#NATURE RIVER MAREN???

[chaoscouncilcreaturecorner]

Water & Beach-Themed Names & Pronouns List

Names:

🤍 Masculine Names:

🐚Caspian - Origin: Caspian Sea

🐳Kai - Origin: Hawaiian - Meaning: "Sea"

🐚Ren - Origin: Diminutive of Rene or Japanese - Meaning: "Water lily; Lotus"

🐳Maxwell - Origin: Scottish - Meaning: "Great steam"

🐚Clyde - Origin: Scottish River Name

🐳Alon - Origin: Hebrew; Filipino Word - Meaning: "Oak tree; Wave"

🐚Solomon - Origin: Christianity; Hebrew - Meaning: "Underwater bridge; Peace"

🐳Earwyn - Origin: English - Meaning: "Friend of the sea"

🐚Salmon - Origin: Hebrew; English; French - Meaning: "Salmon; Peace"

🐳Mortimer - Origin: French - Meaning: "Dead sea; Stagnant sea"

🖤 Feminine Names:

🫧Cordelia - Origin: Latin; Celtic - Meaning: "Heart; Daughter of the sea"

🦑Mira - Origin: Latin, Slavic, Arabic, Sanskrit - Meaning: "Admirable; Peace; Female ruler; Ocean"

🫧Maya - Origin: Greek; Central American Indian empire name; Latinate Variation of May; Spanish, diminutive of Amalia; variation of Maia; Hebrew - Meaning: "Water"

🦑Talia - Origin: Hebrew; Australian Aboriginal - Meaning: "Gentle dew from heaven; By the water"

🫧Tallulah - Origin: Choctaw, Irish - Meaning: "Leaping water, Lady of abundance"

🦑Maren - Origin: Latin - Meaning: "Sea"

🫧Sabrina - Origin: Celtic, Latin name for the River Severn

🦑Marina - Origin: Latin - Meaning: "From the sea"

🫧Guinevere - Origin: Welsh - Meaning: "White shadow; White wave"

🦑Jennifer - Origin: Cornish variation of Welsh Guinevere - Meaning: "White shadow; White wave"

🩶 Neutral/Androgynous Names:

🌊Haf - Origin: Welsh; Icelandic - Meaning: "Summer; Ocean"

🦈Current - Origin: Water current - Meaning: "The motion of the Ocean"

🌊Siren - Origin: Greek Mythology

🦈Tasi - Origin: Chamorro; Christianity - Meaning: "Ocean; Sea"

🌊Dipsi - Origin: Hindu; Bislama - Meaning: "Light; Ocean"

🦈Daria/Darius - Origin: Persian - Meaning: "Sea; Possessing Goodness"

🌊Pelagic - Origin: Greek - Meaning: "Of, Relating to, or living or occuring in the open sea; Oceanic"

🦈Mer - Origin: The Word Mermaid/Merman; Spanish - Meaning: "Ocean; Sea"

🌊Wave - Origin: English - Meaning: "Arched form of water or sound"

🦈Bahari - Origin: Swahili - Meaning: "Sailor; Ocean"

Pronouns:

Nature Themed:

Sea/Foam

Wave/Waves

Moon/Moon

Tide/Tidal

Cur/Current

Co/Coral

Bub/Bubble

Wa/Water

Oce/Ocean

Sea/Sea

La/Lake

Ri/River

Aqua/Aquatic

Coa/Coast

Tide/Pool

Sho/Shore

La/Lagoon

Dead/Zone

Deep/Blue

Hurri/Hurricane

Isla/Island

Nau/Nautical

Ocean/Floor

Sur/Surface

Under/Water

Tsu/Tsunami

Al/Algae

Bac/Bacteria

Kel/Kelp

Sea/Glass

Animal Themed:

Wha/Whale

Shar/Shark

Jell/Jellyfish

Fi/Fish

Sea/Horse

Tur/Turtle

Sea/Seal

Or/Orca

Sea/Dragon [Leafy Seadragon]

Dol/Dolphin

Clown/Fish

Blue/Tang

Ott/Otters

Sea/Lion

Octo/Octopus

Squi/Squid

Wal/Walrus

Lob/Lobster

Spon/Sponge

Be/Beluga

Angel/Fish

Mana/Manatee

Star/Fish

Eel/Eel

Sea/Urchin

Cuttle/Fish

Barra/Barracuda

Man/Manta

Ray/Ray

Croco/Crocodile

Mythology/Legend Themed:

Sea/Serpent

Ocean/Dragon

Si/Siren

Mer/Mermaid [Merman, Merfolk & Merbeing Also Work]

Sing/Singing

So/Song

Lu/Lure

Kra/Kraken

Levi/Leviathan

Loch/Ness

Ap/Apsara

Ka/Kappa

Ni/Nixies

Ca/Calypso

The/Thetis

Ne/Nereids

Oce/Oceanids

Na/Naga

Na/Naiad

Po/Poseidon

Tri/Trident

Tri/Triton

In/Indra

Nep/Neptune

Va/Varuna

Ce/Cetus

Ich/Ichtyo [Ichtyocentaurs]

Sea/Monster

Sel/Selkie

Ma/Makara

Beach & Pool Themed:

Flip/Flop

Mock/Mocktail

Mo/Mojito

Be/Beach

Sta/Stand

Swi/Swim

Ba/Ball

To/Towel

Sun/Sunscreen

Bo/Boat

Beach/Side

Pool/Noodle

Beach/Chair

Bu/Bucket

Palm/Tree

Tree/Tree

Sun/Sun

Sha/Shade

Sha/Shadow

Pool/Pool

San/Sand

Go/Goggles

Sur/Surf

Sun/Sunset

Re/Resort

Salt/Salt

Sand/Sandcastle

Ya/Yacht

Fi/Fishing

Fin/Fins

Emoji Themed:

🐢/🐢s

🐍/🐍s

🐙/🐙s

🦑/🦑s

🪼/🪼s

🦐/🦐s

🦞/🦞s

🦀/🦀s

🐡/🐡s

🐠/🐠s

🐟/🐟s

🐬/🐬s

🐳/🐳s

🐋/🐋s

🦈/🦈s

🦭/🦭s

🐊/🐊s

🌴/🌴s

🐚/🐚s

🪸/🪸s

🍹/🍹s

🦩/🦩s

🛟/🛟s

⚓/⚓s

🪝/🪝s

🏝️/🏝️s

🌅/🌅s

🏖️/🏖️s

⛱️/⛱️s

🩴/🩴s

🫧/🫧s

🌊/🌊s

🍧/🍧s

🧊/🧊s

🍨/🍨s

🍦/🍦s

🥤/🥤s

🍸/🍸s

🍹/🍹s

🦩/🦩s

🛟/🛟s

⚓/⚓s

🪝/🪝s

🏝️/🏝️s

🌅/🌅s

🪨/🪨s

🌙/🌙s

🌑/🌑s

🌒/🌒s

🌓/🌓s

🌔/🌔s

🌕/🌕s

🌖/🌖s

🌗/🌗s

🌘/🌘s

👡/👡s

🥽/🥽s

🏄/🏄s

🚣/🚣s

🤿/🤿s

🪸These weren't requested, just decided to post some things as well until we start to get requests!

🪼All of the dividers are from: saradika.tumblr.com! Thank you so much for these beautiful dividers! ^^

~ Created Mainly By: 🧨⛓️📻 {{ Wilbur/Alastor }}

[pupsmailbox]

NATURE ID PACK

NAMES︰ abelia. acacius. aciano. aini. alder. alfie. almus. amaryllis. ame. antonio. archer. arthur. ashe. ashley. aspen. asper. aster. aveline. aviv. azalea. basil. belle. benedict. berry. bloom. blossom. bluebell. brook. calix. calla. carli. carline. carly. carolina. carrillo. cassia. cassiopeia. cedar. cherie. chun. cider. cira. cirrus. clover. coral. cordelia. crescent. cynthia. cypress. cyrus. dahlia. daisy. daphne. douglas. dune. echo. eilir. elara. elm. elowen. elyana. enon. erica. ester. everest. everett. evergreen. ewan. fauna. fern. finn. finnley. fleur. floor. flora. florian. florise. flower. flynn. forest. forrest. glen. gracie. gunner. haru. haruhime. haruki. hawthorne. heather. hemlock. honey. hyacinth. ianthe. indigo. ione. ipomea. iris. ivy. jaskier. jasmine. jasper. juniper. kalina. kallie. karolina. karoun. kath. kelda. ken. kingsley. lake. lavae. lavender. leilani. lennox. lente. lief. lilac. lily. linnea. lotus. lucinda. lucky. lucy. maayan. madeline. maggie. magnolia. maple. maren. mari. marian. marigold. mars. mary. maud. mauve. meadow. miles. momo. moss. mossie. mossy. moxie. muna. narcisow. nimbus. noi. oak. oasis. oleander. oybahor. pandora. pearl. pebble. pege. petal. plum. poppy. pınar. quanlian. quill. river. rosa. rosalie. rosalind. rose. roswell. rue. rune. saem. sage. sakura. san. sky. sol. star. story. strider. striker. summit. sunny. sylvia. sylvie. tasnim. terra. thistle. thorn. thorne. tree. udaberri. vasanta. verna. violet. waipuna. wells. westley. willow. wisteria. wisty. wren. yuki. zephyr. ziedonis. zinnia.

