her soul.
Would she ever tire of the way her name sounded on his lips? Or the way he imbued it with something that felt like intimacy somehow? Lady Nesta, not Mistress Archeron. She thought back to his letters, how he’d penned her name with such an elaborate flourish. Even on a rocking ship, when ink and time were short for him, he’d written her name like it meant something. She glanced sidelong at him, trying to focus on the rhythm of the horse beneath her, the gentle trot of the hooves. But one look and she was at sea all over again, her sentimentality like a storm that threatened to send her under.
His doublet was the deep red of Burgundian wine, shot through with silver buttons in the centre of his broad chest, and for one foolish and ill-advised moment Nesta let her eyes wander, following that path of silver to where his doublet met his breeches.
God have pity, indeed.
Seated atop his horse, the privateer beside her cleared his throat and Nesta hauled her gaze back up— to a level far more befitting a lady of the Queen’s household. She took in, instead, the slashed sleeves of his doublet that split to reveal a crisp white shirt sitting beneath, and the dark cloak draped effortlessly over his shoulders. A delicate ruff rose from his collar and just barely grazed the edge of his jaw, and oh, lord— this man was beautiful. A velvet bonnet was balanced at a damn near rakish angle atop his curls, and as he brought his stallion into a trot beside her, the feather adorning it shivered in the breeze.
Beneath his unflinching gaze, and despite the heat, Nesta felt herself shiver too.
“Feeling cold, my lady?”
Damn him.
She cleared her throat, and refused to take note of the way several of those curls escaped his bonnet and lay tangled above his ruff, right against the bare skin of his neck.
“Master Cassian,” she said mildly, looking decidedly straight ahead to where the Queen and Leicester still spoke together in low murmurs. “Can I help you?”
He grinned. “Back to Master, are we?”
“Would you have me call you something else?”
“Oh sweetheart,” he said, dropping his voice so low it was almost sinful, “I’d have you call me several things.”
Nesta rolled her eyes and tried to force down the blood that rose to her cheeks.
“You are incorrigible.”
“Indeed,” he said brightly, tipping his head back and inhaling deeply, drawing the summer air deep into his lungs. He tightened his grip on the reins, his gloved hands pulling as the riders ahead of them began to slow— as the line of trees at the forest edge grew nearer still.
And Nesta thought she must have lost her mind, because when she looked at those gloves, for a moment she found herself mourning the fact that she could not see the bare skin of his hands as his fist tightened.
“Tell me— did my lord Azriel really wish to speak with Madge?”
Sidelong, Cassian smirked.
“In truth, no,” he said with an easy shrug. “But it is no lie that he received reports from Ireland this morning. It is entirely possible there was something about Mistress Radcliffe’s brother in there.” He shot her a grin, before adding brightly, “I merely thought to join your hunting party, if you’ll have me.”
“I fear I am not much of a hunter,” Nesta answered with a shrug of her own, a slow lift of one shoulder. “My sister was always far better at it than I.”
He shot her a dazzling smile, one edged with mischief. “And yet I am certain we can find some creature for you to bring down.” He glanced behind him, to Eris and his brother. “A fox, perhaps.”
“Perhaps the fox was brought low enough already after yesterday’s joust.”
“The fox remains presumptuous,” Cassian shrugged. His gaze dropped, eyes turning flat as they alighted briefly on her hand, and Nesta’s heart sank a little as she realised that yes, Cassian had indeed witnessed that ridiculous little kiss. “He still thinks to take what is mine.”
“Yours?” Nesta asked incredulously, glancing once over her shoulder, ensuring Eris was still too lost in his own conversation to overhear. Looking ahead, she saw with thanks that the Queen was still too preoccupied to take note, too. “After such a long time away?”
Cassian lifted one hand from the reins and waved it. Like Rhysand, he too had rings decorating his fingers above the velvet, and they gleamed now, the gold bright.
“I thought we’d been over this, sweetheart?”
She blinked, imperious. “You’ve been over this, sir. As far as I recall, I said little on the matter.”
He snorted. “You said much,” he countered simply. “You’ve had me grovelling for days.”
“Grovelling?” she raised an eyebrow, but couldn’t mask the smile that began to spread across her face. “I haven’t seen you on your knees once.”
His eyes darkened. “And is that what it will take, my lady?” He tilted his head, the pearl in his ear brushing the lace of the ruff that peeked from the neck of his doublet. “For my forgiveness, you would have me on my knees?”
She was silent for a moment, and a wicked smirk curved his lips.
“Trust me, love, I am more than willing.”
Her breath caught, her blood raced. His meaning was obvious, and with the way that smirk turned almost devilish, she knew that the blush that rose to her cheeks had amused him— pleased him. Her treacherous heart beat a little faster - a lot faster - and she was about to reproach him for daring to speak so boldly in the presence of a lady of the royal household, but—
The horns sounded, and the dogs began to bark, and the party at last reached the tree line. With a wave of the Queen’s hand, lifted into the air, every one of them fell silent.
Cassian pressed a gloved finger to his lips and winked, and Nesta was so momentarily undone by the gesture that she almost set her horse into a straight gallop. She pulled hard on the reins, knuckles straining above the leather, and when she turned, she saw laughter dancing in those damned eyes.
She tore her gaze away, focusing forwards— on Rhysand and the Queen and Leicester.
Slowly they made their way beneath the cover of the trees, delving farther and father into the woodland. The sound grew muffled, the heavy canopy above cloaking the rest of the world from view, and all around them was birdsong and the snap of breaking branches as the great trail of courtiers and servants began to split into smaller groups.
