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bubblesthemonsterartist · 5 years

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The Last Frontier

Clearly, I should be blaming this on myself, but I am going to take the easy route and blame this on @claudeng80. Happy birthday? XD

This far in the bush, the hours between day and night are measured in the distance of fingers that lay between sunlight and horizon, give or take a lingering twilight. Right now, Zen can only measure three. Which gives him, he thinks, a little less than an hour to get this mess lumped over his shoulder down to the shoreline.

Really, the last thing he wanted to do when he left his nice warm bed this morning was spend the night roughing it. But there will be no float planes to come pull them out after dark, no additional boats sent until the sun starts to rise again at 3am. Perhaps, if they are lucky, the Coast Guard will feel gracious enough to medi-vac Obi into town, but-

“We have to stop meeting like this.”

-he would like it to not have to come to that.

“I would love to, but you keep giving me reasons to have to come after your ass,” Zen growls, taking another step more by feel than by sight. “Honestly, how did you manage to get yourself into this mess?”

“Self defense,” Obi clips back, breathless beneath the pain. “Mama-bear came after me first.”

“You know better than to be at the salmon run this time of year,” Zen replies, wedging himself flush against Obi’s side as the mountain trail dips.

Obi grunts, teeth bared in a grimace, and follows his steps. “Man’s gotta eat, boss.”

“I’m not your boss,” Zen gripes, but his brow furrows, concerned. Not for the first time he notes how gaunt and hollow Obi’s cheeks looked in the spring when the snow thawed enough to venture forth, how his heavy coats sag even now in the height of summer. More than once, Mitsuhide admitted to cutting him lose with a warning after catching him trapping out of season.

Flexing his hand, Zen feels the way the bones of Obi’s ribs fit beneath his palms as he guides him down the mountain. “So,” he begins, cautiously, carefully. “How has hunting been going?”

“What hunting?” Obi laughs, eyes hard as knives as he considers him. “You need a permit for that.”

Zen rolls his eyes, and that- might have been a miscalculation on his part. His right boot slides out from under him and the hard packed dirt becomes as slick as ice when Obi’s weight falls to slide with him. On instinct, one of Zen’s arm tenses and the other shoots out, grasping a sapling before they both of them take the fast way down the mountain.

His heart is still in his throat when he hears Obi say, “Fuck. Fuck, let go.” Boney fingers and jagged nails are scratching at where Zen’s hand grips his side. “Ribs, boss. Ribs.”

“Oh,” Zen breathes, and immediately loosens his hold. “Sorry.”

Obi drags in a greedy breath, face pinched tight, and stumbles out of his grip and into the branches of a spuce.

Hesitating, Zen looks down the mountain, then back up to the slice of horizon peaking through the trees, and hold his hands to the sky once again.

Maybe twilight will be merciful.

“Alright,” Zen groans, scrubbing his face. “Okay. You’re going to sit. We’re going to take a break and you’re going to let me look at that before it gets too dark.”

“Roger.” Obi plops down on dirt and topples over onto his good side, rolling onto his back to stare at the rapidly darkening sky.

“I didn’t say lay down,” Zen hisses, squatting beside him and pulling him back up to sitting. Obi goes with a whine, but already the scratches on the back of his head are caked with dirt, all mixed in with dried and sticky blood. “How are you even alive?”

“Obviously, I’m not tasty enough,” Obi grins, sitting still when Zen leans in and stares at where the claw caught his cheek.

“There’s not a single animal that likes the taste of humans,” he grouses, moving down to the tattered remains of one of Obi’s sleeves held tight to his chest. “Give me your arm.”

Obi’s face twitches, but he doesn’t what is asked, slowly unlocking muscles until Zen can see where the blood still oozes out of bite and claw marks. He was smart. He protected his face and neck. But the injuries were deep. And the pain-

“You’re going to have to go into town for this.”

Sucking in a sharp breath of air, Obi draws his arm back. He’s already staring into an darkening forest. “For a scratch like this?” he laughs. “I’ve handled more on my own, boss. Just get me down the mountain and I’ll take care of things from there.”

“You’re an idiot,” Zen snipes. “A very lucky idiot. Do you have any idea how rare it is to survive a Grizzly?”

The slow spread of his lips is the most obnoxious and cocky thing Zen has ever witnessed on a human’s face. “Aw, she wasn’t trying to kill me. She was just playin’.”

Zen clambers to his feet, and reaches down, pulling Obi up with him. “Come on,” he sighs, expecting every inch of their journey from here back to town to be a battle. “We’re going.”

“You just want to drag me in front of the judge,” he whines, but throws his arm over Zen’s shoulders again just as easily.

“After all the times I let you go?” Zen raises an eyebrow, taking more careful steps now that the dark is deepening. “Doubtful.”

“You’d be bored without me.” And really, does this man ever shut up? “What’s a game of cat and mouse without the mouse?”

Zen’s mouth slams shut with a click, teeth worrying the inside of his cheek. He doesn’t have an answer for that, not really, but with every soft grunt and hissing breath that Obi tries to bite down on, Zen can’t shake the feeling that he’s got to prove him wrong.

“You didn’t manage to save enough last winter, did you?” Zen tries after several minutes of deepening pants. Silence has removed Obi’s distractions, and sweat sheens his face when the straight finally comes into sight through a break in the trees. “You lost a lot of weight and you haven’t been able to put it back on.”

Obi shakes his head once, pain or exhaustion drawing the truth out of him. “Something got into my stores one night,” he admits. “It was a hard winter after that.”

Zen tsks. “That’s why you’ve been poaching.”

“It’s not poaching,” he snips back. “It’s surviving.”

He’s not about to get in an ethical debate about this. Not when enforcement is literally his job. “You need a permit to hunt,” he explains for what feels like the millionth time since they met. “If you don’t have a permit, you’re poaching.”

“You need money for a permit, boss,” Obi replies, teeth bared. “If I had money, I wouldn’t be hunting.”

Zen narrows his eyes, considering, and they clear through the edge of the forest just as the last of sunlight dips behind the mountains on the island on the other side of the straight. Summer sunsets light the sky in a blaze of orange and rose and Zen grins, his boat right against the shoreline and only a couple of steps into the rising tide. Just where he left it.

“You know, you always call that,” Zen says off-handedly, grabbing the rope tied off to the mast and dragging the boat to him until it grinds against hard rock and sand. He lets go of Obi and takes a step into the water. “How would you like it if that title were for real?”

“What?” Obi is staring at him, eyes so wide you may as well drink from them. “Are you offering me a job?”

“Depends,” Zen shrugs, grasping hold of the edge of the boat and hauling himself up. “You interested?”

#bubbleswrites #akagami no shirayukihime #snow white with the red hair #zen #obi #modern alaska au #zen works for the forest service #obi has been living off the grid #poorly #and a lot of other stuff is happening too but this is it for now #xd xd xd

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sabraeal · 3 years

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Family, Duty, Honor [Part 4]

[Read on AO3]

Obiyuki AU Bingo 2021 Game of Thrones AU

It no longer shocks her to awake in an unfamiliar chamber.

It had once; when she awoke that first morning in Highgarden, green silk sheets slick beneath her fingers and the finest emerald velvet as her cage, her stomach had given a queasy lurch, putting her on unsteady feet when faced with her Lord Paramount. In those days she had only just grown used to the rooms above her apothecary, to the quiet that could settle in the air when there was no tavern beneath it, patrons drinking and shouting well into the night. To be plucked from those walls and hung out to be seen like the herbs she cut from the Lord’s forest-- it was too much, even for nerves forged as steely as her own.

But after so many years shunted from one set of quarters to the next-- three alone at King’s Landing, in almost twice as many months-- the fear dulled, until all that remained was the vaguest sense of curiosity, followed by inevitability’s heavy shroud. A girl could not forever anticipate waking up in the same bed when she had no home to return to.

It is, however, nice to be warm.

Shirayuki stretches, the whole of her body suffused with a satisfying ache. For once, it is not the complaint of muscles abused past endurance, but instead the pleasure of ones gently used; the same stiffness roused after a day in the gardens. Save, of course, for the aches in certain places-- places she has never been so aware of, ones that leave a strange heat curled between her thighs.

With a sigh, her eyes blink open; it is still night. Strange; she is not one to stir before the sun. Practically part plant yourself, my lady, Obi would tease her, you never open for anything less than the dawn.

It would be wiser to slip back into slumber, to let this mystery await until she can look at it in the full light of morning. But it is impossible-- her curiosity has been roused. Even now awareness spreads through her body, the hairs on her skin standing and settling as thoughts kindle from their embers. There is silk beneath her, soft and cool against her, and--

And she know this because she is naked, not a stitch of clothing on her.

She rolls from belly to side, stifling a curse as she meets the curtains standing sentinel around her. They are dark, and even shadowed in night as they are, she knows their color-- russet red, the same as the hair on her head. On the bedposts are fish, large trout carved open-mouthed, water spurting and swirling upwards to where the canopy rests. Riverrun, the ancestral home of the Tullys. Her home.

Or at least, so she had thought. I’ll marry her myself, her uncle had said, every word filled with bitterness. Get a boy on her.

Her fingers clench, silk and velvet spilling through her fingers. Family, Duty, Honor. The Tully words; her father had spoken them, that night in Dorne, and she had known as sure as rivers run south that they were hers.

And now she knows why her father had left; why he had taken her mother and ran to where the Harmund’s fingers could not stretch. Fishlords, some called the Tullys, and her uncle earned it by his flopping. Blood might be thicker than water, but it still ran as easy as the Trident in his veins; a trout following the strongest current.

Family may be one of their words, but words are wind. A lesson she should have learned when even dragon turned against dragon, darkening the skies above the Blackwater.

Betrayal stung, but Shirayuki’s heart had long been forged into something stronger than flesh, her mind honed sharper than steel. She may not wield a blade or command armies, but her weapons may be just as deadly, so long as she applies them in their proper place.

Anything can be a weapon, Miss, Obi told her once, dragging a cutpurse by the collar to the Watch. The bruise was still livid on the boy’s face, hardly looking like the apple that had made it. You just have to use the right pressure...and where a man’s vitals are.

Her stomach lays flat beneath her palm, but beneath it, it roils. She wanted to reach out to her uncle, to convince him to her side-- to Zen’s side with logic and reason and perhaps even fondness. She wanted them to talk as equals, but now she sees-- he had never taken her for anything more than a pawn, something to be traded for a better lot. And if she must press what weapons she has to his vitals, she knows just which one she might use.

The mattress shifts beneath her, the night’s silence broken by a soft, muffled groan. A man’s. Memory crests as a wave, tumbling her beneath it-- this is not her chamber at Riverrun but Obi’s. She is warm not from the pan beneath the bed, but from his body beside her. And her nakedness, this ache between her legs is because-- because--

She has already set her plans in motion. This languid satisfaction is from muscles used indeed, and this sting a maidenhead lost.

A soft sigh slips from him, his breath rippling along her back. No, not lost but given freely, to a man who had known it for the gift it was. Not the one she thought would receive it, but nonetheless she does not regret it, not one moment. She had done what needed to be done, and Obi-- well, he had made it pleasurable besides.

Shirayuki shifts, one side to the other, smiling at the thick cocoon of blankets, a man-made mount of velvet and fur. A sliver of bronze peeks through a vent, baring half a face slack with sleep and satisfaction. It’s not his, he says, but that does nothing to stop the fondness that wells in her chest at the sight of it. Nor does it quell the new heat that kindles in her belly.

Obi has ever existed at her side, just at the corner of her vision. A touch away, should she need him; a soft pressure when she needs support. Fond has always been a pale word, a shallow reflection for the depth of her feeling. Simply by knowing he is near, she is safe-- no, she is known, vulnerable and inviolable all at once. That face man not be his, but she knows the way he wears his anger, his joy, his grief, and now--

Now she knows its pleasure too. How his mouth slackens when she touches him. The strangled noise that drags unwilling from his throat when he slides inside her. The furrowed knot of his brow as he draws close to his end, voice straining as he dances at the edge of it.

Wetness coats the tops of her thighs, and oh Maiden and Mother, she could burn alive from the way her cheeks blaze. To think of him like this when he is only providing a service-- it’s shameful. He might never claim his title, the ser he has so greatly earned, but even without a white cloak he is kingsguard still, and this another sacrifice to protect the Iron Throne.

No, not for the throne. Nor for the Targaryen name either. For Zen, who needs the Lord of the Riverlands if he is to ever do more than hold the line. Who needs to bring to the table more than the North if he is to ever convince Dorne to throw their lot in with his.

Shirayuki knows this for what it is, but still, her body reacts. She is no high born lady to think the joining of man and woman a mystery-- if she had not seen animals in the yard, she had too often seen the ones behind the tavern, trying to catch a quick moment before they went back to their own beds. And she knew all too well the ailments that could arise from too many of these trysts taken with little care, or how a lady might bleed before her time if her husband did not take his. But still, even knowing the arithmetic to make two into one, she had thought this might be a more dutiful act, restrained by the weigh of the favor she was asking him-- he had certainly not seemed like a man performing a duty.

Wake me in an hour, he had said, his voice a delicious rumble beneath her hands. I’ll be ready for you then.

She lifts to an elbow, reaching over the man-mound to push aside the curtain. A breath of cool air sighs against her skin, leaving shivers in its wake. By the sky hung in the windows, she had given him more than his hour-- and more than the second she had meant to spare him. If she woke him now, he could press her back against the mattress again, putting his cock where she aches for him still--

And he will, she knows. They must, if this plan is to work. Lies might fool a man, but it would take more than that to trick a maester. Her uncle will not be content to take her at her word, not when it so neatly scuttles his plans, nor when so much glory could be had if he could leverage this child to make himself Hand to the new king. There must be a real, actual child growing in her belly by the time her uncle returns, or all will be lost.