PRONOUNS︰ amaranth/amaranth. aster/aster. bee/bee. bee/bees. bless/blessed. bloom/bloom. bloss/bloss. bloss/blossomself. bud/bud. camell/camell. camellia/camellia. carnati/carnation. chirp/chirp. ci/cir. cloud/cloud. colum/columbine. columbine/columbine. comfort/comfort. dais/daisy. dawn/dusk. dew/dew. dog/dogwood. dog/wood. ey/em. fe/fer. fer/fern. fern/fern. field/field. fir/fir. fleur/fleur. flor/flor. flor/flora. floral/floral. flori/florid. flow/flower. flower/flower. freesi/freesia. fruit/fruit. fuch/fuchsia.���garden/garden. grass/grass. green/green. grow/growth. hawth/hawthorn. hawth/thorn. hi/hits. hib/hibiscus. honey/honey. hy/hys. hya/hyacinth. hyacin/hyacinth. h✦/h✦m. ir/iris. jas/jasmine. jessa/jessamine. jour/ney. laven/lavender. le/leaf. leaf/leaf. leaf/leave. lil/lily. lotu/lotus. lu/luna. mag/magnolia. mar/mar. matcha/matcha. misel/mistletoe. mo/moth. morning/morning. moss/moss. mossy/mossy. narc/narcir. narcissus/narcissus. nature/nature. orch/orchid. pe/peony. peace/peace. peak/peak. per/peri. peri/periwinkle. petal/petal. pi/pix. picnic/picnic. plum/plum. pollen/pollen. pop/poppy. prick/prick. pur/purple. qu/quest. rain/rain. rhod/rhode. ros/rose. rose/rose. sa/sap. sage/sage. sakura/sakura. scent/scent. se/ser. shine/shine. shroom/shroom. sh✦/h✦r. si/strike. smile/smile. soft/soft. sol/solar. spikes/spike. spring/spring. sprout/sprout. star/star. stem/stem. sun/sun. sun/sunrise. sun/sunset. syr/syringa. tea/party. tea/tea. thist/thistle. thorn/thorn. th✦y/th✦m. tul/tulip. vi/vier. vi/viol. wi/wild. win/winkle. wind/wind. wister/wisteria. yucca/yucca. zinni/zinnia. ☀️ . 🌱 . 🌳 . 🌷 . 🌿 . 🍎 . 🍏 . 🍵 . 🐝 . 🐞 . 💐 . 💐.🌷 . 🕷️ . 🦋 . 🦟 .

[blakeboldt-blog]

Best Albums of 2022

“Farm to Table,” Bartees Strange.

“Kingmaker,” Tami Neilson.

“River Fools & Mountain Saints,” Ian Noe.

“Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You,” Big Thief.

“Be-Bop!” Pasquale Grasso + "Linger Awhile," Samara Joy.

“Topical Dancer,” Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul.

“SOS," SZA. 

“Lucifer on the Sofa,” Spoon. 

“Un Verano Sin Ti,” Bad Bunny. 

“Angel in Realtime,” Gang of Youths.

“A Beautiful Time,” Willie Nelson.

“Big Time,” Angel Olsen. 

“Crooked Tree,” Molly Tuttle & the Golden Highway. 

“One Day,” The Cactus Blossoms.  

“White Trash Revelry,” Adeem the Artist. 

“Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville,” Ashley McBryde.

“Teeth Marks,” S.G. Goodman.

“Bummer Year,” Good Looks.  

“I Walked with You a Ways,” Plains.

“MOTOMAMI,” Rosalía. 

“Renaissance,” Beyoncé.

“Once Twice Melody,” Beach House.

“A Light for Attracting Attention,” The Smile.  

“Sometimes, Forever,” Soccer Mommy.

“Blue Rev,” Alvvays. 

“Blue Skies,” Dehd.

“ILYSM,” Wild Pink. 

“And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow,” Weyes Blood.

“View with a Room,” Julian Lage.

“Preacher’s Daughter,” Ethel Cain.

“Carry Me Home,” Mavis Staples & Levon Helm.

“Feel Like Going Home,” Miko Marks & the Resurrectors.

“It Was a Home,” Kaina.

“Dripfield,” Goose.

“Painless,” Nilüfer Yanya. 

“Natural Brown Prom Queen,” Sudan Archives. 

“Warm Chris,” Aldous Harding.  

“Humble Quest,” Maren Morris.

“Weather Alive,” Beth Orton.

“Bell Bottom Country,” Lainey Wilson.  

“Multitude,” Stromae. 

“Fossora,” Bjork. 

“We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong,” Sharon Van Etten.

“Just Like That,” Bonnie Raitt.  

“Dawn FM,” The Weeknd.

“This Is a Photograph,” Kevin Morby.

“Pink Moon,” Pink Sweat$.

"Born Pink,” Blackpink. 

“Gifted,” Koffee. 

“Kumoyo Island,” Kikagaku Moyo + “Gung Ho,” KOLUMBO.

“Optimism,” Jana Horn + “Classic Objects,” Jenny Hval.

“Pompeii,” Cate Le Bon.

“Wild Loneliness,” Superchunk.

“Scalping the Guru,” Guided by Voices.

“Palomino,” Miranda Lambert.

“Summer at Land’s End,” The Reds, Pinks & Purples.

“The Last Thing Left,” Say Sue Me.  

“God Save the Animals,” Alex G. 

“The Tipping Point,” Tears for Fears.

“Labyrinthitis,” Destroyer.

“Special,” Lizzo. 

“The New Faith,” Jake Blount.  

"In These Times," Makaya McCraven.  

“Ugly Season,” Perfume Genius. 

“Emotional Creature,” Beach Bunny.

“Present Tense,” Yumi Zouma.

"Hypnos," Ravyn Levae. 

“Stumpwork,” Dry Cleaning. 

“Me/and/Dad,” Billy Strings. 

“MUNA,” Muna.

"CAZIMI,” Caitlin Rose.

“SPARK,” Whitney.

“Midnights,” Taylor Swift. 

“Stress Dreams,” Greensky Bluegrass.

“Only the Strong Survive,” Bruce Springsteen. 

“Wet Leg,” Wet Leg.

“Three Dimensions Deep,” Amber Mark.

“Experts in a Dying Field,” The Beths.

“Laurel Hell,” Mitski. 

“The Parts I Dread,” Pictoria Vark. 

"Take It Like a Man,” Amanda Shires. 

“God’s Work,” LeAnn Rimes. 

“Loose Future,” Courtney Marie Andrews.

“12th of June,” Lyle Lovett.

“Few Good Things,” Saba.  

“The Hometown Kid,” Gabe Lee. 

“Give or Take,” Giveon.

"Life on Earth," Hurray for the Riff Raff.

"Earthlings," Eddie Vedder.

“Giving the World Away,” Hatchie.

“The Man from Waco,” Charley Crockett. 

“Mr. Sun,” Little Big Town. 

“Gemini Rights,” Steve Lacy.

“Married in a Honky Tonk,” Jenny Tolman. 

“Pigments,” Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn.

“Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?” Tyler Childers.

“Dance Fever,” Florence and the Machine.

“It’s Almost Dry,” Pusha T. 

“Going Places,” Josh Rouse + “Heartmind,” Cass McCombs.

"100 Proof Neon," Ronnie Dunn. 

[luciellia-fr]

I'm SO SUPER HYPED about Beast clan too! But what if, not hear me out....Wind Harpies?

Okay, okay, the design possibilities are SUPER PROMISING! But listen... hear me out too- What if no birds for wind. What if wind mage dunhoof!?!?!?!

[aholdingspace]

Maren Hassinger, 

Rivers (detail), 2007, 

pen and black ink on paper, 

36.2 × 34 × 3 cm. 

Courtesy: the artist and Susan Inglett Gallery

[candymay]

Talking Shame in Bones And All

My problem with Bones And All is ultimately how it’s been promoted to the public: a lust-filled love story about two cannibals in the American landscape. Then, some are left disappointed from expecting a gritty, consuming kind of romance slash horror. Or perhaps it’s the sweet remnants of Luca’s success of depicting love and passion through Call Me By Your Name (and other films from the desire trilogy) that wasn’t quite the same in this one. But to me, it’s just simply not what Bones And All wants to talk about. 

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

It almost feels like an antithesis of Luca’s previous romance film. If Elio and Oliver’s relationship grows naturally in a safe environment of acceptance and intelligence, a literal family home in beautiful Crema where nothing happens, Maren and Lee’s relationship builds from their shared nature that seems to stick with them, carrying the family curse of being the ‘others’ in the world without a home but stolen cars, driving fast but going nowhere in particular. If CMBYN is a slow-flowing Italian river, BA is a muddy American pit. Oliver’s snug swimming trunks, versus Maren’s heavy hard-structured oversized jacket.

So I guess it won’t be fair for me to compare them as they are completely different in nature. One is about acceptance, the other is about shame. What stuck with me the most, however, is BA’s concept of love as a partnership. I remember Sully’s words, “You don’t need to be alone. You can bond with me as long as you like,” and Maren’s question to Lee, “Why did you offer to bring me along?” to which he simply answers with, “You seem nice”. Perhaps it seems bleak that these ‘eaters’ are bonding with each other even with the lack of ‘love’ just in order to survive, but hasn’t it been like that for most of us too, our parents and the generations above us, for years and years?

I thought it was an interesting take on the reality of building a family, a discussion about our current period of time where our generation is waking up to break generational trauma cycles, which is painful, confusing, and alienating.

I’m very intrigued with Maren and Lee’s characters as the symbol of hope and sacrifice in the name of love. Maren is on the road to find her mother, but really to understand herself. However she seems aimless most of the time, her intention and actions aren’t clear like Lee’s. Just like our generation, she’s angry and confused. She knows she doesn’t want to be like her mother. She just doesn’t know how.

