#Scouts read Sacred text

[christianblogr]

The Boy Scouts of America's National Day of Prayer Patch

The Boy Scouts of America's National Day of Prayer Patch — The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has long been an organization that encourages its members to grow in their faith and contribute positively to their communities. In line with this tradition, the BSA is offering a unique opportunity for Scouts to engage in a meaningful observance of the National Day of Prayer on May 2, 2024.

The Boy Scouts of America’s National Day of Prayer Patch — The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has long been an organization that encourages its members to grow in their faith and contribute positively to their communities. In line with this tradition, the BSA is offering a unique opportunity for Scouts to engage in a meaningful observance of the National Day of Prayer on May 2, 2024. The Boy Scouts…

[trans-xianxian]

btw jiang cheng fancam is done I can't wait for you guys to see it I keep watching it in glee. best request I've ever made

[thenameswinterfics]

AGAPE

Fandom: The Last Kingdom Pairing: Osferth x Reader Settings: Between season 4 and season 5 Summary: Torn between the desire to feel you and the sacredness of his vows, Osferth gives you flowers as a token of his love and devotion, the meaning of his love hidden behind the flower's language. But a scouting expedition beyond Rumcofa's borders forces him to confront the devil who tempts him. Word Count: 2,9 K Warnings: Fluff, mild smut, mention of religious guilt, mention of male mansturbation A/N: Here's my birthday present for my beloved @zaldritzosrose . Happy birthday, sweet love. I apologise for taking so long, I hope you can appreciate this. (And consider also this as a way to thank you for all the graphics you made for me). As always, thank you to @foxyanon and @legitalicat for having an endless patience with me. Also, thanks to @sylasthegrim for the brief beta reading!

ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE. I APOLOGISE IN ADVANCE FOR MY GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY MISTAKES.

Header by @legitalicat Dividers by @zaldritzosrose

READ IT ON AO3

Agape: (n), the highest form of love. Selfless, sacrifical, and unconditional love; persists no matter the circumstances.

When Osferth saw you for the first time, the seed of sin was already creeping into his soul.

Brought up in a monastery, King Alfred's bastard son had been sheltered from the dangers of the outside world, his life rigidly punctuated by the silent rhythm of prayer and the teaching of sacred texts, his vow of chastity protecting him from the lustful pleasures of the flesh, his body preserving the purity so longed for by God. 

But everything changed when he joined Uhtred and his men, leaving behind his former life outside the holy walls of the Church and embracing the way of the warrior. His first days were not easy: he was not used to witnessing death and destruction first hand, and killing was a thought that made his stomach turn and his spine chill. But the years passed quickly, and the shy monk became a warrior and one of Uhtred's most trusted men. 

He had always heard Finan say "ale, women and prayer" whenever they temporarily settled in a village, and watched as he and Sihtric drank endless mugs of ale, joining them for as long as his stomach would allow. And every time the thought of the flesh came back to haunt him, his faith would help him resist the temptation, and Osferth would end up praying for God's forgiveness, soothing his guilt for almost abandoning himself in the sin.

But your arrival shattered all his holy defences. 

He watched with wide eyes as you challenged Uhtred to a fight, your body dancing with every stroke of your sword, admiring your coolness and agility in battle and how easily you disarmed a skilled fighter like the Daneslayer. And those same eyes, intense and fierce in battle, were the ones that met him, in a glance that ignited the spark of attraction, an unfamiliar heat that blossomed in his chest. 

Every time he closed his eyes, his thoughts were filled with visions of you - your wild spirit, your stolen glances, the way you cared for your friends and children even when you said otherwise, even the way your lips curled into a gentle smile. In the silence of his room, he struggled with his longing, every breath a battle between desire and duty. Part of him still had to keep his oath to God, the promise to maintain his integrity and serve Him and Him alone for the rest of his life. But another part of him wanted to surrender and embrace the sin that had taken root in his heart, to love you as freely as you did, whose own religion allowed you to worship the gods with physical touches and passionate love. 

Osferth always wanted to confess his love for you, but his shyness and his religious morality never allowed him to openly express his true feelings.

So he used the language of flowers to convey his unspoken feelings for you.

Osferth had always been an enduring mystery. You sensed it from the moment you met him, his blue eyes hiding a longing that you misinterpreted at first, thinking he was simply worried about his lord's fate since he was defeated in front of the bewildered gazes of his warriors. 

But it was not until Uhtred welcomed you into his group with open arms that you truly began to understand him. As you shared stories of your adventures around the fire, surrounded by the green of the boundless Mercian borders, you glimpsed a layer of his character that was hidden beneath his demeanour: he was a gentle soul, both in his words and his actions, and spoke with an intensity in his words that you hadn't found in any men you'd met in your life.

Your silent glances turned into lingering moments, and you both felt a connection to each other that you had never felt before. You brushed your fingers against each other as you reached for the same piece of food, or as you passed weapons to each other as you prepared for battle, and each time you saw the monk's smile as a silent response, his face flushed to the tips of his ears, a vision that made your heart pound in your chest.

In time, the accidental caresses became bold, and you both began to rest your hands on each other's cheeks, feeling the softness of each other's skin as the tips of your noses touched. But every time you thought you could go further, a wall of responsibility would fall over Osferth and the monk would leave your embrace. You interpreted his sudden hesitation as mere disinterest in you, but you didn't know that inside him there was a war between integrity and impulsiveness, for you were the devil who broke the chains of God's influence. 

You had known Osferth for long enough that you thought you knew everything about him. Yet, somehow, the once almost monk still managed to surprise you. One evening, while you guarded the children as you were granted accommodations by Lady Aethelflaed estate in Saltwic, he began exhibiting a predisposition towards plants and flowers. You watched as he bent over, his slender fingers gently caressing the petals of a flower before plucking it from the bush and turning to gift it to you, which you accepted happily.

Each flower was different, both in shape and colour: small and with few petals, roses of the brightest red, small wild flowers that he sometimes tucked behind your ear, large and fragrant tulips: they were carefully chosen each time you crossed Mercia, and your intimate ritual continued when you reached Rumcofa, the place you would soon call home. 

You leaned into his spontaneous gestures, consoling yourself a little, seeing them as the closest you could get to a gesture of love. But you would soon find out the hidden secrets that these flowers hide between their beautiful petals.

Spring arrived unusually early in Rumcofa, and while nature was already in full bloom - from the brightest greens of the grass to the most vibrant hues of the flowers - there was still a slight chill in the air, a silent reminder that winter had not yet loosened its grip on the earth. 

The sun was bright in the sky, and Uhtred and the boys patrolled the area, making sure there were no dangers or possible incursions. It was a sudden change of life for everyone, as you had lived in Coccham for many years, but this did not stop Uhtred from making his new piece of land powerful and safe for his warriors’ families.