She peels back the layers of his cocoon, enough to sneak a hand through. Soft fingers brush over the cusp of his shoulder, scar ragged beneath them. “Obi.”

He grunts, burrowing deeper into the pillow. It had taken her three years to ever see him sleeping, and even after, he would wake at her slightest sound, at even the threat of her touch. But now--

Now he groans, long legs stretching out, chest arching until his shoulder cups firmly in her palm. And yet, his eyelids hardly flicker.

“Obi,” she tries again, impatience seeping in at she presses closer. His skin is so warm against hers, hard where she is soft. The heat coiled in her belly writhes. “Obi, please, we need to...”

One gold eye unfurls to half-mast, hazy with sleep. Her words are lost, gone like birds on the wind. It had taken all her courage to ask the first time; she cannot bear to dredge up enough for a second.

“Ah, Miss,” he sighs, and, ah, she feels him against her. It. His cock, half-hard, nestled against the forgiving flesh of her thigh. “So insatiable.”

Shirayuki does not pout; no, this pursing of her lips is forbidding, stern. “You did promise.”

He hums, one hand tracing up the curve of her bottom, settling against her back. “I did,” he slurs, sleep thick in his voice, staring up at her through the net of his lashes. “And lucky for you, I’m a man of my word.”

That hand slips up to her shoulder, urging her down, and she gives beneath him. His mouth meets hers on the journey, dragging her into its undertow with a slow, languorous slide. Nothing about this is hurried, like Zen’s kisses, or frantic, like the ones from mere hours ago, but patient, perfect. He hasn’t slept long enough for his breath to be sour, but it’s stale, and she--

Ah, his hand drifts down again, jerking her against him. His cock buries between her thighs, heavy and hard, and she could not care less what he tastes like, so long as he keeps kissing her.

Her own palm slips from shoulder to cheek, nails scraping beneath the bristle of his hair. With a whimper, his hips jerk into hers, leaving them both breathless.

“You’re already wet,” he murmurs, voice thick with satisfaction and wonder. “So wet. And all for me, Miss?”

He should hardly need to ask. He’d pushed her to her back last night, and it’d flowed out of her like a creek swollen in a storm, blossoming over her nightgown. She’d feared he would see it, that he might even smell it as he pressed his mouth to her and know that she had left her own duty long behind, driven now by a needy curiosity. This might all have been her plan, but it was not like her to want, to need. Even now as he rubs himself between her folds, her slit aching for him, empty, she worries that this craving might not ever leave her.

“Obi,” she whines, so unlike herself she might as well be some other girl, the kind that has trysts outside taverns and sees a barn as an opportunity. “I need...”

“Oh,” he laughs darkly against her mouth. “I know what you need.”

Her only warning is the curve of his lips, and then she is weightless, reeling under a force not her own. Like rolling down the hills of Honeyholt, at the mercy of the land beneath her; only it is not the Father’s hands she leaves herself in tonight, but the Stranger’s.

When that breathless moment ceases, she is atop him, pale hands braced upon the bronze of his chest, legs splayed to either side of his narrow hips-- though his shaft no longer sits between them, instead curving along her bottom. Shirayuki shifts, trying to work it beneath her again, to feel the hard ridge of him where she aches, but his hands rest on hers, stilling her where she sits.

Beneath their fingers he is patchwork of scars; unlike this face, they belong to him, the only record of who he was before he came to her, of what he might have been before arrived at the doors of the House of Black and White. Her thumb brushes along the curve of his borrowed cheekbone, heart leaping as he leans into her touch, his smile nestling into her palm.

No, it is not the Stranger she courts tonight, but the Many-Faced God. One in the same, Obi might tell her, a single form of a god that touches every angle of this world, but still--

It is from his jaw whom she has snatched suffering. It is his servant who she has made aid her. Death makes a merciless lord, and she has a habit of standing before his throne, defiant.

Her fingers stiffen where they hook behind his jaw. “I need you,” she says, a whisper so fierce it burns. “As long as you are with me, that is all I will ever need.”

Those shuttered eyes fly open, gold burning bright as a candle in the dim. It’s pale, not coin nor honey nor the intensity of amber, but a spool of golden floss, unwinding. “Miss,” he breathes raggedly, chest stilling beneath her. “I...”

His mouth works, but no sound comes from it. Instead he speaks with his eyes, their wild search of her own conveying more question than words ever could. Her heart pounds with an answer, but it chokes her, refusing to speak itself, refusing to even let her know what it might be, and it is too much, too intense for this moment, this night--

So she kisses him instead. That, it seems, is a language they both speak fluently.

He laughs, joy crashing against her lips. “You say you need me.” He lifts her hips, allowing his head to gently slide down her slit,. “But I think what you need is my cock.”

She wants to protest-- it is not the promise of his size or skill that drew her to his bed in her time of need, and it is surely not what keeps her here, drinking down every drop of his drugging kisses, but--

But he lowers her onto him, shaft nestling between her lips. It’s both what she wants and not enough entirely; more, she needs to tell him, but instead she only whines, leaning into his touch. His fingers flex against her skin, gripping so hard a peach would bruise beneath it, and with a twitch of his hands, he drags her along his length. Her thoughts cease completely-- at least those that are not how his shaft slides along her slit, or the way his cock’s head rubbing at the center of her maiden’s flower, making her skin dissolve in a shower of sparks.

“Obi!” She wrenches herself away from his mouth, trying to gain space, gain her bearings before this heat can consume her. He keeps moving her even still, that steady front and back, watching her with hooded eyes and knowing smile. Her cunt growing slicker with every stroke, anticipating when he might misjudge his angle, and let himself bury within her--

“Obi,” she tries again, shaking herself. She needs to speak, to tell him something--

But instead she looks down, right to where his head plunges between her thighs, flushed and thick and glistening with her own slick. All she can think is how she needs him in her, how she needs him to douse this heat that threatens to consume her whole--

“Obi--” it’s more sobbed than spoken, a fact that might shame her if the whole of her attention wasn’t on keeping herself in a single piece instead of burning into ashes-- “Obi, please--”

“Yes.” His moan throws his head against the pillow, the muscles of his neck straining. “Yes, Miss, I have you.”

He lifts her again, and this time, his cock’s head flicks over where she is empty. She whimpers, an animal wounded, wanting, her hips seeking him out trying to catch that moment of completion. His laugh huffs against the back of her hand, and she nearly scolds him-- how could he be so amused when she could light the glass candle with her skin alone--

And then he is in her, buried in her cunt with no more than the barest stretch. So easy, as if he were made for her.

“All right, Miss?” he asks, little more than a gasp. She manages a moan as his hips twitch beneath her, driving him just a scant inch deeper. Mother, but she wants more, wants all of him. It cannot be possible to be closer than this, but she wants it still, that cessation of space between them.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” His thumbs rub at the flare of her hips, so gentle, before his palms slip. They glide lower, over the soft skin at her joint, cradling her thighs before guiding them forward. Her legs splay, pulling her closer still, sitting more of him inside her, and yet-- she feels more exposed too, vulnerable. It’s an odd angle, one she’s not sure she entirely likes, and she nearly says so until--

Until he surges up into her and paints a field of stars over her eyes, Dondarrion’s banner in full.

Her finger scrabble at his chest, trying to find purchase as he thrusts up. He’s filling her, more than he can before, each stroke touching her so deeply that she’s left gasping, clawing at his skin. She finally clamps her hands around his shoulders, toes curling in the sheets in an attempt to keep her steady. It’s a futile battle; even anchored as she is, moans leap from her, long and low and soft, hips chasing his cock even thought it never once leaves her.

“Obi,” she manages, a gasp rattling from her lungs. “This isn’t--” a moan slips from her, embarrassingly loud-- “this isn’t the best position for--” he leans forward, taking the tip of her breast in his mouth and sucking-- “conception!”

His chest rumbles beneath her palms. “I think,” he sighs, hands sliding down to grab her hips, “that I’ll come just fine like this.”

“I didn’t mean--”

His fingers dig in to her hips, so hard she knows she’ll bruise, but she can’t care, not when he cants her hips and drives her into him, over and over again, his head hitting something in her so right her vision whites at the edge.

“That’s right,” he hums, guiding her along his cock with a savage, almost feral glee. She leans back, letting him hold her weight and his smirk widens. “I’ll spill fine enough inside you, seeing you like this. Plant a seed and let it quicken, and everyone will know just how good you’ve been fucked--”

Her breath catches. This rough talk, it shouldn’t-- she shouldn’t--

She shouldn't like it. She doesn’t like it, she knows for certain; there’d been plenty of men at Highgarden who had made such promises in their cups. Grandfather had always seen them out on their asses, and told them never to darken his door again.

But the way Obi says it, the way he looks at her, pride and desire both-- it’s different. One thumb reaches out to graze her belly, and it draw her gaze down, down to where she can see his shaft pull near all the way out before thrusting again, covered in her own wanting, and Shirayuki-- she cannot last.

The heat between them finally consumes her, hot and cold both, and she is no longer steel, no longer porcelain, but instead putty in his palms from pleasure, slumping over him. His own breath stutters, and with a stifled groan, he spills over, hips twitching beneath hers.

The maesters knew little about childbirth itself; that was a woman’s realm, best left to the midwives they disdained as ignorant fishwives. But on the topic on conception opinions overflowed, an entire shelf in the Citadel dedicated to its methods-- specifically to those that would insure a male heir, even from a woman who had only evinced daughters. Most all of it was hogwash, merely men believing dominate the Mother’s domain as a lord might his lady, but some of it was true, told to her by midwives more experienced than any man in the maesters’ white tower.

Shirayuki knew, in the last bastion of her mind that was not consumed with pleasure, that she should roll off him. That she should get on her back and lift her hips to urge his seed deep inside her, encouraging it to take root. And after that, she should clean herself to prevent any infection from taking hold-- another thing the maesters’ texts found too unimportant to mention. It is what she would tell any woman that would come to her, looking to be taken with a babe, but instead--

Instead she stretches, luxuriating in the warmth of his skin against hers. The maesters and midwives never mentioned this, how close he would feel afterward, their bodies slick with sweat and wanting. They never said how sweet it would feel to have his cock soften inside her, how a simple hand brushed down her spine could quiet even her loudest thoughts.

“Ah,” he laughs, the tips of his fingers teasing at the divot at its base, not daring to curve lower. She wants him too, but she’s too tired to say it, instead just burrowing encouragingly against his chest. “Good morning to you too, Miss.”

“It’s still night.” She traces a scar, a small one right above his breast. it tremors beneath her touch. “Or I suppose it might be the wee hours before dawn.”

He hums, thoughtful. “You should be getting back.”

Shirayuki blinks up at him.

“Don’t look at me like that.” His teeth flash in the dim. “I hate to kick a woman out of bed, but your maids will be up with the sun.”

And all of them would he happy to hum Harmund a tune, should he ask for a song. Especially about his niece’s nighttime dealings. As little as she likes it, she’s lingered long enough.

“Yes,” she sighs, levering herself up. “You’re right, I should...”

She stares down, heart in her throat. Even in the dark she can see it, the pinkish stain smeared across the sheets. The remnants of her maidenhood, dried and set in silk. “Oh...”

Obi rolls craning his neck to match hers. “Ah, well. Do you think they’ll believe me if I say I had my courses?”

Shirayuki spares him a flat look.

“Oh, don’t you be worrying about that, Miss.” He waves her off, using his hips to bounce her leg off him. “It’s not the first time I’ve had to get blood out of silk.”

“But it’s dried.” She lost more than a few good skirts and sheets from that alone. “It’s nearly impossible--”

His hand cups the back of her neck, swinging her gaze around to meet his. “I said I have it handled.”

Her mouth opens, then closes with a snap. It’s hardly be the first time a man like him would have to clean blood from cloth.

“All right.” She pads over to the basin, wincing as the cold water touches her skin. “I’ll only clean myself and then--”

She’ll never know how he can pace a room so fast; one moment he’s at the end of the bed, putting on trousers, and the next he’s standing next to her. Long fingers pluck the cloth from her hand, his mouth curving as her breath catches.

“Let me handle that, Miss,” he murmurs, so close to her they could hold a playing card between them. “It’s my job to take care of you after all.”

The cloth slides down her belly, freezing in its wake, but it hardly bothers her, not when she is but skin wrapped around a living flame. It sinks further still, Obi’s breath fanning across her face as he slips it between her thighs. Her chest hitches when it traces along her slit, so slow, so tantalizing, one of Obi’s long fingers teasing at her entrance.

“Obi,” she whimpers, but it’s the only sound she makes before he covers his mouth with her own. Her fingers curl around his shoulders, trying to keep herself upright, and she slips, just a little, nails digging in--

He gasps. She presses the advantage, slipping her tongue past his lips; all pretense is lost then. The cloth slumps to the floor as his finger sinks knuckle-deep into her cunt, the banked flame in her belly blazing with little more than the slide of his lips and a pump of his fingers. He stirs against her hip; she glances down for a breath, but his cock is still soft, lolling out the gap of his trousers.

To her everlasting shame, she lasts barely more than a few breaths; both surprise and sensitivity working against her. His hips press her hard against the basin, and his finger curves just so, just enough to have her gasping and writhing and riding him to a second fall, Obi grinning the entire time.