It would have been impossible for the entire party to have remained unnoticed by their quarry, and so— in groups no larger than a dozen, the entire court slipped away, and as Nesta looked over her shoulder when the initial flurry of activity died down, she found nobody behind them now, only the greenery of the forest and the birds in the trees above.
The Queen’s personal hunting party had narrowed, leaving only Elizabeth and Leicester, flanked by Rhysand and two more ladies-in-waiting. Madge and Azriel had joined them too, along with one more member of the Queen’s council. Nesta and Cassian brought the total to ten.
Leicester retrieved a crossbow from his saddlebag, and handed it across the distance to his Queen. Elizabeth grinned.
A hush had fallen, and ahead Rhysand looked over his shoulder and scanned the members of the small group. Catching Cassian’s eye, he seemed to give an exasperated sigh before rolling his eyes and giving the privateer one brief, sharp, nod. Nesta did not much understand the silent and secret language Cassian seemed to share with his brother in arms, but it did not take a master codebreaker to decipher that particular message.
Alright, that nod seemed to say. I’ll do as you ask.
In answer, Cassian grinned.
And as Azriel manoeuvred his horse around them, leaving Nesta and Cassian at the back of the assembly, Rhysand pointed between the dense copse of trees ahead, where the light above was dim and the forest pressed in on all sides.
“There!” he said loudly, his voice startling the birds nesting in the nearest tree. “Over there, your majesty!”
Elizabeth whipped her head to the side, sharp eyes assessing the direction Rhysand’s finger still pointed. Before Nesta could blink, the Queen’s smile had widened, the hunt upon her, and she kicked in her heels and sent her horse barrelling through the trees— at a speed so reckless her other councillor cursed soundly before setting his horse to follow.
Rhysand’s black stallion charged ahead, but before Nesta could urge her own mare forwards, another hand gripped her reins.
Cassian held tight, and as the rest of the hunting party darted quickly between the trees, Cassian inclined his head to the side, nodding in the other direction. His smile grew as the sound of the racing horses faded, and when he let go of the reins at last, he did not retract his hand. Instead, he extended it further, turned his palm to the sky. A silent offer, unspoken question.
Come with me, that hand said.
And Nesta knew it was a bad idea to follow him through the wood.
Knew it was reckless, to go off with him alone.
Her reputation could end up in tatters. She could lose her position in the Queen’s household.
And yet…
His smile was somehow sweet and devilish at the same time, simultaneously the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and the harbinger of her own ruin.
She should have said no.
But God save her…
She didn’t.
Instead, she placed her hand in his, feeling her heart kick as his fingers folded over her own. He drew her closer, until he could lift her hand to his mouth, and without looking away, he kissed the glove above her knuckles. She fought a shiver, and though earlier when Eris had kissed her hand she had thanked the Lord for riding gloves, now she cursed them— abhorred them.
She felt the warmth of his hand sinking through her gloves, and oh, she only wished she could feel his touch against her bare skin, feel the smoothness of his kiss as the trees hid them from view.
At last he blinked, breaking his gaze and flicking his eyes down to the fingers he still had pressed against his lips.
A moment, an age, or a heartbeat later, he let her hand drop. And before Nesta had time to collect herself, Cassian dug in his heels and sent his horse through the trees, looking back over his shoulder, as if unwilling to draw his eyes away.
And when they were alone, with only the two of them riding almost silently, slowly, through the density of the trees, she dared to look at him again as he adjusted the crossbow that now sat across his lap, though neither of them seemed really intent on hunting anything at all.
For a long time, there was silence— as if they were both of them afraid of being overheard. The air between them shifted, growing softer, as if the quiet gave rise to vulnerability. Suddenly, there were a thousand things Nesta wanted to say, a thousand words drifting to her lips, but in truth, she had no real idea of where or how to begin. Instead she watched the forest ahead of her, studied the way the leaves above swallowed the light, and let the silence stretch. And stretch, and stretch, and stretch, until—
At last, the privateer broke it.
“You said you wanted me on my knees,” he began softly. “But what else do I need do to prove myself to you?”
He looked at her imploringly, the rogue cast aside, and Nesta’s heart suddenly began to strain, each beat laboured. Nothing— she knew she ought to tell him nothing, because no matter how much she wanted it, how much desire she carried, how could this ever end well between them?
Cassian studied her face.
“Do I need to sail to a distant land and claim it in your honour? Name a settlement after you? Bring you back a ream of treasure?”
She was silent, and his eyes were lined with a wealth of desperation that gave the lie to his bravado.
“Or shall I cast off my cloak before you and lay it over puddles, so your silk slippers may never touch the ground? Or—“
Nesta shook her head, and when she opened her mouth, his voice died to make way for hers. But her words grew tangled in her throat, and she hesitated— even though she never hesitated. She closed her mouth and sighed once more, and atop his horse Cassian smiled a little sadly, with so much longing her own heart ached, and when she looked at him…
Oh, he was the road her heart begged her to travel, even though it was one she knew in all good sense she wouldn’t be able to see through to its end. What was the point in letting herself fall, only to be hurt again when he left? Or when her father succeeded in tying her to some wealthy duke— if not Northumberland, then some other who came along? What was the point in any of it?
Love, a small and starving part of her whispered. The love the poets write about, the kind the troubadours sing about. The kind that makes you feel the way you do now, ready to cast off the world and find home in the arms of this one man.
As if he could see her battling with herself, Cassian drew his horse closer to hers— so close she could almost feel his warmth.