Fortunately, the scouting had been without any particular difficulty, and after hours of riding, Uhtred decided it would be wise to let his men rest and feed the horses before resuming their activities. So they decided to head for the forest, which was somewhat drier than the dense vegetation that surrounded Coccham, but no less intriguing: the trees were tall and stringy, and the early scent of pine and damp earth filled the air. Birds were calling in the distance, their songs echoing through the treetops, casting small patterns of light on the ground.

Dismounting from your horse, you took your shield and sword from the saddle, carrying them with you in case you needed to defend yourself from an ambush. Deep in the forest, you and Osferth gathered as many twigs as you could find to light a small fire and prepare some food for your stomachs: the scouting had been long and hard, and hunger mixed with fatigue always fooled even the most skilled of warriors.

Having gathered all the twigs you needed, you decided it was time to take a little break. The two of you walked in silence, close to each other, shame and unspoken feelings filling a forest already blooming for the spring season, until you both reached a small stream where you could sit and relax, smelling the scent of wet grass and water plants, along with the chirping of cicadas and the singing of birds. 

You cautiously approached the water, dipped a hand in and lightly wetted your face, enjoying the coolness of the cold hair against your wet skin. Then you sat down, pressing your back against the grass and closing your eyes, surrendering to the peaceful sounds of nature, until a sudden rustling of leaves made you open your eyes. You lifted your head to see Osferth awkwardly gathering some flowers tangled in a bush, the sight so sweet it made you smile slightly.

"It seems you like picking flowers lately," you said with a slight chuckle, watching as the monk froze, the tips of his ears turning slightly red. You could feel one of his hands lightly picking up a small flower, the flicker transferred to its petals. 

“It is an activity I enjoy, my lady, before we come back scouting,” Osferth replied politely to you, and you could hear a flicker of nervousness in his voice. 

You rolled to the other side, your arm supporting your head as you watched Osferth pluck flowers from the ground and gently gather them into a small bouquet. With no small hesitation, he approached you, sat down on the ground and silently leaned the bouquet towards you, his blue eyes looking at you with their usual intensity and longing, betraying the decorum of his religious beliefs. 

You found yourself admiring the improvised floral composition, lost in its beauty: the flowers were large, probably larger than those he had given you in the past, the petals soft as silk to the touch, painted a vibrant pink with muted shades of pale pink. You had never seen such a beautiful flower in your life. 

“Osferth,” you breathlessly broke the silence, your eyes shining with contentment: you were a warrior woman, but even you had a soft side, “I do not know what to say. They are-”

“Peonies,” the monk interrupted you, his cheeks turning red while watching your bewilderment over his gift, “They are peonies. Very beautiful flowers, if I dare to say,”. 

Osferth paused for a moment, then cleared his throat and continued, "From the writings of the monastery, I have learned that peonies are rich in symbolism and have many meanings. One of his fingers pointed to the flowers in your hands, his thumbs gently stroking the petals, "Some believe it has healing properties and symbolises protection, others believe it is the symbol of honour and nobility,” 

Suddenly, he took one of your hands, and with incredible kindness he placed it on his chest, and you felt his heart beating wildly inside his chest, “And they are often given when you want to tell someone you love them,” 

Silence fell over you as you took your time to absorb Osferth's words, his words hitting you like an arrow shot to the chest: you were used to Osferth's elusiveness on these subjects, as you had caught him praying in solitude, asking forgiveness for sins he had not committed. But his gentle touches, his unspoken tender gestures and the flowers he gave you: he told you he loved you without thinking to touch you, so that his soul could live in peace. 

Your lips curled into a small smile as you brushed Osferth’s chest with your fingers, “Is this why you always give me flowers, when we get the chance?”, you asked softly, your own cheeks turning red as Osferth nodded shyly.

“I do,” the monk replied, his hand squeezing yours, “But I know this is wrong,” 

With a quick but delicate gesture, Osferth lowered your hand and stood up, pacing nervously and mentally reciting prayers of forgiveness. His behaviour left you both confused and broken, and after gently placing the flowers on the grass, you stood up and approached him, holding his hands in a way to calm himself down.

"It's wrong, what?" you asked calmly, hoping that your voice would bring him back to reality. But you knew from his gaze that he was somewhere else than with you, "Please, Osferth. Talk to me. Is it because I am a Dane?"

“It is because I desire you,” Osferth snapped, more in panic than anger, and the grip on your hands tightened, “It torments me to see you every day and wonder what it would be like to touch you and love you without feeling the burden of my faith,”

He then leaned one of his trembling hands, resting it on your cheek and brushing it gently, “All the flowers I gave to you, they were the sign of my love and commitment towards you without feeling God’s voice telling me it was wrong,” Osferth confessed with a soft sigh, closing his eyes as a way to hide his shame, “But now that I exposed my secret I do not know if he will grant me-”

“Is God watching us?” You asked out of the blue, interrupting his nervous stream of consciousness while your own hand rested on his cheek as well. Your question left Osferth surprised for a second, but a little chuckle escaped from his lips, amused by your apparent innocent question.

“My sweet lady, both your Gods and my God are watching us right now,” he replied sheepishly, and his answer satisfied you: it was what you wanted to hear.

“Then let them watch us,” you whispered with husky voice, your finger tracing the contour of his face, your touch sending him shivers down your spine, “Let them watch us consuming our love, only them as witnesses,” 

His breath caught as your soft touch lingered on his skin and the air suddenly became thick with tension. It was as if the war between righteousness and temptation was intensifying within him, the seed of sin blossoming into a small sprout destined to grow, fuelled by your carnal passion. 

And for the very first time, the devil won. 

His lips crashed against yours in a hungry kiss, releasing all the dormant passion he used to vent in the solitude of his room, reaching his climax when he cried out your name in his moments of lack of lucidity. Unable to restrain his hands, he gripped your waist in a surprisingly tight vice and moved you until your back was pressed against the trunk. He broke the kiss abruptly as guilt rose again in his chest, his eyes pleading for forgiveness.

“You need to stop me, please,” Osferth breathed against your lips, but you silenced him by teasing his upper lip with your tongue. 

“I won’t,”, you replied in a hoarse voice and put your hand behind his neck, “I have waited for so long, Osferth. I need to feel you,” 

With your last words, everything rational in Osferth's mind disappeared and your lips were locked in a heated kiss. A little hesitant at first, he grew bolder as the tip of his tongue tentatively demanded entry, which you gladly accepted. A wild and sensual dance exploded in your mouths as his hands slid all over your body, squeezing your soft breasts and forcing you to moan against his lips. With a confident movement, he undid the laces of your skirt, exposing you to the cold air of early spring. Your mind became dizzy as you felt Osferth's mouth run over your skin, tormenting first your neck, then your collarbone, until he indulged on your breast: with the tip of his tongue he teased your nipple, hardened by the cold and the rise of your arousal, while his hand teased the other with a pleasurable pinch. 

"You are tempting me, Lady," his shy and trembling voice contrasted with the bold movements of his hands, and you could only respond with whimpering and rambling words, your eyes closed as you rested your head on the trunk of the tree, drunk with the pleasure the innocent monk was giving you.

