#also they have one oar between the two of them

[thedansemacabres]

The Almost Lost Relationship of Adonis and Dionysus

[ID: An image of the seats at the Theater of Dionysus in Athens. The sun shines on the pale steps, illuminating them slightly. Beyond the stairs, there is nothing else in the theatre and it acts as an empty scene.]

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ADONIS IS KNOWN FOR BEING CAUGHT BETWEEN PERSEPHONE AND APHRODITE, and this eventually being the cause of his death—Artemis, Ares, Apollon, or perhaps all send a boar to gore Adonis and end the affair between him and Aphrodite. However, of course, there is always more to this story: that being the continuation, the romance of Adonis and Dionysus. This will serve as a small introduction to a relatively unknown aspect of Adonis’ mythology, especially in the perspective of Adonis representing infertile life compared to Dionysus’ fertility. 

PANYASSIS, AND THEN PLATO

Apollodorus contains one of the earliest tellings of Adonis’ death from the 5th century poet Panyassis, who states that Adonis died twice—once when Persephone obtained him, and another when he was gored by a boar. However, continuing Panyassis’ fragment, Plato Comicus states that Adonis’ death was caused by Aphrodite and Dionysus, not Aphrodite and Persephone: 

O Kinyras, king of the hairy-assed Cypriots, Your child is by nature most beautiful and most marvelous Of all humans, but two divinities will destroy him, She being rowed by secret oars, and he rowing them. (fr. 3)

By desiring and loving Adonis, Aphrodite and Dionysus later cause his demise. This is one of the earliest mentions of Adonis and Dionysus, whilst grim, does lead us slightly into the romance of Adonis and Dionysus. Another myth—or perhaps a continuation of this one—presents another tale, as recorded by Plutarch. 

PLUTARCH’S FRAGMENT 

Plutarch presents a differing story: that Dionysus fought with Aphrodite for Adonis and won. In discussing the ethics of food, particularly eating swine, he invokes this in a lost text written by Phanocles: 

Εἰδὼς θεῖον Ἄδωνιν ὀρειφοίτης Διόνυσος ἥρπασεν, ἠγαθέην Κύπρον ἐποιχόμενος. Knowingly, mountain-roaming Dionysus carried away the divine Adonis, after approaching the Holy Cyprian with hostile purpose. Plutarch, Quaestiones Convivales

One of the many reasons he cites for pigs being less than ideal animals for consumption is that they gored Adonis—which, in hypothesis, could be a reason that some Aphrodisian cults avoided consuming pork, but this is merely my own thinking. 

This fragment gives little context to the motives of Dionysus in this myth, the reaction of Aphrodite or Adonis. Despite this, the wording is of intrigue to me of several parts:

What does knowingly mean? The translation phrases it as Dionysus knowing, but knowing what? Or does this refer to Adonis knowing that he would be carried off—as in the original ancient Greek, it is placed as “knowing, divine Adonis.” 

Adonis here is called a god, theos, which may refer to his apotheosis, which was of contention in ancient Greece.

“Hostile purpose”, ἐποιχόμενος, also refers to the passing of wine. So, instead of violence, he may have given Aphrodite wine in “exchange” for Adonis. 

There is also something to be said of the similarity between Adonis being carried off with Dionysus carrying Ariadne away from Noxus. There were also contentions about the divinity of Ariadne, with some myths declaring her dying and another conflating her with Aphrodite—similarly to Adonis, who Plutarch mentioned previously could be identified with Dionysus.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE 

As remarked in the Adonia in Context, Adonis’ divinity was a contested question—with some remarking him as nothing sacred, while others entreating him as a deity. I personally have come to understand him as divine, returning from the underworld, especially as he journeyed there with Persephone. That within itself—returning to and from the underworld—is no task for mortals, even if it was divinely sanctioned by Zeus. If he did die when he was first received by Persephone, does this imply a cycle of resurrection that eventually led to a state in between, or an odd sense of immortality? 

There is also the notable comparison of Adonis and Dionysus mirroring Ariadne and Dionysus, in which they are taken by Dionysus and become his lovers. In my own practice, this does come into Adonis being in our modern terms in a polycule with the god. Fascinatingly, Ariadne’s own divinity was of debate, perhaps remarking her as a parallel to Adonis himself. There is certainly something to be said of Adonis being a sterile god with the fertility god Dionysus, continuing the paradox of Dionysus. Adonis represents the ancient Greek man that was infertile and as such did not mature into a proper member of the polis, and Dionysus is the great disrupter of the polis. 

As a personal practice though, there is always the option for others to honour them as I do—as divine lovers—and in my personal practice, Dionysus is the one who eventually “wins” Adonis. And as someone extremely unconventional and a “failed” man in the eyes of my biological family, Adonis is the perfect comfort as the failed adult who succeeds into immortality. 

References

Edmund P. Cueva, (1996). Plutarch’s Ariadne in Chariton’s Chaereas and Callirhoe. American Journal of Philology,

Jameson, M. H. (2019). 2. The asexuality of Dionysus. In Cornell University Press eBooks (pp. 44–64). https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501733680-007

Plutarch,  Quaestiones Convivales, stephpage 612c. (n.d.). http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg112.perseus-grc1:612c

Reitzammer, L. (2016). The Athenian Adonia in context: The Adonis Festival as cultural practice. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/45855

Seaford, R. (2006). Dionysos. Routledge.

#adonis deity #dionysus deity #dionysos deity #dionysus devotee #dionysus worship #aphrodite deity #aphrodite worship #hellenic pagan #hellenic polytheism #hellenic paganism #hellenic polytheist #helpol #dragonis.txt #witchcraft #pagan #witchblr #paganism #paganblr

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

puppet history is an educational puppet show wherein a fuzzy blue puppet tells different stories throughout history whilst quizzing two guests and awarding them jelly-bean related points so one of them can win the episode after a fun musical number related to the topic at hand.

puppet history is also about:

a time travelling puppet called the professor who went to puppet university and may or may not be called connie mcnasty

a bunch of puppets who the professor accidentally gave souls to while travelling through time including two gay oars, a mummified goose and a very sad coin

a genie that has been chasing the puppet through time because of said soul debacle

a season-long plan in which the genie sets up a fake party for all the puppets to attend so he can kill them all in the same place

god who isnt really a main player but he shows up to sing sometimes and needs to find a place for all of the dead puppets to go

the devil who also isnt really a main player but he did audition to host season five

jellybeans that have some form of magical properties related to the professor and turned garrick bernard into a puppet twice which is more of a footnote than anything else

a longstanding feud between the professor and ryan bergara that begins with ryan never winning and ends with ryan making a deal with a demon called asmodeus to win which leads to a t-rex eating the professor

the professor dying as of a result of being eaten by a t-rex but not really because the t-rex lay an egg that the professor hatched out of, but bigger

an evil (?) hologram of the professor who tricks the dead puppets into sending him back to fix everything related to the death of the professor and the puppets which happens at the funeral for the professor

another season long plan wherein holo-professor plans to skin ryan and wear his skin

estranged producer shane madej who stayed out of it when he saw that holo-professor had ryan tied up and also happens to look quite a lot like the genie

hope that helps with any confusion (:

#puppet history #puppet history spoilers #the professor #shane madej #ryan beraga #garrick bernard #watcher

[venusflytrapxoxo]

So it seems you guys rlly just wanted NSFW

Anyways mature audiences

And its like my first real post and english isent my first language but id like feedback if y have any

Only making sfw for the children bc im uncomfy making nsfw with them

{Characters: tonowari, neyteyam, jake sully, aoung, } NOT PROF READ. NSFW

Tonowari

Tonowari is amazing when it comes to eating you out (due to metikayans being used to be wet🤭) he hits everyspot and it ironically is feeling like he is sending waves of pleaseure through your body,

He is definitely a boobs man dosent matter size or how it looks small or bih he loves boobs he loves everything about boobs he loves grabbing them during sx, and just telling you how pretty they are

Tonowari has a major praise kink, dont deny it

He is an aftercare king. even after fucking you senseless, he will make sure to get you cleaned up and make sure you feel well looked after. every fucking session ends with you in his arms while he traces circles into your skin and plants kisses into the curve of your neck.

His favorite time of day is eclipse so he can hold you,between his legs in his large arms around your waist his excuse being "keeping you warm" . Whilst he admires you and his former bite marks

Jake sully

He can’t pick a favorite position, he loves every single inch of your body and will take literally any chance he gets to see you writhing in pleasure

Jake is definitely cocky possesive during sx kinda acting like he owns you and he also enjoys getting and giving nicknames, such as tiyawn narlo and mowan (meaning love , beautiful , pleasing)

he’ll tease you a lot about your size difference, it’s honestly a regular thing with Jake. he’s just really cocky, but i understand. imagen how tiring it gets when you’re lugging that big ass thing between your legs 24/7.

Jake absolutely ADORES how shy you are. How you accept his advances but all blushy and nervous. How you squirm under his intense stares is something he cannot get enough of.

Neteyam (sfw)

When neteyam was younger he was the guy to tell people he dosent want a girlfriend because he thought they had cooties, but now it seems he cant let his eyes go of you.

He is a sucker for physical touch (wonder why jake) hugging and holding hands just being near you in general can makes his day completely,

You and. neyteyam take rides on his ikran at night for fun. While your parents are asleep, and usually it ends up in cuddles and kisses by your secret spot.

Trainning sessions with neyteyam atleast twice a week mostly hunting. You guys always adventure out when your supposed to be hunting and ussually, you dont get caught.

When neteyam's siblings found out you were given couple nicknames like tswake(sun) and the oare(moon) mostly tuk was the one making the names. You thought it was cute

Aoung

Aoung has mostly a boy friendgroup so when you joined there were alot of rumors of you two dating. Although it was true you two tried to deny it because aoung wanted to.

Since you and aoung lived close when you were younger you would often play together by the shore and he would shove you into the water ending in a splash fight. Its still somthing you do still sometimes.

Aoung hated getting hair in his face but he couldent braid properly since he was active alot swimming hunting climbing. So occasionally he would ask you to braid his hair.

Forehead kisses. Lots and lots of forehead kisses due to the height difference aoung usually kisses your forehead. He does it alot everywhere anytime.

[mouschiwrites]

hi can you do zane/ gn ninja reader oneshot where they get hurt and zane is patching them up? and reader is always jumping into battle first and zane is there to help them. if you want to ofc!!

Can do!

Word count: 673

Ninjago - Zane Patches You Up

Vines and branches whipped at your limbs as you barreled through the brush, but luckily your gi was thick enough to prevent you from sustaining any scratches. You were in hot pursuit of a gang of thieves. They had just stolen a valuable magic artifact from its tomb, an artifact that you would prefer to have in your own hands.

“Don’t they know how dangerous that thing is?” You panted, frustration obvious in your tone.

“If they did, I doubt they’d have stolen it,” Zane replied from behind you. You managed a sardonic laugh.

