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#from the same forest now in april
sirenologyyy · 4 months
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RIGHT SIDE OF MY NECK!
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neteyam x fem!metkayina reader
✧ summary : a certain sully boy can't admit he's smitten by one of the daughters of the olo'eyktan, but why would he? he's calculated and discerning and she's everything he wished he was.
✧ warnings : swearing (that's pretty much it LMAO)
✧ author's note : neteyam's 15, reader is older than tsireya by a year or so, some much needed lo'ak and neteyam brotherly bonding (after the trauma inducing hellscape that was atwow), lo'ak talking like a regular teenage boy, and in honor of it being December again, may i present to you, a neteyam fic that has been rotting in my drafts since April 🤩
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A gravelly groan escapes your lips as your hands managed to shield your face, almost to hide yourself from the undisputable truth that you, along with your Tsireya, and your older brother Ao'nung had been roped into the evident mess that was to teach the children of Toruk Makto the ways of the Metkayina.
You weren't as prejudiced as Ao'nung, sneering at the Sully children whenever he'd run into them, so meticulously influenced by your mother's dislike towards Skypeople, let alone the Omaticaya.
You weren't as welcoming as your big sister, who had greeted them with big grins that only further accentuated her dimples and her devout willingness to help Toruk Makto's family in any way she could. While you had resorted to mirthless smiles and polite nods whenever you'd come across one of them, it was unnatural, yes, Ao'nung was quite unfair with his treatment towards them, yes, but Tsireya's overall cheer and joviality was something you could not for the life of you reciprocate.
You were fine with them being here, although you couldn't say the same for most of your people.
The only real thorn in your side was the oldest.
Neteyam.
Oh how your blood boiled whenever you'd spot him in the crowd. Always so eager to help, so eager to please, so perfect, so good, it made you want to punch the living daylights out of him... Well, only slightly, that may be an exaggeration. Your hate for him might be particularly irrational but valid in all the worst ways.
"Can't you tell them I've been bitten by something?"
"No" Tsireya snorts.
"I've slipped collecting coconuts and dislocated my ankle"
"Stop moving so much sister, or I will mess up your hair"
It was like he was so anxious about keeping up the golden boy facade, what a show off, you thought. Going out of his way to help any way he could, helping carry baskets of dried fish across the village, pushing heavy boats off to sea, weaving baskets, seeing to the ilus, even the tsuraks at one point. It infuriated you. What did he had to gain?
If there was one thing you despised, it was try-hards.
And Neteyam Sully was the bane of your existence.
"Oh!" You had exclaimed, snapping your fingers. "You can tell them I have fallen off my ilu and got ripped apart by an akula"
Tsireya laughed. "Yes, like they would believe me"
With another scoff, you stare st your sister through the mirror, so engrossed in the braiding technique you'd requested for her to do on your hair. "I don't see why you're bringing me into your affairs sister, it is clear as day you only want to help out the Forest People because you like the way that boy kept looking at you yesterday"
Tsireya tugs at your half-finished braid, making you swear and rub at your head, bringing Tsireya some amusement out of this. "Now, be quiet, be still, let me do my job"
With a sour mood, you allow Tsireya to thread the shells you requested she put in, sitting up straighter. "Your job in being an absolute bitch?"
Tsireya sighs again, feeling her slump in frustration behind you. "Do you think it is so easy a job for me to constantly deal with your attitude?"
A smirk comes to your face as Tsireya knots your braid off. "Don't worry, all your efforts will be seen by Eywa, she might even make the boy tell you your hair looks nice today"
"Enough, Y/N" Tsireya says, standing up from her seat.
You stood as well, hooking your arm around Tsireya's as you left your pod. "Oh let me have my fun"
A dozen morbid thoughts suddenly flood Tsireya's mind. "If we do that I am afraid there will be nothing left of Awa'atlu when you are finished"
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When you arrive, you immediately spot both the brothers sitting on the edge of the woven platform, their long legs dangling just above the water. They looked to be so immersed in a conversation that neither of them noticed you or Tsireya approach them, only when they were about 4 feet apart was when you clicked your tongue against the roof of your mouth.
"Oh great mother, is it just the two of you?" Says you, making both the boys stand up like springs.
"No, our sisters are coming, they aren't exactly good at being early to things" says the younger one, his eyes flicking to Tsireya every now and then, making you dizzy trying to hold eye contact with the boy.
"Hey Tsireya" He finally says, nodding at her sister who laughs again. It took everything in you not to start dry-heaving in front of them.
"Why do you sound so disappointed?" Neteyam wonders, another smirk playing at his thin lips as he looks at you.
Your forehead creases. "I am nothing of the sort, what about you? What has gotten you so chipper?"
"Nothing all that special, really" He replied, not even convincing himself.
You heftily exhaled through your nose, moving away from the group and walking up on the platform, taking one of the seaweed bands on your arm to bunch your hair up just to get it out of your face. Once you'd pull your hair through the band the final time, you turned around just to see Neteyam's head turn away, almost like it was a chain reaction.
You placed your hands over the dip of your hips, facing the odd group. "Now, where has our dear brother wandered off to? It's almost noon and he is nowhere in sight"
This makes the rest of them look around for Ao'nung, even the two brothers who you'd assumed wanted nothing to do with him after your brother had showed his blatant contempt towards them after he'd ridiculed them during their arrival.
"He must still be with Rotxo and the others, we must be patient" says Tsireya.
Your mind remained closed, throwing your hands up in the air only for them to land on her hips with a thwack. "We both know Ao'nung does not move like the tide, he is too stubborn, too hard in the head " you found yourself saying, prodding a finger at your forehead.
"Patience, sister" Tsireya admonishes calmly, making her way towards you as you placed your hands on the identation of your woven skirt. "We must not rush things, we allow things to come to us at their own pace"
"Alright, alright" you tell her half-heartedly.
"Hey! Sorry, are we late?"
You turn her head to spot the two Sully sisters jogging up to the beach, the youngest out of all of them went straight for Neteyam, watching as he scooped her up with no hesitation. "Where in Eywa's name were you two?" Neteyam wonders, eyeing his sisters curiously.
The older girl rolled her eyes, pointing her chin at the youngest. "Couldn't decide on which skirt she wanted to wear"
The little girl pouts. "I didn't know which one I wanted!" She protested, her ears drooping down.
"She had two to choose from" the older sister groaned. Eyes finding yours as her grin widens, you chuckle to yourselves, having sisters was never a dull moment.
You two had bonded over that when you first helped her with her chores, although she seemed reluctant at first she accepted. Neither of you got anything done as you both found that snacking on dried seaweed and exchanging stories about your lives proved to be more fun.
"Maybe he isn't coming" says Neteyam's younger brother, subtly inching towards Tsireya while keeping everyone under the impression that he was trying to find Ao'nung just like she was, but in truth, all he wanted was to stand beside her. Tsireya didn't pick up on it at all, being the oblivious person she was, but Neteyam did, quietly chuckling to himself as he puts Tuk down, watching as she sprints towards the sand at full speed.
You shook your head at the sound of Tsireya's giggles and walks off the diving platform as well, making your way towards the beach to stretch your legs, walking along the coastline trying to kill time. That is until something tugs at your skirt, you turned around to see who it was but then looks down to see Neteyam's youngest sister, proudly holding a small conch shell in her hands, beaming up at you.
"They look just like the ones in your hair!" She exclaimed, a gigantic grin spreading across her face as you crouched to her level, taking the shell from her hands to study it. "It's a light purple, you don't have any purple shells yet"
"You're right, I don't have any purple shells in my hair yet do I?" You say in genuine amazement, holding it up against the sun, feeling the little girl scoot closer to you, but the shell had suddenly started to sprout 6 legs and you dropped it, startled by the animal and by the little girl's scream, you watch as it scurries back into the water, gone forever.
You turned back to the little girl who was visibly upset, another frown slowly forming on her face before you placed your hands on the little girl's shoulders. "Hey, we'll find another one around here somewhere, don't be upset"
She huffed, her shoulders rising and falling. "I didn't know there was something inside it, I really didn't"
You shook your head. "Neither did I, we both didn't know" you assured the younger girl, cupping her round face as her frown slowly started to shift into a smile. "Look, if we need to do this properly and find shells for my hair, I'm gunna need to know your name"
"Tuk!" She says. "My name's Tuk!"
"It's very nice to meet you Tuk"
"Really?" She giggled as you nodded. "What about you? What's your name?"
You beckoned her closer with a simple gesture of your fingers as you whispered your name into her ear.
"You've got a very pretty name" Tuk whispers as well, hiding her face behind her hands as she giggled.
"So do you" You had whispered all the same.
Tuk then looks back at the diving platform, and then back at you. "Y'know I think my brother is staring at you"
"Oh yeah? Why do you think that is so?"
The little girl scratches her head. "I don't know, he only stares at things he thinks looks nice or looks weird"
You grinned. "Does your brother think I look nice or weird?"
Tuk blinks. "I don't think you look weird"
"Would he think that?" Ka'leia emphasized.
"Probably" Tuk replies honestly, looking back at the diving platform again. "Why else does he keep staring at you?"
It made you think, it made your mind spiral into the bottomless void of memories in which you had caught a pair of warm amber eyes catch yours, and every time you did it made your heart stutter, however unfortunate it may be. "I'm not so sure either"
"Neteyam's weird" Tuk deduced.
You snort. "Yeah, he's weird"
Silence settles between you, but not for long as Tuk takes your hand and pulls you up. "Can we go and find shells now? Then we can put them in your hair! Then you'll look pretty!"
"Am I not pretty now?"
"No, not really" says Tuk, swinging your interlocked arms back and forth as her wide eyes scanned the sand.
"No?" You wonder almost scandalised, "alright " you nod.
You and Tuk spent a good couple of minutes digging holes on the beach to fish out the shells that had been buried underneath the sand, conch shells, shards of shells, fossils, rocks, bits and pieces of coral, if it was pretty enough for Tuk's standards she's adding it to her pile.
5 minutes later you're following her around with an armful of tiny shells, half the beach full of holes from Tuk and her makeshift shovel that had originally been a branch, with her screaming in delight when she's spotted another one, hurriedly running to you to add it in with the rest.
Lo'ak abruptly places his hands on Neteyam's shoulders, purposefully trying to scare him but Neteyam does not flinch at all. "Yo bro, you got a staring problem or something?" He wonders in English, stepping beside Neteyam to look out into the beach too.
"You done flirting with Tsireya?" Neteyam shot back.
Lo'ak huffed. "Pfft, me? Tsireya?"
"I know your tell, your tail's a dead giveaway"
Lo'ak laughs, punching Neteyam's shoulder, finally making the older boy turn to face him. "Yo! Shut your ass up!"
Neteyam chuckles. "No one else here understands English bro, we're fine!"
Lo'ak shook his head. "I'm not worried about the Metkayina, I'm worried about that devil right there" He says, pointing at the beach.
Neteyam looks at the direction where Lo'ak was pointing. "Who? Tuk?
"She's got spot on hearing, incredible memory," Lo'ak listed. "If I'd have known how much of a tattletail she'd be I'd have abandoned her in the forest when she was a baby"
Neteyam frowns, laughing. "Yes, and when I'd get home I'd find your extra finger in my stew"
Lo'ak grimaces, almost gagging as Neteyam wiggles one of his fingers at him. "Disgusting!"
Neteyam cackles loudly, watching as Lo'ak covered his mouth. "You're overreacting!" He tells him.
"Nah bro, you don't get to fill my mind with those kinda thoughts" Lo'ak says.
Neteyam places a hand on his back. "Face it baby bro, i'm in your head"
Lo'ak pushes it away, chuckling. "Lay off!"
"Will you two ever go a day without fighting eachother?" Kiri asks, giving them a look.
"Not sure" says Lo'ak. "But I wouldn't hold my breath"
Kiri rolled her eyes and Lo'ak turns to Neteyam again. "If Ao'nung isn't coming then we might as well fetch him, if you catch my drift"
Neteyam shakes his head, his braids swishing from side to side. "No, we will do no such thing"
Lo'ak half shrugs, already moving away. "Fine, if you won't then I will"
Neteyam grabs his arm, stopping his brother in his tracks. "Hey, what did dad say?"
He pretends to think. "Not sure, something about you being the next poster boy of the clan?"
Neteyam flicks a finger on Lo'ak's forehead, making the younger boy hiss. "No, you skxawng, he wants us to be on our best behavior, and I don't want to be stopping you from pulling another shitty stunt that'll get you in trouble"
"Fine" Lo'ak says. "I'll go check up on Tuk," He tells Neteyam unconvincingly, scratching the side of his head. "What's up with you and wanting to stay on the beach?"
Neteyam's jaw tightens. "There's nothing that's keeping me here except my promise to dad"
"Uh-huh" Lo'ak nods, eyes flicking to you and Tuk. "Nothing or no one?"
"I don't know what you're talking about"
Lo'ak frowns, pretending he understood. "She's pretty hot"
Neteyam pays him no mind, only scoffing.
"She still avoiding you?" Lo'ak asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yes, and I can't seem to find the reason why" Neteyam huffed.
Lo'ak snickers. "Maybe it's cuz you're coming off a little too strong"
"I don't know how else I can get her to talk to me without her insulting every fibre of my being or making up some excuse to leave, I've tried everything" He replies desperately, causing Lo'ak's eyes to go wide, a whistle leaving his mouth. "Damn that bad??? What the hell did you do to her to make you hate her this much?"
Neteyam rakes his face with dread. "I don't know baby bro, but you have no idea what I would do to find out the reason why"
His brother was too down-bad to be saved, Lo'ak knew that much, looking across the beach as he studies you with his little sister. Neteyam looks at his brother, his eyes seemingly trained on you as it flicks up and down, he slaps his brother's arm. "It's rude to stare"
"Yeah, go tell that to them" Says Lo'ak, pointing at a handful of Metkayin boys passing by, giving you stolen glances as they talked amongst themselves, chuckling and hooting.