“There.” He lifts his finger to his lips, sucking them clean. “Just wanted to make sure it would stick.”

If she’s flushed, at least the dark shrouds it. “I’ll--I’ll see you in the morning.”

She feels him watching as she bends over, gathering up her shift. “With the way I had you, you’ll see me in your dreams first.”

It should annoy her that she knows he’ll be right, but instead-- instead heat flares in her, making her bold.

“Good.” She slides her shifts over her shoulders, and with a single look back, says, “I’ll need you to do it tomorrow, too.”

His face is worth every shade of her blush.

#obiyukibingo2020 #obiyuki #akagami no shirayukihime #snow white with the red hair #lemon #my fic #game of thrones au #family duty honor #ans #here i was thinking i was done with this fic #but NO #it has come back to haunt me #with SMUT and POLITICS #mostly smut this time #but in the inevitable continuation i am sure...politics

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nicotinemaiden · 3 years

Text

Such Great Heights

I am thinking it's a sign That the freckles in our eyes Are mirror images And when we kiss they're perfectly aligned

And I have to speculate That God Himself did make Us into corresponding shapes Like puzzle pieces from the clay

And true it may seem like a stretch But it's thoughts like this that catch My troubled head when you're away A nd when I am missing you to death

[ The Postal Service ]

[Chapter 3 of Mistake Series dedicated to @ccprovolomies for proposing the beautiful song that inspired me to write it. Thank you so much!!]

Read on AO3 →

The third, a proclamation.

The blood felt warm on his skin, at the corner of his mouth, dripping down his lower lip. That last hit had come close. Not as close as the open wound in his stomach but close enough to crack his lip in two. He lifted his hand to wipe the iron liquid from his face, as much as it was possible, and kept looking ahead, towards the hooded figure that looked at him in return holding a silver dagger in his left hand and several injuries along his legs and arms. He moved slowly to the side, limping yet still more graceful than normal people. The sunset started to vanish slowly behind him, making the shadows of the trees creeping on them a little bit more unsettling.

He could hear footsteps running towards him. It won’t be long until he wasn’t alone anymore, he just had to wait, to lose time, to slow him down as much as possible. His left hand pushed against the wound begging it to stop bleeding even for a moment, to stop making him so freaking dizzy and just let him throw the knife at the right place. Breathing deeply, he decided that his condition wasn’t as important as his mission and, whatever happened, he had to stop him long enough for the other knights to come. He couldn’t let go of this person, this trained assassin that knew where his target was and had no intention of missing this chance.

He hadn’t said a word but Obi didn’t really need any kind of confirmation about it. He could see the desperation in his eyes, the willingness to do anything to complete his task. And that was the problem. The most deadly people are the ones with nothing to lose and a lot to gain. So he fixed his golden gaze on the one ahead and dashed towards it.

Her eyes were still green and bright - not so bright as they had been these last couple of weeks but bright enough for someone who knew her well to know that there was something different about her - happiness that wasn’t there before and now consumed her almost entirely. Her comb slid through her hair as it would do through threads of silk, leaving it on top of her shoulders. It had grown so long since that fateful night when she had to cut it to save her freedom that sometimes the memory seemed more like a dream. She could almost believe it.

But looking at herself in the mirror she was… glad it happened. The consequences of that night brought her here. And she smiled at her reflection, searching for the girl from that night in her expression, in her eyes, in her hair. She was the same yet completely different - stronger, more confident, more knowledgeable.

She remembered Obi’s face on top of hers the night before, the look on his eyes as they travelled down her body once again for so long he might as well have painted it, and, with a blush taking hold of her face, thought that maybe she was more beautiful, more mature, more attractive.

She was no longer the young eighteen-year-old girl that ran from her home with hopes of not being discovered. She was an official pharmacist for the kingdom, she was a friend for the people who cared about her and, lately, she was a girlfriend and a lover, she was cared for, she was loved in return.

Shirayuki always thought stupid the concept that love changes people. Yes, maybe she was braver before because she had a goal - to prove herself, not only to other people but to herself. And she’d done it time after time and she was comfortable with things as they were. But until now she hadn’t really grasped the meaning of that phrase, the way your world fills with colors that you didn’t even know existed, the pressure on your heart every time something reminds you of that person and the extreme satisfaction and happiness of knowing that that person feels the same way.

Even knowing that Zen was at the mansion and he could be here at the pharmacy at any moment her smile grew brighter as she distanced herself from the small mirror and returned to the office. This time it was a planned visit, everything legal with documents and paperwork, and as such, he had to make an official entrance with official tea and conversation. Only thinking about it tired her out. The only thing that she could do was wait while working. If only she could have Obi with her to listen to his comments and gossip.

“Mitsuhide!”

Kiki’s voice distracted him but not enough to fail this time. His kick landed perfectly on the back of the head of the assassin in front of him, knocking him out. As quickly as his body allowed him he moved to his companions, blocking a dagger centimetres from his face and looking back only a second. Miss Kiki had moved to the side of Mister, who was unconscious on the floor, blood pouring from his head. A blunt hit. He inspected the new opponent - besides his dagger he had a sword on his other hand, the handle bathed in blood. Not only was he agile but he was strong too.

He narrowed his eyes, their blades still crashing, and jumped back, rotating the knife in his hand for a moment. He needed to get out of here. Not only because of his own wounds but because of Mister. He didn’t know how severe his injury was but he needed to get him to his Miss as soon as possible so this had to be quick. He wasn’t the only one thinking this because, the next moment, the other man started running.

“Oh, no, you don’t.”

He recognized his own smile, only one corner of his mouth lifting, sharing with the world a part of him that had been well hidden most of the time but that he couldn’t simply ignore in the middle of a fight. That strange thirst for blood that told that the only thing he ever knew before being here had been shadows, war and murder. Accepting that part of him for the moment and forgetting about his own pain he ran after him. He could hear Kiki shouting for him, her footsteps quick behind but not enough to catch after them. It wasn’t long before Obi surrounded the man, surprising him at his front and before he could react he was pinning his opponent to the floor, a knife to his throat. He wanted to sink it on him so badly, to watch him bleed to death as payment for what he did to Mister. He pushed harder until the first drops of blood tinted his weapon and he saw his own eyes reflected on it. He wasn’t this way. He may have been once because he didn’t know anything else but now…

He closed his eyes. Now he had people to protect, not kill. He wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t take that burden, even when his body was pleading him to do it. In another situation, maybe, but his opponent wasn’t doing much anymore, no one's life was in danger - or so he hoped. He didn’t have the right to choose to kill him just because he was angry. He smiled thinking that so much time with Shirayuki was rubbing on him more than he was aware of. What would she have said? Probably she would have offered to heal the man, even knowing he was an enemy. She was just that good. So he decided he needed to be a little good too. For her.

“You’re coming with me.”

She was nervous, impatient, anxious. She couldn’t get herself to read, to study, to stay put. She kept pacing up and down the office. She asked a guard about the whereabouts of her knight and, apparently, they’d had a problem with some letter being intercepted on the way and part of the rebellion knew that the Second Prince was here so it was necessary to send him along with Zen’s personal knights - or Kiki and Mitsuhide to her - because they saw suspicious people in the forest. So now the conversation with Zen was pretty low on her list of priorities. First, she needed to make sure everyone was alright.

No one would let her leave the mansion and she tried three different exits without success. So she stomped on her chair only to get up immediately. Doing nothing wasn’t for her. She knew if they really encountered someone out there she wouldn’t be much help but still, she could do something. She had different plant concoctions that could be used as smoke, she did it before, she could do it again. And she was a good healer - or so she liked to believe - so she could treat injuries on the spot. Yet there she was again, completely useless with the only action of ‘worry’ on her vocabulary for the moment.

A white mane of hair appeared at the door, knocking softly on the frame. Surprised, she jumped and turned to see Zen smiling at her while walking into the room. He was… exactly as she remembered him. It wasn’t so long since the last time they saw each other yet she expected everything to be different. She expected to see an ugly guy with cold eyes and maybe a sign pointing to him that said ‘you don’t love him anymore’ as if the fact of admitting being in love with someone else would somehow change who Zen was. But everything was normal. Well, almost everything.

“Shirayuki, you’re as beautiful as ever.”

Damn. That was so not normal. She was so not ready for this at the moment. She blushed without thinking and tried to return the smile. That phrase was so not Zen that it made her skin tickle, and not in a good way, so she had to say it. Because when has she just stayed shut when she had something to say?

“Now you sound like Obi.”

He lifted a hand to the back of his neck, embarrassed, the red starting to show at the tip of his ears.

“That obvious, uh? He gave me some pointers some time ago so I just wanted to try it. For the record, you really are beautiful.”

He wasn’t looking at her now, more like searching for something at the side. She felt herself chuckle. She really loved Zen. She loved him like a really good friend, that was the problem.

“Thank you and please don’t do that again. I have enough with one Obi in my life.”

She hoped her blush wasn’t as evident as it seemed because the things that crossed her mind when she said that weren't exactly just teasing and flirting. Her mind wandered there for a second and then moved to the start of this conversation. How different she felt whenever it was her knight who crossed that door. With Zen, she always had been nervous whenever he was around as if she could break their relationship by saying something wrong or - when she wasn't worried about that - as if she was going to bore him to death.

That was something that never happened with Obi. Whatever the conversation, even the ones that would be boring to every person on the planet except her, he was always listening, making comments here and there and contributing ideas. Lately, she thought he just didn’t want to miss anything she could say even if it was utterly irreverent. And she realized it was the same for her. She was happy just listening to him. And the thought brought an honest smile to his lips, her gaze fixed on nothing, looking without looking to the door behind the prince.

“I’m sorry, I’m just… nervous.”

He hugged her suddenly, leaning his cheek against her temple and her arms pinned between their bodies. For a second she was tense, stiff, expecting more from him, waiting for his face to search hers like it had done many times before. But then she just relaxed in his arms rested her head under his chin and smiled.

“It’s still me, you know? You don’t have to be.”

“I know. That's why I am. I’ve missed you.”

She closed her eyes for a moment. She wanted to say that she did too because part of her did. But she had thought so little of him lately, the only times being the ones where she dreaded the moment she had to talk to him. Actually talk to him about everything that happened, everything that has changed. So she went completely still, not knowing what to add to the conversation.

He realized, it seemed, because he took her by her arms and moved her enough to look at her. His eyes were so warm, full of love and understanding, a small shadow on them that could have been pain or even disappointment. It just made her feel worse and she forced her eyes to the floor. It hurt to look at him.

“I know you have something to tell me. I also can guess what it is but I imagine you would like to tell me yourself instead of leaving me with guesses. I won’t force you to say anything, just know that I’m willing to listen and… I would never think less of you and would always care about you.”

Every word made it a bit easier. She was so glad to have found someone like Zen. Someone that even without completely understanding her accepted and cared for her. Someone that wouldn’t pressure her into anything and that would always worry first about other people instead of themselves. Slowly her gaze returned to the blue one and she nodded. There was one thing he said that caught her interest. She looked at him questioningly.

“You can guess what I wanted to tell you? Is it really that obvious?”

The prince chuckled, using his fist to hide part of his smile. That was almost enough of an answer but he spoke anyway.

“You’ll have to tell me first for me to answer that but there are certain things that have been painfully obvious for a while.”

Something in his voice told her that he really had tried to ignore it, to convince himself that he was imagining things, but he seemed to have accepted it. So she was about to basically confirm his suspicions, because after that conversation she had no doubt he already knew, when rushed footsteps sounded from the hall. They stopped just at the door and they both turned to see who it was.

“Lady Shirayuki!”

Shuu caught his breath for a moment, leaning on the frame of the door and sparing a look at Zen.

“Your Highness.”

He breathed as a greeting before turning his attention to her completely.

“Follow me.”

He started almost running again and they followed right behind, looking at each other for a moment, a worried look on both of them.

“They are in really bad condition. Both of them. Mister Ryuu is with them, so I’m a little less worried but still, everyone agreed it was necessary for you to be there.”

They rounded a corner while he was talking and she could feel her stomach turn one and time again. She wished he could be more specific and at the same time, she wished he just stopped talking and they just reached the place they were going towards.

“We have apprehended one of the men that caused this and the other one is tied up in the forest. Our men are currently in the process of bringing him here.”

Another set of halls, another corner, and she started to understand why Shuu was without breath when he arrived at her assigned office.

“Here, please hurry.”

He opened the door in front of them and moved to the side, allowing them to practically jump inside, taking in everything that was happening. The first thing she noticed was Kiki sitting on a chair beside Ryuu who was working on the back of Mitsuhide's head. She was gripping his hand to the point her knuckles were white but he wasn’t conscious. For the place of the injury it was clear he would be out of it for a while plus Ryuu would have given him something before working on it. She breathed a bit, glad that even if in bad shape he was alive.

After that, she noticed the corner and that breathing stopped completely. Her hand moved to her lips to stop the silent scream that wanted to leave her. She ran to it and kneeled just in front of the chair, in front of blooded legs and ragged clothing. Obi’s head rested against the wall at his side, his lip red and a bit swollen, a deep cut on one side that seemed to have stopped bleeding.

He was shirtless, almost the entirety of his lower chest and stomach were bathed in blood. His skin was so much paler than his usual tanner one, a sick blue starting to show. It was so so little that maybe someone else wouldn’t have noticed but she did. Stomach wounds weren’t usually lethal but the blood loss was. And the pain… She could feel her eyes sting just thinking about what he just endured. She placed one hand over his to get him to move and was terrified of the cold it was. She wanted to scream at him. Why?! Why this?! And why now?! Why put his life in danger now that she had him? It was childish and selfish and she forced herself to think another way. It was his job. A noble job. He helped people, saved them.

