#I'm going to make family trees eventually to figure it all out though

[seat-safety-switch]

While I was working on my car out in the driveway, I heard a persistent hooting. In accordance with my training as a shitbox mechanic, I immediately started trying to figure out what the noise could be. Suspension bushing? No. Serpentine belt bearings? Could be. Horn? Hasn't worked since 1981. Wheel bearings? God, no, I hope not. And then I realized the car was not running. The hooting was coming from an owl.

Eventually, the hooting began to annoy me. I felt as though I was being judged by this strange animal. Not amused by my incompetent attempt at re-tapping the wrecked threaded holes on the distributor, the fates had sent a creature to mock me from a nearby tree. Every time I started on a task, a hoot would break my concentration. It was all I could think about. The project had been completely forgotten.

Now, I'm no ornithologist. I'm not even an ophthalmologist. Whenever I tell this story to "owl people," the first thing they always ask me is what make and model the owl was. It is not lost on me that this is the same thing I ask people whenever literally any story about a car is told to me ("how could you not notice?") but I hope you can forgive me. This owl sounded hungry, hooting away at the night sky.

You know, I've been out late at night and hungry too, bud. I decided to kick the trunk of my long-unrunning Volare, dislodging several families of mice, who skittered out onto the driveway in a panic. One of the mice didn't make it to a newer, safer home (the Viscount parked next to it,) as the owl swooped from the sky and snatched itself a tasty dinner. Perhaps this would quiet the owl's incessant hooting.

No dice. The owl got back to their tree, and then asked for seconds. This ingratitude was beyond frustrating. Look, buddy, I gave your ass one handout already, that's more than all your ancestors got. Leave me alone. The owl did not leave me alone.

Anyway, officer, I would like you to show me the specific bylaw statute that says I can't build an owl perch in the middle of my yard. It keeps the mice out of my wiring harness, it keeps a beautiful animal of the wild fed, and also my neighbours with small dogs don't let them poop on my lawn anymore. And if you truly believe I "own" this owl, then you go tell him to buzz off. He's gonna eat your eyes for breakfast, go ask your boss what happened to the last guy.

[penkura]

Special Gift

Summary: Zoro watches your kids while you're out for the day, making sure they don't sneak any peeks at their Christmas gifts under the tree.

Note: So this uses the kids from my OP Men as Dads series, but before the twins are born. Hope you guys enjoy! I'M SORRY IT'S SO LATE, I GOT SO BUSY TODAY.

“I just need you to watch them for a bit while I’m at the doctor, I’ll bring some dinner!”

Your request made Zoro sigh at the time, though he was joking around when he said ‘I guess’ with a roll of his eyes that made you laugh before kissing him. You’ve been together long enough that you know he’s kidding around, he doesn’t mind watching your kids, they’re always good for him and the day usually ends with all three of them taking a nap together. It’s also something you love coming home to, it gives you some quiet to work on a few things if you need to, especially now being pregnant and having to get your house ready for the newest member of your family.

Still though, watching your kids for a few hours is no problem for Zoro. If they need anything they go to him, they’ll convince him to play a game with them or read a children’s book to them, anything to spend any time with their dad. At six and four, Keitaro and Kuina are both bright and active, eagerly awaiting Christmas and the moment they get to open their gifts. You rarely have worry about them acting up bad enough to suggest calling Santa and telling him not to come by, the two are that well behaved for you.

No one believed that was possible with Zoro as their father, but you knew better when you first saw him with your son after he was born. More so when Kuina was born, she had him wrapped around her finger instantly and nothing she does could ever make Zoro upset with her. Keitaro is the same, he doesn’t ever want to get in trouble, he heard you yell once when someone cut you off in traffic and it was enough for him to not want to hear it again. Not like you’d ever yell at him or his sister, you spoil and dote on them too much anyway.

While you’re gone Zoro does what he can to take somethings off your plate, getting you’re kids involved with the laundry or sweeping floors, while he tries to knock out the dishes for you (Sanji never believes you when you tell him this is a common thing in your house). Eventually, he hears the sound of something being shaken from your living room, before little voices start talking and he has to keep himself from laughing too loud.

“Umm…I think it’s a puzzle?”

“A puzzle!”

“It’s yours, Kuina!”

She nearly squeals at the mention of it being her gift, Zoro walks in just in time to see her grab one and start shaking it, trying to figure out what it is by sound alone too. He’s sure they won’t start trying to open anything early, you trust them enough to leave the gifts out a few days before Christmas, but he’s going to watch then just to be safe. If anything they’ll just shake a gift that isn’t theirs and hopefully not break anything. They probably won’t even find the gifts you made to announce your pregnancy or just think it’s a random toy.

He still can’t believe there’s going to be a third one this time next year, even after you planned it all.

“Hey now,” they both almost jump hearing Zoro speak up, him smirking a bit since they were starting to get a little too close to looking in gift bags, “Don’t be peeking, you won’t have any surprises.”

“Daddy!”

Keitaro pouts a little but moves back to sitting on the floor while Kuina gets up and runs to Zoro, having him lift her up to his shoulders. Once she’s there and giggling, Zoro crouches down by Keitaro and ruffle this hair, making him whine.

“Looking for something?”

“No…”

“Mommy said there’s a special gift for us!”

“Kuina!”

She’s confused why Keitaro didn’t want her to say anything, but it just makes Zoro laugh a bit. You’re not giving them any more information than that, they’ll have to wait, but he can’t blame them for being curious. It’s only a couple more days until they learn what it is, he’s sure they’ll keep trying to sneak in and take a peek at their gifts until they figure it out themselves.

“Come on, leave the gifts alone for now, okay?” Zoro pats Keitaro’s head again before standing up and nodding to the kitchen, “Mom will be back soon, let’s get something to eat.”

They both complain a little, since they’re so curious about whatever this special gift is, but they still agree and go to the kitchen with Zoro.

A couple more days before things change, Zoro will enjoy these moments of having just two kids, before it turns to three and things get even more hectic than they already are. He’s looking forward to it though, he’s rather have a busy life than a boring one anyway.

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

Eddie is in the middle of his biggest campaign yet, meanwhile you're sick and while out for errands you end up running into your ex.

Slight Dom vibes from Eddie. Older Eddie x reader (Eddie is 42, reader is late twenties) protective Eddie. 18+

❤️

"The campaign is the biggest one I've planned yet and all the guys are excited for it. I'll be m.i.a for a little while so try and behave while I'm gone" you sprawl across his bed and love the way his eyes darken at the sight of your naked body.

"I guess. It's more fun when I misbehave though" you reply impishly and that makes Eddie smirk just a little bit.

Sweetheart are you going to be good for me or not?" Eddie asks patiently while you pout and settle back on the bed.

"Maybe" you shrug and Eddie shakes his head torn between adoration for you and exasperation. He leans down to kiss you, loses himself in the sensation for a moment or two.

He can't get enough of kissing you, he can't get enough of feeling your body pressed against his and watching you come undone. He can't get enough of spending time with you and being with him.

He's never felt like this before until you, just so full of love and adoration. For the first time in his life he's actually considering postponing a campaign but eventually the little nagging voice inside of his head (that sounds suspiciously like Dustin) forces him out the door.

"If you need anything then you call me, okay princess?" you nod along but he knows you would never interrupt a campaign, "I mean if baby anything at all" he's still hesitant to leave but you practically push him out the door.

"Go or we all know Dustin will be here in seconds if You're even a little bit late" he scoffs but knows you're not wrong. The little butthead would send the cavalry.

With I love yous exchanged he's then out of the door and on his way to the campaign.

❤️

You were planning to hit the bookstore in town and then heading to Family Video for a movie to watch while Eddie was gone.

His campaigns were meticulously planned out and you knew this session could last most of the afternoon and some of the night.

It was so hot to watch Eddie when he was so passionate about things he loved and you had even sat in on a campaign or two, made up a character and genuinely enjoyed playing with Eddie and his friends.

Truly it would have been nice to join him today but you had been feeling out of sorts since last night and Eddie refused to get you any more sick, he had gently ordered you to rest up as much as possible and call him on the landline the minute you felt worse.

It took long enough to even get him out of the door to even go to campaign so there was no way you were interrupting him after he had spent so much time on it, you had your movies, medicine and a new book, along with soup and hot cocoa. You would be fine.

The fresh air helped and it was always lovely to see Hawkins in the fall, the gorgeous oranges, rust and golden hues of the trees, the chill in the air and Halloween decorations dotted around the town.

Your peace ends up interrupted by a very unwelcome figure. Your ex. Alastair.

"Has the freak left you all alone today?" You ignore Alastair and walk past him. God what did you see in that asshole? It was only a couple of months but you should have seen that he was a douchebag from the start.

Thankfully you had dumped him and moved on. You had found Eddie who treated you like a queen, who adored you and loved you so much.

"I'm talking to you. Stupid bitch" Alastair snarls and he grabs your arm. The violent tug makes you lose your balance and you stumble.

"Let of me" you snap and his face turns puce but before he can do anything else someone blocks him from your view.

"Clear off dickhead" its Steve and he's glaring at Alastair whose face drains of colour.

"You know I'm glad it's that freak who has you now. At some point he will get sick of your bullshit as well" he snarls and walks away.

You're teary and just want to go home. The glow of your perfect morning with Eddie is long gone.

"You okay?" Steve asks kindly and you nod still feeling shaky. You're furious that Alastair has ruined your day and gotten under your skin again, tears of fury blur your vision and Steve softens.

"Come on. I'll walk you home"

❤️

When you head back to Eddie's trailer your head is pounding and Alastair's words play on your mind. It was no good giving that assholes opinions the time of day, the thing is he always managed to say things that got under your skin or that he knew would hurt the most.

It was hard to ignore him and even though you shake up you still refuse to call Eddie. In all honesty you were nervous to say anything about this. He was so protective of you that you worried he would actually knock Alastair out for grabbing you like that.

You didn't want Eddie in trouble so you resolved to keep quiet. Though if Alastair came near you again you were absolutely kicking him in his tiny little balls.

...

You had been strangely quiet since Eddie had arrived back home, usually you were slightly mischievous, chatty and would tell him all about your day. He told you all about the campaign and how well it had gone, you seemed genuinely excited but there was still something bugging you that Eddie couldn't figure out.

Were you still feeling sick?

"Eddie, do you get sick of me sometimes?" the question hangs in the air and Eddie gapes, what? Where the fuck was this coming from?

"Of course not sweetheart. Why would you ever think that?" You shake your head and cuddle up close to him. He held you tightly, trying to soothe away what was worrying you. What happened from this morning to now?

"No reason, I just wondered that's all" he frowns and holds you closer to him, determined to let you know how much you mean to him.

"I love you sweetheart. I could never get sick of you. Please never think like that because it will never happen" the words seem to relax you but Eddie is still suspicious about why those thoughts were even on your mind.

He's determined to find out and he doesn't have to wait very long.

❤️

Steve visits that afternoon and Eddie's worries deepen when he asks if you're okay after yesterday.

"What happened yesterday?" he knew there was something that was bothering you. He should have pressed a little bit more last night but he knew you would tell him in time. He's anxious now that it's something really bad.

It must be judging from your question last night, something had put those thoughts on your mind and now he was closer to finding out what.

Steve frowns. "Did she not tell you that dickhead of an ex was hounding her?" Eddie freezes and shakes his head.

"Shit no, she looked like she wanted to tell me something all night but kept closing up. I should have known it would be something to do with him" he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to control his anger.

Not that he was angry at you, no way. However he was angry at your ex and his inability to leave you alone. Anytime Alastair saw you it caused him to act like a complete dick, he's pretty sure the guy must naturally be an ass or he didn't like the fact that you dumped his ass.

Either way Eddie wasn't going to let the little fucker away with hurting you. He thanks Steve for telling him and for being there for you, even though he wishes he could have been there himself.

He doubts very much your ex would have said anything when he was around and was one of those people who liked to get their targets on their own.

Once Steve leaves you arrive back home shortly after, you kiss his cheek and take your bag full of groceries into the kitchen.

Eddie follows you and wraps his arms around your waist while trailing soft kisses over your neck.

"Hey princess, Steve came over today to ask how you were after yesterday" you stiffen for a few seconds but relax when he soothes you.

"That was sweet of him. I guess he told you what happened with Alastair? I've been meaning to tell you, it's just trying to find the right words but yeah he was his usual self and he grabbed me..." You turn to him but he's extremely quiet.

You must notice the dangerous glint in his eyes because you cup his cheek and reassure him that you're fine and everything is okay.

Eddie holds you close and kisses you, he's fuming that your ex dared put his hands on you and you quietly tell him the rest of what happened and by the end of it he's pissed.

"I love you so much sweetheart, so fucking much and if that asshole bothers you again then I swear I'll knock his teeth out" he seethes and you shake your head not wanting that to happen.

"I love you Eddie and I don't want you in trouble for that asshole" you rest your head on his chest and he strokes your hair.

"Oh I won't get into shit but he might" he mutters and plans to have a word with your shitty ex. There was no way that douchebag was getting away with hurting you.

"Eddie" you warn him and sigh when you get one of his charming smiles in return.