“You should know,” he said quietly, and whether the whisper in his voice was because of the need to stay hidden or the vulnerability of his words, she wasn’t sure, “that your letters were a greater treasure to me than anything I could take or steal from any ship on the high seas. Greater to me than any ransom any king could demand.”
A heartbeat passed, one where her heart seemed to thud so loudly in her chest that she feared the flock of deer they were pretending to hunt might hear it and flee.
Charming— did he always have to be so damned charming?
And God— would it be so bad, to tell him that he already had her forgiveness? Would it be so terrible, to tell him that despite it all she was his, if not in body but in mind and soul at least?
She was speechless for a moment, and he managed a weak sort of grin at her evident surprise.
And then—
The trees thinned, and a clearing lay spread before them, golden sunlight pooling in the centre like a small slice of Arcadia. Cassian sniffed a little, like the long grass and the wildflowers had irritated his nose, but still— there was beauty in that clearing, unspoiled and harmonious.
And— a doe.
A doe stood frozen in the middle, her ears pinned back as she caught sight of the approaching horses. The sunlight dappled across her white-spotted back, and as she slowly lifted one slim leg, ready to bolt, Nesta’s eyes drifted to the crossbow in Cassian’s lap.
She prayed he wouldn’t shoot.
But Cassian’s hand didn’t so much as twitch towards the weapon, as if he couldn’t find it in himself to hunt the creature either.
Yet on the other side of the clearing— there was the flash of auburn, the glint of an arrow.
Nesta’s heart lurched, and whether by design or divine intervention, beneath the hooves of Cassian’s horse a branch cleaved with a crack.
Readily, the deer bolted.
A curse sounded from the trees, where only a moment ago an arrow had been knocked and drawn, ready to be loosed.
“Privateer.” A snarling voice drifted from the tree line, sharp and cutting, and Nesta recognised it immediately— saw the auburn hair like burnished bronze as Eris came into view. “You just cost me my prize.”
The duke pointed to where the deer had escaped between the trees, and though the rest of his companions remained in the shadow of the forest, she thought she could make out a handful of their faces, two of them bearing that same auburn hair. His brothers. Eris’ sneer grew wider, more vicious, and as he turned his head to fix Nesta with a stare across the distance, she wondered if his prize hadn’t only been the doe, but her, too.
He brought his horse forwards into the clearing, further into the light, giving her an unrivalled view of the shining bruise that marred his temple.
He hadn’t taken his loss at the joust yesterday well, it seemed, and though he cast his eyes over Nesta once more, it was to Cassian that he returned his gaze, letting out a single, dissatisfied huff. The bruise stretched up to his hairline, a livid purple stark against his pale skin, and in everything else but that, he appeared every inch the nobleman. A ring sat on every finger, and his doublet was unbroken black. Like Rhysand, he too wore a livery collar draped across his chest and shoulders, but where the Queen’s councillor had a Tudor rose dangling from his chain of office, Eris had instead the badge of a dog, its head back, lifted as if howling at the sky.
He had a dagger out, too, presumably for slaying the deer, but the glint of the blade in the sunlight still promised bloodshed, and the way his hand flexed around the hilt said that it didn’t matter the doe had fled.
That dagger was to taste blood today, one way or another.
“Piss off, Northumberland,” Cassian said easily— but his own hand had strayed from his bow to the sword hanging at his hip, his wrist resting purposefully on the pommel.
Eris’ eyes flashed, quietly furious as his lip curled. “I will not stand to be insulted by one of such low standing.”
Cassian barked a laugh, but it was low and rough and dangerous. “You won’t stand for anything, sir, if I knock you from your horse as easily as I did yesterday.” He paused, and then added, “Shall I give you another bruise to decorate the other side of that pretty face?”
The duke sneered, but before he could let loose the insults that Nesta could see were rising to his tongue, there was a cacophony in the distance, and a hundred horns suddenly flaring loud enough to be heard all the way back at the castle.
It was a summoning— a call to arms, to usher Elizabeth’s court back to her as the sun reached its highest point in the sky and dinner was served in the great tents at the edge of the forest.
For the moment, at least, the hunt was at an end.
Eris twisted his head, looking behind him to the direction the horns had sounded. His brothers did not wait for him to make up his mind before they disappeared, following the call for food that was, apparently, of far greater worth to them than any loyalty they had for their brother.
Cassian bowed mockingly in the saddle, but his hand did not stray from easy reach of his blade, and when Eris turned back to them, his lips were a thin line.
“These woods are treacherous,” he said flatly. “It commands great skill as a rider to avoid the pitfalls that litter these grounds. You might have won the match yesterday, sir,” - the duke’s lips pulled back over his teeth - “but how about another match? Here and now?”
Nesta watched as Cassian grinned, almost feral.
“First to the Queen wins,” he said as he moved his horse forwards, drawing level with Eris’.
The duke’s face darkened, and the nod he gave was sharp before flicking his eyes to Nesta once more. As if this were another attempt at winning her, at securing her favour for a second time. Cassian’s smile fell away, leaving behind the same murderous expression that had fuelled him at the joust yesterday.
“For the lady’s honour, then,” Eris declared, every word imbued with venom.
And when Cassian nodded, looking behind him over his shoulder to give Nesta one final wink, Eris clenched his jaw before slamming his heels into his horse’s flank, sending the beast galloping through the trees.
Cassian swore, a curse so filthy she was sure he could only have picked it up at sea, and surged forwards, letting the forest swallow him.
