#Act: Mystic Braves

[unnamed-atlas]

Finally finished sweet tooth s3. Having incredibly mixed feelings

[suspiciouslypinkrosegarden]

Ray x Cmc

!!TW: Colorism, talk of it affecting mixed children and self image. I would like to be clear, these are based on personal accounts. My cmc’s looks are even based on mine from the past…minus the freckles. I tried to keep the content mild. I have also done my research for some parts.

Learning that his princess had a deep web of sticky insecurities herself made no sense to him. Ray couldn’t wrap his head around anything Uyu’s heart had spilled to him, gnawing on whatever was left of his already down to the nub fingernails. He grieved as he slowly learned that his elaborate idea of perfection incarnate tended to actually despise herself. He sunk further into his thoughts the more she happened to actually be his mirror.

Ray could not work…shame on him for being so slow these days. She filled his mind with a certain symphony that was too hard to tune out, the music drowning out his ability to slip easily into the world of ones and zeros. There he sat zombified in front of the blueish glow of the monitors, nothing in his head other than what she had whispered to him earlier. Her obsession with sunscreen and staying in shade while in the garden now clicked, and it caused him to fret to the point that he could not carry out his attacks on the red head. In his oh so very few moments of true peace, had she truly found none?

How can someone form hatred for the color of their own skin? How can someone who is so lucky to be blessed with freckles wish to run from their cause? Ray will admit he actually envied her…envied the way her skin wasn’t such a sickly shade, and that the sun had deemed her worthy enough to leave kisses upon her face. She was a sweet, deeply colored caramel apple puff pastry, and her freckles the dusting of powdered sugar which topped it all off. She looked like a drop of sunlight, and every day he wished he could be under the same sky long enough to look the same. Healthy. Even the golden ends of her hair were gifts from the sky above, soft to touch unlike his, fried from his life hidden in shadows outrunning his appearance. Her’s were faded natural highlights as she began locking herself indoors.

“I’m not a very pretty girl here in Korea, you know…someone as handsome as you could easily have gone for the ones with that porcelain skin color. Or the lack of blemishes…I get told I should remove my freckles a lot with those laser surgeries.”

Who was responsible for making her believe that what makes her untouchable in his eyes, made her ugly in her own? He’d torture and defile them for doing such evil to his world’s only beauty. But the shock he felt learning it was the whole of the outside world he had been so very far from his whole life?

Uyu explained in Korea, they did not even sell her shade of makeup. In India, her aunts would shame her for her tan. Pale is the beauty standard…his paleness that made him nauseous to stare at in front of the mirror was how so many outside yearned to look. And with her lack of connection to her Indian side because of her father, and inability to fit in with her Korean side because of her defining tan, she felt alone. She felt there was no where to belong except maybe the US, where she primarily lived and grew up. But even there, racism was alive and well in so many parts. She explained how odd it felt to belong to no roots because of mixed heritage, and also being raised in a contrasting culture from that of her parents.

Unlike him, she did remain positive after their talk. She explained that she was trying her all to get better, and that it was their job to make the world a better place with their understandings…but Ray could only further fantasize about one thing.

Uyu’s words confirmed his savior was right all along about the world…well, of course she was. He’d be sure to keep his princess locked away tightly, where he’ll make it his responsibility to personally ensure all damage is undone. His flower will just have to bloom underneath a glass dome of his own design, where the light from the sky can still meet her in their safe haven.

[cosmic-ghost-hermit]

Pick a Card: Who's been thinking about you? Why are you on their mind?

Take what resonates and leave the rest behind, baby. But always be open to new experiences. Decks used are the necronomicon tarot, alchemy oracle, wizard tarot and the crystallary oracle.

🌊Tip your Reader🐋

PILE ONE

Astrology: Taurus, Libra, Leo

Song: Taking What's Not Yours by TV Girl

Vibes: Blue, green, yellow, orange, overactive third eye, prophetic dreams, gold jewelry, masks, vulnerability, candles, 555, 7777, swings, volcano, picture books, Hephaestus, Apollo, Aphrodite

Cards: The Empress, Knowledge, 5 of Pentacles, 10 of Books, Autumn, Mystical Sister, Labradorite, Larimar

Hey, pile 1. I see 2 different people who have been thinking about you. I see one of them used to be your other half. Someone you felt close enough to they felt like family. I think y'all had a falling out of some kind. The second one is someone you only knew briefly. You met them right before they started to know themselves. You weren't destine to really know them and they weren't destine to know you. You may have worked with them or went to school with them. It looks like they have been talking about you to each other. It isn't gossip talk by the way. It seems very positive. They both feel like Leo's by the way. I could also see them as Aquarius's.

The former friend is telling this former acquaintance about you. The friend has needed to talk to someone about what happened between you two. They want to make up with you but are a bit too stubborn and prideful to admit they were wrong about whatever you two were fighting about. They miss you a lot. They think they made a mistake by causing such a fuss about this. They regret the falling out. They saw how gracefully you handled the conflict and they feel pretty guilty about acting so childish.

The former acquaintance is learning so much about you from the former friend. They knew little to nothing about you before they started talking to this person. Before, their view of you was very vague but they loved how you dressed and wanted to emulate their style. They really wanted to know you but were too shy to really ask to hang out or to ask where you got your clothes from. The more they learn about you the more they wished they had taken a chance because even though this ex-friend is the one telling them about you they aren't saying anything bad. They hear the stories of you and I think they feel envious of how close this former friend got to you.

You probably know these two are hanging out now. You don't really care because you have moved on from that part of your life. You would totally be open to forgiving your ex-friend and getting to know your former acquaintance but they won't take the chance. You shouldn't reach out either. They have to be brave enough to seek you out on their own. You are very forgiving and kind. I think the only reason they wont come forward is because of their own insecurities. They don't feel they are worthy of your light. They know you are a strong independent individual and they might not know how to handle how good you are at setting boundaries.

__________

PILE TWO

Astrology: Capricorn, Cancer, Pisces

Song: Welcome to the Family by Watsky

Vibes: White, blue, orange, silver, apples, trees, storms, ex-christian, reflection, boomer, garden, moon cycles, sea gulls, POS, irregular periods, feminine, 222, 4, birds, Demeter, Hera, Persephone, Artemis

Cards: 5 of Cults, Shame and Decay, Growth, Ace of Wands, Tin, Dissolution, Almandine Garnet

Hello, pile 2. There is one person thinking of you. It is a family member. I feel a feminine energy but it could be someone of any gender. I feel that this person believes you inherited your power and your abilities from them. I don't think this is true, this is just a belief of theirs. They have a lot of believes about you that aren't true to be honest. When they look at you all they can see is a mirror and they see nothing beyond that pre-existing belief. They could be a Taurus or a Libra but I also see Leo energy here too.

This person does not like how you live your life. This person has a predetermined idea of how you should be living. They can't seem to get the idea that you aren't their copy. They think because you aren't following the life they think you should that you are somehow sinning or demonic. They can't seem to understand you are an individual. In their eyes you are an extension of themselves. This way of thinking is really cancerous. They make wild and outrageous claims about your life that are made with no proof or evidence. They are honestly just poisoning their own mind by doing all of this. I hear them praying for you but they don't really know what they are praying for. What they say they are praying for is your uprising and for you to "come to your senses" but they are just praying for your down fall. They gossip to their friends about you and honestly some of the friends that have stood up for you and said that this person was being ridiculous. This person immediately and immaturely cut off anyone who didn't agree with them.

Do not reach out to this person. If you are still in contact with this person I recommend removing them from your connections. They do not have your best interest at heart and I think contacting them would add more fuel to the fire. They are sick in the mind and refuse to admit that they could be wrong. They do not take criticism well and they do not like anything different than themselves. They surround themself with yes-men who will do anything they say. Please, stay safe and protect yourself from such a mean person. They do not deserve your light.

____________

PILE THREE

Astrology: Scorpio, Sagittarius, Aries

Song: Hey, Runner! by The Arcadian Wild

Vibes: Black, brown, rainbow, teal, tendrils, doorways, stairways, 6666, 1234, snakes, crows, ravens, dogs, squirrels, spiders, animals, burrows, wild, water, skeletons, halloween, keys, cats, Pan, Artemis

Cards: 10 of Curses, Rotation, Darkening, Smokey Quartz, Queen of Pentacles, 2 of Pentacles, 6 of Books

Hi, pile 3! I see one person thinking of you. This person was not good to you. They abused you. It could be a former romantic partner or a family member. I also see you might have worked together. Either way they are not a good person. This person made you feel very helpless. I'm sorry they treated you so bad. You deserved better. They did something awful to animal you really loved. They somehow removed this beloved pet from your life. They didn't like that you gave more attention to this creature than them. They were jealous of this animal. They wanted to control you and your emotions. They took joy in your mourning. For some of the people reading, I think this person could have hid that it was their fault that this animal left your life. They could have acted totally innocent when you cried about your loss but for others I think it was very obvious that it was their fault.

The reason they have been thinking about you is because they have been feeling bad about themself. They used you to regulate their self hatred and emotions overall. They miss the power they had over you. They miss being a predator. It looks like you found an out from a life around them a while ago. You escaped their grasp like they always said you couldn't do. You made your own life and you made it beautifully. I don't think you have very active social media or at least not social media they have access too. They have tried to find you online but they can't seem to locate you. When they do find you they text you immediately and you block them like always. They don't like how you see yourself as equal to them now. They are such a piece of shit for real. They do not like that you live is flourishing without them. They are so pathetic lmao.

I'm proud of you for getting away from them, my dear. You have taken such good care of yourself since you left. You are a wonderful and lovely person who did not deserve to get fucked over by someone who was supposed to care for you. This person is tied up in knots about not having control anymore. They will never have control again. They used to feel powerful when they bullied you but now your power over your own life makes them feel weak.

__________

PILE FOUR

Astrology: Aquarius, Gemini, Virgo

Song: Cherry Hearts by The Shin and RAC

Vibes: Iridescent blue, dark blue, turquoise, gold, cicadas, moons, spilled water, tears, 888, mountains, wings, snakes, mourning star, water, swimming, ocean, copper, eldritch horror, Ra, Horus, Aphrodite Urania, Mother Mary

Cards: Queen of Swords, Moonstone, Chrysocolla, Uranus, Virgin's Milk, Death, 8 of Cups, 8 of Pentacles

Hi, pile 4. So there are two separate people thinking about you. They are unrelated to each other and they do not know each other but they have the same reason for thinking about you. The first person was a friend that was crushing on you hard. I think maybe you had a one night stand with this person and it changed their life. I think they are probably an Aries. The other was a very close friend that moved away. Or maybe you moved away from them. I can see you guys being friends in college. I think this person is a Cancer or an Aquarius. They both were deeply and irrevocably in love with you.