Neteyam's eyes narrow into slits. "They're irrelevant, we must not let ourselves become like them"
Lo'ak glances at him, clearly unconvinced. "Yeah, okay, so stop looking"
"Fine, I won't" Neteyam replies quickly, watching Lo'ak turn around and walk to the edge of the platform. But he dosen't stop looking, he hated himself for it for it and the way that it was practically eating himself alive.
Wasn't it such a simple task? To turn his head around and look somewhere else? Well it should be, but Neteyam couldn't bring himself to pry his eyes away from you, you, oh Eywa. Your eyes were the colour of the sea, your hair shiny and black, your smile making his stomach twist itself into knots, your laugh making shivers run up his back, the way you dressed alone would make people turn heads, but your attitude was what drew Neteyam in.
You didn't feel the need to keep up this respectful facade, treat him like a guest because it was expected of you as the daughter of the Olo'eyktan, no, you treated him the way you thought of him.
You were rude, you were impolite, and you were blunt, because you didn't like him. You didn't feel inclined to tolerate him just like what was expected of you. He wished he was that brave.
"'Teyam! 'Teyam look what I got!" Tuk squealed as the pair of you walked up the diving platform carrying mountains of shells on your palms. "Y/N told me she and 'Reya could put these in my hair after diving lessons! Isn't that cool?!?"
"Oh Tuk, you didn't force her into braiding your hair did you?"
Tuk looks back at you for moral support. "But she said she would-"
"-Neteyam let her be, if she wants me to braid her hair then I'd be happy to" you had jumped in, siding with Tuk whose ears flicked upwards at her statement. "I hope it isn't too infuriating that I favour your sisters over you"
Neteyam wanted to scoff, but instead stifles it with a tight smile. "Nonsense, my sisters have that effect on everyone" He tells her, looking at Tuk. "Don't you?"
Tuk simply gives him a giggle, a swift nod, and then runs to Kiri, shouting her name over and over again before the older girl groans in acknowledgement. "Here," you say, handing him a conch shell with yellow and brown patterns ruminating on its surface.
"What's this for?" He wonders.
"Your sister practically dug up the entire beach, you deserve at least one" you chuckled.
Oh. He stares at the shell in your hands, then looks back at your face. "If I take this does this mean we'll be friends?" He asks, a sly smile breaking on his face.
"Oh you wish" You reply, smirking as you narrow your eyss at the boy. "Taking this won't change anything"
"Yes it does," He replies as a matter of factly. "this is the longest conversation we've ever had without you leaving or insulting me"
"No it dosen't" You shook your head, insistent. "I'll still hate you after this"
He hums. "I think I can live with that," He smiled. "I did get a gift from the daughter of the Olo'eyktan after all" He laughs when he hears you scoff.
You leave right after he takes it and right before he could say thank you. Walking off to find a basket to store more of Tuk's shells in.
Neteyam looks at the shell in his hands, about 2 and a half inches long, smooth, shiny, perfect, it was perfect. He loves it. He closes his fist, a smile breaking on his face before he could even relent it, a light purple tinting his cheeks as he places the shell in one of his pockets.
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violetsiren90 · 29 days
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Evergreen | Bang Chan/Reader
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Pairing: wolf hybrid!Bang Chan x human!f!Reader
(A Nothing But You universe fic)
Genre: hybrid AU; one-shot; established relationship; domestic fluff; slice of life; mountain living; pregnancy
Word Count: 1689
Summary: Seasons change, life moves on - but some things stay the same.
Content Warning: PG-13 for themes but my page and all its content are 18+ (minors, dni); wolf hybrid rut; mentions of knotting and marking; mentions of rut symptoms that include insomnia and lack of appetite; deep emotions; the use of "your" and "belonging" in the sense of committed love NOT ownership; pregnancy; mentions of different states of undress; domesticity and shared domestic responsibility; homesteading; Chris being the sweetest and most caring 😭💕; Chris chopping wood 😳; mentions of food and eating; implications of sexual intimacy, parenthood
Author's Note: I guess I went and fell in love with these two. This is a companion one-shot to Nothing But You. This one-shot is a different flavor, not as soft and cozy all the way through - there are more notes here, I think. Some sweeter, some sharper, but in the end, it's still them. I wanted to peek into their lives and see how they lived and loved. 🥰
If no one has told you yet today, please know that you are so loved, and so worthy of love! 🧜‍♀️💜
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~January~
Snow burdens the branches of the pines, the bitter North wind whistling between the trees, through the darkness, and over the blanket of fresh powder shrouding the forest floor. The mountains are sleeping, but your wolf is awake.
He nearly collapses, sinking to his knees as he shuts the cabin door. You spring up from your place by the fire to rush to him, but he holds up a hand, a growl rumbling low in his chest. You freeze. Panting, he slowly raises his face. Snowflakes cling to his lashes and dust over his head and shoulders. The dusky circles under his brown eyes speak of weariness, yet their expression is dark and wild. His nose is flushed from the chill. Beads of sweat quiver on his brow.
The fever still hasn't broken.
It appeared two days ago, with other sudden changes. Christopher has grown restless and short-tempered, and won't sleep in your bed. He smells intoxicatingly of cedar wood and amber.
You've been through it all before, his annual rut at the end of winter - four days of watching him endure the throes of primal agony. He would steal away at night, to hunt, your proximity far too overwhelming for his heightened senses and desires. Unchecked he would fail to stop himself. He would take you, mark you, knot you.
He hadn't in the four years you'd shared a bed and the comfort of the other's flesh. You'd spoken of the mating rites, but he always held off, afraid to break you. So protective of you always, and without a second a thought to himself.
You respected his space, his wishes, attempting to help him navigate the torment of his natural longings as best you could.
But this year it had taken him like a wild fire. The fever wouldn't break. He wouldn't sleep or eat. And now, here he was, half frozen and shivering on the floor.
No more.
You slowly cross to pull him up against his weak protesting. You peel away his frost-damp clothes and drag his heavy frame to rest upon the bed. With his last strength he tries to push you away, but you slip under the blankets beside him, pulling him into your arms.
His eyes flutter shut as he curls against you and nuzzles into your neck, whimpering that when he wakes it will be too hard for him to hold back.
You tell him not to try.
You tell him that you need him, want him - all of him. This part too, with all the others.
You assure him softly that you're not afraid, nor should he fear to make you his...you already belong to one another, after all.
You whisper that you love him.
Christopher exhales, tears trickling down his cheeks to mingle with the sweat and melted snow. You hold him to your breast, brushing soft kisses into his hair.
Cedar wood and amber.
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~April~
You shake out a flannel shirt, crinkled and bunched from wringing to hang it on the line that stretches from the side of the cabin to a young yellow birch within the clearing. You smile as you fasten it with clips. He had worn it on the first day he visited the diner. It was faded then, and it has grown more timeworn still. But the fabric is thick, the seams hand-sewn, and if the dye has begun to abandon the thread it is only ever the softer. 
Strong and soft, like him.
The warblers are singing in the branches of the white pines as they busily fashion their nests. You stroke a hand down over the little bump of your belly, musing over the nesting that has started to change the trappings of your own little home. There's still plenty of time, but Christopher's excitement has poured forth in the form of hard work, and you're certain that when your time comes he'll have stored by enough for the next three winters yet.
You hear the rumbling of his truck a ways off. He left in the wee hours, the bed loaded down with wares to sell to suppliers in town. By the time you've strung up the last piece of washing he's already at the mouth of the trail, his arms laden with flowers and parcels wrapped in brown paper. The light wash of his denim shirt brings out the early kisses of the spring sunshine on his honeyed skin.
You follow him into the house where he puts your wildflowers into a vase and insists that you sit while he tends to lunch. Unwrapping the brown paper packages you find a set of pretty maternity pajamas, a box of chocolates, and the goat's milk soap you like. 
He's already eaten half his sandwich when he sets yours down, and you tug his wrist, pulling him into a chair to prevent him from setting out to work yet again. 
When the dishes are cleared you won't let him leave. He'd work every second of every day and well into many nights if you let him. But today you want him to rest. It's a mild and lovely afternoon and the chores are done. Other things can wait.
You sit across his lap on the porch swing he built two summers before. Your arms encircle one of his as you rest your head on his shoulder. 
His lips brush your forehead as his thumb caresses the little curved scar where the slope of your shoulder meets your neck. The one that means you belong to him and no one else.
The birds sing and the swing creaks.

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~July~
He calls you from around the other side of the house. You draw an arm over your dripping brow and struggle up from where you're crouched to spread a batch of plump, ripe blackberries between the screens of the drying rack. There are still so many. Some you'll turn into jam. Christopher will eat the rest. He loves them. You rest the colander still half-full with berries against the full swell of your belly, wrapping an arm about the rim to keep it in place. 
You're hot and uncomfortable these days. But, when the morning's work is through, you'll go down to the lake together to shed the day's heat in the cool, still waters. You'd been every afternoon that week. Christopher was a strong swimmer, and would stay in far longer while you sat on the shady bank with a book. When he finally quit the water yesterday, he'd never found his clothes - instead he'd pressed you back into the lush green grass and made you sigh his name. 
As you round the far side of the cabin your eyes catch his form. He stands under the sweltering sun, stripped down to pair of fitted khaki work pants and thick suede boots. His muscular chest is slicked with sweat and he stands, panting, with his weight pressed into his right hip. He holds an axe in his hand.
His mouth pulls up at the corner and his tail swishes at the site of you. You tuck yourself against him wrapping your free arm around his damp waist. Oh how you want to swim. To hold his strong body in the dark water.
He gestures with the axe at what he's fitted together with stripped pieces of soft pine. A little cradle. He nudges it with his foot, setting it to rock. You bring a blackberry to his lips and he accepts it.
You kiss him.
Salty skin and summer fruit.

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~October~
Your eyes flutter open to the sound of little cries. You sit up and stretch, blinking in the softness of the early autumn light.
You inhale deeply. Cinnamon and hickory smoke.
Outside the air is growing crisp and the leaves of the deciduous trees are blushing and abandoning their hosts, covering the floor of the wood in their pageantry. Fruit and game have begun to grow scarce as the forest prepares to enter the long slumber of the colder months. Nights require fires more often than not.
There is a small fire crackling now. A little black cauldron hangs over the flames, and you can smell the porridge simmering within. The man you love sits in a rocking chair near the warmth, a little bundle in his arms. He looks up at you as you rise and he smiles. He's been all smiles lately. In fact, you don't think the little dimple has left his cheek since he met the tiny she-wolf in his arms two weeks ago.
He says she looks like you, but all you see in her beautiful little features is Christopher. She has two tiny fuzzy ears and a darling little tale.
You reach down to stroke her fat cheek and your heart aches.
It aches from love, so much of it.
When the doctor placed her in your arms a part of your heart that you hadn't known existed burst to beating. You thought you loved the man who had knitted her inside you as much as you were able, but you had been ignorant in that respect as well. When he took your daughter in his arms and looked down on her face you thought that there wasn't room in your chest for things so vast, so deep.
You named her Hannah, for the sister her father had lost. It meant "grace".
So fitting, you think.
You move your fingers into Christopher's curls and he looks up at you. His brown eyes are soft and warm. The lovely eyes you saw that first day at the general store - the same through every changing season.
The maple and the birch will wax and wane, but not the cedar, not the pine.
Some things will remain.
And he is evergreen.
 
-Fin-
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bitcell · 6 months
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the ordem paranormal universe masterpost
ordem paranormal is a ttrpg universe created by cellbit. it started in 2020. as of today, ordem paranormal has 4 seasons, 2 spin offs, and the first one-shot to be aired on september 23rd.
ordem paranormal takes place in a universe with two dimensions: the normal and the paranormal.
the normal dimension is where we live as human beings, while the paranormal dimension is a completely different place, where everything that seems like the impossible can become real, like spirits, demons, among other kinds of anomalies connected to the after-life. those two places are separated by a layer called the membrane, the membrane stops the normal and the paranormal from coming in contact. however, the membrane can be weakened by fear of the supernatural, making horrendous and dangerous monsters enter our reality. this phenomenon usually happens in specific locations, prone to the perception of fear, like abandoned hospitals, old houses and deactivated sanatoriums.
all across the world, different groups have formed, looking for ways to weaken the membrane, trying to destroy it and blend the two dimensions, with the objective of seeking their own wishes, or even, fulfilling a bigger purpose. the members of this groups are called occultists. to stop chaos from being stored, a secret global organization was created: ordo realitas. common people who live double lives to stop the acts done by occultists, which aim to increase the contact between normal people and the paranormal, increasing their fear, and consequently, weakening the membrane and allowing the paranormal to cross over.
official campaigns
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-> the first campaign aired on february 29th, 2020, and it's called ordem paranormal: iniciação (initiation) it has 5 episodes that are around 4 hours each and all the episodes have been translated to english.
"this story begins in the early hours of february 29th, 2020, when the neighborhood of “nostradamus school” hears a terrifying scream coming from inside the building, the same place which hours before had been consumed by the flames of a fire. this leads ordo realitas to summon their rookie members to investigate the scene, where the presence of paranormal activity is suspected."
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-> the second campaign aired on april 11th, 2020, and it's called ordem paranormal: o segredo na floresta (the secret in the forest) it has 16 episodes that are around 4 hours each and all the episodes have been translated to english.
"on april 11th, around ten o'clock in the morning, a team from ordo realitas has a meeting scheduled with the man known as senhor veríssimo. everyone goes to veríssimo's room and there he introduces them to team kelvin, a team of veteran agents who were sent to investigate a strange murder case involving a spiral symbol that ended up mysteriously disappearing without any prior notice."
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-> the third campaign aired on october 31st, 2020, and it's called ordem paranormal: desconjuração (deconjuration) it has 20 episodes that are around 4 hours each and the episodes are currently being translated into english.
"the santo berço (holy cradle) was destroyed. the restructured ordo realitas now operates from an underground base. from there, the man known as senhor veríssimo commands a legion of agents who, with the help of more intense methods, seek to save the world from the growing threat of the occult. with a new formation, the team receives a mission of searching and rescuing one of the order's most important agents who disappeared while investigating a strange occult branch, known only as the order of deconjuration."