"I promise you princess that I won't harm a hair on his head even if he deserves it" Eddie vows and you nod believing him. Whatever he had planned though would likely be something Alastair would never forget.

...

Funnily enough Alistair doesn't bother you again and when you ask Eddie about it he simply says they had a little chat.

Knowing how protective Eddie is you can just imagine how that went. It must have been something that got through to him because in the rare times you did see Alistair out and about in town, his eyes would widen and he'd rush away clutching his privates and letting out a squeal.

"Eddie what the hell did you do?" you ask torn between amusement and exasperation.

"I just told him to leave my girl alone or he'd maybe be an appendage less" he shrugs innocently. "No one tries to hurt you and gets away with it" he kisses your forehead and you stifle a smile as the two of you head back home.

❤️

[teyamsgrl]

Hi Jade! Do you think you'd be up to do Neteyam fic where he and the reader are sweet on each other but because she's younger than him and friends with Lo'ak he doesn't wanna go that route with her so he distances himself from her and he starts vetting available girls in the clan as a distraction and this makes the reader decide to put her needs first and she starts thinking about future mates since Neteyam isn’t seemingly worried about her. But then a rumor starts that either Lo'ak and reader are to be mates or someone else is courting her and this pushes Neteyam to stake his claim and make her his.

❗️MDNI ❗️

hi!!!! oh my goddddd this idea is amazing, everyone say THANK YOU ANON 🗣️ jealous and in love neteyam woowowowowo i'm dead already - also this gif is so fucking crisp and clear holy fuck he is so fine respectfully

p.s: sorry it took me forever to get this completed! had some writer's block along with uni starting again 🥲

just a distraction ✧ neteyam

°˖➴ warnings: fem omatikaya reader, agedup!neteyam, dom!neteyam, jealous!teyam, younger!reader, sub!reader, friends to lovers, slow burn??, dirty talk, oral f & m receiving, missionary 😮‍💨 - paskalin: honey

despite being lo'ak's age and his best friend, you and neteyam got along extremely well. this 'getting along' also included a lot of unsaid feelings and the romantic tension between you both was unbelievably visible yet neither of you ever said a word. your actions showed enough though; the extra long hugs, the touches as you pass each other, the undivided attention as you teach each other new skills, the looks you share throughout the day. you were so obviously in love with neteyam and you figured he maybe felt the same; that is until he started to avoid you a week ago. it hurt. it hurt so bad.

what made it even worse was that he was going around the village and chatting up all the girls, showing off and being touchy. it made your blood boil as you watched him because that should be you. as you watch him speak to kai'ra, a very skilled hunter, you start to snap out of it. clearly neteyam doesn't want you so why are you sitting here pining over him? what's the fucking point? sure, it sucked to accept that you would never be with neteyam like you had anticipated for a long time but there was no point in sulking about it. there were many other desirable men in the clan and you figured that you'd find the right one eventually.

"i heard that y/n is being courted, is that true, lo'ak?" neytiri questions as the sully family sits together in their hut eating an evening meal. neteyam almost chokes on the food in his mouth, eyes wide and jealousy rising in his chest. "yeah, by ät’uk and i think someone else too" lo'ak responds to his mother nonchalantly before continuing to eat. there are other men attempting to court y/n? what had he done? neteyam couldn't deny his feelings for you, they were almost overwhelming. it was hard for him to put distance between you both, but he felt that it was right due to the fact that you are younger and best friends with his little brother. this was clearly a mistake. the pit in his stomach was haunting, just knowing there were other men chasing after you had him anxious and on top of that, angry. neteyam set his bowl down and stood up abruptly, telling his family that he just needed some air and to walk by himself. he rushed out of the hut, turning left to head to where he knew you'd be; tree of voices.

you went to the tree of voices every night before eclipse to visit your late father, the visits always bringing you peace. just as you detach your queue from the tree, you hear someone approaching. you rarely saw others approach the tree of voices at this time of night, so you got a bit startled naturally. "it's just me", you hear that familiar voice you love so much. your heart swelled as he came into the light expelled by the tree, you had missed him despite his actions. "neteyam.." you say, nervously shifting to stand up and face him. "is ät’uk courting you?" he asks matter of factly, a glow of jealousy in his amber eyes. "uh... he has been trying, yes, so has tar'ete" you answer him, observing the way his nose scrunches at your words. "well, that's not gonna happen" he takes a step closer to you, now chest to chest. "and you get to decide that for me? that's funny, especially since you've been avoiding me" your tone is harsh, but it was true, what right did he have to state his opinion when he left you in the dust?

"look- i just thought that since you're younger and lo'ak's best friend it would be better to not initiate something with you, but" his hands move to grab your hips, butterflies fluttering in your stomach. "it was a mistake. i talked to all these other girls and i felt nothing, then i heard you were being courted and i just- you're mine and i won't let anyone else have you" he breathes out, pressing his forehead to yours and allowing his lips to ghost over yours. "i've always been yours, neteyam. it killed me to watch you with all those other girls.." you whisper softly, your own hands gripping his shoulders as though he could slip away any second. "i know, it was just a distraction. i'm sorry, paskalin.." the pet name effortlessly falls from his lips, said lips slowly inching closer to yours. you nod slightly, breath tickling his lips. before you can act first he presses his lips to yours, moving in sync with yours as though you had done this a million times before.

you hum into the kiss, hands running to weave into his braids as his tongue slips into your mouth, gliding along your own tongue. his hands on your hips pull them against his, bulge pressing against you and bringing more wetness between your legs. "neteyam" you whine out softly, grinding into his bulge and pulling out a moan from him. "y/n..." he sighs as he watches you sink to your knees, hands untying his loincloth from his tail that is swishing around in excitement. your eyes widen slightly as his cock bounces out of the confines of his loincloth, hard and leaking already. you lick the tip softly, his head falling back from the sensation. "wanna be yours..." you murmur, kissing along his shaft. "you are, i promise" he moans out as your mouth engulfs his tip, sucking and gradually taking in his entire length.

you start bobbing your head up and down, gagging slightly as his tip hits the back of your throat. "that's it, fuck..." neteyam's hands hold your head as he thrusts gently into your mouth, your mouth his to use. he moans as he continues, the whining and choking sounds turning him on even further. he pulls you off of him and you gasp for air, hand wrapping around his length to stroke him. "no- it's your turn, paskalin" he holds out his hands for you and you grab them, standing up and facing him once again. he is now the one to drop to his knees, hands swiftly removing your loincloth in seconds. he grabs your left leg, hoisting it over his shoulder so your glistening hole is on display. his arms keep you steady on one leg while he leans in, tip of his tongue gently flicking over your clit. you shudder at the touch and whine out his name softly, bringing a smirk to his lips. he leans in again and brings your clit into his mouth, suckling on it like there's no tomorrow.

neteyam moves downwards, tongue plunging into your hole and lapping at your wetness while he leaves marks on your thighs from how tight his grip is. "teyam-" you whine, hands holding his head not only for stability but out of pure pleasure. he hums against you, vibrations shooting through your body as his mouth continues it's assault on you. his one hand moves back to grab the plush of your ass, lightly spanking as he shoves his face further into you. "feels good" you squeak out, hips bucking into his mouth frantically. "yeah? wanna cum on my cock babygirl?" he mumbles between licks to your clit. "please yes" you gasp and lock eyes with him, allowing him to lie you flat on your back.

neteyam crawls over top of you, one hand beside your head as the other lines his cock up with your entrance. the pressure of his tip at your hole has you mewling already, hands reaching for his biceps as he begins to push in. the stretch is intense yet the most pleasurable thing you had ever felt, your back arching in an instant. his breath is shaky as he bottoms out, pulling away slightly to ram right back into you. he leans to press his forehead on yours as he settles on a rhythm, breath grazing your lips as your rock back and forth together. "shit-" he groans as your walls squeeze him on each thrust, his fingers pressing into the dirt below you. "oh eywa..." you whine, nails dragging down neteyam's toned back.

"so good.... you're mine, aren't you?" he hums, hips jerking continuously and causing squelching sounds to fill your ears. "yours, all yours" you moan, nails digging into his back further as your orgasm begins it's fast approach. "that's right- fuck, i'm close.. where do you-" "inside, please" you beg, legs tugging him in by the waist as you begin to quiver. "okay- oh babyyy.." he groans as he pumps you full, your own orgasm releasing simultaneously. both of your breathing is heavy as you come down, bodies pressed together.

"you're amazing" he whispers, hand stroking your cheek as he lies beside you now. "so are you" you whisper back, placing your much smaller hand on top of his, staring into his amber eyes. "be my mate?" he asks, other hand resting on your stomach. "yes, of course yes" you smile, throwing your arms around his neck and pulling him close. he chuckles and wraps his arms around you as well, his strong arms keeping you as close as possible. "all we need is tsaheylu" he mumbles, smirk plastered on his face. "are you saying you want a round two?" you giggle, kissing along his jaw. "maybe..."

[vulpixisananimal]

Pains and Patience

TW for self harm/dagger under the cut.

(You are sitting in a chair in the main room of the place you and your family were staying. Bonnie and Nille are around. You asked them to leave you alone for a bit. You can hear them talking in the distance. Your eyes are closed.)

(What does it look like?)

(One breath, two, three, and you're there. This blurry place that feels like a dream yet to be fully formed. Stretching above you so impossibly high was the favor tree. Around you it was pitch black, with stars dotting the skies.)

(It came to your mind naturally. It was... Strange, not a daydream, it was just... There. A place in your own mind that felt so... Real.)

(It's still growing.)

(It is. You turn around and that other part of you is there. Mal Du Pays. It fit here better than you did, it seems.)

(You still can't see the rest of it, can you.)

(No, I can't. You say. It's still the favor tree, just the tree. Where's loop?)

(Hiding, I expect.)

(You're very helpful.)

(I'm trying to keep you alive.)

(You shake your head, that's what it always said. Keep you alive. It was hard to believe when you'd come back to front to find you did something bad that you don't remember.)

(You look out to the stars. This place still felt off, like it was missing pieces. Every time you tried stepping beyond the tree you'd freeze up. Gripped by a fear you had never felt before, was fear even the right word?)

(You'll figure it out.)

(Right. We'll figure it out. We're getting a rest now after all. We'll figure out what's going on with Ramos, figure out why we're still Looping, THEN we'll deal with this disassociating, thing, whatever Odile called it.)

(Odile is not exactly a psychiatrist.)

(She's better than guessing.)

(I will not talk to her. You will not make me talk to her.)

(... Fine, for now, but eventually-)

"'Heyfrin!"

(Your snap to attention, back in reality, Bonnie was leaning in from the doorway. They looked a bit worried.)

"Hey Bonbon."

"Ramos showed up, Nille's distracting them right now."

(Huh?? You stood up.) "Here? Did they do anything?"

(Bonnie shook their head.) "Nuh uh, said they were looking for 'Beau and thought to stop by."

(You breath a sigh of relief.) "Alright, just act like you don't know anything, alright?"

"Duh, I know how to keep a secret."

(Walking to the front room area, Ramos was there talking to Nille. Casual conversation. They looked just as relaxed and cheery as the other loop. They didn't look like a kidnapper or anything, seeing you approach, they waved.)

(Do not get fooled by good acting.)

"Hello! You're Siffrin, right?"

(You waved back, smiling.) "That's me, Nille giving away my secrets again?"

"Your name's not exactly a secret, Siffy." (Nille said sarcasticly. Seemingly, she got the memo to act cool.) "Sorry Isabeau isn't in right now."

"That's fine." (Ramos said cheerily.) "Mind if I stick around untill he does?"

"Sure!" (Nille cut you off before you could say no. Great. Fantastic.)

(Maybe you could learn something.)

(You all headed back to the common area, walking and talking. Ramos making a bad joke and ruffling Bonnies hair, much to their annoyance.)

"So how'd y'all meet Isa?" (Ramos asked.)

"Met 'em a few weeks ago after getting de-frozen from time. Showed up to my place saying lil Bonnie helped save the country."

"YEAH!!! We kicked the Kings CRABBING BUTT!!"

"Language."

(You all chuckle.)

"I met 'Beau running from the curse. Nille told me to run when showed up at Bambouche and I did untill I passed out."

"You must be one tough kid then." (Ramos was smiling.)

"And don't you forget it!!!"

"What about you, Siffrin?"

"Oh, well." (How did it go again...) "I bumped into Mirabelle, Isa, and Odile by chance, off to save Vaugarde and all. They were fighting a sadness and I helped out. Asked me to join after that."

"Woah." (Ramos looked pretty engrosed in the story.) "It must have been real strong, Isa isn't a pushover."

"Oh, well, it was kinda strong." (You shrug.) "Not strong enough though, since I took it out in one hit."

(Ramos beamed, they leaned over and grabbed your hand.) "No way!! That's awesome!! I wish I coulda seen it!"

(You wince, and Ramos releases your hand.) "O-oh, sorry."

"'Frin doesn't like being touched." (Said Bonnie.)

"Ha, it's alright Bonnie." (You replied.) "It just took me by surprise."

(Why was Ramos so.... Relaxed? It didn't make any sense. If it was Ramos who tried grabbing Bonnie, why'd they come to visit? Where you wrong about them?)