On the other side, Lee survives for his remaining family who still believes in him; his sister and Maren. He goes out of town, eats people, goes back to his sister, and goes out of town again when hunger strikes. His questions have always been, “Do I seem nice?”, “Do you think I’m a bad person?” (and again for the last time, “Am I bad?”). My favorite scene of him was when he dances to a KISS song, struts to the mirror, and catches the remaining blood on his neck then goes completely shut, murmurs to Maren that he’s going to take a shower. It’s simple, but it tells a lot about his guilt and shame. Hope is a powerful thing that brings hope to others. In this case, Maren seems to be Lee’s last hope for salvation. “Maybe love will set you free.” In the end, he sacrifices his body to Maren knowing that his sister has been eaten like he ate his father as if in an act of atonement.

To me, the chemistry isn’t supposed to be romantic in the traditional sense, because it’s no traditional love after all. At first I was a little dismayed by the lack of ‘chemistry’ on screen, I personally think they’re quite detached from each other. But that only sets the tone of realism on how two people who used to be alone for years would be with one another. How the guard is up as a subconscious act of self-preservation, even with their closest ones - even when they try. They don’t talk about their nightmares, but they take turns driving while watching each other sleep. It’s chaste, and the only times the band snaps are when they ravenously ‘eat’ together or when they talk about their traumas from their parents. The love manifests in the form of protection, sharing ‘food’, and literally killing someone to save the one you love. But of course, that’s just my take.

That all being said, I think the difference between Maren and Lee is their views toward the future. That we can stick to what we know and love the way we always know how, or go further and seek another option, as dark as the future might seem.

“We don’t have many options, Maren. Either you eat, you off yourself, or you lock yourself up like her in there.” 

Maren’s future is uncertain, but we can hold on to the fact that she knows she can’t stay still and let her monster dictate her own ambition to better her life. We don’t know how, and she doesn’t know how yet. But one thing is for sure, at least we know that it’s a one step forward.

...

I actually really enjoyed this film despite a few “God I wish it was much gorier” (now I know why Luca hates it when people focus on the cannibalism part too much!) I wish I could deep dive more into Lee’s character (his choice of fashion.. and how embarrassed he got by getting called a slur word by his sister from the way he dresses and sheepishly takes off his shirt). All is just my rambly opinion though!!✌️🖤

[callmebyyournamephoto]

Bones And All reviews - spoilers free

“The chemistry between Chalamet and Russell is off the charts. Their love is desperate, passionate, true, confused and confounded, perpetually crushing under the ethical crisis they face in killing innocent people to survive, not to mention the fact that they feel very differently about it. But through all of this clashing they conjure a sense of impenetrable connection, the kind that renders explosive conflict a mere hurdle opposed to a threat to the relationship. However, there are threats to the relationship. They’re just freaky people.”

- The Film Stage Venice Review: Bones and All is a Bloody Horror Romance That Rips Your Heart Out

“As the two still-growing, still-uncertain eaters, Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet play affecting star-crossed lovers in a grand tradition that harks back to “They Live by Night” and “Badlands.” And thanks to some grisly simulations and highly creepy turns from Mark Rylance, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Gordon Green and Chloe Sevigny, the movie does work as an actual and proper horror film. Recommended.”

-  Roger Ebert Venice Film Festival 2022 review: Bones and All

“Maren (Taylor Russell) and Lee (Timothée Chalamet) were destined to meet. It was written in the map of their fate dirty with eaten bodies, and weighed down by a nature they have not chosen, but which they must learn to accept and share. An inner process in which both of them are in two different phases of their own completion. Lee knows the rules of the game, and follows them by heart, while ... he is only at the beginning of reading the terms and conditions that his nature requires to comply with. A divergent vision, which is found in a psychological and aesthetic duality of the two characters that elevates them to the perfect half of the same apple, an aspiration to a complementarity of Ying and Yang both chromatic and in acting. Russell's Maren is calm and minimal, while Timothée Chalamet's Lee is wilder and more elegantly Mephistophelic. Between the two young people there is an intriguing contrast that makes them as different as they are equal, and which they live in want to underline. Dressed in floral themes, the colors that dress them and those who detach them from the background of a deserted America, live in complementarity: his shirt is red, in perfect contrast with the blue of her dress, so as to diversify them and then let them explode in a fatal union once the two bodies come together and the breaths intertwine.”

- Cinema.everyeye.it Bones and All Recensione: Guadagnino e Chalamet sorprendono a Venezia 79

  “Russell, a revelation in Trey Edward Shults’s under-seen Gen-Z melodrama Waves, is career-makingly good here, while Chalamet’s tender, tousled allure and razor-edge of raw danger powerfully recall the late River Phoenix: his Lee is a hustler to the core, always calculating where his next meal is coming from, and who he’ll have to sink his teeth into in order to get it.

- The Telegraph: Bones and All, review: a Gen Z cannibal romance? Delicious!

“ Maren is to fall in love with a wiry, fragile, beautiful runaway called Lee, played by Timothée Chalamet in his delicate, cheekbones-and-all style. Bones And All is an extravagant and outrageous movie: scary, nasty and startling in its warped romantic idealism.”

- The Guardian: Bones and All review – cannibal romance is a heartbreaking banquet of brilliance

 “Bones and All is fastidiously romantic. It's so carefully made, and so lovely to look at, even at its grisliest, that it ends up seeming a little remote, rather than a movie that draws you close. Still, its actors give you something to watch every minute. Chalamet is just about everybody’s darling these days, and in Bones and All, he doesn’t disappoint. His scruffiness is the elfin kind, and he surveys the world from heavy-lidded, appraising eyes.”

- Time: Venice Review -  Timothée Chalamet Charms in Cannibal Romance Bones and All—But Taylor Russell's Unforgettable

 “Guadagnino has made a kind of emo horror movie. He’s far less interested in the shock factor than the poignant isolation of his young principal characters and the life raft they come to represent to one another as they slowly let down their guard. Those aspects are played with minimal overt displays by Russell and Chalamet but with a steady swell of subcutaneous feeling �� of emotional transparency as the characters open up to each other about the traumas of their pasts and the chemistry between the two actors deepens, apparent in their lovely body language together. Everything they do is easy, unforced, underplayed to subtly stirring effect, and the filmmakers’ unstinting empathy for Maren and Lee is contagious“

 - The Hollywood Reporter ‘Bones and All’ Review: Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet in Luca Guadagnino’s Tender Cannibal Romance

[fr-thrice]

i NEED to incorporate beastclans into my clan lore. based on the old map Nature has centaurs, serthis, talonok, and maren.

I don't know exactly WHERE my clan is, it's technically "near the pox consulate" just cuz i wanted to be at one of the new locations and am buddies with plague in my heart. plus it's close to Earth's colonnades of antiquity which is cool for trading lore.

the area around my clan is densely forested, and i realized that cervitaurs (deer centaurs) could live there. which is hilarious cuz one of my old OC stories involved a cervitaur main character and a magical giant tree, and i repurposed the tree idea in my dragon clan cuz y'know. it's cool

since there's a sizable river flowing through the clan territory, i bet freshwater maren could be friends too. which is great for me cuz i love fish. hopefully with future beastclan lore revamps i can get more ideas for how they can interact :V

[ineverhaveanynormalfans]

I posted 352 times in 2021

13 posts created (4%)

339 posts reblogged (96%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 26.1 posts.

I added 61 tags in 2021

#gi recommends - 11 posts

#gi writes - 10 posts

#smut - 8 posts

#supernatural - 7 posts

#masterlist - 7 posts

#criminal minds - 5 posts

#sam x reader - 4 posts

#criminal minds fanfiction - 3 posts

#sam winchester smut - 3 posts

#fanfic - 3 posts

Longest Tag: 80 characters

#these two idjits and their bee loving angel and their half angel kid and the dog

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Thanks for tagging me @shadyladyperfection!

I - Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls

N - no body, no crime (feat. HAIM) by Taylor Swift

E - Everlong by Foo Fighters

V - Valarie (feat. Amy Winehouse) by Mark Ronson

E - Edge of Seventeen by The Wind and The Wave

R - Rocky Took A Lover by Bell X1

H - Hell On Heels by Pistol Annies

A - Alone Together by Fall Out Boy

V - Video Games by Lana Del Ray

E - Enter Sandman by Metallica

A - American Pie by Don McLean

N - No Time To Die by Billie Eilish

Y - You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC

N - Natural by Imagine Dragons

O - Only You by Yaz

R - River by Bishop Briggs

M - My Church by Maren Morris

A - All Too Well by Taylor Swift

L - Liar by Camila Cabello

F - From The Backseat by Lucy Hale

A - America’s Sweetheart by Elle King

N - Not A Pretty Girl by Ani DiFranco

S - Stupid Love by Lady Gaga

This was so much fun! I made a Spotify playlist for this if anyone wants a listen.

No pressure tags: @sierraraeck @thinkinghardhardlythinking @90spumkin @dancestargia @my-fav-imagines-17 @stunudo @mrswhozeewhatsis @marril96 any anyone else who wants to do it!

8 notes • Posted 2021-02-03 01:51:54 GMT

#4

Criminal Minds Tropes Bingo 2020 Masterlist

Completed fics for my card from 2020 @cmbingo​. All smut is marked with an *

Library* (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)  

Platonic Soulmates* (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)  

Team Dinner* (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

School* (Spencer Reid x Reader)

Bull Pen (Free Space) (Spencer Reid x Reader)

All The Things We Didn’t Say* (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

S1* (Spencer Reid x Lila Archer)

S14 (Spencer Reid x OFC)

Hurt/Comfort (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Romantic Soulmates* (Emily Prentiss x Reader)

Sharing Clothes (Spencer Reid x Lila Archer)

21 notes • Posted 2021-01-06 22:31:37 GMT

#3

Criminal Minds Kink Bingo Masterlist

Completed squares for @cm-kinkbingo 2020.