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-> the fourth campaign aired on september 4th, 2021 and it's called ordem paranormal: calamidade (calamity) it has 13 episodes that are around 5 hours each. it has not been translated yet.
"with no sign of any interference with the balance, a new lead makes ordo realitas start to act again. an old case, reporting on an entity described as "o diabo" (the devil), brings together a new team of agents. together, they must further investigate the case as they continue their search for the power of the calamity relics."
the official campaign has been on a hiatus since calamity.
spin-offs
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-> the first spin-off aired on june 25th, 2022 and it's called ordem paranormal: o segredo na ilha (the secret in the island) it has 8 episodes that are around 5 hours each. it has not been translated yet.
"on an isolated island, there is a huge mansion, built by a painter who mysteriously disappeared more than 20 years ago. an art appraiser is hired to spend a few days inside this mansion, looking for valuable paintings inside. to do this, he decides to take his family on the trip. after all, what could go wrong?"
(for the qsmp enjoyers, this is where montelyson/romero richas comes from)
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-> the second spin-off aired on october 29th, 2022 and it's called ordem paranormal: sinais do outro lado (signs from the other side), it has 7 episodes that are around 4 hours each. it has not been translated yet.
"the paranormal doesn't come to our reality easily,, but things weren't always like that. the year is 1997, several cases of disappearances happen in the south of brazil. a group decides to investigate the disappearance of their mentor, a paranormal hunter who has extensive research into aliens, mysterious and dangerous creatures. however, something or someone, more powerful and unknown, may be behind all this."
you can watch the spin-offs without watching the official campaign, because although they happen in the same universe and some characters may show up on these stories, they are not connected to what happens on the main story, although the spin-offs may contain information about some things from the official campaigns.
one-shot
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-> the first one-shot is going to be aired on september 23rd, 2023, and it's called ordem paranormal: quarentena (quarantine) and it will have 1 episode. this will be the first ordem paranormal session in english/spanish and it won't be connected to the main campaign, just in the same universe.
"at the offices of a multinational company called “panacea industries”, five people, looking for ways to make quick money, decide to carry out the scientific test of a new medicine. but perhaps the true intentions of this organization are not so clear when you look at it from the other side."
this is an update from EquipeT about the translations:
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purpleyoonn · 1 year
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enchanted
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P R E V I E W 
“I’ll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you.”
summary: The realm under King Min’s rule had been under war for over thirty years, a war within the inhuman species with origins no one knows. Your presence was brought into awareness when found by the king under the rubble of your home. You are plunged into a world you had only ever seen from the outside, and don’t know how long you can last.
genre: soulmate au, fantasy au, dragon au,
pairing: Dragon King Yoongi x Human MC
status: coming soon (random updates)
warnings: starts in the middle of war, violence, angst, death, supernatural creatures, smut, dragon customs, dragon instincts, more to come
masterlist // taglist // playlist
COMING SUNDAY, APRIL 23RD 5PM PST
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Grabbing the supplies you needed and the soiled cloths, you begin to head for the river, since Lady Ahn refused to have you clean the sheets in the sinks. You were lucky not to run into any of the Lord’s family on your way out, your lungs able to breathe easier once you made it outside and away from the prying eyes of the family.
Oddly enough, you loved being outside, where only the trees and the stream could be heard. It helped you be calm, to ease your thoughts and feelings. It was something your mother used to do whenever you got too into your head. She would take you outside, to the lavender patch that resided just outside your small cottage.
“Darling, the earth beneath our feet can do so much more than just grow our food and provide shade from the sun. It can give power to our very souls.” Your mother would tell you as she braided daisies into your hair, something that always managed to calm you down.
“What power, mama?”
“The power to be calm, like the river that runs through the forest. To keep steady even in the face of destruction. But most of all, it gives you the power to live, to face whatever comes your way.” You never understood what she meant, but over time, you realize the peace you felt in the forest was more than enough to understand and take in.
You felt truly at peace when surrounded by the earth and her makings.
And it seemed as though the forest felt the same way, like it listened to your heart beat. You never had trouble walking, unlike your friends who always tripped over roots or broken branches. The flowers you picked always seemed to look the best or give off the strongest scent.
Even now, as you walked down the hill and to the river, the ground seemed to flatten as you advanced. You just figured you and the earth had some kind of understanding with each other.
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sithbelle · 9 months
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Hi there. I'm going to be vulnerable for a moment. I wrote this book (working title "Synia") over the last 5 years, and finished it up back in April. Since then, I've been holding onto it, willing myself to send out queries. But the fear of rejection, and the knowledge that it's likely not a "sellable" book, has kept me back from actually sending out any letters. To force myself to do something, I'd like to share the prologue with you all. The story is about a pair of siblings who are Syniae, or creatures who have magical gifts based on synesthesia.
If you would like to know more, I'll be happy to blab on about it ad nauseam. If you know of any publishers or literary agents who are interested in such a story, please let me know. If this falls into the empty void, well...that's also feedback that I need. Thank you for reading the above, and I hope you enjoy the prologue below:
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Grey.
Everything was grey. The sky, the walls, the fog inside her head. Even her tormentor’s eyes were a piercing, unforgiving grey. It was the color that invaded her every thought from the moment she awoke until the moment she finally passed out.
Long ago, there used to be a spectrum. She vaguely recalled the melody of a forest green, the sweet sound of a tempting red, the echo of a vibrant yellow. That was an æon ago. Now, she was reduced to monochrome, the lifeless color of a rainy day.
Today, she had opted for a change of scenery. Instead of spending the entire day in bed, staring at the grey ceiling, she instead sat next to the grey-filtered transpane along one of the walls, watching the mist that enveloped the view.
Suddenly, the dreaded low, silky voice behind her called through the mental mist:
“Oh good, you’re up. I was beginning to wonder if I had finally broken you.” The disembodied tone had an air of amusement to it, as though it had told some clever inside joke.
She scowled in reply, but did not turn to search for the source of the voice. She had no words for the man. Words had color to them, and this Orb didn’t allow for that.
“I see. Just as conversational as ever,” mused her captor. “Come now, there’s no need for such reticence. We’re far beyond that. After all, we’ve both held up our ends of the bargain so far, and you can clearly see the benefits. You’re fully cooperative now and haven’t tried to escape in quite some time, and in return, your living quarters are quite generous, and I do try to make sure you’re well fed. For all intents and purposes, you are far more my guest than my prisoner at this point.”
And it was true. The sleeping room she was currently sitting in was rather large, and contained a bed, a small table, and two chairs, one of which she occupied. Attached to it was a respectable bathing room, complete with a tub. There was even a small cooking and eating room across a small, narrow hallway. She should have been comfortable. There were just two major problems: she was here against her will, and everything was that same damnable shade.
When she didn't hear the sound of her "host's" footsteps echoing away from her prison,
her curiosity and anger got the better of her. Almost subconsciously, she turned and gave the lurking man in the entryway a withering glance. To the prisoner, he was barely more than a silhouette. What little she could see was distorted into the same washed-out shade by the specially- filtered light. Slate shoes and the bottom half of a charcoal suit protruded into frame, along with a pair of ashen hands clasped in front of his sharkskin belt.
He responded to her glare by tugging slightly at the cuff of his sleeve, almost as if he were uncomfortable. It was a ruse, she knew; they had played this scenario out before. She turned back to face the table and transpane as the Grey Man strode in from the entryway behind her. His footsteps tapped a muffled rhythm on the shaggy grey carpet. In another life, she could have made a song from it. Now, it was just another sound to interrupt the monotony echoing pointlessly in her mind.
When he reached the remaining chair across from her, he paused before sitting, and instead looked down at her calculatedly for a moment. Then, he pulled her forward across the small, round table by her chin, forcing her brown eyes to meet his grey, separated only a couple centimeters. She was a bit taken aback at the action, but did not dare show it on her face. He had never been this aggressive before.
“Tell me, Synia, what makes you hate me so much? After all, you invited me. I merely gave you everything you asked for,” he purred.
Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then just as quickly returned to the hostile glare she had perfected in the last year. He had just given her the ability to escape, but he didn’t know it.
Yet.
She fought to keep her thoughts from showing on her face, taking care to ensure that the mask was firmly in place. Fortunately, he misunderstood the lapse.
“Ahhh, yes. The truth is rather uncomfortable, isn’t it? Just think: if your curiosity and desperation hadn’t gotten the better of you, you wouldn’t be here, and this whole mess could have been avoided. How selfish of you,” he said, almost a whisper. The man thrust her chin away, forcing her to break eye contact and instead focus on her balance. He smirked slightly as he stood up and faced the entryway.
“Still, I must be grateful. Thanks to you, I have been given the greatest gift of all. Because of your greed, I’m free to move as I wish, and every whim I could think of is catered to my specific design!” His voice rose slightly with each sentence, as if convincing himself that it was true.
He paused and when he spoke again, his voice was back to its usual silk: “Before too long now, I'll have cracked the code, and you will truly be at my mercy. I’m getting oh so close. This last experiment yielded some remarkable results that the bots are still analyzing. And when I do figure it out, I will be able to be rid of you for good. Until then..." He trailed off dramatically as he walked towards the door. She did not turn to watch him leave.
His footsteps paused behind her, and there was complete silence for several seconds. Her curiosity once again betrayed her. As she turned, she saw him standing with his back to her, the grey fob in his hand extended to unlock the door. However, he didn’t activate it. Instead, he had waited until he knew she was watching to leave his parting shot. His voice returned to the deadly not-quite-whisper:
“Well, that’s the only reason you’re still alive.”
He activated the fob, and the door clicked open. She had already turned back to face the transpane again by the time he had crossed over the threshold. There was a sound of the electomag lock bolt sliding back into place, followed by gentle footsteps that retreated back into the silence.
She closed her eyes and exhaled softly, like she had a million times before. Only this time, there was a monumental difference: he had finally made an error. He had been so careful in the last four-hundred-and-thirty-two days, sixteen hours, and twenty-two minutes to make sure that her entire life had no color except grey. Every single surface and feature had been carefully selected to prevent her from using her gift.
He had the bots shave her head every other day or so, leaving nothing but a faint, grey stubble. Her now threadbare clothes had been carefully selected to be comfortable, but monochromatic. There were no mirrors, and every surface that could have possibly held a reflection was scratched or matted down, so she could not see herself. And her tattoos…she still couldn’t think about that, even as she subconsciously touched the scars on her left forearm where one of them used to be. She was to be as much grey as the room itself. But they could not change her eyes.
Her brown eyes.
For an instant, as he held her gaze so close to his own, the filtered light was broken by his own shadow, and his wintery stare became twin mirrors. For the first time in three-hundred-and-ninety-six days, eight hours, and twenty minutes, she saw a color. And she remembered.
She remembered what brown felt like.
That tiny glimpse was all she needed. It was the spark of hope she had been waiting for, that she had almost given up on. She had a color; a good one, even. For the first time in her life, she was grateful that her eyes were the color of cesspools, as he had once described them.
Now all she had to do was focus, plan, and wait for the perfect moment. She had all the time in the Orb. After all, he stupidly thought she was beaten.
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skamenglishsubs · 1 year
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Subtext and Culture, Young Royals, Season 2, Episode 6
Final episode, and we're picking up the morning right after last episode. The curtains are still closed though, good for them!
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Subtext: The something Simon needs to take care of is of course the situationship with Marcus.
Subtext: Real subtle music choice there, show. This is where August decides to solve the problem of Simon going to the police in his own twisted ways.
Lost in translation: August meekly asked for some changes to the speech last episode, whereas Wilhelm just changed it without asking for permission. Here's what it says, with his changes: Hillerska 120 years Your Majesty, dear mom. And dear Hillis. It's an honour to be standing here today speaking to you - not only as Crown Prince, but as your classmate. Hillerska welcomed me during a very difficult but meaningful time in my life. (He's scratched out "Eders" at the top, which is an archaic way of saying and spelling "ers", which in turn is a special version of the plural second person possessive pronoun "er", which is only used in a formal address like this.)
Lost in translation: The second cue card has more changes: Hillerska isn't just the place where we are taught to be good citizens so that in the future we can shoulder the responsibilities that has been imposed on us. It is also a home. Hillerska became a home to me, just like it was for my dear mother, and my brother before me... and for many of you. You have become family. The school motto is "take responsibility for your legacy" "feel your responsibility for the legacy", be proud of your history, pass on the traditions to the next generation.
Cinematography: The show normally only uses these fourth wall breaks to bookend each season, but all occasions have been when Wilhelm has been making a public speech or felt observed. Here he's practising a public speech, and the show uses the fourth wall break to really bring home this point.
Culture: The show says that this scene takes place just a couple of days after the Valentine's ball, which puts us in the middle of February. But we can tell by the blooming cherry tree in the background that this scene was actually shot in mid April. This is absolutely not what February looks like in the Stockholm area in Sweden, which made me super confused about the timeline.
Subtext: It absolutely is about Wilhelm, but Marcus got it completely wrong anyway, Simon doesn't like Wilhelm because he is a prince, he likes him despite him being a prince. Oh, and it's a nice touch to separate them physically with an electric fence, to really show their distance.
Subtext: No, the person who feels like a victim here is actually Marcus. He doesn't fit in with the rich kids at the school, and now he thinks that they "stole" Simon away from him. Whatever, who cares, he has served his narrative purpose, byyyeeeeee!
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Subtext: Loyalty is a huge theme in this episode, so we start this cursed subplot with a nice long opening shot of the motto of the Forest Ridge house, to remind us of how important loyalty is to the upper classes.
Subtext: Everyone tries to manipulate Wilhelm by invoking his dead brother, of course August does the same.