But as Nesta followed, dipping beneath the cover of the trees, she saw that only the thinnest shafts of sunlight pierced the canopy of leaves above, leaving the forest floor just as treacherous as Eris had described. The ground was slick with mud, and even though the August heat ought to have dried it out, the summer sun had never made it to the ground here. Petrichor was thick in the air, and the long limbs of the trees snatched at the skirts of Nesta’s dress as she rode by them, wild and overgrown. Treacherous— this part of the forest was most definitely treacherous.
Indeed, Cassian could not ride as fast as he had yesterday, and neither could Eris, and it allowed Nesta to keep both the duke and the privateer in her sights as she followed behind, watching them weave through the trees in search of stable ground.
As her horse almost stumbled over the gnarled roots of a tree half concealed by fallen leaves, she wondered if stable ground even existed this far into the woodland, and as the wind brushed against her cheeks and another branch snagged on her cloak, she almost called out to stop the madness that had Cassian spurring his horse onwards, regardless of the danger.
The ground began to slope— sharp and steep, and it was madness, utter madness to continue—
Eris noted the slope, and Nesta watched as the duke swiftly studied the way the ground all but dropped away to reveal a small dell below, home to wide a stream that ran slow and idle through the undergrowth. Its banks were coated with mud, turning it slick and dangerous.
Wisely, he veered to the side, directing his horse around— to where the ground sloped more evenly. A longer path, but a safer one, and he looked back only once before disappearing into the trees, avoiding danger altogether.
But Cassian—
Irreverent, he glanced once over his shoulder. Manic, he grinned as he barrelled ahead, shooting Nesta a wink as he urged his horse faster still in Eris’ absence. The creature’s hooves slid in the mud, and Nesta called out his name, but Cassian had turned his face away, and if he heard her, he gave no indication.
Idiot.
She had no choice but to follow, and when he reached the banks of the stream, he did not stop. Instead he pressed in his heels, riding even faster, compelling the stallion to jump—
And Nesta watched as the horse made the jump, but its hooves slipped on the bank on the other side, its landing far from smooth.
And just as Eris had been thrown from his horse yesterday, now Cassian was thrown from his— but it was a fall that was far more treacherous, far more dangerous, and Nesta swore her heart stopped dead as she watched him land roughly, heard the muffled groan as the ground came up to meet him. Forgetting all notions of her own safety, she urged her horse faster, willing it to cross the stream his stallion had just jumped.
“You fool,” she hissed, feeling her horse whicker beneath her as she pushed the mare onwards. Cassian was lying on his back, a hand cast over his ribs as he looked up at the sky. “You could have broken your damned neck.”
Cassian twisted his head to look up at her as she pulled her horse to a halt.
“Got your attention though,” he muttered. “So I’d say it was worth it.”
“This was a bid for my attention?” Nesta echoed, dismounting roughly as he continued to lie there in the earth churned by his horse’s hooves. The mud was seeping through his breeches already, and the white sleeves of his fine cambric shirt were, she feared, irreparably stained.
“Well,” Cassian said lightly, as though he hadn’t just been thrown from a stallion. “You started it, sweetheart.”
“Started what?”
He looked up at her again, turning his head in the dirt. “You gave Eris your favour.”
Nesta blinked. “You had your horse make a jump like that, risking your own bloody neck, because I gave the duke of Northumberland my ribbon? Have you lost your mind?”
“No,” he countered evenly. “My heart, perhaps. But my mind is still wonderfully intact.”
“Up,” Nesta said sharply. “Let me look at you.”
He grinned, as though vindicated, but as he made to raise himself, he hissed sharply, sucking in a breath as he pressed a hand to his ribs. His brow furrowed with pain, eyes darkening, and Nesta sighed heavily as she pulled off her gloves, held out her hand, and helped him to his feet.
“Take off your doublet,” she said flatly, looking at the expanse of muddied velvet.
Cassian’s brow quirked. “Well, that’s not how I imagined you asking me to undress but—“
“How else can I check to see if you’ve shattered your ribcage?” she interrupted, but Cassian only grinned again and began loosening his ties. Soon enough his doublet was parted entirely, and as he slipped it from his shoulders, he winced. He let it fall to the floor, and Nesta was about to chide him for dirtying it so, but then she caught sight of his sculpted chest showing through the thin fabric of his cambric shirt. She swallowed, letting her gaze wander across his collarbone, at the tanned skin there that had been masked by his doublet’s high neck.
“And this?” Cassian said lowly, nodding to his undershirt. “Does this need to go too?”
“I… suppose it does,” Nesta said with a sniff, trying to affect nonchalance when all she could focus on was the curve of his shoulder, the muscles lining every inch of him. “How else can I check that no ribs are broken?”
“How else indeed,” Cassian hummed, and wasted no time in pulling the shirt over his head.
And good Lord have mercy, Nesta knew that Cassian was sculpted like Italian marble but nothing could have prepared her for the bare skin of his chest, hardened with muscle. Those months on a ship definitely suited him, and as she looked, she forced herself to focus on his ribs, on the task at hand.
Innocent, she thought as she tentatively traced a finger across his ribcage, where a thin scar marred his skin. It’s all entirely proper, completely innocent. Just a lady checking a friend for injury.
He was warm beneath her, so warm, his skin softer than it had any right to be. He’d spent eight months in the sun and salt air, and he’d come back looking finer than ever. Hers— this man could be hers, and as her fingers splayed across his chest, Cassian reached up with one hand and caged her touch right above his heart.
She felt it beat— sure and steadfast.
“Will I live?” he asked softly. “Or am I doomed?”
Nesta swallowed, unable to tear her eyes away from his hazel ones, boring down into her with an intensity that had her feeling slightly stunned. Her lips parted, she tried to speak, but all she could feel was his heart beating beneath her fingers, his smooth skin and the warm heat of him that had her feeling breathless.
