#Other Rainbow other Light other Galaxy Family

[viaphni]

Something interesting I noticed during my rewatch of Steve Saga—

The first seven episodes of SS (the ones that were lost media until reuploaded) are actually REALLY interesting for a few reasons

It shows Steves transforming into other colors and having the ability to change. Sabre had come in contact with a Green Steve, but angered him enough to a point where it turned completely Red.

It reminds us how much power Sabre has over the Steves. Changing the gamemode controls their behavior towards them, and Sabre had the ability to change from peaceful to hard over and over and over to the point where Steves became nearly permanently aggressive, even in peaceful mode. Sabre has the ability to manipulate their very wills/minds. Imagine what he could have done with people like Nightmare or Void.

The main reason— During those first seven episodes, Sabre switches servers twice. (possibly 3 times) He visits multiple worlds before he comes to the one where he summons Blue Steve, where the series truly kicks off. Think about that, whole other WORLDS with Steves. If you put it into a lore perspective and acknowledge that the main SS server has history prior to Sabre's appearance, than like,,,,,,,,,, imagine the lore to that

These worlds could have their own histories, their own people and kings and villains and heroes and ??? And Sabre was there for only a short moment before disappearing into the next server. He left his mark with experimentation and a few blocks and then he was gone

Do the steves of those worlds still speak of the strange figure that was seen?????? Is Sabre some feared folktale passed down around campfires and in bedtime stories!!!!?????!! What if Sabre had stayed, where would his story go, orrugjjaou I am, need a moment to think about thsi,,,,

[coffeecat1983]

Mario Bros: "The way things used to be"

A gift for @stripetkattelalala54-gf

TW: body injury, PTSD, fear of drowning and anxiety attacks.

From drabble prompt #57 “I miss the way things used to be.”

They all noticed it. The shift in his mood, the haunted look that he tried so hard to hide. And yet it kept forcing its way to the surface.    It started small. A shiver, a whimper at loud noises that he would quickly choke back. The slam of a car door or the blare of a car alarm and he'd pull away, sapphire eyes darting around nervously.      "I don't know what to do, Ma." Luigi confessed one night as he helped wash up from dinner. "I keep askin' if he's okay, he just says he's 'fine' and won't say anything else.    Thinking it over, Marianna hummed. "Let me see what I can do." Her result was the same as Luigi's. A light shrug, and a quiet "I'm fine, it's nothing."    Unsure of what else to do, Marianna turned to Arthur for help. Thinking some time together might coax his nephew to open up, he invited Mario to the arcade. Agreeing, Mario went with along with Bria and Tony.      "So how 'bout it, kid? Go karts?" Arthur asked. Mario looked towards the karts as they shot past and Arthur saw it. His whole body tensed as he took a step back.

   His kart shook beneath him as he tried to steer, tried to stay on the road while chaos erupted around him.

     "M-Maybe laser tag." Mario suggested, trying to calm his pounding heart. Bria cheered and grabbing her dad's hand, led the way into the arcade to the arena. Once fitted with their vests and laser pistols, the group entered the main room. Everything seemed to be going well until the scarce lighting shut off as a voice came over the PA system.      "Look out, space cadets, we've got a birthday in the galaxy and you know what that means! Raaaaaiiinbow madness! Find the aliens hiding in the rainbows!"    The walls glowed as neon rainbows appeared all over. In the glow, Arthur could see it. Mario's eyes had gone wide and his chest was heaving. As the floor tiles flashed with the bright colors, Mario let out a faint cry.

   His ears were ringing from the explosion and then water was around him, over his head and cold, so cold. He was going to drown, he would die here, never see his family again...

     "Kid, wait!" Arthur called out as Mario took off, ripping off his vest and dropping the laser pistol. Chasing after him, Arthur caught up in the men's room as Mario ducked into one of the stalls and hunched over, coughing and gagging. A moment later he stumbled out of the stall, face streaked with tears. Arthur put an arm around him.      "C'mon," he said softly. "We'll go home." Mario shook his head. "I just, I need some air. Let Bria and Uncle Tony finish their match."      "Alright." Leaving the men's room they found the other two waiting for them. Both took one look at Mario and insisted the night was over, Bria proclaiming she was tired and wanted to go home and watch movies as she latched onto his arm. Mario gave a weak smile and gave in, the group returning to the apartment building.    Going into the living room, Mario went to take a seat on the couch. Salvatore was in his usual chair, a murder mystery on the TV. A character in the show tossed a brick to break into a house. The sound of glass shattering filled the little living room right as Tony entered.

   Glass cracked, the sound mixing with the screech of broken metal and all he could feel was pain enveloping him. His twin, where was his brother? It was so loud, the glass shattering beneath his body. Something in his arm had snapped, the pain growing until he wanted to black out...

   Mario was up and breathing frantically, he hurried past Arthur and Tony and down the hall to the Bros room, slamming the door behind him. Luigi jumped up from the couch and he and Arthur both went to follow, only to be grabbed and held back.      "Hang on you two." Tony said, letting them go. "Let me talk to him. I think I know what's going on."    Noticing his twin's hand went to his side as he spoke, Arthur understood and stepped back.    Tony was quiet as he slipped into the bedroom, making sure to close the door behind him. His heart ached when he saw Mario was on his bed, curled up tightly as he trembled. Soft sniffles escaped him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Tony continued to remain silent until the figure beside him shifted and sat up, legs drawn to his chest.    Eyes gazing around the room, the older man settled on a poster of a race car.      "I ever tell you your Uncle Art and I were in a car accident?" he began softly. Mario raised his head, listening. Sensing the movement, Tony continued without looking at him.      "We were teens, had just been cleared to drive on our own, so we wanted to try night drivin'. Why we picked a rainy night, I'll never know." he closed his eyes as that night came back to him.      "I was driving. Things were goin' pretty good, too. Then I pulled into the intersection and that truck came barrelin' through."

   He heard the blare of the truck horn and his arm shot out, instinctively reaching to protect his little brother. An ear splitting scream of metal twisting on metal and the seatbelts snapped. He was airborne, glass shattering as his body twisted and flew forward.

   A hand to his side again. "Got cut up pretty bad and it knocked me out. Still got the scars on my side."

     "Tony! Please, wake up! PLEASE!"

   Mario was sitting beside him now, listening.      "I remember beyond the pain, all I kept thinkin' was 'Is Art safe? Where's my lil bro?'." Tony continued. "Heh, after that, I let my license go. Didn't drive again for two years. That's why Art drives most of the time when we go somewhere."    Thinking about this, Mario realized something. "But you work at a garage." A wave of his uncle's hand. "A way to face my fears, you could say. I still get nervous hearin' glass break. Still sometimes have bad dreams."    His nephew stared at the floor, shoulders slumped. "That rainbow road I talked about." he finally said. "There was a bomb that went off. At least, it felt like a bomb. The road broke apart. And there are times I feel it again. Falling into the ocean, water closing in on me." his voice choked as he teared up. "Or it's that fight. I feel myself hitting the car. F-Feel the glass..." he let out a sob. Tony put a hand on his shoulder.      "Feel the glass break?" he offered gently. Another sob and Mario shook his head.      "It won't st-stop!" he cried. "I see it over and over! An' all I can think is that, that thing is gonna kill Lu, gonna kill my family!"

   Bowser saw Mario looking towards the twins, his expression giving it away.      "Ah, those two mean something to you." Bowser purred. "I'll kill them when I'm done with you and your brother!"

   Breaking down more, Mario clung to his uncle as he shook with sobs. “I want it to stop! I m-miss the way things u-used to be!”    Holding him, Tony remembered crying in Marianna's arms, saying the same thing.      "It will be," he repeated, "it takes time, but it will be." He held Mario a little tighter. "And we're all here for you until it is."

END

By "CC"

[jsmelodies]

I saw some other Nessian folks doing this so I thought I'd jump in.