You nearly fell flat on your face when the thick vegetation opened up suddenly to an angled river bank composed of rocks. Your foot slipped a few inches as a rock tumbled away from under it, but you caught yourself easily and continued running.

The thieves were hauling themselves into a boat when you pounced on them. You seized an oar and swung, knocking out the one who held the artifact. It fell into the boat with his unconscious body.

You lunged for the artifact, tumbling into the boat desperately with arms outstretched. You leapt up with the artifact—a little gold statuette—held high above your head. “Guys! I got it!”

“Excellent work, Y/n!” Zane appraised you, clapping his hands together.

Your cheeks went flushed pink as you beamed at him. For one crucial moment you forgot about the other two thieves in the boat with you.

One of them tackled you from behind, sending you sprawling onto the rocky bank.

“Y/n!” You heard several voices cry out.

You felt a sharp pain shoot up your arm as a particularly jagged rock sliced your skin. The artifact was no longer in your hands.

You felt woozy. You had also hit your head when you fell. Trying to stand up but failing, you fell again. Suddenly you felt a strong body next to your own, helping you limp along to the tree line, out of the way of the ongoing tussle.

The world stopped spinning at last, and you looked to your side to see Zane hunched over your wounded arm. Zane. Of course. He was never far, even when you were in the midst of a battle.

“Is it bad?”

As if in response, a horrible pain shot through you at the slightest touch. Even Zane winced as he watched you recoil.

“You’ll live,” he said after spending a moment staring at the wound. He reached for his first aid kit.

“I can do it,” you offer, holding out your hand. Zane shook his head with a little smile.

“Please. Let me.”

You sighed, reclining a little against the tree and letting him get to work.

“This will sting,” he warned you, wetting a cotton ball with disinfectant. You gritted your teeth as the cold ball dabbed against your tender skin, and you hissed audibly when it suddenly began to burn.

“Sorry,” Zane murmured, trying to move quickly to prolong the pain no longer than needed.

“It’s okay,” you said in a strained voice. You relaxed a bit when he finally discarded the cotton ball. “My fault for getting banged up in the first place. Guess I’m just facing the consequences.” You laughed dryly.

Zane cocked his head. “Was the pain of getting hurt in the first place not the ‘consequence’?”

You shrugged. He had a point, but you were really just trying to cope here. Even with the sting of the disinfectant gone, the wound still hurt like a cow.

The pain eased a little when Zane tenderly wrapped soft gauze around it, fastening the dressing in a little bow. He patted your arm comfortingly. “All patched up, my love.”

“Great,” you grinned, springing to your feet. “Back to battle!”

Zane tried to protest, but you were halfway down the bank already, seamlessly inserting yourself into a struggle between Kai and one of the thieves. With a little sigh he watched you go, an unusual smile making its way onto his lips.

“Y/n, you wild creature.”

Thank you for your request, and thank you for reading! Have a good one lovelies <33

(divider by saradika)

#ninjago #lego ninjago #ninjago x reader #zane julien #zane julien x reader #zane x reader

[noroi1000]

❝𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮-𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐢❞ Chapter 17

Satoru-Sensei | ←Previous chapter • Next Chapter→

Summary:  When they put their feet in the sand on a line invisible to them, they knew they had to turn around. So maybe Fushiguro made a mistake? They came here... But this... Maybe it wasn't Gojo-sensei. It wasn't Gojo-sensei... Not Gojo-sensei, who taught them two years ago... It was...

A/N: The updates are so delayed that I think I'm really the worst. Something wild starts to happen in this chapter...

"This way." Fushiguro pointed to the sand of the beach they entered. 

"Fushiguro.... But if we go this way, we will enter the water." Itadori said it with a strange face.

He didn't know what his dark-haired friend was planning. He didn't understand it at all. 

The evening time helped, so there weren't many people around. So that helped not to make a lot of noise. 

"We need to get to the island that's in that direction. So go ahead. Take the boat." he said. 

His shoes were half-dipped into the sand as he walked forward and checked his watch again. 

Time played a very big role at this point. The sooner they get there, the better.

But boating is also not as fast as you would like. 

The use of a boat with a motor is inappropriate at this time. Someone might hear.

So the best way will be...

"Nue." The dark haired man's hands were brought together in the shape of a bird, allowing the brown feathers to appear from the shadows. 

Once the Shikigami came to rest on the sand, the dark-haired young adult jumped onto the bird's back, sitting down carefully to allow the bird to fly comfortably and freely. 

"You're going to fly, and you're telling us to go by boat?!" the girl shouted, pointing at Itadori, who was pushing the boat on the sand to push it into the water. 

"Is there a problem?" he growled calmly, looking at his classmate.

"Pfft! He rows!" 

The boy with the small scars looked at the girl with a frozen expression. But before he could argue, she got into the boat and sat calmly on the small wooden bench, making it clear that she had no intention of doing anything except sitting there while they swam. 

With a sigh, the pink-haired one got into the boat and started moving the oars fast enough to keep up with the bird flying above them. 

It wouldn't be safe to separate now.

What is happening now is such a real mission, they vs. special grade. 

They may be first grade. First graders can face special grade curses. 

However, first grade sorcerers are to face a special grade sorcerer? 

If there was any grade above special, Gojo would be there. How could anyone think they could defeat Gojo Satoru? No sorcerer or curse user has so much arrogance. 

There is a great power imbalance. If you put all the Jujutsu High students against Gojo, they still lose. 

If you put all the sorcerers against Gojo, they would still lose.

How are they supposed to beat someone they can't even touch?

This is the great inequality of power that was between them... 

That's why they have to finish all this before Gojo returns. So very, very quickly. 

It might not even be a minute, and Gojo will be there.

So this creates double danger.

Maybe they were not prepared to fight such an opponent.

However, they were prepared to escape. 

Because if this is all true and Gojo is crazy to keep you here... They won't have more than thirty seconds to escape from being beaten or even killed. 

As they got closer to the island, they felt a strong aura. However, it was power pressure. But they didn't know if it was a curse or a sorcerer. The power they felt was of no kind. 

This power was simply palpable. 

Smoothly stroking the feathers of the bird Fushiguro was riding on, he prepared it to meet the sudden pressure in the air. 

The best way was to calm Nue so that it wouldn't fall from the shock it might feel. 

Because when a sorcerer or curse, or even a familiar, feels the pressure of a fight, the opponent's power is overwhelming. 

When the power around an opponent also touches someone else, they feel a pressure that makes their body run away. The pressure that puts the body on alert. 

Run or fight.

Fight or die. 

The pressure that began to prevail around them when they entered the circle caused their heart rate to accelerate as well as their breathing. 

Nothing could be an easy task. It's as much about swimming here and getting onto the sand as it is about getting out of here. 

The two who didn't believe what Fushiguro said at the beginning started to believe him as soon as they felt the cold on their skin. 

And when they put their feet on the sand, they knew they had to turn around.

What was a danger to them now was not now. 

So maybe Fushiguro made a mistake?

Maybe it wasn't Gojo-sensei. 

It wasn't Gojo-sensei... Not Gojo-sensei, who taught them two years ago...

It was...

... end.

"Go to sleep."

"But, Satoru... I thought we would cook dinner together and then go to sleep together..." a sweet voice spread in his head. 

"I will be back soon."

"But it's only afternoon. Satoru, I won't be able to sleep just like that!"

"Aww, honey, come on. You'll need a lot of strength for the night." His hand stroked your cheek very smoothly. 

As you realized what his words meant, you blushed, and your mind turned into a mess as memories of the past nights surfaced there, leaving you unable to think of anything other than this.

"I'll be back before you miss me." 

He kissed your forehead and led you to the bed, laying you there comfortably. He didn't leave your side until you fell asleep, cuddling against his side. 

He unhooked your hands from his body gently and wrapped the blanket around you.

His pleasant smile changed a little. 

The loving expression disappeared, and a new, different smile appeared.

Something of a combination of dissatisfaction and sadness. Something with rage. But also with a little craziness. 

If he hadn't heard what they were saying, he certainly wouldn't have thought that he would see them on your island today. In your home. 

Sitting lazily on a chair, he watched time pass by.

He knew exactly that they were already standing there and looking around. 

His protective seals told him so.

You have intruders. 

Well, his exorcism barrier only works on curses. A barrier that makes the opponent feel like he's trapped also doesn't work that well. Because, as young sorcerers, they knew this feeling. 

The only people who didn't feel this pressure were you and him. 

Him, because it is his energy. You, because you don't use your cursed energy at all. And this causes your body to wean itself from being a sorcerer. Even your energy began to circulate differently. More like a human.  Because it was all true. Your body was not completely adapted to your technique. And it wasn't completely tamed with the cursed energy either. 

Your Jujutsu technique was not naturally instilled in your body.

Therefore, without your training and using it, it was just like in the beginning. 

You weren't the sorcerer you used to be. You were a strong person. Or a weak sorcerer. 

But you needed protection in this world.

His white shirt contrasted with the black glasses on his nose.  Looking at the clock in the classroom, he watched as the small hand followed the large one. But the third is chasing them.

Like you and him.

You follow Gojo slowly.

Other students are running behind you, wanting to know the truth. 

But he was only waiting for one step. 

And when the line he had drawn was crossed by one of his disciples, he joined hands, thinking about where he wanted him to be.                                                

      When they put their feet in the sand on a line invisible to them, they knew they had to turn around. 

What was a danger to them now was not now. 

So maybe Fushiguro made a mistake?

Maybe it wasn't Gojo-sensei. 

It wasn't Gojo-sensei... Not Gojo-sensei, who taught them two years ago...

It was...

... end.

The end of a normal evening. 

Because what stood on the bridge was too white to be a villain.

It wasn't Gojo-sensei.

It was just Gojo Satoru. And his dark side. The dark side is thinking about not losing something at all costs.

His hands were loose on either side of his body. 

"Is it polite to break into someone's house? Megumi?" He hummed in a sing-song voice. "Nope... After all, I'm the villain here, right? Am I the villain for you?"

"You–!"

"It's me! Hello everyone! First-year teacher at Jujutsu High School, Gojo Satoru!" He bowed theatrically. "So, shall we start?"

 A/N"He bowed theatrically" I really wanted to write it in a book someday. But there was no time like this to do it. Now I've used it in the story I'm probably most proud of at the moment.

Taglist: @mc-reborn ; @yihona-san06 ; @yerinsshi ; @erisfayred ; @tohsri

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #gojo satoru #gojo x y/n #jjk x you #gojo x reader #gojo #jjk x reader #yandere gojo x reader #yandere gojo x you #yandere gojo satoru #Satoru-sensei

[fastcardotmp3]

even if they were never going to let hopper stay dead after season three because the don't know how to Do That, I still think it's bonkers that they chose to tease him being alive in the post-credits sequence LIKE.

his death felt impactful when I watched it the first time when it was released. it felt like a really big deal and a great set-up for questioning well fuck what are they going to do without him next season? what will happen to El? How will Joyce cope? what will the police force look like without someone in the know in charge?

and yeah, those questions still get answered in season 4, but during that (extra long) hiatus between the two seasons, we didn't even get to relish in ASKING because three minutes after the show ends it's just a letdown of hard-won emotion like. oh. oh he's still alive so no matter what changes it's just gonna... maybe not matter? lasting impact TBD?

there's just. like okay if he HAS to come back from the dead lets think about a slightly different way to do it, yeah? for shits and giggles?