(It's acting. Siffrin.)

"How's Isa been anyways?"

"Stupid." (Says Bonnie.)

"A good stupid." (Nille continues.) "Real bumble of emotions from what I've seen."

"Mmhm!" (You nod along.) "He's great, sure saving the country was stresful, but, Isabeau's been there with us the whole way."

"I'm glad!" (Ramos leaned back in their chair.) "Did he mention me at all?"

(You smile, of course he did.) "All the time!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! We went through a lot together, aparently you helped him a bunch? I've honestly been itching to meet you!"

(Wrong.)

(What?)

(That is wrong. What are you doing.)

(Bonnie was giving you a look, what do you mean? Don't you remember?)

"That's, wow!" (Ramos rubbed their neck.) "I didn't, think he'd mention me at all."

"Haha, you left quite the impression."

(Stop talking. You aren't acting.)

"Well, I gotta ask, what was it like? Saving the world."

"It, well, to be honest it didn't go great, not at the end." (Stop.)

"'Frin?" (Bonnie was looking between you and Ramos. Confused.)

(You continue.) "It should have been impossible getting to the King, really."

"Oh?"

(Stop, Siffrin.)

"Well, I shouldn't really talk about this, but if Isa trusts you, then I'll trust you."

(Siffrin, that's enough, stop talking.)

"But, the truth is--"

(. . .)

(. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .)

(It feels like a migrane with no pain. A force of will. A wave of intense, snapping bones. It feels like your brain gets dunked in ice. It feels like a lot of things, all of them hard to explain.)

(But you had to stop Siffrin from talking.)

(You stare at the stranger who's name is Ramos. Whatever Ramos could do, that was it. Siffrin was about to talk about the loops, the wish, everything. All that to an enemy.)

"Siffrin?" (Ramos was staring at you.) "Are you alright?"

(What did you do, Ramos. What did you do to Siffrins little head. You had a cold anger in your soul. Ramos had hurt you. Who are you, Ramos. What are you. You stand up.)

"'Feeling alright, Siffy?" (Nille asks.)

(You open your mouth. You ask a quesion.)

(You see all three of them wince. Nille is conused, Bonnie is gripping their head, Ramos is looking at you, afraid.)

"S-siffrin?? I, uh, didn't quite catch that." (You could see Nille trying to comprehend what you asked.)

(You look at Ramos, they looked confused, and pained. Did they not understand? You say something else.)

"H-hey cut it out, it's giving me a headache."

(Ramos is looking back at you. You can see a fear in their eyes. What do you look like to them right now. Like a monster? Good. You speak again.)

"I, I-I can't understand, please!"

"'F-frin..."

(You open your mouth. You want to hurt them. You want to know what they did. You need to. If they don't understand you, fine then. You'll just keep asking them. As long as it-)

"'Hurts..."

"Siffrin?" (Ramos was staring at you.) "Are you alright?"

(. . .)

(You stand up wordlessly. They didn't know the language. They didn't recognize it. So they weren't from home. So how could they make a wish. Was it dumb luck? Not likely.)

(But, Bonnie...)

(. . . You leave to your room. You ignore them calling after you. It didn't matter anyway.)

(You're tired. You looped again. Yes, it was only a few moments back, though. You could feel the nausea starting to catch up to you, but you forced yourself to continue. You're in your room. You grab your hat. As much as you told Siffrin your skin was sensitive, they ignored you. Thats why you wear a hat, stupid.)

(You Move fast. You go to the window. The jump out isn't that bad. You get up on the windowsil, and jump out. You land solidly, and run for the library.)

(The sprint gave you a chance to think. Ramos did something to Siffrin, and now Siffrin thought Ramos was some friend. It made you sick. What did Ramos do? Touch you? They did touch your hand. Was that it?)

(Why was Bonnie bleeding. Why were they bleeding that shade?)

(You ignore that question, for now.)

(You're at the library. You run inside. There you see Odile, Isabeau, and Mirabelle all about to leave with a couple books. You sprint over.)

"Siffrin?!?" (Mirabelle spots you first.) "What are you doing here? Did something happen???"

(You don't, can't, respond. Instead you go to Odile, who was holding the books, and tapped one.)

". . . What?" (Odile looked confused.)

"Uhh... Are you wondering if we found something?" (Isabeau spoke up. You nod.)

"Ah, well yes we found something. But is everything alright, Siffrin?"

(That didn't matter right now. You shake your head, and tap the book impatiently.)

"Alright alright." (Odile puts the books down on a nearby table and opens one, you follow.)

"Should, shouldn't we be worried??? If something bad happened??" (Mirabelle asked. She was scared.)

"Well, if Siffrin ran all the way here then I bet they're about to loop back anyways." (Isa said confidently. He was also scared.)

"Quite.. Ah here." (Odile got to a page in the book. Looking at it now, it was craftonomy. The page was on different crafts and what kind of tactile response they had with a body.) "This one, a strong scent of mint is often assosiated with potent Mind Craft."

(Mind craft.)

(Odile continued.) "An advanced craft type that's distantly related to body craft; its use is... contreversal. In Ka Bue it is explicitly banned."

"I was taught a little about mind craft at the House, about how it can be used to help with someones memory, or to forget a traumatic experience." (Mirabelle added.) "We weren't ever taught it, though."

"I mostly see it in fiction. Mind crontroll, brainwashing, spooky stuff like that." (Isabeau comments.)

(You keep looking over the page. Strong sense of mint. Confusion. Hard to master. That must be it. Ramos' touch gripped Siffrins mind. You nod.)

"Compared to time craft it shouldn't be hard to undo. Unless it's powered by a wish." (Odile muses.) "Tell the next me about it then, if we don't have time here."

(You nod. It was about time for that then. Your hand slips into your cloak and to your dagger.)

(. . . Isabeau is looking at you.)

(There's an awkward silence. Odile breaks it.) "Er, actually, Mirabelle, Isabeau, there's some complicated intricacies I'll need to explain. Could you go make sure Ramos doesn't disturb us?"

"Huh?? I-I mean-"

"Leave it to us, M'dame!" (With that, Isabeau rushes to the library entrance, Mirabelle hesitated, but followed. You look up at Odile.)

". . ."

(. . .)

(There is a painful silence.)

"I, wanted to ask you something. I did not feel comfortable asking with those two around." (she eventually said. Looking at her face, it was stressed, worried.)

(she continued.) "Siffrin, or, if you want to be called that. Please be honest with me. Do you... Use your dagger in order to loop back."

(Oh Odile, still she surprises you. You tilt your head slightly as if to say "go on.")

"You've had... Moments ever since we defeated the King, and, forgive me if I'm being insensitive, you always seemed to not Care too much about your own wounds." (She paused, clearly uncomfortable.) "That, combined with... With everything, really. It would make sense."

(. . . You nod.)

". . . Is it the only way?"

(You put up a wavy hand. Not sure.)

"Is it the only consistent way? That you know of at least."

(You nod.)

". . . It, does it hurt?"

(You nod. Odile is looking at you, brow creased. She pinches the bridge of her nose. After a moment, and taking a breath, she continues.)

". . . In a next loop. We can, figure out something better than that. If you tell me I promised to keep it secret from the others, I probably will, too."

(You nod, and file that away with Odile's other offer. She was reaching out to you. Why. You don't trust her.)

". . . Thank you, Siffrin." (She takes a breath, and turns her back to you, waiting. Ah, she doesn't want to see.)

(Whatever. It's time. You take out your dagger and. . .)

(. . .)

(It still hurts.)

[amethyst-halo]

YOUR ART IS SO PRETTY AND I'M ALREADY OBSESSED WITH YOUR PUTT PUTT BRANCH AU !!!!

TY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

im gonna use this as a chance to explain putt putt branch au a lil :3c

it started with me going "what if, following this comic, clay finds out branch was also stranded away from the village" so i was thinking about like how would that work out w everything plot wise?

clay and branch help viva establish the putt putt trolls! branch is still gray from losing his grandma but clay is helping him! they travel a while and find the golf course, and viva immediately takes charge of the group. clay is a little distracted by figuring out what's wrong with his brother, but ends up taking charge of the boring side of the operation when he sees viva struggling.

branch eventually opens up and tells him about what happened to their grandma, blaming himself for both that and his brothers leaving. clay insists that it isn't his fault in the slightest. branch asks if they're ever gonna see their brothers again, and clay (kinda hesitantly) promises they'll look for them once it's safe to. in the meantime, clay convinces branch to help him help viva run the place and build up their new society!

back in troll village and the tree, floyd comes back a while after the escape to find the tree dead and the village in ruins and abandoned. after exploring a little he finds branch's glasses in their old pod and thinks he left him to die, which causes him to go gray. he spends a little while there and as he's about to leave, he meets none other than cloud guy, who (very annoyingly) shows him through the tunnels and towards the new village

he gets there and figures out branch isn't there, which only enforces his idea that he died, as well as his grandma being missing. floyd decides to stay and build branch's bunker for him, except he doesn't have the plans so he has to wing it. he is kinda left alone due to being gray and becomes the local sad boy recluse, avoiding parties and being social in general due to his grief and self inflicted shame.

after a few months, a young poppy starts following him around and trying to befriend him. he doesn't really respond but he doesn't chase her off, allowing her to do what she wants. it takes a whiiiiile, but he slowly warms up to her, though he isn't about to drop his problems on a child. eventually, she reveals she found something in the tunnels during the escape and shows him; turns out it's branch's bunker plans, which makes floyd emotional. the two end up in a sorta older brother-younger sister friendship by the first movie!

when movie one happens, poppy runs to him for help when the chef captures her friends. floyd, of course, is immediately on board, not wanting anyone else to die because of the bergens. it kinda plays out similar to canon, with floyd finally admitting he feels responsible for losing branch. she helps him figure out he couldn't have known, and in turn he helps her when creek betrays them all, finally gaining some of his colors back

the second and third movies are pretty rough in my brain atm tbh aksdhjkhdkfh i do know that floyd gets captured during the second movie, leading to the third being jd receiving a forged letter and going to poppy for help and them setting off to gather up his brothers since they're the best chance they have at the family harmony. when they find clay they also find branch, and branch is a little sore about floyd seeing poppy as a sister when he was out there waiting for him, but they talk it out after everything!!!

this was not supposed to be long! welp! hehe

[somehow-a-writer]

Drunken Accident {2P England X Reader}

It's been a week since that fateful day and (F/N) have been doing their absolute damnedest to avoid their friend and huge crush, Oliver. It's been hard, especially with how persistent Oliver can be but also because of how much it hurts. If only they hadn't agreed to that stupid drinking game Francois had come up with while they were last hanging out with Oliver and his brothers, this probably could've been avoided. (F/N) wasn't black-out drunk but they were just drunk enough to tell Oliver they had romantic feelings for the adorable cotton candy aesthetic Brit. When it finally clicked what happened and before anyone could do or say anything, (F/N) ran out of the house and back to their own with the heart-wrenching feeling Oliver wouldn't possibly feel the same. So once sobering back up, they decided to avoid the Brit at all costs to save themselves from the rejection.

What (F/N) didn't know was that after they left and everyone had processed what just happened, Oliver smiled as everything connected. He felt the same but never said anything due to not wanting to jeopardize their wonderful friendship. He sadly sighed, closing the front door that was left wide open before grabbing his phone, trying to get ahold of (F/N) in whatever way he could. No such luck though, the more time that passed, the more he worried. He knew he had to say something but was too nervous to say it in person, despite knowing what (F/N) had said. He even had asked his brothers for help, pleading for advice or even just for them to talk to (F/N) and invite them over, anything. Eventually, he realized it wasn't working. What neither knew was how much they both regretted their actions that night but were too anxious to confront it as well.

(F/N) looked at their phone, another text from Oliver, another sad smile creeping its way to their lips. "I'm sorry, Ollie… Please forgive me…" (F/N) whispered into their room, slowly pushing off the bed and making their way toward the closet. They threw on a (f/c) tank top with a (f/c) sweater over top and a pair of black jeans. Grabbing their bag and slipping on a pair of shoes, they head out of the house, making sure to lock up before heading towards a nearby park. It was one of those days where it was just cloudy enough to block out the sun but not be too chill nor expect rain, it felt comforting as (F/N) walked towards their favorite tree at the park. They say at the base of the sturdy trunk, leaning back into it as they pulled a book from their bag. They sat there for a while, just reading in content, occasionally physically or whispering verbal reactions they couldn't hold back.