Here's my current line up for Nessian week for the final WIP Wednesday before the event!

Day 1: Banter - The Knight and his Witch Chapter 1

“I let the first man into my cottage in nearly five years, and that’s what you open with?” she said.

“The first? I’m flattered, sweetheart.”

She chuckled coldly, and said, “Call me sweetheart again, and you very well could be the last.”

Day 2: Yearning - The Knight and his Witch Chapter 2

“Cassian,” he said. “It’s just Cassian.”

“Right,” she said. But even as she said it, he knew. His name would never fall from her mouth again. Once he left through that door, she’d never have a reason to.

He didn’t want to walk through that door.

Day 3: Symphony - City of Stars (drabble)

She’s staring down. Down past the jagged rock and into the city below, where the glimmer of lights make their way up.

They look like stars. If up was down and down was up, he supposes the city looks like the night sky, with the way the lights twinkle and the colors of the Rainbow reflect, even miles away.

Like a far off galaxy.

Day 4: Alternate Universe - The Knight and his Witch Chapter 3

Through the wanting and the hunger, Nesta saw it. The love that he had for her. She knew from the way he touched her with his hands, soft in the places that needed to be soft.

Stroking down her cheek. Gliding her hair between his fingers.

But right now, Cassian was not soft.

Day 6: Legends & Destiny - The Knight and his Witch Chapter 4

Cassian’s stubble was rough on the pads of her fingers. In a split second, she decided this was how she wanted to wake up every morning from here on out: across from Cassian’s lazy grin, the warmth of his hands seeping through her as he held her by the crook of her waist.

Day 7: Free Day - Toss up between an epilogue for TKAHW or Chapter 4 of Family Man.

[kindheart525]

What are your favorite kinds of stories to tell? What are your favorite type of characters to write? Favorite dynamics?

I love this question, thank you so much! Most broadly, my favorite kinds of stories to tell are the character-driven ones. I often tell my friends that I find it easier to write dialogue than describe actions in my MLP stories and I think that's a reflection of how interpersonal interactions are where I really feel at home as a writer.

I can write anything from friends to enemies to lovers but I think my favorite dynamics to explore are between family members. I am incredibly close with my family irl so I enjoy putting that into my stories. Even the less happy family interactions make for an emotionally-gripping exploration of the tensions and traumas that do exist within homes. The thread of generational trauma that runs through Bojack Horseman had me especially captured so I like to explore those themes in my own work. I am a mama's girl so mother-child relationships are usually my favorite within stories, particularly those that are very much loving but complicated like the Tempest Shadow/Raspberry Sorbet dynamic. I also like delving into a little relationship drama (like in Scootaloo and Terramar's arc) because that kind of angst is just so much fun to write. Marmalade Meringue's arc is among the upcoming arcs I'm really looking forward to because it has relationship drama AND family tension, both themes I love.

As for my favorite types of characters to write, I've consistently been drawn to the angsty/sad asshole types. Those characters who make terrible choices and are perhaps unkind to others but carry some deep trauma inside of them. Turquoise Edge, Galaxy Guard, and Firefly from the Kindverse were those types of characters to varying extents. I write Scootaloo like that in the Auraverse where she makes mistakes as a mother while also coping with internalized ableism and a shitty marriage. Rainbow Dash is also that character for me in the Kindverse and Thirdverse where things keep going wrong for her and she responds by pushing others away. Blueberry Sticks in the Auraverse is another one of those characters; her arc consists of the Sad Asshole trope AND familial drama which makes it another I'm especially excited about. Outside of the MLP fandom, I really enjoy Smiling Friends fanfictions that portray Charlie Dompler struggling with his vices and trying to become a better man despite his behavior harming others, so my enjoyment of that trope is more widely applicable. I like exploring this trope in a way that shows the angsty asshole really trying to make things better. When they succeed it feels all the more rewarding, and if they fail it's even more heart-wrenching in a good way.

I really like writing character driven angst as you can tell lol but I've also had fun writing the Dottieverse which in a lot of ways is the opposite of my pony projects. Sure there's some light angst, but it's mostly lighthearted and funny and told through doodles, shitposts, and lore dumps rather than full stories with dialogue. One thing it does have in common with my other projects is the heavy focus on character interactions, of course. Plus, I've been known to make shitposts and doodles alongside my pony arcs as well so that part isn't new. I'm going to try to make some more pony content in the lighthearted and informal format of the Dottieverse because I have really enjoyed that. It might make the angst a little less overwhelming if I have more of a balance in format and tone.

[whatisurspaghettipolicy]

Okay here we go, sublimating all sideblogs into One Blog to Rule Them All.

Hi there. This is an intro post.

I live in London and I am an adult who is very tired and has a borderline criminal relationship with potatoes. I speak English and Korean. I speak Welsh too, but very badly. I like podcasts, TTRPGs, 8hr video essays on video game lore/the Byzantine empire, and mythology/early literature. I am very scared of mushrooms.

I like to write. I post the fanfiction that I write over here.

You can ask me anything here.

Here are some things I have written that you might like:

Baldur's Gate 3

Something in the Static - E

The lanceboard of the gods is set; the pieces laid out. The world will be toppled; the cult of the Absolute will win.

Or it would win, if a discarded piece had not been returned to the board...

Years after fleeing demons in the underdark, a very dead paladin has woken up with a tadpole in her eye, a gaggle of party members who don't realise they shouldn't listen to her yet, and several unanswered questions in her head.

And Shadowheart wonders why nobody else seems to realise that their new leader can't go five minutes without lying.

[Tav/Shadowheart]

Themes: humour, queer found family, what is morality?, can evil gay nepobabies be redeemed?, recovery from abusive power dynamics, religion as a tool of violence

Playlist: lots of Hozier

Standout comment:

I don't know if this makes sense, but this chapter has the inherent eroticism of Orpheus looking back.

The Locked Tomb

Lord Send Me a Mechanic If I'm Not Beyond Repair - T

The last gasps of a dying people who do not know they are dying.

(In the last days before the end, as you scroll through your phone and never realise it is ending.)

Themes: humour, existential dread, i had to take a screenshot of the daily mail for this pls be nice, gay little streamers

Standout comment:

This was terrifying, thanks

The Owl House

Cardinal Song - The Owl House - G

As the dust settles, Hunter finds himself struggling at the reveal of Luz's new palisman.

But someone else knows what he's going through.

Themes: grief, my lil experimental phase

Standout comment:

First of all, how dare you?

Heir to the Jedi - T

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

As a dark empire's shadow stretches over the galaxy, Luz Noceda, a Force-sensitive mechanic is picked up by Jedi-in-hiding Eda Clawthorne. Knowing that rebuilding the Jedi order may save the universe, Luz finds herself on a collision path with the emperor and his dark forces. She can save the rebellion and save the dream...if she can find them.

[lumity]

Themes: the star wars eu is good actually, i would write a very expensive star wars trilogy, can evil gay nepobabies be redeemed?, grief, what is morality?, queer found family, PTSD

Playlist: lots of female vocalists

Standout comment:

Oh no. The urge to make this fic my whole personality rises

Heart Streamer - G

When the Gravesfield Rainbow Society starts a fundraising drive, Luz agrees to run a 24hr stream of obscure '90s GameBoy Game Azura Staff of Light Quest: Radiant Monsters. The twist? The AI will be controlled by another player and she's got just the right person in mind: mysterious Azura streamer WitchChick128.

When the chips are down, will Luz's free-thinking ways help set another person free? Will the Gravesfield Rainbow Society make enough money to host at least one panel on LGBTQ rights this year? And just what other fundraising shenanigans will Gravesfield be subject to?

[lumity]

Themes: humour, queer found family, gay little streamers

Standout comment:

Poggers AU!

Golden - T

When self-assured teen Luz Noceda finds herself in the Boiling Isles, she knows she's got a lot to contend with. Luckily, she's got friends to light the way!