(I am just having fun I am just playing what-ifs please do not take this too seriously fjsdklf)

step one: let the audience actually grieve that character.

let them believe he's dead or at least be very uncertain about his ability to get back up from that particular fight. let them mull on a ST universe without him because that's part of the joy of ongoing TV right?? that we get space to think about what might happen next? let them MOURN.

step two: don't send him to russia.

why are we sending him to RUSSIA when we have access to the opportunity for trapping him in the very dimension his daughter both single handedly opened and closed. why are we sending him to RUSSIA when the upside down was brought into contact with Hawkins by his kid, this girl who he has to find determination to stay alive for, who he has to find pieces of in this rotting place because if she had even some small hand in touching it then there must be something good here right?

(this also has the added bonus of opening up Joyce and Murray for having a more narratively impactful arc too. Like as if they both haven't gone down the government conspiracy rabbit hole in the wake of losing their friend? as if they wouldn't take an opportunity to investigate their OWN government and military if there's some sense that Owens is still hiding something from them?? let Joyce be contradictory in the face of having lost so much; let her outwardly look for a safe place to raise her kids and actively chase down danger because she doesn't know how NOT to at the same time)

(anyways ahem)

step three: don't bring him back in episode one.

maybe not even episode 2 or 3 either. maybe let us watch characters want him or need him or miss him in the aftermath of his loss in a mirror of what the audience feels in the wake of his death too.

step four: bring him back in a moment of high stress or action.

bring him back when Steve's got a bat's tail around his throat and his friends are wailing on monsters with rowboat oars because it's all they've GOT. bring him back-- equally changed, looking hardened and rough on the outside but with this flash of shining hope in his eyes when he realizes-- if they got here, then they can help him get home.

step five: give him the chance to be Different Now.

He's single-minded and single-missioned-- get back to El-- and that has the potential to get in the way of a lot. just because he's in hawkins this time around doesn't mean he's going to be all that helpful when the kids have a different first priority than he does. don't worry, they can still lose this time around, especially when you add the conflict of not knowing how much help Hopper is going to be when he's running exclusively on adrenaline and love for his kid.

step six: the reunion.

there is so much satisfaction to Hopper and El reuniting I love that scene in canon, but imagine how much better it could feel if, instead of his season 4 arc being about getting out of russia it could be about coming home to El.

they've both, in their separation, come to understand each other better this way too-- El because she better understands the grief that has run Hopper's life since Sara died and Hopper because he has become so familiar with the world and the creatures that have haunted El for so many years.

let there be symmetry to their reunion. let Hopper realize he wasn't there when she needed him, let El realize that she left Hawkins when he was there the whole time.

let them both be changed and have to get to know each other all over again.

let them be willing to do it.

bonus alternate tragic ending if you're into that:

there is no reunion because he dies in place of Eddie and El has to face the realization that he's been alive for 10 months only for him to die as soon as they find him and before she even gets to see him okay BYE

#dot post #hopper #think about this All The Time it was eventually gonna become a post who are we kidding afjkdsljf #i love playing posthumous script doctor i love dissecting media i care about

[dawns-beauty]

How did you get started modding npcs? I’d love to work on making the elderly people in Skyrim feel less identical but the creation kit is intimidating. Is there an easy way to dip into the modding scene or do you just have to crack things open and make mistakes? It’s hard to find guides that don’t focus on cbbe 😔

Sorry for the lateness of this, Tumblr won't let me edit drafts for asks on mobile, so I couldn't jot down my thoughts as I had them which is my usual method of answering stuff like this.

Oh man, my start was probably learning to edit the NPC from Tame the Beast 2 lol. She stood out like a sore thumb in my game. I found a tutorial that ended up becoming my method through the RS Children page.

It primarily focuses around using RaceMenu, which has a function that allows you to export the head you make directly from Character Creation. This allows you to use the extra facial sliders (like the ones from and overlays (like Freckle Mania 2, my beloved). So basically, it allows for potentially far more unique NPCs than editing via CK.

I am going to warn you, it definitely is not simpler than editing NPCs in the Creation Kit alone. Sorry.

Links are to the SE version of the mods, as that's what I'm most familiar with. They likely have LE counterparts. Sorry, I am not the greatest at writing tutorials.

Things you will need:

RaceMenu (and SKSE; be sure to get the correct versions of both for your game)

NifSkope - you will use this to open and edit the mesh. Here's GamerPoet's setup video

Things I recommend:

Creation Kit Platform Extended for Skyrim - makes using the Creation Kit way less like pulling teeth

Unofficial Creation Kit Patch - if you're using AE

an alternate start mod - I like Dimes Quickstart for its simplicity, but any would work

Another Race Menu Rotation Mod - handy for seeing how the back of hairs look

Stand still in RaceMenu (OAR) - stops the character from wiggling out of frame

For your quest to edit elders specifically, you will probably need a playable Elder Race mod (I have not tested any, but just searching for them yields plenty of options.) You will have to know exactly what races the NPCs you're editing are, though

Fun Stuff for diverse options:

Extra slider mods (I like Expressive FaceGen Morphs)

Skin Overlay Mods (for extra detailed faces)

If you want to get REAL funky with it, you can also use OutfitStudio to have a lot better time sculpting/getting super wild with assets, but that's too advanced for this tutorial (and my method is very 'goof around until it just works.'

I don't really want to cover using mod-added headparts (like eyes, hairs, etc.) There are basically two options there: add them as new headparts for your mod or make your mod dependent on the mod the headparts are from. The second way is probably simpler for beginners, but I definitely suggest installing Creation Kit Platform Extended, as it will allow you to load the other mods as masters without the Suffering™.

The Workflow

1. Design your character like you would a player character. For this example, I am redesigning Arcadia.

A recommendation: unless you really feel like you need to change it, it is typically better to make the Weight slider match the NPC's actual weight. You can see this value using either SSE Edit or the Creation Kit. It is no big deal if you don't, but if you change the weight and load the mod into an already existing save you will get a gap between the NPC's neck and body (unless you use Save Unbaker.) Be careful, though, there is a RaceMenu bug where if you load up RM again after exiting, it changes the weight by .01. So annoying.

For Skin Tone choice, if you do a custom skin tone (by pressing 'E' while hovering over the slider) I would recommend leaving the transparency slider (the 'A' value) at 100% (though I usually make the exception for Khajiit and Argonians.) This info will go into the Interpolation Value box in the CK, and the RM values can't be directly input, so you have to calculate the value with a (RM Number/255 = X/100, solve for X which is your Interpolation Value)

1a. If you are planning on adding faceparts from mods to your own plugin, I recommend saving and doing that now. Then come back to your save and change your headparts to the versions from your plugin. If you want to just have the other mods as masters, you can skip this.

2. Once you're satisfied with your design, I recommend saving your game and saving your head as a preset (click to enlarge):

3. Now, you will need to write down some stuff.

Skin Tone (RGB value):

Hover over Skin Tone slider. Press 'E'.

write down the R G B values (and A if you change it, see above note)

Even if you use a default skin tone, this is the best way to make sure you get the correct value for the CK.

Weight (number)

Scars (name) (if applicable)

Hair (name)

Facial Hair (name) (if applicable)

Eye Color (name)

Brow Type (name)

Writing down Hair Color is optional: with this method, the hair will inherit color from the head you export, not the CK value. Plus, RM's values are not really useful, because the default hair colors are named. It's the same with the Face Complexion (wrinkles, etc), with this method it is exported with the head mesh.

4. Export the Sculpt:

It should end up in your SKSE folder (SKSE\Plugins\CharGen), wherever that is for you

5. Now you can close down the game and open the Creation Kit.

Use the folder icon to load your masters.

Pick Skyrim, Update, any official DLC (if applicable), and any other mods you want to be masters for your mod (for eyes, hairs, etc.) If you've made your plugin already for headparts, just load it up.

6. In the Object Window, expand the Actors -> Actor -> Actor tabs and now you have a lot of tabs with Race names. Find the race your NPC belongs to then open the appropriate gender tab. Alternatively, you can just search the character's name in the searchbox.

7. Find your NPC's name and double click. This opens their Actor window, which is where you will use all the data you wrote down.

If you want a preview of their face, tick the box at the bottom of the window.

For weight adjustments: go to the Traits Tab. For all other values you need to worry about for this tutorial, go to the Character Gen Parts.

So, to parse this: you can ignore the Face Tint Layers box and pretty much everything on the left side of the screen.

Face Tinting Color

Type in your values for R G and B (you can ignore the Preset dropdown completely.) The Interpolation value corresponsed to the 'A' value, so unless you are working on Khajiit or Argonians, it will probably always be 1.

Base Head Parts

To change stuff in this section, click the line you want to change then go down to the dropbox below it and change it to what you want Face - unless you're using something like High Poly Heads, you can ignore this Everything else in this box: change to what you wrote down for each

Additional Head Parts

This is mainly used for scars and functions a little differently To add a scar, you need to go to the Object window again You can expand the Character tab and click 'HeadPart' then search the name of the scar you want. Click and drag the line with your scar into the Additional Head Parts box and it should show up there.

8. Once you've got the above like you want it, hit 'Ok', save your plugin. Now, to make the next step a little easier, you can click the NPC name in the Object Window again and hit f4.

This will export the meshes/textures file folders to wherever you have CK set up to export files (if you use MO2, it goes directly to the Overwrite folder by default.) Your plugin will be in the same place, (probably. Mine is bugged.)

Go ahead and exit the CK now

9. Go your your files exported from the last step. Open a second window from the files you exported from SKSE.

Open both meshes in two separate NifSkope windows.

You absolutely must make sure your headparts match the head you exported from RaceMenu exactly, or you will get the dreaded dark face bug.

If your SKSE head has a weird broken neck mesh, that's not a problem and can be ignored.

Now, you will need to find the Head textures in the head you exported from the CK. If your NifSkope is set up like mine, it should look like this:

Copy this line and paste it into the SKSE head in the same slot.

Save the SKSE NifSkope and close.

10. Rename the SKSE files (both .dds and .nif) to the number your exported heads are. You can then copy and paste your your SKSE files to their respective folders:

the .nif file goes in meshes/actors/character/FaceGenData/FaceGeom/[name of plugin]

the .dds file goes into textures/actors/character/FaceGenData/FaceTint/[name of plugin]

And now you're ready to pack up your mod for testing! At this point I also recommend taking a second and converting your plugin to an ESPFE via SSE Edit. It's pretty simple and there are probably tutorials out there.

Scully, you're not gonna believe this.

#asks #skyrim #skyrim mods #tumblr hates how big this post is hope it works okay

[traumxrei-archive]

【 book 6 thoughts ! 】

i said i'd share my thoughts, so here they are so far >:DD

part: one, two, three, four / ??