Leaving your chest, his hands slipped into your breeches, his fingers trembling and clumsy as he tried to find your pulsing core, wet with anticipation of what was to come. But as you felt the tip of his thumb caress you in a circular motion, two male voices called out to you in the distance, forcing you both to abruptly pull away from each other, hiding all evidence of your relationship. 

But all your attempts were in vain, as you realised with horror that Finan and Sihtric saw almost everything. 

"Looks like our baby monk is no longer a baby," Finan's teasing voice broke the awkward silence, supported by Sihtric's sly grin. Osferth's face turned bright red as he tried to cover you and save you from further humiliation. But he knew it was too late. 

“I-I swear I can explain,” the monk spoke with a quivering voice, but Sihtric was quick to interrupt him.

“Lord Uhtred gave the order to resume the scouting. Collect your things, both of you,” the Dane tried to stay as neutral as possible, his smirk betraying the seriousness of his words. 

“You will hump your lady later as a reward,” the Irishman added, and with a loud slap on the youngest's back, he and Sihtric turned and walked away from you. 

With a hint of embarrassment in the air, you tried to compose yourself by arranging your clothes and combing your hair into more tidy braids, and with a soft brush you told Osferth that everything was fine and that you were enjoying these little moments together. 

Gathering your things, you quickly rejoined your group and resumed your exploration of Rumcofa's surroundings, riding tirelessly until the orange sun disappeared behind the mountains. And as Finan said, your love and affection was the reward Osferth received after a long day, ignoring the guilt of his faith that whispered in his head as your naked bodies joined as one. 

If you've come this far, thank you so much for reading my fic! Hope you enjoyed it! Please, leave a comment if you want to be added in the taglist or be removed.

Osferth Taglist: @zaldritzosrose @legitalicat @sylasthegrim

[chiskennougat]

MAPMAKER, Part 5: The Survivors

(This is the final chapter! It's a long one.)

CW: Violence, murder, death.

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

Unbeknownst to you, In the land you're seeking, Things have taken a turn.

Houses are ablaze. The air is thick with ash and dismay. People are fleeing.

The robed figures hold torches, The dusk is orange and viscous, Moments deforming like wax, Blurring and dripping together, Impossible for their witnesses to parse.

Homes, temples, shops, inns, All carefully, quickly set alight.

At the peak of the mountain village, An ancient ruin lies. A squat, crumbling brick building, Topped with a metal Effigy, towering above the scene below.

What was once an ancient curiosity, Of light interest to the wandering children of the village, Becomes the burden of its destruction.

Folks from the town arm themselves, Some with worn weapons, Baptized in the blood of your townsfolk, Some with improvised projectiles, Bricks, rocks, chunks of metal.

Each defender, brought to their end. Swiftly, unremarkably. Flashes of sparks, Dark magicks, Ceremonial blades, Nobody lasts more than a couple minutes.

—-----------------

As you step into the tent, you’re bathed with vibrant red light. The air carries a strong, unnatural scent.

A tinted glass lantern is hung in the center of the tent, Above four large tubs of liquid on the floor. Various bottles, cups, and vessels are strewn about.

Before these lay a large antique tome, It’s worn, pale pages left open to a passage somewhere in the middle. The original text is surrounded by various notes, scribbled in countless different scripts. Evidently, this book is far older than you can comprehend, Having passed through dozens of generations, Eventually ending up here, in your presence.

You carefully begin reading, absorbing as much sacred knowledge as you can, Navigating carefully through centuries of addendums, Picking up where the Photographer left off.

—-------------------------

Huddled masses begin their uncertain journey. Wounded are carried on the shoulders of the young. Their clothes are eclectic. Evening gowns, robes, Some are barefoot.

With unease, torches are lit. The terrain is rough, Thorns tear at flesh. The quiet air is saturated with emotion. Pain for the ones they’ve lost, Shameful joy of surviving, Intense, unforgiving guilt, Gratitude for the universe. Hatred for inevitable fate.

—--------------------------

Upon the sheet of metal, An image appears. It fades in, slowly at first, Shards of black sunlight, Stabbing through pale mountains. Bright white trees, Impossibly small.

A sense of panic sets in. Have you left it in for too long? Or not long enough?

As individual blades of grass emerge, You solemnly remove the plate, And place it in the next bucket of chemicals.

—---------------------------

Children have begun to cry. Adults converse among themselves. Steadily, and predictably, Questions rise to the surface of discussion.

Where will they go now? Where can they call home? Who can they trust? Who should they fear?

—----------------------------

Silver washes away. The landscape inverts. All becomes right.

You set the photo out to dry. The task is finished, Yet you can’t tear your eyes away.

It’s a curious sort of beauty. A sight that you wouldn’t have thought twice of, Made unique in metals and chemistry, It brings you to tears.

—----------------------------- The desperate caravan slows. Legs aching, Their eyes drifting shut, Traumas refusing to be pushed from their minds.

Elders give an order. The journey will be paused for the night.

Weary young scouts are sent out, Searching for a suitable campsite.

—----------------------------

Your reverence is broken. The faint sound of footsteps, Softly squishing into the grass outside.

For the first time in your journey, You reach for your weapon.

The weight of the hatchet grounds you. This moment is real. Your surroundings become vibrant. Bright, flickering reds against deep, inky blacks.

The footsteps become louder. Whoever it is, whatever it is, It’s approaching the tent.

Adrenaline courses through you. Your breathing is fast and heavy.

You are not going to die in here. You are going to live. You are going to fulfill your task.

Silent steps take you to the tent’s door. Energy builds in your core. Muscles are at the peak of tension. Lungs fill with air.

With one swift motion, You throw the flap open. Axe raised, your expression crazed,

The culprit is bathed in the scarlet light. It’s a person, roughly your age. Their cloak bears the emblem of the Western People, Yet their face shows none of the expected hostility.

Instead, their eyes are wide with fear. They’ve dropped their lantern in the grass, its light extinguished. Their entire being is trembling.

You soften, suddenly and fully. The hatchet is set down, And countless apologies leave your mouth.

Tears stream down their face. Breathlessly, and wearily, they surrender to you.

You invite them into the tent. It’s obvious they’re in need of respite, And this is not your comfort to deny.

They accept, and take a seat with you. A bond is made in the following moments. They tell you of inexplicable horrors, You tell them of hopeful peace.

—-------------------

They leave after a time, And when they return, a dozen people follow. Old and young, Wounded, sick, and healthy, The last vestiges of the Western People.

You invite them to camp with you in the clearing. To join you in the tent, To share your provisions.

Your people’s sacred enemies become your new acquaintances.

—---------------------

In the morning, your quest’s true objective hits you. The realization pushes the air from your lungs. Your mind is flooded with doubts, and they’re immediately dispersed. You run from the tent, and find the Western elders.

The proposal takes some time, Ancient grudges begin melting.

Eventually, with the help of the younger folk, They graciously agree.

The Western People will return to your village with you. And, although some of your people may not approve, You will find peace. Not through bloodshed or domination, Nor through negotiations and boundaries, But through unification.