Even if one of those friends is the ward of the Emperor himself.

[lumity]

Themes: queer found family, can evil gay nepobabies be redeemed?, religion as a tool of violence, grief, PTSD

Standout comment:

I had to walk to the opposite end of my house so I didn't try to strangle Odalia through my phone, holy shit.

Make My Home Inside Your Heart - G

It's been ten years since Luz came through the portal. Now she and Amity are expecting their first child. And Odalia wants to throw a little baby shower.

What could go wrong?

[lumity]

Themes: queer found family, anxieties, one day i will be a better parent than my mom, PTSD

Standout comment:

I needed something soft and by gods I found it

Dimension 20: Fantasy High

Gilear, Inc - G

Gilear attempts to set up his own side hustle. The Bad Kids help.

Themes: one big bad kids family

Standout comment:

perfect blend of heartwarming characters and ridiculous goofs

Captain America

Class Pass - G

Sam buys Steve a class pass. Steve tries out some martial arts he didn't have in the 1940s.

Themes: steve rogers as a vessel through which i could channel my hyperfocus on mma

I Could Do This All Day - M

Bucky takes care of pre-serum Steve after an attempt at sex doesn't work out so well.

[stucky]

Themes: im very bad at writing gay man sex but by god i will for stucky

Life is Strange

Welcome Home - Life is Strange - E

"Okay Max, the next entry in her journal started. So you want to fuck your best friend." | Post bae over bay ending, Max finds herself in need of Chloe.

[pricefield]

Themes: voyeurism, comfort

Borderlands

Sleep - G

After being freed by Lilith, Athena can't (or won't) sleep. Janey has the answer.

[jathena]

Themes: comfort, PTSD

ok i love u bye

[letsquestjess]

Blood Daughter - Chapter 18: The Good Fight (End)

Story Summary: After Kallar Viren flees the Empire, his daughter sets out to find him, only to discover he has been taken by Imperials. With help from Clone Force 99, Zeraphine pushes through her losses in a race against the clock to rescue her father or face the galaxy as the last of her family.

Warnings: None.

Chapter 17

Read from the beginning.

A/N: I can't believe I actually finished this one, but here we are at the end! To all of you who have read this all the way through, thank you so much! I am planning a sequel but it may be a bit of a way off yet.

-- -- -- -- --

Grumbling, Zeraphine straightened up and picked off the specks of lint from her fitted shirt, twisting slightly and studying her reflection in the floor-length mirror. The knives strapped to her knee-high boots soaked in the silvery light on top of the reflective glass and cast a rainbow shimmer up the side of her trousers. 

She brushed away the last of the fluff from her clothing before fastening her chest plate and matching shoulder pads, her touch lingering on the distinctive grey and red style of Mantle Squad. Vesper had spent weeks perfecting the design, refining elements from their former division and the familiar patterns of her home. Their late night discussions and her candid admission of not wanting to abandon her past completely had sparked the idea, and he figured what better way for her to carry her family and her loved ones with her than in the armour she wore to shield herself. 

‘A token of love and protection,’ he whispered to her as he’d helped her try them on for the first time. ‘An emblem of how far you have come.’

With the pieces fixed into place with a satisfying click, she slid on a pair of snug, fingerless gloves and flexed her hands. A strange sense settled over her to shed the Blood Daughter uniform, to set that part of her in the annals of her life and step out into the world anew. 

As she trailed her fingers up her left arm, she tracked the smooth lines of her newly healed tattoos. A stark black skull with a crimson Aurabesh ‘99’ contrasted the pale skin on her bicep, and delicately dotted on her wrist were three powder blue achelda flowers, the symbol of peace on her homeworld and representative of her departed family. 

She took in her appearance and smiled. The restless fidgets subsided, and she began to see herself through clearer eyes, as the person she always dreamed of becoming. A fighter on her own terms. With no superiors left, there would be no more bowing or obeying orders. Her path from now on was her own to decide, hers to shape and create, and a dispirited thrill surged through her. 

One half of her vibrated with anticipation, eager to unleash havoc upon the Empire, but the other clung to fragments of her old life. All she had ever known was the Phominian army, the esteemed Blood Daughters and their mission to safeguard their home. In truth, she wasn’t entirely certain of her identity without them, but she remained resolute in her quest to discover it. To honour the warriors of Phomina Nine and do her family proud. 

The door slid open with a soft whoosh. As Vesper entered, he slowed, mesmerised by the woman checking her reflection. Since she had returned to the clone base, her reserved silence had transformed into a quiet, resolved rage. The once loose clothing that hid her form now hugged her silhouette, and the braided hair that used to cascade down her back and obscure her face was fashioned into a regal crown atop her head, openly displaying the bold red markings on her cheeks. A storm disguised as a dream, he’d thought to himself a few mornings ago as he watched her dress from the comfort of their bed. 

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Vesper said, retrieving her glass swords from the clips on the wall and helping her clasp them to her belt. Their delicate, deadly sound twinkled in such an alluring way he couldn’t imagine ever growing tired of it. 

“It is a little odd to be out of the uniform I spent so long in,” she confessed, savouring his touch as he placed his hands on her hips and nestled his chin on her shoulder. “But… this is more like me. The start of my legacy.” Her fingers instinctively found their way to the Viren family pin dangling from her slender chain. 

Vesper’s agreeing hum resonated up his throat as he planted kisses on the Mantle Hawk markings she once told him she hated. Yet now, she bore them with pride, with tenacity. “I am proud of you,” he murmured between open-mouthed pecks.

As he tightened his arms around her midriff, she placed her gloved hands over his scarred ones and tilted her head to catch his mouth, her eyebrows dipping as he licked along her bottom lip and teased his way in. 

“Sometimes, I wonder if I have dreamed all of this,” she breathed. “If I’m going to wake up and you’re gone.”

“I am here,” Vesper promised, squeezing her hands to emphasise his presence and his commitment. “You aren’t dreaming. You feel me here with you, right?”

“I do. I feel your body close to mine, and in here.” She guided his hand to rest against her chest, above her heart. 

The room hushed. Their breathing aligned and for a peaceful moment, they existed as one, united in love and cause. 

“I love you, Vesper,” Zeraphine sighed. “By the stars, I love you.”

“I love you too,” Vesper replied, inhaling the citrus scent of her shampoo. “My sunlight.”

The device around the captain’s wrist buzzed and beeped, shattering the tranquil lull they had cultivated. “It looks like they’re almost here,” he said, parting from her with reluctance and angling her away from the mirror. “Okay then. Are you ready?” 

* * *

Like a halo crowning the horizon, the sun sank and waved goodbye in a bloom of fiery gold. Crouched in the autumnal grass, the clones of Rex’s network got to work painting the mass of paper spheres, replicating the helmet patterns of their fallen brothers. Chatter tickled the evening air, and the occasional flutter of laughter broke out amongst the groups. Joining the gathering, more arrived from the base, armed with paint and contributing to the symphony of voices and the flourishing field of remembrance. 

Rising from her knees, Zeraphine set her brush into the water jar and dusted the residue off her palms. Across the plain, the wilting grass bore the weight of hundreds of designs, the survivors memorialising the departed in the only way they knew how: together. 

As she walked between clusters of preoccupied clones, she picked up on the promises spoken to the orbs, pledges to fight for a better day uttered into the paint like oaths. Even after the longest night, the sun always rises, she thought, reflecting on the Phominian proverb her mother had shared during setbacks. And it will. We will bask in that warmth. 

The longer the Imperials continued their tirade, the more her doubt grew, questioning if they would ever embrace that comforting light again, whether the Republic would be born anew and the troubling times left for the history books. But as she looked around at the assembled clones, the unbreakable bond they shared blanketed her in a warm optimism. How could such unwavering loyalty and fearless bravery not grant them the quiet they so rightfully deserved? The Empire would fall and they would all get their peace. She would make sure of it. 