[ warning: spoilers for book 6 up until 6-16 under the cut !! ]

[ about : overblot lore drop ]

it took yuu long enough to actually TELL CROWLEY that grim was eating those rocks :')))) makes 110% sense that grim would lash out if he's been ingesting 5-overblot's-worth of purified blot

but also, i...can't believe it took twst this long to actually explain what was going on when we were fighting the overblots jsfksdfk like this whole time i've been assuming that people just. get knocked out or tired, but what they explained made so much more sense.

crowley has said that overblotting is rare. but then how come at nrc ?? there's been 5 consecutive overblots in less than a school year ?? (the twst timeline so far is from sept till around feb, bc book 5 was set during a "spring festival" iirc) the reason they don't know enough about overblots is bc they don't have enough subjects who have overblotted to research, so... i do wonder if there's something else at play here, maybe something has changed in NRC since yuu came ?

[ about : ortho lowkey scares me ]

ortho honey....wdym do we need bring back the target alive.....ofc we need grim alive sobs (the juxtaposition between his youthful n polite way of talking + the way he literally knows everything bc his brain is the internet kinda scares me a lot.)

[ about : vil's apology ]

i made a separate post to talk about this bc i started writing n it really got too long, so yes. but also. vil whipping out 50k madol like it's nothing. his acting career has really done him well.

and kalim donating it to ramshackle, my beloved. he's so nice. even while he's saying "it was sO RUN DOWN !!" as kalim was listing out the bad stuff abt ramshackle, i wonder how yuu was able to LIVE in this dump for 6 months.

[ about : ROBOTS ???? ]

HELLO ?? INTRUDERS ????? ROBOTS ?? WHAT ????? they're ignihyde blue....also the boat ? logo ? on their arms ??? what the heck does that mean ??? ok wait i can vaguely read out letters on their arm,,,styx ?? like the river styx in the greek underworld ? having a headache, are we gonna see the underworld somehow in this book ? wait, if the facility or whatever is called styx, are these robots the "charons" ? they're carrying oar-like staffs + they're trying to capture targets D and E and bring them in,,,,kinda like how charon brought souls in a boat to cross the styx river in myth. (also i was right, leona called them ferrymen >:DD)

(n they have grim. interesting that they'd ignore yuu tho, considering it was them who is the string that connects all the overblots.)

(also don't you just hate it when you win the battle, but then in canon the chars actually lost the battle. so you're just sitting there like -_-)

[ about: ob gang's capture ]

it was. very in character how each of them got captured.

vil and jamil were protecting other people (aka the freshmen, and in jamil's case, kalim) vil is really big on his responsibilities, so even though he authorized the use of magic, he still told the freshmen to stand back bc he knew they were unskilled in combat magic n that they'd get hurt bc they don't know hot to properly defend. meanwhile, jamil was probably covering any of kalim's blindspots + making sure he doesn't get hurt while looking for places where he could attack.

riddle went out with a bang, they hit him with a paralyzing beam, and he still had enough magic power to set everything on fire before they could hit him again. he also authorized everyone to fight, bc he probably believed that a group effort could take them down. as always, his sheer firepower is very impressive, the amount of magic he has and his attacking prowess is...wow.

leona....protected ruggie from harm first, saving him from glass and telling him to back off. and then he immediately scanned them to identify who they are. and of course, leona of all people, would know who they are. i think people forget, but a large reason why leona's so smart and why he skips class is bc he quite literally learned all that material when he was younger. the fact that he was the only one to recognize anti-magic plates meaning that resistance was futile and the logo from his time at the palace. (and that moment between ruggie and leona,,,,leona knows that he can trust ruggie w/ the wellbeing of savanaclaw until he returns T^T)

meanwhile azul was with idia, even though he didn't know what was happening, he got extra info from idia n ortho,,, the way azul was about to fight and idia went don't bother (bc he actually likes azul as a friend bro), and ortho went "the chances of you sustaining an injury drops by 87% if you don't struggle ^^" also. idia being concerned ? kind of ? by the ferrymen's forcefulness while coming in and taking the students is nice to see (and i KNEW it. i bet that idia's parents, or the shroud family in general, runs this Styx facility)

and they took crowley ?? crowley seems to know exactly what's going on, so i wonder why they didn't coordinate their...pick up with him beforehand (they legit destroyed so much public property + trespassed for no reason)

[ about : the plane ride ]

it's scary how they're all in a cramped dark space flying to who knows where. like how inhumane ?? they're about to take these people to do research w/ them, but clearly they don't care that they're humans, and they treat them more like convenient test subjects that have converged coincidentally in one school.

RIDDLE SLEEPING ON LEONA'S LAP IS SO FUNNY SJFDKSJFKS I CANTTTTT the way his leg was probably cramping,,,,three hours w/o moving and someone sleeping on you, he has so much patience onggg

[ about : styx ]

so...styx is an organization that does research on blot. it makes perfect sense why crowley would know they'd come knocking, since they have had 5 overblots that one school year. and the shroud family are "the watchman of the isle of woe". leona explains that they take overblotted mages there. what i don't understand is why countries can't interfere with them ?? or is it that they won't interfere with their research bc...styx' research benefits them too perhaps...?

from what leona said, they handled extreme overblot cases that regular magic marshals couldn't handle aka ones that can't un-blot anymore, so why are they coming after the ob gang ? not only were some of their overblots months ago, they've also all safely un-blotted, and transitioned back to normal life... ig my question is why them, and why now.

(it's a cool detail that the ob gang actually got help after their overblots. like it wasn't like everyone just picked up where they left off, vil mentioned medical mages and proper counseling, and that means that they were able to talk to someone about the things that troubled them.)

[ about : idia's family ]

not only do they run the jupiter conglomerate, aka the google of twisted wonderland, they might also run styx ? idia did ask the charon dudes if his mom and dad were away, ig this is what the shroud family ACTUALLY does behind the scenes of their big tech and energy business.

it also explains why idia deleted all those prospective work emails in the end of book 5,,,,bc he just knows that he won't be able to work or pursue any of his other dreams. his fate has been sealed since day 1 bc he was born a shroud, so he's probably going to end up having to take over Styx and its research in the future.

(and azul. being as on-brand as ever and saying he should've made idia in debt to him....sir, his family legit just kidnapped you, chill)

[ about : iDIA SHROUD ?? ]

HELLO. IDIA SHROUD ACTING DIRECTOR OF STYX ???? that means that his parents DO own styx, and that they're letting him run it for now while they're doing other things.... also i really hope that the ob gang don't get hurt hhhh

aaaannd i'm stopping here bc it's late, i did not realize that so much time had passed...i'm tempted to keep playing but i must sleep. n e ways yea this was just me rambling about what was happening as it happened, so i hope you...enjoyed ?? (if you did read this far)

#/trau rambles #whew book 6 has been a RIDE so far #i'm so excited to play more tomorrow :DD #book 6 spoilers #twst book 6 #chapter 6 spoilers #twst chapter 6 #idia shroud #vil schoenheit #jamil viper #riddle rosehearts #azul ashengrotto #leona kingscholar #ortho shroud #twst grim #kalim al asim #twisted wondeland

[hermesserpent-stuff]

u kno the drill. spoilers for stolen heir below!!

“We would like to adopt you and your brother as our brothers.”

Viggo says calmly. Dagur jerks away teeth flashing while he grabs the back of Hiccup’s fur vest and tugs his little brother up and back. He is so very pissed.

“Is this why you brought our boat here instead of the Markets?! To try and trap us in some sort of- You don't even really want me!! You just want Hiccup! For his designs!”

Accusations come quickly, and they kill the flicker of hope that had rested in Hiccup’s eyes for just a second. Hope that Dagur is man enough to admit sent a spark of jealousy. But he also does believe his words. Dagur shoves Hiccup behind him and makes a quick sign to his little brother out of view of the Grimborns. He then pulls his ax, ready to be a distraction. Ryker speaks, voice too calm.

“We want both of you equally.”

“Don't LIE to me. I hate it when adults do that!”

He howls and spins his ax. Both Grimborn’s have their eyes on him good. Good. He will buy Hiccup time.

“Ryker is not lying. We want to take care of you. Have our past actions not proven that?”

Viggo asks sounding for all the world like Dagur had hurt his feelings. But it has to be a lie! Who, other than Hiccup, would genuinely want him?? No one wanted him. Not really. They just wanted something from him. That is all. So he has to get him and his brother off of this island. This trap of an island that they had been dragged to while too ill to say no or resist. 

“You brought us here to make it harder to get away from you! To force us into saying yes! Well, it! WILL! NOT! WORK!”

He swings and is then fighting both brothers who just block. They do not fight back. Dagur silently notes that Hiccup is gone and mentally calculates how long it would take his brother to get back to the boat without being spotted and prep it for sea travel. He is so glad that he had gotten it repaired first thing while waiting for Hiccup to start feeling better. 

“This is not a trap!”

Ryker yells back as metal clangs against each other. He snarls loudly and then roars like a dragon as he twists and thrusts. He slices Rykers left hand shallowly and kicks out Viggo’s legs. Then he is off like a shot through the door, clambering the side of the nearest hut with the tree climbing skills he gained while following after Hiccup. He runs from roof top to metal rooftop, using momentum to help himself fling across gaps. He can hear yells filling the village and sees people heading for the docks. He needs to be there first. He gets within yelling range and screams at Hiccup.

“Sail!! I’ll swim.”

His brother hesitates and then undoes the rope morning the Hopeful Puffin to the dock and unfurls the sial. Dagur leaps down from the roof, rolling and dodging hands that try to stop him. One last check to his ax to make sure it is secure to his back, and he is at the edge of the dock.

He dives into the water and powerfully swims through the salty water, gaining on the tiny ship. Hiccup tosses him a rope and then he clambers on. Then he pulls out the two massive oars he made while on the Acumens island to prevent what happened from ever happening again and dips them into the water to give just a little more speed. The other ships were not ready to set sail on the island behind them but it would not take them long. What the Hopeful Puffin had going for it was her tiny stature and quick build, aided by the pounding oars. He throws his back into it and pushes and pushes. Hiccup mans the rudder and they flee. Flee as night falls, flee as day breaks, flee as the wind stutters. Hiccup keeps an out behind them and calls out as their pursuers vanish across the horizon line. They make it back to their island but Dagur refuses to stop until they are hidden in the center of their home. 

He collapses after stumbling into the cave. He lays as Hiccup moves about and 

“I… I think they might have been genuine Dagur.”

Hiccup breaks the silence between them for the first time in two days. Dagur snarls.

“Not talking about it.”

“But-”

“Hiccup, I don't want to lose you to another tribe. Please, just… can we talk about it later?”

--

But later never came lmao dragons came first. ^_^

#hermes speaks #dagur the deranged #hiccup haddock #httyd #httyd au #stolen heir au

[sorrelchestnut]

Eddie wishes he can remember the first time he met Steve. Wishes it was suitably weighty and dramatic, some grand portentous moment he could point to and claim that yes, he always knew this one was going to be important to him. That this one was going to be everything.