Subtext: So why does Alexander side with August? Wilhelm actually treated Alexander like shit, he threw him under the bus to protect Simon last season, and he feigned ignorance in the first episode of this season when Alexander came back to school, which means the Forest Ridge oath doesn't mean much to him. Alexander feels completely betrayed, because Wilhelm should have been loyal to his house brothers. August on the other hand promises him loyalty. If Alexander takes the blame, then the future king of Sweden, August, will owe him a huge personal favour, and that's just worth a lot more to him and his family than the minor inconvenience of a criminal trial. He's got money, and the full backing of the royal court, he's never gonna go to jail, jail is for poor people!
Subtext: ...like Simon, and his unemployed substance-abusing dad. Simon would not be treated gently by the justice system for dealing drugs, Wilhelm can't really intervene on his behalf, and the royal court wants Simon gone, so they won't help out either, which is why August's threat is very, very real.
Subtext: August has constantly been trying to impose upper-class values on Wilhelm, all the way since season 1, and that includes all the lies and secrets and cover-ups. He truly believes rug-sweeping is the best way of handling the situation, and can't really understand why Wilhelm won't play the game like the rest of them do.
Subtext: We know that Wilhelm's love language is touch, so August touching him is a violation that he reacts very strongly to, punching his arm away.
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Culture: Clay pigeon shooting or trap shooting started evolving as a sport over 150 years ago, when upper class shooting clubs realized what a bother it was having to collect a ton of live pigeons when a gentleman simply wanted to practice hunting for a bit, so they developed cheaper clay targets instead. The birds are made out of an easily breakable hard clay, and the launcher is controlled with a foot pedal. The shotgun is loaded with birdshot, which is pretty harmless for humans at long range.
Subtext: A nice little throwback to S1E1, when August told Wilhelm that they could get away with anything, including murder.
Blink and you miss it: August glances at Sara, so Detective Felice quickly figures out that it was her before she admits it.
Blink and you miss it: Simon is actually smiling and enjoying seeing August humiliated by Wilhelm.
Subtext: Also a throwback to season 1, when Sara gave Simon shit for "always wanting to give people a second chance". Now she's doing the exact same thing, and August is ironically just as unworthy of it as Sara and Simon's dad was.
Subtext: Another theme this season has been about people protecting themselves, while claiming to protect others, so here's Sara accusing August of doing exactly that.
Lost in translation: Simon says "Snälla, jag orkar inte", which can't be directly translated, because English is missing the incredibly useful Scandinavian verb orka. It means having the physical or mental strength or stamina or energy to do something. When it's negated like here, it can range in meaning from not having enough stamina to run a long race, or not having enough strength to lift something heavy, or not being able to eat more food, or not wanting to deal with a person, or not having the energy to handle a stressful situation. If you no longer orkar something, you're done, you're finished, you're too tired, you're too weak, you've had enough.
Subtext: Again, Wilhelm's love language is touch, so he's trying to comfort Simon the only way he knows.
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Culture: Kaggeholms Slott, the main shooting location for the show was built in the early 1700's, so this is some kind of detail from the earliest years of the main building.
Blink and you miss it: Simon hasn't eaten a single clementine this season because Rosh has been hogging all of them!!!
Culture: Linda's tag says "Sjuksköterska" - nurse, so she obviously works in healthcare. She's also wearing scrubs, so she must have taken off directly from work to accompany Simon to the police. Also note that being a regular nurse in Sweden is a pretty low status job because you'll just be a grunt worker at some hospital or care home, so this fits the social class of the Eriksson family.
Cinematography: I think this is the last amount of colour Simon has ever worn, signalling that he's not feeling himself, he's completely defeated.
Subtext: Damn, I got hungry just looking at this food. What's going on here is that the school is hosting the royal family and treating them to a nice private fancy dinner, and they've even got their own china monogrammed with the school logo. By the bottle we can also tell that Wilhelm is being served alcohol, it's a cider from Danish Somersby. And from the background dialogue, we also learn that both his parents went to Hillerska at the same time, where they presumably met.
Subtext: If it's so important to be able to talk about your emotions, why is your son so bad at it? It couldn't be the case that he learned to suppress his feelings instead from his parents, right?
Subtext: Oh look, it's the theme of the episode yet again! In Forest Ridge the loyalty is explicit in the house motto, and it's of course a big part of the girls' house as well.
Subtext: Well that's a big fat lie, the most obvious secret is the one Stella is harbouring, but they're all keeping lots of little secrets from each other. Good thing Sara learned to keep her mouth shut at least so as not to out Stella.
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Subtext: Colour theory for the show tells us that red symbolizes the love between Wilhelm and Simon, and here Wilhelm is deciding between his love for Simon, or fulfilling his royal duty. Since he's currently facing away from the red light, and looking at Erik's old cigarette case, he's leaning towards duty.
Subtext: Colour theory is in full swing over at Simon's place as well, him and Ayub are having a late night videochat about Simon having to decide between his love for Wilhelm or his principles. However, his lava lamp turns red just as the scene ends, showing us what his final decision is.
Blink and you miss it: Sara cleaned out her room and left the Manor House, but she left behind the riding pants the other girls gave her for her birthday.
Culture: If you've read my post on royal names and titles, you know that Ludvig ought to be a prince, and ought to be styled "His Royal Highness", so I'm not sure why he's consistently being referred to as Duke Ludvig in this season. Oh, and if the reigning monarch is a king, he and his queen are styled "Your Majesties" together. But if the reigning monarch is a queen, only she is styled "Your Majesty", while her husband is styled "Your Royal Highness", because blatant sexism.
Subtext: August really thought he'd be their equal for this event, but he's always being put in place and shown he is less than.
Cinematography: Spot the character who really doesn't want to be in this photo shoot!
Subtext: Back in season 1 when August said he knew everyone's name, he wasn't joking, he actually does remember people's names!
Oh, and there's a little lost in translation here as well. August says "Tack för senast", which is a ubiquitous Scandinavian politeness phrase which means "Thanks for last time". You're supposed to use this every time you talk to someone after having gone to some event together, and especially if it was something that the other person hosted and invited you to.
Blink and you miss it: Nils and Vincent are hilariously taking the absolute piss out of August for enjoying standing in the receiving line for the jubilee.
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Subtext: Easy there, Don Corleone! August simply overpaid for the horse, thinking Sara would love him for yet another material thing, but what she really wanted him to do was to change and come clean about the sex tape. The horse isn't gonna sway her from leaving him.
Cinematography: As I was taking screencaps for this post, I stumbled on this scene showing Sara leaving Hillerska, but my only question is who the hell that dude is? Why is he in the shot? Why is he there? Is he an extra who is supposed to be there, or is he a random person who was just happening to wait for the real world bus right here right now? It doesn't make any sense in universe, because every goddamn adult in the vicinity is busy with the jubilee thing. Why is this guy not attending? WHO IS HE? I NEED ANSWERS!
Subtext: Through the magic of literary analysis our couple grew closer and came to understand one another better, so Simon chose to compromise his principles out of love for Wilhelm. Oh, and there totally is another way, but it requires Wilhelm to compromise his duty...
Culture: I've already gushed about how good the costuming is on this show, because Wilhelm is wearing an impeccably tailored school uniform that fits him perfectly, while Simon is wearing an ill-fitting second hand uniform. You can tell because Wilhelm's uniform is showing the correct amount of shirt sleeve outside his jacket, between one and two centimetres, while Simon's jacket is completely covering his shirt sleeves.
Subtext: This piece of perfect poetic cinema is of course a mirror to the ending of season 1 when Wilhelm tells Simon that he loves him. This time, Simon says it back for the first time.
Cinematography: I know it's a coat room and not a closet, but close enough, and when Jan-Olof tries to hurry Wilhelm along and get him to stop talking to Simon, Wilhelm responds by literally coming out of the closetcoat room, foreshadowing the end of the episode.
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Subtext: Literally as the next speaker, figuratively as the next crown prince.
Subtext: Oh no. Oh no. Oh no no no no! Sara hasn't talked to Simon since the shooting range scene, so she doesn't know why Simon never reported August, or that August threatened to take revenge by reporting where the drugs originally came from. I guess we need to setup some season 3 drama?
Blink and you miss it: Wilhelm appears to change his mind at the exact moment the principal says "replace".
Subtext: We've seen Wilhelm struggle all season with his duty, and not being able to put on a public persona, but in this moment it's on full blast, and a look that tells August to sit the fuck down again, because this is his job, he's not gonna be replaced any time soon.
Subtext: This is one of the lines that Wilhelm added to his speech, and it's the complete opposite of what he thought of Hillerska in the very first episode, where he saw it as some kind of punishment to have to live there for three years.
Subtext: Oh look, the tradition theme™! Let's just kick it, stab it, and drown it, while the cameras are rolling!
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Cinematography: Cue the camera panning to the people experiencing said mass panic.
Subtext: The MVP of the season, Boris my man, enjoying the fruits of his labour. The unsung hero we all deserved! I bet though he's been secretly plotting the downfall of the monarchy this entire time!
Subtext: Just like this song played at the end of episode 4, showing what Wilhelm was feeling, this time it shows what Simon is feeling for Wilhelm. It's also a nice parallel to season 1, where the Revolution song was used in both episode 4 and 6.
Subtext: The lyrics are a bit on the nose like most of this season, but Simon said the he loved Wilhelm, and in return Wilhelm shows Simon that he loves him, by coming out, and not keeping their relationship a secret any longer, which was the main conflict of the entire season.
Blink and you miss it: Wilhelm is always comparing himself to his brother and trying to live up to his memory, so after making this choice, he quickly glances skywards as if to check in with him. Yeah, you're alright kid. Erik would be so very proud of you. I'm not crying, you're crying! Damn allergies! I swear, this goddamn show. 😭😭😭
Cinematography: Finally we book-end this season as well with Wilhelm breaking the fourth wall and staring at us. But this time we see a hint of a smile as he's doing it, because this time is the first time he's really in control of his life, doing what he wants, and not just doing what he's told or what he's expected to do.
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beyondus-smau · 8 months
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Chapter 1:
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Word count: 3006
2nd of April, 1984
The wheels of the bikes scraped and scratched against the dirt path as the three boys swerved through the forest in a heated race. Frank, the tallest, who had messy long black hair and a stronger build than the other two, was in the lead, having had a head start from the others by screaming ‘RACE!’ and taking off before they could process what he had said. Jack, the youngest, with short jet black hair and his blue vest wrapped around his waist, allowing his oversized shirt to fly in the wind, was right behind him. He sported a determined look on his face as he approached his older friend, about to take him over. Frank however, seemed more pleased to see him approaching so fast, which confused Jack for just a second before they arrived at a sharp turn.
Jack yelped out as he drifted to break before he could enter the wrong path, making have to fully stop and watch as Frank turned back to stick his tongue out and let John, the shortest one, who’s big brown curls were flowing in the wind, take his place as second. He gave him an amused and playful smile as he passed, making any negative feelings Jack could have had about his predicament leave.
Frank turned back and watched as John was approaching, just about to pass him and take first place. He turned back forward, about to accelerate to try to lose him, only for his eyes to widen as he suddenly pulled on his brakes, almost falling off his bike as a result, although being lucky and skillful enough to drift and stop himself. John, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky, he let out a surprised noise and tried doing the same, braking right behind Frank, but without being able to stop himself in time, he lost control of his bike as he swerved to the side, falling and tumbling to the ground.
“Ow…” The boy groaned as he sat himself back up, looking down at the lollipop he had spat out in the ordeal. Well, he thought, at least he didn’t swallow or choke on it.
“What was that?!” John snapped his head towards Frank, who appeared to be just as in shock at what he did then John was.
“Sorry!” Frank seemed genuinely apologetic, almost stumbling off of his bike as he put his hand up.
“What happened?” Jack asked, having just caught up to them, stopping next to Frank and looking at the two worriedly as John dusted himself off. He picked up his now ruined lollipop, pulling out the paper from his jeans pocket and wrapping it around it, he was probably not going to finish that.
“I don’t know!” John tucked the lollipop in a side pocket of his backpack, to throw it out for later. “Frank just stopped right in front of me!” John gestured angrily towards his friend, frustrated when he noticed that his jeans now had a hole around his knee, which was scrapped as well.
“I told you I’m sorry!” John grumbled at his apology, approaching his discarded bike and inspecting it, glad to see it hadn’t suffered too much damage aside from a spot where the paint had been scrapped off. Frank frowned at his friend’s apparent irritation and pointed his own frustrated finger at the ground. “I was trying to avoid hitting that bird!”
Jack moved his glance towards the spot, followed by John’s angry glare, which turned into one of confusion. There, standing absolutely still in the middle of the dirt path, was a crow, looking completely undisturbed by the accident that had just happened and staying still.
“... Huh.” John approached the other two boys, joining their side and looking down at the black bird.
“... It didn’t move.”
“Do you think it’s injured?”
“Nah, it’s standing just fine.” Frank joined along with their speculations
“Looks like a statue.”
“Well, it’s breathing.” Jack had knelt down in front of the bird, making vague gestures that would have made any other bird fly away, this one stayed completely still.
“Do you think it’s like- blind?”
“Blind and deaf?” Frank questioned with a deadpan look.
“Well, you never know!” John argued back.
“It’s true that its eyes are weird…” Jack added, almost like he was talking to himself. The two boys went down next to Jack and tilted their heads to get a better look at the bird’s face. Its eyes seemed faded and misty, glossed over, they almost looked like a blurry picture of the night sky.
John hummed, stared for a few seconds, before standing back up and turning his head away, looking for any reasonable place that the crow could have come from. Aside from a nest right above it, where two baby birds chirped away for their mother, he found nothing. The three boys stayed silent for a few more seconds, until Frank seemed to be getting bored of this.
“Or…” The other two looked at him as he stood back up. “It’s just a weird crow.” Frank said as a matter of fact, before mounting back on his bike and getting ready to leave. “Let’s just go and leave it alone.”
There was silence between the two, Jack still looking at it before turning back and standing up as well. “Yeah.. You’re probably right.” He agreed, standing back up as well and getting his own bike ready and giving John a head gesture. “Come on, John.” A reassuring smile was thrown his way as he mounted it. John sighed.