A ship approached from above the city line, engines purring as it came to an abrupt halt and pivoted before touching down on the dirt. Spotting familiar armour descending the landing ramp, she broke into a sprint. Wrecker caught her first, his brawny arms lifting her into a dizzying whirl. “I was wondering where you were,” she said as he gave her a quick squeeze and deposited her back onto her feet. 

“We were taking our new ship for a spin,” Hunter replied, patting the exterior.

“How does it fly?” Zeraphine asked. 

“Like a dream,” Echo reported. “It’s an incredible gift. Thank you.”

“After everything you did for me, it was the least I could do. I also installed a secure channel in your communications unit that will put you straight through to The Progenitor. You know, if you wanted to call.” 

“Based on how Omega’s been talking, you’ll be receiving weekly transmissions.”

“I can’t argue with that.” 

A warm smile passed between the two, and the young female clone peered up at her with eager eyes, a silent promise that she really would be in contact every week. 

“What do you plan on doing now, commander?” Hunter questioned. “I’m guessing Rex has asked you to stay.”

“He has,” Zeraphine confirmed, “and I have promised to do everything in my power to help him, but…” 

“But?” Hunter prompted. 

Zeraphine reached for her datapad, tucked away in a small pouch on her belt, and began scrolling through her messages. “A few rotations ago,” she stated, turning the translucent screen around to reveal the attached image, “I received a transmission from Rillen. He got home and started gathering information for me.”

“Is that…?” Squinting at the slightly pixilated photo, Wrecker shook his head in disbelief. “Is that Vault?”

“Yes,” Zeraphine said in a delighted yet concerned breath. “Rillen discovered he has been stationed on Phomina Nine since the war ended to protect the governor. Given Vault’s knowledge of the land, I suppose it’s only logical to assign him there.”

“Either that or they’re rubbing salt in his wounds,” Hunter pointed out. “I wouldn’t put it past the Empire to want to hurt him more than they already have.” 

“Does he still have his chip?” Echo asked, not wanting to dampen her hope, but also not wishing for her to jeopardise herself any further. 

“I don’t know,” Zeraphine admitted, “but one way or another, I am going to bring him home to his family.”

“We are going to bring him home,” a soothing, low tone corrected from behind her.

With clasped arms and nods of solidarity, Vesper greeted his brothers in turn and ruffled Omega’s blonde curls. He positioned himself beside Zeraphine, and his hand instinctively found its place on the small of her back. “It’s good to catch up with you all again. I see you have your new ship. It turned out better than I expected.”

“You doubt your own skills?” Zeraphine said with a devilish grin. 

“No. When I did the sketches, I wasn’t sure about the secondary thruster placements, but it ended up working out nicely.”

“You designed our ship?” Omega said in awe. 

With a slight shyness in the gesture, Vesper nodded to the young clone. “I did. You’ve all done a lot for Zera and me, and we wanted to give you something in return.” 

A high-pitched whistle cut through the air and captured their attention. From the centre of the field of painted paper spheres, Rex signalled to the Phominian commander. 

“Looks like we’re good to go,” Zeraphine said, her footsteps crunching through the dry grass as she led the way to the spread of waiting clones.  

After they were all gathered, she inhaled deeply, connecting with the Force to harness that harmonious energy and release it steadily into the dirt. Slowly, the orbs began to lift, their illuminated interiors activating and casting a radiant glow that made the early sprawl of stars look dim in comparison. 

She concentrated on the gradual ascent and once the air caught them, she let the breeze curl its caring hands underneath to continue their journey into the sky. 

“There,” she said to Echo, gesturing up to one orb in particular. 

He identified the design as soon as he saw it. White with curved blue lines and red dots, and a black Aurabesh ‘5’, it was difficult to miss. 

“Rex painted it himself,” Zeraphine told him. “Poured weeks of work into it. He did a few others too.”

As she pointed them out in turn, like a calling, his brothers were there with him, jostling his shoulder and offering words of encouragement. Never forgotten and always a part of him. 

The night sky blossomed in remembrance and Zeraphine looked up at the squad who had willingly followed her into darkness, who had helped her as loyally as her own and risked their lives to support her. Through every twist and turn, they had remained by her side, devoted almost to a fault. “Keep on fighting the good fight, Clone Force Ninety-Nine,” she told them. “I sure as hell am.” 

[idontknowanametouse]

Genshin cringe headcanons part 1: the travellers

This post reclaims the term "cringe". If you use it as an insult or is triggered by it, please, DNI

-

Name: Aether

Gender: trans man, he/him

Pictures of character:

Appearance: white, ethnically english, athletic, has braided long blond hair and brown eyes, scars through his body and face (including burn scars)

Age: chronologically unknown, but is phisically, mentally and psychologically 16

Sexuality: gay

Personality: kind, friendly, easily excitable, protective, joyful, hyperempathetic, trusts people way too much, knows how to read people very well, cries easily, can befriend anyone.

Area of greatest ability: travelling, communicating

Likes: travels, talking, being around people, sweets, gazing at the moon, helping others, being productive, mora

Dislikes: being manipulated, old creepy spaces, when Paimon screams, not knowing what people are talking about

Fears/triggers: the heavenly principles, being alone, someone touching the place his wings used to be

Kins: slime, light, yellow, cooking, stars.

Family: Lumine (biological twin sister) Paimon (found family lil sibling) Dainsleif (found family uncle)

Relationship status: has a crush on Lyney

Friends: basically 99% of vision ielders in Teyvat (non-vision holders don’t like them very much, so Aether’s close circle is limited to vision holders)

Disabilities: autistic and non-verbal, communicates through sign language.

Belief: believes the cosmos to be a god.

-

Name: Lumine

Gender: trans woman, she/her

Pictures of character:

Appearance: white, ethnically english, athletic, has tanner skin than Aether, short blond hair and blue eyes, scars through her body and face (including burn scars)

Age: chronologically unknown, but is phisically, mentally and psychologically 16

Sexuality: lesbian

Personality: sincere, grumpy, very protective and kind in private, brave, bold, just, hypoempathetic.

Area of greatest ability: Fighting

Likes: fights, listening to stories, hunting (it can be fatui, abyss mages or just some animal), meat, being around her friends, glaze lilies

Dislikes: people who are cruel, people who think of themselves as superior, the heavenly principles, being defenseless, bad parents

Fears/triggers: not being able to fight back, losing her family, friends or girlfriend, cruelty towards children

Kins: painting, nature, white, galaxy

Family: Aether (biological twin brother) Paimon (found family lil sister) Dainsleif (found family uncle)

Relationship status: dating Ayaka

Friends: surprisingly, she gets very well with vision holders and will refer to them as her friends. However, the same can’t be said about those that look on a bad way to them on the streets and later want her help

Disabilities: autistic and non-verbal, communicates through sign language

Belief: is an atheist

-

Name: Paimon

Gender: agender, she/they

Pictures of character:

Appearance: white, ethnically english, has albinism, white hair, blue eyes, has atrophied legs

Age: chronologically unknown, but is phisically, mentally and psychologically 6

Personality: chatty, communicative, easily excited, petty, naive, egohistical, very worried about her friends even though they doesn’t show it.

Area of greatest ability: learning languages

Likes: food, learning different languages, bright colors, when people are nice to them, talking, hearing Aether and Lumine's stories about other worlds

Dislikes: being yelled at, not understanding things, when she can't help Aether and Lumine

Fears/triggers: the heavenly principles, memory loss, losing her family, being called useless

Kins: plushies, food, sky, rainbow, glitter.