But nope, Eddie can't remember jack shit. And not in the usual way he can't remember things, like his keys or his wallet or what time he's supposed to show up somewhere, but in the more generic, too-young-to-stick kind of way that always annoyed the shit out of him when his dad tried to claim some long forgotten acquaintance that cooed over him once in a stroller. Whatever first encounter between the two of them that must have occurred in some playground or parking lot is lost forever to the mists of history, unrecorded and unremarked-upon. Eddie's first clear memory of Steve Harrington isn't until high school, an annoying little freshman horsing around in a too-big jersey on game day when Eddie was just trying to get to his fucking locker, but by then they'd been vaguely aware of each other's existence for time immemorial. That's just how it works when you grow up in the same twenty square miles.

Steve doesn't remember either; Eddie checked. Steve's first clear memory of Eddie is a little earlier - apparently there was a very contentious game of Red Rover that almost came to blows while Steve was running laps, Eddie remembers the detention if not the observer - but he already knew who Eddie was just the same as Eddie knew about him. That Harrington boy, that Munson boy, one grade apart and opposite sides of the tracks but still trapped in the same little rat maze of existence just the same.

It doesn't bother Steve the way it does Eddie, the not-remembering. But then, Steve doesn't have a feel for narrative the way Eddie does, has no room for poetry in his pragmatic little soul. Steve doesn't really give a damn about how they began so much as making sure they don't have an end, and it's one of Eddie's favorite things about him, how fucking straightforward he can be about shit when Eddie feels like he's in an eternal tailspin - but it's also a little frustrating, too, because it means he's alone in telling a story that doesn't have a proper beginning.

So, he tells it a different way. Ignores all the backstory, two houses very much not alike in dignity, circling each other in lazy unknowing orbit. Ignores the collision, broken bottle and a boat oar, ignores the fun little stroll through a hell dimension and flirting over felony grand theft auto. Picks up right there in media res on their way to the end of the world, with Steve grabbing him by his collar on his way of his front door into a hell dimension, frowning at him like Eddie had personally insulted his mother.

"Hey hey hey, where do you think you're going like that?"

"Um?" Eddie squinted back at him, not sure if he was more taken aback by being summarily scruffed like an unruly dog or how weirdly unthreatened he felt by the entire experience. "I don't think someone dressed like an extra from Top Gun has room to insult my fashion choices."

Steve made this hilarious little squinched-up face, like, what? And then promptly ignored him. "Zip that shit up," he said, releasing Eddie in order to gesture to his shirtfront. "Those layers won't do jack shit if you leave it open."

There was a lot to unpack there, not the least Steve's beleaguered single-mother-of-four tone, but Eddie focused on the most important part. "You remember my part in the plan, right? Hard to play a badass guitar solo when I'm all bundled up, dude."

Steve hit him with the most unimpressed look Eddie had ever seen on a human face, and he'd been in and out of detention since grade six. "Hard to play anything with your guts ripped out, dude."

That… was a compelling point. Eddie looked guiltily down at Steve's middle, the bulk of makeshift bandages just visible under the thick fabric of his t-shirt, then shifted his spear to his other hand in order to zip up his jacket. At Steve's expectant expression, he sullenly zipped up the vest, too.

"Happy now?" he said, spreading his arms for inspection. "Do I pass muster, my liege?"

Steve just looked him up and down, like he was actually checking, and then gave him an absolutely shithead grin that Eddie remembered from high school and clapped him on the shoulder. "You'll do."

Dustin eyed him with hilarious skepticism as they emerged from the trailer, but kept his mouth shut until Steve and co. were venturing off into the woods. Out of the corner of his mouth, he said, "You look like Rambo screwed the Stay-Puft marshmallow."

"Shut the fuck up," Eddie said gratefully, and then Eddie played a concert, and Eddie played the hero, and Eddie didn't die. And that's why he starts the story there, right in the middle of everything: because it was the first time Steve took care of him when he needed it.

It definitely wasn't the last.

#stranger things #steddie #fic #i have a lot of feelings about growing up in small towns okay #and how easy it would have been to save eddie by ZIPPING UP HIS FUCKING JACKET

[itsclydebitches]

Hey, anon. Every time you spew your absurd, rancid takes in my inbox I’m gonna put more pro-Izzy content out into the world.

Everyone enjoy a caretaker!Izzy drabble!

The translations began about six months after Stede and Ed reunited.

A good thing too, considering that Stede was pulling from the dregs of his patience. When Izzy snatched the oar out from under his nose and announced, loud enough for the whole crew to hear, that they’d somehow wind up in the doldrums if he let Stede row them to shore, he very nearly re-appropriated the tool for bludgeoning purposes.

Ed’s hand on the small of his back stopped him.

“Your wrist,” he whispered, breath tickling Stede’s ear. He shivered, even as his gaze refused to stray from their cankerous first mate, now berating poor Oluwande for his knot work.

“Pardon?”

Ed hummed, fingers skittering up and then down until they found the edge of Stede’s billowing sleeve, sneaking past to stroke the soft skin of his wrist. “Mentioned that it hurt, mate,” he said, voice still pitched low. “Remember? After our last lesson?”

Ah, yes. Ed had disarmed him in a thoroughly impressive, though also quite painful move that had left Stede’s wrist smarting for the rest of the night. He did remember commenting on that.

Apparently, so did Izzy. From a week ago.

Stede looked between the two: one now screaming about proper disembarking technique, the other wagging his stupid, absurdly handsome eyebrows.

“You’re not serious,” Stede said.

“Afraid I am.”

“Really, dear. I think you’re reading too much into this.”

“Kinda hard to do considering I can’t read, eh? Eh?”

Stede let Ed indulge in his joke while privately reassuring himself that no, that couldn’t be the case. The idea that Izzy was secretly accommodating him was—was—

Stede watched the man hit Black Pete in the back of the head. Not for any reason that he could see, just because.

Yeah, that was absurd.

Except Ed kept translating from then on out, to the point where Stede, in a moment of horrifying self-reflection, had to admit that he could see it too.

He always sits on the edge of the dinghy, Ed would whisper, all together too pleased with himself. So I can stretch out my leg, see? The day they went to visit Jim’s nana, Izzy bitched a blue streak about all the gifts Stede wanted to bring... but he took his place on the edge nonetheless, making room for the packages.

What happened the last time you ran out of oranges? Ed asked, the question floating in on the heels of Izzy roaring about cakes and unacceptable indulgences.

You don’t know how to weather a storm, love—sorry. He wants you below so you don’t drown.

Crow’s nest is actually the best place to catch sight of migrating... whatever those birds were. Separating you two is just a bonus!

No, no, hemlock can numb pain too. Promise he wasn’t trying to poison you. ...Probably.

You realize Izzy won’t decapitate for just anyone, yeah?

After weeks of learning to read Israel Hands with a diligence Stede still wasn’t sure the man deserved, he found himself deep in the Republic’s forest once again, the sweltering heat and vicious wildlife preferable to the English officers that had tried to seize Jackie’s. Ed assured him that she’d be just fine—the old girl had dealt with their kind often enough—but the three of them should steer clear of the ship for a bit. If Buttons had any sense (and, contrary to appearances, he most certainly did) then he would have already taken The Revenge into deeper waters.

The sun was setting when Stede felt something soft bouncing off the side of his head. He looked down to find a rather sad looking mango rolling at his feet.

“Can’t have you fainting on the way back,” Izzy said. His lip purled up into a sneer. “Or is fresh fruit not good enough for your fancy pallet?”

‘Fresh’ was really pushing it. The mango had its fair share of spots and when Stede picked it up he couldn’t help the face he made. It was terribly overripe.

He was just about to inform Izzy of this—perhaps with a few of his newly learned expletives to color the information—when a less than subtle cough sounded from his left. Ed was stretched out under the trees, a similarly squishy fruit in hand, head jerking towards Izzy.

Stede paused then. He considered how far up the other mango were, with no good footholds for climbing. How the rest that had fallen were long since eaten by other creatures, or trampled into the dirt. Izzy hunched over his own dinner, knife in hand, methodically removing a white mold.

Stede reconsidered his portion. No mold in sight.

With a sigh he collapsed next to Ed, resisting the urge to bury his face in his knees and express his frustration vocally. That would be rather uncouth, even for a pirate out in the wilds. Ed seemed to understand though and he slipped a hand into Stede’s hair, gently petting his curls.

“You getting it?” he asked.

“Unfortunately.” With another sigh—this one more content as Ed helped banish a headache—Stede gave in. “Yes, I understand now. But how do I...?” He bit into his lower lip. Show him that I care too? seemed far too forward, especially when Stede could only admit to that on particularly good days. Which this was not.

Ed shrugged. “Honestly? You don’t. Fucking drives Iz crazy getting any kind of gesture back, you know? If you really want to be nice, pretend I never clued you in. He’ll never say it, but he’ll be damn grateful. Trust me.” Ed suddenly grinned then, massive and boisterous and terrifying. “Thing is... I didn’t think you wanted to be nice to Izzy.”

Stede froze. Oh.

“I... I could be nice to him.”

“Mmhmm.”

“The nicest.”

“Which would actually be really mean.”

“But only from Izzy’s perspective.”

“Right. But see, the Gentleman Pirate is a super kind dude. That’s his, you know, brand.”

“Precisely. It’s hardly my fault if such courtesies get misinterpreted.”

Ed was practically shaking with laughter now. “Fuck, you are getting it.”

Stede stood, a beautiful future unfolding before him. He caught Izzy’s eye and didn’t miss the full-body flinch at whatever he found in his expression. Stede took great pleasure in adopting the sweetest, most earnest tone he could manage. Considering all that Izzy had done for him, it actually wasn't that hard.

“Izzy, dearest. Come here. Let me tell you how grateful I am for your attentions lately!”

Oh yes, he thought, watching pure, undiluted horror creep over Izzy's features. This will do just fine.

#OFMD #Our Flag Means Death #Izzy Hands #OFMDfic #in which this anon is so stupid #and I am filled with creative salt

[butternuggets-blog]

FOR WANT OF A NAIL

@baldwin-montclair @adowobsessed @sylverdeclermont @nicki-mac-me @thereadersmuse @kynthiamoon @wheresthesunshinesblog @adowbaldwin @beautifulsoulsublime @lady-lazarus-declermont @adarafaelbarba @dogblessyoutascha

Part Fourty-Two

Summary:  Baldwin Montclair had a string of ex girlfriends, a single child, and a  lifetime longer than most people could dream of to make all kinds of  mistakes. His family knew one which kept coming out of the woodwork to  irritate him every other century.

Also on AO3

The house on Drury Lane lay to its south, on the intersection between Wych Street and the rest of London. It had its back to the river and open fields on all sides, hemmed in by high brick walls to keep out prying eyes. There was an apple orchard and herb gardens, and Martin had built a series of interconnected streams and ponds full of fish and other wild animals to provide food and entertainment.