A bag of healing provisions landed beside her and she looked in the direction it came. Ryuu was already back at work but he answered her unspoken question anyway.

“He insisted that Mister Mitsuhide would be treated first. He wouldn’t even let me look at his wound. To be honest, he probably saved his life. This was… really bad. Worst that it seemed at first.”

The sharp intake of breath of Kiki could have as well been hers. Yes, she had no right to be angry at him. No real motive. She was just… selfish sometimes. And terribly afraid. Afraid of losing everything they had right now. Afraid of everything changing again, this time for the worst. So she had to heal him, save him, no matter what.

He could hear voices and rustling. He could also hear his own thoughts without them being blurry, thank the universe. He wanted to touch his head because it hurt, not as much as before yet enough to make him want to put pressure on it. Someone stopped him, a soft hand keeping his hand in place on top of his leg. He opened his eyes slowly and closed the second a flash of light reached them. He tried again and, this time, his Miss was looking at him, kneeling in front of him. He blinked a couple of times and was about to say something cheeky when she moved her hand with a small cloth to his wound and he almost screamed, forcing his head to the wall behind and looking at the ceiling.

“Now that was just punishment, Miss.”

“Should I know how much time you have been running around with that wound?”

Her voice was cold and angry yet warm and soft. How she managed the combination was something that he would really like to know. He looked at her and her eyes were exactly the same. He realized he didn’t feel the stench of blood, not the pain of his lip and he smiled brightly.

“Long enough to see you again.”

There was a light chuckle somewhere in the room and he realized they were not alone. A pained grunt came to him. He wanted to kiss her so badly, to thank her properly for healing him, probably saving him because he felt he was about to die when they reached the mansion. The only reason he kept going instead of falling to the floor was the fact that he was almost carrying Mitsuhide, dragging his legs between the two of them. And, on the other side, a tied enemy of the Kingdom that he dragged completely because his strength was already failing and couldn’t simply toss it on top of his shoulder. So yes, she possibly saved his life. As she did the moment he met her and decided to stay by her side.

She looked at him with so much warmth and love that he forgot the rest of the people again and smiled only for her. She got up, picking up the clothes off the floor to leave them in a basket, and he followed as it was customary for them. His injury hurt, more so than when he was sitting, but he made no movement to show it. The rest of the room was almost as he left it. Ryuu had moved his chair closer to them and was now resting on it. Something told him that he had been helping Shirayuki with him once he’d done all he could for Mitsuhide. Kiki was still holding his hand but looked at them and, when their eyes crashed she smiled softly. A look of gratitude that he was sure he was mirroring. They saved each other.

At the side of the door in a small cushion was Zen, his shoulder and jaw - that were visibly tensed - relaxed when they looked at each other and both smiled. They were alive and together and he couldn’t ask for anything more. They had a lot of work to do ahead of them, probably a lot of situations like this to come, yet for the moment this was enough.

“Allow me to accompany you to your rooms, Mister Obi. We will prepare something to eat while you rest.”

He was so accustomed to hiding… Well, almost everything, that he almost turned the offer down with some lame excuse as to how he was fine and he didn’t really feel the need to rest. He had just been unconscious for a while after all. But Shirayuki’s voice was almost an order, even when she said it so gently.

“Please go to the room and rest. I will go see how it’s going the moment I’m finished here.”

He looked at her and really, how could he say no to her? She could ask him to go get lost in the middle of hell and he would do it. It was almost scary how one person could have so much power over him. So he nodded and moved painfully to the door, trying to mask his limping under his usually graceful movements and standing there for a second while watching her follow him. His eyes playfully looked at her, a lopsided smile and an arched brow. He didn’t have to say anything more to see the thrown off look on her face and the red on the tip of her ears. He was glad she had a ponytail right now because it was extremely cute and otherwise he wouldn’t have seen it.

What he really didn’t see coming was her reaction. Shirayuki got up on her toes, brought her hand to the back of his neck and kissed him. And it wasn’t a soft kiss either. He could swear he heard some gasps around the room but he wasn’t paying attention. His arm surrounded her waist and brought her towards him, just a bit more, just enough to feel her without touching his stomach. It was desperate, as if both of them realized how close they’ve been to lose each other. How the small kiss with which they parted that morning could have been the last. His other hand cupped her face, slowing the kiss until they were far enough to look at each other. There were so many things they wanted to say that neither of them wanted to break the silence.

"You're the worst and I hate you."

She said, at last, her words so different to what her eyes said that he laughed without thinking, a small flinch taking hold of his body. He was starting to think that he really shouldn’t be up yet but that wasn’t about to stop the mix of happiness and shock that he was feeling. He was almost as shocked as the first time she kissed him because… they were in public. Yes, they flirted and touched sometimes and most people in the mansion believed them to be a couple since before they really were but they never confirmed it so clearly. And, of course, his Master was in the room, looking at them.

It felt weird. It felt right. It felt all kinds of liberating, as if breaking invisible chains that were there since the moment he realized he was falling for her. Part of them broke at their first kiss, at their first night together, yet the rest had been still there, wondering if she would change her mind, if they would always have to hide what they had, what they felt. If it wasn’t from the piercing pain he could have started floating with how light he felt, how free of all weight. So he kissed her again. And again. And again. Small kisses that slowly brought back her smile, mirroring his. Real smiles, both of them.

"If that's what hate feels like, I welcome it."

She was almost laughing at that point, her cheeks a bit more colorful, the small chuckles so funny, so happy he had to catch one of them kissing her one more time before letting go. Her hand lingered on his chest a moment longer after that, almost afraid that their happiness would vanish if they stopped at that point. But she used that same hand to give him a little push in the arm, rushing him to the hall behind them where Shuu was waiting.

“Now off you go. You should be laying down and sleeping. I would wake you up to change the bandages and see how it’s going.”

There was a glint in his eyes. A playful glint said that he was still not ready to end the conversation after that. He couldn’t see most of the people inside or their reactions but he could see Kiki with a knowing smile and an approving look in her eyes and maybe that was enough. Maybe he didn’t even need that. Feeling a bit braver after the scene they made he grinned and added:

“Just because I can’t wait for you to touch me again.”

She rolled her eyes, actually rolled her eyes, but was brightly smiling while she closed the door in front of him, forcing her knight to leave even when she didn’t want to say goodbye, not for a moment. But she knew that he was fine - not in perfect condition but fine enough - and that she still had to talk to Zen.

She looked at him at the side of the door and was surprised to see him exchanging looks with Kiki, both of them containing their laugh as best as they could. The prince even had a hand over his mouth and she gifted him with a ‘really?’ look. This was what she was nervous for? Kissing Obi in front of them had been a lot more terrifying than jumping off a tower. She didn’t want to be seen as… as the things people usually called women that played with men. But she wasn’t playing. She just changed over the years. Her feelings changed. Could she really have been blamed for it?

“For a moment there I thought you just did it because damn, he almost died and you were relieved but that was not a first kiss. So… when did that happen?”

Kiki had calmed herself and now was clearly out for answers. Sitting here for hours just worrying must have made her need to take her mind out of that problem a lot bigger. Sighing she moved to sit beside the prince, who also had stopped almost laughing and was looking at her with a smile and a warm and questioning look that supported the knight’s question. Surprisingly, Ryuu also moved his chair closer, visibly interested. She inhaled deeply before starting.

“I can’t say exactly when it started for me. I can’t even say when I started to realize that it was happening. One night a couple of weeks ago I just… It was too much. I needed to be closer to him. So I kissed him.”

She looked away, embarrassed. It was her fault they were in this situation, to begin with. She didn’t exactly know why she felt bad talking about it, as if she were betraying them by being honest with herself.

“Mitsuhide owes us now.”

Zen was looking at the blond knight with an amused expression after hearing her words and he nodded, shrugging his shoulders.

“I told him that Obi would never be the one to shatter that wall. He’s been in this situation for years after all. And he’s always been trying to push us together.”

He shook his head, a bit of sadness in his eyes when he spoke again. There was that tone on his voice again, the one that said that he only understood everything now and that he was better off before.

“Honestly I don’t know how he could.”

Shirayuki was looking at them as if suddenly their hair was the same color as hers. She was confused and felt left out of the conversation. They knew? Or at least they knew about his feelings. Since when? She remembered him telling her something about how long he’d loved her but she didn’t think it was so much that their friends in Clarines already knew and, by the looks of it, they’ve known for a long time.

“W-wait, wait. Did you all know?”

One by one the three people that were with her - and conscious - nodded. She shook her head in an automatic movement. She should have seen it coming. He was extremely honest most of the time - the only times he really wasn’t were when he was pretending to be fine, hiding a wound or an illness. And she knew he just didn’t want to worry her. Luckily for her, those moments have been fewer and fewer lately.

Ryuu looked at them thoughtfully, wanting to add something but thinking carefully about exactly what. When he spoke his voice was a bit deeper than usual, his tone a lot more lively than when he had been working before.

“He never told me directly and I didn’t really need confirmation but… one day I asked him: Why don’t you tell her? His answer… I didn’t push after that. He had his reasons and, honestly, they were good ones. But I’m glad it worked out in the end.”

He smiled at her and she reciprocated it. She wondered what would have been her reaction if he’d told her before, if it hadn’t been her who did something but him. Part of her thought that she would have rejected him and all their relationship would have changed suddenly. The other part of her, the one that was completely sure about her feelings, said that she would have kissed him back, that something would have clicked in her head the same way it did a couple of weeks ago and she would have realized sooner that he was the one. The real one for her.

It would have been a gamble the same way it had been when she kissed him. Yet something told her they would be in the same situation now because… she couldn't imagine a life beside Zen anymore. Not as his partner, not as his princess, not as his wife. If she was honest with herself she stopped imagining something like that so long ago she forgot about forgetting it.

When Shirayuki looked at the prince he was looking at her, almost admiring her deep-in-thought look.

“You know? I’m glad too. I thought, still do sometimes, that we could have worked. But I’ve heard what people say, I’ve seen it in both of you every time we’re together. That kind of connection… I can’t understand it, I can only see it from outside. And you deserve someone like him. I should have told him long ago.”

There was a sad chuckle in his voice that would have broken her were it not for the way his eyes were bright and honest. He really was happy about it.

“Every time he told me that I deserved you and that only I could make you happy… I already knew it wasn’t true. Yet he didn’t seem to realize that the times when you were really smiling and laughing were always with him. So…”

He picked up her hand between his, caressing her skin slowly with his fingers.

“I still care about you and I know you understand that my feelings are not just going to float away suddenly but I’m really happy for you both and you would always have my support and my friendship if you still want it.”

Her eyes filled with hot liquid and her lip started trembling. It was exactly what she wanted to hear. Word by word. At the corner of her eye, she could see Kiki nodding emphatically, possibly wanting to say that she would be there for her too. Ryuu was blushing and also nodding, his hand pulling from his clothes until his mouth was almost hidden. That was an Obi gesture and her heart warmed to see it replicated on the young boy. He was starting to imitate - unknowingly or not - various behaviours of her knight. She had yet to decide if that was a good thing or not.

Returning her gaze to Zen after the quick inspection and now that she had blocked her tears she launched at him, practically jumping into his lap, and hugged him. How was she so lucky? What did she do to deserve such wonderful people in her life? Kiki joined the hug from the other side of the cushion and Ryuu wasn’t much for hugs yet moved a hand to her shoulder and squeezed a bit to let her know he was there too.

She couldn’t stop them anymore. She started crying, surrounded by people who cared and loved her and all the tension, the jitters, the almost-lost-someone-today feeling disappeared slowly with every intake of breath. That was it. They were free to pursue their feelings, they were still loved, they still had their friends, the ones that made both of them stay in the first place.

They still were a family.

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ask-professor-laurel · 3 years

Text

Shiverwood Facilities

(This is a WIP, will probably be updated fairly frequently!)

PREFACE

This blog is a headcanon blog- it is not run as canon, and everything said is my own personal headcanons. The goal of this blog is just to explore the Pokemon world and the lore in ways that canon does not, I don’t claim anything I say to be canon or superior to anybody else’s headcanons.

This blog ignores game mechanics, as they don’t apply to the more realistic approach I’m taking here. I’m operating more under a blend of manga and anime mechanics. Storylines in the games may be acknowledged, but game mechanics (level up system, IVs and EVs, etc) are not canon to this blog.

A note from the person who runs this blog: I am by no means a medical expert, or an expert in real life animals. This is all for fun, and is just my fun way of having a blog for a self-indulgent Pokemon OC. Do not take anything I see here as real-life medical or animal handling advice- I am not a professional in any way.

(I also want to note- I was inspired by the Professor Peach blog to start my own, so shoutout to them for giving me the idea!!)

—————

What do we do?

Shiverwood Facilities itself is dedicated both to Pokemon research and Pokemon care. Our work is primarily based on Pokemon behaviour rather than on any specific Pokemon type, with our primary work being researching into a broad spectrum of Pokemon behaviours, and the care of Pokemon sent to us for care or rehabilitation. We also act as an in-between for Pokemon that need more intensive rehabilitation we can’t offer and we can often take in Pokemon that need to be removed from situations, but who don’t have someone to take them in quite yet.