Not tagging these with an * as they all contain some form of smut.

Praise Kink�� (Spencer Reid x Lila Archer)

Professor!AU  (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Beard Kink  (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Cock Warming  (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Restraints (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Dirty Talk  (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Aftercare (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Face Fucking  (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Subspace (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Bull Pen (Free Space) (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Exhibitionism (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Sex On A Case (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Reid x Lila Archer (Spencer Reid x Lila Archer)

Blindfolds (Emily Prentiss x Reader)

Face Sitting (Emily Prentiss x Reader)

Lingerie (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Breeding Kink (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

Dom/sub  (Emily Prentiss x Reader x Spencer Reid)

First Time (Spencer Reid x Reader)

34 notes • Posted 2021-01-07 13:06:13 GMT

#2

Bingo Masterlists

@cmbingo​

Criminal Minds Trope Bingo 2020

Criminal Minds Trope Bingo 2021

@cm-kinkbingo​

Criminal Minds Kink Bingo 2020

@anyfandomgoesbingo​

Any Fandom Goes 2020

@girl-next-door-writes​

Make Me Feel

Challenge Masterlists

Kinktober 2020

Kinkmas 2020

NSFW November 2021

Criminal Minds Masterlist

Supernatural Masterlist

36 notes • Posted 2021-01-07 16:06:50 GMT

#1

Kinktober 2020 Masterlist

Completed works for #Kinktober2020. All contain smut to some degree so proceed with caution.

1. threesome | toys under clothing | handjobs

2. lingerie | branding | costumes

3. master/slave | exhibitionism/voyeurism

4. nipple play | somnophilia | photography/nudes

5. anal | sleepy/morning sex | corset

6. toys | teratophilia/xenophilia | making out

7. boot/foot worship | glory hole | medical play

8. double penetration | begging  | degradation

9. bondage | formal wear | hypnosis/mind control

10. pegging | dirty talk | wax play

11. body swap | ovipositor | temperature play

12. hair pulling | collaring | omegaverse

13. masks | impact play | getting caught

14. sadism/masochism | body writing | face sitting

15. body modification | gags | size difference

16. shower sex | discipline | object insertion

17. transformation | breath play | chastity

18. spit roasting | biting | shibari

19. fisting | overstimulation | uniforms

20. shaving/grooming | cunnilingus | anonymous sex

21. tentacles | crossdressing/feminization | cock warming

22. fucking machine | masturbation | abduction

23. rimming | blowjobs | gangbang/orgy

24. sex pollen | first time/virginity | blood/gore

25. vibrator | predicament bondage | sounding

26. public use | distention | praise

27. orgasm control/denial | aphrodisiacs | knife play

28. angry/hate sex | suspension | role play

29. lap dance | pet play | leather

30. forniphilia | sensory deprivation | phone sex

31. aftercare | hand-holding

48 notes • Posted 2021-01-07 14:47:39 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[fleshangell]

CREATOR INFO

NAME: Angell

AGE: 18 years of age

PRONOUNS: they, them / she, her

BLOG URL: @angellflesh on tumblr.

DISCORD HANDLE: Perfer not to tell unless asked.

  CHARACTER INFO

NAME: Maren Augustin

ALIASES: The Hermit, Sharp Tongue, Red sea devil.

SPECIES: Human {small abilities}

GENDER: Nonbinary they, them pronouns.

AGE: 19

OCCUPATION: Book Collector, Aspiring Writer.

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Lives in their large family home nearby the banks of river in the town. It's also home to a bunch of ghosts.

PERSONALITY: Maren is sharp tongue for sure, they have seen death in the form of ghosts all their live. So much doesn't really scare them at much that is already dead. They instead are more terrified of the living finding themselves unable to talk while in front of a living person. They also have no idea on social ques or how to see between people's words. At least when they're talking, they instead understand poetry, and writings more than actual people which makes sense. They're afraid of the outside and that includes anyone from outside. They even are afraid of are sensitive to the sunlight. Overall they're a hermit for a reason. The family home is safer than the world beyond the doors and walls. At least mostly safe I wouldn't go down the basement.

BACKSTORY: Maren was born different that was for sure. They were always talking to the walls or a empty hallway, even when they were a baby they would babble and laugh in a empty room when their mother wasn't in the room. They never talk to people though. Their mother Christine was scared for her child why wouldn't they talk to her or anyone? And they barely went outside too. Was she doing something wrong? Maren was brought to multiple doctors and child psychiatrist. They all said to Christine that maybe they were a late bloomer and to not push but encourage Maren to talk. And she did slowly over time Maren grew to talk more. It was small words, then little sentences, finally they were having conversations.

Muted, mechanical not really natural but talking. The emotions would come later. At it would've come until that day. No one really knows truly what happened that day but it was like as a boom yet off in Maren's life. Their mother was gone, something, someone took her. That's all they screamed out when brought to the police.

At 12 they shut themselves off from society. Of course their aunts came to try and help raise the child. Instead they were cared for by a different form of family. A more supernatural kind and it scared off all who tried to raise the child instead.

So here they are in that big house. Collecting books and swearing never to go outside again fearing whoever was outside those walls.

REPUTATION: A Hermit and owner of a family fortune that wastes it all on books. They're mostly just the subject of rumors. Some empathic others nasty.

Fun Facts!!:

Has a ghost cat named Willow whose favorite hobby is going through the walls and annoying the other ghosts

Has between 7 to 16 ghosts in their home they lose count.

Is trying to find a job that won't make them leave the house.

Their red hair is dyed! They're actually blonde!

@consequence-point

[pupsmailbox]

MARINE ID PACK

NAMES︰ aalto. adrian. adriana. adrina. aegir. aerwyna. akua. alda. aleksy. alon. amphitrite. andrienne. anemone. anenome. angler. aqua. aquaette. aquata. aquatique. ariel. arielle. ashera. aurelia. azolla. banks. barbeau. bay. beachette. beachie. beachy. beryl. blu. blue. bluette. bonnie. brooke. bubble. bubbles. calamari. calder. calypso. calyspo. captain. cari. caspian. cassius. cattail. cean. cecelia. celesea. cerulean. cerumae. ceto. clover. coastalle. coastelle. coral. coralette. coralie. coraline. cordelia. corel. corelle. coron. coronis. cove. cubit. current. cyx. dari. daria. darya. davy. delja. delmar. delphin. delphine. derya. destiny. doria. dorian. doris. dory. dylan. echo. elles. eyre. fern. fin. finley. finn. fish. fishe. fisher. fishette. fishy. flipper. float. foam. fwish. goldie. guinevere. guppy. hudson. hurley. hyacinth. hydropha. ink. inky. isla. jack. jelli. jelly. jewel. jordan. jordyn. kai. kaia. kairy. kelpie. kelsey. lagoona. lagoonette. lagoonne. lake. lana. levi. leviathan. lorelei. lotus. maelyn. malik. maren. marie. marin. marina. marine. marinette. marion. marissa. maritren. marlin. marne. marnie. marvin. mary. maxwell. meena. mer. merissa. merlin. meryl. mira. mirabel. miranda. miriam. moby. molly. moray. morgan. moss. naiad. nancy. nauticalette. nauticalle. nelum. nemo. neptune. nessie. nina. nixie. nori. nova. nymph. nymphaea. ocean. oceanette. oceania. oceanne. oceanus. octo. oscar. oss. osseo. pacifica. patience. pearl. pearline. percy. pike. pine. pippy. pond. poseidon. puff. rain. raine. ray. reef. reefette. river. ronan. rosemary. sachiel. sailor. sandy. scylla. seaette. seamus. searya. seaseaette. seashelle. seaton. sebastian. selkie. serena. shark. sharky. shell. shelle. shelley. shelly. shorette. siren. sirena. sirenette. sirenne. skip. skipper. snapper. sporty. squid. star. summer. sushi. tail. tallulah. teal. tide. tidette. timin. titus. treasure. trout. twilight. undine. valdrian. vert. verulean. waterette. wave. wavette. wavy. willow. windsor. wisteria. world. wyvern.