Oliver shoved his hands in his pockets, walking through the park, lost in thought and trying to clear his head. He knew he need to do something but didn't know what nor that opportunity was knocking already. After a bit of walking around absently, Oliver noticed a family figure sitting under a tree, (F/N). He quietly made his way over, hoping they wouldn't notice as he got closer, thankfully they were too absorbed in their book to notice anything happening around them. Oliver sat under the tree as well, not right next to (F/N) but still close enough that they could see each other and were at arm's length. "U-Um hello poppet." Oliver greeted, albeit more shaky than he was hoping. (F/N) was automatically brought out of their book trance, instantly recognizing that cheerful British voice, even if it was more nervous than usual, they knew it was too late so they just stayed. "Hi, Oliver…" (F/N) quietly replied, placing a bookmark at their current pint before setting the book down and glancing at him. It's been a while since they used his name and not a nickname but it didn't seem right to use a nickname after that night. Oliver looked surprised for a moment, smiling gently when he realized they weren't going to run away again. "Oliver? You know you can still call me Ollie or anything else, poppet, you always can." He chuckled lightly before looking up at the (h/c), his gentle blue eyes meeting their (e/c) ones. "I have a decent idea of why you've been so distant recently… I can understand why too but love if you want to leave again I won't stop you but, let me say this first. I love you. Oh so much. With every piece of me, I absolutely love you (F/N). I didn't say anything that night because I was surprised and it took a bit for my silly head to catch up, I truly apologize for not coming to you sooner. I understand if you're upset with me or have moved on already or-" Before he could continue, (F/N) grabbed his wrist and pulled him close, cupping his cheek in the process.

Tears had pricked the corners of both their eyes, threatening to spill over, each for different reasons. They smile as they place a gentle kiss on his lips, Oliver's eyes widen before slowly closing and melting into it, placing his free hand on their waist. They pull apart after a bit, connecting their foreheads with smiles on their faces. Both silently let their tears fall, now with a new and similar meaning. Everything was soft, gentle, and calm now, words didn't need to be spoken to understand but it felt right to say something anyway. "I'm so sorry, Ollie. I love you to no end, forever and always. I-I thought it would be better if I didn't say anything after that confession but… I felt horrible for not responding… Oh Oliver, I'm so terribly sorry, could you ever forgive me for such stupidity?" Their tears only flowed more as they choked back a sob.

Oliver's eyes widen in surprise and he wiped away his now lover's tears, smiling warmly. "Now, now my dear poppet, there's no need to cry, it's quite alright. We both did stupid things from then to now but what's important is that we now know the truth and are together. Besides, I could never be upset with you for this, I can only imagine what you were thinking and feeling. I promise to make up that lost time to you, tenfold. I love you so much poppet, let's get you home and I'll make (f/f) for you, alright?" (F/N) nods, sniffling a little as they pecked Oliver's cheek. "T-That sounds nice… Again, I'm sorry Ollie…" He chuckles a bit, standing up and offering a hand to (F/N). "Please poppet, you have no need to apologize, everything is alright now. Let's head home, shall we? Oh- Would you prefer your house or mine?" (F/N) takes his hand, standing up with his support and grabbing their bag before the two begin walking home. "Yours. Whether the boys are there or not, it's such a comforting place to be." Their voice was still quiet but was brimming with happiness. Oliver hummed happily, noticing this and at the fact, they found his home comfortable. "Mmm well, I'm quite happy to know you enjoy our house, despite how my brothers can be sometimes. Once they hear what's happened, I know they'll be happy as well. They kept saying how weird it was you weren't over as much but whenever I asked for their help, they weren't all that helpful!" The brit puffed his cheeks, pouting at the memory earning a giggle from you. "I have a feeling that's about to change very soon."

Note: I wanted to write something cute and nice for 2P England since most of the one-shots I've read about him were all pretty much following the same plot; meet/already are friends with/have a crush on friendly Brit but don't listen to gut instinct, later get kidnapped then murdered to be used as ingredients. I know that's the most common headcanon for him and I am by no means hating on the authors but I do wish he got more variety in some works. I think he's quite an interesting character and could be the scariest out of all the 2Ps based on personal headcanons but ah, I'm rambling now. Apologies, I hoped you enjoyed this probably short chapter.

[banjomelodies]

Spoilers (since I recently rewatched Scaras videos and saw comments about the Nameless Child) (+unintentional Ei rant)

I remember seeing a lot of people question Scaramouches whole thing about holding a grudge on a dying child, but, honestly, as an immortal being that was still learning for the most part at the time, I think it makes sense. He mentions in his character stories that he wasn't aware a human could deteriorate and pass on in a single night. To him, he believed he had so much more time. They had made promises, he cared for that child, showed him the home that once imprisoned him. And if you really think about it.. he didn't really witness death like this until now. He never saw Niwas body, and I don't know if he ever actually saw the bodies of the various workers in Tatarasuna when they finally passed away, as he also mentions that he didn't expect to be flooded with a negative emotion upon witnessing death (though granted, his relationship with the Nameless Child would obviously be drastically different than the random acquaintances of Tatarasuna, so there's just a chance that he really didn't get hit by heavy emotions).

All that he was aware of was that he was alone again. Ei abandoned him, and he only knew that Niwa supposedly ran away and left him alone, and then the child he treated as family left him too. Grief forms in so many different ways, and anger at things around you, or the person who is deceased, can be a common part of it. There's anger at being abandoned, anger about how life suddenly changed.. so many different factors go into it. And instead of being able to handle that anger in better ways, he found himself burning down a building, and attempting to off himself in the flames, and when he lived and tried to keep going with a newfound fear and hatred towards humans who only ever broke his expectations, or had the potential of only hurting him more, he landed in a group that took advantage of and fed that anger.

Scaramouche never had the chance to properly grieve or figure out how to handle emotions that were still new to him at the time. Him having a grudge on Niwa, Ei, and The Nameless Child makes sense, as it's all he knew. There was never anyone there who actually tried to properly help him. In his brain, he was abandoned again, and again, and again, and it eventually just spiraled into a hatred for other people.

I know a lot of people don't usually go for the "I'm going to try to analyze the characters emotions!" route when watching videos about things like this, since, obviously, why would you. But, there are legitimate reasons as to why Scaramouche would be mad at someone for dying, and it's a sucky situation all the way through. But the best thing is, he probably finally got over the anger he had on Niwa and The Nameless Child upon becoming The Wanderer (I don't care what anyone says he doesn't owe Ei any forgiveness - Her situation was straight-up just child abandonment. Which, yeah, sure, she was doing it because she didn't want to control him, and wanted him to live his own life without her interference, but you couldn't just like.. leave him a note explaining that? Check on him once in a while? Hell, even drop him off in civilization that'd love and care for him? You imprisoned him for who knows how long in a domain that probably just felt mind-numbing as everything was always the same until he was finally broken free from it. You say you didn't want to interfere with his life, but then threw him into a situation where his life would've sucked and been non-existent as he could only just stare at walls and trees. Unless she was just gunning on humans to break him out to give him an actual meaningful life, considering he didn't have his strength at the time. But this isn't a Raiden Ei being a shitty mom rant post, so uh!!)

Ignoring my Ei rant for a second. I hope this was. A decent read. Despite how short it is. I always loved analyzing Scaramouche as a character, so making posts about his backstory is very fun.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Heya! How are you and how are things going? What's the first thing you have to do before you start writing? Like do you have any rituals or do you need to set up notes, character plans ect?

Hi! Thanks so much for the ask!

First, I have to be listening to music, with lyrics. I dunno why but it helps with focus most of the time. Currently I'm listening to a lot of romance songs for the different relationships in my series The Secret Portal, and I have some paper beside me so I can write down the song and the relationship it reminds me of. Helps a bit with mindset, especially since I'm in my first romantic relationship.

I definitely do have a lot of notes to set up. I also need to have a game plan for the session, a goal to reach. Oh, and my water.

Unless I write during a free point in the day, my main session is after a shower and maybe some more before bed after dinner. I guess you can call that a ritual since my mindset has to be right to get any work done.

More specifics of my multi-day process under the cut just in case you're curious for a long-term process. I'm pretty sure you meant session by session, hence the above, but just in case:

I have a lot of different character notes or plot notes up at all times. To focus on my writing process for The Secret Portal Part Two, I have a general outline up just to easily keep track of what chapter is what and chapter ideas coming up from a bird's eye perspective. I also have another document that expands on the outline as I try to set up a more cohesive structure and scenes to happen in the chapter itself. I also try to figure out the order or the timeline.

As I plan each chapter, I look at the extended notes I have for it and try to plan out more details or a sequence of events. For example, the last chapter I wrote for Part Two was an extended family Christmas gathering from my character Ash's perspective. Going in, I knew there was going to be a lot of family members in a small house and at some point Ash would get so overstimulated from all the thoughts (she's a telepath) and relieve herself to her room where she'd take comfort in these telepathic probe devices.

When it came time to fully plan out the scene, I first focused on setting up a little family tree. Then I figured out what would ignite Ash getting overstimulated. I pulled up my character sheet on Ash and figured out how to line up all the things that bother her for the perfect breaking point. I also tried to figure out the details: as in, why now? Why is it just now that the thoughts were too much? What specifically will happen to make her go to her room? When she uses the probes, what will she see?

To figure out what events Ash would see was a little difficult. I have a series-long brainstorming document I consult frequently. TSP is planned to be a five book series, so it's important to plan ahead. I try to see where I am and judge what I need to develop now for later. I eventually realized there was a significant hole so I decided to patch it with a little vision.

After that, I'm usually ready to write the scene. I just have to be sure to plan first, otherwise I find myself approaching the scene awkwardly. Sometimes I will refine the details as I write-- realize that not everything worked, so I cut an idea or change something. Sometimes I'll leave myself a note to repair the scene in revisions if I understand that it's weak/I forgot something if I'm not in the mood for fixing it now. Sometimes I will fix it.

TSP Part One is in the later stages of revisions. I have a list of things to revise next time I read through it, as well as some behind the scenes details to work on. Usually I'll pick one to focus on, but may get some other stuff done on the way. For example, I'm currently reading through to add in some character ticks since I found myself repeating/some characters had the same physical reaction to some things. As I'm reading it, though, I am making minor revisions in dialogue or narration to make it more fitting of the character in question. Sometimes I'll notice an awkward transition and fix it. Maybe I'll add in more details. Maybe I'll change something (e.g., Lexi's hairstyle, Alium's lack of stairs, etc.) as I go and press "pause" on the focus of the read-through so I can quickly get it out of the way.

Sometimes I'll do behind the scenes work, though I'm usually not that consistent with that. If I'm busy doing something else I've been designing bedrooms for my characters to a) help with descriptions later down the road and b) get more into their mindset. Just don't tell my professors I'm doing this.

So I hope you've gathered, if you've read this far, that the writing process isn't very linear for me. I jump around at will depending on what my brain is telling me to do. I got stuck on the opening scene for the next chapter of TSP Pt2 so I've been revising Part One and doing behind the scenes work. I also have beta readers going in the background.

Again, thanks for the ask and if you read this far double thank you!

[intothetlkverse]

Decided to challenge myself by drawing every single TLK character out there, up until this point in time, and post it here. You can see the finished project on my main account, though I figured to post it on my tumblr just show I could proudly show off my work and a few of my head canons.

This here are all the leopards across TLG.

First off we have our main antagonists of S3, the leopards of Makucha's army, featuring, none other than,  Makucha(claws), Jiona(evening), and Fahari(proud). Makucha and Jiona are brothers while Fahari is Jiona's boyfriend.

Next are Badili(change) and his rival/cousin here, Mapigano(fighting). Strangely kind and submissive for a leopard, Badili is often outcasted from his leopards due to his more docile nature, however once he gains more confidence in himself and athletic abilities, he soon learns how to defend his territory. He later becomes a bit of a friend to the Lion Guard, often seeing them when they return to the Backlands in order to forge stronger alliances between Queen Dhahabu and the Night Pride. He even becomes a bit of a messenger for the golden zebra, and ironically becomes close friends with a family of galagoes which moves into his tree.

Mapigano is Badili's cousin. Not as athletic or confident in himself, as well as very mean and lazy, he took advantage of his cousin's kindness at first when the leopard allowed him to stay with him, then bullied him into losing confidence and kicking him out of his tree. Very mean, he is also cowardly and lazy, not wanting to stand up to Badili once he gets his mojo back, and his cousin makes it clear that Mapigano has not only exhausted his stay, but his goodwill too.

Next, appearing in "The Golden Zebra" is the members of Makucha's leap: 'Swat'/Shaya(strike-Yoruba), 'Underbite'/Kuuma(bite), and 'Overbite'/Jino(tooth). All three are siblings with one another and Makucha/Jiona's cousins. Naturally native the area where they first appear, the three were living peacefully in their rocky territory when their cousin Makucha appeared, convincing them to stop off the water from coming to the watering hole, thus leading to the dehydration and easy pickings of local prey animals. They agreed and assisted, up until the point they got their tails kicked by the Guard and Dhahabu, resulting in them agreeing to not mess with the local zebra herd and to ban Makucha from ever coming to them for help.

Swat/Shaya is the eldest of the three and the most cunning and fierce of her siblings. She is also the most confident in her hunting abilities, going for Beshte despite his size and actually managing to scratch him(in my verse), though she at least knows when to retreat. She also is like the Shenzi of her siblings, usually making the decisions and speaking for them. Kuuma(left) and Jino(right) are her younger brothers, identified by their stunning jaws and teeth. Kuuma is lankier and usually relies on more speedier attacks like Jino relies on more strength-based, while Shaya is the stealthiest. Jino is rather smart and often the mediator and strategist for his brother and sister, while Kuuma is the more unkempt and often more immature and erratic, usually going in headfirst without a plan. The three remain in the Backlands, with Shaya eventually leaving and starting a relationship with Badili.