On the research side of things, I (Professor Laurel) am in charge of most aspects of it. My research is centralized on Pokemon variants, the environmental causes, and the behavioural aspects. I’m also a behaviouralist myself, with a background in that sort of research, so I’m a bit of an encyclopedia on Pokemon behaviour and the habits of various species. I’m most familiar with Dragon, Grass, and Bug type Pokemon, but I can help with pretty much any typing.

Our site is equipped to deal with Pokemon that need care or minimal rehabilitation- anything more intensive we offer to just hold onto the Pokemon in question until someone more qualified can come and pick them up. Pokemon care here covers mental wellbeing and physical health- we have several behaviouralists onsite, including myself, who can get to the root of the problem and help a Pokemon emotionally, as well as trained medical staff who can deal with anything physical, be it injuries or something chronic. Our medical facilities are equivalent to a Pokemon Centre, and we often take in injured wild Pokemon for short stays before releasing them, but we’ll also help out trainers who pass by, or anyone who needs to bring in their Pokemon for a longer stay, free of charge. Any Pokemon left with us, whether found after being abandoned or being surrendered from bad situations, will most likely be rehomed, if not taken in by someone on staff.

We offer tours of the facility, as well as tours of the local habitat. These are both guided either by myself or another staff member with a capable team, just in case. Public areas are clearly marked with signs, same with warning signs for any areas that might be dangerous, and areas closed to the public. We also host a couple of events every season that serve to raise awareness of our work, Pokemon care, Pokemon wellbeing, etc for the public.

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Who are you sending your questions to?

Professor Arthur Laurel! That’s me- you can call me Arthur if you want, I’m not big on formalities. I’ve talked about myself already, but I’m the person who will be receiving and answering all of your questions.

I have a smaller team of Pokemon from my trainer days, and all three of them are my trusted partners and some of my very best friends.

Cloudhopper - My Dragonite. She’s been with me the longest and is my partner, gifted to me as a starter as a Dratini when I was going to set out on my Gym Challenge. She’s also a certified service Pokemon, as well as a flying Ride Pokemon. Known for being very protective, usually the one to get me out of trouble, but also very sweet and loving. She does have a wicked sense of humour, though, watch out for if she feels mischievous.

Honeybite - My Appletun. He’s larger than the average Appletun, standing at over 3 feet tall, and known for being the sweetest cuddles there ever was. He’s been with me nearly as long as Cloudhopper. Honeybite’s famous for his cuddles, but don’t underestimate him for his sweet face, he’s quite the little powerhouse when he wants to be, but luckily for us he chooses peace.

Sweetbug - My Vespiquen. She was the last addition to my team, but it’s still been a good decade of having her by my side. She’s a mother hen type between myself and her Combee hive, with a fierce protective streak that has us keeping her hive closed to the public. She often offers honey as a gift to those she cares about, so you can always tell someone’s having a good day when they’ve got a little jar of honey that they didn’t get from me.

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Where are we and how can you find us?

Shiverwood is a bit of an exaggeration for a name- we’re located just north of Ballonlea, near the mountains surrounding Wyndon. We’re just north of being hot and humid, and just south of being freezing, so we have some cooler weather for most of the year, although summers can get quite hot. There are designated paths through the thick forest outside of Ballonlea that lead to us, so finding your way isn’t too difficult, but for those who don’t want to travel on foot we can also be reached through Corviknight Taxi and easily spotted from the sky on a flying service Pokemon. We don’t have any water access, the only body of water being a nearby lake, as well as no train access. Walking/riding or flight are the only ways to reach us.

We’re in this area on the standard Galar map.

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What kind of facilities do we have?

MAIN LAB - This is the largest building, it’s the main research facility and where you’ll find me if I’m not cooped up in my lab or out in the field. It also contains a smaller medical facility equipped for minor injuries for both people and Pokemon. Mostly open to the public.

LAUREL’S LAB - Within the Main Lab building. I keep it open to the public for the most part, just know that it’s a mess most of the time, because I believe in organized chaos. My team can be interacted with here if they’re in the mood for it, so if you’ve ever wanted to hug a Dragonite, now’s your chance.

POKEMON CENTER - It’s not an official Pokemon Center, but we call it one because it’s easier. It’s equipped to handle anything from massive medical emergencies to permanent and semi-permanent residents who require more care. Also equipped for human care. We often offer supervised positions to learning medical students so that they can gain experience under the watchful eyes of our doctors. Some of it is open to the public, but the rooms are restricted to trainer and friends and family only, and surgery rooms are completely off limits.

ZEN AREA - This is a combination of a building and a bigger outdoor area. This is where the behaviouralists care for Pokemon’s mental wellbeing- think of it like therapy for Pokemon. The outdoor area is open to the public, but inside the building only the entrance is accessible. This is because inside is where Pokemon who may be volatile or aggressive are cared for, to prevent them from escaping, or harming other patients. We call it the Zen Area because it can be very soothing, patient or not.

CONTAINMENT - Where we hold the Pokemon we’re temporarily holding for someone to come collect. This area is completely closed off to the public due to the usually very aggressive or unpredictable nature of the Pokemon who stay there. This area is meant for temporary stays- it’s a sizeable enough area of the woods right at the base of the mountain, and there’s a pond in there that’s surprisingly deep. This area can handle a wide variety of Pokemon, temporarily, but it can’t handle every single species. In those cases, we relocate them to another facility as quickly as possible.

GREENHOUSES - These are the warmest places in the facility, mostly inhabited by Grass Types, but also home to quite a few Bug Types. Open to the public and plants are available for purchase, with a wide range from leafy greens to berry saplings. The Pokemon here are tamed, and can be adopted. There is one that’s closed off to the public due to the Combee hive in there, but the honey can be bought!

TRAINING FIELD - Most of us are trainers, so we have a standard battlefield set up for battling! It isn’t equipped for Dynamaxing or Gigantamaxing, but that isn’t a worry since we don’t have the means to do so in this area. Trainers are welcome to use the field for practice, and to see if any staff would like to battle with them. I’m usually up for a good battle unless I’m busy (or recovering from something), and it’s great fun to spectate during your breaks!

MIRROR LAKE - Named after the Giant’s Mirror, Mirror Lake hosts numerous Water Types that prefer the colder waters. We have a Lapras who lives there and she’s very friendly, though she’s never been captured and we don’t allow the public to ride on her. She picks and chooses on the staff who she’ll allow to ride on her back and if you try to force it, she throws you into the water. We have other trained ride Pokemon for water rides, and the shallows can be nice to dip your feet in during the hotter summer, though the water never gets above chilly temperatures.

SHIVERWOOD FOREST - Likely named during the colder winter, Shiverwood is the forest we’re built on the edge of. It’s technically still the Glimwood Tangle, but we have stronger wild Pokemon around, as well as some other species you won’t find south of Ballonlea. There are trail tours, but we generally advise not wandering into the dense forest, as it’s very easy to get lost. You’ll often be able to see the wild Sylveon and Umbreon packs, as well as some Deerling and Sawsbuck herds, lots of Impidimps and a few Morgrems and Grimmsnarls, and plenty of Zubats. If you’re lucky, you might spot a Trevenant!

MOUNTAIN TRAILS - We have several mountain trails to hike on if you don’t mind the chillier weather up there. Most of the caves have danger signs posted in front of them and we often have staff posted near them, but several caves are open and free to explore! We have a Gigalith who lives deep in the caves who comes out every once in a while and is a real sight to behold, and higher up the mountain for more experienced climbers, you may get to see a very friendly Froslass. Other than that you can expect to find Geodudes, Gravellers and Golems, more Zubats, Roggenrolas and Boldores, and most common Rock Types. If you’re very lucky in the winter, and if you’re patient and brave enough to climb up to see the Froslass, you might just see an Aurorus if you wait around long enough. She’s very elusive, but breathtaking to see. Just don’t get on the wrong side of any Abomasnow or Beartics you see up there- keep to the trails and don’t go without staff.

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You said events?

I did! We host a couple of events every season, raising awareness for our work and for Pokemon in need to the public. The events we host are all free and are open for everyone, and we always put out plenty of notice and signs so everyone knows!

SPRING

Shiverwood Trek - Every year, early in the spring, we put on the annual hike where everyone who shows up early in the morning joins us for a hike through the forest! We do Pokemonspotting throughout, and this is usually the time where you get to interact with a lot of wild Pokemon and see the sights that Shiverwood has to offer. This is also the only event where we go off the trails- since the foliage won’t have fully come in, it’s much easier to get through, so we always explore “new” (we explore before taking random people in for safety reasons) areas. Afterwards, there’s a lunch and then we offer the usual guided tours. I usually lead this one!

Wake-Up Call - A lot of Pokemon come out of hibernation in the spring, and after sleeping for so long, they’re quite hungry! Come on down and make up baskets of food grown here in the Greenhouses, and join us in going through the forest and setting baskets around for anyone who might need it. You’ll often get to see sleepy Pokemon stumbling around, and let me tell you, you haven’t lived till you’ve seen a sleepy Greedent fall asleep eating the basket it found.

SUMMER

Summer Barbecue Bash!! - Just what it says it is! It’s a massive barbecue party we hold from early afternoon to late into the night every summer. We team up with Kabu and other Fire Type experts to bring in Fire Types to help with the cooking, as well as putting on shows of them displaying their talents and powers. It’s a lot of fun, just remember to bring sunscreen!

Scavenger Hunt - This one’s more meant for the younger ones, but we host a big scavenger hunt in the easy forest trails and the easy mountain trails for people to complete! Everybody gets a prize for finishing, but first free to finish get a bigger prize just as a bit of incentive. This usually brings out the families, a lot like the barbecue bash, and is a lot of fun to set up and help out with. Staff get to be wonderfully cryptic and unhelpful (unless it’s with the little ones- we’re a bit more helpful there) and it’s good to get out into the sun for a bit. We hold this one a couple times throughout the summer.

FALL

Fall Forage - As fall comes in, a lot of local plant life starts to wither for the colder weather. Right at the beginning, we lead people around for foraging, and anything they find they can choose to donate to us or take home for free. There’s a lot of Pokemonspotting to be had, a lot of exploring, and at the end of the day we take some of what we’ve found and we make a big community pot of soup! That’s become a tradition for the forage over the years, and it’s probably my favourite part after spending the whole day gathering plants in the chilly weather.

Sawsbuck Sendoff - Every year in the fall, the Sawsbuck and Deerling herds that live in the area migrate towards the mountains for the winter. They come through the area in big herds, and this lasts usually 2 - 3 days. This started off as something unofficial, but the popularity of it led to us advertising it as a sendoff, where we all gather and watch the Sawsbuck and Deerling herds migrate. You can also help clearing their way with us if you want, it’s a volunteer operation and we repay you with food, but you basically just help us clear the way and set up food and water stations, plus you might see some early groups come through! Can’t go up to the herds for safety reasons, but watching them is quite beautiful, and very rewarding to see your hard work pay off when they eat the food you set out for them.

WINTER

Into the Unknown - Named a bit dramatically, because we definitely know where we’re going, but winter’s event is cave exploring! This is the only time of year we open up some of the more restricted caves, and we take people deep into the caves to explore. We check them all out in advance, of course, to ensure safety, but this is the one and only opportunity a year to get into some of these caves and explore deeper into the mountain. This is another one I tend to lead, and it’s great fun, but it’s also got a lot of hands on deck and on standby just in case. A lot of prep goes into this one and honestly, it’s probably my favourite event to host! There’s hidden waterfalls, glittering caves, and this is the only way you’ll see some Pokemon like Noibats, Noiverns, and some elusive Ghost and Dark Types.

Winter Harvest - We do this one a few times throughout the winter. Winter Harvest is when we take what we’ve been growing in the Greenhouses and the public can come help us make food packages that we donate to Pokemon shelters, and to families in need. This one usually has a big turnout and it’s a great environment all around; just people helping each other and drinking hot chocolate. I participate every year, and help with the deliveries along with staff and volunteers.

Besides those, we also host regular adoption events. People can come through anytime to see if they’d like to adopt any of the Pokemon we hold here, though we do have fairs on a regular basis to promote the facility’s adoption services.

You can also find some courses here- we offer them to anybody looking to learn, no age limit (just a minimum; 16), but they can be very helpful when applying for certain lines of work. I also offer referrals and letters of recommendation as a professor, and the staff are also qualified to do the same as medical experts and behaviouralists.

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FAQ

Q: What kind of questions can I ask?

A: Anything and everything! I’ll always answer to the best of my ability, be it behaviour, medical, or just you wanting my thoughts on a certain species or concept. I’ll always be sure to be clear when my answers are uncertain, theoretical, or if I just don’t know. But anything you want to ask, ask away!

Q: Can I come to you for medical advice?

A: Within the Pokemon world? Absolutely! If you’re looking for real-life medical advice from the author of this blog, who is an arts student who works part-time retail, you are not going to find anything helpful!

Q: Why is my question taking a while to get answered?

A: I (both myself and Arthur) get very busy! I check this blog whenever I can, but I don’t always answer right away because my answers require time for me to sit down and think it out. I answer every ask I receive (unless it’s really weirdly personal or if there’s clearly something really bad about it- then it’ll be deleted) and I do so as quickly as I can, but I pride myself on quality answers, so it might take me a bit!

Q: Do you hand out starter Pokemon?

A: Not in the way you think! We do adopt Pokemon out, but we’re not like, say Professor Oak. Adopting a Pokemon out here, even to a child, involves a screening process of the adopter (anyone over 18 and if younger than 18, their legal guardian(s)), and a lot of paperwork. We have to make sure everything is going to work out, after all! But we don’t just hand a new trainer a Pokemon, no.

Q: Can I leave my Pokemon there for a short while?