Family: Aether and Lumine (found family older siblings) Dainsleif (found family uncle)

Friends: she says they’s friends with everyone she talks to, but is specially close to Sigewinne, Itto, Diona, Klee, Yaoyao, Qiqi, Sayu Nahida

Disabilities: autistic, hyperverbal, hypermobile, has way too weak legs to walk on her own and uses a rollator when not flying, if human would be diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease and ehlers-danlos syndrome

Belief: believes a little bit in every religion they ever came across

-

Name: Dainsleif

Gender: nonbinary transmasc, he/they/it/zyr/ey/shadow

Pictures of character:

Appearance: white, ethnically german, pale, tall, has blond hair, blue eyes, eyebags, his scar looks like a Chemical burn one

Age: 554 chronologically, 54 physically

Sexuality: unlabeled

Personality: enygmathic, curious, kind, comprehensive, quiet, very attached to his principles.

Area of greatest ability: writing

Likes: sparing, talking about home, being around his niblings, gazing at the stars

Dislikes: the gods, talking to other people, the Abyss Order, being unable to help his people, sweet food

Fears/triggers: cataclismic events, giving up to corruption, things that resemble the destruction of Khaenri'ah

Kins: blue, black, painting, cleaning, space.

Family: Aether, Lumine, Paimon (found family niblings)

Relationship status: was dating Halfdan before the Cataclysm

Friends: today, the only person it says are zyrs friends are his old knight comrades

Disabilities: autistic, PTSD, depression, aphantasia, partially blind on his right eye, hypocondriac, chronic pain due to the curse, uses a cane to walk

Belief: is an atheist

-

All pictures are made with this picrew: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1931531

[best-kids-media-adult]

The lowest-placing entrant in each Round 0 poll will be eliminated, as will the second-lowest-placing entrant with the overall lowest percentage.

Reasons each character is the best are under the cut!

Donald Duck: "Raised his nephews without being prompted, no questions asked. Just wants them to be safe."

Elwin Heslege: "1- Gave a bunch of the main characters stuffed animals, 2- basically adopted the one with daddy issues (daddy issues boy was injected with shadows and light and then Elwin made him stay at his house), 3- wears funky lil glasses with cool colors, 4- makes Color Light. it is Pretty. also can be used to see what's wrong with people, 5- is a physician, 6- likes to joke around and is very light-hearted, 7- messy brown hair, 8- has a wall of stuffed animals in his house, 9- shirts with funny lil creatures on them, 10- still sleeps with a stuffed animal, 11- has a pet banshee (looks like a ferret, it's an Elvin thing), 12- is an elf, 13- is a SCHOOL physician, 14- constantly on standby for his favorite patient, Sophie not-like-other-girls foster, 15- literally hung a photo of sophie in her school dance outfit. which was in a costume of a mastadon., 15- rainbows come from light. elwin controls light. he is gay, probably. (ik this is a tumblr post but i literally can't find it, 16- elwin adopting keefe (daddy issues boy) means he is Dadwin, 17- probably has trauma from having to save the kids' lives a million times but he's always very chill with them"

Erasmus Yilmaz: "Rides motorcycle. Mentor to a bunch of the young Madrigals. Seemingly the only competent active adult agent. Dies as soon as he gets backstory."

Grandpa Joe: "He genuinely cares about Charlie and they both love the factory, and- I love him"

Héctor Rivera: "He just wanted to see his daughter again"

Heinz Doofenschmirtz: "His daughter is the most important person in his life. He would do anything for her."

Hera Syndulla: "Resident Mom of the Ghost crew, ace pilot, rebel general, kind, voice of reason, only one with a brain cell, cares so deeply about her people and the galaxy, would lay down her life for her family, has undergone imperial torture, baddest of bad bitches"

Hershel Layton: "look at him in his little hat! look at his clown car of tragic backstories! look at his weird little guy energy! i adore this little dad."

[honey-minded-hivemind]

(I think Sapphire!Reader would be a Gem who gets away with things. (Seeing the future and/or past certainly helps). They love gossip, beautiful clothes, and the finer things in life. But... they wish they didn't have to be so... fake. With others, they feel like they're always wearing a mask, hiding any "flaws" or "cracks" so all anyone sees is what they WANT to see. Sapphire!Reader feels drained. If they didn't have their crafted masks, their false fronts... would their friends, their higher-ups, their companions (their family/their cluster) still actually care about them? Or would they only care for the mask they've made of themself? It drives Sapphire!Reader to contemplating possible shattering, or poofing themself because of their inner turmoil and doubts... But then... they meet THEM-

A Pearl.

And suddenly-

Their masks aren't wanted. Aren't accepted. This Pearl!Reader, who is elegant without trying, just- They want the real Sapphire!Reader. Not a false one, not some mask, not the perfect poised doll, but THEM, their TRUE self, their true LIGHT. And for once, in a long, long time, Sapphire!Reader feels-

Seen.

Heard.

Loved.

And they can't help but (platonically) fall for Pearl!Reader, a gem who wants the truth, who is curious, sometimes naive yet still wise, someone who finds the rainbow in light and finds the rainbow, in all its mixed colors and fractured waves so against the Empire, against Homeworld, beautiful and opulent and worthy of notice. How can Sapphire!Reader not love this gem, so real and warm and vibrant, as their closest confidant, their muse, their friend?

And Pearl!Reader loves them, too.

When they fuse for the first time, it's-

They're new.

They're whole.

And the love they feel, the love they are, is enough. They're enough, this mix of Sapphire and Pearl. And they're wonderful, just the way they are.

But...

Neither of their companions or higher-ups or courts (their own family, their own cluster) approve. They look at them, and demand they separate. They call their fusion an abomination. Unnatural. Unmoral. And their gems, their cores-

It feels like they shatter into a thousand pieces.

They try to be what they want them to be, but-

Sapphire!Reader can't do it anymore.

They want to be loved, and be themself, and their self is whole when they're with Pearl!Reader. And if their companions can't accept that... Then they can't stay.

When they sneak off with Pearl!Reader, they feel- bad, but better. Stronger. They're together, and when they fuse-

Back into a being that is THEM, both of them yet neither but someone NEW, someone made of LOVE and ACCEPTANCE-

They decide they can be themself, together, without anyone else. And just like that, they board a small ship, as their true self, and head for a new galaxy, one at the edge of the Empire, a little planet of rock and dirt and water called-

Earth...

(Special note: Sapphire!Reader was with/was family/clustered with the X-Men gems, while Pearl!Reader was with/part of the Brotherhood gems)

[vea88heartsims]

Color Palette Legacy Challenge (Sims 4)

(MY PASTEL SIM THAT I MADE FOR THE CHALLENGE PICTURED ABOVE)

The Color Palette Legacy Challenge is a type of Legacy Challenge that I created. This legacy challenge is a regular legacy challenge but with colorful sims based on their color palette. The colors in order are: Neon, Pastel, Nature, Dark, Beach, Galaxy, Hot, Barbie, Basic, and Rainbow. I will tell you down below (where the rules are) what colors go with each palette that you will use.

(For people who don’t know what a Legacy Challenge is) A Legacy Challenge is a type of Challenge where you start with a single sim and move them to an empty lot. The objective is to find a partner for that single sim and to grow your family and build your dream home. The other generations of that family continue the legacy and help grow the family and add to the household’s funds and house.

Here are the Legacy Rules:

-Your starting sim can only use cheats before gameplay like ‘freerealestate’ to move into a lot for free.

-The only time you can use money cheats is to give your sim $5000 for your beginning funds. (This is required)

-Your starting sim has to start living alone and has to at least be a Young Adult or older.

-You have to live on an empty lot with your starting sim.