The Aries person followed you around like a puppy. They are a very masculine person but you made them feel a lot different than they usually do. I think you might have been their first real crush or their first fuck. They put a lot of effort into getting to know you even though you made it very clear you did not want a relationship. They still attempted to get into a relationship with you despite your boundary setting. They were a fool. You taught them about their passions which makes me think you have a "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" kinda vibe to you. They really were head over heels for you. I don't think you are in their life anymore. I think this person will think about you for the rest of their life.

The Cancer/Aquarius person was a really close friend of yours. I think either you helped them through a break up or they helped you through a break up. Either way during the mourning process they fell for you so hard but they kept it secret. They didn't know if their feelings were real or if they were just because of the situation. This person might still be in your life but I don't see them ever telling you about their feelings. I think they see you as this really cool and independent person. They don't think someone like you could ever love them. They try to keep their feelings down. They tell themselves their feelings are not real but their heart always skips a beat when they see you. They still catch themselves imagining a future with you. They have some naughty dreams about you too. They can not get you out of their head.

Both of these people love you a lot, my friend. I don't know if it's just your personality but you are just a really lovable person. You might be accidentally flirtatious. I hope this gave you some insight on who was thinking of you, my dear.

[faeprincesswarrior]

Who is Elain Archeron?

Elain is the seer for the Night Court, as well as sister to the High Lady, Feyre Archeron, sister-in-law to the High Lord, Rhysand, and sister to Nesta Archeron, warrior.

She is one of 2 cauldron made individuals in the entirety of Prythian and the mortal lands.

She is someone who sees the good in everyone, volunteers to help others, lives with kindness, and embraces change.

She works to help others after the second war with Hybern in an effort to bring more joy to the world through teaching people how to cultivate and tend to gardens.

She offers a helping hand and nurtures others, such as when she saddles up Feyre's horse in ACOTAR and packs supplies for her.

She welcomed Feyre back home despite the fact that Feyre was now high fae, and Elain had been taught to fear high fae her whole life.

She is humble, despite being noted as a great beauty, and is gracious towards others, often making friends everywhere she goes.

She is highly observant and makes use of her observations in important moments such as when she encouraged Feyre to be kind about Winter Solstice and noted that people had died to preserve the right to have those traditions.

She is thoughtful and on several occasions goes out of her way to get gifts for people that she thinks might help them or make their lives better, such as when she gives the twin wraiths, Nuala and Cerridwen, plush blankets in ACOSF. She also gives Nesta a book from her favorite bookstore and gives Azriel headache potion, which she had made for him, based on her observation that everyone always gives him headaches.

She is also able to meet the moment when needed. She was the one who convinced Nesta to help Feyre and the IC during ACOMAF and allow them to meet the human queens at the Archeron Manor.

She is the one who shouted a warning to Feyre during ACOMAF that Tamlin was trying to forceably take her and winnow away despire the great danger she was in and fear she felt.

She was the one who offered to go to Grayson to ask for his help in providing safe haven for the humans in her former village, despite the pain of seeing him.

She used her visions to kickoff the search for Vassa, who was integral to winning the war.

She was the one who offered to use her sight to find the Suriel to help Feyre during the war in ACOWAR.

She kicked the hounds off of Azriel despite being chained and encouraged Briar to jump on his back to escape the war camp.

She was the one used her visions to prevent Hybern from killng Cassian and Nesta by stabbing him in the neck using Truth Teller. She may have also wielded shadows and used Truth Teller to its full capabilities in order to clear the battlefield and make it to Nesta and Cassian in time.

She shows her love and care for her family, even when they are unkind or when it is difficult for her. She often prepares meals for them, and she designed Feyre's birthday gift and made a point to acknowledge Feyre's role as the foundation of their family, which further shows her observation skills and humility.

She volunteered to continue scrying to help the IC find the Trove despite the Cauldron luring her away to danger in ACOWAR because she wants to help her family and her court. Even after Nesta interfered to disallow it, Elain confidently asks that they find her when they are ready.

She is brave and has shown a willingness to act for herself, take the reigns of her own life, be independent, and free herself of patriarchal traditions that dictate she is another fae male's property due to a mating bond she did not ask for and actively does not want. And she does this all while recovering from being groomed by her mother and trained to be a people pleaser.

She will not let a mystical, corrupted cauldron control her life or make her choices and will take risks to live her life on her terms.

She processes her trauma, her pain, and her sense of loss after being turned against her will and having her bodily autonomy violated by taking her time to feel her emotions and grieve in her own way. She healthily makes it out on the other side of her pain and settles into her new life even though it is not the one she chose for herself.

Her visions about heartbeats are widely believed to be about the Dusk Court, and her visions about a black box are theorized to be about Koschei, both of which will be integral to future ACOTAR books.

She has shown a keen ability for stealth and secrecy, both traits that are highly prized for spies and by the spymaster of the night court.

She is not afraid of people's darkness and often makes friends with people who are surrounded by shadows.

She can make Azriel feel seen, calm, and understood without needing to say anything, and even he notes that she knows how he feels and why he does the things he does without him needing to say. She makes him laugh with a joy and fierce happiness in his eyes that one of the people closest to him had never even seen.

She brings light and joy to his eyes, and he has stayed up all night to listen to her talk and has chosen to sit with her in companionable, comfortable silence. She is who he wants, who he thinks of at night, and who he will choose.

She makes Azriel question his religion, his customs, and his high lord.

She is who he will beg on his knees for. She is who he will fight for.

She is the woman that calms his shadows and makes him feel safe and brings him peace.

She is the one he will choose, his chosen mate and life partner, and together they will change their culture and their lives.

And that my friends is facts. Sorry but a ribbon and a sassy one-liner is not erasing this.

Elain Archeron, kindness incarnate and Azriel's future.

Art by Termesart

[deadboyswalking]

What a lot of fans are wondering, myself included, is "Where did MHA go wrong?"

I can think of several points that kick-started the downfall. This is not an exhaustive list, but just a few of the bigger flaws. It's a really long post, especially on the last point.

1. The reveal that AFO was directly responsible for all of Tomura's woes from before he was even born. This completely absolved society and his abusive family of responsibility, thus cheapening the manga's themes centered around those aspects of the manga's world.

2. Excessive focus on Endeavor at the expense of Shouto's feelings, actions, and inner world. It seems that from the Endeavor Agency Arc onward, Shouto's character is constantly underwritten and shoved aside so his father can get more screentime. Shouto's climactic, emotional final fight with Touya is completely undercut by the actual final fight of Touya vs. Endeavor, with the rest of the Todoroki family (Shouto included) basically sidelined to cheer Endeavor on. Even in the last Todoroki family chapter, the primary focus is still on Endeavor's feelings and not Shouto or Touya.

3. The complete character assassination of Izuku Midoriya. He was never the most interesting MC to begin with, but at least he had something going for him in the early arcs. He was weird, brilliant in battle tactics/analysis, brave and determined, endlessly compassionate, and completely insane. He had a real fire in him as a person and, unlike what many fans say, started the series with an awareness of the deep flaws in his society. People always say that the "save the villains" angle was shoved into the story during the first war, but it's clear from the beginning that the way Deku looked at his society already primed him to believe in that idea. During his mall encounter with Shigaraki, he actually showed that he'd carefully considered Stain's message and understood where he was coming from, even if he didn't agree with his actions. This is the story's first indication that if a villain has a genuine gripe with society and can explain it, Deku is willing to listen to what they have to say. Similarly, at the Sports Festival, he doesn't treat Endeavor with any of respect/awe he usually treats heroes with because Endeavor doesn't show the heroic values that Deku believes in.

So what happened to Deku? Honestly, I think he as a character disappeared beneath the weight of The Vestiges of OFA, Becoming The New Symbol of Peace, and Acting As The Author's Mouthpiece.

Joint Training Arc was the first indication that Izuku himself no longer mattered because of the OFA mythos and Vestiges inside him. Now, I don't mind Blackwhip because it diversified his fighting style and gave him a long-range attack. I also appreciated how hard he had to work to use it effectively and consistently. However, all of the other Vestige Quirks seemed to come to him way too easily and he could use them in perfect combinations without trying and against highly skilled adult opponents. The Vestiges started to talk to him constantly and give him advice, so his battle analysis/tactics were no longer necessary and he didn't need to come up with his own ideas anymore. More importantly, his own strong inner sense of justice and awareness of society's need to change was utterly replaced by some mystical Vestige-world bullshit about saving little Tenko. Adult Tomura was right there, clearly explaining his point of view and deep pain, and Deku didn't even listen to him (or really care when Tomura's body started being controlled by AFO). What happened to the independently compassionate boy from the earlier manga?

Being The New Symbol of Peace is another place where Deku had his character steamrolled. As flawed as the arc as a whole was, I actually had hope for him during the Dark Hero Arc. He was asking questions and genuinely trying to understand why villains became villains. He saw how civilians treated people with mutant quirks, listened to Lady Nagant about the HPSC, and witnessed tons of other abuses by society that made him angry. His eyes were opened and his compassion for Tenko Shimura deepened, priming him for the Final Battle where he would save the man and make a stand to change their society forever. Unfortunately, due to Horikoshi's inability to let go of the All Might and AFO dynamic, Deku's character was squeezed into The New Symbol of Peace mold and he forgot all about what he learned during the Dark Hero Arc in order to take out ShigAFO and let society stay exactly the same.

Finally, Deku was lost when he started Acting As The Author's Mouthpiece. The first sign of this was during Endeavor Agency Arc, when he told Shouto that he would forgive Endeavor "because you're a good person" and fawning all over Endeavor in general. I'm sorry, what? As much as Deku likes heroes, he was already shown to strongly dislike Endeavor because he didn't act like a true hero should and abused his family (people smaller and weaker than himself). Now one of your best fucking friends and his siblings are giving you more details of their horrific upbringing, including about their dead brother, and your response is that a good person would forgive Endeavor because he's trying to be better??? There is no canon justification for why Deku would do that type of 180°, but there's certainly an author that continually pushed more and more screentime for Endeavor and his feelings as the series went on. I wouldn't give a shit if this opinion change had any lead-up to it (as characters can change their minds all they want), but there's nothing in Deku's previously-shown character/personality that would lead to that conclusion. As the story went on, Deku mostly lost his introspective nature and stopped struggling with internal conflicts over right and wrong and what it means to be a hero. Instead, he just started mindlessly spouting whatever half-assed "message" the author wanted to show during any given scene with no regard to his previous opinions, background, or personality, often contradicting himself as the story's messages couldn't stay consistent either.