A: Absolutely! We don’t have a designated daycare area, but we will ensure your Pokemon gets the best care and stays in the area best suited to them. Feel free to leave them with us, but we do ask that it not be long, so try to come get them within 10 days unless you give us notice it will be a longer period. While you’re away, your Pokemon will be allowed to roam (with supervision) in any area that best suits it, and I’ll personally assure you that staff are more than happy to keep our Pokemon guests company, haha :)

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innuendostudios · 4 years

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Thoughts on The Witness

[no spoilers... this game would be nearly impossible to spoil in text]

Where do I even start?

I guess one thing to know about The Witness is that you can watch the famous 9-minute tracking shot from Nostalghia - where Oleg Yankovsky tries to walk a candle from one end of a drained pool to the other without extinguishing it - in its entirety. (I think it’s the entirety, I left before the clip was over; yeah, Jon, I get it.)

How do we interpret this? I haven’t watched Nostalghia, but I know that scene. Every film major knows that scene. Tony Zhou cited it in discussing lateral tracking shots, how they emphasize environment and create emotional distance from humans in the frame, and how Tarkovsky uses this to make the sequence lonely and arduous. Kyle Kallgren cited it in discussing how YouTube makes critique of certain types of art difficult, and Content ID essentially decides for us what film as a medium is even for.

Jon Blow plays the clip in full with no commentary - or, rather, the game itself is the commentary. There’s a sequence in Indie Game: The Movie where Jon Blow expresses some pain about how his game Braid was received, how he felt no one who played it ever really understood everything he was trying to say with it. That feeling might be ameliorated if he weren’t such a constituionally obtuse motherfucker.

Perhaps the scene is meant to draw parallels between Yankovsky’s dedication to a task that is simple yet difficult and the game’s puzzles, built, as they are, around complexity-through-simplicity. Except, Yankovsky’s Andrei has a personal investment carrying this candle, one Tarkovsky has spent the entire film setting up. I was about five hours into The Witness when I found this clip - more than twice the duration of Nostalghia - and I still didn’t know why I was solving the game’s puzzles or what they were trying to communicate.

Perhaps the scene is meant to draw parallels between the patience it encourages in its audience and the calm, meditative mode all The Witness’ allusions to Buddhism are seemingly on about, to give yourself over to the time investment the game demands of you. Except, Nostalghia asks you to spend nine minutes thinking about one thing; zen Buddhism encourages you to think of nothing; The Witness asks you to spend between fifteen and forty hours thinking about a zillion things. It is not a game about clearing your mind, it’s about filling your mind up. There is little continuity between the thoughtless peace of meditation or Yankovsky’s emotional collapse and the game’s intended “aha” moments.

But the ambiguity, the contextlessness of the scene’s inclusion, means you can’t be sure whether it’s contradictory. If we assume it’s about dedication, and we find a flaw in that worldview, maybe the problem is that we didn’t assume it was about meditation. And vice versa. If it fails to communicate, maybe the problem is us.

The only thing this scene communicates for sure is that Jon Blow wants me to know he watches Tarkovsky.

Jon Blow wants you to trust he knows what he’s doing. That the game is saying something. He also never, ever wants to tell you what it is. (If he could just tell you, he wouldn’t have spent eight years making it into a game, I suppose.) But this operates on completely opposite rules to the puzzles. Puzzles in The Witness are maze-drawing panels with increasing numbers of rules, all conveying their rules nonverbally, through gameplay. You see a symbol you don’t recognize, or a shape you don’t know how to draw, and you try things out, you make assumptions, you fail repeatedly, and then something works, the panel lights up, and you know you got it right. Now you understand what the symbol means.

The theming doesn’t work that way. Whatever theory you have as to what the game’s about, there will be no moment of clarification. Blow has an incredible talent, in fact, for constructing imagery that is hilariously blunt yet still ambiguous. As with Braid, where he crammed a straightforward narrative about memory and regret with allusions to quantum physics and the atomic bomb, The Witness references Einstein, the Buddha, Richard Feynman, romantic poetry, tech culture, game design, and - most of all - itself.

I realize I’m dancing around the subject here, because what the gameplay is (or isn’t) in service of is far easier to talk about than the gameplay itself. The Witness is a big island full of touch screens where you draw lines on grids. That’s it. The island is dense with structures and biomes, impossibly having a desert, a swamp, and three different kinds of forest which appear to be in four different seasons. What it doesn’t have is any reason why you’re there or a justification for solving ~600 line-drawing puzzles other than because Jon Blow wants you to. I was wrong in my video from 2015 to call The Witness narrative-based; the game contains narrative but it is not a narrative game. The island is very pretty, meticulously crafted, and not trying in the slightest to look like a real place. It is Myst minus everything people like about Myst.

Absent a reason for my character - if I’m even playing a “character” - to solve the puzzles, why am I, the player, solving them? The short answer is, “Because they’re there. You knew what you were buying. You solve the puzzles because it’s a puzzle game, do I gotta draw you a diagram?” (No, you need me to draw 600 diagrams.) That is unsatisfactory because the island is clearly more than an elaborate menu system.

Do I solve them because they’re interesting? I mean, they’re not bad, if you’re into Sudoku or, like... cereal boxes. In and of themselves, they’re not my cuppa. People told me about a repeated sense of epiphany the game provoked for them, but that’s not the way I experienced it. Every puzzle is so carefully tutorialized that I never felt I was making an intuitive leap. There is no lateral thinking in The Witness, it is strictly longitudinal. You get a row of puzzle panels, and you take them one by one (you are, in fact, prevented from jumping ahead), each one building on what it taught you. And they get hard, certainly, but each is the logical progression of the one before. And each is a marvel of nonverbal communication, but that’s more Jon being clever than it is me. This is not to judge people who did get a feeling of discovery; one person’s “aha” moment is another’s “yeah, Jon, I get it.”

(Aside: I did get a proper “aha” moment when I came to a panel that could be solved two ways. It controlled a moving platform; draw one line, the platform moves right, draw the other and it moves left. And I thought, “Huh, I guess I get it, but those shapes seem kind of arbitrary.” But then, while it was moving, I realized the platform itself mirrored what I had drawn; the two designs were what shape the platform would take when connected with each endpoint! And I went “oh fuck, oh fuck, that’s clever, that‘s really clever.” My first epiphany. It was the most Myst-like the game got, it was clearly not the kind of experience Jon Blow was interested in recreating much, and it took place 7 hours in.)

Do I solve them because I’m compelled? In the first play sessions, I asked myself several times, “Do I even like this?” The game is often tedious and frustrating and I regularly muttered “fuck off, Jon.” But I kept playing. I got annoyed when people interrupted me. I got a hideous case of Tetris effect. They’re not the kind of puzzles you can spend the day thinking through, like you would with Myst or Riven; they’re too abstract to visualize without them right in front of you. And the world is pretty but it’s not a place I wish I could visit, like I would with, again, Myst or Riven. But I kept going back. I solved puzzles less because I found pleasure in finishing them than I found displeasure in them being unfinished. Jon Blow has given talks on how game design focused on being “addictive” is basically evil - his word, not mine. And yet... it felt more like I was playing his game because I was hooked than because I was enjoying myself.

Do I solve them because I trust Jon Blow? Because I believe this will all amount to something? Jon certainly expects me to trust him. The game blares PROFUNDITY AHEAD constantly. (I remind you it quotes the Buddha.) But, in the years since Braid, I have grown less impressed with Jon Blow’s “art game genius” shtick. One fun bit about playing The Witness so late is finally reading all the discourse, and, well before finishing the game, I had read the thoughts of Andrew Plotkin, and Liz Ryerson, and Andi McClure - all of whom are brilliant - so I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into. What’s surprised me is, having gotten to the first ending - not the secret ending - what the game is up to still isn’t clear. There are enough allusions to heady ideas that you can infer some stuff, but the default ending - while pretty enough - adds nothing and reveals nothing. And getting the True Ending means completing the In the Hall of the Mountain King section, something many will never find and precious few will ever complete. (Debating whether I’m going to even try.) If Jon Blow wants you to trust that he’s going somewhere with this, he makes you wait a long time before finding out if it’s worth it. [EDIT: turns out the secret ending comes after a different set of obscure puzzles than Hall of the Mountain King.]

Which leads me back to my original conclusion: I am solving the puzzles because Jon Blow told me to.

I suspect the arc Jon wants is for me to begin solving puzzles because I want to know what they’re in service of, what point Jon is trying to make, and then spend so long on them that I forget about the destination and just wrap myself up in the work, and, after dozens of hours on the hardest of the hard puzzles, Jon will finally reveal that the point he was making was about the labor I have just done. That he couldn’t tell me what it was for until I’d already done it. That the labor was its own reward. And how much you like The Witness is going to depend on whether or not you feel ripped off.

The overall impression The Witness left me with was less of meditation than discipline. (I have joked that playing The Witness feels like being in a D/s relationship with Jon Blow and not knowing the safe word.) Jon presents a simple concept and then expects you to solve every. single. permutation. of that concept. You do the work to find out what it’s about, and then what it’s about is the work. That game is about itself. The subject of The Witness is solving The Witness. It’s about purity of design, about simplicity, about slowly mastering a set of skills. (That these skills are neither inherently pleasurable to perform nor applicable in any other context seems not to matter; the point is, you learned them.) It’s hard not to read a game fixated on the beauty of its own design as all kinds of smug.

I allowed myself to be spoiled on the True Ending, and it seems, in the eleventh hour, if you draw lines til your fingers bleed, the game makes room for self-critique, questioning whether all this dedication to design actually is, in any way, meaningful or useful to us. Which, just a little bit, smacks of an artist spending two years making a sculpture of himself, chiseled to make him look a perfect Olympian beauty, only to label it “EGOISM.” Ooo. Make you think.

I suspect, in the end, I played it to (partial) completion because I was curious. I didn’t necessarily buy Jon Blow’s hype, but his hype is intriguing. As a portrait of a certain mindset, a monomaniacal obsession with design for design’s sake, the folk-religion of salvation through technology, and the critique of same, it is fascinating. I know people - smart people - who genuinely love this game, and, if the above is any indication, I clearly love talking about it. I have no regrets.

But, word of advice: if you don’t a) love the puzzles, or b) love the discourse, just walk away. Everything will be fine.

#capsule review #Adventure Games #the witness

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ikonospacewebgalleries · 4 years

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We did it! Ikonospace Web Galleries are out!

With this service we are turning the table for online exhibitions.

Ikonospace Web Galleries are the new standard for showcasing art online.

NO APP NEEDED, it's fast and it works on all devices.

CURATE your own exhibition in 3D with a SIMPLY DRAG AND DROP SYSTEM.

EXHIBIT your art in high-end virtual galleries.

UPLOAD them on your website INSTANTLY.

GET UNLIMITED EXHIBITIONS, the Gallery is yours forever.

Follow the link to our website to visit the online store: https://www.ikonospace.com/

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ZEN GALLERY

The inspiration for our Zen Gallery comes directly from the East, from the ancient Japanese Buddhist schools, in which teachers and disciples were in constant search for serenity and tranquility.

Lowered into today's reality, the philosophy of living according to the Zen canons represents the attempt to free the mind. Meditation is the right way to reach the final goal and, in order to do this, also the way you choose to furnish a space becomes fundamental.

Creating environments that facilitate tranquility therefore leads to satisfying a series of requirements that are identified in the interior design with the search for furnishings, colors and geometries with simple and elementary lines.

Immersed in the green of an autumn forest, the Zen Gallery is characterized by a minimalist style, in which the chosen materials and the shapes of the furniture contribute to giving serenity.

The colors of the wood make space even bigger visually, with the presence of stone walls that amplify the sense of naturalness. Immersed in nature and furnished only with natural elements and colors, this gallery is suitable for hosting any type of exhibition and will make your artworks stand out more.

#3D #vistual #reality #vr #web #gallery #art #zen #buddhist #japanese #style

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zenaquaria · 4 years

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Zen Aquaria Commissions, 2020 ed.

Here’s my New and Improved commission info sheets! All my information, including my Terms of Service, past commissions, and art tags, can be found in the text link above! Mobile users can tap on the bolded words above to view my full ToS, past work, and tags.

Use the form below when making an order or asking about an estimate! Contact me through any of my platforms or over Discord!

Form Commission Type: Paypal Email: Characters: [References for character(s) to be drawn, up to 3 per character. One MUST be in flat/true colors. Clothing/accessories refs also go here.] Mood/Pose: [Description and/or references of character poses, or general mood or atmosphere of the scene, if applicable] Setting: [Description and/or references of environment, or a few words to springboard from, e.g. “underwater”, “a forest clearing”, or “sunrise on a hill”, if applicable]

_______

Do not repost, edit, alter, trace/copy, use/redistribute my artworks without my permission.

deviantArt | FurAffinity | Twitter | Kofi | Patreon

#commissions #MLP #animal #anthro #furry #rlc #commission sheet

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mentalillnessmouse · 6 years

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useful phone apps masterpost

Hello guys! We’ve completely redone our useful phone apps page, and decided to create an identical but rebloggable post as well.

Hope you’ll find these useful!

Mod Bee

Disclaimer: none of these apps are valid substitutes to therapy and/or medical professionals.

Most of these apps are free.

Emergencies & Crisis

Please try these apps first while you’re safe to see if they work on your phone.

ICE Contact is a free personal safety app that delivers instant and delayed messages to friends and family In Case of Emergency (ICE). For Apple and Android.