Martin was observing one of the ponds now; a family of otters had moved in and were scampering happily along their new home, climbing over rocks and flinging themselves into the water with a loud splash.

'Are you not concerned that they will eat everything?' asked Fernando. He happened to be passing through the neighbourhood that afternoon and had, on a whim, decided to come calling.

‘They are small creatures, they will not eat everything’ Martin dismissed him with a wave.

‘They may surprise you yet.’

‘If that becomes the case, I assure you you will hear of it first.’

‘I will,’ Fernando agreed, pointing. One of the smallest babies, a fuzzy little fluffball with slightly lopsided ears, was hauling the biggest fish it had probably ever seen in its life out of the water, squeaking indignantly as its siblings tried to grab its prize from its grasp.

‘Ambitious thief’ Martin said, laughing.

The faint sound of a racing carriage interrupted the moment, growing louder as it got closer to the house.

‘Should we go and see who that is?’ asked Fernando. Martin nodded and got to his feet, walking quickly. They reached the front door at the same time as the carriage pulled up and a pale-faced Matthew emerged, clutching a crumpled piece of parchment.

‘The Knights Templar-’ Matthew’s hand squeezed the parchment tighter for a moment. ‘-We are being rounded up and arrested. On King Philip’s orders.’

****

They managed to stop Fernando charging off long enough to leave instructions with the servants and then they were off, tearing across the city to the docks, and a boat waiting with an anxious Gallowglass behind the oars.

‘Could you not have found us a sailing ship?’

‘At this time of year? In this weather?’ Gallowglass swept a hand expressively towards the wild October sky. In the short time it had taken them to reach the Thames the sun had been covered by heavy black rainclouds, the wind whipping impressively fast through the streets.

‘A fair point,’ Fernando conceded. He hopped down into the front of the boat and took up a second set of oars while Matthew and Martin sat in the middle. ‘I will row too, the better to get us to France faster.’

And to Hugh.

They hadn’t said anything at all really on their way to the dock, too wrapped up in their own thoughts. Martin had asked Matthew where Philipe was; his stepfather and Ysabeau were out of the country, leaving his sisters in charge of Sept Tours while they were away.

‘Where are Baldwin and Godfrey?’ Martin asked.

‘With Ysabeau and Philipe,’ said Matthew.

‘Is Hugh at home?’

‘No,’ said Fernando, grimly. ‘He is in Paris.’

Martin and Matthew shared a look as Gallowglass pushed them off the dock wall. Paris was a month’s trip from London, even with favourable weather and fast horses.

This is going to be close…

________________________________________________________________

The crossing was choppy, but with everyone working in pairs to row they made good time.

Hugh's plans had succeeded beyond anybody's wildest expectations; the Templars paid no taxes, could move troops without issue throughout Europe, and were the rulers, or directly supported the rulers, of at least one country. King Philip IV of France, on the other hand, had inherited a kingdom crippled by loans his father had taken out to finance his war in Aragon, on top of Philip's personal debt to both the Templars and the Jews.

'He rid himself of one problem and now he is mopping up the other.' Fernando muttered, darkly. Philip had expelled the Jews from France in July the previous year, and collected their assets for his coffers in August.

Martin nodded, staring sightlessly into the water.

Perhaps that should have been a sign...

‘I can see the shore,’ Matthew said sharply, pointing. Gallowglass followed his uncle’s finger and helped Martin to row the boat into the bustling port of Calais, drawing alongside Stasia who had stopped pacing up and down the dock and was frantically waving them down.

‘What are you doing here?!’ Matthew and Gallowglass exclaimed, at the same moment that Martin and Fernando leapt out of the boat and asked ‘Have you any news of Hugh?’.

‘I am so, so sorry,’ Stasia sniffed back the tears pricking the corners of her eyes. ‘Hugh was arrested. He was being held in Chinon, and we tried to rescue him, but he was too well-guarded and nothing could be done-’

Her voice broke a little on the last word; she took a breath and gathered herself. ‘He is back in Paris now.’

‘Who betrayed him?’ Fernando was clenching his hands so tightly into fists it looked painful.

‘Guillaume de Nogaret.’

‘The keeper. of the. fucking seal.’ Martin growled. Fernando grabbed one of the oars from the boat and squeezed its handle to splinters.

________________________________________________________________

Dawn raced them across the countryside.

They had rarely ate and barely slept since setting foot in France, only pausing long enough to feed and water the horses before carrying on. What discreet enquiries they had managed to make on their travels had built into a kaleidoscope of confusing misinformation, so by the time the first twist of the Seine was in sight they still weren’t sure if Hugh was alive or dead.

They slipped into the city with the morning crowd, heads down, buried in simple cloaks. Martin had died his hair black and would normally have been the subject of intense teasing from somebody if the situation hadn’t been so tense.

‘Where is he?’ Fernando muttered, mostly to himself. Matthew closed the distance between them and pointed to a town crier standing at a crossroads up ahead. Silently, the group advanced.

‘What news of the Templars, good sir?’ Martin asked, when he realised that he had been shuffled to the front. ‘Is the trial done?’

‘Aye tis done, I am afraid.’ The man raised a hand and pointed to a distant speck in the middle of the Seine. ‘They executed them over yonder, upon Île aux Javiaux.’

All Martin could hear was the sudden wild beating of his heart and Fernando’s laboured breathing in his ear that had skipped on “executed”.

‘And who has been killed thus far?’ Matthew prompted, first being prompted himself into asking by a pallid Stasia.

‘Jacques de Molay, Geoffroi de Charney, Godefroi de Gonneville, and Hugh de Clermont,’ said the crier.

It was only Martin’s fingers wrapping around his wrist that kept Fernando from ripping out the crier’s throat with his bare hands. His other hand was busy propping up Gallowglass, who had gone chalk white and was swaying ever so slightly.

________________________________________________________________

The smart thing to do would have been to wait until nightfall, but none of them were in the mood to do the smart thing.

Martin didn't trust the oars in anyone else's hands so he rowed the boat from the riverbank to the shore of the island. Gallowglass and Fernando were holding hands and weeping, Gallowglass's face buried in the crook of his father's neck.

Stasia was crying too, head bowed beside her brother as Matthew worked his way silently through his rosary. Martin moored the boat as gently as he could, giving everyone a moment before he broke the silence.

'Someone else is here.'

The heartbeat he had heard resolved itself into a young boy. The fourteen-year-old was knelt in the dirt beside a burnt circle, head bowed, hands clasped around a rosary of his own. His monk's habit swamped him; when Martin deliberately sent a small stone skittering along the ground the boy started, tried to jump up, caught his feet in the folds of his robe and stumbled.

'You are not supposed to be here.'

'I..I am aware, m'lord,' the boy righted himself, and bowed, red-faced. He gestured feebly towards the circle. 'I..I wanted to pray for them. Someone should.'

Martin swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.

'There should be ashes.' Fernando had started to pace the burnt ground and stopped, staring. 'There is nothing. Where are their ashes?'

'They were taken away.' The boy flinched under the intensity of their gaze. 'They...their ashes were collected and taken to various shrines and churches through the city. I-I know not where.'

Gallowglass shut down, stomping back to the boat and sitting heavily beside it. Fernando nodded once and held out a shaking hand; Matthew took it and helped his brother-in-law to walk back to the shore.

________________________________________________________________

'So this is where you betrayed my husband.'

Guillaume de Nogaret shot up from his desk, gripping a short sword in his hand. 'I was following orders.'

'Orders you poured like poison into the King's ear.' Fernando glared at him, eyes flashing. Behind him in the corridor Guillaume could see his guards lying dead or dying, gore splattered across the carpet and up the walls. Distant screams echoed up from the depths of the house.

'The Templars owned the world! They had too much power!'

Author’s Notes

'ENOUGH!' Fernando roared. He gripped the desk and flipped it, sending it crashing into the wall.

Guillaume lunged, stabbing forward. Fernando blocked him and he swapped hands, swinging behind him, his left hand gripping his sword as he spun.

Fernando blocked again. He grabbed his wrist and his upper arm; Guillaume shrieked at an ungodly pitch as he twisted both in the opposite direction.

Guillaume collapsed into a heap, clutching his ruined arm. Fernando stood over him; he looked up as Gallowglass appeared in the doorway, dripping with viscera from head to foot, Martin at his heels.

'Help- help me!' Guillaume moaned.

Gallowglass stepped up beside his father, looming over the shivering lawyer as Martin turned away, locking the door behind him.

There was a mansion built on Drury Lane, but Drury House was owned and built by Suffolk barrister Sir Robert Drury, circa 1500. It passed into the hands of the Earl of Craven, became turned into the public house The Queen of Bohemia, and then was finally demolished along with the small houses built over its former gardens in 19809.

Otters don't hibernate! I thought they did. There are over ten species of otters; the ones in Martin's garden would be Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), the only wild species found in the UK.

London in October has an average temperature of 15ºC, with a lot of rain and wind competing with sunshine to make the weather very interesting.

According to Wikipedia "...King Philip IV of France mistrusted the Templars. The Teutonic Knights ruled Prussia under charters issued by the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor as a sovereign monastic state. He was concerned that the Templars in the Languedoc of southeastern France were planning the same thing.

In 1306, the Templars had supported a coup on the island of Cyprus, which had forced King Henry II of Cyprus to abdicate his throne in favor of his brother, Amalric of Tyre. Philip had inherited land in the region of Champagne, France, which was the Templars' headquarters. The Templars were already a "state within a state", were institutionally wealthy, paid no taxes, and had a large standing army which by papal decree could move freely through all European borders.

However, this army no longer had a presence in the Holy Land, leaving it with no battlefield. Philip had also inherited an impoverished kingdom from his father and was already deeply in debt to the Templars. However, recent studies emphasize the political and religious motivations of the French king. It seems that, with the "discovery" and repression of the "Templars' heresy," the Capetian monarchy claimed for itself the mystic foundations of the papal theocracy.

The Temple case was the last step of a process of appropriating these foundations, which had begun with the Franco-papal rift at the time of Boniface VIII. Being the ultimate defender of the Catholic faith, the Capetian king was invested with a Christlike function that put him above the pope : what was at stake in the Templars' trial, then, was the establishment of a "royal theocracy"."

Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was arrested on Friday, 13th October 1307, but he wasn't put to death until sometime between 11 - 18 March 1314. I sped things up because having a shorter window of opportunity to rescue Hugh made his demise make more sense in my mind.

Guillaume de Nogaret was the keeper of the seal of King Philip IV of France, not the Knights Templar (sorry for the confusion but the title sounded snappy). He was a lawyer, a statesman and a councilor, and was an active participant in the arrest and torture of the Knights Templar. After the trial, he went on to be involved with the trial of Guichard, Bishop of Troyes, on various charges including witchcraft, and was making plans to go on crusade and pilgrimage when he died in April 1313.