“You’ll live,” she said at last.
He nodded, his hair falling idly over his forehead. In the sunlight, the pearl that dangled from his ear winked, the gold setting glimmering.
Nesta blinked, and somehow found the strength to drag her eyes away, dropping her gaze to the floor. Where his shirt lay in a crumpled pile next to his doublet, there was a hint of pale-blue, a small flash of colour against the white. She frowned, tilting her head, unable to understand even as she knew what it was, what it must be.
“Is that— my ribbon?”
Cassian pulled back, a somewhat sheepish smile on his face as he cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair.
“Perhaps.”
“How did you even get it?” she asked, bending to retrieve it from the pile of his clothes.
He shrugged. “I wasn’t about to let Eris have it.”
Silence settled between them for a moment, broken only by the noise of the forest and the sounds of the horns, distant.
“Why didn’t you tell me about him?” he asked quietly. “About the betrothal.”
Nesta shrugged. “Because I’m trying to get out of it,” she said easily. “It was foolish of you to think I’d still be here, unwed, when you got back. You know my father—“
“Fuck your father,” he muttered. And then he softened, his eyes turning wide with something akin to pleading. “I’m here now, sweetheart. And I’m not going away again.”
“But you will,” she countered, turning her face away. He always would— he could not be tied to the court as she was, had too restless a spirit to spend his life idling away on an estate somewhere. “And I’ll be left behind, waiting for you, again.”
“You could come with me,” he offered instead, even though the both of them knew it was madness.
Elain had moved to Spain with Lucien— but that was because his place was in the Spanish court, somewhere settled. It was bad luck to have a woman aboard a ship, everyone knew that. No, Cassian could not take her with him, but she adored him a little for even offering in the first place.
“Or you could promise not to stay away so long,” she said instead, her voice quiet. “Come home, Cassian, as often as you are able. Don’t sail so far away from me.”
“Never again,” he said, holding a hand over his heart. “How could I ever stray so far, when I love you too much to stand the distance?”
Her breath caught.
I love you.
Oh, the words were said so often at court. She’d had countless dukes and earls call her their dearest love during dances and revels, and she couldn’t even begin to fathom how many had written her poems or bowed deep and told her she held their hearts in her hands. It was part of the game they played at Elizabeth’s court— part of the realpolitik that made up their world.
But it was different when he said it.
So different Nesta might have sworn the earth beneath her shifted, that standing beneath that canopy of trees, all the riches in the world lost their value.
She blinked, and he waited— waited for her to say something, to acknowledge his declaration.
And in the end, Nesta found the strength to dip her head, to smile a little demurely before stepping forward and pressing the softest, the chastest, of kisses to his cheek. Then, she turned back to her horse and mounted, leaving him standing there, looking up at her, one hand pressed to the cheek she had just kissed.
“I suppose, then,” she said, “that you can be forgiven for ignoring my letters.”
And as she began to ride off into the forest, she looked back once— and waited for him to follow.
Taglist: @c-e-d-dreamer @andrigyn @beansidhebumbling @burningsnowleopard @asnowfern @xstarlightsupremex
#nessian#nessian fic#semper eadem#extra long authors note on ao3 as per usual this time featuring:#Elizabeth's actual surviving dress; the real Madge Ratcliffe; and a little bit about the relationship between Elizabeth and Leicester
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Can I request Adaman and Irida comforting homesick reader
heyo! you didn't specify separate so i assumed it was at the same time! hope that's okay
🍓🍓🍓
For all their love to argue over Sinnoh, time and space, Adaman and Irida are always ready and eager to set aside their differences for your sake. Seeing you in the village together, sporting injuries, they take to fussing with surprising agreeableness. When you were exiled from Jubilife, they were quick to find you and fret over you without even a word of anger towards one another, all their ire focused on Kamado to have done this to you. Not even when you pick one to accompany you do they say anything, only bickering about it when you’re not around
With things settled and you back to your normal mission of just filling out the dex, Irida and Adaman get along better than ever. Their common ground of loving you dearly helps them, and they come together when one notices your shoulders sagging, the lack of genuine brightness in your eyes and your smile. They approach together, hands gentle as their words are soft. They coax you to tell them your woes, and when you do, they find themselves at a loss
Homesickness is not something either has really experienced. Sure, they’ve missed their clans, but that was with the knowledge of their home being a few days trip away. Your home is out of your reach for an undetermined amount of time, and as much as you love Hisui, you long for what you can remember. And they understand.
Irida takes you into her arms, rocking you side to side as you cry or vent or whatever you need. She pets your head, and promises you over and over that both the Pearl and Diamond Clans are happy to help you in your goal to get home. Whatever you need, shelter or information, they will help how they can. Rare Pokémon in the area? Irida herself will guide you to them and help you study them with the tips and tricks she grew up with passed on to you.
Adaman hugs you as well, far tighter than Irida. He clings to you, wanting to squeeze away your sadness, but aware he can’t. Instead, he offers distraction. He has plenty of silly tales to share, about himself, his clan, or even about Irida (though she shouts and stammers over him sharing such embarrassing stories). He’s a big brother of the clan, despite being younger than Mai, and he tickles you and tells silly jokes until you crack a smile again
Together, Irida and Adaman do their best to soothe your aching heart. Whether with reassurance or distraction, they give it all to you. After your dedication to them and their nobles despite being foreign of this place, they owe you that at least. They adore you sorely, and want you happy and safe.