MY3, with which you define your network and your plan to stay safe. You can be prepared to help yourself and reach out to others when you are having thoughts of suicide. For Apple and Android.

Wickr Me is a top-secret messenger that enables private and easily erasable communications. Take full control over who has access to your content and how long it remains accessible. For Apple and Android.

Chronic Pain

Ouchie, a mobile tool for pain management. Manage your pain, connect with providers and others in your situation, and find accomplishments in the everyday. For Apple and Android.

Flaredown, a comprehensive symptom and treatment tracker. For Apple and Android.

Give and get comfort

Comfort Spot, Quiet Spaces’ app. For Android and Apple.

Vent, a social diary, a place for you to express how you really feel, within an understanding community. For Android and Apple.

Reachout: My Support Network is a Support Network for patients and caregivers fighting chronic conditions. For Apple and Android.

White noises

Rain, Rain, dozens of high-quality endless sounds. Really relaxing. For Apple, Android, and Amazon Apps.

TaoMix 2 offers an easy way to create your own soundscapes that can evolve randomly over time, for a perfect immersion. For Apple and Android.

myNoise, with which you can mix relaxing sounds and create your own favorite mixes for relaxation, sleeping, or concentration. For Apple and Android.

Medications

Medisafe helps you keep track of which medications you need to take, when, and when they’re about to finish, and can create a direct channel between patients and their doctors/pharmacists. It also lets you set up an emergency contact who will be automatically alerted if you forget to take your meds. For Apple and Android.

Carezone lets you take pictures of your prescription bottles, and automatically imports the details. You can also document symptoms and note important contacts. For Apple and Android.

MyTherapy gives you reminders when it’s time to take your medication, take measurements, or do exercises, and it also serves as a journal where you can track your symptoms and overall health. For Apple and Android.

Meditating

Stop, Breathe & Think, to check in with how you’re feeling, practice some mindful breathing, and increase your level of relaxation. For Apple, Android, and Web App.

Take a break! to relax as you are voice-guided step by step. For Apple, Android, and Amazon Apps.

Breathe2Relax, a portable stress management tool which provides instructions and practice exercises to help users learn stress management skills, through diaphragmatic breathing. For Apple and Android.

Insight Timer, guided meditations and talks led by the world’s top mindfulness experts, neuroscientists, psychologists, and meditation teachers from Stanford, Harvard, Dartmouth and the University of Oxford. For Apple and Android.

Smiling Mind, not-for-profit organisation that works to make mindfulness accessible for all. For Apple and Android.

Calm claims to bring clarity, joy, and peace, to your daily life. A meditation app for beginners, but it also includes hundreds of programs for intermediate and advanced meditators and gurus. For Apple and Android.

Recolor delivers the mammoth adult coloring book phenomenon in an app-sized package. More than 1,000 images are provided on Recolor to help you relax, rest your mind, and send you into a Zen-like meditative state. For Apple and Android.

Keeping a journal

TherapyBuddy has five features: you can record your appointments, write a “helpful takeaway” for each session, create a homework assignment task list, create a list of things to bring up at your next session, and set an alert reminder for your next appointment. For Apple and Android.

Journey records your daily events to relive those moments later. For Apple, Android, and Windows.

Daylo lets you pick your mood and add activities you have been doing during the day. You can also add notes and keep an old school diary. For Apple and Android.

Positivity

Happify claims to bring you effective tools and programs to take control of your emotional well-being. For Apple and Android.

Bliss - Gratitude Journal works like a daily diary or gratitude journal that allows you to record thoughts and meditation on the previous day. For Apple and Android.

Happier helps you stay more present and positive throughout the day. Use it to lift your mood, take a quick meditation pause, or capture and savor the small happy moments that you find in your day. For Apple, Android version coming soon.

Productivity & Focus

Todoist, with which you can keep track of everything so you can start getting things done and enjoy more peace-of-mind along the way. For Apple and Android.

myHomework is useful for students, especially those of us with poor memory. This app is a practical planner, and it has reminders for classes, assignments, etc. For Apple, Android, and Windows phone.

Habitica is built like a game, to help you stay motivated and organized. For Apple and Android.

ColorNote is a simple notepad app, with a quick and easy notepad editing experience when you write notes, memos, e-mails, messages, shopping lists, and to-do lists. You can assign different colors to different notes. For Apple and Android.

Peak challenges your memory, attention, problem solving, mental agility, language, coordination, creativity, and emotion control, to improve your brain’s performance. For Apple and Android.

Forest helps you put down your phone and stay focused on what you have to do. For Apple and Android.

Recovery

Rise Up + Recover for EDs is based off self-monitoring homework, and it’s a good addition to your professional treatment. For Apple and Android.

MHRG: Mental Health Recovery Guide claims that there are 17 (seventeen) essential things you need to know to fast track your recovery from mental illness. This app will tell you what they are and help you through them. For Apple and Android.

The WRAP® App involves listing your personal resources (Wellness Tools), and then using these resources to develop Action Plans. For Apple and Android.

Nomo accurately breaks down the years, months, weeks, days, hours, and minutes of your recovery journey. You can also share your success with others.

Self-help

Virtual Hope Box is where patients can store a variety of rich multimedia content that they find personally supportive, and have them on hand in times of need. It’s designed for use by patients and their behavioral health providers as an accessory to treatment. For Apple and Android.

Self-help Anxiety Management, or SAM, is a friendly app that offers a range of self-help methods for people who want to learn about how to manage their anxiety.

Calm Harm provides tasks to help you resist or manage the urge to self-harm. You can set a password so that it's completely private. For Apple and Android.

SkinPick allows you to document your picking urges and episodes. After a while of using the app, you will have gathered enough data to start seeing patterns in your behavior and trying to block the process. For Apple and Android.

SuperBetter is a tool created by game designers and backed by science. By playing it you start building personal resilience: the ability to stay strong, motivated, and optimistic even in the face of difficult challenges. It works like a game of rewards. For Apple and Android.

Moodlytics is a mood tracking/journal/diary app with easy to understand data analysis. You can also set goals and have your moods analyzed through time.

Koko offers services that help social network users manage crisis, abuse, and bullying. For various apps.

Sleep helpers

Twilight, an app that blocks blue light from your screen. Only for Android, but iPhones have the option included in their last updates.

Pzizz has a patented algorithm that plays you "dreamscapes"— sleep-optimized mixes of music, voiceover, and sound effects that quickly quiet your mind, put you to sleep, keep you asleep, and then wake you up feeling refreshed. For Apple and Android.

iSleep Easy Meditations Free contains three guided meditations to help you fall asleep and sleep deeply. For Apple and Android.

#mentalillnessmouse #mental health #mental health apps #depression #anxiety #mood disorders #sleep disorders #eating disorders #addiction #abuse #productivity #positivity #recovery

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a-jew-leaf · 6 years

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My Spiritual Journey

This is VERY long but something I had been meaning to hash out for a while.

Last weekend I attended the retreat Let My People sing and was privileged to study with Taya Shere, co-founder of the Kohenet Institute, among other amazing folks. I think the timing in my own life as well as taking in the teachings Taya had to offer inspired me to spend the weekend looking inward and focusing on myself and my own spirituality rather than branching out in search of new friendships and social connections. I left the weekend with an incredible sense of peace that stuck with me through the next five days. As I tried to shrug off the impending deadlines of work (and that I need to accomplish in order to have a truly restful, spiritual, and peaceful Days of Awe) in order to settle in to shabbat, I lost that background zen that had been helping me keep it together through the last week. Today, as I was thinking about trying to find some peace and rest before heading to work tomorrow, I found myself reflecting back on what about Taya and the particularities of what she brought from her own Kohenet practice to services and teaching spoke to me so profoundly and also how to reclaim the peace she inspired.

Something that I have been meaning to do for a while (read: years) is truly reflect on my own spiritual journey. I have, at times, considered myself a spiritual person but that has been an exceedingly small minority of my history. Before stumbling my way into Judaism, I had spent many years referring to myself a staunch and life-long atheist. That is not quite true, either, but I do not think I had the understanding or language to describe it either.

I grew up thinking I was Christian because those around me were Christian. My family celebrated Christmas and Easter. One time, we went to a church service for Mother's Day because my mom wanted to; I found the whole thing very alien and strange. Once, I spend spring break attending Vacation Bible School at a friend's church because I liked my friend and she said it was fun; all I remember was making a purple glittery cross that I proudly displayed in my room lest my friends think that my non-churchgoing family was not Christian enough. I liked that I got two full days of weekend and sleeping in. I did not have to put on annoying fancy clothes, especially since I am sure it would have been a weekly fight against wearing a dress. I formulated what being Christian and believing in God and Jesus must mean based on bits and pieces gleaned from Christmas specials. I did not believe Jesus was a real person because he seemed just like another character in a non-existent fantasy land. I did not realize Bethlehem was a real city that still existed today!

In eighth grade, I started attending a Presbyterian church with my neighbor. I had always been insecure about the fact that my family did not attend church, although I do not have any memories of anyone even saying anything to me about it. I joined the youth chorus, which I loved. I got to sing tenor which was *gasp* a boy's part. I got to spend more time with my new best friend and neighbor. We were both bored through sermons but got to make silent faces and jokes at each other. When I did listen to the sermons, however, and when I went to Sunday school, I slowly began realizing that the story I had put together from Christmas specials was not the whole story. The Jesus of love and forgiveness who inspired poor drummer boys to play for him was not the same in church. When my neighbor and I got in a full blow-out fight over something I cannot now recall, we stopped speaking. I stayed in the chorus through the concert out of obligation, and then never went back.

Also, in eighth grade, I met another best friend. She began to dabble in Wicca and I, recently alienated from Christianity, followed. I borrowed books from the library, read up on it, and found it to be somewhat meaningful. What I found most meaningful about it was that I was free to make it my own. I liked that the God and Goddess were both manifestations of a greater unspeakable force. I also liked that it did not invalidate other pagan gods of old. I learned that many wiccans chose to pray to and follow gods from a variety of pantheons; they too were just manifestations of certain aspects of that same unspeakable force. I knew there was a force or forces in the world that were beyond explanation, but I was unsure of whether or not they were truly divine. That was ok, it was allowed too. It seemed plausible that one could learn to focus energies and cause magick to happen, but I was not really interested in that part. I grew up with a sincere appreciation for nature, and I began to seek quiet moments in the bits of forest that existed in the suburbs and under the moon whenever possible. The full moon shined perfectly in my bedroom window onto the foot of my bed. I found peace and meaning in opening the blinds, putting my pillow at the other end of my bed, and sleeping bathed in the moonlight. I spent evenings in my room with the light off, lighting candles and incense, and listening to music. I loved the band Godsmack because the lead singer was Wiccan.

I knew at the time that it would not stick. I was not really interested in joining a coven and I did not think that if magick was real it was something people, let alone teenagers, should be messing with. There was a lot I did not understand about it or myself. Looking back now, I think I figured something out. I think a lot of teenage girls are drawn to wicca because it is empowering. The focus on the divine feminine is refreshing. I did not know that I was trans then, but I knew I hated being a girl and hated the idea of celebrating my own supposed womanhood. What I did like, however, was the existence of the divine masculine. Even though Christianity is so patriarchal, I do not think that there really is a divine masculine. It is more like men=good, women=bad. Here was something telling me, however, that the feminine and the masculine were parts of the same whole. There was also a lot about everything embodying both. Even if I was full of feminine that I hated, there was some masculine inside me too. I also like that if the feminine/masculine divide did not appeal, I could find comfort in other gods that embodied traits that I admired. My patron god was Thor and I lived for summer thunderstorms to restore me. I was also terrified of getting struck by lightning, which was either ironic or a healthy fear of the divine.

It did not stick. I got in a huge fight with that friend when I fell into a love triangle with her and her boyfriend, monogamy required that he choose, and he chose me. I wore my pentacles for a while, but I found myself connecting less with nature, the moon, and my candles. I settled more heavily into being a goth and relishing in anything heretical. Anne Rice, her vampires and witches, and their heresy became my new religion. This was quickly followed by adding Jacqueline Carey's Terre D'Ange, her gods and goddesses, and the divinity of sex and kink proposed in her novels. If all gods were made up anyway, I might as go with those from recent books. They were more real to me than any God set forth in the Bible. I envied book characters who knew their gods were real because they got to interact with them and they made real, if not misguided, alterations in their lives.

As my goth phase wore away, I think I began to claim more toward the atheist label. I still remained particularly drawn to anything heretical to Christianity. I loved arguing against the merits of Christianity and what I thought were the downfalls of all organized religion. I pushed against my friends who were Christian hoping I could convince them to drop their nonsense. My boyfriend at the time was incredible grounded though also an atheist. We debated ethics and whatnot and it helped form a lot of my life philosophy even today.

My time at college was one of the darkest times of my life. While I get the impression that going away to college is an exciting time of freedom and exploration for many, I feel that I lost myself completely. Teenage hormones and drama aside, my sophomore-senior years of high school were times where I spent a lot of timing writing, introspecting, and finding myself. I intended to come out as trans at college and go by my gender-neutral middle name. I was determined to be my true self. I chickened out immediately. I fell into a questionable relationship that quickly became controlling and bordering on abusive. Everything that I loved about myself and my hobbies became suspect. Heavy metal music was too "stressful." Video games were a "waste of time." Cartoons were "mindless garbage." Even worse, the food allergies that I was suddenly developing were suspect as well. Despite having had a physical reaction to something indeterminate, when I started reacting to a wide variety of foods, she declared that it was in my head. My anxiety spiraled out of control and I was ashamed. I became completely dependent on her for fear of anyone else finding out the demons that were plaguing me. Especially since I was so crazy I thought I was allergic to so much food! (Spoiler alert: I was actually allergic to that food.)

