#is also mentioned

[maverick-ocs]

Three times Laikss stood up for Abal and one time Abal stood up for him

Laika didn't take long to get protective of Abal. It could be something as simple as shooing away the menace twins when they try to use him as a climbing frame, or telling someone he hasn't seen Abal when he's hiding amongst the trees not far from where he stands. Sometimes it's something more serious, like that time Laika had to make the earth woman back off because she was upsetting Abal and not taking 'please stop' for an answer.

But sometimes, it goes the other way too. It's rare, sure, but sometimes Laika is the one that freezes, facing those that look so much like the one that destroyed their home... and he knows Abal's scared too, but Abal still scared them off. Perhaps they took his silent stare and looming height as a threat, but Laika knew that Abal was must've been ready to throw up at the confrontation.

But it's enough. Enough to have even Balalaika approaching one of those mentors. Asking for advice. Training. So he doesn't freeze up anymore. So he can keep his gentle friend safe from the threats that scare them both.

[blorbseuki]

Regarding Lady Helia and the new lore dropped. During her long solo flights, did she ever tried to look for more like her? Also, while we know it didn’t happen, how would she have reacted (and the town as well) to finding someone similar like her?

sorry for the constant questions and one last one, can we ask about Strix as well? Sorry.

Hi again Anon! It's been a bit busy, so I appreciate the patience!

[Prev]

Anyone aware of the state of the worlds at this point in time would know that searching was a futile cause. Despite being well aware of this, it didn't stop Helia from keeping an idle eye out and a faint hope that maybe. Just maybe. She wasn't the only one.

She had heard story and song of who she was and what she was supposed to be, but it didn't stop her from wondering about other members of her species. Were they all just as powerful, just as bright? Were they all heroes, loved and adored?

Were they all just as alone?

Her quiet searches would curb as more and more responsibilities made it increasingly more difficult to sneak out. It may have gotten smothered as time went by, but she always held a tiny spark, a quiet hope that maybe someday, she might meet another just like her.

That spark would eventually die--not with a bang, but with a silent, resigned acceptance.

As to how she and others would have reacted should another puffball had shown up, I feel like it's best exemplified by this recent art haha 😂

Also! Strix may be an OC that belongs to @alagaesia-overlord, but she has given her permission (and explicit preference!) that asks regarding Strix be sent to this blog rather than her own!

[probablygayattorneys]

I actually love that Luke can talk to animals, because it’s so weird. The Layton series of course has sprawling mysteries and things that seem like magic but at the end of the day, it never is that. There is always an explanation. Is it far fetched and does it make complete sense? Ehhh. But there is always a clear through line. It is never magic. It is never vampires. There is always an answer. It may be things that are a bit beyond human capabilities but the idea is that magic is just science that we don’t understand yet.

With the exception of Luke’s ability to talk to animals.

There is no scientific throughline. There is not even an attempt to answer it. The closest they get is that it’s genetic. For all of the other explanations, you ask the game a crucial question about a main character and it just goes “Wait, you want to know why Luke can do that? What are you, a fucking cop? Get off my dick.”

[rjalker]

googling "Martha Wells critical" was the best decision ever. Finally some critical fucking thinking skills...

Building the Raksura: How Martha Wells Fell Into Toxic Tropes

Good intent won't erase the harm of baking bigotry into your worldbuilding.

archived link

[alistairs]

✍, ⌚, ♿, ☺,⚡, ⚠, ❤, ⚯, 📐, 📱, ✝ — for Zoran, pretty please <3

I already answered a few of them here, but here’s the other ones ❤ 

⌚: Is your muse good with keeping on schedule for meetings, appointments, or events, or are they always late? Or, are they always a bit early?

He’s a military man and he takes great pride in it so his schedule is impeccable and he’s always punctual.Tardiness is not tolerated by Zoran at all.

♿ : Has your muse had any injuries in the past? 

He gets shot at for a living so of course he gets injured a lot. Not to mention the extensive scarring he carried away from the NATO bombing incident.Due to getting injured so often he’s acquired quite an impressive set of medical skills in order to treat most wounds himself though. He might just be the best medic his little private army has now.Zoran isn’t a big fan of hospitals, especially military ones. He’s experienced too much pain and watched to many people he cared fore die in them.

☺ : What is your muse’s smile like? Do they smile often?

Zoran doesn’t smile a lot and even when he does it’s more of a slight smirk than anything else. There’s usually alcohol involved when he does. And Harry does actually manage to make him smile quite a few times when they’re chatting alone.

⚡ : How does your muse feel about storms? Are they afraid of them, or do they calm them?

Thunderstorms remind Zoran of gunfire. But it’s a sound he’s almost fond of after so many years of service so he finds it more calming than unsettling, really. He’s a pretty messed up individual.

⚠ : How does your muse react to possibly dangerous situations? Do they face them head-on, or do they plan out their actions first?

Zoran’s so used to dangerous situations that he can pretty much face them instantaneously without having to plan out every step, that just happens almost instinctively in his mind.

❤: What are your muse’s thoughts on love? If they are not in a relationship, do they believe that they will ever find a perfect someone for them?

He doesn’t love in the traditional sense of the word since he doesn’t feel empathy for other people. That doesn’t stop him from deriving great pleasure from brief sexual liaisons, but those always end in him completely dominating and eventually even demeaning his partners. #HarrysuffersAbove all else he regards falling in love or even just getting attached to people as a weakness so he tries to stray as far away as possible from that. Losing a lot of people will do that to a man.

⚯ : Does your muse have good eyesight? If not, what is it like? Are they nearsighted or farsighted? Or both? Do they use glasses? Or do they prefer contacts? 

His eyesight is perfectly fine and he’d regard it as absolutely horrifying if that were ever to change since it would put him at a big disadvantage in a fight.

📱 : Does your muse prefer calling or texting?

Calling. Texting is just a waste of time in his opinion, he even flat out refuses to answer text messages with anything but calls.The only times he does that is when he’s having deep thoughts about the meaning of life in the middle of the night and wants to vent to someone. Then he sends his opinions to Harry. Harry does not appreciate it.