-NO CHEATS IN GAME (expect for the ones you need to use in rules)

-You have to stay living in the same house for all generations of this challenge

-You may not move anyone into household unless they are your partner (Must be at least Soulmates relationship to move in)

-You may not play other households during this challenge

Rules for the Color Palette Legacy Challenge:

GENERATION 1: Neon Palette 

*Colors for the Neon Palette are Neon Green, Neon Pink, and Neon Yellow

-Aspiration: Party Animal

-Traits: Party Animal, Cheerful, and Goofball

-Career: Entertainer

-Get at least 3 promotions in the Entertainer Career if possible before you die

GENERATION 2: Pastel Palette

*Colors for the Pastel Palette are Pastel Pink, Pastel Blue, and Pastel Green

-Aspiration: Friend of the World

-Traits: Socially Awkward, Good, and Creative

-Career: Painter

-Max the Painting skill and hang at least four paintings you made in your home before you die

GENERATION 3: Nature Palette

*Colors for the Nature Palette are Dark Green, Light Green, and Brown

-Aspiration: Freelance Botanist

-Traits: Loves Outdoors, Green Fiend, and Vegetarian

-Career: Gardener

-Max the Gardening skill and plant at least 5 plants on your lot

GENERATION 4: Dark Palette

*Colors for the Dark Palette are Red, Black, and Purple

-Aspiration: Public Enemy

-Traits: Evil, Mean, and Kleptomaniac 

-Career: Criminal 

-Complete Aspiration and steal at least 10 items before you die

GENERATION 5: Beach Palette

*Colors for the Beach Palette are Blue, Tan, and yellow

-Aspiration: Beach Life

-Traits: Child of the Ocean, Child of the Island, and Loves Outdoors 

-Career: Conservationist

-Complete Aspiration and build a pool on your lot before you die

GENERATION 6: Galaxy Palette

*Colors for the Galaxy Palette are Dark Purple, Black, and Dark Blue

-Aspiration: Nerd Brain

-Traits: Genius, Geek, and Adventurous

-Career: Astronaut 

-Complete Aspiration and build a rocket before you die. Optional: Get promoted at least 5 times in the Astronaut Career (for an extra challenge)

GENERATION 7: Hot Palette

*Colors for the Hot Palette are Red, Orange, and Yellow

-Aspiration: Master Chef 

-Traits: Hot-Headed, Foodie, and Romantic 

-Career: Culinary 

-Max cooking skill, Build your own restaurant, and get promoted at least 3 times before you die

GENERATION 8: Barbie Palette

*Colors for the Barbie Palette are Pink, Pink, and more Pink

-Aspiration: Mansion Baron

-Traits: Romantic, Self-Assured, and Outgoing

-Career: Designer

-Complete Aspiration, and earn at least 200,000 funds for household before you die

GENERATION 9: Basic Palette

*Colors for the Basic Palette are White, Black, and Gray 

-Aspiration: Renaissance Sim

-Traits: Book Lover, Neat, and Snob

-Career: Business

-Complete Aspiration, read at least 15 books, and buy at least 5 new books before you die

GENERATION 10 (LAST GENERATION): Rainbow Palette 

*Colors for the Rainbow Palette are colors in the rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple)

-Aspiration: Successful Lineage 

-Traits: Cheerful, Family-orientated, and Loyal

-Career: Education

-Have at least 1 million funds in household total, Complete Aspiration, and have at least 3 stories in your house before you die

I hope you like this challenge that I thought of! Use your own creativity and imagination by creating your sims with their color palette. Feel free to post your sims that you created for this challenge and tag me in the comments of your post. Also feel free to give feedback and comment about this challenge down below. 

[luminalightsverse]

Star Wars Holidays

Okay I was thinking today is christmas eve but there is no christmas in the star wars univeres. At least not that I'm aware of and except for Life Day which is on the 17. novemeber and I totally missed it I don't know any other holiday.

But I love holidays because they special and all the tradition behind it is always really beautiful.

So I decided to make my own holidays based on those in our world and that my family and I celebrate:

Rainbow Festival -> between 3th. February and 9th. March: It's like carnival in our world. Parades, music, masks and dressing up play a very big role here. The festival lasts about a week and ends 48 days before Egg Day with a big celebration, parade and fireworks. In this week there are in all places bigger and smaller fairs with ferris wheels, roller coasters and much more.

Egg Day -> between March 22nd and April 25th.: Equivalent to Easter and set for the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring. It is traditional to paint eggs four weeks before Egg Day and then give them away to loved ones on Egg Day. Another tradition is that everywhere in the galaxy there are painted eggs, sweets and candy hidden all over the place so everyone can search for it. There is no big "giving out expensive gifts".

Force Day: Mostly celebrated by the Jedi themself, in which they celebrate the existence of the Force and show their gratitude that they were chocen by the Force and stuff.

I can't decide if this should be on the 4th May like Star Wars Day or the 25th May the day when Star Wars came out for the very first time.

Harvest Day -> 23th September: Equivalent to "Thanksgiving" in the USA and the "Erntedankfest" in germany. On this day, nature is thanked for the rich harvest it has given for the cold autumn and winter days. Nature is also asked to ensure that there is enough food in autumn and winter and that the harvest will be plentiful again next year

Pumpkin Eve -> 31st. October: Like Halloween. People decorate their houses with spooky decorations, crave pumpkins and go trick or treating. There are also scary festivals in many cities.

Kindle Season -> 1st December-24th December: Celebrated like the Advent Season starts on the 1st Day of December and ends on the 24th Day of December. A candle is lit here every sunday till the 24th. Those candles are lit everyday then to spend light in the dark time. People (most of all children) also get a Kindle Calendar with chocolate or other candy (no toys or anything else). In the end on the 24th all four candles light up and in the middle a fifth big candle is placed.

Boot Day -> 6th. December: Like Saint Nicholas Day. Children put their boots out and their parents put a few little things in them such as orange, apples, nuts, sweets that aren't already in their Kindle Calendar etc.

Light Eve and Light Day -> 24th-25th December: Equivalent to Christmas and also kinda celebrated like Christmas but without the whole consumer industry and giving out all the gifts that are very expensive. It is celebrated in a more traditional way like families coming together and spend time with eachother. If at all there are only small gifts and most of the time something selfmade such as clothes, sweets or food, small toys or plushies, selfmade jewellery, handicraft stuff etc. Many people are playing a little game called "Gift Treading" which is like Secret Santa where everyone buys just one gift and then they roll the dice until everyone has one.

New Year -> 31st. December-1st. January: I don't think this has to be changed and can simply be taken over.

I know there are a lot more holidays in other cultures but I'm not really familiar with them. That's why I didn't really dare to approach these days. Even those holidays I put there are mostly inspired of how my family celebrates them and/or how I wish those days would be celebrated. So feel free if you have an idea to share it. I would love to add them to this list too so it really feels like holiday calendar of the whole galaxy. I also want to come up with a few holidays and traditions for the Jedi, Clones, Mandalorians, Sith etc. and maybe even of different species like Togruta, Twi'Lek etc.

[minusgangtime]

Ok-street fever explanation time:

Shelby’s lore and backstory: pretty much the same though with one difference,when she aqired her magic the rest of her family grew distant from her aside from her parents. However then the incident happened. She dad accidentally unleashed her power at her grandpa in rage and he chucked a beer bottle at her head,giving her the head scar. And thus the rest is history. When she came into town she kept the fact she was magic a secret except from her kids. She aqired plushies of cars and when she accidentally brought them to life,they inherited various types of magic. One day casper..tragically died,full in tangled style-shelby brought him back with the power of magic infused tears,while also accidentally giving nala magic.

The crews magic:

Nala: weapon based magic,can summon weapons and claws whenever she wants

Casper: angel magic,can do anything a angel can do,his base form is actually a more tame looking disguise of his true form

Midnight: shadow magic,can cause places to become darker and control shadows. Cause she’s so emotional and young,she can lose control of her power,causing darkness to spread in her room when upset

Pinkie: party magic,basically think anything that pinkie in the show can go-and think that-

Temp: dark magic,has dark magic,like the kind of magic a typical demon could use. Cause of how much it gets a bad wrap,temp prefers not to use it and hides his face so that no one can see him.

Sunny: light magic/can control light and brightness of a light source or his own body.