Now known by the moniker Île Louviers, the Île aux Javiaux "...is a former island in the Seine in the centre of Paris, just upstream of the present Île Saint-Louis and of a similar size. Never built up, it was connected with the north bank of the river in 1843. Just before it ceased to be an island it had a surface area of 33,638m². In modern Paris the former island lies between the quai Henri IV and the boulevard Morland." (Wikipedia).

The remains of the Knights Templars burnt on Île Louviers were collected and delivered to various churches around Paris.

#baldwin montclair #baldwin de clermont #bibaldwin #baldwin montclair/male oc #a discovery of witches #adow #all souls trilogy #all souls series #all souls tv series #a discovery of witches season 1 #a discovery of witches season 2 #a discovery of witches season 3

[ecoamerica]

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[zarinthel]

dvd ask meme; nobody is asking about impel downer so clearly i have to. i think i’ve read this fic in it’s entirely three times so i’d wanna interrogate you about every chapter, but I’ll pick ch8 times up. there’s a lot i like in here, sybil and akainu’s “fight”, sybil’s last prophecy to akainu as they think they’re about to die (is it a prophecy, a threat, a hope, or. last fuck you, all of the above), canonizing oars death in a heartbreaking way that fits into your plot, more hints at sybil’s backstory (which i’m always dying over will we learn more) in her conversation with shanks and the doctor and their awkard silence reaction to just casual mention of how excessively fucked over sybil has been by the world government

ch8 of impel downer, Time's Up! what a throwback. i loved writing this chapter. now let's see what i remember of something i wrote (checks date) over two years ago lol.

one of my favorite things of shifting between povs in this chapter is that nobody is happy. not garp, not shanks, nobody. not a single person in this war except for blackbeard gained more than they lost.

shanks negotiations. the thing is, he doesn't want to fight. he's not actually interested in swinging the balance of the world any further, but he's also not willing to back down-- he wont let them have whitebeard's body. he won't abandon sybil to marine custody just because it would be "easier".

garp is actually helping him with the offer. but who knows if he'd actually go along with it if sybil hadnt broken their time clock while the arguement was still ongoing.

sybil and akainu. sybil has the strength of a properly made paramecia-- if you make the right circumstances, they can hit way above their level. but there's no way for them to actually hurt him, lol. sybil doesn't really have offensive skills. well, they could probably develop them, but they don't have them. so its a cat and mouse game where the most important things are this

they want to live

akainu wants them to die; its unthinkable to let someone ruin a marine admirals rep like that and live. the problem isn't that they didn't get clobbered but that they did in a way that made him look really bad and ineffective. Lol

"Everything..." They mumble, giving up on running as they focus all their energy into the venom of their voice. "Everything you build. It's gonna crumble. The seas will bleed red with the blood of your enemies, and it will be for nothing. The seas will part, the sky will fall, the---"

the prophesy/curse/fuck you.

sybil's got a lot of stuff their unsure of. a lot of memory problems. inconsistent recall. so maybe they don't know for sure, /memory wise/, that that will happen. but because they believe that they live in a world where Monkey D Luffy will become Pirate King, it's a prophecy. they say it and they believe it.

Oars Jr.

you know, i write a lot of tragedies, but i don't actually write a lot of death scenes. im the type of person who kills people off screen and then writes reactions. so, this one...

i hate when i kill off a character and its less impactful than the original canon. so i thought, this has to be at least as sad as when Oars died in marineford, and that scene was AWFUL.

but i was genuinely sad, you know. i saw the pieces come together, realized how sybil was going to get out, and i, the author, had to realize that oars wasn't going to live. even though i'd half thought he might. thats what happens when you put the puzzle together and then realize what it shows.

you can't save someone like ace and not lose /anything/. and not lose almost everything. you just have to think its worth it.

so, sybil's backstory. this is the first time they even lay most of it out-- we've met them at the start of their adventures in the grand line, but theyve been having a rough decade or so

a watchmaker in west blue, a bad, unlucky run in with a celestial dragon, a failure to pay the Heavenly Tribute dominoed off the original bad run in, a stay in Impel Down dominoed off that. and then, the part they've failed to explain after that of how a civilian who should have been floor 1 had ended up at floor 5.5. the circumstances around their devil fruit. a lot of stuff..

how can a seer not have contempt for the heavens?

how can a prisoner not despise their chains?

and despite all that, they saved ace not for grandiose reasons, but for personal ones. do you think your death would improve the world? Even if the answer is yes, it's fine if you still live!

oh, and then the bounty. that was fun. you know, i actually picked 99 million BEFORE i realized that was the same number as th rest of doflamingo's subordinates. lmao

#meta

[tsawke-yayo]

Chapter 1; Sa'nok

Words: 2 405

Characters: Ram, Taw, Tek, Ram and Taw's parents, Olo'eyktan and Tsahìk of the Netonetxampays + Ram and Taw's uncle and aunt

Since his birth Ram has always been different. Born first, his sa'nok obviously tried to link her Kurus with him before his tsmuke to compensate the fact he have waited her to give birth to the second child but at the moment they Kurus linked the scream of pain coming from her was so loud and painful to heard the entire clan was scared about what was happening.

She refused to try again, saying it was like if she was cut in two and scared to lose his 'itan, it's his sempul who linked his Kuru to Ram's one, passing over the pain to give his 'itan a chance to live. But after that things just got worse, at first it was only a spot on the chrysalis, but it expanded quickly and the Tsahìk, scared to see the kid die, decided to make him get out sooner.

Finally they realized the baby was seeming in good health, until he suddenly stopped breathing. Panicked, his aunt, the Tsahìk tried her best and as if suddenly his tsmukan felt it, Taw was moving in her chrysalis at the stage it was dangerous she would damage it. But without even knowing how herself, the woman succeeded in making him breathe again and Ram was alive.

Again, they tried to link him to his sa'nok thinking the problem was the chrysalis but again she was so in pain she refused to let him approach and this time his tsmuk were in addition also feeling the pain. Sadly they saw the truth, Ram was having a problem with his Kuru.

And that's maybe why his sa'nok put a kind of invisible wall between them, the Na'vi even think she just can't see him as her 'itan at all to be honest.

In fact, things get worse with time and Ram has always been a weird kid to the others, he was quiet all the time, only watching without talking and hiding behind his twin as if he did not want to be seen.

And in a way it was probably true. Hiding behind Taw was comfortable, she's the tsawke, she's kind and everyone loves her, being in her shadow lets him be in peace. Taw is the tsawke warming people and letting him live thanks to him, Ram is just… him. He’s like the oare using the tsawke’s light to even try to exist.

More than trying to change himself, Ram was preferring to be like he was anyway, it was easier than changing his personality. The only problem with that was the way people were uncomfortable when they were playing with Taw and that he was around.

But when they reached 7, his uncle proposed to her to be Tsakarem, it was an honor for the family, even more since Taw or Ram should have not gotten this chance because Tek was the heir. His tsmuke didn't really get the choice, refusing would be seen as a shame for her family so she accepted. And things have started to be more complicated.

He has seen his tsmuke falling into a hole of responsibility while she was still so young, and it has slowly started to make him mad.

Their cousin was the most useless thing existing to be honest and he was doing nothing of his future Olo'eyktan work so Taw was basically supposed to learn everything for them two, and no one other than Ram was seeming angry about it.

Everyday she learned to dance many different dance, sing many kind of 'itang, heal, lead, speak to crowd, make poetry, fight in always more prettier way and all with more than 16 hours of teaching every day and when finally she was done, she was going to spend around 2 hours listening to her uncle speaking about the way he rule the clan.

And Ram just followed her most of the time. Yes he was doing his chores and he was even the one teaching sign languages and poetry to the kids of the clans but at the moment his work was done, the boy just ran to his sis and listened to the teaching with her so she didn't feel alone.

He was doing all he can to help her, it even made his aunt laugh because she sometimes said he was learning faster than Taw. But his tsmuke was not jealous and at the opposite was using it as an advantage, if he can learn faster that means he can explain to her what she doesn't understand.

So before her 18 hours of learning, Ram was explaining his tsmuke everything she didn't understand the previous day and after that they were separating themselves until he finished his work.

But between all of the things which were making Ram mad about this situation, the worst was when his aunt was saying the twins will be a good support for his cousin's mate when he will have one and that this person will become the official Tsahìk.

Taw has worked so much every day since so young, doing the work for two because of their useless cousin but in addition all of this will be useless when this bastard will have a mate? Nonsense.

Ram was already having a plan, when things would arrive they would pack their things and they would join the Tipani clan. His future mate is the second child of the chief, she's not supposed to be Olo'eyktan so Ram and Taw can have peace and be healers for the clan together.

He was ready, just trying to quietly wait for the good moment to go and move with her but this day, it was too much for him to stay calm.

Ram was searching Taw everywhere and when finally he saw her, she was on the ground, her head between her hands with a bit of blood passing behind her finger. The worry hit him like a Palulukan in the face and he ran to see her, trying to see if she was ok and helping her but the laughter in his back froze him.

"Oh my Eywa, it was so funny! Ram seriously you should have seen how she fell. That was hilarious!" The voice of Tek behind him was full of mocking and without looking at him he was capable of seeing his so stupid smile.

He looked around trying to ignore him and breath to stay calm while trying to find what was having hurt Taw.

"I'm ok Ram don't worry." She showed a rock where blood was already starting to dry. " My head has just hit this rock, it's nothing. Just-" This stupid laugh was louder and cutted her sentence but she just sighed. "Just help me go see our aunt."

He nodded, and helped her to get up on her feet but she was obviously having a hard time walking and he turned to watch the bastard behind.

"Go search for help, she will probably not be able to walk to the village in this state." The laugh stopped and his cousin was having a pure look of confusion on his face before looking annoyed.

"Oh please, she's perfectly ok. Taw just wants attention like always you know it just like me." Ram was starting to feel the anger becoming bigger and bigger after every word. He needs to stay calm. "She doesn't even deserve the ointment to be honest. If she was looking where she put her feet nothing would have happened, it would be a waste for every-" Tek never finished this sentence, a punch in the face cutting him before the last words.

The taller of the three had left his tsmuke on the grass behind him and was now standing up in front of the boy who was laying on the ground with pure shock on his face.

"You- you have hit me?!"

"Don't even try to say something like that again."

"Or what?! Ah? Are you going to hit me again? I'm waiting, do it." Ram was ready to hit him another time but he couldn't, just with this punch he will already have problems, he can't do more. "You're just a weirdo Ram. No one in the clan even likes you. What do you think would happen if you hit me?"

"Tek stop! Ram came with me now." Taw was trying to force him to follow her by taking his arms between her hands but he didn't want to move, he sighed and still followed her to not be a bigger problem for his twin.

" Yeah look at you following her like if you were her little pet, you're not anything more than that anyway!"

This bitch. He wanted to turn and hit him again but Taw silently begged him to not do it with her eyes and he closed his own before nodding and just lifted her in his arms to take her into their aunt's Marui to be healed.

But the consequences of this punch will fall on him at a moment or another, and the evening was apparently the moment.