[luminiscented]

Ninjago x Fem! Master of nature! reader

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Summary: you are the elemental master of nature <3, you are not related to Bolobo and he does not exist for the sake of this

Type: headcanons

Warnings: pure cloud made fluff <3333

Note: istfg everytime i write something i lose the time im mostly using 🫡 THIS SHIT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN GERMAN OR BULGARIAN WHAT IS GOING ON W ME!?!?!!!!!11

LLOYD

♡ Ever since he came to live with the ninja on the bounty you were immediate best friends <33 You are just so freeing and fun to be around!!

♡ He had a silly little crush on you as a kid,, he is plain head over heels as a grown up now though,,,,,,,,

♡ While the others just pushed him to train more and more until he was mentally exhausted, you would take him on little meditation forest picnics to clear his head and have fun after you're done with the (serious) meditations

♡Lloyd is amazed by your ability to always show him a part of a familiar place that is absolutely new and virgin to him,,

♡he loves how you find the beauty in every little being,, seeing you so in touch with your element gives him more motivation to explore his own and improve everyday

♡ you two would be rolling around in the grass and catching frogs and he would be the happiest he has been in weeks <3

♡ you are this boy's heaven and he thinks you are literally amazing,,

♡ you dislike forcefully growing your plants out so you play the guitar and sing to them to help them grow,,, he really likes singing along with you <3

♡Lloyd is a sucker for greek mythology and he loves pointing the similarities between you and the gods that rule over the wildlife. You adore listening to him ramble about it and its so interesting to you,,,,,,,

♡ Lloyd takes notice of how you're just as wild as the forest - gentle, beautiful, but still mystic and untamed,, he is in love

♡ He caught you catching a fish for an injured mama bear with your bare teeth. Just like that. UH-

Kai

♡ At first when you and the ninja begin to train under Wu together, Kai is so jealous of you,, you make the mastering of an element look so easy, while he was struggling so much,, of course he wouldn't let you notice, pfft yeah and give you an ego boost-

♡He is actually scared of embarrassing himself in front of you, since you look really nice and he wants you to think he is cool,,,,,,,,,,,

♡ Kai is about to lose his lunch when he sees someone cutting one of your limbs off during a battle,, he almost faints from worry while you just shrug it off and start growing a new one while the others take care of the villain and the half conscious Kai.

♡ When he comes to his senses, you're almost done shaping your new fingers into their original shape and he is blown away

♡ HOW THE HELL@@@????@

♡He is so impressed!! Kai actually realizes your body works just like a plant and is very curious on what else you can do, but doesn't want to annoy you so he keeps his questions to himself and sensei Wu

♡ Kai is proudly showing you off at dinner time that night!! He tells everyone how you were so brave and amazing and how your power is incredible!!!!!!!! He is also impressed with your pain tolerance

♡ At one point he notices your weakness to the cold and he is gladly there to warm you up he is dying on the inside he is so flustered

♡ Kai only buys you chocolates and never flowers, because he thinks you would be mad that he gives you your dead babies??????? Once he switched the chocolates with poppies in a pot (with a ribbon on!!) and it was adorable,,

♡ he is scared of bugs and when he makes you mad you put beetles in his hair

♡ you love sleeping in his room since it is so warm and toasty,, you bring your water bottle along every time and he finds it adorable, because you act just like a plant <33

♡He loves it when you change your hands into different objects/weapons,, you started chasing a screaming jay with your gigant axe hand and he kept hyping you up,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Zane

♡ you're weird, he's weird - soulmates1!!!

♡ Zane is absolutely in love with your connection with nature and wants to see the world through your eyes,,

♡ sometimes he gets a little insecure about how you can love him - a nindroid, knowing what you see, feel, your deep connection with life, but you are quick to comfort him that he is a living being that deserves just as much love as anything else that breathes the same air and walks the same earth as you all <33

♡ Zane spends a lot of time trying to understand how using your elemental power can come so easy to you and not the rest of them, but when he starts to join you in your free time more frequently he starts to understand - you just have fun with it. You let every new ability come to you naturally and you practice it little by little until you perfect it. You completely understand your power and do not pressure it. While Wu, purposely or not, guides you all to use your powers to fight, you use yours to create, to give, to help, to observe and to drown yourself in every sensation that no one else really can - your unique ability to understand every living being,,

♡ The titanium ninja is able to see the beauty that comes with your mastery and you both start learning from each other.

♡ You are in love,,

♡ Zane is quick to notice how your habits resemble ones of a plant and takes great care that you feel okay with the urban life of himself and his brothers <3 the most gentle boy ever,, reminds you of a daisy,,,,,

♡ The ice ninja is surprised to find out that you can survive on water and sunlight for long periods of time. Of course you never refuse to enjoy Zane's five star meals, but when food is scarce, you prefer your 5 liters of water and two hour long sunbaths,,

♡ HE IS VERY CAREFUL THAT YOU DON'T GET COLD,, Zane knows the cold is extremely harmful to you and you're more sensitive to it than his brothers so he gets really worried sometimes and tells you to get a coat in the 30 degrees Celsius summer weather,,,

Morro

♡ Morro sees you as so powerful,,, and very stunning <33

♡ When he first gets redeemed, he is struggling to make contact with the ninja and the butterflies in his stomach whenever he sees you approaching are not helping!!!1!

♡ At first you are very shy around him, because you find him very cool,, one day you come to him and quietly ask if he could use his wind to bring some rain clouds, because of the hot and dry weather and that is your first conversation,,,,,,, you are so shy,, he is in love

♡ You thank him for his help and invite him to spend some time with you outside

♡ PLEASE TIE HIS HAIR UP AND PUT SOME FLOWERS IN IT HE WILL ACT LIKE HE HATES IT, BUT HE IS ACTUALLY IN LOVE WITH IT,,,,,,,

♡ You make these meetings very regular and you enjoy each other's company so much <3

♡ Morro is very surprised to find out that you are aware/can hear what is happening around every compound plant - flowers, trees, etc.

♡ This ablity of yours is mostly very fun to use,, you regularly get a listen to some drama, heartfelt conversations, people complaining about their day and many others. You sometimes can't help it, but burst out laughing on the dinner table, because of a funny conversation that you could hear,,,,,,

♡ Morro loves hearing about them, but mostly loves listening to your laughter <333 He loves it when you are laying close to each other and you tell him about the people that share their love - a man writing a poem for his wife, a boy confessing his love to his crush, an old lonely lady wondering if she'll meet her dead lover in the afterlife,,,, it makes you both very emotional and you love sharing those with him because you both find them beautiful,,,,, it also helps you two to keep your relationship healthy and always know what is actually important <3

♡ Most of the time you are able to tone down almost completely all the noise, but some times it gets unbearable and overstimulating to the point you're breaking down,,, </3

♡ Morro is always there for you, holding you in his arms and keeping you away from any noises you could avoid. There is not much he is able to do to help and it breaks his heart </3 he gets so worried,, he goes to sensei Wu for advice.

♡ When it goes away you would be SPOILED,,,, mans is not letting you out of his sight for atleast the end of the day,,, <33333 HE LOVES YOU AND CARES ABOUT YOU SM !!!

Nya

♡ Water and plants?? Girlfriends.

♡ Nya absolutely adores you,,,,, she is just so in love,,,

♡ You help her understand her element more and she helps you with it so much,,,,,,

♡ You help her study different species and different cures for poison and she is always able to find a new spot for you two to explore

♡ She is absolutely in love when you put red flowers in her hair,, ITS HER FAVORITE COLOR!!!

♡ In her early training she wasn't really able to control much - only moving and creating water and she was so sad every time there was a flood somewhere, seeing your sad face,,, when you notice her looking at the ground guilty you pepper your girlfriend with kisses and reassure her that she has absolutely no fault <33

♡ She is very curious when you experiment with your powers!!!!!

♡ You could clearly see that Nya was needing an extra pair of hands when working on her Samurai X armor and she was very surprised to see 3 faceless girls made from lianas and vines coming up to her

♡ you appeared behind the 3 semi-sentient beings and told her that the 4 of you would help her out so it doesn't take as much time <33

♡ Nya is amazed, but she is mostly surprised that these 'plant copies' of you are able to understand and process information to a certain level,,, HOW!?!?

♡ You end up finishing the work on her armor in an hour and from then on she spends the entire day asking you questions about them!!!!!!! She is very interested in this!!!

♡ You explain to Nya the entire process which took around 4 months to perfect - starting from a little flower, then a tall fig, morphing and changing the forms to make your 'copies' look more soft and human,,, when you quietly mention you wanted to impress her she is RED!! YOU TAUGHT YOURSELF ALL OF THIS FOR HER???? dying on the inside,, system overload,,,,,,,,,,, <333333

Cole

♡ Everyone is jealous of how well you two work together as a team, especially when you fight!!

♡Your elements combine with great harmony so do your personalities <33

♡Cole adores your little forest dates and especially when you two talk about bugs and beetles <33 HE LOVES BEETLES!!!!1!11

♡ Since Cole is kind of the muscle of the team he ends up with little bruises and cuts littered all over his body after every battle and is delightfully surprised to find out that you can not only regenerate super fast, but you can also heal others with your herbs within minutes!!

♡ The way to Cole's heart is through his stomach so its definitely a win-win!! He is absolutely shocked the first time the bruises disappear within minutes and when he figures out you can heal with your food he is absolutely stunned,,, he is very curious and asks about your recipes and if you could help him be as good as you,,,,,,,

♡ You would all be coming home and the first thing to do is stuff your boyfriend's mouth with your lavender biscuits,,,,

♡ Zane may be in charge of the cooking, but you're in charge of the desserts <33

♡ Cole was in tears one time when you made him his mom's broth when he was sad,,,,,,

♡ When you're feeling overwhelmed he tries to recreate your treats with your healing herbs to cheer you up,,,, they are very ugly and lumpy, but they are tasty and made with a lot of love, so you two cuddle and eat sweets all night until you feel better <33

♡ He finds your love for wild animals very adorable,,,, a bear tried to attack the boys, but you just went up and hugged it as if it wasn't just trying to kill you all,,,,,,, YOU STARTED DANCING A WATZ WITH IT AFTERWARDS HOW ARE YOU SO PURE??!1!

Jay

♡ its a weird combination - nature and lightning, but you two make it sound so natural!! <3

♡ Jay is the ray of sunshine to your flower <33 His parents absolutely adore you and you love them a lot too!