Simba: Eldrich power of choas/basically chiken nugget :3

Herb: plant magic/can manifest and control plants and nature,flowers,grass trees,if it’s in a forest,she can control it.

Seasalt: water magic/ can manipulate and control water and can also walk on water.

Lavender: healing magic/can heal anyone who’s hurt or sick by holding thier injured spot,or the rapunzel way by singing-

Blaze: ARSON-I mean fire magic/ can control and manipulate fire.

Snow: snow magic/ can summon and control ice and snow.

Nightfall: space magic/can summon and control stars that look like the ones in the night sky.

Galaxy: rainbow magic/has the power to summon a rainbow or use it as projectile weapons or a rope. In other words TASTE THE RAINBOW MOTHER-

-mod shelby

(Powah >:3)

(Also I'm throwing Shelby her illusion magic brother now-)

[poeticallylazyaf07]

Is loving you a sin? Is it unforgivable in the eyes of the heavens? Am I to be blamed for falling for you? But now that I know of the wonders and horrors sewn into your destiny, how could I not? How could I have walked away, leaving you amidst the chaos humanity has brought upon themselves? How can I turn my back on you, now having seen the way your eyes sparkle as you cage in my universe in them? Darling, you are a complex mixture of everything foreign to me. You are of poetry and galaxies. You are of honey and sunsets and rainbows. Your heart is one of a kind; it breaks, sure, as all hearts do, but you, you find a way to mend it back. You stitch it back with hope and love and care and everything I can't give you. You are everything I could ever ask for. You are my salvation, the last string I hold onto for sanity. You believe too much in finding a way out of this together, but that is impossible. This is the last chapter to you and I, even though it's all but abrupt. If only, I could get the tiniest loophole in the outrageous dead end, I'd destroy everything in my path to you. I would burn worlds and walk on fires for you. I have no compunction other than reaching you, mi amor. But this is doomsday for us, and everything we had. My love, I have planned things I never thought I would, for us. 

For everything we could've been.

I love you without reason, and that alone, gives me reasons more than I ever learnt to count. I love just about anything if it's about you. The amber honey of your eyes, and the way I drown in them. I wish you could see them for yourself when the light hits, I almost lose myself in your soul's intricate tapestry. I love that you challenge me, and I love it when you're grumpy. I love you when you speak, any word falling out of your mouth, I will listen without hesitation. I love it when you look at me and tell me you love me, with that angelic voice of yours that would make me drop anything to attend to you, because it reminds me you're human. And mine. I love you every second of the day and every day of the year.

I want to lose my breath and stop mid sentence everytime you walk in the door. I want to feel the butterflies everytime you're around. I want to spend every Christmas, New Year and Fall with you. I want to take you out on dates and court you not like the princess, but the queen you are. I want to spend late nights around Campfires, roasting marshmallows and feeding each other. I want to write sonnets about the curve of your nose, or the mole under your lips. I want to meet your parents and play soccer with your brother. I want to know you inside out so when you're sad, I can know exactly how you like your coffee. I want to kiss you goodnight and kiss you good morning. I want to hear you sing and assure me you'll be there. I want to dance under the stars barefoot, even if you keep stepping on me. I will attend every boring family meeting if you come with me. I want to see the fireworks bombard the sky as my mouth worships yours. I want to mark every inch of your skin and tattoo myself into your soul. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, for you deserve not to be a part of my life, but it in itself. 

When I'm with you, all else is forgotten. When I'm with you, my heart has a brain of its own; it pumps my blood the fastest and loudest, so loud I hear it roaring in my ears. My hands overflow with sweat and I just can't seem to find the right words. You turn my world upside down and leave me breathless, used, driven high in glee. You have come into my life the way light seeps into an abandoned dungeon. Blinding, obsessive.  You, my dear, will be the death of me, and I would gladly relish my last breath in your arms. 

If you are reading this, then it's over. I loved you, more than love. I loved you and I still do. But I can't spend my life with you, darling. I can't spend my last breath with you near me, nor could I do any of the things I want to. Desires are selfish things. And I suppose, too much if just about anything, even love, can reel minds into madness. By now, I hope you know why. 

Our stars don't align, we're not puzzle pieces. You are not my better half, nor my other. You deserve way more than I could ever provide you with, in a million years to come. You were my first, last and only love. In every single lifetime that will succeed this, it will always be your soul that mine tangles with. I love you, and I want you. In every single way, all of your being. But nobody gets everything they want. I just wish, the way I was taught that, wasn't so….. cruel. 

I am now without you. It's tearing at my flesh and eating at my bones. It's accumulating in my muscles and weighing my heart. It's plaguing my brain and rushing my blood. It's disrupting my life and now, without you, I can't do this anymore. 

If you are reading this, my love, I'm gone. 

Love,

Anonymous.

[13-beutelteufel]

Paradise (tlod)- Battle of the demigods - Part III

Paradise - The Lady of Darkness (tlod) is a connected story. The correct order is in the masterlist in my pinned post

"Come with me to the palace." he said. "You need to recover first and we need to take care of your friend." He pointed at Hermes. They followed him into the palace in silent agreement. "Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury the gods have to offer, but I hope you can still make yourselves comfortable." Wind-Water-Star explained as he led them to their rooms. "In the morning, we'll see if we can find some fresh clothes for you." The following hours were hell for Belli. Wind-Water-Star had advised them to sleep; they couldn't help with Hermes' healing anyway. But Belli couldn't sleep. She toddled restlessly around her room. When a young servant gave her fresh clothes, she washed herself briefly and then continued pacing in circles on the carpeted floor. But her strength didn't last forever and at some point she dropped onto the bed, exhausted. She couldn't think straight, but she couldn't rest either. Too much had happened recently. She would have liked to be tired, she would have liked to sleep, because she was exhausted. But she couldn't find any peace. She probably wouldn't find it until normality had returned. But what was normality? What would it look like for her? After all, she had never experienced anything like it in this galaxy. Her thoughts seemed to go in hundreds of different directions, bringing with them so many feelings. Where was the tiredness? Where was it? A soft knock made her look up. It took her a second to return to the room from her restless thoughts. A second that the person in front of the door used to knock again. Grumbling reluctantly, Belli got up from the bed and shuffled to the door. She didn't want to talk, even if it would have given her a change. The fear of getting bad news again, of being dragged back into something she hadn't even known about, was too great. She opened the door and stared Hermes in the face. Awake and unharmed. Her mind went blank, not even trying to process the new impression. "One of Sea's friends has been interested in curses and curing them for years. Looks like she saved my life." Belli's mind was still stubborn, but her heart understood his words. They had brought him back. And given her the chance to thank him after all.

Rainbow stared from the palace balcony at the village below. At Wind-Water-Star, who was gathering a group of demigods around him and giving them orders. While Sea's friend was still looking after Hermes, the leader of the demigods had summoned him. Rainbow was sure that the mercenaries had followed them, they hadn't blurred their tracks after all and had worked out a plan with Wind-Water-Star on how to beat them. How the demigods could beat them. Sea's father had insisted that they conserve their strength and stay safe. Rainbow didn't like how these demigods risked their lives and the happiness of their families while he towered over them. Nor did he like the fact that he had overridden the others with this plan. But none of them seemed to mind. The events of the night had shaken them up too much. Hopefully he would be as relaxed about the whole thing later. And hopefully the demigods who set out below him in the first light of day would be successful.

Sea had let Pega carry her into the bushes to watch the battle from there. She couldn't stay in the palace while her future people risked their lives for her. Even if she probably wasn't much help. Running from the mercenaries had given her the last of her strength and as she sat here in the bush, she realised she wouldn't be able to help. She would be forced to watch them die. But staying in the palace would have been just as bad, wouldn't it? Her worries were for nothing. The mercenaries who had actually followed them were too busy trying to cross the invisible border to realise what had stepped over it at another point and was now sneaking up behind them. Together with the demigods under Sea in the bushes, they had surrounded them. And when the circle was tight enough, they began to do what they had already done with the first group. The vines shot out of the ground and grabbed the mercenaries before they had even turned round. They wrapped around them and dragged them irretrievably to the ground. Lightning and mist lit up the early morning, but every sound seemed to be smothered by the powerful roots.