—--------------------

You pack your things. The photo, the card, the bauble. The ancient tome.

You study your map, And you look out at the horizon.

The sky is clear, and the air is brisk. And your purpose is clearer than it’s ever been.

70 clicks remain.

end.

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

Previous Part

First Part

[endingboyhansel]

For those who don’t have a Twitter account and can’t access the thread, here’s a copy paste from it:

disclaimers:

- not all characters are included here

- these are all pure speculation and theorizing! do feel free to voice your opinion if you feel any of them are inaccurate

A Knight: Based on Roland the Knight (His Chitchat Ⅰ is from "Rolandskvadet"), and the sword Durandal

AliEn T: Originated from aliens supposedly mutilating cows throughout America, which caused this trend of UFOs with cows

An-an Lee: References a character named Kwan from the movie "Out of the Dark" (1995)

APPLe: Newton and his apple

Baby Blue: The wonderland from "Alice In Wonderland" by Lewis Caroll

Bette: Possibly Bette Davis and Charlie Chaplin combined

Bkornblume: She works at the Stasi, the state security service for Germany from 1950 to 1990, one of the most hated and feared institutions of the East Germany communist government + blue cornflowers

Bunny Bunny: Obviously, bunny girls

Centurion: Her name, specifically, came from the American Express Centurion Card

Charlie: Possibly based on the granddaughter of William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barnard

Click: World War II photographer Robert Capa

Cristallo: Variety of glass named lead glass, commonly called crystal, used for radiation protection

Darley Clatter: Darley Arabian, one of three dominant foundation sires of modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock

Diggers: The subculture in the 1960s called the hippies

Dikke: The Goddess of Justice, Dike, and the city Pamiers in France + the Code of Hammurabi, a Babylonian legal text

Door: The mirror from "The Snow Queen", by Hans Christian Andersen

Druvis III: Her last name references an actual lumber company, Weyerhauser + she references the ritual in which druids climb a sacred oak and cut down the mistletoe growing on it

Eagle: American scouts

Erick: Based on Erik Hakonsson, or Eiríkr jarl Hákonarson

Eternity: Canadian supercentenarian Julie Winnefred Bertrand, who lived for 115 years and 124 days

John Titor: John Titor, an (apparent) time traveler from 2036

La source: "The Source" by Ingres

Leilani: The name "Leilani" started trending after a song written by Bing Crosby titled "Sweet Leilani" became popular

Lilya: Lydia (or Lilya) Vladimirovna Litvyak, a fighter pilot in the Soviet Union during World War II

Matilda: Possibly the novel "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

Medicine Pocket: Their experiments reference the University of Utah's radioactive dog experiments (read: https://onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/nuclear-history-of-lab-beagles/…)

Mesmer Jr.: Franz Mesmer, known for animal magnetism

Mondlicht: Red Riding Hood combined with the hunter

Ms. Moissan: Henri Moissan, French chemist and pharmacist

Ms. NewBabel: Possibly the Tower of Babel, to signify her bringing a new era

Nick Bottom: Main character of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare

Oliver Fog: Oliver Twist (CN tl of Oliver Twist is "Orphan in the Town of Fog"), and the great smog incident in London in 1952 + the use of child labor at the time

ONiON: The newspaper named "The Onion", which is based in America

Pavia: 1541 urban legend about a werewolf in Pavia

Pickles: A dog named "Pickles" that found the Jules Rimet Cup lost in 1966

Poltergeist: Maybe the movie "A Ghost Story".

Rabies: The book "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger

Regulus: The pirate radio trend that was especially prominent in the 1960s, the band "The Beatles" and the brightest star in the constellation of Leo, "Regulus"

Sotheby: The Sotheby's auction house that was founded in England

Sputnik: Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite

Sweetheart: The movie star Marilyn Monroe (quite literally as her CN name is Marilyn)

Tennant: Her Insight II garment name, "Gent Cullinan" references the Cullinan Diamond, the largest rough diamond ever found on Earth

The Fool: The main character of "Le roi s'amuse" by Victor Hugo

TTT: Jean Armour Polly, who popularized the term "surfing the internet"

Twins Sleep: The twins in the horror movie "The Shining" perhaps

Voyager: Based on the space probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 launched by NASA, and the golden disks within the probes recording pieces of classical music and 55 of Earth's languages + her outfit is the school uniform of girls from the Soviet Union, called maiden uniforms

X: He has great interest in Rube Goldberg machines, named after American cartoonist Rube Goldberg

Zima: Russian poets in general, though Anthon Chekhov is one of the main inspirations

end of thread! this took a lot of time and effort to make so i'd appreciate it if everyone could like and rt this!

other replies tldr:

— An-An references a lot of Hong Kong urban legends and 90s Hong Kong horror media as a whole.

— Eternity is also based on the Mercy Brown Vampire Incident and the cosmic ocean.

— Pickles is also based on Sirius from the philosophical book “Sirius”.

— Regulus contains references from British rock band “The Who” and the 1950s subculture of the mods (and rockers).

— Schneider’s surname Greco is a reference to Italian chess player and theorist Gioachino Greco.

— Sonetto’s name is Italian for "sonnet", a type of Italian poetry common in the Middle Ages.

— X is also based on the butterfly effect.

hello guys! i recently made this thread about reverse 1999'a possible cultural and historical references regarding its characters on twitter and im too lazy to make it again on tumblr so ill just. put this here :]

[lazypeachsoul]

"you make me question my faith" - osferth

Pairing: osferth x viking!reader

Word count: 1.2k

A/N: NO SPOILERS FOR SEASON 5 IN THIS FIC. Careful with posible spoilers if you comment. Inspired by a quote from fleabag i thought would fit the baby monk. I wavn't used any taglist bc i don't know if people still want to read my stuff🌼

Masterlist.

The breeze blowing through the river bank was enough to make a chill run down your spine, but not enough to make you walk back to the house. You knew Uhtred had posted Osferth and a few other men to guard the port today. And although the lord had told you not to bother them while they guarded the town, you also knew he would not really be mad if you went down to the river to talk to your friend.

You had known Osferth for almost your entire life. From Winchester to Cookham, you always seemed to find eachother again. When he left Winchester and the convent to run around playing warrior you thought that had been the end of your friendship with the young –and way too shy to be a real warrior– monk. But you found yourselves a year later in Cookham when you were traveling with your parents looking for a safer place to live.

And that process of finding your way back to each other continued, as if God himself had meant for the two to always stay close. And it was also the invisible string that pulled you to Rumcofa and your position at the end of the pier.

Scouting the area for your blond haired friend proved to be difficult with all the traders and merchants tying their boats and shouting about their goods. But a few steps forward you could spot him standing at the end of the wooden planks, one shoulder leaned against a pole that didn’t look stable enough to support much weight.

As silently as the creaky boards allowed you walked towards the man before you actually saw that his gaze was set on a book. Now close enough, you got onto your tiptoes to look at the text above his shoulder.