“How can you have done something like that Ram?!” The mixed Na’vi keeped his gaze on the floor while listening to his sa'nok's screams. Obviously Tek has to wait until the meal time to return to the village, and even with a bigger injury than what Ram would have done to him. “What if they decide to make you leave ah?"

“ Yawntutsyìp, you know my tsmuke would never do that…” Ram felt glad his sempul tried to help but everyone knew how much it was a bad idea.

She had already drunk some alcohol with her friends at the start of the meal and it was better to let her scream without interrupting. It was always the same shit anyway, he can deal with it no need to add more oil on the fire.

“Shut up Don't. Don’t even try to be by his side.” A movement of her hand in front of his face made him step back but he tried to speak again looking desperate.

“I’m not-” Ram heard his sempul’s voice disappear in his throat and winced, definitely he’s not ready to look his sa'nok in the eyes. “I will go see Tek. Taw come with me yawn...”

He felt a hand on his back to give him strength while his sis was passing behind to follow their sempul and he couldn't stop the smile that was taking place on his face.

“Stop smiling.” Shit. “Ram now answer me, why have you done this?! You're supposed to mate with the chief 'site of the Tipanis, if you became an outcast why would she keep you as a future mate?! It was already hard to make her sempul understand you were not useless and now you do that? Are you trying to embarrass me?!”

“ I don't want to embarrass you, I was protecting my tsmuke. He was laughing at Taw while she was bleeding. He have say that healing her would be a waste and-”

“You have hit him for that?! Oh my Eywa… Everyone knows that your cousin is a stupid little bastard Ram. I keep telling you to ignore his provocations but you always end up having problems with him and now you hit him?! Violence between people of the clan is not accepted here and you perfectly know it!”

“And what?! I was supposed to let him laugh when my tsmuke was hurt?!” He needed to control himself to not explode at this moment.

“You should have taken care of her more than giving importance to his words.” His sa'nok was calmer now, her voice was cold and her eyes were looking at him as if he was some kind of annoying shit she needed to deal with.

“I can’t believe you say that.” She raised her shoulders before drinking in the bowl next to her, and at the view of her face, Ram understood it was alcohol. “Wait, are you… drinking right now?”

“With all your shit I deserve a drink.” And again she take a sip like if it was perfectly fucking normal.

“All my shit? Ah? You really see it like that?" The anger was becoming bigger and bigger at every step he took to come closer to her before taking the bowl in her hand and throwing it against the wall. " I was only trying to make him stop being disrespectful to my tsmuke! Why am I the only one to react when he does that?! She’s your 'ite, you should protect her! You should… protect us, we are your ‘evis…”

“Ah! Please Ram don’t start on this subject. She’s my 'ite but are you even sure you're my 'itan?” He froze before having a little bitter laugh.

“I was hoping to be honest?” He tried to hide the shakes in his voice, he can’t seem weak now, not with this discussion coming. “So you really don’t see me like your 'itan?”

“Why should I? I have tried, I have hoped that things will change when you grow up but it just seems worse every day. I haven't felt any link between us since the first day and I’m not even sure that you can feel a link with someone other than Taw. I’m tired of this acting, I don't feel like being your sa'nok, my maternal instinct doesn't work with you don't you think it's for a reason? You probably haven't even seen me like your sa'nok since the beginning. Let's be honest and stop all of this.”

“I see.” He turned his back and started to go to his part of the Marui to take his things.

But when he returned to the central part, his sempul and Taw were here again, with his uncle and aunt this time. He sighed.

“Ram, where are you going?” Taw was looking worried and he felt bad, all day she was having this look on her face because of him…

“I’m leaving.”

“What?! No! You will go nowhere you- Sanu! Sempu! Help me! Say something!”

“I have hit Tek, the punishment for a fight is going to live in the forest at the time decided by the Olo’eyktan Taw… Uncle, how long?”

“26 eclipse.”

“Great. I’m sorry sis, take care of you.” And he leaves, trying to not step back and hug his tsmuke after having heard starting to cry.

So that was the first chapter Ram's fic, I'm really happy to finally share his story with more people and I hope you have enjoyed it (funfact it's the twins' birthday today 🎉)

Don't hesitate to tell me what you have think about this first chapter!! Second one will probably come in not long I'm just finishing it at the moment so when I will have reread it and be sure it was ok I will can post it 🙃

#writing #writers on tumblr #writer #fanfic #fanfiction #Avatar #avatar the way of water #Avatar twow #atwow #oc #oc writing #original character #original writing

[paladinsbrainrot]

CHAPTER TWO: VECNA’S CURSE

In my last analysis, I only really had to comment about the Hawkins plot, but I have lots to say on all three this episode so it’ll be separated into sections for better viewing. 

RUSSIA

- The second episodes of both season two and season four (S2E2 and S4E2) start of the same way: showing us how a particular character survived the events of their supposed death. Season two shows us Eleven, season four shows us Hopper. Makes me wonder if we’ll see any more parallels between them two. 

- This is a bit more obvious, and I’m sure someone's already picked up on it, but when the guard says “Who do you work for?” and beats up Hopper when he doesn’t answer, its a direct parallel to season three Steve who is asked the same question and is then beat up. 

HAWKINS

- Lucas throwing up in the toilet surprisingly parallels to Chrissy in episode one. I don’t think anything will happen to Lucas, but it’s interesting considering this is only the third time we’ve seen someone throw up.

-Benny’s Burgers having Christmas lights around the place is definetly an homage to the season one Christmas lights. (When Jason looks out the window, it even looks like there are alphabet writing on the wall!) 

-Nancy trying to make her way to the crime scene in the trailer park reminds me of s3 when she was trying to visit her ‘grandma’ again. Both people she wants to see are dead, or end up dying.

-Oh... poor Nancy. Having two of her friends die. Fred is the new Barb. Nancy calls out to him when he goes missing in the night just like she did to Barb. Note for the people in Hawkins: Don’t leave your friends by themselves!

-When Robin says “If only we could combine” to Steve, I was almost positive this is foreshadowing. I’m assuming Steve is dying this season, and perhaps combining means Steve dying and Robin taking over his legacy, combining. 

-Ah, more Steve is dead talk. “Don’t worry, Steve will get them with his oar” - I think this is direct foreshadowing of Steve going underwater this season, possibly going to to kill something underwater, with an oar. 

CALIFORNIA

- I think El smacking Angela in the face with a rollerblade parallels to season one where Mike pushes Troy to the ground. 

- Jonathan knows about Byler. Will is coming out to him this season, that’s if he hasn’t already told him. 

-When El is skating with the bullies, the time on the camera is 2:36 pm, 2 + 3 + 6 = 11. Also, did the writers completely forget about Will’s birthday? Lol

-With another Mike and Will fight, that only calls for more parallels. They’re even in the same positions in the last one. And Mike says “That’s not true!” just like in the previous season. 

-Prediction: Considering El lying to Mike and Mike finding out, I’d assume Mike would say something like “You don’t have to be someone you aren’t. I’m a loser too” in later episodes. 

(I’ll be analyzing eps 3, 4, and 5 tomorrow!)

#stranger things #stranger things 4 spoilers #st4 spoilers #mike wheeler #will byers #byler #el hopper #jane byers #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson #jim hopper #joyce byers #nancy wheeler #fred benson #steve harrington #robin buckley #jonathan byers

[corvid-collects]

ok ok ok ok ok rowing, the basics as best as I know them

Rowing is the sport of propelling a thin, light tapered boat across the water in the direction you are not facing.

here's an example

here's another!

there's one more! now note the differences between these three boats. In the first boat, each person is using 1 oar each. This is called sweeping. The boat also has eight people, and so fittingly, it's called an eight, or in the notation used commonly, an 8+. keep track of that plus, we'll get to that later. In the second photo, there are notably less people in the boat. This boat has one person, it's called a single, or a 1x. The rower, for hopefully what are obvious reasons, has two oars. This is called sculling. The last photo has what we call a straight quadruple (quad), or 4x-/4x. This has 4 people, with 2 oars each. This is a great illustration of the types of boats, so let me summarize it quickly.

There are 7 main different types of boats. In sculling (2 oars each) there is the octuple (oct, 8x+, literally never used in races), the quadruple (quad 4x+/-), the double (2x), and the single (1x). In sweeping (1 oar each) there is the eight (8+, very common for colleges in the US), the four (4-/+), the pair (2-), and there is no equivalent for the single in sweeping.

Now what do the pluses and minuses mean? Well, they're indicative of a coxswain (pronounced, cox-in). A coxswain or coxian, I'm not quite sure which is right, is someone who sits in the boat but is not a rower, and their job is to steer, correct, command and encourage the boat. Do not underestimate their importance. A good coxswain can shave full seconds off of a boat's time through good steering alone. When there is a plus, a coxswain is present. When there is a minus, or no symbol at all, there is not a coxswain. Coxswains are only really used for eights, quads and fours. On occasion, there will be coxxed pairs and doubles, but those are usually for parasports, and even then it's not very common. Additionally, when a coxwain is not present on a four or quad, to will often be called a straight quad/four, simply meaning there is no coxswain. Note, there is no such thing as a straight eight/oct, it would be a disaster, because the eight is simply too big a boat to not have a cox to organize them. Coxswains are often light, and they must be small, loud, motivated and they overall keep the whole team on track and motivated.

Moving on to equipment and boats. Oars are one of your most important pieces of equipment. They propel your boat and keep you moving. Sweeping oars are longer and thicker than sculling oars, and obviously, in sculling you have two. For both types of oars, there are different models, weights and materials available, and different ones are better for different people. The most widely known and used brand of oars are concept oars. Other useful peices of equipment are bow lights, used to indicate your location on the water ot other boats if it's a bit dark out, and also pontoons, flotation devices for your boat, which are more common in parasports, but some clubs use them for beginners, and especially for smaller boats, which have more chance of flipping. Then boats. Boats themselves have variations and uses. Heavier boats are for heavier people, and wider boats generally tend to be a bit slower, but balance themselves better. There are countless brands, but wintech, fluid design, vespoli, hudson, and fillipi are all some common brands, all varying in design, specialties, and prices (think, ranging from the half the price of a car, to the price of a small house). Some important parts of a boat to know are showed below.

Moving on to commands. In a boat, in everything is different. Your right, usually denoted by red (for example, a little red stripe on your oar), is port. Your left, usually denoted by green, is starboard. Most common phrases include way-enough, way-nuff, way-noff, etc, which essentially means, stop rowing. Another is hold water, or check, which means to stop your oars into the water to stop the momentum of the boat.

anyway, this has been a solid half hour of typing, part two later if you want it!

#rowing #bats #sculling #sweeping #athlete #the basics of... #teaching

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

#ACLA24 #ACLA24HighSchoolStudents #youtube #youtube video #climate leaders #climate solutions #climate action #climate and environment #climate #climate change #climate and health #climate blog #climate justice #climate news #weather and climate #environmental news #environment #environmental awareness #environment and health #environmental #environmental issues #environmental education #environmental justice #environmental protection #environmental health #high school students #high school #youth #youth of america #school