Lastly for our TLG leopards are two non-leopards that have been modified to be actual leopards. Chuulun in my verse is a sand cat, since there's no Himalayan/Asian influences and a sand cat in the desert has about the same ghostly/mysterious effects camouflaged against the sand as a snow leopard is against snow. However, just for the fun of it, I tried making her a true leopard, a strawberry variant, though exaggerated here. I really do like her character and her design, I'm just not a fan of the Asian aspects, hence why she is a species more at home with Africa, though this here was just a design practice. I really do like her more 'evil-eye' spots and 'devil horn' face mark, so I tried to keep those here. I imagine if she was still a leopard in my verse, she'd attack primarily during dawn/dusk/twilight, since her coat would best blend into the background then. Also if she was a leopard, her name would probably be changed to Chui(leopard), though I imagine that's a small pet name Makucha and crew call her sand cat form in my verse.

Yun-Mibu was a bit hard to do, given that I initially mistook him as a girl and I wanted to keep his more brownish pelt color and markings without just making him a more golden clouded leopard, though in the end I think I did exactly that regardless. I suppose the fact that the leopards in TLG have a simplified design which allows me to keep most of his design without sacrificing too much. In my verse, he is a leopard that does help save Kion from falling, albeit without use of a non-existent prehensile tail, and is also a guard/guide for the Tree of Life, living and serving outside of it and being on lookout for any newcomers/enemies seeking to find the Tree, something that comes in handy when Jasiri and Janja come trying to look for the Guard, which he then leads them to Azaad. He's one of several guides, each at a different Moja Kwa Moja Stone. Friendly and calm, though a bit skittish, he and Kion get to know each other better after Kion gets better and later becomes king. As for his name in my 'verse, I found the name Yamubu(mosquito) works pretty well.

[jigschosai]

Jigs Chosai Profile (Outline form)

[A quick note from the mun. Making an OC is a new experience to me so a lot of this I'm just starting to figure out. The outline was suggested by a friend to help better define Jigs and give me some more solid footing if I decide to share written fiction of him. This may get updated from time to time as I think to new things to it that just didn't dawn on me before.]

Name: Jigs Chosai

Nickname: none

Race:  Au Ra / Raen

Age:  37

Alignment:  Neutral Good

Job:  Paladin

Growing Up

Parents moved to Ishgard, didn’t fit in with the culture of the steppe, did not want isolation of the underwater communities.  Mother liked the snow, and made some friends quickly in the Brume.  Jigs very young for this, barely remembers any of it.

Jigs took to the Ishgardian knights that guarded around the city.  A lot disliked him and chased him off, but a few developed a liking for him.  Jigs would run around with a wooden sword and shield, occasionally chase down shoplifters on the Jeweled Crozier (became friends with Elaisse due to that).

Father fought in the dragon war, and unbeknownst to Jigs at the time, took much risker missions to help ensure his family had a place and would remain above suspicion in Ishgard.  He died on one of those missions while Jigs was around 10.

Mother worked in manufacturing job in Ishgard to support war effort.  She was a social butterfly, but like his father she received a lot of scrutiny but eventually became trusted among the staff, and very skilled in her craft.  Died in a building collapse caused by a dragon attack while Jigs was in his late teens.

With both parents gone, Elaisse spoke to the knights he had befriended and together that got him passage to Ul’Dah and arranged a visit to the Gladiators guild which would provide him with the skills he’d need to be a knight.

Disposition

Personality:  Most people would consider Jigs a bit of a stoic.  He does tend to be very matter of fact with most things, but does try for the occasional joke.  He doesn’t drink, smoke, or have any addictions.  If party members ask him to go out drinking he politely declines, though he may follow them into the bar/tavern to eat.  Generally Jigs is kind of boring.

Hobbies, Likes, Dislikes, Favorites:

Likes:  Rain, Snow, trees, quiet days.

Dislikes:  fighting/arguments between friends or loved ones, the beach, Limsa Lominsa, Eulmore.

Hobbies:  Cooking, Reading (mostly fiction)

Favorites:

Weapon: Shield mostly, considers it his primary weapon.  Will use a sword more for pokes/parries than larger moves.  The shield he’ll happily crash into things with.

Food:  Pancakes

Color:  Blue

Time of Day:  Very early morning, before sunrise

Thoughts on main cities:

Ishgard:  Home.  He sees its faults, but likes it nonetheless.  He especially enjoys the nights there.

Ul’Dah:  Was a bit of a culture shock when he first arrived, but he adjusted.  Too warm for his liking, and the rampant corruption bothers him.

Gridania:  The climate is nice, as are all the trees.  The people are ok.  He’s got no strong feelings one way or the other about the city.  His FC and GC are both based there so he’s a frequent visitor.

Limsa Lominsa:  Jigs least favorite city.  He feels that allowing piracy against your foes isn’t any better ethically than against friends.  The crowds on the lower decks bother him as well as the rampant partying.  He avoids this city at all costs.

Kugane:  He never felt comfortable here, could never put his finger on why though.  Everything seemed ok on the surface but he had a hard time learning the customs.

Crystarium:  Jigs loved this city, and saw it as a home away from home.  He saw a lot of similarities with Ishgard both with the people and the situation within the city as the war footing he saw when he arrived made him feel like he was back home despite the other things going on.

Old Sharlayan:  He see’s a lot of the government as stuffy and bureaucratic and feels he’s way too old to be running around with the college kids. He likes the library though.

The Azim Steppe:  He see’s why his parents left.  These people are nuts.

Doman:  He was happy to get the city rebuilt.  He still visits occasionally.

Eulmore:  Jigs intensely dislikes this city, and while some friends have brought up that the slums versus the city is similar to the Brume/Foundation versus the Pillars, he kind of grunts and tries to avoid the argument.  He sees Eulmore as far more garish and immoral and therefore the situation is different (it’s really not though).

Bestways Burrow:  The theme can get a bit grating, but generally he likes the loporrits and was happy to help Dreamingway with their projects.  He visits occasionally but typically doesn’t stay very long.

Radz-at-Han:  It’s ok – no strong feelings either way.  The food is too spicey for him, and he has a hard time finding his way around.  On more than one occasion he has jumped from an overhang into another area.  He figured healing himself after landing was easier than trying to find his way back.

Fighting:  Jigs took to his training like water to a sponge.  If it’s a battle he’s cautious but confident.  Even if he’s dealing with something he’s never seen before, he trusts his skills enough to get him through.

Fighting Alone: Slow and cautious, he’s fine to take his time and wear something down while defending attacks and healing any damage; minimal focus on offense.

Fighting with Others:  Good to play support roles but will step up and lead if no one else does.  May occasionally prioritize protecting others over dealing damage and/or protecting himself.  Generally, thinks things through but sometimes his math is wrong.

Education:  Jigs knows how to read, write, and perform math.  He’s intelligent, but not really an expert on anything outside of being a paladin.  He’s good with processes (A -> B -> C), but stumbles with things that require being clever or creative like puzzles or riddles.

Social:  Jigs is definitely introverted left to his own devices, and has a habit of overthinking things, or reading way too much into them.

Communication:  Jigs is not a strong communicator.  He tends to rely on being clear and honest (if not a bit blunt), to get through most social situations.  He’s very polite, and doesn’t swear, and only rarely insults anyone often preferring just to stay silent.

Friendship:  Jigs is slow to consider someone a friend and doesn’t mix that term up with someone being an acquaintance.  Once he considers someone a friend he’d move the world for them.

Romance:  Jigs has no experience with romance.  The job came first, and he’s never bothered looking for a companion.

[reneesbooks]

WIP Intro: Hurts, Doesn't It?

I figured it was about time I introduced the novel I'm working on for Camp Nano :)

Will's a florist, not an expert on politics, but he knows a few things: the Executive runs things from the Capitol, which was rebuilt after the Second Civil War, and eventually his son will be the Executive. He never thought about it much; he was focused on going to NYU for botany and horticulture and the Olympics for archery. But now? Now, he's in prison for smuggling forged art (which he didn't do) and all his cellmates want to talk about it how the government is horrible and the Resistance (terrorists) are actually the good guys.

Enter Kat Barrick--the girl who got Will put in prison in the first place. When she breaks him out and offers her help getting him home, he is reasonably skeptical. Despite her secrets, she is trying to help him. He'll give her a chance to get him home. But as he learns more about her world and the truth behind his history books, he begins to wonder if home is still within reach.

my baby my novel that i've been writing for years my beloved. here are the main characters (picrew used):

Will Moore: He's a florist from Jersey who did NOT sign up for any of this. that's okay, though. he's figuring it out. His favorite hobbies are archery and talking to people about flowers. He will find a way to mention the fact that he's a florist in any conversation. wants to go to the olympics but already won the himbolympics

Kat Barrick: she's an art forger who ran away from home at seventeen and supports her family by selling her paintings on the black market. yes she throws knives no you don't get to know where she learned to. not here to fuck around, just trying to get through the day. she WILL stab you if you get in her way though

Peyton Barrick: Kat's older brother and perpetually exhausted mother hen. Great public speaker but prefers to be cooking most of the time. Definitely going to trick you into being a vegetarian because he is and knows his way around a spice rack enough to convince you that you are eating pork, not eggplant. why is he a vegetarian? none of your fucking business.

Scarlett Carter: battle-worn leader of the Resistance and antique revolver enthusiast. yes it's very funny that she has a gigantic scar across her face and her name is Scarlett. mention it again and she'll show you one of those revolvers up close. these new kids are giving her grey hairs.

Hayden Stone: Scarlett's husband and the brains of the Resistance. NOT a morning person, will greet you with a shotgun if you wake him up. loves his daughter and is very sad that she decided to be a spy when he's just trying to keep her safe. thinks Will's puns are shitty and has a bet going on how long it'll take Kat to kill him.

My goal for Camp Nano has been to write 25,000 words and as of 4/11 I'm about halfway there :D

Posts tagged for this novel can be found here. A few highlights so far:

Kat and Will getting drunk and watching the news

15-question character interview of Kat and Will

Kat and Will having an Emotional Talk

Will taking a serious risk

The following excerpt is the opening scene, where Will meets Kat in his shop for the first time. let me know if you're interested in being added to the taglist for this wip! <3

I nudged the unconscious man with the bristles of the broom. “Are you dead?”

A small groan escaped. “She left me…”

“Jesus, you’re a sad drunk,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Dude, you have to make like a tree and leave.”

He mumbled something that sounded like an insult and turned over, face-down on the floor. I nudged him again with the broom, then smacked him when he didn’t move. He lurched up into a sitting position, swearing vaguely in my direction, and nearly knocked over a potted plant on a stand.

“I’m calling the cops if you don’t leave,” I said, moving towards the counter. “Whatever your deal is, it’s none of my business, but you gotta do it somewhere else.”

He grumbled and groaned but another smack with the broom had him up and stumbling out of the store. I rearranged the vases and potted plants that he’d disturbed and swept up the fallen leaves and petals.

The bell over the door rang and I turned to greet the customer. “Welcome to Lydia’s Fine Flowers, how can I help you?”

The young woman smiled, running her fingers over the head of one of the flowers near the door. “Just looking, thank you,” she said. “Who’s Lydia?”

“My mom,” I said, retreating behind the counter. “She grows all these flowers herself. Best florist in Jersey.”

“Not that you’d ever brag,” the young woman said with a smirk.

“That would be utterly unbe-leaf-able,” I replied, setting the broom back in its spot. “Bragging is very unbecoming.”

“Plant puns must be part of the job,” she said.

“The fun part.”

“Hmm.” She turned to look at the refrigerated arrangements. I went back to the shop computer, squinting at the inventory numbers. We would need to sell the summer arrangements soon, with fall coming up. I bit my lip. My mom would be on her own in a few months. I’d been helping out in the shop for as long as I could remember, and now I was off to college. How would she fare without me?

I turned around, shaking off the worry. My mom would be fine. I spotted the young woman frowning at a bouquet and walked over.

She jumped a little when I got close, her hand going to her waist. She relaxed when she saw it was me. I grinned at her. “Forget me not.”

She blinked. “What?”

I gestured at the display. “Forget-me-nots. I can check the pricing if you’d like.”

She sighed, her hand dropping away from her waist. “No, thanks. I was just thinking about a picture I saw once. I recognized the flowers from that.”

“I see. Let me know if you have any questions,” I said, returning to the counter. I picked up my book from behind the register and flipped through the pages until I found the spot I had left off at.

Olympic Committee Requirements

My fingers itched, imagining myself at the Olympic tryouts the next summer. I would win gold, I was sure of it. I'd already won state and regional archery competitions, gone to nationals, and beaten more experienced archers who were twice my age. I was more than cut out for it.

I was going to make it.

The crinkle of tissue paper jolted me out of the book. “Will?”

I glanced up at the young woman, startled. She smiled at me, her eyes flicking down to my nametag. I grinned back. “I feel like I’m at a disadvantage here. You don’t have a nametag.”

“How much for these?” she asked, gesturing at the bouquet of lilies she’d set on the counter.