‘What would Father Beocca think if he saw you reading pagan stories.’ You exclaimed with a fake gasp of horror. ‘The heart attack you would have caused him!’

You could swear you saw the hairs at the back of his neck straighten with the fright you gave him. He tried to turn around as fast as his now developed warrior reflexes allowed him. But he stumbled and slouched towards the water dangerously, making you reach for him without even thinking twice.

With a huf he regained his footing and finally looked at you, with his cheeks getting redder by the second.

‘You! You scared me!’ He huffed, repositioning his robes and the book that miraculously was still in his grasp. ‘Why would you do that? I was distracted.’

‘Yeah, that was the entire point. You looked to be concentrating too hard on that book and not hard enough on protecting the town.’ You joked, gaining another bashful huff from Osferth. ‘But back to the point, you were reading about the pagan Gods. One would think I’m corrupting you, Osferth.’

Religion was never a problem in your friendship. You always appreciated the way your friend worshiped his God without forcing it down other people’s throats. And he seemed to tolerate that you happened to believe in a different set of deities.

He tolerated them even when you were children meeting behind the wall of the monastery – monks didn’t appreciate a pagan child running around in their sacred garden– and you threatened him with false curses and incantations.

‘You could never corrupt me, I know the path God wants me to follow.’ He replied, convinced and puffing his chest. Until a shadow crossed his face and his demeanor changed. ‘Even if it includes hurting people sometimes. I am sure he forgives me for that too.’

You smiled tightly remembering the countless nights your friend had spent fretting that he was heading to hell because of the things he did in battle. And you, in your wholy pagan belief, assured him time after time that he would absolutely forgive him, because his God was the one who set his path.

‘Of course he does, he would miss and incredible person in heaven if he didn’t’

Your last words gave way to a tense silence. In your numerous conversations on belief, the afterlife had been the hardest topic to approach. Because from a very young age you realized that if God was real, you would be going to severely different places.

But thinking about that heavy topic was not the purpose of your visit to the river bank. So you tried to lighten up the mood and bring back Osferth, who was now looking at the book with a deep frown.

‘You think I should become a christian?’ You blurted out with much second thought to the statement.

‘No.’ Osferth’s statement came quicker that you ever expected. ‘No, don’t do that.’

You could only muster a hum, trying to grasp the sharp meaning behind his words.

‘I like that you believe in a meaningless existence and fake gods…’ He carried on when no other words came from your mouth. You could hear the satire in his tone. ‘You make me question my faith.’

You swear all air left your lungs at that moment. The simple idea of Osferth questioning his faith felt weird and almost criminal. But you continued the joke anyway.

‘And?’ You asked, unable to hide your playfulness and your curiosity at the same time.

He took a big breath and looked up from the book, moving so quickly some of his hair fell on his eyes. You pushed to the back of your head his need for another silly bowl cut when you inadvertently pushed the blonde tufts of hair to the side of his forehead.

He smiled wildly, a cheeky motion he had developed the past few years probably by association with the rest of the Cookham squad. That’s when you knew you were in for a good laugh.

‘I’ve never felt closer to God.’ He replied with a solemnity that felt oh so odd at that moment.

You could not help but burst into a chuckle and even softly pushed his shoulder back. He barely budged, a testament to his now warrior-like strength but his entire frame shook with laughter. A few unsavoury expressions might have also been said at some point during the laughing fit.

Those are the moments that you lived for with Osferth, the deep hearty laughs about topics that everyone else might consider either too big or too minuscule to pay attention to. The moments that made you want to spend the rest of your life next to him.

But that conversation had also happened and he had been adamant that until the wars between danes and saxons calmed down, nothing would happen. He wouldn’t force you into a life of waiting around fearing for his life. And any try of telling him that you already did that even without a marriage, he shot them down.

You reached for the book on Danish lore in his grasp and took it from him with a fake annoyed gesture.

‘Then you don’t deserve to read about my Gods.’ You spoke vehemently before taking a few steps back and hiking your skirts up just enough to take off in a run. ‘So I might have to keep the book for myself.’

You stuck your tongue out like you did when you were children and started running for your life back to the town, book in hand.

You could hear his voice shouting and laughing from behind you, but you didn’t stop for anything. If this was all you could have until danes and saxons laid down their weapons, you would make the most of it.

[batfamilysays]

NUMBER NEIGHBOR

in which damian wayne meets his number neighbor

old draft of oc x damian

wc: 3468

GOTHAM CITY

TINSLEY'S APARTMENT 

06:32 PM

Friday comes too quickly and Damian is nowhere near ready.

His lips are still busted open from the preceding evening’s scouting and his hairs grown out far too long, hanging in tufts right below his brow and curling the daintiest bit in a mess of matte black. Small dark rings kiss his tanned skin and tug at the lids of his jade eyes, dulling the color every so slightly to a muted green.

Nothing is right.

Every article of clothing in his wardrobe suddenly seems inadequate for meeting the girl he has been anxiously anticipating ever since he sent the text. He’d probably still be trying to decide on what garment to wear had it not been for Jason chucking a pair of jeans at him and telling him to leave.

Damian isn't dense, he recognizes he's quite aloof at first, he knows his demeanor is unsettling, so as he stood in front of her apartment complex, arm raising to knock, his mind begins to wander.

Was this worth it?

Was the prospect of her getting hurt enough to make Damian turn around, could that ever-growing cavity in his stomach be filled by someone else’s presence? Someone, he doesn’t care about half as much as Tinsley? Someone who didn’t fill it with maddening butterflies and a troublesome warmth. Or could perhaps Damian be allowed this? Allowed this small wedge of pleasure in a world that seemed to grant him nothing but iniquity and desolation?

Fortunately for everyone involved, he didn’t have time to decide for himself as the door swung open and a pair of arms encased his torso with enough force he stumbled back against the hallway’s stained walls and knocked his head against the plaster with a disquieting thud!

An instinct burned into him since childhood shouts, screams at him to push whomever this was away, and retaliate with tenfold that amount of brutality. Yet somehow he can’t quite hear outcries, they seem muffled against the vanilla and honey redolence that embraces him, filling that basin in his stomach to the brink with warm marmalade and crystalized sugar.

“Damian!” such a faint voice whispers, so soft the Wayne almost doesn’t catch it over his shooting heart at the close proximity with the girl he was only just now identifying as Tinsley Nolans, his number neighbor, ‘“Oh my god this is such a surreal experience.”

Hesitantly Damian returns the embrace, his hands engulf the shorter woman in his arms and the scent of her fragaria shampoo and conditioner saturating his senses in a wonderful mellow mix. Her hair blinds him and Tinsley couldn’t help but notice how delicately he was touching her, it was as though she was glass and he was a man destined to shatter it.

It was as though the lion had fallen in love with the lamb.

“You smell really good.” Damian says through a sigh, only belatedly realizing just how awkward that was after the words leave his throat, “Oh my god that sounds so creepy I didn’t mean it-”

“You smell really good too,” It wasn’t what Tinsley had planned to say but if it would make Damian less uncomfortable she was okay with scraping her original sappy speech - besides he really does smell good, “Like mint and smog.”