“Yeah, okay.” He climbed back on his bike and the trio was off, the race was forgotten, although Frank had silently decided that he was the winner. John gave the bird one last glance before they turned the corner, it had not moved.
The three boys went home, and the bird was all but forgotten about.
•••
●●●●
3rd of April, 1984
“Frank, come oooon.” John whined impatiently, bouncing on his feet. They were waiting in front of their school, bikes at the ready, the day had ended about ten minutes ago, and John was eager to leave. Frank, however, was still talking to Lila.
''Calm down dude, just five more minutes.'' He gave John a quick glance, barely looking at him before turning back to Lila and continuing their conversation.
John groaned as he rocked his bike back and forth, tapping his foot on the ground, his eyes wandering around, clearly not enjoying having to wait any longer. ''You said that five minutes ago! Even Jack's getting impatient!''
''Huh?-'' Jack had in fact, not been getting impatient, on the contrary, he was perfectly content waiting for Frank as he watched a butterfly rest on one of the flowers against the school's gate. Frank rolled his eyes and Lila gave him an awkward chuckle.
''If you're all in a rush then I'll leave you to it, we can talk tomorrow! Either way, I should probably go as well.'' She gave Frank a smile and a wave. He seemed a bit disappointed but he smiled and waved back at her as Lila left to join her friend, Jaune, who was waiting for her a bit further away. Lila and Jaune were part of the group who left by foot, a bit after Narciso did, in the same general direction as him, Icarus as well, going in the same direction that John and his friends would take today. Many simply went on the bus, but some stayed behind, to play, like Ray and Bastien, or to wait for their parents, like Richard, Dexter or Carmen.
John, Jack and Frank were part of the few who'd come with their bikes if they could, leaving in the same way. Although they were supposed to have a set path, after so long, Frank ended up suggesting they take a detour through a path in the woods. It was definitely longer, but it was much more enjoyable for them. The woods were especially enjoyable during spring and autumn, and their new path allowed them to pass by the fields, crops and animals, which they would sometimes feed.
Frank let out an annoyed groan as he mounted his bike, joining his two friends and avoiding eye contact with John, which only resulted in John giving him an amused smirk. The brown haired boy shared a glance and a chuckle with Jack before they were off. John was in the lead this time, although they were far from racing, it was their usual stroll back home today, aside from the fact that, besides some snickering between Jack and John, it was quiet. Jack, being on the same level as Frank, would turn his gaze towards him with a big dumb smile, Frank tried ignoring it, wanting to give the impression that he was angry at the two, but his frown faltered when he would side eye Jack and see his grin.
Eventually, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling and letting out a snort. “What??” He pressed on, lightheartedly, making Jack giggle.
“Do you like her?”
“Huh?”
“Lila, do you like her?”
“Well yeah, she’s nice to me, she’s a good friend.”
John couldn’t help but repress a laugh with Jack, earring an undignified and confused look from Frank towards the two.
“No, doofus. Do you like like her?”
It took a few seconds, but it was like a lightbulb had suddenly turned on in Frank’s head as he realized what Jack was talking about. Turning to give him a glare, he removed his hand from the handlebar to give him a punch in the shoulder, Jack responding with an ‘ow!’ between his giggling.
“No I don’t! I told you, she’s nice! That’s it!”
“Yeah, okay, definitely just nice.”
“She’s just a friend, quit it!” Frank tried to go for another hit, which Jack dodged.
“Just a friend? At this rate you’re gonna spend more time with her than us!”
“What?! That’s not even true! We-... John?”
The friendly banter between the two boys came to an end as they stopped their bikes. In between them, John had stopped as well without a word, looking down at the ground, his expression showing a mix of shock, lots of confusion and a tinge of anxiety. His friends followed his gaze and they joined him in his confusion when their eyes landed on the spot he was fixing.
The same crow from yesterday.
In the same spot.
In the same pose.
It hadn't moved for an entire day.
The three boys stayed quiet as they stared at the animal, each trying to make sense of this scene in their head.
“Uhm… Maybe it’s a different bird?-” Jack proposed, without even really believing his own theory, immediately getting shut down by the other two throwing him a glance.
''It stayed here all night?'' John asked his friends as if they would have actually been able to answer him. Frank hummed as a response, looking down at him and seemingly thinking.
''Yeah, really weird crow… Alright, let's go.'' Frank started pedaling again, going around it and paying it no mind. John didn't follow him, looking at Frank in disbelief while he vaguely gestured towards the bird.
''You're not weird out by that?? I mean- crows don't do that- right Jack?'' He turned towards his taller friend, who was still next to him and observing the two.
''Uh-'' Jack blinked a few times, not having anticipated getting put into the conversation. ''Yea no they don't do that but…''
''It's just a bird, John.'' Frank had shrugged at John's question as he waited ahead for the two. Jack nodded, glad that Frank had filled out the end of his thoughts for him. ''Maybe it has some sort of brain damage or something. I dunno, let's just go.''
Jack hummed, seemingly agreeing with Frank as he joined him forward, leaving John as the last one who hadn't moved yet. He stayed frowning down at the bird a little longer, as if it would eventually let out its secret if John stared hard enough, the crow did not move.
''Weren't you in a hurry? Or should we wait five more minutes?'' Frank said teasingly, which finally earned a reaction from John, who looked up with an offended smile.
''You-!'' The boys chuckled as John started quickly making his way back to them, causing Jack and Frank to take a head start.
The crow was forgotten about as the boys left in a haste, pretending to be in a cops chase.
It stood in its spot, unmoving, staring straight forward.
••
•••
●●●●
It was uncanny how blue the sky was, only disturbed by two lone clouds slowly drifting through it, although now wind could be felt or heard. John had been walking for an undefined amount of time, kicking a pebble through the dirt path as he did. He was surrounded by a wheat field, John couldn’t make out if it even had an end, and it didn’t bother him, being in a dream, he didn’t question the illogicality of this place. John paused however, as he had kicked his pebble too far to the right, it hit something, making a small sound that made John look up and take in his surroundings. The field was still the same as before, however, to his left, he could see a crooked tree breaking the repeating pattern of the crops, and to his right, there was the thing that hit his pebble, what looked like a concrete block stood there, looking old and disheveled, as if no one had came to bother cleaning it in years now.
John blinked once before approaching it, he observed for the dirt path, as the shed was a good three meters into the field. The crops being almost his seize, he refrained for now to approach it. He looked at the door of the block, who appeared to be a lot more taken care of than the shed, almost as if they did not fit together. The doorknob was a golden color, a teal glint shining on it.
John squinted his eyes, trying to make out what was making that shining light. Unconsciously, trying to get a closer look, he took a step forward, stepping in the field. The wheat rippled at his touch as if it were water. John inhaled sharply as his eyes opened back up, from the bright field to the darkness of his room. He wasn’t sure what woke him up, he had felt something like an odd wave go through his body and he could see a small blue tint over his vision that quickly went away.
He groaned as he felt a headache come on and turned around in his bed, guessing the light came from his window and tried to avoid it in the future. He pulled the covers over his head and almost immediately went back to sleep, his half asleep mind way too woozy to even begin thinking about this night, The rude awakening would be forgotten about in the morning.
••
•••
●●●●
4th of April, 1984
“It’s gone.”
It was another day, and just like the previous days, they went through the same path through the woods, and eventually, the three boys stumbled back into the spot where the crow had stayed for the past few days, only now it was empty. John stared, growing at the ground, while Frank just gave it a hum and a shrug before riding past it.
“See? T’was nothing to worry over, just a weird bird, probably got caught by a fox or something.” Frank looked behind, trying to get John to move and get going.
“But there’s no trace of a fight though…” John mumbled, almost to himself as he scanned the ground around him, the dirt hadn’t been disturbed, there was no sign of any fox or predators having passed through, there wasn’t even any sign the crow had ever been there.
“John, it’s fine, don’t stress over it.” Jack had slowed down next to him to give him a few pats on the shoulder and a smile as he passed him as well, John didn’t move.
“Yeah! Probably just flew away, y’know, like birds do?” Frank gave John a cocky tone as he tilted his head forehead, shaking it, almost like he was calling John an idiot. Jack chuckled as he passed him.
That made John look up, a frown on his face, but he wasn’t angry, maybe a bit irritated sure, but he was smiling playfully. He knew his friend wouldn’t actually insult them, and little bickering like that between these two specifically was a daily occurrence. “Are you making fun of me!”
“Nah!...” Frank shrugged, turning his head away with an exaggerated dumb look. “Maybe, but that doesn’t matter!” John gave Frank an offended look, which made Frank put up his hands defensively.
“Hey come on, look. Some birds are weird, okay? It’s gone now, don’t sweat over it.”
John hummed, his smile faltering a bit as he looked back down. It really looked as if the bird had simply never even been there in the first place. He frowned, maybe they were right, no, they were definitely right. John was making a mountain out of a molehill. Of course there was nothing to worry about, nature was unpredictable, he shouldn’t try to make sense of something that had so little impact on his life either way. A random crow on a dirt path? He saw birds everyday, it didn't matter.
“Yeah, Okay.” He paddled back towards his friends, the event staying in the back of his mind as they left, but he was sure he would move on from it soon enough, it was nothing to worry about. The three boys turned around the corner and continued on with their day.
Unbeknownst to them, one of the two baby birds living in the nest about the path was left alone as it chirped for its mother.
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clangenrising · 1 year
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Month 2 - April Gathering
The night of the full moon was quiet and gentle, if a bit chilly. Pantherhaze bounced excitedly alongside his clanmates as they headed up the hill towards the forest and the Cornerstones. 
Gatherings were tricky these days. Not only did Goldenstar have to worry about balancing the amount of cats left to guard camp with the cats who would attend which was harder with the Clan’s small size, but there was always the fear that the gathering would lead to another outbreak which made attending at all a serious decision. It had been three moons since a gathering had even been held and longer still since Pantherhaze had been able to attend and he couldn’t help but get his hopes up now that the healers had given everyone the go ahead. 
Goldenstar led him, Nightfrost, Sagetooth, Smokyrose, and Songdust through the shrubbery, her tail held high. Pantherhaze could already hear and smell SkyClan and FallenClan cats mingling in the clearing ahead and he felt his tail fluffing up at the infectious energy. 
“Easy there,” Smokyrose rasped with a chuckle and he ducked his head shyly. “It’s not going to be that exciting, mind you.” 
“That’s easy for you to say, Smokyrose,” Songdust said. “You got to see the other Clans during your mediating. We’ve barely scented them since Leaf-fall.” Pantherhaze nodded, hoping to add weight to Songdust’s argument. 
“I suppose you have a point,” Smokyrose relented graciously. “Just keep in mind that we’re not the only Clan who lost a lot of cats this Leaf-bare. It will likely be a very small, unimpressive gathering.” 
“Right,” Pantherhaze frowned, effectively chastened. Even Songdust went soberly quiet. The patrol emerged from the foliage to behold the Cornerstones, the mossy ruins of a long abandoned twoleg nest that had mostly crumbled. Only one corner of the nest remained, sides sloping up to a point where two cats sat, quietly conversing. 
Pantherhaze gasped. 
“Oh, no,” he whispered. “What happened to Lionstar?” Snowstar, he recognized, their white pelt glistening in the moonlight, but instead of the pale ginger figure of Lionstar, his deputy Flightgaze was perched on top of the Cornerstones. The sleek blue tabby turned his gaze towards the RisingClan cats as they entered and he frowned. 
“I imagine he died,” Sagetooth remarked. “Same as Sunstar.” Pantherhaze fell silent, realizing that the other Clans probably hadn’t heard about Sunstar’s death, just as he hadn’t heard about Lionstar. They had only learned about Thrushstar’s death in EarthClan because Stormwhisper had come begging for Sagetooth’s help in treating him when he lost two lives in as many days. It was terrifying to think about. Not only could the plague chew through all nine of a leader’s lives, but it had claimed three of the four cats who had stood atop the Cornerstones this time last year. He whispered a prayer of thanks to StarClan for allowing it to pass him over. 
Looking over the gathered cats, it seemed many had not been so lucky. Including leaders, deputies, and healers, neither Clan had brought more than six cats - not that RisingClan was much better with their seven. It also seemed that despite arriving at the gathering neither SkyClan nor FallenClan were comfortable mingling amongst each other like they used to. 
Goldenstar looked back at her Clan and said, “Best behavior, yeah?” 
“Of course!” Pantherhaze said, straightening his posture. Goldenstar chuckled and winked at him, causing his face to flush a little under his fur. She glanced at Nightfrost and the two of them split from the group to head to the Cornerstones. Nightfrost meowed a greeting as she approached the other deputies and Goldenstar bounded up the sloped side to join Snowstar and - Patherhaze suddenly realized - Flightstar. Sagetooth headed over to sit apart from the other Clans and without thinking, the rest of RisingClan followed. 
“Wait,” Pantherhaze thought out loud as they settled down, “if Flightgaze is Flightstar now, who’s deputy?” 
“You have eyes, don’t you?” Sagetooth grumbled, flicking her tail towards the deputies gathered on the rubble below the Cornerstones, where a young white and grey cat was stiffly giving a nod to Nightfrost. 
“Pigeoncover?” Songdust frowned. “They haven’t even finished training their first apprentice.”
Smokyrose hummed thoughtfully. “I think he became Tumblefang last moon.” 
“Still,” Songdust huffed. “Last moon? Pigeoncover must be barely two years old! There are other warriors much more qualified to be deputy.” 
Pantherhaze shifted uncomfortably and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. “Isn’t Flightgaze- uh, Flightstar their father?” 
“Mhm,” Smokyrose’s whiskers twitched. An uneasy quiet settled over the little group until, several minutes later, the bushes rustled and Orangestar came out of the trees with five cats in tow. Much like RisingClan, the EarthClan cats picked up on the strange energy and settled down away from the others while the leader and deputy took their places on the Cornerstones. 
“Alright,” Snowstar called, rising to her feet, “now that everyone is here, let’s begin!”