🍓🍓🍓
In the car headed home from the airport eyo
~Renee
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Alucard Courting HC's
I realized I unwittingly missed the point of a former request, which asked for courting hc's for Alucard trying to get the attention of his s/o. I think I was just so excited I forgot 😅
But hey, more writing room in a seperate post.
Ok. So. You know how if you repeatedly provide food for crows in an open space, they may eventually start leaving little bits of trash and trinkets?
That's Alucard.
If he's out on a mission and finds something shiny, interesting or just a little bobble he believes you'll find joy in, it'll show up in one of your common spaces.
It's a little weird at first, having a sparkly rock, a couple pretty buttons, or even a fox tooth, appear on your beside table every morning like you were visited by a soot sprite in the dead of night.
But you live in Hellsing Manor. Stranger shit has happened.
You put the little trinkets in various bowls and chests around your room, appreciating their eccentricity and special comeuppance. Eventually you run out of places to put these items, in which, to your horror, little ornate boxes start appearing as well.
Very nice box, for my trinkets. Another box for my trinkets, WHAT'S GOING ON?
Obviously, the invisible force that keeps providing these gifts takes notice of your enjoyment, because their efforts slowly start getting more extravagant over time.
We're talking a scuffed up string of pearls, gold coins, a fucking vampire skull (you have to go to Integra to get permission to keep that one...), and even a diamond ring.
Of course, you eventually start asking around, scared you were being stalked after the whole trinket box ordeal.
No one knows what the F you're talking about. That's when your search ends with Alucard.
He was the last person (is he a person?) you were going to go to, somewhat intimidated by the man...monster...fuck, whatever he is.
Alucard obviously plays dumb to your inquiry, but you catch his vibe. He definitely knows something, so you begin to hang around him a little more between his missions.
He's far more friendly to you than you would ever imagine.
He takes you on long strolls in the woods (get your mind out of the gutter, abridgers)
He brews you tea and coffee, despite not indulging in it himself.
He walks and converses with you as you admire the artwork in Hellsing's hallway.
For god’s sake, he has debates with you, WHILE RESPECTING YOUR OPINION. WHAT!?
Eventually he does admit to being the invisible bird behind your trinket collection. You press him for a reason why, but he remains aloof to your question and quickly changes the subject.
His courting efforts finally reach a head when a member of Hellsing's taskforce takes an interest in you.
He puts an end to that song and dance REAL QUICK.
One day, while the soldier was putting the moves on you, Alucard materializes through the wall and gives you a twirl.
"My dearest, Y/N. Join me for another stroll tonight?"
♬ My dearest, Y/N. With a comma after dearest ♬
You give him a goofy smile and a nod, to which he picks up your hand and gives you a long kiss on your knuckle, delivering a glare to the soldier who stood awkwardly to the side.
Oh boy, were you in trouble.
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Big preesh man
Soooo I wanna request a cute lil comfort thing with my favorite girly pops, the diamonds. But not pink diamond cause she kinda gets on my nerves.
El oh el
Anyway, poly!diamonds cause they make me happy with a reader who’s just… sad. Like, they’re just really stressed out with life and whatever. You can add stuff as you so please
Big preesh my man
Referring to the Diamonds as your favorite girly pops is my favorite thing lol
Also I also don't like Pink-
ANYWHO
Not my best work but it has been forever since I've written anything for Steven Universe-
Stressful Situations
Fandom: STEVEN UNIVERSE FUCK YEAH
Fic Type: Short Form
Characters: Bean's fav girly pops, Blue, Yellow, and White (I'm sorry it's just really funny to me-)
----
It was not an easy day.
Everything seemed to go wrong.
You were stressed, tired, and a mix of angry and upset, but you still sat in a garden on Homeworld, waiting for any one of the Diamonds to have the time to see you.
Being surrounded by dozens of plants you didn't recognize was slightly helpful at least, and you couldn't help but stare at the colorful leaves and blossoms that surrounded you.
"(Y/N)? Yellow is ready to see you now." A sharp voice spoke from behind you, and you turned your head over your shoulder to smile at her Pearl.
"Thanks, I'll be there in just a minute."
----
You sat quietly as Yellow worked on her reports, enjoying the company after the day you had, and when you spoke, it was hardly loud enough for Yellow to hear you.
"I like the flowers in the garden. They look really pretty." She raised an eyebrow at you over the screen she had in front of her, but smiled at you after a moment.
"Every species is from I world I'm in control of. They bloom at different times, so the garden is always full of them. They are quiet pretty, I agree with that."
You smiled at her, enjoying her company and going back to sitting in a comfortable silence.
----
On a different day, you found yourself sitting in the garden again, this time waiting for Blue. It wasn't your space, but it was beginning to feel like it was. You felt just as out of place as the plants, on a planet where you didn't quite belong, but grew anyways.
Blue's Pearl had watched you quietly for a bit, before deciding that Blue could take a break and sit amongst the flowers with you. You looked too at peace to bother.
And that's how you found yourself sitting across from Blue in the garden, where she quietly explained the different worlds some of them had come from. It was nice to be able to sit and talk about something that wasn't politics or daily life.
She smiled softly at you as you stared at a specific plant in wonder, and then spoke again.
"I don't know why we don't spend more time out here, this garden is beautiful and you seem to be the only one to use it. Would you mind if we sat out here next time as well?"
----
You weren't sitting in the garden this time. This time, you sat quietly beside White's Pearl, waiting for her to be finished with her work and quietly chatting with the Pearl next to you.
"I've been spending a lot of time in the garden, the one inbetween everyone. I don't really know why, but everything just feels... peaceful down there. It's like time stops, almost."