He knows the smokey fragrance is from the gas bomb he had used the night prior on a few of the riddler’s henchmen, but Damian lets that thought drift peacefully from his head as her hands began playing with the fabric of his shirt, her lips moving in small puffs as she says, “It’s really crazy to see you, it’s like I’m meeting my best friend for the first time.”

The reply he goes with is cheesy, but he can’t find it in himself to care, “I am seeing my best friend for the first time.”

Drawing away with a grin Damian allows himself this one self-indulgent act, allows himself to drink in the slightly shorter girl in front of him, her sandals adding at least an inch in height with their white chunky heels and strappy bases. Tinsley’s hair was laying in long strands across her shoulders, each perfectly curling at the end and crooking up at the base of her neck. A flannel was thrown indolently around her shoulders to add a bit of warmth to the grey cropped shirt and ripped black jeans and Damian couldn’t help but inhale at the peaks of bronzed skin that appeared with every movement she made.

Shaking his head Damian attempts to refocus on her smirking face, a smug look gliding across her eyes like koi fish swimming their deft routine. With the quick realization, he hasn’t said anything for a good two minutes, Damian quickly spouts out, “You look um-nice Ley,”

“You don’t look too bad yourself edgelord,” She adds a playful wink and loops their arms together with comfortable ease, almost as though she knows that’s how they’re meant to be, connected, “C’mon let’s go I’m dying for taco bell,”

Damian, without reluctance, permits his body to decompress, the tension and nerves seeping out with every warm glance she offered and the soft touch of her skin against his flesh, “I don’t know how you can stomach that garbage,”

“Tsk. Such a rich boy thing to say,” Stopping briefly to pop her head inside the flat Tinsley yells, “See you tonight!” To her mother - who roars a warning to Damian - and resumes dragging the much larger man down the corridor with her.

“I’d be careful with what you say, I’m the one with a license after all,” Damian simpers and extracts the keys from his pocket, wagging them in front of Tinsley face teasingly, satisfied with himself as she lets out a childish huff and pouts in a fashion he finds sinfully adorable.

“I regret telling you that wholeheartedly, besides I’ve got my redo in two weeks soo I’ll be the one driving you places, “ Tinsley snatches the keys from his arm and dashes down the hall, only turning back around for a second to stick out her tongue and wink, emitting a boisterous, “Race ya!”

With a playful roll of his eyes, Damian pursues her, knowing full well he can catch up to her with ease if he so chooses to.

He doesn’t.

Instead, he watches from behind as Tinsley twirls and titters as if a ballerina executing a routine only she knows of. Damian wasn’t religious by any means, but this - this was something eternal, something sacred. That carefree expression etched into her face as she reaches the end of the hall, those teasing insults she spews at him while walking to the elevator, the warmth of her skin against his own as she places the keys in his hands and climbs into the passenger side of the car.

It prompted a feeling to froth in Damian’s chest, a feeling he never wanted to be rid of, a feeling that made the pit in his stomach seem not so deafening after all.

GOTHAM CITY WAYNE MANOR 07:02 PM

Driving back to the manor was an experience - to say the least, and Damian found himself learning a few different things. 

Firstly, She was a wretched singer, throughout the complete car ride her bellows of off-key glee songs left Damian to regret not insisting control of the aux. 

Secondly, She really was awful on the road, she screamed every time the car went over train tracks and went on and on about being crushed by two trucks and becoming a truck sandwich if Damian ever got too close to other cars.

Lastly, Damian is absolutely smitten with her.

The sky had turned frigid in the half an hour it took to arrive at the manor, it lays across them like a white blanket of frost and punctuates each of their breaths with puffs of grey- something Tinsley took benefit of when doing her red hood impression with the mock smoke of a cigarette. 

Damian walks up to the house, his hand interlocked with Tinsley’s for what he would never admit to being for anything other than warmth. 

The manor really is quite fantastical, with noble pedestals of brown and beige driving up to the roof, complex patterns incised into the granite walls and alabaster steps, each window a darkened hue that makes them seem all the more ambiguous than Tinsley already thought them to be. 

A key is fitted into the cold doorknob and Tinsley smiles as Damian yanks her inside, a small yelp leaving her lips as he does so with a probably unnecessary amount of force. Though, in his defense, he didn’t want to waste any time that could be spent inside with her instead of in the freezing night.

“I cannot believe you live here…” Tinsley allows herself to drink in the magnificent interior design, her heart swelling when she directs her gaze back at Damian, whose own eyes have been locked on her the whole time, the same expression coating his eyes when looking at her that she had looking at the structure, “I can’t believe you’re here.”

Damian swears his heart skips a beat, and so he rather than confront the emotions and pressure fabricating in his gut he releases her hand and walks over to the couch, his back turned to the dejected expression Tinsley holds.

“Soooooo,” Tinsley trails off and plops onto the almost comically large couch, the pearly white cushion sinking under her weight and fluffing out around her head, “I’m still a firm believe we should order Taco bell and watch Twilight.”

Setting next to her Damian kicks off his converse, facing her with one eyebrow raised, “Ah yes cause I’m a well-known vampire fanatic.”

Tinsley sits up and punches his shoulder without any malice, her fist barely being felt through Damian’s thick jacket, “Ya know what buckeroo it’s good! Yeah, the acting is less than subpar but the story arc is great!”

With a swift flick of his wrists, he grabs her hands in his own, “Doesn’t an 18-year-old end up with a literal fetus?” 

Though Damian may not have been the biggest movie watcher he had read his fair share of cheesy romance novels - for research purposes of course - and twilight was most certainly included in that list.

“That’s not canon!” She argues, twisting so she was on top of him, arms still pinned to his.

“Didn’t the author write it?” Damian easily flips them a second time, the urge to be tender overwhelming despite the usual harshness in his fighting. But this wasn’t a fight - not really - and he needed to get used to that. Because with Tinsley it never would be a fight. 

Scrunching her eyebrows together in thought Tinsley groans, pouting out her bottom lip as her list of arguments ran out, so instead a simple “Shuddup!” would have to suffice. 

It was only then did Damian realize the position they were in. Tinsley pinned under him, her brown hair a makeshift halo under the fluorescent yellow lights and casting a yellow glow to her face, which almost seems to radiate pure rapture as she beams at him, such heat and affection it makes Damian want to cry. 

He’s a murder. And murders don’t deserve this. No matter how much he wants too. 

Getting up Damian turns his attention back to the screen, face heating up as he flicks the screen on, “So what do you want to watch?

GOTHAM CITY

CITY ROOFTOPS

12:57

Wind ruffles through his matte black hair and the cold brings his jade eyes to tears, the stinging of wetness against his eyelids burning like chlorine and sunscreen on a blistering summer’s day. Everything seems to anger him nowadays, the way the sun sets far too late on the horizon, how it barely caresses the moon and instead engulfs it, not a bit of fragility in the proficient routine they continuously dance. Even his telephone appears to be in opposition with him, invariably buzzing to life with sweet texts from the one person he refuses to be in contact with but so desperately desires to. 