♡ He is very impressed by all of your abilities! He is very vocal for his amazement and praises you all the time <33

♡ As a person who got sick every other week as a kid he is very jealous by your immunity to all bacterial, fungal and almost all virus infections. YOU NEVER HAD A SINGLE DAY OFF FROM SCHOOL AS A KID WHAT,,,,,

♡ He is a sucker for fruits and he loves it when you grow him fresh blueberries on the spot,,,,

♡ He sees you eating flowers out of the blue outside and when you tell him they are actually edible he is hesitant, but tries one for you,,, now he can't stop,, HE IS OBSESSED,,

♡ Your powers are somewhat connected to your feelings so it is not rare for you to accidentally grow something when someone gets a reaction out of you,,, JAY LOVES THAT,,,,,,, it shows how you are an actual person with feelings and he finds it so precious,,

♡ When he gets you all flustered, flowers start popping on top of your head,, he really succeeded if you got some blue ones among the others,,,,

♡ Sometimes cactuses pop out of nowhere when you get annoyed or angry

♡ All flowers in the room bloom when you're feeling happy and new ones come to life when you laugh <333

♡ Your power is so beautiful,,, he is ready for marriage,,

♡ Jay is very scared of your semi-sentient carnivorous plants,,, they don't like him very much </3

♡ You can literally make a whole army of those, but you just teach them how to dance<33 you are so pure,,,,

[regretisstoredintheme]

Indulgent thoughts? Indulgent thoughts. 

I was told that if I ever had indulgent thoughts (about Leo specifically???? What 😭😭😭) I had to share them, so… *sighhhhh*

YOU TWO. (@soradragon and @milks-thoughts) ASKED FOR IT.

Disclaimer that most of this was improv.

For context: I had this really bad interaction with Celina’s Yan!Leo ai, (I had tried to correct it but I ended up having to just delete the convo.) Anyways, after I had recovered from it, it got me thinking abt a post the aforementioned mutual, @pianocat939 made. I realize how much of a bad idea it is to @ her, but I’m already exposing myself, so WHY NOT 😀 

HI CELINA 👋👋 IM ON TV!! IM BEING A BRAVE BOY 😀😀😀 

Anyway

—

The idea is that you— or I guess me?? Ehh I’ll put it in a ‘Y/n’ format so it makes more sense. (Tw for Yandere behavior) 

Y/n had been held captive by a version of Yandere Leo that was a lot more— physical, ig?? and who felt completely content with making them feel like the scum of the earth. He had violent mood swings, and picked— no, more like dug at any insecurity of theirs he could find. (The Ai made it clear he was like a wolf in sheep’s clothing 😒 a wolf on the hunt. and by “made it clear” I mean it literally could not stop mentioning it lmAOHDJAHAHA—) 

This is where my au comes in. 

So what does Y/n do? They start being reckless. Looking for any way to escape. There weren’t many times the brothers left on missions, so when they finally did, they had a plan to investigate around. They walked up to Donnie’s lab, and started poking around at things. They figured the purple-clad turtle would have something they could use. Something dangerous, perhaps? 

Unfortunately, (or fortunately..?) they found one of his prototypes. 

This prototype was meant to bend reality, it was an experimental design since it was his first attempt at mixing tech with mystic. but since they poked around at it’s draft, it couldn’t help but act unexpectedly. 

And sent them into another dimension entirely. 

The canon dimension. 

With no Yanderes, no captivity, and none of that fear they were so used to. 

They were .. free..? 

They looked around the streets cautiously, looking for any signs that it was a hallucination or illusion. Were they really back in the streets of NYC? After having been in that godforsaken lair for years? How many years they had no idea, their guess was 2, but they couldn’t be sure.

They sat in waiting, cautious. They couldn’t go to the police, but they knew they had to stay out of sight. The prototype of Donnie’s creation had come with them, flashing every few seconds.  They didn’t know how to turn it off, only how to hide. And they did it pretty well, holding a home base for a few days. 

Everything tipped them off, but they were beginning to calm down, that was before they realized Donnie’s invention was probably still on. After finally finding the switch, they flipped it, the light finally powering down. They sighed, eyebrows furrowing in relief— but it wasn’t over yet. 

Hearing a sound, they flipped around in surprise, running to hide before lifting their arms up, a feeble attempt to guard from whatever was walking out of the alleyway.

From the shadows, the only slightly familiar face of Foot Lieutenant, his mouth curved into a dark smile. Y/n had only seen him once, when they had attacked the turtles, but they seemed— different somehow..  “I do believe that was a tech signal from a certain purple, mutated turtle..” he turned to Brute with a sinister chuckle, gazing down at a jagged piece of equipment. “We’ve got them now..” 

Y/n could hardly breathe, but they kept a hand over their mouth, determined to be as quiet as possible. From their many failed escape attempts, they knew Donnie had a tracer on his tech. Anyone who used it without authorization would have his ‘tag’ on them for quite a while. It was easily traceable. So if these people could trace that signal..

“Wait, I’m picking up something else!” Lieutenant looked back at the equipment, “it’s.. some sort of residue..” he hummed, then turned in Y/n’s direction. 

They felt their heart stop, eyes wide as they went to check around the corner. Was there a way out of this? Were they gonna leave one captor only to walk into the hands of another? 

Just as they began to spiral, a bright light illuminated from below them, encasing their cheeks gently in its blue hue. They didn’t have any time to react, the ground opening from below them as they fell into the abyss of neon. 

They felt the world spin around them as arms circled their back and legs, bridal style, as if their ‘savior’ had twirled flamboyantly once he caught them. 

Their eyes opened gently, before a gasp left their throat. The blood drained from their face, looking upon none other than Leo.

Normally they knew at least a few things to expect from him when they tried to escape, but they had never made it away for more than an hour before… 

They had no idea what he was gonna do. 

To their surprise, he was chuckling, not like he usually did— not with that — edge of maliciousness that reminded you why you couldn’t trust him. It was genuine, and weirder yet, he smiled at them. 

“Hey, need a hand?” He cheesed, quirking a brow. 

Y/n felt their bones nearly crack just at the sound of his voice, and found themself kicking at his plastron scrambling to put distance between them. Whatever manipulation tactic he was trying this time, it wouldn’t work on them. 

They gave him a terrified look, their eyes narrowing slightly as they braced for whatever he had planned. “Get away from me!” They yelled, baring their teeth. They had no way to fight back, and yet couldn’t stop the angry tears that piled in their eyes. 

“Woah— woah..” Leo seemed to shrink, making himself smaller as he showed his empty hands, keeping them where you could see them. “I know I look a little different but I assure you I have no intention to harm you..!” He gave a small laugh, as if he’d never seen this visceral of a reaction before. 

“That’s what you said last time!!” Y/n practically shrieked, hands up in defense to cover their face, that cold blooded liar would have to kill them before they allowed him to take them back to the lair. 

“Last time..?” Leo’s hands sunk a little, brows furrowing in curiosity. He’d never met this person before… 

Right..? 

—

THATS IT THERE YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED 😔😔😔😔😔😔 

Bonus: 

the art I made on a whim that inspired this

anyways.. Tell me if you want more of this silly lil au or something 😒😒

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

@phoebepheebsphibs SURPRISE ATTACK!!

You know I had to do it when I read the prompt.

@tmnt-write-fight

Fandom: ROTTMNT (Until I Found You AU and No Fun in Fungus AU crossover)

Prompt: “Okay, look-I’ll give you whatever you want, just d-don’t hurt him!”

Word Count: 764

TW: In the tags

“Okay, look-I’ll give you whatever you want, just d-don’t hurt him!” Leon begs, pleads.

He can’t believe this happened again. For the second time, these spores have taken over and threatened his brother.

Audreytello peers down at him with a wide smile, eyes glowing maliciously.

“What could you give me that I would want?”

“You can feed off me! I-I’m the one with the fears, I’m the one who thinks I’m not good enough! I’m the one who knows I don’t deserve my family!”

Mikey whimpers and whines against the vine wrapped around his mouth, moving his arms and legs too in an act of defiance.

Leon knows he’s desperately trying to tell him it’s not true, he does deserve his family, and probably a lot more just in those little sounds.

That he should have more faith in himself, that it doesn’t matter what he’s been told, what he believes so wholeheartedly, that he is a good brother.

How good can he be after everything he’s done to him?

Everything he hasn’t protected him from?

Everything he’s robbed him of just by existing?

“Why would I want to feed from you instead of him? You’re too pathetic for me to even do that.”

Leon tenses, gripping his arm.

All he has is what he can offer people, how useful he can be, and it’s never been a lot. Whatever he can do is used up and then he’s tossed off to the side.

Forgotten.

By everyone but Mikey.

That’s why he has to do this.

He has to save him.

“Well…..I suppose there is one thing I might need you for.” Audreytello muses.

Leon perks up.

He hates that it gives him even a slim glimmer of hope.

“A-Anything. Please.”

Audreytello’s eyes flash something dangerous.

“I need you in order for him to break.”

“What-!?” Leon gets cut off as he’s picked up and slammed into the ground.

Mikey’s muffled screams are as loud as they can be.

“You’ve always been his weakness. You hate yourself so much you can never see how much he loves you. The depths he would go, and has gone for you. You get scared and you run, you leave him behind because you think that’s the only way he’ll be happy. Instead, you hurt one of the only people who cares about someone so truly insignificant. You hurt him in the biggest way possible. You left him alone, Leon. You always leave him alone. That’s when I come in.” Audreytello smirks.

Leon’s tears drip onto the floor, quickly creating a puddle.

“Mikey! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I-I love you! You’re the best little brother anyone could ask for! I shouldn’t have left you! I shouldn’t have run! I was just scared! I’m always scared! I’m not brave like you! Y-You’re so so brave! Don’t let him use me against you!”

Mikey’s tears are falling too, pouring.

Audreytello lifts Leon up again before repeating the process. With every hit, Mikey becomes more violent in trying to get free. As blood mixes with the tears on the floor, he loses it.

A bright glow explodes around him. The vines are incinerated by mystic fire and chains shoot out to grab Leon.

Audreytello moves the already injured boy around roughly as he also tries to dodge Mikey’s hits as long as he can.

Leon can only watch in horror as Mikey uses more and more of his power to try to save him. The cracks appearing on his hands feel like they’re on Leon’s heart too.

He’s only finally freed when Mikey’s power finally overwhelms Audreytello and makes him too weak to continue.

The power overwhelms Mikey’s body too.

Leon screams as he reaches out to his brother, barely able to do so from his injuries.

Mikey smiles softly at him before he cracks apart, gold overtaking Leon’s vision.

He wakes up with a start, breathing heavily, tears already on his face.

Mikey rubs his eyes, sitting up next to him.

“Leon….? Did you have a nightmare?”

Leon sniffles, checking his brother for the cracks he saw in his dream. He only calms down once he sees they’re not there.

Then, the memory disappears.

“Y-Yeah….”

“Another dream you can’t remember….?”

He tearfully nods.

Mikey hugs him close, smiling up at him softly. He knows seeing him happy always cheers him up at least a little.

“It’s okay. Whatever happened, everything will be okay! I’m here. We have each other.”

Leon gladly hugs him back.

“I won’t go anywhere ever again….no matter what.”