PRONOUNS︰ ab/abyssal. algae/algae. an/anemone. ang/angelfish. aq/aqua. aqu/aqua. aqua/aqua. aqua/aquatic. aquatic/aquatic. bay/bay. be/beach. bea/beach. beach/beach. bite/bite. bleu/bleu. bloop/bloop. blu/blue. blub/blub. blue/blue. bo/boat. brea/breathe. breeze/breeze. brine/brine. bubble/bubble. ca/catch. cae/caer. carp/carpal. cat/cattail. cattail/cattail. chomp/chomp. clam/clam. claw/claw. cliff/cliff. coast/coast. cor/coral. coral/coral. cra/crab. crab/crab. cur/rent. dae/daem. de/deep. dee/deep. deep/deep. di/dive. dive/dive. dol/dolphine. drift/drift. drip/drop. drop/droplet. drow/drown. eel/eel. enj/emjoy. exci/excite. fi/fish. fin/fin. fish/fish. fish/fishe. fish/fishie. fish/fishy. flo/float. flo/flood. float/float. flow/flow. foam/foam. fwi/fwish. fy/fish. gill/gill. glass/glass. glub/glup. gre/green. gull/gull. hi/hide. hunt/hunt. hy/hydro. ink/ink. jaw/jaw. jel/jelly. jell/jellyfish. jelly/jelly. jelly/jellyfish. kelp/kelp. krill/krill. lagoon/lagoon. lake/lake. li/light. lob/lob. lost/lost. lu/lung. luu/luu. ma/marine. mako/mako. mar/marine. marine/marine. mer/maid. mer/mer. mer/mermaid. natu/nature. nautical/nautical. nep/neptune. oce/ocean. ocea/ocean. ocean/ocean. octo/octopu. oyster/oyster. peace/peaceful. pearl/pearl. pinch/pinch. puddle/puddle. ray/ray. re/reef. reef/reef. riv/river. river/river. sa/sand. sail/sail. salt/salt. sand/sand. scale/scale. scuttle/scuttle. se/sea. sea/sea. sea/seaweed. sea/shell. seal/seal. search/search. sh/ship. sha/shark. shark/shark. she/shell. shell/shell. shimmer/shimmer. shine/shine. shiney/shiney. shoal/shoal. shore/shore. shri/shrimp. sink/sink. skul/skel. soul/soul. splash/splash. spon/sponge. squ/squid. squid/squid. star/fish. star/star. stare/stare. sting/sting. su/sun. sun/sun. sun/sunbathe. swi/swim. swim/swim. swish/swish. tail/tail. tear/tearself. ten/tentacle. ti/tide. tide/tide. tooth/tooth. tre/trench. treasure/treasure. tro/tropical. tropi/tropical. tuna/tuna. um/umbrella. urchin/urchin. void/void. wa/water. wa/wave. wash/wash. wat/water. water/water. water/wave. wave/wave. wet/wet. wha/whale. whale/whale. wy/wave. ☀. ⛱. 🌅. 🌊. 🌞. 🌴. 🍥. 🎣. 🏖. 🐋. 🐙. 🐚. 🐚.🦐. 🐟. 🐠. 🐡. 🐬. 🐳. 👙. 💧. 🚢. 🛥. 🦀. 🦈. 🦐. 🦑. 🦞. 🧽. 🧿. 🩱.

[ariddletobesolved]

Days We Spend Under the Sun (Chapter Two)

Written for @helsa-summer-event

Fandom: Frozen

Genre: Romance, Family, Fluff, Whump

Rating: T

Summary: Summer is not her favourite season, but a certain Admiral from the neighbouring kingdom is going to change that.

Perhaps we should call this a collection of Helsa fluff drabbles. External links (including some links to the prologue and chapter one) are in the notes. Enjoy!

Prompt 2: Blue Skies and Dandelion Fuzz

—

Chapter Two

One of the best things about the forest is the serenity it offers, this pretty much she knew.

Standing near the river bank, Elsa had been staring at her own reflection for a while. It was still early in the morning when she sneaked out of Hans's warm embrace and out of her own hut in the village. Not that she didn't want to stay and cuddle—despite the fact that the weather was rather hot, but she would like some space for her to think, and the river bank being one of her favourite places in the Enchanted Forest could offer that.

Her mind began to wander to the event that happened the day before. Hans was indeed full of surprises when it came to wooing her, she was aware of that fact. But the trick he pulled, when he broke into a gallop instead of stopping to let her summon the Nokk, was one she didn't see coming. Nonetheless, she still found the journey quite enjoyable. Even during a few stops did she not try to summon the Nokk. The way he held her close to his chest was something she found comfort in. Eventually, they arrived in the forest when the sun went down, and Yelena was the first one to greet them, accompanied by Honeymaren. After having dinner, they stopped by the stable-like area in the village to give Sitron an extra bag of carrots. Tired from the long journey, they finally turned in and Elsa, of course, had to share her hut with Hans. 

Sighing in contentment, Elsa began to stretch her muscles. It had been quite some time since the last time she was back in the forest, she almost forgot how different the place was from Arendelle. It was really quiet in the morning. There was no sound of people trading or arguing, no sound of hooves clicking against the pavement, nothing but the serenity of nature. She smiled, still looking at her own reflection, before a familiar set of eyes stared back at her. The Nokk.

The water spirit rose from the river, standing tall before her in the form of a majestic horse. Elsa looked up with one hand reaching out to gently caress the spirit. Affectionately nuzzling its face close to hers, it was as if the Nokk tried to tell her that it missed her. Elsa let out a chuckle, for she was amused by the spirit.

"I've missed you too, Nokk." She said. "Sorry about yesterday, but Hans had another plan. At least we're here now."

The horse walked around above the river, and Elsa tilted her head in confusion.

"Are you complaining, now?" She raised her eyebrow. But before she could react, she saw a flash of fire. It danced from stone to stone, before stopping beside her feet. Bending down, Elsa smiled. "Hello, little guy!"

The fire died down, and a blue salamander crawled upon her open palm. Elsa conjured a small rain of snowflakes to the creature's amusement, as it poked its tongue out to catch some fallen snowflakes.

"You like it, huh?"

Blinking and tilting its head, Bruni, the fire spirit, stared at her with something like glee. It was obvious that the fire spirit was glad to have her back. The blonde grinned, finding the gesture adorable. Looking up, she saw the Nokk staring at her intensely.

"What?"

The water horse motioned at the path towards the village.

"You want to see Hans?" She inquired. At the mention of the former prince, Bruni smiled wider. "Why, so you can try to drown him again?"

If Nokk could laugh, it would certainly roll onto its belly, Elsa was sure of that. The unspoken tension between the two brought back a memory of their first meeting. It happened shortly after Hans was released from a three hour long questioning, in which the decision sparked a brief tension between her and her sister. Anna, being the wise queen she was, decided that she found nothing harmful with his presence back in Arendelle. Hans was there to deliver an invitation under the Crown Prince of the Southern Isles' order. Elsa, refusing to accept it, mounted on the Nokk and rode across the ocean towards where his ship was in the harbour. They had a quarrel which resulted in him slipped on Elsa's ice and fell into the water. The Nokk, that was offended by Hans' accidental name calling 'water horse' did try to drown him, leaving Elsa standing on her ice.

"He is not the same man, you know." She sighed, making her way towards the majestic horse. Bruni crawled up and rested on her shoulder. "He has grown to be a better person, don't you worry about it."

Elsa smiled at that thought. It wasn't easy to get where she was, but time had given them a chance. Then, faintly, she heard some footsteps walking closer. She turned, only to see Ryder walking with a smaller reindeer.

"Morning, Elsa."

She smiled. "Ryder! I didn't see you last night. How are you holding up?"

The young man returned the smile, half shrugging sheepishly. "Well, I'm fine, I guess? I've been taking care of the reindeers." He nudged the reindeer standing beside him, who nudged back. "This one is John."

"Oh," Elsa tried to bite back a laugh, "that's quite a name for a reindeer."

"I know." Ryder brushed it off as if it was nothing, certainly not aware of Elsa's amused face. "Oh, and one more thing, Hans is looking for you."

"Sure." Elsa turned to the Nokk, who was tilting its head. "I'll be there shortly."

"Great! I'll head off to the meado now." He said. "Also, the breakfast is ready, so you better go back soon."

Nodding, she looked back. "Sure. I'll see you later, Ryder."

"See you later, Elsa." With that, he took off with the reindeer.

Once again, she was left alone with the spirits. "You're coming, Nokk?" Instead of answering, the Nokk turned around and dived into the water. "So, it's just us." Elsa turned to the excited salamander, that was now crawling onto the top of her head. "Fine, it seems like you really are excited to see Hans."

She made her way towards a familiar path that led her back to the village. Taking a deep breath, she let the clean morning breeze fill her system. She looked up to the blue sky and sighed. Nothing topped a nice breezy summer morning. It was rather warm in the forest, since summer had arrived up north, but she liked it. Unlike Anna, Elsa wasn't a huge fan of summer. She couldn't really stand the heat, and would take every opportunity to take shelter under the shade. The reason why she agreed to Hans' suggestion to ditch the carriage—other than to spend more private time together on the journey—was because of her ability to conjure some clouds above them should the weather be too sunny.

The sound of children playing around and people starting the day got louder as Elsa walked closer to the village. From afar, she spotted a familiar auburn haired Admiral sitting on the ground with two bowls of steaming food beside him. He looked far too engrossed in a conversation with a brunette sitting before him, he didn't see her coming.

Elsa saw this as an opportunity to surprise him, but before she could do such a thing, Bruni already beat her to it. The salamander hopped from her head and landed safely on the ground, before it crawled towards the Admiral. Upon the tiny element of surprise, Hans almost jumped on his seat. Bruni settled on his shoulder, causing him to turn and saw Elsa standing nearby.

"Elsa." He looked a little taken aback, before flashing her a smile. "Have you been there for a while?"

"No." Taking a seat next to him, Elsa pecked his lips shortly. "I have just arrived." She then turned to the brunette. "Morning, Maren."

"Good morning, Elsa." Honeymaren smiled. "Did you see Ryder?"

"Yes, I did." Elsa nodded, taking a bowl Hans offered her. "Thank you, Hans." Turning back to her distant cousin, she continued, "So, what were you two talking about? You both seemed engrossed."

Honeymared glanced at Hans, before replying, "Nothing that would interest you, really. Hans was asking about the crops, yeah."

Hans smiled. He didn't say anything, instead, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. But something told Elsa that it wasn't exactly their main topic of discussion.

"Okay."

"Where were you?" Hans asked. "I woke up this morning and you were nowhere to be seen."

"I was at the river bank, talking to Nokk, before Bruni came." She smiled at the beaming salamander. "They missed you."

Hans playfully rolled his eyes. "Yeah, as if the water horse misses me. I wouldn't be surprised if the little guy here did, or maybe Gale, since it greeted me earlier before deciding to play with those kids." He gestured at the wind spirit swirling around two giggling children.

Elsa grinned in response. "What did I tell you? Nokk doesn't like it."

"What will the Nokk do anyway, try to drown me?" He raised a brow, before shrugging. "Anyway, you should finish your breakfast. Are you going to visit Ahtohallan later today?"

She shook her head no. "I'll go to Ahtohallan tomorrow."