Perhaps he was a bad person, Damian, had mulled over this thought all of last night, the words replaying in his head until they didn’t taste correct on his tongue or sound right for his ears. They reappear at the forefront now, when he is dawned in his vigilante attire and perched on Tinsley’s rooftop with the claim to be patrolling for crime when everyone knows that was most certainly not the reason for him being there. 

Seven Days. For seven days Damian has ignored every one of Tinsley’s persistent calls and texts, the fear of falling too deep for a girl who could most certainly do better than him devouring every bit of his soul. Eventually, the calls had trickled out and the texts became sparse until she finally cut him off altogether. He wanted to blame Tinsley at first, wanted so badly to make their devastating separation her fault when in actuality it was all Damian.

He had been the one terrified of getting hurt. He was the one who was scared she’d leave him. He was the one who knew she could do better. He was the one everyone abandoned. He was the one no one wanted. He was the one who had fallen in love with a girl on the internet. 

Everyone had tried to help in their own ways, Bruce had tried for days to figure out what was wrong, even threatening to take him off duty if he didn’t tell him. Dick had taken him out for ice cream in the hopes of cheering him up. Jason took Damian to shoot things, Duke spared with him to let him relieve stress, Stephanie had bought him cat toys for Alfred, Barbra had gotten him a fresh set of katanas, and Tim had sat down and just talked with him. In a way Damian couldn’t explain, this warmed his heart and filled the bits and crevices of the basin in this stomach (Especially Tim who - in a weird way -  Damian was closest to)

None of the attempted persuasions worked though and eventually, Damian stopped checking the messages and the hole in his chest expanded tenfold, so large and opaque he was fearful it would swallow him whole if he didn’t find something to fill it, this would likely prove to be challenging seeing as though only two people had ever been able to completely fill the irksome hole.

His mother was the first and most prominent, but after using him for years she threw him out, discarding the son to his father after training him to kill and feel nothing but a wave of numbness. After training him to be a monster. His father hadn’t wanted him at first, he was the product of manipulation and abuse, why would anyone want that? But Bruce had to take him, despite his original wishes, and even if Dick assured Damian that Bruce did love him the youngest Wayne couldn’t find it in himself to believe that.

Tinsley Elowen Nolans was the second. But now that she was gone Damian felt as though the hole had grown in size, the only parts in him unconsumed by the darkness where the spots reserved for his family. He knew that if he had simply allowed himself to open up to Tim, Dick, Jason, even Duke that they could possibly fill the cavity. But he didn’t want their warmth. He wanted hers.

Except he couldn’t have hers. 

He watches silently as Tinsley walks up to the building, fiddling with her yellow keychain to find the correct one to unlock the apartment complex doors. This was the usual routine she took, what wasn’t usual was what she does next. Damian quirks a brow under his mask as she takes out her phone and types a quick message, only understanding when his phone beeps with a message

TINSLEY

i miss you.

He shouldn’t have checked his phone, not when Tinsley was collapsing to the ground with quiet sobs escaping her lips. Her hair had been thrown into a lopsided ponytail and her mascara was starting to smear down her face with every trail of snot and whimper of inner torment. Damian wanted nothing more than to forget their fight, forget his stupidity, and jump down and make her forgive him, make her stop hurting, make her stop caring about him.

It was exceedingly critical for him to help her, comfort her. However, just as he goes to support her something pulls him back, maybe his insecurities, maybe the knowledge he was still in his uniform. Or maybe a sympathetic group of orphans who look at him with too much pity. 

With a scowl Damian shakes Dick’s grip off his shoulder, turning towards them with harsh eyes, blinking away the small tears that had managed to form in his irises. A disgruntled cough leaves his throat and he adjusts the black fabric of his mask to cover his bleary eyes, “Tsk. What is it? Don’t you all have neighborhoods to patrol?” 

“Bruce - I mean Batman,” Stephanie corrects after a glare from Cassandra, “Told us you refused to patrol any town but this one and

it seemed suspicious so Tim and I looked into it and that building,” She juts out a thumb to the sobbing girl and blue apartment complex, “Is not-so-coincidentally the same place Tinsley lives.”

Huffing Damian crosses his arms, “You’re right, it is a coincidence. Now shouldn’t you be swapping spit with that ugly bastard,” despite the words he isn’t trying to be malicious - he was just genuinely upset with the situation he has found himself in and is lashing out in the only way he knows how. (Okay and maybe he said it a bit to be mean)

“Robin we just want to help,” Barbra tries, dawned in her Batgirl suit, “With everything that’s gone down we don’t think it’s healthy for you to be ‘patrolling’ here. You’ll never be able to move on from Tinsley if you’re constantly seeing her.”

“Oh please he isn’t trying to move on, he’s trying to get her back.” Jason cuts in, rolling his eyes and clicking a finger against his red helmet, “Which is the right thing to do considering she made him less … well ... him”

“Red hood don’t be mean,” Dick scolds, a pitiful smile on his lips as he turns to Damian and engulfs him in a forced hug, “Whatever you need we’re here for you little D.”

“I need you all to leave me alone!”

Tim steps forward and pries Dick off of Damian, mumbling a barely audible, “He doesn’t want a hug, you’re making him uncomfortable” before turning his attention back to Damian, “Okay well anything except that.” 

“Robin, what happened between you two anyway?” Cassandra finally asks, easing the question on everyone's mind with a few words, “You seemed so ... I don't know … happy? Though I have to admit I’m slightly relieved you aren’t gushing over your phone during training sessions anymore.”

“Black Bat, you straight up skip training sessions what the fuck are you on about?” Duke’s eyes go wide as Cassandra throws a knife at him, his hand shooting up and catching it with ease, “Okay damn girl.”

Cassandra snatches her knife back and throws a glare at the yellow-suited man, “Watch it Signal.” 

“Can we please get back to Robin and his saga of love?”

Damian can’t help it, the tears push heavily against his eyes and finally break free from the trap of his green irises, small uneven blobs of wetness trailing down his face and plopping onto the ground with a deafening noise. It wasn’t that loud, but Damian's fuzzy head and fast-beating heart augment the noise tenfold.

Everyone goes silent, possibly from a shortage of anything to say, or perhaps from seeing such a austere boy collapse down into pitful bewailings in front of them. His legs buckle and the dark haired man fallsl to his knees, arm covering his face in pure agony as every text he ever sent replays in his mind, a broken record forcing him to relive what he’s done.

So much pain he doesn’t notice the same rag tag group of orphans engulfing him in a hug

TAGLIST !!!

@pretendthisusernameisgoodd @dickgraysonhasanicebutt @multiverseofwonders @emmaleilani96 @mcgonagalls-witches @pleasestophoney @kurosstuff @liltleaderofthelameones @water248 @blackrippedskinnybeans @evalynanne

[spectraspecs-writes]

Leviathan - Chapter 106 (Rena)

Link to the masterpost. Chapter 105. Chapter 107.