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“First of all, let me just say, it’s good to be here tonight, under the sight of StarClan with all of you. It’s been too long. However, I’m proud of everyone for taking the Red Gut contagion seriously and taking the necessary precautions. It’s thanks to those safety measures, the hard work of our healers, and the guidance of StarClan that we have managed to come out the other side of this plague with our heads held high.” She glanced down to the clump of SkyClan cats and said, “I’d like to give some time to Tangletooth who has a bit to say about anti-plague precautions.” 
Tangletooth, an elderly, speckled ginger tom, rose to his paws, licked his whiskers, and nodded to his leader. “Thank you,” he said, voice rough and dry. The little noise the crowd was making diminished as all the cats strained to hear what he was saying. “I want to echo everything Snowstar has said and… give an additional warning. While it is understandable to be excited to put the plague behind us, I would urge you not to become blinded by relief. Every cat must stay vigilant for signs of Red Gut - sneezing fits, fever, headaches, running eyes and nose, upset stomach… and especially retching or liquid dirt.” 
He paused to take a few breaths and collect his thoughts. “Stay vigilant. Watch for these signs in both yourselves and your clanmates and report them to your healers immediately if you find them. If it is Red Gut, you will be put into isolation and it is of the utmost importance that you respect this quarantine. If you are ill, follow the direction of your healer and stay away from your clanmates. If you are well, do not attempt to visit the ill. Doing so risks the destruction of your entire Clan.” 
Pantherhaze looked down at his paws, remembering his sisters who had succumbed to the disease in two days. He had listened to Sagetooth and stayed away and because of that he had survived but he had never been able to say goodbye to them. He flinched, roused from his stupor by Smokyrose’s tail resting gently against his side. He smiled through tight lips at her and leaned closer, grateful for the unspoken comfort. 
“Uh… Thank you.” Tangletooth finished, slightly distant, and settled down again. SkyClan’s mediator, Heatherfuzz, leaned in to check on him, whispering in his ear as he nodded, muttering absently.
Snowstar dipped her head to her healer before lifting her posture again to address the crowd. “All of that said, SkyClan is officially free of disease and looking forward to the rest of Newleaf.” She took a small step back and glanced to either side to offer the stage to one of her fellow leaders. Goldenstar hesitated for a beat before starting to step forward. Flightstar beat her to the punch, standing up suddenly and drawing the crowd’s attention with a lash of his whip-like tail. 
“Last week,” he began, “Red Gut claimed Lionstar’s remaining lives, but with his death, we have finally left the sickness in the past. FallenClan stands strong as we leave Leaf-bare, returning to our full glory day by day. As leader, it is my first priority to oversee our Clan’s efforts to rebuild. We have already named a new warrior, Tumblefang,” he gestured with his chin towards the young white and grey tabby in the crowd below. She puffed up her chest proudly, letting her gaze fall cooly over the assembled cats. Pantherhaze grinned widely at her and waved his tail in congratulations, but if she noticed, she didn’t give any sign. 
“And,” Flightstar continued, “we have another apprentice who is close to graduating herself.” He gave a small trill of pride and sat back down folding his tail neatly over his paws. Goldenstar cast him a glance as if to make sure that he wasn’t about to interrupt again and then stepped forward. Her gaze panned the crowd and Pantherhaze made sure to give his best encouraging smile to her. He was certain it was stressful to be on top of the Cornerstones in front of everyone and hoped that he could somehow reassure her from below.
She took a deep breath and began to speak. “Likewise, I must sadly report that Sunstar was claimed by Red Gut last moon. While her absence will surely be felt, I am certain that RisingClan will recover quickly in the coming days. In the wake of this tragedy, I want to ask everyone to remember that it was cooperation and unity that got us through this tragedy. Let us carry those things forward into a new season of prosperity for all.” Flightstar’s ear twitched. Pantherhaze glanced at him, reading disdain on the tom’s pointed muzzle. He wondered if Flightstar would say something but if there was something on the leader’s mind, he didn’t speak it. Goldenstar watched him for a moment and, when she was satisfied he wasn’t going to interrupt again, she turned her gaze to Orangestar on her other side, face softening just a bit. 
Orangestar sat up sharply, realizing it was her turn to speak, and stood up, fluffy ginger tail swishing side to side. “Right.” She said, almost to herself. “Likewise, EarthClan was hit hard by the plague. I’m sure you’ve all heard about Thrushstar’s untimely passing by now. In the months since then, I have been working tirelessly to ensure the safety of my clanmates. I am proud to announce not only that EarthClan is also free of disease, but that we have two new apprentices with us.” Pantherhaze’s ears perked. Red Gut had been particularly fatal for kits and had spread through the nurseries like wildfire. To have two new apprentices was surely a testament to the Clan’s dedication to following their healer’s guidance. 
“Dawnpaw has been apprenticed to Sprucespeckle and I have taken Toadpaw as my own apprentice.” Everyone looked to the apprentices in question, a pale blue and ginger torbie and a speckled brown tom sitting at the back of the crowd. The tom looked nervously around while his sister sat taller, eyes fixed on Orangestar with a fondness tinged with anxiety.
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Orangestar nodded to her with a smile and continued. “We are all looking to the future with hope and courage, as exemplified by these two young cats.”
Pantherhaze tilted his head to whisper to Smokyrose. “They look more nervous than courageous.” 
“Those things aren’t opposites,” she shrugged. “I would be nervous too. The hopes and dreams of a Clan are a lot to pin on two orphans.” 
“Oh.” Pantherhaze’s stomach dropped. He looked forward again, tail curling around his paws as that solemn thought weighed upon his mind. 
Orangestar looked around, not sure what to do, and eventually said, “That’s all.” 
Snowstar nodded and declared, “Then with that, the gathering is over. Feel free to mingle for a while. It’s been a long time since we’ve had the opportunity to talk amongst ourselves.” The crowd was hesitant at first, shifting and murmuring, but seeing Snowstar leap down to speak with Nightfrost, cats slowly began to break from their Clan groups.
“Why don’t we go say hello to the new apprentices?” Smokyrose suggested and Pantherhaze nodded, a smile spreading on his face.
“Yeah, alright,” he agreed, leaning down to help support her as she stood. The older she-cat thanked him and together, they padded to the back of the clearing to greet the young cats and wish them well.
---------
Author's note: Thanks to everybody who read all the way through. Most gatherings won't be quite this long, just the notable ones. I figured our first Full Moon Gathering was worthy of a bigger piece.
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greyskyflowers · 1 month
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You know how there's the soulmate AUs where people leave spots of color where they touch you? Like that but with blood.
I like idea of the people you love who bleed on you leaving marks. Not necessarily romantic soulmates but soulmates in the sense of I think we come from the same stardust.
Maybe it just lasts until that person heals, then it fades away.
Wounds that scar leave colors that never truely disappear but instead just water down to pale colors so both people are permanently marked.
All the hands stained from pressing on wounds.
All the shoulders and backs dyed from carrying someone.
All the knuckles covered, fights forgiven and forgotten but the skin remembers.
All the arms painted from relieved hugs.
The reminder of a kiss that left a mark like lipstick.
The lingering of a handprint so perfect it looks intentional.
All the fades spots on you that mark the places your loved ones have scars.
The stories you could tell, the memories that would linger.
Luffy: Crimson, burning sunsets and glowing embers fading into dusty rose
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Zoro: forest, fresh ivy and week old bruises dimming into grey sage
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Nami: Citrine, orange peels and fall leaves sliding into muted april
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Usopp: Dandelion, flower pollen and honey combs settling into neutral cornsilk
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Sanji: Cobalt, fish scales and sea glass washing away to pale celestial
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Chopper: Rouge, spring flowers and winter sunrises easing into sweet blush
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Robin: Wine, fresh blackberries and humming bird feathers drifting off into dusted heather
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Franky: Cyan, open ocean and clear skies cooling into arctic blue
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Brook: Obsidian, night skies and storm clouds weakening to sea mist
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Also consider:
What if it was the people who love you that leave color? The surprise of color on your skin from someone you didn't realize loved you.
What happens if the love fades? Could you be covered in color from someone you love who now hates you?
What happens if it was never there at all? Do the marks show if you're trying to fool yourself into loving someone?
Could you bleed on someone you supposedly love and both of you are stunned into silence when nothing happens?
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zprites · 11 months
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April TMNT All 4-1!
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IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING! I WROTE ABOUT BLUE OMGOMGOMG lol - Honestly had such a hard time with writing this month's prompt, hence why it didn't come out sooner... I kept losing concentration while writing buuuttt I think that's my mental illness talking. Plus the new Dragon Age playthrough I started, shhhh lol.
Apologizes in advance if it's kinda lacking 😭
The Lovely Hosts - @thelaundrybitch, @post-apocalyptic-daydream, @leosgirl82, and @turtle-babe83!
Prompt - “What are you doing in my bed?”
Rise! Leo x GN! Reader and SFW -- Characters are in their 20s! Enjoy!!
Taglist: @turtle-babe83, @manduse, @morning-sun-brah, @crazysarah-98, @pacoholin, @iamdefinitelytheratking
Close Your Eyes, I Got You Now
Close your eyes I got you now Fall into me, and I'll catch you darlin'... Fall Into Me - Forest Blakk
It started off like any other day for you - your alarm blaring after you hit snooze several times too many, tripping over that damned rug in your bathroom you always swore you’d replace if it happened again (which it always did), speeding out the door after hastily pulling yourself together with nothing in your stomach besides a few sips of coffee you’d managed before you cursed at the time. You moved seamlessly through the crowd of New Yorkers as each one made their way to their destinations. The nearby subway station was packed as usual yet you were able to squeeze your way onto the last train that would allow you to make it to your job just in time for your shift. 
After five stops you stepped out of the car and briskly walked toward the stairs leading up to the streets above, taking two at a time. A quick glance at your phone showed that you would make it on time with only seconds to spare. 
However you ended up misjudging the amount of steps left until you reached the landing causing your feet to blunder beneath you. Your hand clamped around the metal railing that was thankfully beside you, allowing you to catch yourself before you got a mouthful of concrete. Unfortunately at the same time the person behind you bumped into your body, their coffee (iced, thankfully) spilling over your form. Instead of apologizing for their lack of attention to the world around them, they shouted obscenities at you for a moment before rushing past you, nose going back into their phone within seconds as they blended into the sea of people.
You arrived at work five minutes late. Your boss took one look at the liquid dripping from your hair and work uniform and ushered you into the bathroom for you to clean yourself up. Thankfully your uniform was dark colored though your hair remained sticky and grimy, the scent of coffee lingering on you throughout the entirety of your shift. Your coworkers did little to help your evergrowing foul mood, one of them being particularly inept for one reason or another, leaving you to deal with the brunt of customer scrutiny. To top it all off, a particular encounter with an elderly woman who wanted to return merchandise they purchased over a year ago with no receipt had you at your absolute limit. 
And it wasn’t even noon.
You were so fucking done with the day…
After clocking out you made the trek back to your apartment, wanting nothing more than to take a nice long shower and enjoy the comfort of your home in solitude. You had nothing planned and you were so, so ready to veg out in your bed with nothing but a glass of wine and the cast of The Office for company. 
You let out a sigh of relief once you stepped through your front door, kicking off your shoes with dramatic flair as you locked the door behind you. A yawn escaped you as your sock-clad feet padded lightly against the wooden flooring as you moseyed over to your bedroom. 
“Sweetie! You’re finally home!”
You stopped dead in your tracks and groaned a bit on the inside when you took in the scene before you. Your boyfriend, who you noticed was wearing only a pair of joggers, was laying on your bed though upon seeing you he instantly sat up, beaming at you as his dark eyes shone with glee. 
While this wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, and normally a welcome one at that, today was different. When you didn’t want to deal with anyone for the remainder of the day, you meant it. This included your loving, handsome turtle mutant boyfriend. 
You blinked a few times at him as the frustration that had been building up inside you threatened to boil over. A moment passed as you struggled to say something that wouldn’t come across as completely rude - you didn’t want to take your foul mood out on him. 
“What are you doing in my bed?”
As soon as the words left your mouth you cringed inwardly, slapping a palm to your forehead in your mind at your choice in words. The way you said them wasn’t any better if you were to be honest. Your voice asked the question with a tautness you had hoped wouldn’t upset him. 
It didn’t. Leonardo kept his smile plastered on his face as he began speaking.
“Well after you texted me during your lunch break, I thought it would be nice to surprise you.”
You frowned a bit. Did you text him? You couldn’t remember…
Which only frustrated you further. On top of your evergrowing irritation, you didn’t even realize you had texted your boyfriend to complain about the world that seemingly had it out for you from the moment you woke up.
“- wanted to cheer you up! I just placed an order for take-out from that chinese place you love a few minutes ago and…”
And here he was. 
The overwhelming feeling that you didn’t deserve him hit you like a ton of bricks in that moment.
“- watch whatever you want while I rub your feet… Hey, why are you crying?”
You were crying?
You brought a hand to cheek and felt the saltwater trail from where a single tear had escaped from the moisture that had accumulated in your eyes. A dam broke and you began sobbing in earnest, letting out all of the stress and annoyance that had built up over the day in a matter of seconds. 
“Hey now… C'mere." Leo soothed as he took your hands in his, gently pulling you closer to him. You let him, allowing him to maneuver you so that you were sitting on his lap sideways, head tucked into his neck as your shoulders shook. 
The two of you stayed that way for several minutes until you felt yourself eventually calm down, your eyes no longer producing tears as your crying had seemed to run its course. Leo held you firmly against his plastron, rubbing circles across your back to comfort you. 
“I’m sorry…” You got out past a sniffle. 
“Do you want to talk about it?” He spoke barely above a whisper. 
You let out a shaky sigh. “It’s just - today sucked. I was so happy to be home and have some much needed alone time, to decompress and forget about all the bullshit I had to deal with. I guess when I saw you here, I got even more upset, which is silly because I know you only want to help… I don’t know…” You trailed off. It was true, you felt extremely silly for the way you had reacted. 