“Fifteen.” I punched it into the register. “Cash or card?”

“Cash.” She set the money down on the counter and fiddled with the lilies as I made change.

“Are those a gift for someone or just for you?” I wrapped them up in paper and added a packet of plant food.

“They’re for my little sister.” Her lips twitched. “They’re her favorite.”

“That’s sweet.” I handed her the change. “I never did get your name.”

“Hmm.” She turned, curling brown hair swinging over her shoulder. I caught the faint whiff of mint before the bell chimed and she was gone. I stared after her for a second before returning to my book.

I had bigger things to worry about.

if you want to get into the mood, this wip does have a playlist

[chershire23]

My Special One

Chapter 3

Slanted is Na’vi language.

Riely pov.

As the sun rises in the sky the next morning I feel the warmth that surrounds me. Man, I don't remember my bed being this warm. I think to myself. I feel a chill and I start reaching for my blanket and I can’t find it. I continue my search until my hand grasps something soft. I pull hard trying to pull up my blanket for more warmth. Ow let go of my hair! Something shouts at me. I startle fully awake and I remember everything that has happened the night before. I instantly release my grip on whatever it is I'm holding. When I open my eyes I look around frantically. To my left I see a very young Neytiri holding onto a patch of her braids near the top of her head. She gives me a dirty look and hisses, well attempted to hiss at me. With her being so little her hiss sounds like a kitten spitting at you. It was quite funny to me so I giggled at her. As I continue to giggle I hear a deep chuckle behind me. I try to turn my head as much as I can to look behind me and I see him. Eytukan the leader of the na’vi, as he chuckles he starts to speak. So small yet you already annoy and pick on your older sister. I have no clue as to what he just said but it seemed to annoy Neytiri more as she started to whine to her father about something.

I continue to look around being the ever curious child I was and still am I need to know every nook and cranny of this place. Map the place out in my mind so I know where everything is later. What? I'm a very untrusting person, sue me. As I continued to look around, what I didn't notice was that Mo’at was behind me until she picked me up. I squirm a bit in her hold but calmed down fast as I realized a few things. Now that I'm a baby again I am more easily vulnerable to injury. Two, this woman is like nine feet tall and I'm barely a foot tall at the moment. If I were to fall out of her arms it would most likely result in a fatal injury. Three, I don't have a lot of motor control as I did when I was seventeen. The most I can do is flop my arms and legs around. The fourth thing I noticed is that i'm one naked baby. Yet no one here seems to really care about that.

Mo’at and her family made her way down the tree and out among the rest of the na’vi. They crowded us while also making a path at the same time. Lots of people reaching out to touch me, most of them succeeding too. Their fingers gently brushing the hair on my head. As we continue on we eventually get to what resembles a giant willow tree, but I knew better it was the tree of souls. The most sacred site of the na’vi.

Mo’at pov

This child is going to be a handful with how mischievous she is. Though I will not think about that now, now is the time to figure out a name for this precious child. As we approach the base of the tree of souls I hand the child to my mate. I turn to address my people. Due to the circumstances I have yet to pick a name for this child. I am about to ask the Great mother for help in this. Then, when I have the name of my child, will we begin the ceremony of the first comune with Eywa for her. I raise my queue to the branches of the tree, I make the connection and close my eyes.  When I open them again i'm in the clearing where I found my girl. I start to look around searching for an answer as to why the great mother is giving me this vision. Then I see a single atokirina floating around the clearing. I near the sacred creature and as I get closer I hear a faint whisper. Riely. It calls. Riely? That is a beautiful name, it is different from any name I have heard before yet beautiful and unique all the same. 

As I open my eyes I look to Eytukan with a single tear of joy falling down my face. Riely, I whisper to him. That is the name Eywa has bestowed upon her. He smiles at me then at our daughter. As Eytukan turns to the people he raises her to the air. Riely! He shouts so that all can hear. Riely! The clan repeats back. Now it is time for her first commune with Eywa. lay her amongst the roots. I tell my mate softly. The great mother will do the rest. He does as I say. When tiny Riely’s skin falls into contact with the roots of the tree they begin to reach up and connect with the back of her head. She looks startled for a moment before she soon starts to smile. The smile is then soon followed by a tremendous amount of giggles and laughter. It is done. My daughter has now completed her first birth.

[tommy-h-bff]

Listen to me. I have a god complex right now like the chosen one because I have fought against THREE EVIL OLIGARCHS and CALLED THEM OUT.

mmmmmhm. I am no fool. Read below if you want to hear the battles.

Bezos

The first agent. CEO of Amazon, the richest fulfillment company. That man broke me. I was just a rat who crawled through piles of boxes filled with China plastic. Junk. The quality sucks. Overpriced. I got it for everyone shut inside their houses during the pandemic. For three years. That felt like ten years. It was agonizing. They told me.. it would take 4 months until I can adjust to the pain. Of just.. always standing, and moving, and reaching their rate. When I snapped at a manager? Because I was just texting my ex real fast to let him know I would meet him for break? I got written up. Because I was resting, sitting on pallets. I needed to just rest for a moment. He wrote me up because I didn't matter.

I snapped at him, felt like a child, made to feel lazy.. and incompetent. What? I work hard. I work for 12 hours, constantly moving my body so the numbers are enough. More, more, more. This is a business. The customer is always right. We must fulfill customer demand, no matter how much it hurts, how tired we are. Hm. I'm just a slave. All that money I made? The bribes and hope they gave me I could become rich? Felt like nothing because I was miserable. It numbed me.

I called them out during peak, because I got sick of the treatment of hard working tier 1 associates. Really good people, who work hard... abused until they're bled dry. It feels like being cracked with a whip. It hurts. It didn't take me 4 months to adjust. It took me two years. Felt like a decade. I hated them. All the managers and tier 3 associates. They're kiss asses, mean, and they don't deserve that position where they could just... treat tier 1 associates, who do all the hard labor themselves. All they care about? Is numbers. Capitalism is greed, and it's evil. I got burnout, transferred, then finally didn't care when my process assistant made a poor example of me to my team. Lol wtf? Wow fuck you. Okay. I worked here probably longer than you. I've done it all. I've transferred many times and have done my best. I have good work ethic, even if inside it feels... like nothing. It was because I didn't know how to communicate a defect in the system via walkie talkie. He was outside fucking off. I didn't know why. He got mad at me for not being specific. That's his job to figure it out. To get on his stupid computer they roll around and act like they're working. Mhm. Yeah I know better. Fuck that guy, I quit.

I'm hardwired like a robot now when I work even still. I do not play on my phone, or sit, or stop working. Because.. I am just a number. Cattle with a barcode. Making that bald fuck mega rich while he sips wine by the Christmas tree. I told them they were horrible to treat us that way via MyVoice where I expressed how I felt about the work culture. They all just treated me like I was a bitch and avoided me. Good. Leave me the fuck alone so I can work. Do not boss me around or make me feel like nothing. I worked my ass off. I won't go back though.

Zuckerberg

The CEO of Facebook. This guy..? I don't even think he's real. He's weird. Strange. Uncanny valley extraterrestrial nerd. It's easy to make fun of him because he looks goofy. Basic. I'm not really big on FB, but I've been around since high school out of obligation. For my family.

It's boring. But to our mommy? The best thing ever. They love it. It's simple enough. We roll our eyes because.. cringe. We don't want to really.. be present because it actually sucks lol. I check every so often on people. That I've known all my life. Just to check if they're alive or okay, but I don't care to stay. Then I disappear again. Rinse and repeat.

It made me eventually feel estranged to all my loved ones where they don't understand me, and I don't care about them. They stopped caring too and thought I was a fuck up, just because I never cared about sharing what was going on in my life to everybody, sharing all the pictures, that make them happy :) well... I didn't because I've never been happy.

That's not a common thing. I'm different. I don't feel like I have worth to share and pretend I'm someone I'm not. I don't bother. It didn't feel like a big deal. My family will be fine and there will always be this unconditionally love. Wrong.

I was divided more from my family. This.. illusion I didn't understand, or could even see. A lot of older generations are conservative. Mmmmm. My family doesn't hate me, but sometimes they don't understand me. That's okay. Im different. They try to accept me, and learn.. but they make it awkward and I roll my eyes. Like ugghh shut up, you don't know because you're just a boomer lol. Jokingly.

Okay. That's the illusion. I didn't see how Facebook was starting to brainwash my family. They're confused. They think ai is cool. It is kinda cool, but it's evil. They don't understand advanced technology because they're not tech savvy. They're the easiest to manipulate, to pull them back to the times they're familiar with. The times they have just now started to accept were.. so wrong. Ai replicated the bigots and generated more bots, the algorithm they absorbed, made them think.. hey. Yeah. Babies. We don't kill them. Boom. They eliminated Roe v Wade, which i believe was when Biden was in office. (His term was quiet. Suspicious. I feel like he's gentle but I just don't fucking know what to believe about the government anymore)

They took away women's reproductive rights. The right to her body. A women's right. Women. Some of them died because they wouldn't help a pregnant woman in Texas. She needed an abortion. The baby was nearly due but.. it died. They made her deliver it and then she died at home from septic shock. Holy.. shit... she had other children. She was still a mother.

Keep in mind this shit trickles. All these rights they take from us? I'm saying all this because they're trying to silence us. I broke their barrier of psychological warfare because I'm a god damn psychic. <3 lolz. See ain't I funny? That's being real. I miss that.

Sorry. I know it's dark. It's disturbing. They manipulated my people to think... it's normal. Um. I'm not normal. I'm neurodivergent and I felt more normal than anybody else. Isn't that funny? They make a joke of autism when musk did the nazi salute in our god damn faces, but I'm actually on the spectrum and I? Never forgot that. I dont forget.

So.. this is when the men started to think they could do WHATEVER they fucking wanted to a woman again. I started to believe every man was actually like this. Men are despicable because the white patriarchy has always.. ruled. That's an issue. Not ever man is like that. I'm a trans man but I don't see myself like them. I don't see myself as a cisman. They? Don't like that. When we are merely... identifying them as someone who was born with that privilege to be a man at birth. They hate when we try to be strong and attractive. Homophobia.. transphobia.. misogyny... it brews in them. That's why we naturally don't trust them because they're breeded and raised that way. Gross.

They're hot sometimes but.. if you're like that? Don't touch me. Keep your hands off women. You're a monster if you want to hurt a woman. Women bring life to others and nurture children with love, and they give faith in them they can love and be loved too. Remember that. Do not ever hurt a woman because you hate them for.. loving themselves and feeling beautiful. If they want to be sexy? Cheer them on. They're awesome and will heal the world. It's all about love.

Let's go back to Facebook. I see a lot of men being this way and I really thought they were all bigots. It's easy to believe. I hate them. I didn't want to hang around. Some of them actually are gross conservatives who think it's okay to beat their wives and children. No. That is domestic abuse and you will be charged for being a criminal. That doesn't make you a father. That makes you an abuser. Evil ai replicated that. Women.. who are desperate for love? That are beaten and do as they're told? Will always support them. They need help. It spreads. It dragged Gen x and the boomers back. They don't know it isn't real. In the real world? Nobody acts like that to each other's faces. It... didn't make sense.

I fell for it because Facebook is supposed to be safe for our families to cherish memories and love their children, laugh at funny dog videos, and play silly app games. That's what it was. Then it brainwashed them. It made me a stranger. We don't trust each other. We don't think our family loves each other. Wow. Because of the ai and propaganda. It isn't real.

I am trying to make them realize this and they think I'm crazy. And this psychology warfare they did? Worked because it's meant to make people like me with mental disability seem fucking crazy and I shouldn't helped. I should be avoided like I'm a danger to society. No. I'm isolating. I think they don't love me. Its.. both ways and they know something isn't right now. I'm helping them open their eyes. I love my family and apologized because I don't want to see them get hurt. I don't want my family to die. I don't want to take any of those memories they loved for granted. They deserved that happiness. Zuckerberg is trying to warp it into something fucked up and awful, to drive them crazy. I'm telling them over and over it isn't real. Love each other no matter what and don't fight. Phew. It made me cry. How could they do this?

I called Zuckerberg's goofy ass out when he posted that he was going to make some changes. I told him to stop lying and changing things that mess with these families and how they see things. I went the fuck off on his creepy lifeless Martian ass. Trolled him. They hate that. It's resistance because I can see through the illusion and want people to see me being real, being funny, and that I don't care! I am me!

Get it? My friends I've known all my life laugh their asses off and get in on it. They get it. We all do. We evolved with technology and know they fucked up. We fucking hate them and will protect our loved ones and those who are too young to fight. We won't let you all get hurt anymore. Fuck those nazi fucks. They'll pay for this.

Musk

Destroyer of Twitter (rip sigh), CEO of X, Tesla, and uh.. everything. He's the richest fucking guy on the earth! And he's a little bitch too.

Siiiiiiiigh. The evil mastermind behind it all, folks. He is a trickster. Nazi troll lord of the century. I hate him. I underestimated this loser. This man... made me lose my sanity. Ok? He is so evil.