If White had heard you, she made no outward indication of it. What you didn't know however, is that both Blue and Yellow had mentioned your interest in that specific garden.
And if she had something planned for her starlight, then you'd figure it out. Eventually.
----
What you weren't expecting the next time you had entered the garden was for it to have changed.
The plants were carefully pruned and the weeds had been taken out. The walkways that were previously crumbling and missing parts had been carefully fixed. The benchs that had been covered in vines were now good as new, and in the centre of the circle they had created was a carefully created waterfall, you could feel the mist on you if you sat too close.
And on the base of the waterfall was an inscription, one you would've missed if you had been looking carelessly.
"Plants grow and bloom in places that are least expected. Here you can continue to grow and bloom even when things are at their worst."
You smiled softly at the words that your beloveds had written, clearly meant for you. And so you laid down on a bench, surrounded in a place that was now meant for you, waiting once more for the people you loved.
But you didn't mind in the slightest, not when they did little things that no one else would've thought of. Not when they showed their affection for you whenever they had the chance.
With their support, it didn't matter how difficult life was. Nothing mattered when you could sit here, or with them, and let time pass without fighting it for once.
It didn't matter how hard things were when you knew you had people you could count on to help make things easier.
#elliotiswriting#bean anon#steven universe#su blue diamond#su yellow diamond#su white diamond#blue diamond x reader#yellow diamond x reader#white diamond x reader
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Hello! Is it okay to request Reader in Pokemon Legend: Arceus?
Reader is Clan Leader, not in Diamond or Pearl, Clan named the Platinum Clan and that worhips Giratina
This Clan used to be the original (and probably oldest) a conflict happens that now split in two and that is the Diamond clan and Pearl Clan.
The Platinum clan has now forgotten at the current age of the Hisui yet its still standing and hidden away
Reader's has the Disney belle like personality, caring and knowledgeable, and their the same age as Adaman and/or Irida.
-Tales and rumors were scattered around Hisui about a group, much like the Pearl and Diamond Clans that operated, serving as wardens, protectors against Pokemon that were too wild for normal people to handle.
-Very few knew more than a rumor or two, and many believed they were just that, rumors and stories, but those few who knew more told of another clan, the one that gave birth, to put it simply, to the other two clans, the Platinum Clan.
-The Platinum Clan originally existed years ago, long before the age of the Hisui of today, worshipping a powerful Pokemon, one they revered as a god, Giratina.
-The clan was the birthplace of the largest conflict known to history, at least to those who knew the history, when opposing individuals in the clan argued over their lord, and with it, they disbanded, becoming the rivals of today.
-There was one who knew of the Platinum Clan very well, knowledge that had been passed down from generation to generation, as the current leader of the Platinum Clan.
-You worshipped Giratina, much like your ancestors, making them proud, leaving him offerings and praying to him. It didn’t matter to you if you were one of the few in your clan, you kept the old ways alive, you wouldn’t let their memory die out.
-You were a courier, working between the different clans and Jubilife Village, working mainly for the Galaxy Expedition Team, you handled delivering letters and reports, as well as supplies between the different areas of Hisui.
-Many regarded you as odd, as you would go out into that dangerous world, where wild Pokemon could easily attack you, without a guard or even a Pokemon to call your own!
-You didn’t mind, as the wild Pokemon were friendly to you, most of the time, as you respected them, you treated them with kindness, minding their space if they wanted space, and many knew of the witchcraft you performed in the form of head pats and scratches!! Many told tales to their other Pokemon friends, and they wanted to try it for themselves, so it wasn’t that odd to see you surrounded by Pokemon at any given time, but you were never worried or scared.
-You were walking along, traveling to a meeting point with both Adaman and Irida, where the three of you planned to meet, when you slowed, coming across a cemetery, one that had been reclaimed by nature, being long forgotten.
-This was another thing that many thought you were odd for, always going to and exploring cemeteries! And to do it with a smile on your face made everything worse in the eyes of others!!
-You pulled your pack off, finding a large tree in the center of the cemetery and pulled out several berries you had, most of them were gifts from Pokemon, payment for their affections they so adore.
-You prayed quietly to Giratina, wishing for others to be safe, and for him to guide the souls of those who were lost to where they needed to be.
-As you took off, hurrying so Irida wouldn’t scold you for being late again, you missed a distortion in the tree, as if something was peeking through, as the berries almost instantly vanished.
-It had seen you before, watching you grow, from the shadows of an alternate universe, the one that it called it’s prison. It saw how hard you worked, and how hard and devoted you prayed to him, and your selfless prayers, to help others, made this being grow soft, such a kind human was worthy to protect.
-You had no ideas that only a week later, a massive rift in space, above Mount Coronet appeared, altering Hisui as everyone knew it.
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@chrisrin‘s gemcyt au !! “Pearl” is actually Joel here :3
//
Well. Running was stupid.
The Human Zoo is absolutely not set up the same way as the palace- all confusing hallways and rooms that have doors at both ends, usually nice for escaping but now annoying as he’s been cornered twice now, only escaped because he’s willing to poof other gems- he’s feisty, for a pearl. At least for today. He knows he’s going to be shattered for this, he may as well go down fighting.
Left, left, left, he’s going in circles. Rubies shout behind him, five voices becoming one when they fuse. They’re faster now, but he’s got a head start, and he goes right this time, immediately crashing into a quartz on the turn-
He looks up, eyes going wide-
“Etho! Etho- poof me!”
He doesn’t have to ask twice.