"Great! Because I have a plan for the two of us later." Hans beamed, briefly glancing at Honeymaren, who shrugged slightly.

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

"That, Kaere, is for me to know," Hans poked the tip of her nose, "and for you to find out."

"Fine."

Elsa beamed. Excitement surged through her, as her mind began to think of a few possibilities. She might look as if she wasn't expecting much, but deep inside, anticipation was building up. She looked forward to whatever adventure he had in store for her.

[thatcreepylithuanian]

Elsa/Honeymaren: Learning to Love (Snippet)

oO Dragon's Head Peak Oo

"You never cease to amaze." Honeymaren cradled her own head as she stretched out to watch the firelight dance across fractal ice that allowed it's glow to spread out over the entire area in which they laid. The poles that created the pyramid-shaped support leaving the wilderness around them completely exposed, "How do you even think of these things?"

"What do you mean?" Elsa adjusted the bowl carefully making sure it sat directly beneath the hole meant to let the heat rise out and not melt the ice around it. The last thing she wanted was for it to come crashing down over them.

"I mean, don't you have to visualize something to make it happen or does it just...appear?" Honeymaren rolled into her side as Elsa came to sit beside her. Her fine brows furrowed with thought.

"I definitely have to visualize it... especially when I want to make something specific but other times the magic just takes over... It leads me, into seeing what I need to make." She sighed softly and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"What other things have you made? Things you've visualized." She let her fingers lightly trace some of the ice made beads along the hem of Elsa's jacket.

"I made, Olaf this you know of course...I uh, made some toys a couple of times for the kids of the Kingdom...The fireworks or whatever you'd call them at Anna's wedding. An ice rink, ice skates..."

Honeymaren frowned at her tone. She spoke as though she wasn't proud of any of it. She pushed herself back up to face her properly, "Let me rephrase. What's something you've made that you made for yourself? Something you're proud of?"

Elsa blinked dumbly for a long moment before her brows furrowed deeply with thought. She'd never even thought about it before. Her only focus on her magic had been to be careful with it. Keep it from hurting anyone. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she'd nearly always made something at request. Usually—no, nearly always—at Anna's excited request in terms of frivolous creation.

"Surely, there's something...?" Yelena had told her to practice her craft. Encouraged her to do things she'd never believed she could. Of course, Honeymaren hadn't been privy to those sessions. As the elder had taken Elsa deep in the woods so as to reassure her that no harm would come to anyone should she do so. Even then, that didn't count. She'd been told to do it. Wasn't there anything that she'd done for herself?

"I-um..." She curled her lip in as she continued to think back. Then finally it hit her, "I made a place once. Well, twice but the second time it was for Marshmallow and the snowgies..."

"Hold up... you made a palace? Entirely of ice?"

Elsa tensed unable to read the smaller woman's reaction, though when she let out a bark of laughter and took hold of her arms with the same joy that she'd seen in Anna's eyes so many times her entire body relaxed.

"Like, an entire palace? With rooms and everything?" The small sheepish nod made Honeymaren want to shake her, "You can do that? And you're living in a small wooden house?!"

"Well to be fair, if I made a house of ice I'd be the only one who could actually live in it... aside from the snowmen."

"Okay. Fair point. But still," She let far hands run down her arms before coming up to cradle her jaw, "That's absolutely incredible, you must take me there." She glanced down at her less than winter-ready clothes, the drop of the spring night already making her a little chilly, "When I'm more appropriately dressed of course."

Elsa smiled into her hold, her head tilting outside of her conscious thought into her palm, "Of course."

"It's so wonderful learning more about you..."

"It's good to be known..." Elsa spoke truthfully, her eyes lowering down just a touch to just appreciate the woman in front of her.

How nice it felt to allow herself to feel just a little bit special not just because of her gifts but because of who she was as a person. The compliment felt so much different coming from Honeymaren. As she wasn't her sister, who would love her no matter what or the people of the Kingdom of which she had reined filling her with polite platitudes because of her status.

In the Northulhdran's eyes, her magic was apart of her just as much as her hair and when Honeymaren questioned her it never felt like she separated one from the other. Her compliments on what she'd done like a carpenter being commended in his craft.

"You know...I was thinking..." The fingers that had been resting on the curve of snow lowered down to the deeply shadowed mark peeking out at the hollow of Elsa's throat, "If you wanted to practice sparring, I think I'd be a much better teacher."

Elsa winced slightly from the touch, the bruise heated and sore, "Are you sure you have time...? I mean, you're the Chieftess... don't you have responsibilities?"

"My only responsibility is to keep the peace between the spirits and our people. Everything else is for me to decide." Her fingers dipped just a little beneath the fabric before a sharp intake of breath forced her retreat, "Do you remember... What we talked about before...? After we got back from Arendelle?"

Hot, everything suddenly felt hot. From the tips of her ears down to her sandaled feet, "About starting over from the beginning...?"

"Yeah." The hands that glided down impossibly soft fabric left behind a warmth that was very distracting, "I do..." Elsa swallowed thickly, her eyes lowering down to their joining hands.

"Do you... want to try something more than kissing?" It had been such a wonderful night. Elsa hadn't looked so relaxed in a long time.

Elsa tilted her head up, that same feeling coiling slowly in her stomach. Her magic seemed to be calm where they were as if just being out in nature was enough to keep it satisfied, "Like... what?"

"I want you to touch me..." Maren was careful when she pulled on Elsa's wrists, resting her curled fingers below her collar, "Any way you like... as long as you're comfortable. Any way that makes you feel... good."

"Good?" Still hopelessly lost, her brows furrowed slightly, her gaze locked on her fingernail that was lightly ticking at the fabric of Honeymaren's tunic.

"You know... good." The younger woman grinned despite herself and ducked her head to catch her lover's eyes before pointedly looking down into her lap.

"Oh..." A bright blush ran up her neck, "But... aren't I supposed to make you feel... good?"

"We're supposed to feel good together. Trust me, anything you touch will make me feel good. Just... start with what you like and go from there." She didn't stop herself from gently running her palm over Elsa's thigh, the muscle therein flexing at her touch.

Elsa licked her lips slowly, her eyes flicking up for just a brief moment before she took a deep steadying breath, "Like... this?"

Her heart pulsed when she leaned in, closing the gap with a hesitant kiss. A soft hum of appreciation passed into her and she felt her body slowly unwinding. Ever so cautiously she let her fingers uncurl, trying to picture her magic as a soft summer wind instead of a raging storm of ice.

The fabric beneath her palms pulled with each breath, the muscle teasing her fingertips. When the kiss broke her lashes fluttered down to look at her hands, no ice, no snow. Mildly confident, she leaned forward once more and let her lips trail down along her pulse, the smell of Earth filling her senses. grounding her.

Honeymaren let her head fall to the side, her lashes opening to watch the spirit's descent. Her own hands twitched to take hold but her heart stayed them, "Yes... just like that..."

The soft whisper made Elsa smile, another small kiss pressing just to where skin met cloth. Timidly, she raised one of her hands and pulled; exposing more skin for her lips to explore. Her other hand curled instinctively into her own stomach, while she turned her focus on the one under her jaw. Conceal, don't feel... keep it under control... Despite her fear, her magic didn't seem to be coming to the surface, in fact, the heat that was growing in her stomach seemed to be keeping it quite restrained.

Emboldened, Elsa shifted just a touch closer. Leaning up to watch the back of her fingers trail down the V-shaped neck where a small metal clasp held the neck in place. Before she could even ask, tanned fingers deftly pulled the metal from its place, releasing a soft sigh from both women. With only a fugitive glance, Elsa returned her knuckles, lightly tracing down the valley before leaning in again to press her lips to the bone.

Maren had never before been touched so gently in all her life. It was completely intoxicating. It sent every one of her senses into overdrive. Her palms burned to touch the Goddess in front of her, her chest aching to return the favor. Her lashes fluttered again making her legs shift just a little further apart. She could do this, she could restrain her childish desires. She could keep herself under control. If Elsa could do it, so could she.

Elsa's gaze was beyond focused, her vision completely taken in by the sharp contrast of her fingers against sun-kissed skin. The hand around her waist tightened when she allowed herself to turn her hand, knuckles to fingertips. The small jump of muscle made her recoil near-instantly but the hand that came to her wrist in the next breath kept her in place. Fear flickering over deep sea blue eyes.

"It's okay, it just tickled..." Honeymaren leaned down without lowering her eyes, her lips reverently pressing against soft nails, "Do you... want me to...?"

Elsa curled her fingers lightly into her palm, her brows furrowing just a little from the hanging question. It took a long moment before her brain was able to supply her with all the possible ways their present situation could go wrong. The sound of the stream nearby filling her ears like a raging river.

"It's okay if you don't...I mean...I understand."

Another slow heated breath left Elsa's chest as her courage took its sweet time in coming out from behind its door. Like a child peeking out into the darkness of night, her heart thudded heavily before she managed to nod ever so slightly.

Honeymaren did her best not to allow her victory to overtake her senses. Her smile twitching to beam, "Okay."

A lick to her lips lowered her hands to the hem of her tunic, her eyes watching the hand she'd just released curl into the fabric over her love's heart. Patience, strength. Slowly. Carefully. Don't scare her, don't overwhelm her. Just, take your time. She wants this, you want this. There is no need to rush.

A deep sigh left her chest when the chill of the night raised her skin. Despite the springtime temperature the sight of the woman before her kept her skin heated. She laid the tunic down to the side, a brow-raising when blue eyes turned near to black from dilation. Another step, another breath to keep herself restrained. This was probably the best and worst situation she'd ever found herself in.