He's been working the magic of his illusion to trick us all, so he can have MORE FUCKING POWER. I want to DESTROY HIM. he is... Hitler 2.0 and he bought our government. Musk had trump in his pocket and Trump lied. Mhm. We knew that. Elon knows we fucking hate that guy. He wanted us to be afraid where we wouldn't have a sliver of hope left and that we were better off killing ourselves. FUCK. THAT.

I stayed on twitter and it got dark. I won't be silenced. Twitter is a platform that used to be cool because we could be ourselves and post anything! We didn't censor! We didn't judge! We kept each other up to date on all the fun trends and it was awesome!!!!

The moment Elon got his grubby little hands on it? That was it. We loved bullying that loser. Well, I just sorta ignored him because I just wanted to draw boys kissing. Mhm. That's all I care about because I'm gay. That's fun for me and I had a following. I had friends. I knew people like me. I felt.. accepted.

It rotted when AI evolved. I didn't know why it was so bad. I just knew it wasn't good for artists and that it stole data. Ripped off real people. Yeah... so i.. Just kinda kept going because I didn't feel like I really stood out where it could affect me. It was kinda okay for awhile, but after a bit? Everyone started changed.

Hm. See. I'm an artist and I love expressing my passions, and i don't believe in censorship or harassment, and I just want to have fun and feel appreciated for the art I posted, trying to make my sketches sexy and feed others pleasure for their fantasies. It's fiction whatever. That I know isn't real.

X itself became... limbo. I knew there were bots, but I didn't know AI started getting PERFECT at replicating bigots. I didn't know Elon also had every politicians account, except for the.. blue. LOOOOOL. There are very few politicians fighting for our rights and I'll tell you who's my favorite.

Bernie Sanders. He's the man. I fucking love that guy. That man? Believes in our right to live. That man is not a fool. He will not tolerate SHIT. That man? Is my president. He never got the fair chance to be one but to me? He is mine. He is a very good man who knows we deserve more. He is fair and will even try to negotiate with the other party. Every American should follow his footsteps. He worked for his position of power and knows the working class. He fucking HATES THEM TOO. I love him. He gives me.. hope. That I can just live. That's not even a luxury. That's our right. Bernie believes in our right to education, housing, and Healthcare. The things we need. We're people! So when this man sees through all their lies and what they're doing to step on his, he turns around and roasts them. He is fucking great. He tells us. He tries to fight for us. Bernie.. is a little old man though... he's a good man and.. I hope they don't hurt him.

Sigh. Yeah. It all eventually clicked when I realized that nothing was real but just a few of my mutuals who still remained, but were also confused and afraid. I was going absolutely batshit crazy and told everyone if you don't like it? Then block me. :) those who stayed we're patient and I'm sorry I acted that way. I did not want to be like that. I felt like.. a tweaker. I felt like I was crazy and worthless and that I don't deserve anybody. All I did was run my mouth into the void, unlocked and UNLEASHED THE RAGE. AHAHAHAHA.

I wanted to fuck shit up. Things were not normal. Everything wasn't real. I wanted something to feel right. Everybody was quiet and afraid. Me? Ahahahaha. You can't shut me the fuck up, bitch. So when it clicked? When I realized all of the illusion was just Musk?

I called him out and tried to fight him. I trolled him. Bullied him. Told him I could through all his lies and how they were all merely a projection of his poor self-esteem because he's a little bitch baby. I hate him. I went sicko mode and reminded him why he was a piece of shit father, and that he doesn't need to kill innocent Americans who have nothing to fucking deal with his insecurities. Told him to get the best doctor with all his money and fix himself, because this was not it. Then called him a bitch again and told him to fight me man to man.

I was vaporized AHAHAHAHAHA. that right there? Was a win. I no LONGER fucking care about that evil machine full of viruses and void. It is dark and very evil. People are still fighting I think, but I don't think they realize what his mind game is. That's why I told him I'm autistic too motherfucker. He can't fool me. We are an even match, and i will fuck him up because he doesn't know me. I come from the shadows deep down under... but him? He sees all the stars because he's high off his ass on ketamine. Mhm. I'm like.. an evil.. vengeful.. ghost... and I manifested myself to get in his face, and told him he will meet a very tragic fate if he doesn't get the fuck out of my country. Elon musk isn't American. He is a nazi and he is trying to fuck with all of our heads. Me? I am the one. I'm neo. I will disassemble him deep from within and break it all apart. I hate him. He fucked with my family, he killed my community, and he made all my friends hate me. That tactic? Was so i weaken and kill myself because he made up "empathy is a sin". No. That isn't real. He's trying to fuck with us and he did. We are not so kind to each other now and don't know who to trust.

I beat him. All you have to do is troll him. He hates that. Do not fight each other. Try to open each other's eyes. It's nothing that deep. It's just Elon, and he made ruined the internet. He fucked up my government. My government is struggling to save innocent civilians because of Trump signing and taking our rights. He is fucking evil and I want them all obliterated. Fuck that little bitch.

So the best thing you can do? Is resist. Speculate. Ask why. Be you. Remember equity. We all matter. Be kind and accept differences. Protect each other. Hide or fight. Survive.

It is scary right now. They hit us with a wrecking ball and I hope they fix this. This drove me crazy. I need context. I worked this all out like a puzzle myself. I'm using my free speech ammendment.

Bernie warned everyone the oligarchy is evil and we have to fight. I wish he was more clear on how. I don't think he grasps advanced technology like the newer generations do, but that's not his fault. We have to protect and serve that man if we can make it out of this. I hope they don't kill him. He is my hero. The only politician who ever cared. All these rich fucks lies and gave us hope then fucked us. Made it out to everyone else in the world that we're stupid and sit on our ass, and don't do shit for anybody else. Mm mm. Not all of us. Only the rich do. And there's not that many. I hope we rip those nazi fucks apart. We know now. I know. So if you don't know? Trust me. It's real. It's not conspiracy. Whatever says otherwise? Like on Google? It most likely ai. Don't listen to anyone who isn't an American, the ones who actually work and try to live. Immigrants have every right to be here when they're underpaid and treated like slaves. They're hunting them. Protect them. Do not open your door. Hide. Defend yourself. The government failed. We the people now have to do what we can to survive. I watched them. It was all so fucking illegal. Especially the foreign affairs. We do not kill people or rip people away from their families.

We have to love and care about each other. Don't make fun of us. Don't laugh. It's not a joke. It is very fucking scary and I'm about to buy a gun in case I have to sacrifice myself for my family. My brother is disabled with higher needs and my mom..? Is the kindest person in the world....

Please don't give up, or give up on US. WE JUST WANT TO LIVE. PLEASE. WE WERE TRICKED.

I love you, all. Whether I know you or not? And you think you're unloved and you feel like you don't matter? You mean something. This psychology? requires a lot of thinking. I broke the barrier. I will protect you. You matter. Don't fight. Don't die. We can beat this. Fear is the mindkiller. Thank you machine girl. You gave me strength. I beat this and now I'll help others kick their ass too.

[shatteredages]

Figuring out communication

All right. First off, there will be three Links that will have trouble speaking with others. And I don't wanna do that thing where sign language is super common. So there needs to be a different solution for that.

Lost (HyruleHistoria!Link): Thanks to Wind Waker we know that there's an ancient Hylian language. Well, I don't want the language barrier to get too problematic for me to deal with. So I'm gonna say that the modern Hylian was created on Skyloft. As a result of many different tribes - all with their own dialects - being thrown together. So Lost speaks only the ancient language (the dialect that was the most common among the tribes). The Skyloftians might have taught their children both modern and ancient Hylian. Maybe the royal family and the knights also continued that trend for some time. Then there's Dolphin (WW!Link). When you replay WW for a second time, the ancient Hylian that the King of Red Lions, Deku Tree and Jabun use gets translated. So he's also learning that language. But Lost will still have to learn modern Hylian (or get an interpreter) if he wants to get around.

Revenant (BotW!Link): Due to the shrine malfunctioning, he has forgotten quite literally everything. Including how to speak. Now the old man (Rhoam) taught him how to understand language, so the hero could understand what he's being told. But the King didn't see it as necessary to teach him how to use that language himself. And everyone after just assumed that he couldn't speak at all. Instead Purah and Symin (mostly Symin) retaught him how to read and write. And then handed him a notepad and a pencil. He communicates mostly through writing at first. And yes, I'm just gonna ignore that the different games have different letters. In SkSw and BotW/TotK the letters are almost identical, and it makes no sense to me that such a thing would drastically change, only to return to how it originally was.

Fae (AoL!Link): He's mute, and I even have an in universe explanation for it (yes, I know he technically speaks in AoL, but I don't care). Having grown up with fairies and having had little to no lasting contact with other Hylians, he's also illiterate. And Sign language is also not one of his skills. So, when he joins the team, they develop their own sign language. It won't help him communicate with outsiders, though. He'll have to rely on the others for that (but it also means that language can be used as a code for private conversations in public spaces). But a further problem for both him and Revenant: what about situations where they don't have both hands available? Where the others can't take the time to look at their hands? What about battles? For phrases that are commonly needed in battles like "Careful/Behind You!" or "I need help!" or "Enemy reinforcements are approaching!" or "Take cover!", there are whistling sounds incorporated into the code.

The second thing I wanna talk about is, most of the Links (and even some of the Zeldas) were on at least one adventure. Most of them are very experienced and can handle themselves. So most of them are not going to be all that concerned about keeping track of each other. Meaning, getting separated is going to be a common occurrence. But they'll need to find back to each other eventually. So they'll need a way to get into contact with each other.

Pirate's Charm: That thing being a devise to talk with each other over long distances is literally a plot point in WW. And we know there are at least two of them. And in HW they even work across time and space!

Sheikah Slate: It's basically a tablet. Surely Purah or Robbie can work out some kind of communication feature.

Gossip Stones: The Pirate's Charms were supposedly made of those, and they are pretty much everywhere. Surely they can rely messages between each other?

Telepathy Tiles: An object in ALttP that can be found inside dungeons. Basically a phone booth. And speaking of which...

Phone Booth: Appears in LA, because that game is just weird.

[tehuti88-art]

8/2/24: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's characters from my anthro WWII storyline are Herzog Adalbert von NN and Herzogin Adelheid von NN (full last name never given, so I use the genealogy term "NN"). They're from a very old line of dukes and duchesses and are the parents of Adel, AKA Ratdog, and Edelgard. They're long deceased by the time of the main story; I can't get into their history here (it's...weird), but most of it's already in Edelgard's Tumblr entry. There'll be more about them later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se.

Regarding their design, they're roughly late Victorian/Edwardian era and a bit later. Adelheid's bouffant/pompadour may be a bit much. Everyone in this family seems to possess bright blue eyes and warm/muddy gray fur.

TUMBLR EDIT: This part will be truncated in the next entry to save repetition.

You'll see these two have finally, grudgingly received first names. I couldn't figure out how to label them when I eventually put them up on Toyhou.se...I still haven't figured out how I'm going to label the older generation of von NNs, but I guess I'll wait till I get there to deal with that. You'll see that, like siblings Adel (Ratdog) and Edelgard, their names, Adalbert and Adelheid, have the same root meaning (Adel) referring to German nobility. Yes, both of them, husband and wife, share this peculiar naming trait. Because husband and wife are also brother and sister.

I warned that it's weird. See Edelgard's entry, where the saga of the von NN family was first laid out in detail. So, I REALLY needn't go into excessive detail again regarding Duke and Duchess von NN and their sad ending, though as always, I know I'll end up repeating at least a bit...I'll try to limit myself.

Long story short (and I admit I had to stop typing and delete and make it shorter), despite Adalbert's efforts, Edelgard succumbs to extreme mental imbalance, likely a result of the family's severe inbreeding, and murders both parents in a fit of rage. She spares Adel, but warns him to flee before she might end up killing him, too. When he returns, he finds the family castle abandoned and Edelgard gone; the indication is that she wandered off into the snow, similar to their grandparents, to die of the cold. Her likely death (and the grandparents') is sadly echoed many years later when Adel, crushed by years of loss and grief, commits suicide by opening all the doors and windows of his home to the wind and snow, drinking himself into a stupor, and freezing to death. Even though he lucked out in the genetic lottery and avoided Edelgard's fate, he still ends up succumbing to the "family curse," such as it is. The way certain things pass down through the generations, not only connecting family but repeating history, is a major recurring theme in this story...just that, in the case of the von NNs, it's a bit more literal.

There's meant to be a sequence in the story where Ratdog (Adel's wartime sniper alias) declines a genealogist's offer to draw up his family tree (for obvious reasons...no branches), telling the guy, "I already know my family, why do I need anyone to tell me who they are?" The genealogist draws up Godfrey Klemper's tree instead. A bit of irony is discovered here, in that Klemper is shown to descend from "a long, proud line of peasant-farmers" who have lived in the same general area of northeastern Germany for hundreds of years. (Just FYI, Klemper's family is dirt poor, yet NOT inbred.) Why ironic? Ratdog's family--which he reveals to Klemper is a long, unbroken line of dukes and duchesses, going back at least five hundred years--resided in the same general area, and in their heyday, maintained a massive amount of farmland, which was almost certainly worked by peasant laborers...sort of like serfs, not much higher in status than slaves. Chances are high that Klemper's direct ancestors once toiled for Ratdog's direct ancestors, and now Ratdog and Klemper, a Junker and a farmer's son, are romantically involved. Ratdog--who before now had disowned his extinct family, and presented himself as a peasant type--inquires if this knowledge changes anything between them; Klemper mulls it over, yet says no, he can't think of any reason why it should; although he uses much simpler language, he says that nobody should be defined by the actions of their ancestors. Klemper, as superstitious as he is, doesn't believe in familial curses. Yet the more pragmatic, non-superstitious Ratdog certainly does, because he's seen the evidence firsthand.