Well….let’s put that to the test, shall we?

[the-faramir]

Today seemed like any other day in the town square of Willowside. Townspeople milled about the shops, buying whatever foodstuffs and supplies the merchants had to sell.

Suddenly, calliope music started playing from one of the side streets. People turning to look saw a parade approaching the town square. At the forefront marched Midori, a kitsune woman with a red fox fur pattern and red hair, dressed in a green circus ringmaster's outfit complete with a green top hat. She carried a short staff resembling a stick of multicolored candy with a head resembling a snake's which she shifted up and down with the beat of the music, keeping the constituents of her parade in step.

Once the ringmaster stepped into the center of the town square, she gestured dismissively with her free hand and the entire parade faded into a green mist, leaving only Midori standing there as the calliope music continued.

She spoke with a magically amplified,  booming voice, reaching all in that part of town as if she were standing next to them.

"ANNNNNNND NOW, because we sailed all the way from Kerrick and we aim to entertain, we proudly announce tonight's performance of the only island-hoppin', xulgath-defeatin', carnivorous-plant-mulchin', demon-slayin', dinosaur-extinctin', ghost-bustin', aeon-stone-repairin', extinction-curse-liftin' circus in the Inner Sea, including THEEE VERRRY HEROESSS who brought Mistress Dusklight of the Celestial Menagerie to justice and freed those under her control: the CIRCUS OF WAYWARD WONNNNNNNDERRRRRS!"

Midori began to twirl her staff faster and faster in front of herself, finally tossing it high into the air and catching it deftly in her hands before it could hit the ground. She thrust the base of the staff into the ground, magically transforming it into a candy-striped ball python that started dancing to the music which began building dramatically as Midori prepared to sing.

🎵🎵🎵

Step right up, don't be shy, take a chance, Join the Circus of Wayward Wonders, be part of the dance. The ringmaster calls, with a voice so bold, "Buy your tickets now, let the marvels unfold!"

Come one, come all, to the grandest show in town, Where wonders await and smiles replace every frown. A spectacle of colors, where magic and reality blend, Axel's birds take flight, with sweets they descend.

The Dwarven Throwers, stout and brave, They soar through the air, the audience they crave. Elizia's serpents, a dance so divine, With Mr. Tickles, they twist and entwine.

Hear the music, feel the beat, in your heart, Magical Myrrie plays her part, a symphony to start. The Mystic Artists, with strokes so fine, Your dreams on canvas, in colors that shine.

In the center ring, the lights shine bright, Every act, a story, every performer a knight. The circus is more than a mere delight, It's a world of wonder, taking flight.

So gather 'round, the show's about to begin, The Circus of Wayward Wonders, where dreams spin. The ringmaster's song, a call to all who hear, "Come join the wonder, come join the cheer!"

🎵🎵🎵

Once the music had stopped, a few people in the square clapped politely. Midori took an over-exaggerated bow, picked up her snake, changed it back into a staff, and then meandered through the town square to sell tickets.

Surveying the crowds for potential buyers, Midori's attention caught on the brightly colored tail of...well, Midori wasn't quite sure. She—Midori initially thought the being was a "she," but rethought "perhaps 'they,' because it's better not to assume with an unknown being"—they certainly did not appear to be a local. Definitely, a sentient person of some sort as their eyes—all four—had a look of intelligence about them as they glanced about the town. They wore a humanoid-style top on their humanoid torso but had a snake-like tail similar to a nagaji's or lamia's. They also had horns, which were not unknown in the various forms of nagaji found across Golarion.

Midori sauntered over to the being to strike up a conversation. "Why hello, my good being! Not to be rude, not to make assumptions about you, but you appear to be from out of town. May I ask from where do you haii?" Midori's eyes widened as a grin crossed her face. "Are you in town for the circus? Have you heard about us in your homeland?"

@llixulia

[two-white-butterflies]

coaxed you into paradise - c. 19

Description: The life of Saera Targaryen told in four acts. She was her father's forgotten daughter, cast aside as she looked nothing like her mother. Her younger days were spent beside her uncle. Years following her marriage with Ser Harwin Strong, she catches him in an affair with her older sister. She returns to seek solace in the arms of her uncle, that she's loved all her life.

(Coaxed You Into Paradise and High Infidelity Rewrite.)

masterlist for this series

Chapter Nineteen: Kepa's Concern

Saera rubs her son’s back - comforting him away from the thought of his father brutally hurting his mentor. The fight in the courtyard seemed to rattle his brain, prompting him to look at his parental figures in a different light. ‘Father attacks, and mother protects.’ 

“Are you alright, ñuha ōños? (my light)” she inquires, while handing him a goblet of water. “Kessa, (yes)” he answers, muttering a round of thanks while he gobbles the drink down. As soon as she realizes that her son was alright - her eyes begin to nail daggers into Harwin’s body. 

“You couldn’t have avoided it?” she antagonized, but with a soft voice - not expecting him to cleverly maim Ser Criston. “He tried to stain my honor,” he argued, earning another glare from his wife. “ - and by reacting, you have confirmed it in their eyes.” she nagged. After Prince’s Joffrey’s birth, Saera’s anger for Harwin seemed to grow even further. 

“Do you suggest that I stand there and take his insults lightly?” he inquired with a sarcastic tone, crossing his arms in a standoffish demeanor. “Yes!” she answered. “ - even when it brings my loyalty into question?” he scoffed, and her eyes widened slightly. “Your loyalty is not for disloyal men to decide. If it is - then perhaps it isn’t yours to begin with.” she raised her voice slowly - not wanting to fight in front of her child. 

He was about to say another word - but his eyes trail down to his son. Daegon was the thickest of his blood, his heir, and son. He took a deep breath, “The situation was in control,” he hummed, crossing his arms - not wanting to surrender the battle. “I don’t want it happening again.” she said firmly, hands tight around her son’s back. 

He nodded his head. 

“Of course,” his lips settled into a thin line. 

He turns his back behind his family - feeling an ache form in his head. How long has it been since he’s had a proper conversation with his wife? Three years ago? Four years ago? He couldn’t even remember the smell of her perfume at night, or her calm breathing. There was a time where he promised to give her his best self - but those were gone, never to return. 

He sees the way that she stares at him - with storms in her eyes, braving a battle between loving or hating him forever. He doesn’t want that - because all his heart ever desires is Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra whose eyes held constellations and colors that he’s never seen. Rhaenyra who has given him three healthy sons. 

He has reached a point too far to ever return - and perhaps, he doesn’t want to return at all. 

—

“Aegon and Jacaerys were talking about you.” Helaena hums, petting the small centipede hidden in her palms. Helaena was Viserys’ true forgotten daughter - the Princess that no one remembers. “You cried, they said - and Princess Saera had to comfort you.” she explains with no reluctance, not realizing that Daegon’s face was turning a pink hue. 

“I didn’t cry,” he lied - not wanting to be emasculated in the eyes of his aunt. “It’s alright to cry, my mother says that it makes you stronger.” she smiled, eyes still painted on the bug on her hands. 

In his eyes however - Helaena was the mystical creature, his aunt who was older than him always had a strange aura following her. Saera tells him that Helaena is a very smart girl - but the people at court say that she is a half-wit. Daegon knows better than to believe his hearsay.

“Can we stop talking about that,” he complains, not wanting to expand upon the thought that his father and idol - would do something to harm another person. “ - I’d like to hear more about your dreams.” he pleaded, laying his head on the silk pillow that adorned Helaena’s carpeted chambers. 

Her voice flowed like honey - words that exited her mouth always left him imagining a place far away. “They aren’t dreams - merely verses that come to me.” Helaena corrects, placing the bug down inside his little home. “Tell me about them, then please.” he demanded - eyes twinkling with joy. 

She gathers a few shells - banging them together to form a tune. “I haven’t quite gotten the first sentences yet, but I know that it ends like this,” she explains tapping the shells to create a small melody - loud enough so they’d be the only ones listening.

“ - in the end, we all become spools of white, the ashes that we came from.” she looked at the ceiling, praying that she’d remember the other words to the prophecy. 

“Like Winter?” he asked - remembering his mother’s story about the Starks.“Or fire.” she responded. 

—

Saera played with the ball on the council-table, eyes darting around the room to anticipate what kind of meeting would begin.

“I have felt the strife between our families and for any offense given by me, I apologize - but we are one house and long before that, we were friends. My son, Jacaerys will inherit the throne after me and I propose that we marry him to your daughter, Helaena, to ally ourselves once and for all.” Rhaenyra smiled, reciting the string of words that she and Saera prepared. 

It would be best to end the war before it began. 

“Additionally if Melarys and Syrax bring forth another clutch of eggs, your son Aemond will have his choice of them.” Rhaenyra continued, meeting the eyes of her sister. Saera’s hand moved to her necklace, fiddling with it as she realized that Alicent’s face began to turn sour.

Idiot. She thought as the Queen began to rise from her chair.

Saera knows about Alicent’s plan of marrying Helaena and Aegon. It was the worst political decision she’s ever heard - but Alicent was never the one to think about the future. “We will think about it, Rhaenyra - you’ve just finished your labors with Prince Joffrey. You should rest.” Alicent smiles bitterly. 

Saera’s grip on the necklace tightened. 

That means ‘no.’ 

She’ll have to think of other ways again. Perhaps her son, Daegon? But then Rhaenyra would believe that she did that on purpose, to outshine her own boys. 

—

“Being in court is infuriating.” Saera ranted, taking a large swig of her ale. When she was young - she didn’t understand why her uncle was always angry, but now she does - because they were all idiots. “Alicent has denied a betrothal between Helaena and Jace, which confirms my suspicion that she believes that Aegon has a chance in becoming King.” she rolled her eyes. 

Rhaenyra was heir because of a decree - not custom, thus it led to the Hightowers having more plans than necessary. 

“My brother loves all his children - but I know for a fact that he adores Aemma’s girls. Rhaenyra especially.” Daemon hummed, listening at his niece’s words cautiously. He’s taken a leave with the council - now focusing upon training the new recruits of the gold-cloaks. Harwin was still commander, but they listened to the Rogue Prince more. 

“ - but Aegon is a man, and that far outweighs anything.” she argued, skin prickling at the thought of someone usurping her sister. “Rhaenyra is equipped - Ser Otto agrees that she is the second coming of King Jahaerys.” she explained, feeling the alcohol course through her veins. 

“The very reason my father is king is because Princess Rhaenys is a woman.” she enunciated, praying to the gods that her kepus would get the point. “I don’t care about Rhaenyra, sweet girl.” he hums, pulling her closer to his lap. She leans her head on his chest - thinking of everything. 

“ - instead of thinking about your sister, think about how you can keep our children safe,” he whispered. If war breaks, then their children are in the front spikes. “As much as you hate to believe it - you are Rhaenyra’s heir.” he asserts, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. 