"You're so beautiful..." Elsa didn't even realize the words had escaped her battle-torn mind until Maren whispered back at her with the same sentiment and a gentle caress of her cheek that had her turning her lips into a soft weathered palm.

"Go on... it's okay..."

Silken knuckles returned, tracing along a muscled collar. Down to the raised skin of a defined chest before trailing along the cloth wrapped tightly both for modesty and agility.

Honeymaren sat up straighter with a swallowed moan. Her head tilting back to look into the endless night sky, the stars therein seeming even brighter than ever before. Another shift brought her up onto her knees, her torso stretching out like a taut rubber band as her entire body ached with need.

Elsa adjusted herself as well, coming from her hip to rest on her calves. The hand around her own waist finally coming free to join its mate to run down a broad square-shaped waist. She could almost feel every individual hair, every single pulse of the heart beneath her fingertips. The sensation completely blocking out all other thought. More, she wanted to feel more.

Head nearly to heavy to lift, Honeymaren felt a flash of worry when the palms that had surely memorized every single curve of her waist retreated. Her breath catching as she made to speak only to realize that Elsa had pulled back to remove her jacket.

The world around them suddenly felt brighter as her pupils exploded. Elsa had adjusted her magical shirt into nothing but a tight-fitting camisole, exposing her arms and shoulders to the light above causing her pale skin to almost glowing in its light.

Honeymaren's hands rose outside of her command, her brow going tense to the spotted bruises that marred her otherwise flawless skin. They had to hurt, how could they not? How had she hidden the pain so flawlessly? How she wanted to kiss them all away.

The mood between them faltered as Elsa turned her head down to the hands that ran up her arms, gingerly tracing the spots of heated and abused flesh. Her fingers twitched in the air between them before gingerly resting against the elbow of the arm that explored her own skin. The heat in her stomach clouding her thoughts and making it impossible for her to think.

A whimper slipped between Elsa's lips, her body arching forward as though led by another. Her head lowering down to press a soft kiss to the shoulder that had come level with her chin. Her arms wrapped behind, pulling the Northulhdran closer so that her heat threatened to melt the ice that formed her clothes. A sharp breath and a near full-body tremble came from the woman in her embrace and she found herself completely lost inside a storm to which she had no control.

"Does it... is it...good?" Elsa's tongue almost failed her. Her breathing near painful from the contact, the strange want to be even closer, to feel her skin against her own.

"So good..." Honeymaren pressed her lips into her hair, one hand coming up to tangle into silver locks while the other slipped just beneath the fabric of her lower back. There was still too much between them, so much more to feel. They'd come this far, could they go further? Should she risk it?

"What do you want right now?"

Elsa wasn't sure how to answer that question. All she knew was that she wanted more, more of something. Something that lied hidden behind the fog of alcohol, of a memory distorted, "More..."

As though called by a siren, Honeymaren pulled her head back just enough to capture bruised lips. A soft whine of her own mixing with the whimper she pulled forth. Her arms flexed and her legs moved out from beneath her, lowering her down and tilting her head up. The kiss remained, heavy and chaste. A small pause to catch their breath before she recaptured her lips. The smaller woman leaned back into the arms that held her close. Her weight pulling them backward and forward simultaneously.

Elsa tried to move fluidly but her body was still new to this amount of stimulation running through her veins. A small gasp had her sliding her lips away into a furiously pulsing neck as strong legs moved outside of her own. Her hips shifted and when her lower stomach pressed into bone a sharp hiss from the woman beneath her stuttered her heart.

"I'm okay," Honeymaren rushed to relive the tension she felt snap tight through the woman now laid completely overtop of her. Her weight unimposing. Her hips bucked when she shifted again and her control began to slip, "Just...ah... It feels good..."

Elsa shook her head, her arms shifting out to support part of her weight on her elbows. Despite her words, her face didn't look like it was good. She definitely looked as though she were in pain, "Are you sure?"

Maren forced her eyes open and took the deepest breaths she could manage, letting her fingers trail up Elsa's soft neck and under her jaw, "Positive... Do you... still feel good?"

"I think so..." She felt many things, too many to possibly analyze. It was as though her mind had fled, "What should I do...?"

"Whatever you want... whatever feels right..." Oh, it was so hard to speak. She wanted so desperately to return every favor. Every touch, every kiss. To simply show her how good everything she'd done felt.

Still unsure and with her arms otherwise occupied, Elsa shifted her weight eliciting another sharp hiss. Her brow furrowed and her confidence fled, "I.. I don't know..."

"It's okay... just... relax okay? Breathe..." She wasn't sure to whom she was giving advice to at the moment. Her body was throbbing with a need that was becoming increasingly hard to ignore, "Do you... want to stop?"

A pregnant pause held the air between them, soft blue eyes searching for answers to questions they weren't sure to ask. Everything felt as though it were climbing to a dangerous peek. Into a darkness that had every potential of washing away all the progress they'd made thus far.

Honeymaren was screaming inside her head, begging to every God, Goddess, and Spirit she knew. Pleading with them for strength to hold herself back. She'd never felt such a rush, such a carnal need as she did at that moment. If only the Spirit that laid so perfectly against her could hear her thoughts, her silent pleas.

"No... But I... my hands..." Elsa found herself similarly calling out to the powers that be. For guidance and courage. She wanted this, she wanted this and more. She just didn't know what it meant, what exactly more was. She felt so incredibly naive, so incredibly unlearned. Why couldn't she recall what they'd done before? Why did her memory elude her now? It never had any problem showing her every mistake, every misstep.

"Use your mouth..." Her entire body pulsed at her own words. The taste of summer honey recalled to her tongue. It felt like lifetimes ago though it was only two weeks. Two weeks... Was she asking too much? Too soon?

Elsa's body thrummed like the string of a perfectly tuned violin. She curled her lips in, worrying them with her teeth. She did very much like it when Honeymaren would kiss along her shoulders. A kind gesture when she held her close. Her eyes lowered down from the heavily flushed face of the young Chieftess, her eyes tracing along straining muscle.

Nervously, she lowered her head. Her heavy blonde hair spilling out from around her shoulders. It completely blocked out everything around her. Zeroing in her focus, clearing her mind of everything but the gentle scent of Earth and herbs.

Her lips trailed, pausing only slightly to pay homage. The hand that had moved into her hair felt weightless and guiding. She allowed herself to follow its subtle pull, lowering her further. Her nose traced lightly, her breath frigid as she exhaled heavily against caramel skin. Her lashes fluttered, leaving butterfly kisses along the fabric bifurcating the solid plains of flesh.

The intense mixture of hot and cold made Honeymaren's head spin. Her eyes rolling back as her hand reflexively tightened, tangling in the hair that flowed down her waist. Her back arched into soft lips that nearly burned when they reached the hollow of her stomach.

A sharp crackling sound came to her ears next as the soft fur beneath her grew stiff, the frost growing inside it chilling her spine and making her hips arch towards the furious heat between her legs.

Elsa's eyes snapped open to the familiar sound that was nearly lost in the rushing of her heart that pounded in her ears. Despite the firm hold on her head, she found herself pushing away, her eyes wide with fear that made her heart flip sideways painfully when she caught sight of the frost continuing to grow on the discarded tunic.

"No..."

"It's okay...shhh..." Still reeling, her hands fumbled to both untangle themselves and push herself up. Chest heaving and head threatening to float off into the stars above, she reached out near blindly to keep Elsa from pitching completely backward out of her hold.

A desperate barking sob twisted the Fifth Spirit's flushed features as her hands quickly wrapped around her waist, the ice in her camisole growing stiff and cold, "No..."

"Wait, Elsa!" A whisping gasp stumbled her forward and the fifth spirit backward. The thick blanket tangling both of their legs as the partially frozen hide gave an awkward resistance. Honeymaren's eyes opened wide as they lost their balance sending them tumbling down in a tangle of limbs that left the blonde pinned and struggling beneath her much heavier frame.

"Calm down, just breathe!" Honeymaren groaned softly as she pushed herself up, the wind partially knocked out of her from the fall. Her hands reached out as she pulled herself up and took hold of freezing cold wrists with bruising force, "You didn't hurt me!"

Elsa couldn't see, her eyes closed tight as memories of the past shot across the blackness. Her heart racing with emotions she'd rather have left buried somewhere deep inside. She didn't even register that she had started to try and push the other off of her until her hands came down with a leafy crunch just beside her head. Her legs kicking out uselessly at the blanket that had felled her in the first place.

"Breathe," Honeymaren tried to take her own advice as she shifted her weight back to Elsa's hips, firmly planting her to the ground. Her eyes taking in the unfathomable pain etched on her lover's features, "I'm okay... you're okay..."

Her hold relaxed when the arms in her grasp stopped pushing against her, "You're okay..."

Elsa forced her eyes to open to the voice above, her eyes going in and out of focus for a long second before she was able to take in the loving eyes, "I'm sorry..."

"Why are you sorry...?" Another shift brought them just a bit closer, "You haven't done anything wrong..."

"I ruined it... again..."

"No, you didn't..." A gentle nuzzle with the tip of her nose returned deep ocean blue, "It's okay, you got excited. That's good. You kissed me back, that's even better."

"But the ice..." Elsa sniffled as a few tears rolled over her temples, her fingers flexing against her palms.

"We'll get there... You just need... more practice." Honeymaren smiled cautiously and released one of her wrists to clasp over top of Elsa's, "I told you..." She pulled the arm from beside her head, the limb giving only the smallest of resistance, "I love all of you." Reverently, she pressed a kiss along the backs of her knuckles before pulling it over her heart where she pressed it firmly.

Elsa shook her head only just, her fingers curling up tighter, "I don't want to hurt you..."

"And you won't, I know you won't." She pulled up its mate and pressed them together inside her own, resting her lips over top, "You did good, so good. Come here..."