“It’s okay, I understand. If I had known you wanted to be alone I wouldn’t have shown up unannounced like this.” 
You felt bad. Now that he was here, the idea of spending your evening with him sounded more favorable than spending it by yourself. You just wish you hadn’t broken down to the extent that you did. 
“I can go, if you still want to be left alone…” Leo offered with a hint of dejection laced in his words that would have been missed by most people. But not to you.
“No no no.” You lifted your head up to meet his gaze. “Stay, please.”
He smiled down at you, bringing a hand to wipe away the streaks on your cheeks. “Alright.”
The evening passed by slowly. Leo catered to your every need, insisting that you relaxed as he drew you a bath after the two of you had eaten. Once in bed he held good on his promise to massage your feet as the two of you laughed over several episodes of The Office. Eventually you started dozing off, your head rested on his shoulder as it became increasingly difficult for your eyes to stay open. You felt his lips press a kiss to your forehead as one final thought passed through your mind before sleep overtook you.
You knew that you could always count on him to turn even your shittiest of days into a good one. 
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lericekrispie · 8 months
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With the new TMNT movie coming out soon, me and my brother have been binge watching the 2012 TMNT series!!! It's his first watch through, and its been so nostalgic for me. And as always, I'm addicted to my character designs so I thought I'd share
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NOTES:
Age 15: They all get the same uniform the first time they go to the surface, I can imagine Splinter handing the uniform down as a heirloom, or he created it just for them :) they are so young, don't know what they are getting into or who they are yet, just babies. I tried to keep it as turtle inspired as possible
Age 16: They are getting a little older, finding themselves more. They would be getting more into human culture, watching human TV and getting April to get clothes for them so for the first time they can express themselves through their clothes. They keep elements of the uniform throughout the changes, but their clothes grow and evolve with them. Also, Mikey repping the gay and MLM colors :)
Age 17: Around the battle for New York, they had to leave just in the clothes they had, and don't get update clothes until they do the spiritual journey into the forest. They have seen and experienced harder things that have caused them to grow up faster, and have experienced life threatening injuries, and in Leo's case, his leg that for the rest of his outfits will be extra armored.
Age 18: They are more confident in themselves, their fighting style, and while not having a lot of down time, they value it immensely. This is the most free their outfits have been, the most them, without an excessive need to look a certain way. To look tough, to be armored, to be practical. It really is the outfits of where the highest of their skills meet the least unburdened they will be, shortly after this they will dress to send a message or project a certain image, will have seen their father die to shredder, and the world destroyed. Also She/Him Leo and Ace Donnie :)
Age 19: While understanding more who they are, the brothers now have certain ways they are trying to present themselves and the way these burdens have made them try to protect themselves. These outfits are based off of the Shredder Killer outfits. Leo is trying to present as armored, with unbreakable defenses, like a hero or a knight, for his allies to know that she will protect them, and for the enemies to know exactly who she is on the playing field, and hopefully draw attention away from her brothers as the leader. Raph has always presented more punk and tough, but now he shows it more in the jacket he wears, covering more skin, being less confident about where he is going to be hit and if he can take it. The shoulders and hair make him look bigger than he actually is. Donnie goes full practicality mode, adding more spaces for pockets and armor. Mikey also looses some of his colors he wore, in leu of stealth and being safer on the battle field.
Age 20: Set after the show, who knows what happens, but they are now adults and can put some space between what had happened and have time to digest. Leo doesn't un-armor, but she lets her hair grow longer and wears a longer cape, a sign of time passing and growing maturity, as well as taking on the title as the last sensi of the Hamato Clan. Mikey still wears fun clothes, but he has chosen his uniform to be more akin to his childhood uniform splinter gave them, in honor of his memory and their culture (like hes taking his childhood back, not letting the years lost mean his life is over kinda). Donnie only makes a couple adjustments, like covering skin- to show how the events have shaken him and made him feel more vulnerable, but adding more brown into the mix, showing hope and a peace that might be on the horizon. Raph grows into his skin more, loosing the sharp silhouette and having a more rounder one, showing his sharp edges calming down in a time of peace, and letting his hair down as he has time to relax. They all have the Hamato Clan sigil on their clothes :)
If you read that, Just scroll between ages 15 and 20. Crazy shit this is why I die for character design :')
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durudurururu · 2 months
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Linked Universe Vtubers Au
So I like Linked Universe. I also like Vtubers. The result? LU vtuber AU! This has refused to leave my brain ever since it came up and now you shall live with this too!
It's a basic modern AU but everyone is a Vtubers instead of any normal job they could have. Their Vtuber lore is the same the actual chars, but their Irl counterparts are different. I'll talk about the agency the characters are in later, so have some fact about them!!
The chain
Sky
Married to Sun.
30yrs (may change)
The one's who's been a Vtuber the longest.
Was a pilot before becoming a vtuber due to his wife thinking he would like it.
Was indie before being recruited by the agency (Was called Crimson).
Time
Oldest in the Chain
46yrs
Was still raised in the forest, but not by a tree
Has a teenage daughter named Navi (had her at 31, she's now 15yrs)
Learnt her to speak Kokiri.
Married to Malon
Only have a few cuckoos and some horses instead of a whole ranch.
Warriors
Only became a Vtuber since his wife and daughter likes them and he wouldn't mind some extra income.
Has a toggle in his model to turn into the Fierce Deity.
In a April fool'd stream he has a 3D model of Time as a kid which he used the whole day.
25yrs.
Twins with Linkle and lives with her in an apartment in Castle Town.
Used to live out in the country but moved away since he doesn't have the best relationship with his dad.
Hides his accent, uses a quite posh one.
Worked full time at a make up store in the morning and did night security shifts at 3 times a week before becoming a Vtuber.
Quit because it was making his health way worse and he had more wiggle room when Linkle moved in as she (supringly) also had a job.
Became a Vtuber due to the extra wiggle room. Wanted to be one since they helped him through some tough times.
Wind and Arryl (his cousins) visit him on occasion, and he loves them.
Wind found out his Vtuber identity immideatly, but is not a snitch.
Dating Arthemtis.
Crazy ex Cia that he still had traumas from.
Wild
24yrs
Married to Flora
Used to date Mipha before the accident.
She lived in another country and though she wanted to give him her support, she often couldn't, and since so much about him changed with the memory loss, she sadly had to cut her losses and break up, even if Wild technically didn't know it at the time.
Still looses his memories, but now because of a car crash. His parents died in it and though his sister survived, she didn't go in a coma but went to an unknown relative. Happened when he was 19, awoke when he was 20.
Wheelchair bound but can technically walk and stand, just not good.
Does his best to hide the fact that he's disabled.
His model does not have any scars because of this as he wants it to be perfect, unlike himself (yes, he is in therapy, because who thinks he isn't perfect?)
Became a Vtuber as it was difficult to find jobs he could do whilst wheelchair bound that doesn't pay like shit or force him to move away for college. He also really liked them regardless.
Four
Trans (FtM). Had surgery before the accident and didn't know until he was 21.
Most popular of the chain.
4 streamers in one channel.
Green, Blue, Vio, and Red
Blacksmiths, but has some extra jobs as it doesn't pay too well.
Quadruplets.
20yrs.
Became Vtubers because of Shadow and since they wanted the extra money.
All their desks (+Shadow's) are right next to each other.
Both streams alone and with each other. Rarely all 4 unless it's a special occasion.
Has a model that all four can control at once. Yes, it absolute chaos.
Their individual models are just coloured differently than that one ^^, otherwise looks the same.
Streams at least 4 times a week, one day for each of them.
Green
Dating Dot.
Works part time at a café
Helps with planning their streams and any collabs that their manager doesn't do for them.
Blue
Works at an animal shelter when he's free.
Has almost ruined his set up too many times to count due to gamer rage.
Vio
Non binary (they/them).
Dating Shadow, but hiding it...kind of. They're playing up their relationships for jokes and the community ships them to all hell.
Has a Shadow body pillow that doesn't exist Irl (yet) that their model sometimes holds during streams.
A bit goth.
Works at a library.
Red
Aromantic and Asexual!
Calls his fans his Rubies.
Everyone—including the rest of the chain—will protect him with their life.
Works at a a cat café. It is a different café than Green, and he hides that he's jealous about being able to work there.
Hyrule
Lives in the middle of nowhere and does not know where anything is.
Somehow lives off of hunting (don't worry, he has a license) and the instant noodles etc he buys from the store that's very close to the middle of fuck who knows where.
Somehow still used Internet Explorer when he started. Did not know what Firefox was until Legend explained it to him.
Refused to use Chrome as he didn't know how to change his browser.
Still shocked at being a functioning Vtuber.
Became one because money was getting tight and since he grew up in a village in the middle of fuck who knows where, didn't have too many good jobs he could have.
Legend
24yrs.
Married to Ravio.
Still refuses to wear pants.
Puts even more of a tsundere act when on camera.
Has quite a posh accent but hides it and uses one that's actually normal.
Twins with Fable
Twillight
25yrs.
Dated Midna, but she suddenly broke up with him and he's still slightly heart broken.
Time's (technically Malon's) nephew.
Got a country accent.
Sadly had to move out of Odinia because of college. Now works part time at a veterenarions clinic.
Became a Vtuber because it sounded fun even though he wasn't the biggest fan of it at the time.
On his debut stream he found a toggle to turn his model into a wolf and Legend send a donation just to call him a furry.
Wind
15yrs/18yrs
Doesn't join the agency until he's 18, and he's 15 for most of the stories that I have planned. This may change.
Warriors' cousin. Often visits because his Grandma can't take care of them every day, especially Aryll.
Slowly starts to join streams even though Warriors is very reluctant. Warriors' fans love him.
About the agency and some lore:
The agency is called Fates and their theme is good vs evil. Their first wave was called Inception and had four members: First, Fi, Hylia, and Demise.
They were suprisingly successful, but after 1 year, Demise took a break because of some bad rumours about him started to spread, and not long after, First graduated due to personal issues.
Fates was already in the progress of adding more members, and eventually the new wave by the name of Clouds came out, having 2 new members: Sky—a former indie Vtuber by the name of Crimson—and Ghirahim, who was also an indie before joining the company.
Everything went great, Demise coming back to streaming...but then the rumours came back, and they found out that they weren't just rumours. Demise was quickly terminated as he had been harrasing fans on an alt account, then Ghirahim got terminated as he had been meeting with his fans Irl and given them special bonuses, which even went for outside of his streams.
As a way to save their image, Fates let out a new wave by the name of Destruction shortly after, having 3 members: Vaati, Dark, and Shadow.
Both Sky and the members of Destruction got a fair amount of hate, mostly from people saying that the company is simply trying to replace First and Demise with cheap knock offs.
Fates has open Vtuber auditions for the first time since the agency started, and recruit 7 people that joins a wave called The Chain: Time, Wild, Legend, Hyrule, Twillight, Warriors, Four.
Later they would open auditions again, and have a new wave by the name of Mortality with 4 members: Impa, Calamity, Majora, and Ganondorf.
Other important characters:
First
Most popular member when he was still streaming
Hand picked Sky as his succesor
Fi
Though she technically didn't graduate, rarely streams any more. Now is a higher up in the company.
Helped Sky find his footing at the start.
Sometimes holds Vtuber game shows with Shadow
Hylia/Zelda
The most popular streamer in the agency.
Often has collabs with Indie Vtubers and Impa.
The best at the game show Shadow hosts.
Was re-named to Zelda because of continued harrasment for sharing a name with the goddess.
Has been a Vtuber for (at least) 3yrs.
Vaati
Graduated after 2 years due to the continued hate.
Still talks with Shadow and Dark.
20yrs when he graduated.
Shadow
21yrs.
Lives with the Four gremblins and is dating Vio.
They are way too gay for each my Lord.
From Lolrule.
Darker skinned.
Used to work at the same library as Vio. Only there because no other place would accept him.
Was with the bad boys in High school, is getting better now.
Likes holding game shows for other Vtubers.
Dark
23yrs.
From Lolrule.
Darker skinned.
Quite shy but doesn't show it much.
Can be very childish.
Dyselxic. Why? Because I say so.
People always said he was a teaser for another Vtuber, which was technically true, but he still didn't like hearing it.
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7grandmel · 2 months
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Todays rip: 09/02/2024
Joke-Explainer™ 7000 Fusion Collab
Season 8 No Album Release (Read More) Magolor's Shoppe - Team Kirby Clash Deluxe
Ripped by Bruh de la Boi, ChickenSuitGuy, circunflexo, Cosmic199X, Edgi, Ellie53, Jiko Music, Memmy, Pan Visuals by BobTheTacocat
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Look alive, everyone - Season 8 of SiIvaGunner has now officially premiered!
It may be a bit rich to say as someone running this blog, and with such deep investment into the channel, but...Season 7 really did bring me back into SiIvaGunner in a way I never quite thought would be possible. I'd sort of just accepted with Season 4, Season 5 and Season 6 that the channel had found a new direction: one that I was still VERY much a fan of, yet not quite the one that had "sold" me on the channel the same way Season 1, Season 2 and Season 3 did. I felt as if I was missing that energy of just...sheer visceral excitement for the future of the channel as a whole from the later-year seasons. There was instead a lot of per-event excitement, tons of little events to enjoy and still fun to be had in speculation of what could happen next, yet that aforementioned optimism still felt like it...missing, for a long time. And funny enough - last I discussed that feeling in particular was with Patched Plains Fusion Collab, a rip that Joke-Explainer™ 7000 Fusion Collab very much seems to be intentionally aiming to evoke.