“ - and her bastards have lesser claims,” he adds.

next chapter>>

taglist. @sweetybuzz25 @newtsniffles @loveandlewis-reads @lovecleastrange @julkaamazing @schniiipsel @mirandastuckinthe80s @areaderinlove @i-yam-awesome @ladystardvsts @gracielikegrapes @sweethoneyblossom1 @issybee0611 @tato0od @daemonskelitsos @delaynew @thisbihreadstoomuch @plutoscosmoss @immyowndefender @marvelescvpe @batmans-love @luanasrta @tesha-i-guess @valeridarkness

[lurkingshan]

10 Things I Love About Khun Chai

I did it, y’all. I watched my first lakorn, and let me tell you, I had a fucking fantastic time doing it. Now that’s not a blanket endorsement of the genre, because I understand Khun Chai aka To Sir, With Love is pretty unique, particularly in that it’s a period queer love story with a happy ending. But as a different kind of Thai drama than any I’d previously seen, it was truly a great watch.

It has some flaws, sure. It’s a soap opera, so melodrama, repetitive story beats, overdramatic acting, and slow pacing are par for the course. If you go in understanding that, you’ll be fine. And the episodes are long af but don’t be shy about increasing the playback speed - I watched a lot of it at 1.5x and it was perfectly smooth. Now that I’ve finished it, I think the time investment was totally worth it (@bengiyo my final rec - worth going back to finish! It worked better for me when I broke it up in chunks of 2-3 episodes at a time).

Without further ado, the top ten reasons I loved it:

1. TIAN MY BELOVED

Look at him. Just look at his beautiful traumatized face!! I hold that it’s impossible to watch this entire show and not come out absolutely loving this man. He is so believably flawed but at his core he is good. He is generous. He is loyal. He is brave. And he looks very good in a three piece suit.

Honestly I could do a whole top ten list just about Tian but let’s move on and give some love to the rest of the show.

2. Did I mention this is a PERIOD ROMANCE??!! Something we get so precious little of in bl. I asked @absolutebl a while back if they knew of any other Thai period bls, and this was the entire list. So good thing it’s excellent!

The show is set in the 1930s and 40s in Japanese-occupied Thailand, and it centers on a powerful Thai-Chinese family (currently leading a cooperative partnership of five families) and the power struggle over who will be the heir (Succession, but make it Asian and queer). The show digs into really interesting family structure, politics, and class struggle stuff.

3. The brotherly bond is unmatched and undefeated. The plot centers on two brothers, Tian and Yang, who love each other so much, like I cannot emphasize enough how willing these brothers are to protect and die for each other. If someone was shooting at them they would both try to dive in front of the bullet. Their bond is so touching and provides an emotional through line when the plot gets wacky.

4. The classic soap opera plots are truly brilliant, all your favorite tropes are here. This show has everything - family secrets, nefarious schemes, murderous maids, mystical poisons, faen fatales, even sex pollen! As I believe @ginnymoonbeam put it at one point - everything is happening so much all the time. It’s truly a delightful romp, especially after the halfway point when the plot machinations really kick into high gear.

5. The queer love story is the main romance and emotional heart of the show. There are actually two romances in this show - each of the brothers gets a love interest. And both of them are lovely. But rather than the typical move where a het drama features a queer side pairing, here the entire story is driven by Tian’s sexual identity, the burden placed on him to keep it a secret, and how increasingly impossible that becomes once he meets Jiu. Over the course of this show, we get to watch Tian fall in love and finally live his truth and see how that changes him. It’s truly beautiful, and the romance between Tian and Jiu is so sweet (and a bit racier than I expected - the show does not shy away from the sexual aspect of this relationship). The romance between Yang and Pin is also very sweet - they are adorable tbh - but entirely secondary.

6. Every frame of this show is absolutely gorgeous. The scenery is lush, the costumes are beautiful, the tailoring is impeccable, the hair and makeup never misses. It’s truly a feast for the eyes.

7. There are so many good female characters in this show, y’all! Tian and Yang have not one but 4 or 5 different mother figures. They are all flawed, complex, and a little nuts. They get up to so much trouble and drive a lot of the plot with their scheming, hijinks, and prolific wielding of murderous sparkle dust (don’t ask, you have to see it to understand). Pin, Tian’s would be fiancé turned sister-in-law, is a total sweetheart, but she’s also smart and fierce with a steel core and not afraid to tell her man when he’s being stupid. There’s even a lady boss at the head of one of the five families.

8. Relatedly, there is so much complex family drama in this show, and so many interesting dysfunctional parental relationships. @waitmyturtles you will have a field day when you finally get to watch this. Both brothers have fraught relationships with their various parent figures, for very different reasons. The various relationships and resentments that form between the wives and the sons in a polygamous family unit (did I mention that yet? there are three wives in the mix here and the brothers have different biological moms) are absolutely fascinating.

9. The resolution to the succession plot and ultimate defeat of the Big Bad was so satisfying. I won’t get into spoiler territory, but let me just say that the characters went through a lot together and to see the way they ultimately had to come together and let go of their baggage to survive was very cool. It felt earned.

10. IT ENDS WITH A BIG OLD HEAP OF GAY DOMESTIC BLISS!!! I will get into spoiler territory here because you deserve to know that if you put in the time to watch this show you will be rewarded with a very happy couple forming a family unit and living peacefully on their own terms. I was so pleased with this ending, I can’t even tell you. The final scenes made me cry real tears, I was so touched. And they even put a literal rainbow in the sky at the end. A literal rainbow! Come on!

Watch it, friends! It’s worth your time.

[radical-revolution]

“You are never out of retreat, once you decide to do it...”

~ Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

The first meeting with oneself, with aloneness, is meeting one’s real ego without clothing—naked ego, assertive, distinct, clear, definite ego.

The experience of loneliness from ego’s perspective:

ego has no one to comfort itself, no one to act as moral support. This kind of aloneness is simply the feeling of being nowhere, lost. There is tremendous sadness that there’s nothing around you that you can hang onto. But it is your own ego acting as the voice of sadness, loneliness, so you cannot blame anybody or even get angry. That starting point is very useful and valuable. It was the inspiration to go into retreat in Milarepa’s case, and in our case as well.

Taking part in a retreat is a way to express aloneness, loneliness, desolation. We might experience fear in retreat, but that fear is purely an expression of that loneliness. We are trying to entertain ourselves, so we manufacture fear. We might go back to our mental notes of the past, or our scrap books, but that becomes boring. We are back to square one constantly. Cooking, sleeping or walking might become a source of entertainment. There is so little to do, we are thankful there is something to do. But even that comes back to square one. We tend to get disillusioned with that, too.

Such experiences of being in retreat are not exactly wretched. There is a very faint, subtle sense that you are falling in love with something. You begin to appreciate the desolation. A subtle romanticism is happening completely. Because there is nothing to entertain you, everything comes back to you. The songs of Milarepa, at the early stage of his being in retreat, are love songs. They praise the terrain, the mountains, his cave, his desolateness, his solitude, and the memory of his guru. Those are his love songs.

In retreat you begin to find that the sadness and desolateness has a sense of the romantic. There is something to hang onto—somewhat. There is something to latch onto, but if you go too far it disappears. So it is a very subtle love affair.

But obviously, it is definitely a romantic one.

At that point you see the value of guru. The guru becomes precious to you. You not only fall in love with the environment and with your aloneness, as such, but you also feel that your guru has a lot to do with it. You begin to appreciate his fatherhood and his genius as a matchmaker, that he married you and this desolate place. So we could say that sadness also provokes spiritual romanticism. Although it is materialistic in style, fundamentally it is spiritual, or even—if we could be brave enough to say such a thing—mystical. There is a tone of mystical experience.

Sadness brings up tremendous artistic talent in oneself, as it did in Milarepa. Milarepa composed songs and began to see the colors and sights and happenings around him become very real, extremely real. The way the sun shines, the way the moon sets, the way the clouds move. The wind breaking, the sounds of owls hooting at night. Mosquitoes landing on you. Everything you see becomes completely, totally, a gigantic world of romanticism—colorful and fantastic. At the beginning you are irritated by the insects around you, but at some point you begin to find that you wish you could invite them for a party or for dinner.

We could say that this whole thing is unreal, an expression of your being spaced out or even tripping out. But it has a valid reason; you can’t regard it as unpleasant or a side-track on the path. It is very valuable, because we have not seen our ego alone for a long time—never. For the first time we begin to see that our ego is naked. We are not exactly without ego—there is ego—but that ego is a naked one. And it begins to explore the world around it.

So going into retreat, we could say, is an introduction to ego’s nakedness and the subtle appreciation of aloneness, loneliness. Being in retreat, free from any kind of security, even from your guru, you have to pull up your own resources constantly.

Retreat does not only mean going into retreat in the physical sense, in a cabin—retreat means that you are left with nobody. Your guru has told you just to work on yourself, that it is not necessary to extend further information to you. You have to find your way.

In our case, you would like to find out something, you are hoping for new experience, so you decide to go on retreat. You consult your guru, and both he and you agree that this is a project you should get into. Then the process of retreat begins, and the experience becomes identical with Milarepa’s. Obviously, you could step out of it. You could run into the city and eat ice cream and go to the movies, you could do all kinds of things.

Nevertheless, even if you do those things, they become part of the whole experience—you cannot actually escape. You are never out of retreat, once you decide to do it. You could be in Grand Central Station, but nevertheless, there is a sense of desolateness.

So, in fact, you are not going into retreat, but retreat is coming to you. That loneliness is always there. I wouldn’t say that loneliness is only Milarepa’s experience—we all have that sense of loneliness, particularly on the spiritual journey and in relating with a guru, but also in relating with a family and our case history of the past. The sense of loneliness is always there, even if you are entertaining yourself and you have lots of company and lots of friends to keep you occupied. Still, behind that, the sense of loneliness becomes prominent. Always you are back to square one. It is inevitable.

*** From talk five of “The Message of Milarepa,” a seminar given at Karme-Choling Meditation Center, Barnet, Vermont, in July, 1973. ©1998 Diana J. Mukpo

[kepler-station]

౨ৎ.𖥔˚ toph beifong — crush and relationship hcs

— 𝜗𝜚 moving this post from my alt (@lanza-dai) to my main !! this blog won't be a crk-exclusive writing blog and will include the fandoms i've listed in the cafe opening, thankyou for (hopefully) understanding mystics !!

— sorry for the sudden but short hiatus, haven't been feeling like writing recently + i've been having avatar brainrot 🥲👍🏻

໑ৎ ׁ  ׅ♡ tw !! — gn!reader with unspecified characteristics (it's up to you !! ). reader is around the same age as aang and toph (or the rest of team avatar).