Despite the resistance, Honeymaren pulled the elder woman to her chest, letting her wrists go out to get sides where they clenched tight. Her arms wrapped around quaking shoulders as she rose herself up on her knees to pull the Goddess' head down over her heart. She held her impossibly tight as freezing tears trailed over her skin. Her eyes turning up to the stars that seemed to grow dim.

"You did so good... My beautiful moon..." Her words filled with affection and understanding. Calm and soothing. Her hand on her shoulders moving in slow circles to console.

Snow had begun to fall now, soft and light. Causing the fire above to sizzle and wane. Still, the Chieftess held tight, whispering words of comfort. Her lips kissing away now silent tears as The Spirit continued to tremble against her.

[perronnenvs3000]

I have Maren Morris’s song “My Church” playing on repeat in my head, humming under my breath. Asking me about my relationship with nature is like asking me about my relationship with religion. The trees, the insects the wind and the water they have a purpose and are there so we can learn from them; all we need to do is listen. When I am present in an old growth forest is when I can feel my connection to nature the most. The silence of anthropogenic sounds is a hard ask in this day and age but when you find it the peace is unbelievably soothing.

If you are reading this, maybe you can relate to this connection, this feeling of being a small part of something so much bigger than yourself; this “church”. This connection I feel did not just get thrusted upon me like the grace of God one day while I was outside. It is one that has been fueled and constructed with time, patience and understanding.

In my younger days, some my fondest childhood memories had open skies above my head. My parents nurtured my sister and I to love being outside, they showed us how to have fun introducing many year-round outdoor activities, but most of all they allowed us to be kids that played outside. To some this might seem like a no-brainer, but I have also seen the other side of this coin and it has allowed me to appreciate things I took for granted so much more. I did not know growing up that parents did not take their kids camping or let them build forts in the bush, they had never been swimming in lakes or rivers, they had never been fishing or caught frogs and snakes. Some parents prized their materialistic object like clothing, carpets, and sofas over allowing their kids to enjoying jumping in that puddle or rolling in the mud.

My Family on a Trip to the West Coast of Canada in 2009

My childhood gave me the foundation unto which I build my current connections with nature. Going to Sir Sandford Fleming College in the Fish and Wildlife Program allowed me to develop knowledge of the environment that surrounds me. It turned “just trees” into individuals identified by species such as White Birch or Balsam Fir, it turned chirping birds into American Goldfinches, Black-capped Chickadees and Yellow warblers. I started noticing things that I had passed a million times before but never really seen. Being outdoors started to feel more familiar and comforting than my own dwelling.

The Creator, Mother Nature is everything and everywhere. She is accepting and understanding. She gives us fresh water to drink, clean air to breath, medicines to heal our bodies and food to satisfy our hunger. We need to protect her not only for ourselves but for every other living organism on the planet.

[aholdingspace]

The air is full of fear. Be like the river.

Maren Hassinger

[ericsonclan]

Prisha Joins In

Summary: Prisha meets with the rest of the kids and talks about her future at Ericson.

Read on A03:

It was a little over a week later when Prisha came out to grab dinner and instead of walking back inside actually paused for a moment and looked meaningfully at the bench where they all sat. Clementine, noticing her hesitance, quickly gave the needed encouragement. “You’re welcome to join us if you’d like,” “Thank you,” Prisha took a seat at the last empty spot, next to Willy. Awkwardly clearing her throat, she looked around the table. “I know that by now I should probably know everyone’s names, but I could use a refresher,” “No problem at all!” Louis chimed in from his seat at the front of the table atop a backwards-facing chair. “Of course you already know me – Louis, Clementine, and Violet…” Violet shot daggers at him in response to the obvious pause in his voice. “… And going down the table next to Violet we have Ruby, who you’ve met in her trips upstairs to check on your arm, Aasim, our resident nerd, Omar, the master chef, AJ – head ninja of the Ericson clan, and Willy who… well, Willy was with Violet when they found you and brought you here!” “Yes, I’d heard that mentioned before.” Prisha turned to Willy. “Thank you. I owe you my life,” “Aaaw, it was nothing! Violet was the one that carried you most of the way back. She’s also the one who figured out you weren’t a walker so I didn’t shoot you!” “Willy!” Violet hissed. “No, it’s alright. I probably did look like a walker from far away, with my busted arm and having just dragged myself out of the river,” “If ya don’t mind,” Ruby said, leaning forward, “Could you tell us a bit about what happened to ya? Did you travel far downstream?”

“Honestly, it’s a bit of a blur, how long I was in the river for. It felt like hours. We were miles away from here at the time, so I wasn’t just hallucinating that timeframe,” Prisha looked around the table. “And of course I would have told you if I thought Ericson was in any immediate danger. I know I was pretty much out of it for a few days, but I would have remembered that. Aasim was nervously tapping his fingers on the table’s edge. “What happened to the rest of your group. Are they…. Are they still alive?” Prisha looked down at the table. Her expression had tightened. Ruby glared at Aasim and lightly slapped him on the shoulder. Willy and AJ leaned forward, trying to get a better look at Prisha’s face. A warning arm from Clementine drew them back. “Ed didn’t make it. I saw the looters shoot him. And Gavin had lost a lot of blood. I’m not sure about Garrett, but they wouldn’t have willingly left him alive,” She paused as the emotion caught up with her, cutting off her voice. A stray tear rolled down her face. Ruby stretched out an arm to take her hand. Prisha flinched momentarily, but accepted it. As Ruby rubbed her thumb comfortingly across her hand, Louis took a turn. “There was a kid in your group. Marie. Her and her mom, did they?...” Prisha pulled her hand out of Ruby’s grasp to swiftly wipe away the tears on her face. “They were both taken. I think they were looking to take captives – ones they could control. They probably would have taken me too, but the one trying to drag me away had me pinned on the edge of a cliff. I decided it was better to take my chances in the river than with them, so I fell back and took him down with me. When I surfaced, I saw that he’d hit some rocks near the river’s edge when we fell in. I suppose that’s the one bit of karmic justice in all this, that the fucker’s dead. Of course, the cost of my freedom… was my arm. I suppose I should be grateful that it wasn’t my head too,” “Fuck gratitude,” Violet mumbled. The group was silent for a second, then Prisha chuckled and raised her bowl with her good hand. “Hear, hear! I’m pretty sick of counting my blessings in this whole shitshow,” Louis was next to pick up his bowl in support, followed in short order by all the others. There commenced a series of bowl clinks and laughter as everyone got into the spirit. When everything had settled down, Clem clinked her spoon against her bowl to get the group’s attention. “I know it’s been on everyone’s mind, so we might as well address the elephant in the room.” “What elephant?” AJ asked, quirking an eyebrow. “I’ll explain in a minute, kiddo. Prisha, we wanted to give you time for your injuries to heal before we brought this up with you, but there has been discussion amongst us on whether you should be allowed to stay or not if you want. After some thought, we’ve all agreed that we would be fine with you staying. It’s another mouth to feed, but from what we know of you we’re sure you’ll be able to pull your weight around here. Whether that’s hunting for food outside the walls or helping with the greenhouse or reinforcements within, we can figure out something that works for all of us,” “I – thank you,” Prisha said quietly. “I’ll help in any way I can. I swear I’m not going to let myself hold you guys back in any way,” “Aaw, Sug,” Ruby chuckled. “Have you seen this group? It’s not like we’re in tiptop shape either! Everyone’s had to learn to make do, what with Violet learning to hunt despite her eyes and Clem losing her leg-” The shock on Prisha’s face made her pause. “Wait, did you not know ‘bout Clem’s leg yet?” “No, I didn’t. Wait, seriously?” Prisha turned to Clementine in confusion. Clem nodded, turning around on the bench to free her legs and pulling up a pant leg to show her prosthetic. “It took me a lot of hours to learn how to walk again, but everybody chipped in and pulled the extra weight till I could.” “I had no idea,” “Happy to hear that. It took me months to figure out how to walk with it and even longer to look natural while doing it. But this wooden leg… it gave me my life back. I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but you’ll get back to yourself too,” Prisha blinked quickly as tears welled up once more. “God, I swear I’m not usually such a basketcase,” “It’s alright hun,” Ruby assured her. “It’s a big night for you,” “That’s right,” Clementine agreed. “All we’re trying to say is, don’t push yourself too hard. We’ve all been there before, needing an extra hand. That’s why we have each other,” “That’s why we’re a family,” Louis added with a smile. “Wow, Louis, way to put the pressure on,” Violet muttered. “Aaw, c’mon, what’s wrong with that?” “It is a bit much,” Clem said gently. “But I was just trying to-” “Thank you,” Prisha interrupted. “Really, for everything. I appreciate it more than words can say,” “You’re welcome,” Louis replied, smirking at Violet before pulling out his well-worn deck of cards. “Now that that’s settled, how about a game of cards? The game is war." Prisha smiled. “Sure, I’m down,” “Then let the games begin!” Everybody, take a card, then pass it down to those who can’t reach. Now everybody knows the rules…..” Louis’ directions faded from Prisha’s attention as her eyes roamed the courtyard. So this was her home now. Not a bad place to be, all things considered. It was honestly better than she’d hoped for in quite some time. The circumstances that got her here had made her feel like there was no future for her in this apocalyptic world, yet these people had brought her into their group like it was nothing. When in fact it was everything. Looking down at her good arm, Prisha gazed at the worn out, tattered friendship bracelet on her wrist. I’m doing what you told me to, Maren. Still breathing, still fighting. Her thoughts were interrupted as the deck was handed to her. Taking a card, Prisha felt a smile cross her lips. It was a high card. Things were looking up.