Part of the reason that Patched Plains Fusion Collab works so well for me, and indeed why Season 2 has long sat as my favorite in the channel's life, is that feeling of raw forward momentum it conveys - the excitement of the entire fanbase thankful that SiIvaGunner hadn't actually ended, distilled into an anthem of so many different styles cheerfully pushing us forward. It was that sort of progress that, back when they were airing, I felt was sort of absent from Seasons 4/5/6 - the SiIvaGunner AI was still running things, Wood Man was still off effectively doing sidequests, and though the rips had obviously gotten better the cynical side of me couldn't help but feel a bit sad at how - for a lack of a better word - "predictable" it all felt. And to be crystal clear: A lot of those feelings have obviously changed for the better over the years. I love all of SiIvaGunner's Seasons nowadays, and I realized eventually that the prior-mentioned cynicism toward the new direction wasn't as fun as just, appreciating and LOVING the stuff to come out from the new seasons for the excellence that they were. And funny enough, I feel like that exact mindset is exactly what made Season 7 work so well for me.
Wheras Season 2 is one I remember for its feeling of constantly moving things forward at a rocket-speed pace, Season 7 excels by doing the complete opposite - the Year of Grand Dad is, at almost every possible turn, defined by its sense of self-celebration, a sort of "Sonic Generations"-type of tribute to the entire channel's life. Be it with RIP² as covered in SING A SONG ABOUT HOPES AND DREAMS, the entire incredible April Fools event I've alluded to within Violet Snow Memories, a newfound sense of chaos clearly inspired by Season 1 as shown in Hidden Headtoilets (skibidi toree 2) - yet with Seasons 4/5/6s newfound touch for genuine quality arrangements as found in rips like Forest of Tears. And, atop it all, the long-awaited continuation of the storyline last progressed back in Season 2 with the Christmas Comeback Crisis' eleventh episode. With such an incredible smörgåsbord of content on offer, it feels damn near impossible for me not to consider Season 7 my all-time new favorite.
And that optimism for the Season, that optimism for the future, is why Joke-Explainer™ 7000 Fusion Collab struck such a chord with me, with its release just a few days ago. With Season 7's ending, the status quo of the channel has been fundamentally altered in a way it hasn't truly been in a long while. For the first time ever, the long-present side character "Joke-Explainer™ 7000" is in full charge of the channel - her most prominent role ever despite having been around since all the way back in Season 1. I'll likely be dedicating another Season 8 post in the future to talking about her in particular with the same level of detail I did back in Vote Responsibly!!, but the context I'll provide for now is that her theme song, Magolor's Shoppe, has been a familiar, comforting tune to many a SiIvaGunner viewer since way back in Season 2. To see Patched Plains Fusion Collab not only get a spiritual successor, but one building upon a character and theme we've long grown attached to, means something so much to me and so many others. The added visuals, of her doing her duty with adorable Kirby-themed artwork as textboxes, are truly the cherry on top of an amazing collab.
From referencing the very beginnings of the channel with an initial arrangement using Pokémon Ruby, to using familiar-yet-infrequent sources such as Thwomp Volcano and Snail's House (jokes "worth explaining", so to speak!), to perhaps even hinting at what jokes are to become even more frequent in Season 8, such as the GOAT of all new jokes I Show Meat - I was long anticipating what the official premiere of Season 8 would be, and Joke-Explainer™ 7000 Fusion Collab was everything I never knew I wanted. My excitement for Season 8 is perhaps higher than for any other Season in the channel's long history, and I can't wait to get to share that excitement with all of you.
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the-brucest-fan · 1 year
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WachowsKids Headcanons 💙💛❤️💖
Here you have some headcanons I have about Sonic Wachowski and his siblings:
They call themselves the "The WachowsKids".
Sonic, Amy and Knuckles love bowling (they're the balls!). Together they make an unbeatable team.
Playing Monopoly is forbidden in the Wachowskis house since Tails used to get very intense when playing the game.
Amy and Knuckles are very competitive, especially with each other. They tend to arm-wrestle to solve almost anything. Once they both arm-wrestled for three days straight over the last cookie from the jar, being fed with only liquids through a straw, and they agreed to have a bathroom break at least twice.
After moving in with the Wachowskis, Tails turned their garage into his new lab (he even built a secret basement for it).
Amy loves exploring the forest of Green Hills. She likes climbing trees and looking for bugs in the dirt, and sometimes she comes back home bringing rodent bones or wild animals like mice, snakes and even a rabid raccoon.
Amy usually helps Maddie at her vet clinic. She wants to be like her someday to help other animals.
Knuckles favorite TV show is 2003 TMNT (and his favorite turtle is Raph. He has a soft spot for Rise of the TMNT Raph too).
Amy has a secret place in the forest that only her and Sonic know about. It's a really tall tree that she climbs up and stays on one of its branches to read while enjoying the view. Sonic sometimes does the same, but he usually takes a nap on one of the branches.
Just like Sonic, Knuckles also thinks the Burger Princess Drive-Thru statue is some kind of oracle. Tails knows it's not, but he prefers not to tell his brothers.
When Amy just arrived, Sonic thought her Piko Piko Hammer was like Thor's Mjolnir, so he tried to lift it and succeeded, claiming happily that he was worthy of its power. Even though that's not how it worked, Amy said nothing because she likes seeing him so happy.
For their first Halloween (before Amy came), Knuckles was scared by Tails, who was dressed up as a ghost, and since he's afraid of ghosts, he punched him so hard that the poor little fox went through the wall.
For their first Halloween together (now with Amy), the whole family dressed up as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Sonic as Leonardo, Tails as Donatello, Amy as Mikey, and Knuckles as Raphael, while Tom and Maddie were dressed up as Casey Jones and April O'Neil. They got lots of candy that night.
Tails favorite superhero is Spider-Man. He admires Peter Parker's ability to build artifacts and other kind of gizmos that he uses in battle. Inspired by the comics, he's been working on a prototype that looks similar to the Iron Spider's legs. He also likes villians like Doc Ock and Green Goblin since they're scientists as well.
Knuckles's was banned from the arcade for life since the day he destroyed the Whac-a-Mole machine. Later, it was Amy who was banned as well.
Knuckles loves snowball wars.
During thunderstorms, the whole family gathers at the living room to play board games to keep Tails's mind distracted from lightning. If that doesn't work, they build a pillow fortress and sit inside to have hot chocolate together.
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nancy-drewdles · 8 months
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Ace's love interest (4x10-11 spec)
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So I've decided to rewatch the audition tape for Alice, the love interest, to look for clues on when she will finally bother to show up, and boy oh boy
Under the cut because of somewhat heavy spoilers.
Exhibit A. The audition tape.
The actress reads two scenes, both with Ace. The first one makes no sense to me. It sounds like they meet in college, which considering the insane timeline of this show — h o w. Episodes 6-8 happened in the span of 3 days (🤯) at the end of March. Episode 11 happens on April 8th (Passover), so we know there’s no big time jump. Unless he’s been taking night classes and didn’t tell anyone? For now, I’m choosing to believe that part of the tape is fake dialogue (for my own sanity because what do you mean you'd risk death by radiation for her).  
No, what really interests me is the second scene, where the girl gets possessed. 
LI: *heavy breathing* ACE: Ghost? I don’t think you are here to hurt me. I did some research and- LI: It’s cold. It’s cold.  ACE: Are you Mia who froze on the mountain? LI: I can’t breathe. It burns.  ACE: Are you Sam who died in the fire?  ACE: Talk to me. What do you remember? LI: My hair wrapped around my neck. I saw orange grey and everything went quiet and my hands were so cold. I don’t remember who I am…
Exhibit B. This shot from the latest trailer. 
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Meet Alice, the possesed love interest.
Notice the burns on her face and her arms in flames (Are you Sam who died in the fire?), but the rest of her body looks almost frozen (Are you Mia who froze on the mountain?) with her hair in disarray (My hair wrapped around my neck). 
We don’t see who she is facing, but judging by the collar, it’s Ace who wore the same jacket in The Dilemma of the Lover's Curse. 
IMDB is not the most reliable source, but according to their listings, 4x10 has a character named Mia Peterson, and in 4x11 there’s a Nurse Sam. So it looks like whatever is going on takes place during these two episodes.
Episode 4x10 is titled the Ballad of Lives Foregone, and before, I thought it had something to do with Ace and Nancy and Ryan and Carson. But what if it's about all the lives sacrificed to the benefit of the Sin Eater and his creators?
What if whatever occurs in episode 10 (and 9) releases those restless spirits into the world? And some of them attach themselves to poor Alice?
(Or maybe, maybe it's a dybbuk situation).
And then there's this line from 4x11 description.
Lastly, Bess (Maddison Jaizani) is left feeling concerned after speaking with Ace (Alex Saxon).
Honestly, I hoped it was because he was trying to break the curse on his own, but Bess being concerned because her platanchor is being haunted by a ghostly love interest and is probably hiding it seems plausible.
And a little more ↓
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I'm almost sure this happens at some point before, during, or after the Passover dinner since Ace is wearing the same shirt. You know what else is happening at the same time? The Glasses are sacrificing Nancy at some altar in the forest during biggest full moon of the year. Something something it's all connected.
"I did some research-"
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consistentsquash · 7 months
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2023 HP Slash Fic Recs (January to August)
My favorite slash fics written in 2023! Full disclosure everything is Snarry except one fic which is Sirius/Albus + Snape/Albus.
In the Margins of What We Know by Malora (January)
Snarry, 27700 words, epistolary fic
Snarry doesn't really get a lot of epistolary fic. So when I saw this one I was super excited. Love it. Really creative fic with a lot of scope/worldbuilding without a lot of words.
Magic and Botany: The Bamboo Forest of Li Xian (book excerpt) A bamboo forest is unusual compared to other forests in that its growth happens beneath the surface. The Bamboo Forest of Li Xian, in fact, could be considered one organism. There is a single root system for the entire forest. Two shoots of bamboo, seemingly distant, can be connected in ways that are not easily seen.
Check out the rest of the Snarry Adopt A Prompt Fest 2022.
  This Mirrored Perspective by @likelightinglass and zalil (February)
Snape/Harry/Tonks, 8000 words, PWP, Dirty bad hot wrong
Ok this is my OT3 and I don't really take questions. But this is my OT3 because of Likelightinglass writing An auror, a professor and a potioneer walk into a bar. This fic has a totally different vibe! It's intense, psychological, dirtybadhotwrong porn with peak self-indulgence. Definitely NSFW.
That nagging sense that he didn't deserve it.
  Night Skye by @titconao3 (March)
Snarry, 11500 words, OTP comfort food fic
Heartwarming OTP fic! It's the best Snarry comfort food fic I read this year. Good vibes, sexy high chemistry, loving/intimate feels, brilliantly characterized, beautiful settings.
“One day…” He shakes his head and looks up at Harry, his eyes like coal. “Today,” Harry says. “Today, Severus; that’s what matters.” This is how, finally, Harry gets Severus to agree.
  Coda to "Soft Touch" by @perverse-idyll (April)
Snarry, 3,300 words, Soft
Have recced before. Will rec again. Because everybody needs to read it for the soft tender vibes. Not really soft. But compared to the intense angsty fic this is a coda for, I feel like it's optimistic and soft and I just feel so happy for my OTP.
"Can a man not toss off in the privacy of his own room without being accused of sabotaging his bloody health? If you can't trust that I have a vested interest in my own recovery - "
Snape spotted Harry, and a flush raced from his collar up to his hairline, exquisitely pink beneath his unnaturally smooth skin. But although he swallowed his tirade, Snape didn't seem particularly put out by having practically shouted his masturbatory claims to the entire office.
Check out Soft Touch the perfect dysfunctional/dirtybadhotwrong massage fic which inspired this coda!
  Devotion by @danpuff-ao3 (May)
Snarry, 27000 words. Intense/dirty bad/hot/wrong.
Exactly what I want from my Snarry! Honestly Danpuff is bringing the oldschool vibes of Snarry back with a bang in their fics every single time and I am just super spoiled now. Snarry forever :D Also love to see Danpuff going into longer fics this year!
Though the worst crime of all is Potter’s. "Did you want to die?" Also The boy knows — he knows — he can take anything he wants. That bitter surrender is surrender all the same. That the force of Severus’ loathing is fed by his longing.
Pro tip - Read Contempt together with this fic. Check out other fics from Snarry-a-Thon 23
  Much Ado About Asmodeus by @ac1d6urn (June)
Snarry, 18100 words, Fluff
Fluff and crack! Really love the oldschool trope parody vibes of this fic. I actually haven't read something like this in a pretty long time. Going on my rereads! Also going on my holiday season reading list :D Also love to see Acid's insane prolific streak this year. I feel super spoiled as a reader! <3
Harry squinted against the rain and promptly attempted to expunge the phrase "Ventus Vultuosus, swish and flick when in a bind!" from his memory. Ugh. Curse you, Common Weather Weathering Spell #13! That'll be the last time I trust anything Witch Weekly puts out in fine print. (Except maybe that last fruitcake recipe.) Now that he thought about it, Auntie Annabelle's Advice Column on "Ten Ways of Bewitching and Beguiling Your Mr Right" didn't seem so reliable either, especially considering some of those later suggestions, and maybe even those in the middle too. Those were a bit wild.
  Promises, promises... by SerenaEW, @acydpop (July)
Snarry, 5000 words, Fluff
Aww!!! The Snarry Summer Fluff I was totally praying for and really needed! Perfect Snarry Bang opener for my reading <3 Also the art! <3
Severus was looking at him, telling him, with only a glance, to shut up before you say something utterly idiotic. The expression on Jamie's face looked nearly identical.
Check out the other fics from Snarry Bang 2023
  Brillig by eldritcher (August)
Dumbledore saying "You disgust me" to people in his life but also meaning "I disgust myself". The more he sees himself in the other person, the more disgusted he gets. Intense, intense beautiful fic. But also healing because he finally overcomes that.
He disgusts you. Ratty, bony, skulking, pleading, raging, raving, frightened of the shadows and frightened of the fog, frightened of you. "You did not save Lily!" he yells. "You did not save James!" he weeps. "You did not save me!" he whimpers, and huddles into himself and trembles as if the North Sea is in his very veins.
Also the math works out!!! Snape/Dumbledore + Sirius/Dumbledore = Snack by proxy actually.
Check out the rest of the spectacularly beautiful Frabjous which contains some of my all time favorite fics.
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