There was no spirituality during this time. I hardened down on my atheist stance. My ex also referred to herself as an atheist but really wanted to go to church. I refused. I was not going to miss out on precious weekend sleep to go worship a god we did not believe in for a religion that hated our queerness. Even though they were gay churches in town, I was uninterested. In addition to my resistance to church, my anxiety was so bad, and I had lost my sense of self so completely, that any time spent alone in my head was torture. I did not seek out quiet spots in the forest or under the moonlight. My thoughts would catch up to me. I might realize how horribly my life had ended up.

Skipping a lot of the relationship details, towards the end of that terrible stint in my life, I found certain aspects unbearable and came out as a trans man. I had chickened out upon going to college, but I could not keep denying myself and enter the professional world expecting to be successful. I began dating another trans man who was heavily involved in the MCC church, the specifically gay denomination of Christianity. He aspired to go to divinity school and become an MCC pastor. I was completely infatuated and amazed to be in a relationship with someone who loved and admired me and did not treat me and the things I loved as if they were unworthy. I still thought my food allergies were in my head, but he did not guilt me into eating things that made me uncomfortable. For him, I attended church. I did not believe in anything they were saying, but I found the power in a good orator and there were lessons to be learned that were true whether or not Jesus was God or God was real. I began to envision my future life as pastor's husband, the atheist church choir director. Our relationship burned hot and brief, so it never came to that.

I left Virginia and my relationships there to move to Massachusetts. My spirituality remained dormant although as a geology major I re-discovered my love of the outdoors. In particular, I have always enjoyed finding spots that really brought home the idea that the world is so much bigger than me. Geology is also good for that, setting our tiny lives in the context of 4.6 billion years. I dabbled briefly in attending UU services when they were down the street, finding some meaning in community and the singing, but never particularly inspired by the whole thing.

I will leave my journey into Judaism for a separate essay, but I would like to tie in how I believe now into what I have laid out here. I have always found a feeling of smallness, which may or may not be connecting with something larger than myself, and even perhaps divine, in two places: music and nature. A lot of what spoke to my eighth grade self about wicca is the same thing that speaks to me about Judaism, plus it includes extra music. As I struggled through my young adult life to reclaim the sense of self I lost in my late teens, I have found myself reconnecting to many things that were meaningful to me in high school. One of the things I have found most meaningful in Judaism is a syncing up with the seasons. I am now building my connection to the natural world in a way my young wiccan self trapped in the endless suburbs never could have dreamed. Now comfortable in my own masculinity (and complimentary femininity), it was interesting to revisit that world over the weekend. I see now the peace and mindfulness that appealed to me as a young teen that was always a part of the deal if I had stuck with it. I see now that peace and mindfulness is important to my own development of Jewish practice. I am looking forward to moving forward from this new place of understanding and reconnection with my past.

#personal #jumblr #spirituality #judaism #jewish #wicca #journey #queer #trans #jewish convert

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asongamongthestars · 6 years

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Culture Week :: Zen-Whoberi, Day 2

Notable Zen-Whoberians

Gamora Xemoc (Zen-Whoberi Ben Titan) - The sole survivor of the annihilation of Zen-Whoberi, Gamora was rescued by the Mad Titan, Thanos, and raised as his daughter. He trained her to be a master of physical combat, which led to her becoming one of the most infamous assassins in the galaxy. Now, she works with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and was instrumental in Thanos’ defeat.

Kyu’ar Arlachal - The first Zen-Whoberian on record to make contact with another planet, Kyu’ar is easily the species’ most famous scientist. She was also responsible for helping to design a curriculum for teaching Standard Imperial to the general population of the planet.

Chief Bhanyorha Manos - As the chief of the ancient city Jionto, Bhanyorha was responsible for the unification of several smaller provinces that later became the Zen-Whoberian capitol. He was known as the Tree-King by some for his love of nature, and is considered the father of the Zen-Whoberians’ long-standing culture of environmentalism and nature-worship.

Nanicattho Marhursh - The first Zen-Whoberian to be accepted into the Nova Corps. Shortly after entering an alliance with Zen-Whoberi, the Nova Empire opened enrollment to its citizens. Most were uninterested, adhering to the cultural disdain for war, but some felt the call to service. Nanicattho was the first, and went on to become a highly decorated veteran.

Phaihaz A'zhan - A talented painter who specialized in vivid, lifelike renderings of Zen-Whoberi’s verdant forests. Her paintings are prized the galaxy over as masterpieces, found in such collections as the Great Library of Sovereign and the Xandarian Royal Institute.

#culture week #culture week - Zen-Whoberi #Zen-Whoberi #the Zen-Whoberi #asats au #headcanon #text post

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diaspora9ja · 3 years

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7 wilderness stays that feature ocean, lake and land life

South Africa’s personal lake space affords equal elements tranquility, magnificence and journey. There’s additionally quite a lot of selection by way of lodging – plus good worth for cash. Pictures by Teagan Cunniffe.

How does it work? TripAdvisor lists properties which were rated by friends, however as a lot as we love peer critiques, they do not present a comparative voice – so how do we all know #1 is absolutely the perfect? Pippa de Bruyn, who has offered lodging for individuals like Frommer’s and The telegraph, scrubs TripAdvisor and different on-line websites when in search of a vacation spot. For Wilderness, she made an extended record of 29 to examine. The next made the minimize.

What we discovered within the wild • Glorious high quality shares in a really lovely a part of the world – the institution of the Wilderness Nationwide Park within the Nineteen Eighties ensured that this was one of many least developed elements of the Backyard Route. The Serpentine, Island Lake, Langvlei and Rondevlei are a globally acknowledged Ramsar wetland. • One thing for everybody – from a five-star resort (Views) to cheap visitor homes, self-catering choices in varied sizes and environment, to the most effective campsites within the nation (SANParks’ Ebb & Move North Camp). • Most take into account Wilderness to be a village on the N2, however it’s a 18-kilometer stretch of coast from the mouth of the Touw River to Swartvlei that features seaside, lakes, rivers, forest and farmland. It affords a totally completely different trip relying on the place you keep. • It is a fabulous seaside vacation spot as there is no such thing as a street between the properties and the seaside (that’s, be warned: the ocean is fairly wild right here). Sands Street is my favourite; It has retained its old school, low-key avenue look of the seaside bungalow and is stage with the seaside. • In case you favor canoeing and chook watching, go for a riverfront, ideally going through north for the solar or someplace alongside Bo Langvlei Street. • Lots of the services right here have related names: Wilderness Dunes and Dolphin Dunes shouldn’t be confused with Dune Seashore. Ocean View shouldn’t be Views (or Oceans); Lodge on the Lake shouldn’t be a lakeside lodge, and home on the seaside shouldn’t be a translation of On the Seashore.

Probably the most fashionable studio condo

1. Pearl Moon No. 4

Listed on TripAdvisor however not rated When Carmina Cloete’s youngsters moved out, she determined to renovate the complete floor flooring of her home – a thatched-roof constructing on a hill overlooking the Touw River – and arrange 4 studios with kitchenettes. Every has sliding doorways that lead onto a non-public, furnished deck with nice views of the river. Carmen’s consideration to element and style is impeccable – from the selection of mug and kettle to taps like sinks and shutters, every part she has chosen is simple on the eyes. The friends have their very own (shared) fundamental entrance with items which might be accessible through a hall. All are visually personal. Room 4 is certainly the primary alternative for its zen-like backyard deck with a water function below a big milkwood roof and the truth that it has its personal lavatory behind the bed room. (Within the different suites, the toilet is within the room behind a pane of glass. These are sandblasted however do not provide a lot visible privateness, for those who’re squeamish about these items.) Room tip: # 1, the studio, can also be a good selection and prices R200 much less. The mattress overlooks the river and has a loft for a teen (no youngsters allowed). Prices: R1650 double per night time. Contact: pearlmoon.co.za

Greatest visitor home on the river

2. Moontide Visitor Lodge

Tripadvisor # 5 OF 57 B & BS / Inns

In 2018, proprietor Maureen Mansfield flew to London to select up a brand new trophy. It was the second yr in a row that Moontide was named “Greatest Luxurious Hideaway” by the Luxurious Journey Information, however Moontide is not any stranger to awards. That is partly because of the setting: the visitor home, shaded by 400-year-old milkwood bushes, is true on the banks of the inviting Touw River (best for swimming). Canoes and a pedal boat can be found for friends, and it takes a three-minute stroll to the seaside. It’s a spacious homestead with solely eight en-suite rooms – some free-standing – all with their very own backyard entrance and seating space. Breakfast on the terrace overlooking the river is simply as common with birds as it’s with friends – there’s a chook watching guidelines in your room. Discover that there are six rooms below thatch. In case you’re allergic to weed this is not the place, however chook watchers and discount hunters alike flock to this riverside gem. The occupancy within the final low season was something however, so ebook early. Room tip: The most well-liked are the treetops, a picket home above the visitor home, and the boathouse proper on the river. Stone Cottage and Milkwood are my favourite household choices. Prices: From R2280 sharing per day B&B. Contact: moontide.co.za

Greatest farmhouse

3. Oakhurst

No. 1 of 37 particular lodging

After at all times having fun with the Seven Passes Street to Knysna for the idyllic surroundings, it was nice to get off the street and discover this lovely 6,000 acre dairy farm. Lodging choices embody the historic smithy (which is presently being renovated and might be prepared by December), 5 farmhouses on the sting of the forest, and a separate group of 4 smaller schoolyard homes only a quick drive away. All are properly cared for and really tastefully embellished with beautiful particulars. There’s rather a lot to do right here: 240 hectares of pristine fynbos and native forest are solely out there to friends: 16 kilometers of well-marked trails for path operating or mountain biking, guided horseback driving, hikes to a waterfall, fishing and canoeing on the farm dam, swimming within the pure ones , spring-lined swimming pools, climbing the climbing wall to the “crow’s nest” platform, visiting the dairy and feeding the calves. Room tip: I appreciated that the farmhouses are indifferent and comfy, however the schoolyard homes have larger views. Two of them are interleading. Prices: Farmhouse from R1750 per night time (for six individuals). From R1550 for a schoolyard home (for 4 individuals) or The Forge (for six individuals). Contact: oakhurst.co.za

The very best prospects

4. Wilderness Bushcamp

No. 7 of 37 particular lodging

That is the household dwelling of John Pfaff, the surfer developer who formed a lot of Wilderness. It is 9 acres on the hill and has the perfect vantage level within the area. Over time the Pfaffs constructed various picket huts, and since John’s demise the household dwelling has been out there too: the three-bedroom Aloe Home has a pool and 360-degree views, plus a studio and suite. All are self-catering and there may be additionally a lapa space with a grill and pizza oven. The cabins present indicators of age however are clear and tidy, the gathering is properly managed and for the worth you get an absolute discount. Room tip: Honeymoons are a really romantic alternative, tucked away on the finish of the boardwalk, overlooking the seaside and ocean under. Lagoon View is the tallest cabin (see image above). Prices: Aloe Studio from R800; Cabins and Aloe Suite from R850 per night time (everybody sleeps two). Aloe Home from R3500 per night time for 2 (sleeps six). Contact: wildernessbushcamp.co.za

Greatest for chook watchers

5. Subsequent to nonetheless waters

# 24 of 57 B & Bs / Inns

Bo-Langvlei Street is a dust street that surrounds Langvlei Lake. It’s undeveloped and peaceable and is much from the busy N2. Rolling hills with pure vegetation provide nice views of the water. That is the place Rod and Hydie McDade retired and constructed their very fairly two-story home and the adjoining cottage in order that it was precisely on this space. The complete wilderness space is nice for chook watchers, however the proximity of addition to nonetheless waters to the Malachite Chook Sanctuary (a beautiful 20-minute stroll) and views of Langvlei make it an particularly sensible choice. Apart from that, Hydie is essentially the most great hostess – she has two B&B rooms with loos in her home, however she additionally takes care of the friends who keep within the three self-contained items, decide contemporary flowers and a bit deal with upon arrival Bake contemporary muffins on the morning of departure. She is going to hand in a breakfast basket or no matter is required upon prior discover. Room tip: Of the three self-contained items, I cherished Loft – a beautiful choice for a pair with a small balcony overlooking Langvlei – and the lovable, compact three-bedroom high flooring condo, Higher Room. Prices: B & B double rooms from R1200. Loft R1050. Contact: besidestillwaters.data

Price a glance

6. Belle Forêt

The web site would not do that gem justice. It has self-catering suites (every with BBQ and shared kitchen), B&B rooms and cottages. All with entry to an exquisite braai lounge eating space and a round cocktail pool on a big terrace with essentially the most superb views. It is a big lot with nature trails. Prices: From R1500 double B&B, cottages from R2800 (for 4 or six individuals), self-catering suite from R550 per particular person. Contact: belleforet.co.za

7. Home on the seaside

A group of seven colourful self-catering suites on the seaside. I significantly appreciated the Ocean Suite. Prices: From R1600 per room. Contact: hausamstrand.com

Do not miss this

• For native produce there may be at all times the Friday night market in Milkwood Village and Timberlake Natural Village. • Kloofing, abseiling or canoeing with Eden Adventures or Fearless Adventures. • Exploring the 5 SANParks forest paths (3.5 km of big kingfisher result in a waterfall and a pool). • Snorkel within the Touw River to see salt and freshwater fish.

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