Part IV:

[aloudplace]

Prologue:

A Brief History of The Goddess

The first Goddess was born on a little green planet in a tiny solar system near the heart of a galaxy of which no one has ever heard. Zenoti was the planet’s name—a lush world of vast tropical forests, aquamarine oceans, and clever reptilian peoples.

Evolved from great serpents with glittering rainbow scales, the Zenopelti learned to harness the elements and channel the wisdom of the earth to build a great and peaceful empire. They worshiped the Goddess, whose presence they felt in the earth, trees, and the stars beyond their skies. They called her Ginishi, the Galactic Mother. The governing force of the universe.

The first incarnated Goddess was half Zenopelti, or so the story goes—a priestess of the proud race of healers and alchemists who ruled Zenoti for three million years.

She came as a uniter, a guiding light to join two worlds as one.

When they invented space travel, the Zenopelti visited their neighbors—sister planets circling the same sun. The first planet was Asatyru, a desolate, uninhabited world with a dozen desert moons.

The other was large and watery Miyuna, inhabited by a strange mammalian species who called themselves “human.” They, too, worshiped the Goddess in their own primitive way, though they called Her by a different name.

The Zenopelti were fascinated by humans and by the elemental forces of Miyuna, so different from those of Zenoti. They wished to inhabit the planet to learn about its people and magic.

But the Humans were not so keen.

They were young—a civilization that had not yet touched the heavens or harnessed their planet’s wisdom—and they were fearful.

For the first time in hundreds of thousands of years, the Zenopelti faced conflict. The humans did not like to be visited by strange beings with unimaginable power and technology. They were foolish and did not trust the towering reptiles with rainbow scales who offered them education and technology in exchange for the right to dwell on Miyuna. The humans fought with what primitive technology they had to keep the Zenopelti out.

But the Zenopelti were proud. They would not relent.

A war loomed.

The Goddess heard the two races calling. Their seers foresaw great violence and prayed to the Galactic Mother for guidance. In answer, a piece of her soul came like a beam of light from the Galactic Heart to take corporeal form.

It is said She was born of a Zenopelti and a Human, for she appeared as both in one body, with violet skin and rainbow scales and long, beautiful hair. She was gifted with foresight and unimaginable healing powers.

But so old are these stories, and so long fallen the Zenopelti, that no one is sure of their truth any longer.

All that is known is that the Goddess—being of both races and more powerful than any priestess ever born —was able to unite the two worlds by their faith in Her.

A peace accord was struck. In time, Miyuna and Zenoti became as sisters should: a family bound by their love for a Goddess in physical form.

The Zenopelti shared their wisdom and technology, and the two races mingled their blood in honor of the Goddess. In turn, the Goddess promised to be reborn again and again in their midst so that she could continue to watch over them.

For thousands of years, the two worlds grew together. The humans learned Zenopelti magic and their lifespans grew long. Disease became a thing of the past. Asatyru was terraformed, and a magnificent temple was built there to honor and house the Goddess.

All was indeed well.

Until the Eladani conquerors came.

***

Prologue

Six thousand years later, Planet Eladan (formerly Zenoti)

~

It all happened so fast.

Prince Loklan was drunk—as usual—and he’d done something vile.

He couldn’t remember what, though.

His brother, Thenn, was there in the garden—Whose garden? Mother’s?—and there was a woman, too. The delicate taste and scent of a high-born Lady clung to his senses.

Thenn’s handsome face glowed with rage, blue eyes rolling, lean figure tense with impending violence.

Loklan stumbled in the moon-dappled grass and caught a flash of blue-white skirts edged with fine lace. He came up hard against a tree and laughed. The sound rose in the air around him, raw and wild, like the call of a prairie wolf on the hunt.

Thenn charged him. The younger man bellowed something.

A woman screamed, “Thenn, no!”

Lachlan took his brother’s weight full-on and they both went to the ground with a bone-jarring thud!

Loklan looked up and saw her there, eyes wide with terror in her small, pale face.

And then he remembered.

She was Thenn’s woman. His brother’s betrothed.

It was she that Loklan could taste. Her perfume that lingered in his nose.

This was Thenn’s engagement party.

Loklan had a single moment of sober thought, gazing up at the little princess in her moon-glow gown with her soft mouth hanging open in horror.

Goddess, what have I done?

And then his brother loosed a rain of heavy-fisted blows about his head and shoulders.

Fighting back was simple instinct. Rage rose within him like an old friend—a fiery defender, fed by a lifetime of snubs and snide remarks. Of rejection and betrayal.

Of shameful, sickening secrets.

Bastard son…worthless prince…doesn't deserve his title…

Beastly…Disgusting…

His vision narrowed, edged with a creeping lace of blackness. But he could see Thenn. That was enough.

He knocked Thenn’s fists away and rolled the smaller man beneath him, then landed a single, resounding blow to the perfectly squared jaw. The golden head lolled for a moment, eyes flashing white as they rolled back.

Triumph surged in his veins.

Loklan hit him again. And then again.

He didn’t hear the woman screaming anymore, or the other voices—familiar voices—crying out for him to stop.

He wouldn’t have listened anyway.

Primal rage took over, riding the wave of whiskey in his blood. It drove the creeping blackness back. Burned away the drunken clumsiness.

Blood wetted his knuckles. He could smell it. Bright and coppery-sweet.

A rush of animal excitement filled him, unhindered by princely inhibitions. Untouched by a lifetime of strict royal etiquette and practiced civility.

Loklan ceased to be Loklan. Thenn ceased to be Thenn.

They were nothing but beasts now. Vessels for animal violence.

Defender and enemy. Victor and victim.

Predator… and prey.

[realm-of-the-etherial]

World of The Ethereal

Ava's Bedroom

A traditional Latin bedroom, at first glance. However, once you notice the little details, it is the bedroom of a troubled person. A bedroom that is full of energy, whether good or bad. It has been suddenly encapsulated by a portal created from a shrine to the owner’s husband. She has been struggling to grieve her loss, resulting in dark magic rituals. Rows of candles lead us to an altar, warmly lit by hundreds of candles and decorated with old photos. Her bed is unmade, her tv is unused and not yet upgraded, laundry is still not done. All of these reflect who inhabits the room, Ava, a mother suddenly overtaken through a depressive episode caused by grief.

Shrine to Rafael

Many Latin-American families create a special place for a lost loved one in their home. Some have pictures surrounded by biblical figures, some have scriptures, and others have gifts, flowers, and treats. In this closet, though, the tradition is taken to an unhealthy level. Hazardous amounts of flame surround it. A mysterious book lies open on the floor. The pictures seem old and roughened up. And they all depict the same person, Rafa.

Portal

A physical connection between the living and the dead. When you call for the price of life to get to the one you have lost, you can tear through the walls between the world of the living and the dead. This tear then takes over whatever it touches, growing in glowing vibrance.  The portal feels and looks like it is made of space, stars, and entire galaxies. Just like one would say a person has passed, they will always look over you in the stars.

Circular Array of Houses

After experiencing a trip through the portal, we land on the World of The Ethereal. A strange yet familiar world, where a circular array of houses, like those from their neighborhood in Puerto Rico, levitate and glow. At its center is an enormous dome of light. The container of all the souls that have passed. It is a peaceful place. Serenity radiates from the dome into the houses. All of these homes reflect those who have passed, each family having their own unique space. A rainbow of colors decorates this world, representing the possibilities and wonder that one might imagine the afterlife to be. This is also a place of culmination, where one will eventually fall at peace in leaving the past behind.