— toph is an interesting crush and an interesting lover. but in no way is she a bad lover per se.

— (for convenience's sake, let's say toph also liked you while you had a crush on her. this is basically the "crush hcs" part of this post, hehe.) toph isn't great at showing affection ; she was sheltered in for basically her entire life so much so that people didn't even know she existed, and thus has little to no social skills, so her ways of showing affection or even showing that she likes you are a bit different, and you'd have to look deeper otherwise it'd just looks like regular toph behavior.

— she punches your shoulder more, and fires more insults your way. if you're super affectionate, she won't pull away unlike with others, and she may be brave enough to kiss you when you save her life or protect her somehow. she def more protective over you and may be more aggressive when team avatar is ambushed/losing because she's scared of losing you.

— she doesn't pull away from affection and secretly revels in it, but ofc she doesn't say this out loud or even admits it to herself that she actually enjoys it. at this point, she knows she's in love with you but fails to admit she actually is. it's not until you make a move on her (aka confess), that she finally admits and accepts she loves you, and love you she does.

— the most likely way you'll tell whether toph likes you or not is little slip ups she occasionally says ; when you think that no one cares about something you have, she'll slip up and say that she cares before acting like she doesn't because no one does. she specifies she doesn't care, and she blushes a tad bit around you (only when you aren't looking or when she looks away).

— she knows when your heart beats fast/quicker. it's either she points it out bluntly and teases you for it (by insulting or like loving teasing, either one) or keeps silent about it and takes a mental note of it to later giggle and kick her feet abt it when she's sure she's alone and when no one can see her blush thinking of you loving her too.

— speaking of toph giggling and kicking her feet, you cannot tell me she doesn't do that in private when she has a crush. she def thinks about them while blushing, giggling and kicking her feet.

— you definitely confessed first. there's no way you'd be able to get into a relationship if you waited around for toph to do it instead (we saw it with sokka, toph didn't like admitting that she may or may not have had a crush on sokka, so nothing came of it). it's either toph found out by overhearing you talk about it (or rather, her), or you confessed to her as normal.

— she gets super giggly when you tell jokes and jumps up and down happily when you join team avatar for a mission of sorts, but only when it comes to you! literally no one has gotten that sort of reception or treatment from toph, so to team avatar, it's a bit shocking seeing the independent and sarcastic one so giddy when it comes to a person (it's clear she loves them, and they tease her for it ; there has been a wall manifested into their face or a rock or two here and there).

— most of the time, you're the one initiating affectionate actions at the beginning of your relationship but as time goes on and as she gets more and more comfortable with you, she starts to initiate affection too. she kisses your cheek or holds your hand, and occasionally she's brave enough to kiss you on the lips when others are around.

— the rest of the gaang teases you two (mostly sokka) but toph is always one step ahead ; firing insults their way when they tease her for being affectionate (such as kissing you or when they see that you two are holding hands or such), or glaring daggers into them when they see toph kiss you after saving her/protecting her from something.

— when you two are camping with team avatar, toph always waits until everyone is asleep to chat and talk about random stuff together, and eventually to cuddle with you (because of how short she is compared to you, she's probably little spoon but sometimes she likes jetpacking/being the big spoon too). you two stay awake for a bit longer to be stay and affectionate together as a couple for a while before you two fall asleep in each other's arms.

— she's not really good at comforting ; in fact, her first instinct is probably tough love, as in "suck it up, you big baby" or something like that (i don't know how to actually write toph's dialogue just yet, sorry !! ), but she's somewhat a 'good' listener and is always there to lend a shoulder for you to cry on.

— speaking of toph being a... 'good' listener, she could fall asleep to your voice and will gladly (okay maybe not gladly, it's toph were talking abt...) listen to you ramble about literally anything. your voice is something she will never forget.

— her petnames for you are not "petnames" per se, but rather the same silly nicknames she calls the rest of team avatar but with a sweeter, love-y twist because she loves you. they aren't negative, but rather just silly, more positive nicknames. she may also call you petnames that have something to do with your overall character and bending style ; if you were an earthbender like her, these are more along the lines of 'honeysuckle', or simply a shortened version of your name. likewise, she enjoys being called petnames that emphasize her earthbending prowess. think, petnames such as 'strongheart' (portmanteau of 'strong' and 'sweetheart' or simply 'heart').

— she loves to fight you in practice battles as it is her primary love language.

[mysticstarlightduck]

Song of Thorns - WIP Intro/WIP Wednesday

Jumping on the OPEN TAG by @little-peril-stories (here), and @kaylinalexanderbooks tag (here) because I was really inspired and wanted to give it a try! I tried to give my twist on the same format, because it was really cool!

(Also, I had been wanting an excuse to do an actual intro for this WIP for a while now, even though it's not my main one and is a much smaller side project lol)

By the way, if you like this, please reblog, it helps a lot 💕

Rules: Pick a WIP. Post something about it. On a Wednesday. Or whenever! It can be literally anything! (:

WIP INTRO - SONG OF THORNS

Title: Song of Thorns

Genre: High Fantasy/Dark Fairytale

Tags: #wip song of thorns #song of thorns

Synopsis/What Is It About?

Roselyn, a teenage girl from a backwater fishing village on the edge of the continent, moves to the kingdom's floating capital with her siblings - Jasen, her older brother and a brilliant aspiring sorcerer, and their 12-year-old younger sister, Portia - after Jasen gets a prestigious apprenticeship in the mystical city.

However, after a while, it becomes apparent that something is not what it seems in the city of legend. In fact, something is very wrong. When Jasen mysteriously disappears without a trace, trying to find out what happened reveals the true facet of the up-til-then-welcoming nobility, and gets her falsely accused of treason.

Sentenced to death for reasons she cannot understand, Roselyn finds her second chance when the royal family's youngest prince, the nephew of the King, sets her free in the middle of the night with a proposal - helping him stop the full extent of his family's schemes and save the city before it is too late.

With the help of the now-exiled prince and a couple other outcasts, Roselyn will expose the city's corruption and save her brother before it is too late. All the while she starts falling in love with the charming though lonely thief (Renn) who has stolen her heart. But with strange forces being tampered with and magic swiftly changing, time is slipping away disturbingly fast.

Tropes and Nice Stuff! (Or, a.k.a. What you can expect in this book!)

Friends to Lovers! (Renn x Roselyn, Prince Alaric x Jasen)

Eldritch horror, dark fantasy, and blood magic. The royals are basically fantasy mad scientists and it gets complicated...

The perfect city has some really fucked up secrets that nobody was supposed to find out. Ever.

Epic heists (or as I like to call it: these fools doing absolutely everything wrong but failing successfully)

Fantasy creatures, enchanted forests, a derpy giant talking cat. You name it! There are loads of peaceful sea monsters too, and some very dangerous creatures I've invented as well!

Sad, absolutely heartbreaking scenes and some goofy, silly scenes!

Goth thief who is actually very nerdy and not at all brooding.

An aro/ace druid's apprentice! A bit unhinged and admittedly clueless about the world outside, but the sweetest character ever"

An actually Good Stepmother! (Subversion of the Wicked Stepmother trope)

Enemies to Friends (that's a spoiler!)

A villain who may act childish but is actually not stupid at all and is the most threatening MF you'll ever meet

Whump! (Potentially)

Medieval/Renaissance period with a touch of Fantasy Science

A soft magic system

Siblings, family bonds, and intrigue!

Sometimes the villains kinda win and it is scary (but don't worry the heroes find a way to fight another day so it's not all doom and gloom, almost, but not.)

And more!💕

Meet The Main Cast! (The good guys)

Roselyn Lethia

A curious and opinionated teenager, Roselyn finds herself dragged into a net of intrigue, lies, and bloodied secrets after her beloved older brother suddenly goes missing without a trace, and the kingdom tries to convince her he never existed. She is kind, brave, and determined, though she can sometimes take on more than she can realistically handle, and needs to rely solely on her book-earned wits and sparse fighting skills to get through her fears. Her greatest motive is keeping her loved ones safe, but she also, deep down, yearns for some adventuring.

Prince Alaric of the Hyghsummit

Naive and slightly arrogant without realizing it, Alaric is the youngest prince of the reigning royal family. He is the nephew of the King and was largely raised by his stepmother Catallinah, a motherly but no-nonsense woman trapped in an arranged marriage to his uncle after the death of her husband, Alaric's father. Most of his other relatives from his large family consider him a weak link and most don't even bother with him at all - but Alaric is much more than the capital's "failed prince". He is a brilliant and well-read young man who has spent most of his time honing his abilities to bring down the lies of his corrupted family. He falls in love with Jasen, who became his friend after the latter started working as an apprentice to the court's High Sorcerer.

Renn Atrius

A foreign noble from beyond the royal lands, he was forced into the lifestyle of a thief from a young age, after being orphaned when his father was murdered for refusing to obey their neighboring kingdom's crown. Learning the art of disappearing into the night and taking valuables from the land that took everything from him and colonized his nation, Renn quickly became quite the nuisance for the King. But thankfully to his connection to raw blood magic, his slight vampiric abilities ensure no human soldier ever proves a real threat to him. He starts to fall in love with Roselyn, having become friends with her after trying to steal her coin purse (having mistaken her for a tourist from the capital).

Jasen Lethia

Roselyn's older brother, Jasen is a brilliant and highly ambitious student of the arcane arts. Their home village never provided much chances for his studies, but he kept practicing until he was good enough to earn a highly prestigious apprenticeship at the capital's Evocation Order. He is pragmatic, soft-spoken, and painstakingly patient, and though his studies are important to him, raising his sisters has been his top priority since their parents were killed in a bandit raid to their village when he was twelve, especially because their grandmother was too frail to really do much to raise them when she was alive. Jasen becomes close friends with Prince Alaric, who is around his age, though Jasen dismisses his own personal romantic feelings, believing that he would never be deemed worthy to love a noble and saying anything would only ruin their friendship, when in fact Alaric feels the same. Jasen went missing after discovering the truth about the King by accident.

Oriana Whisperleaf

A quirky and extremely talkative druid's apprentice, Oriana was neglected by her birth parents, who did not care for her. When she was five, she wandered into a local meadow and into the woods - no one came looking for her. She got really lost, but thankfully, she met the mysterious druidic witch who lived deep in the enchanted woods of the realm, a beautiful woman who took her in and raised her as her daughter and apprentice.

Portia Lethia

Roselyn and Jasen's youngest sister, Portia is a very quiet and often sensitive 12-year-old kid, who prefers to spend her time in the company of animals rather than people and wants to become an animal healer when she comes of age. She is smart, perceptive, and polite/well-behaved for her age, though sometimes she has a prankster streak!