Just another FYI: No, there is no child abuse or coercion in the von NN family history. It's not like the Dannecker family with its long tradition of generational (parent/child) incest, child abuse, and force. The von NNs just practice sibling marriage between consenting, age-appropriate parties; icky, yet not nonconsensual or abusive. Adalbert and Adelheid do love each other, just as their brother-sister parents did, and presumably their sibling parents before them going back who knows how far; by their time, the direct family line of two siblings is all that's left, so this is likely a situation that went on for quite a long time as offshoots of the family all withered away. Brother/sister marriage is pretty much all the later generations of von NNs know, so of course it's all they do. Edelgard--who, Ratdog tells Klemper, he was certainly intended to marry and carry on the family line with once he came of age--broke this tradition only with the murder of their parents and by sending Adel away; although close, the two never were in love, and this might have been one of Edelgard's underlying motivations in telling her brother to go: Not only did she not wish to harm him physically, but she likely didn't want their sibling relationship to be tarnished in the same way as previous generations, as she and Adel simply didn't feel that way for each other. Rather than submit both of them to a possibly unwanted/unhappy marriage, Edelgard seized control of her own fate for the first time in her life, and ended the family curse. (Or at least...tried to.)

Adel attempts to ensure the end of the family line first by secluding himself and abandoning their name (the full surname, which is incredibly rare for obvious reasons, is never given--they've long lost almost all importance and recognition along with their workers and most of their lands, just this weird isolated line of nobility living in the middle of nowhere, keeping strictly to themselves--and Edelgard destroys all mentions of the name remaining in the castle), yet accidentally fathers a son, Hans; Hans dies young, and Adel vows that the cursed name will die with him. He doesn't count on falling in love with Klemper, though the relationship seems "safe" as it can bring forth no children...yet in another twist of irony, Adel fails at his attempt to let his line die out, when Klemper is killed and Adel ends up with former enemy Didrika, who also lost her soulmate. Adel and Didrika have a son and a daughter, and their daughter, Tatiana, has a son of her own--Hans, named after his long-deceased half-brother--and they all require a surname. As Adel ensures the name is never revealed, his children assume a completely new surname: von Adel (of Adel). The von NN family name dies out with Adel's suicide, yet his line continues after his death, now named after him.

I'm sure that at least some generations of the von NN family weren't entirely thrilled with the prospects of marrying each other--similar to arranged marriages, they probably had to get used to the idea first--but as I said, there's no known family history of coercion. I also imagine at times there were additional siblings, brothers and sisters who weren't involved in carrying on the line (the oldest brother and/or sister would carry this responsibility), though they too, in their extreme geographical and social isolation, knew no other way of life, and so never got married or bore children to carry on the family name. (There IS the possibility of extra brothers/sisters having children out of wedlock with the increasingly rare neighboring peasants/laborers--meaning Adel could have a few distant relatives still out there--yet none from the direct line, and none with the family name. As their isolation became near-complete, and the von NN family was whittled down to just two surviving siblings per generation, this possibility died out as well.) Edelgard and Adel were the first generation, it seems, in centuries to even think of breaking this custom, largely because of Edelgard's mental instability. Surely there was a "weird" sibling here and there, though they seem to have been rare; from the looks of it, the von NN gene pool was relatively stable, without a bunch of troublesome recessive traits: The grandparents, Adalbert, Adelheid, and Adel, at least, were outwardly normal and healthy. With such a long history of inbreeding, however (Adel never clarifies how far back it goes, but given the typical reasons for such behavior--isolation, and desire to keep a pure bloodline--it likely goes back quite far), it's to be expected that a recessive trait would make itself known, and this finally happens with Edelgard. By a random genetic quirk, she inherits and displays this trait, while it remains dormant in Adel (he admits to Klemper that, despite having no way of knowing for sure, he believes he does carry this genetic trait, and it's the reason he doesn't want kids); and in yet more irony, this inbred family trait is what leads to the family name's extinction.

Edelgard doesn't exist in a vacuum, however. Nurture, not just nature, does play its role. Her mother's early mistreatment and lifelong rejection of her, followed by a rash cruel comment by her father when he discovers his wife's body ("You're a monster!"), go far toward contributing to the underlying problem; although Edelgard manifests violent tendencies from the start, Adalbert's compassion and dedication to making sure she's loved and treated properly, along with her refusal to harm Adel even when given the chance, prove that at least to some extent, she's redeemable. There are simply too many circumstances working against her, however, for it to stick. The "family curse" hits poor Edelgard in more than one way.

All this having been said...Adalbert and Adelheid are generally decent people, though Adelheid is highly flawed. She's the one to initially reject Edelgard and lock her away in an isolated part of the castle, where she spends her early years mostly neglected; even Adalbert has little to do with her. Adel is the one to first show her kindness--the little boy, while exploring, finds her room and gets in, and shows no fear of her, not even when she holds a scissor to his neck on their parents' arrival. Adelheid persists in her refusal to show warmth or love to her own daughter, though this is largely because she fears for Adel's safety--as the firstborn son, he's the sole carrier of the family name. Despite the family tradition, Edelgard is ultimately expendable, her brother is not. Adelheid lavishes her affection on Adel and ignores Edelgard, which has serious consequences for her later. Something just now occurred to me, however, that Adelheid's behavior might not ENTIRELY be based on her concern for Adel and the family line...she almost OVERreacts in her treatment of a mentally fragile little girl. Could this be a more moderate manifestation of the same emotions that overwhelm Edelgard later on...?

Adalbert displays no such overreaction. He disagrees with Adelheid's decision to lock their daughter away, and insists on rehabilitating her once she refuses to harm her little brother. He takes over all the duties a mother normally would, washing, brushing, and cutting Edelgard's knotted, filthy hair, scrubbing her clean in a washtub and wrapping her in a big fluffy towel, and dressing her in the most beautiful, lavish little dresses he has the few remaining staff sew up for her. He adorns her with ribbons and jewels and shiny shoes and beams at her in the mirror, as proud as any father could be; he teaches her German, and history and literature and mathematics and science, and also teaches her the expected arts of sewing, cooking, cleaning, and how to read and understand the Bible and pray. He spoils both children, but Edelgard more, to make up for Adelheid's neglect, with fancy clothes, toys, and candies; Edelgard carries around her hand-sewn babydoll, though she barely pays any attention to it, perhaps mimicking her mother, instead watching Adel play with his favorite hand-carved wooden horse. Edelgard makes occasional efforts to earn her mother's affection, before giving up entirely, the two avoiding each other outright; and despite Adalbert's efforts, she's always rather aloof toward him as well. Adel is the only one she seems to connect with, much to Adelheid's chagrin. (By now Adelheid has decided Adel will have nothing to do with her as a bride, family tradition be damned. Adalbert thinks he'll just wait her out; who else would Adel end up with...?)

Adalbert's hard work redeeming his broken daughter, unfortunately, doesn't pay off. His and the teenaged Adel's plans to go out hunting are scuttled when Adelheid falls ill and Adalbert stays behind to tend to her; Adel heads out alone. Edelgard stops by her mother's room; despite her illness, Adelheid flies into a fury, demanding that she get out. Normally, Edelgard would just leave, yet this time, seeing the hatred in her mother's eyes--maybe, indeed, this is exactly what she inherited from Adelheid--something inside her sparks, the old destructive rage that Adalbert tried so hard to suppress, and Edelgard reaches over toward her mother's vanity and picks up a hatpin. Adelheid continues spitting at her angrily as she approaches, not realizing what's about to happen until Edelgard reaches the bed and raises her arm; then her eyes go wide and she shrinks back but there's nowhere to go. Edelgard brings the hatpin down.

Adalbert responds to the strangled screaming he hears coming from upstairs, dashing up the steps, rushing down the hallway, bursting into Adelheid's room. "Adelheid! Adelheid--?" he calls as he nears the bed, yanking back a gauzy drape. "Adelheid! What..." And then trails off in disbelief at the grisly sight that greets him. He lets out a cry, hurries around to the side of the bed, reaches out for her, getting her blood on his clothes, crying her name repeatedly yet she's obviously gone. Hearing a noise, he jerks aside and spots Edelgard. "Edelgard," he exclaims, "what..." but then sees the bloody hatpin, and the blood all over Edelgard herself. "Vater...?" Edelgard says imploringly, and holds out her arms as if for a hug. Any other time, no matter what the risk, he would have obliged; anything to let his daughter know he loves her. Now, however...he hates her. "You..." he whispers, loses his voice, then gains it again. "You're...you're a monster!" His voice rises into a cracking shriek: "A monster!!" he screams again, leaving no room for doubt; Edelgard's eyes widen in genuine surprise, then narrow and darken, a small crinkle marring her nose. Just like Adelheid, Adalbert realizes just a moment too late what's coming; he lets go of his wife and tries to evade his own daughter, yet she's smaller and much faster and has not fear, but pure hatred, fury, and betrayal on her side--"Edelgard!!" he manages to yell, "Edelgard, stop!"--before she launches herself at him, hatpin raised.

Adel returns to a silent, seemingly empty home. Even the few remaining help staff seem to have gone. "Vater? Mutter...? Edelgard?" he calls as he wanders around, then, puzzled, heads upstairs. He finds his parents...the trail of blood...and Edelgard with gore spattering her and the dripping pin in her hand.

Adel doesn't try to run. Doesn't scream at her, what has she done. "Edelgard," he says softly, tears streaming from his eyes, voice choking. Edelgard mentions how their mother reacted, why she reacted in turn--when Adel says, "But...Vater. Vater's always been good to you. Why...?" Edelgard's eyes glitter with spite, and Adel takes pause--he's never seen her look that way about their kind, patient, loving father. "He called me 'monster,'" Edelgard says, and her tone of voice makes it plain that this, this one unplanned, un-thought-out comment, was far worse than anything their mother ever did to her. She expected this from Adelheid...not from their father. Adalbert ended up betraying her worst of all.

Adel attempts to entreat Edelgard to let him help her, yet she's adamant that he leave--she has enough self-awareness to know that he'll never truly be safe as long as they live under the same roof. He refuses to go, refuses to turn his back on her like their parents did, until she screams at him. He hastily gathers a few things, pauses before the entry in the great hall--"I'll come back for you," he calls out into the echoing castle, a promise, though there's no response. He departs, trudging back out into the snow. By the time he returns a few days later, the castle is completely abandoned, its doors and windows thrown open, snow gathering in drifts all throughout the halls and rooms. Adalbert's and Adelheid's faces and names have been effaced from everything in the residence. Adel searches the nearby forest, calling for Edelgard until his throat goes raw, yet he never sees her again. He imagines her, like their grandparents, curled away in a cave, cold and stiff and still.

Many years later...long after the death of his little son Hans, the very last of his name (an accidental son whom he nevertheless loved more than life), long after the death of Klemper (emotionally volatile, mentally broken Klemper, who lashed out so much at first, certain Ratdog would abandon him, yet he never did, as by then he well understood the hurt--Klemper's wounded expression looked the same as Edelgard's, after Adalbert's betrayal)...Adel opens all the doors and windows of the little stone cottage he built after leaving the castle, opens a bottle, and drinks until both the shivering and the tears fade into numbness, curls up on his bed with the toy horse which Klemper had brought back to him, and lets his eyes drift shut. He's thinking of Klemper, longing to see him again even if only in a drunken dream (he doesn't believe in an afterlife), yet he can almost swear he hears Edelgard's voice faintly calling his name. Eventually he doesn't hear that anymore, either.

Something breaks with Adel's death. Not just his adult children's hearts; son Godfrey grieves, yet suspected what was coming, but daughter Tatiana is inconsolable. Adel had just met his new grandson (for whom Tatiana had hoped to ask him to be the godfather), and had given his blessing to name the baby Hans. He isn't Hans von NN, but Hans von Adel, as Adel's own children never learn his real surname...it dies with him, just as he'd wished it to. Yet so, apparently, does the "curse" he'd come to believe in after all. Godfrey and Tatiana grow up healthy and happy (they're close, but the family tradition itself died with Adalbert and Adelheid), and although the loss of their parents breaks their hearts, they carry on. Tatiana asks Adel's wartime acquaintance, Otto Himmel, to be godfather in his place, and he consents; he lost his mother to suicide, and comforts her in her pain. Hans grows up, carrier of an old name and a new name, surrounded by the sort of pride and love that Adalbert and Adelheid wanted to show their children, yet never quite could.

Please see ADELHEID'S ENTRY.

[Adalbert von NN 2024 [Friday, ‎August ‎2, ‎2024, ‏‎12:00:09 AM]]