//
Pearl isn’t usually aware of the happenings outside of his gem when he’s recharging. It’s dark when he poofs, he’s whisked away somewhere quiet. On a good day it takes him fifteen minutes to Reform, but today he stays quiet, stays put, in Etho’s pocket.
He catches bits of conversation- shouting, alarms, running. Etho gives vague answers to any questioning, and soon enough the rubies move on. Pearl stays put, though, for hours, until gentle hands put him back in open air- until he hears the gentle tap of his gem being set down.
“It’s safe to come out now,” Etho says.
Pearl reforms, swift and effortless, on the floor of a closet full of weapons. He looks up at Etho and confesses, “I’m going to be shattered.”
Etho’s eye widens- he’s not very talkative, for an amethyst, but he talks to Pearl sometimes- “why’s that? What did you do?”
Pearl buries his face in his hands- it’s one thing to commit treason and an entirely other thing to admit to treason. Etho helped him, though- lied for him, took him somewhere safe. He owes him, he thinks.
“I-” it’s terrifying to admit. He does not move his hands, does not speak louder than a whisper “-I fused with Pink Diamond.”
Stars- he’s really going to be shattered for this.
“Ah.”
“I’m going to be shattered,” Pearl says again, with rising terror, “they’re- they’re going to find me, and they’re going to shatter me, and they’re going to shatter you too, an-”
Not just shattered, he’s going to be space dust! If he’s lucky maybe he’ll become a star in about seven trillion years-
“Woah, woah, hey, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Etho interrupts. He guides Pearl’s hands away from his face and holds them tight, mismatched eyes calm, somehow, despite everything, “you’re going to be okay.”
“And you’re not?”
“I’ll be okay too.”
“How?”
“I know a guy. I’ll get us out of here,” Etho shrugs. Before Pearl can lose his mind over that particular string of words, Etho questions, “how’d you end up fusing with a diamond?”
Pearl freezes. This is really just- not a conversation he wants to have. Etho rubs his thumbs across the back of his hands, grounding- it’s nice.
“We were in the garden,” Pearl confesses, supposing that the floor of a closet isn’t the worst place to confess to being a criminal, “and she ah- she was excited about the humans, and her smile was-”
He swallows, ducking his head.
“-she was dazzling,” he admits, a little breathless, “she was- so excited, and it was beautiful, and they were playing with these little things called otters and one did a flip, and she- she gasped and grabbed my arm and it just- it just kind of-”
He’d fallen out of the fusion only moments after they’d formed. His Diamond had been staring at him, her mouth agape in pure shock. The other guards had been horrified. Every instinct then told him to run, so he did, and he’d been chased, and now-
He wants to hide again, but alas Etho is still holding his hands. He looks up- Etho’s mismatched eyes hold no judgement. He’s smiling.
Pearl scowls. “What?”
“Congrats,” Etho says, calm as a glittering starscape, “fusion’s a special thing.”
Pearl sputters, “It’s treason!”
“That too,” Etho agrees. He squeezes Pearl’s hands and turns serious, “I can get us out of here, but you’ll have to be poofed, and you can’t reform until I say so.”
Oh stars- he’s- he might not be shattered.
“Okay,” he whispers.
“Promise.”
“Etho, I owe you my life,” Pearl retorts, “anything you need me to do, I’ll do it. I promise. I swear it. I don’t want to be shattered.”
Etho nods, and pulls Pearl to his feet. He’s shaking, but only a little, and Etho steadies him with a hand at his back.
“Wh-where are we going?” he asks.
Etho smiles, “you’ll see.”
Pearl vanishes into dark and quiet once again.
#gemcyt#idk how else to tag this 👍👍#obsessed with this au !!!! two special interests smashed into one can only go well sksjdjd#my brain went. hmm if Joel is Lizzie’s pearl how could he possibly get to earth and be a rebel. oh I know!! treason!! :D /silly
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Hmm, just a thought but what if the reason The Pearl and diamond clan in your au and the people of jubilife stopped seeing each other as a threat is because...
Well, maybe on the side of the clans, seeing the humans standing on roofs in flood water or huddled in desperate groups on the mountains, and remembering the stories Dawn told about them, they stopped seeing the humans as invasive monsters and started seeing them as they really were and what they probably were all this time: Refugees. Just people with a troubled past who needed a space of their own and the time to heal and grow from losing everything...and now they were losing everything again.
Maybe on the side of the village, seeing these giant creatures come to their aid, acting like ferries to higher ground, calling upon the Nobles to do the same or sharing rescources, they realised how...human these beasts were. And some of them look worse for wear from the chaos of the elements. Perhaps there's something they could do to help them. Some of them are marine biologists after all. (Maybe in the first place they found one of the mers sick and stranded in the polluted water and helped them out, prompting the other mers to reach out to help the humans in turn)
Maybe waiting out the floods forces them to share stories and past hardships and consider ways they could make life easier for each other.
Your pups are in danger all the time out in the ocean? Maybe we could section off some of our beaches as sanctuaries to help them grow in peace.
Perhaps we could teach you better ways to catch and farm fish so you don't have to risk your lives on boats so much.
I dunno. Just some thoughts. Cheers!
This is all really good!! I had some similar ideas, like merfolk hauling themselves into their boats like how seals jump onto boats to escape predators (they don't wanna be in the water with fighting gods in it!)
I was also literally just talking to the discord about Kamado standing in his stupid metal armor and slowly sinking to the bottom and Adaman and Irida kinda giving each other a 'why were we ever afraid of this guy' before pulling him out
#pkm mer au#merfolk carefully pushing boats along when motors stop working#jubilife equally as carefully patching up wounds and giving food
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