Plot Points .... or not🙃 (so far, because this WIP is still early in creation)

"Peace and Quiet and All Things Nice - wait what tf is that in the water? Eh. Probably just a sea monster, it's likely nothing."

"You're saying we're going to the capital - a city literally built in the mountains floating in the sky?! Count me IN dude I am hyped!"

"Traveling. And traveling. And traveling some more. Gods, does this goddamn road ever end -? Oh, and we're there."

"Two unsupervised teenage girls explore an unknown city and shenanigans ensue. Also, meet this suspicious royal High Sorcerer dude who will mentor their older brother and is totally not gonna betray him at all. Trust me."

"Things are looking great! I'm having fun, this is nice!"

"OBLIGATORY ONE-YEAR TIME SKIP"

"I have the feeling some sus bullshit is afoot but I don't know why. And I don't know if I wanna know. Everything's fine! Right?... right?"

"BREAKING NEWS: Watch how an entire kingdom tries to gaslight a teenager!"

"...Why are there bloodstains in the castle? What are those gooey-looking branches? Oh, hell to the nah~"

"So apparently I've been arrested. That's new. They have yet to read me my rights."

"So either I'm gonna be executed or have my mind erased. That's new. How about neither? No? This is not how I saw my weekend going."

"Breaking out with the prince. I don't know which of us is more confused. We're totally not gonna die in like two days at this rate."

"Getting lost in a very cursed-looking forest and finding out that the kingdom is slowly dying. At least that druid looks friendly - if she doesn't try to kill us. Yet again."

"Meet this 100-year-old lady who looks 30. She's nice. A bit crazy though, I think, but nice? Real talk, I'm not sure if this is tea or poison, or if she knows, but I'm too concerned to ask."

"So your insane family has sent assassins to kill us? Neat. And you didn't think that was a priority to mention, why exactly..? OF COURSE IT WAS A PRIORITY YOU GILDED DIMWIT!"

"This goth mercenary guy did just try to rob me, but he did save my life, so. Plus he does look handsome in this light, ngl. Why does he look so cute, tf is wrong with me?"

"🎶And I'm never gonna sleep again, sleep again, lalala, what the eldritch hell did I just see -🎶

"Rival civilization! Finally! Pls tell me there's not an insane guild of blood sorcerers in this town my dude. I need a break desperately and I'm not sure if my sanity can handle any more - Oh thank goodness. It's just horrifying monsters beyond my wildest dreams then. I'd take that any day. How much does an inn cost here?"

"Group of dumbasses tries to pull off complicated plan. Proceeds to forget said plan halfway through and ends up improvising an entire heist. Also, that's a talking cat. Why is there a talking cat."

"Finding out your prince best friend has been in love with your older brother since they met. Pt 1"

"Not-so-Evil (actually the nicest) Stepmother jumpscares teenagers and feels bad about it. She has cookies though so that's okay though."

"The King throws a massive hissy fit, Special Edition (:"

"So. This is bad. This is bad. Thisissobad. I'm traumatized. I regret all my life choices and I think I'm going to throw up. This is so bad."

"We need a plan. A better one to be exact."

"Absolutely not! We are not breaking into that place, oh Hells no! No. Absolutely not-" (shift scenes, deadpan tone) "We broke into that place and I regret everything."

That's it so far! I'm still workshopping the ending from here (:

Playlist

Runaway - AURORA

Only Teardrops - Emmelie De Forest

Shadow - Livingston

Elan - Nightwish

Bad Feeling - Jaguar Twain

Tagging (gently, no pressure!) @kaylinalexanderbooks @littleladymab @cabbojage @lassiesandiego @little-peril-stories @oh-no-another-idea @thepeculiarbird @rickie-the-storyteller @crowandmoonwriting @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @gummybugg @forthesanityofstorytellers @doublegoblin @aalinaaaaaa @starlit-hopes-and-dreams @elshells @illarian-rambling @clairelsonao3 @conkers-thecosy @anyablackwood @diabolical-blue @cowboybrunch and OPEN TAG for anyone else who wants to do their own spin in this challenge!

[bald-tales]

The Mystique of Leopold: How a Barber’s Spell Transformed a Generation

In a quaint little town nestled between gentle hills and winding rivers, there exists an unassuming barber shop that stands as a testament to the art of grooming and the enchantments of destiny. Here, among the hum of clippers and the comforting scent of pomade, resided Leopold, a German-born barber whose mystical abilities transcended the mere act of cutting hair. Renowned not just for his artistry, Leopold became a figure of intrigue, drawing in customers with a blend of charm, charisma, and an inexplicable influence over their choices.

Leopold was no ordinary barber. His hands wielded scissors with a deftness that could only be described as magical. It was rumored that he could weave spells into every snip and every trim. Little did the customers know that while they reclined in his vintage chair, they were often unwitting scholars under his tutelage, eagerly absorbing his techniques and styles, sometimes even desiring to replicate his unique flair. Many left with their newly transformed personas, while a few brave souls took it a step further, enrolling in barbers’ colleges to master the craft for themselves.

One such young apprentice was Martin Battersby, whose life would be forever changed the day he chanced upon Leopold’s shop. Drawn in by a combination of curiosity and an insatiable passion for styles of barbering, Martin became an unwitting participant in Leopold’s grand design. It didn't take long for Martin to succumb to the allure of the craft. Under the enchanting influence of Leopold’s scissors and his captivating stories of transformation, he soon decided to resign from his prestigious position at a car dealership. The world of automobiles paled in comparison to the artistry of barbering that beckoned him like an ancient spell.

Once he commenced his studies at a local barbers’ college, it became evident that he had absorbed much of Leopold’s essence. His once unassuming demeanor shifted; he donned a new bald and bearded look that turned heads in the community. Martin was no longer the timid young man he had once been; he was now a confident barber in the making, ready to add his own chapters to the rich story of stylistic transformations begun by Leopold.

Martin quickly gained a reputation for his unique techniques. The memories of his time in Leopold’s chair fueled his creativity, and he pushed the boundaries of traditional styles. His clients marveled at his ability to elevate their grooming experience into a journey that celebrated individuality and expression.

In a few short visits into his burgeoning career, Martin showcased a remarkable talent for crafting exquisite facial hair designs. One of his proudest creations—a magnificent 18th-century mustache—became the talk of the town. Each curl and twist perfectly captured the essence of sophistication, drawing admiration from patrons old and young alike. It was a mustache to remember—a work of art borne from a combination of historical influence and the lessons etched in Martin’s memory from his time under Leopold’s spell.

Leopold, observing from the shadows of his shop, couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride for his young protégé. He recognized in Martin the same fire that had once ignited within him. In his own way, Martin had become a force of influence, guiding his clients on their own journeys of stylish transformation.

In this barber’s haven, the legacy of a German-born barber's mystical abilities continued to thrive, not merely through the styles he fostered or the customers he enchanted but through those like Martin, who carried forward the baton. They were not just barbers; they were artists, curators of self-expression, and, most importantly, defenders of the spellbinding narrative of the barber shop—a place where hair was not merely cut, but where lives were changed, one snip at a time.

[tanadrin]

It is interesting, and often painful, to hear of what high hopes our ancestors had for us at the beginning of the third millennium. They expected that we should grow in our wealth and our power as a species; and we have. They hoped that we would venture out into space; and we have. They dreamed of what cunning things we might invent, what new arts and sciences we might devise, and many of those things we have invented, and devised. But in all their speculation there lay also a dream of more, that perhaps we might solve the most vexing troubles, that only a few centuries off lay a world without war, without poverty of any kind, without fear or sin or death. That though there may be no paradise beyond this world, perhaps one day we could create one here.

This is, perhaps, the sharpest tragedy of our existence: that we have scoured the globe, and sent our ships out to search among the stars, and there are no utopias to be found. Oh, we have tried to build our own--the little Horais and Cockaignes and Zions of a thousand hopeful dreamers--but they have foundered sooner or later, for the simple reason that all things really in the world are subject to division and change. The current age of exploration and technology has brought with it a new breed of utopian, one whose spirit I cannot help but admire. They are willing to build not just new towns but new worlds, to brave hundreds or thousands of light years, to hazard generations living in what be marginal environments, for the chance to realize their visions. Yet I cannot think of one that has not failed, in most or all of the things it set out to do. We behold, often, a vision before us that seems so vivid, so immanent, that it must necessarily be real; and yet when we go to capture it, in words or in pigment or on a new world, it disappears.

The failures of these utopian colonies is usually quite civilized--there are no deaths, no revolts, no disasters. It simply evolves away from what its founders intended, all the careful tinkering of its architects, and all the resolute will of its governors, unable to stem forces which were unaccounted for in the original designs, or changing circumstances which could never have been forseen. Many of humanity's most notable colony worlds began as such utopias: Teegarden's World was founded by socialists seeking to create a truly stateless communist society; Proxima b was originally settled by techno-utopian transhumanists, who dreamed of a teeming Hive beneath the barren rock; Luyten Anchorage was built by Sufi mystics, who wanted a world apart for the contemplation of God. These facts are simple historical curiosities now.

More spectacular failures have occurred--the civil war among the schismatic sects of Kepler-62f, for instance, or the notorious mass cannibalism incident in the commune at Umbriel Station--but typically the failure of a utopia is more subtle. It is not just a failure of politics, a failure of planning, a failure of systems. It is the slippery mismatch of souls which are at variance against the universe, souls which necessarily suffer and strive and dream, but must dwell in a cosmos where not all their suffering can have purpose, where some striving must be in vain, where to be able to imagine a thing is not necessarily for it to be possible to build. I do not advise wholly against utopian dreaming. The instinct that a better way of doing things, even a better world, is possible, must be possible, is a perennial source of renewal and growth, the fierce goad of salvation. But perfection is a process, and not a state. And the perfectibility of mankind is a process that acts on two different problems: the hurts of the world around us, and the hurts of the world within. Many, many utopians have struggled with the latter in vain, mistaking them for the former; and many complacent in their own happy position have supposed all utopians are fools, because they make the same mistake in reverse.

I have been asked often what my utopian world would be like, if I could build one. The short answer is that I would not attempt it. Were I brave or foolish enough to try such a thing, I am afraid the answer is quite boring, and not much in keeping with the spirit of the question. I am only a little schooled in philosophy, and a dabbler in political economy. After all my long years of life, I feel often I understand the world less than ever; if I have gained any wisdom, it is principally a wisdom of my own faults and failures. Were all things possible, I should banish disease and want and death, I think, as most would. But I cannot say how. And beyond that all that comes to mind is that I should like to have tree-lined streets, and the sound of lively conversation from a little way off. And the knowledge that not far away, the friends I lost long ago were waiting and eager to see me; and always would be, and I need never be long parted from them again.

(Excerpt from Tjungdiawan’s Historical Reader, 3rd edition)