A/N - Since there's been some confusion about it in the past, thought I'd make it clear here. Carth's narration is in orange text, if the orange doesn't show up please let me know but with tumblr's new post editor it should work. Bastila's narration is pink - my original idea was yellow but not only would that be illegible it's not an option. Same deal, if it doesn't show up let me know. Plus, I don't know if anyone watches the videos when I add them to chapters, but this one, you gotta watch this one.

@averruncusho @ceruleanrainblues @chubbsmomma @strangepostmiracle thank you for reading, you get a tag. @skelelexiunderlord thank you for support, you get a tag.

——–

When the elevator opens, I get… a horrible feeling. Like someone’s walking on my grave. And no one mourns me. Everything feels cold. Like that dream on Dantooine. I think Bastila shivers a bit but I don’t think Carth feels it. But how could I know, he’s blocked himself off from me. As we fight our way through to hangar control the feeling just gets worse and worse. Seeing the Hawk makes me feel a little better, but not for long.

I don’t want to be here. This is the only way to get to the hangar, but I don’t want to be here at all. I’m not ready. I don’t want to be here. I can’t calm down. It’s dark. And cold. I don’t want to be here.

The blast door opens. We didn’t move fast enough. It’s him. It’s Malak.

Carth starts to step forward with his blasters but I reach out my hand to stop him. My dream will not happen. I won’t let it. Malak laughs, and it sends a chill through me. And also a strong feeling of hatred. But it’s not a general hatred, like I would have if it was like “knowing the things you’ve done and what you stand for, I hate you.” This is a personal hatred. “I hope you weren't thinking of leaving so soon, Bastila,” Malak says. His voice is channeled through an apparatus on his chin. He has no jaw. “I've spent far too much energy hunting down you and your companions to let you get away from me now. Besides,” he says, looking at me, “I had to see for myself if it was true. Even now I can hardly believe my eyes… tell me, why did the Jedi spare you? Is it vengeance you seek at this reunion?”

I try not to be nervous, but I can’t help it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, “I’ve never met you, this isn’t a reunion.”

He laughs again. Over and over again. What in the goddamn hell is so funny? “What?” he laughs, “You mean you don't know? All this time, and you still haven't figured it out? I wonder how long you would have stayed blind to the truth? Surely some of what you once were must have surfaced by now.” “Once were”? I’m a scout, I’ve always been a scout. What the hell is going on? “Even the combined power of the Jedi Council couldn't keep your true identity buried forever, could it?”

… no. What? No. No that can’t be right. That’s not me. That can’t be me, I can’t be… Revan. No, I’m not. I wasn’t. That can’t be right. But it was my face! No. No that can’t be right. It’s not right. No. I look back at Carth. He can’t look at me. But this isn’t right! I’m not Revan! I can’t be. I remember being a scout!

Is that why all this felt so familiar? The Sith on the bridge - I knew them? Maybe? Is that why Jedi training went so fast? Muscle memory? I already learned how to use the Force and fight with a lightsaber. And why Master Zhar said I was a special case. Why the Star Map on Kashyyyk knew me. But…

… it isn’t right! No!

“You cannot hide from what you once were, Revan!” Malak says. Shut the hell up! “Recognize that you were once the Dark Lord - and know that I have taken your place!”

“No,” I say, “No, this isn’t right. Revan is dead.”

“You do not yet remember, Revan?” Stop calling me that! “The Jedi set a trap. They lured us into battle against a small Republic fleet. During the attack a team of Jedi knights boarded your ship. The Jedi strike team captured you and the Council used the Force to reprogram your mind; they wiped away your identity and turned you against your own followers!”

No. No it’s not true. It can’t be true. No. No. “No. No, it’s not true.”

“You must have seen flashes of your old life in your dreams, Revan; memories bubbling up to the surface? Surely you must remember the battle in which you were captured?” On Taris… but she said it was just a dream. A memory. Her memory. My memory… “How you survived the final battle is a mystery to me,” Malak says, “Perhaps you should ask Bastila; after all, she was part of the Jedi strike team that captured you!”

Yes. She was. She was there. I look at her. I hate her. “Bastila?”

“It’s true,” she says. I hate her. “I was part of the team sent to capture Revan… to capture you.” I hate her! “When Malak fired on the ship you were badly injured. We thought you were dead.” They should have left me. But if they left me, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t know Carth, or Jolee, or Canderous, or Mission, or T3, or anybody. But is that worth leaving a mass murderer alive? Is the fact that I’ve lived a better life away from the Dark Side worth all the lives Revan took? Am I worth it? “Your mind was destroyed, but I used the Force to preserve the flicker of life in your body. I brought you to the Jedi Council. They were the ones who healed your damaged mind.”

No. No. “But I have memories. I don’t remember Revan, but I remember a whole life. Planets I explored, species I discovered, stories to tell. I’m a scout!”

“The Jedi Council didn't restore your wounded mind, Revan!” Malak says, “They merely programmed it with a new identity - one loyal to the Republic! They tried to make you their slave!”

So… Bastila… I thought she was my friend! Or at least someone I could count on, someone I could trust! “You’ve been lying to me this whole time!”

“I wanted to tell you but the Council forbid it!”

“So once again you put an idea before a person!” I shout at her. I can’t help it - I hate her! “How could you justify that? How could you? How in your twisted mind could an idea be more important than a living breathing person?”

“They were afraid you might return to the dark side if you discovered your real identity!” she says, “You could have hurt more living breathing people!”

“But now you know the truth, Revan!”

I turn to Malak, and scream at him, “Shut the FUCK up! I’m not talking to you!”

He laughs. What part of “shut the fuck up” did he not understand? “And there is the Revan I remember! No longer holding back your rage!”

“What part of ‘shut up’ did you not understand?” I say. Even without a jaw, I can see his smug grin, but he leans back and crosses his arms. I turn my attention back to Bastila. “Why didn’t you just let me die?”

“For the same reason you are always concerned for the lives of others,” Bastila says, “The Jedi hold all life sacred, even that of a Sith Lord. I could not just let you die. Not if it was possible to save you.”

Malak laughs again. “Hiding the truth behind noble words,” he says, “The Jedi needed the memories buried deep in your wounded mind, Revan; there was no other way to bring them out. They had to keep you alive!”

I’m not listening to him. “And the new identity - why?”

“We couldn’t simply restore your true identity…”

“Couldn’t or wouldn’t?”

“Revan was too dangerous - we couldn’t.” Sounds like “wouldn’t” to me. “But locked inside your mind was information the Republic needed: the secrets of the Star Forge. The Council created an identity for you: a scout transferred under my command. Your subconscious memories were supposed to lead me to the Star Forge; there was no other way to get the information.”

“They made you their puppet, Revan,” Malak says, “and Bastila was the handler pulling your strings!”

“Why you? Why are you here? Why did they choose you? You were my friend - why would you do this to me?”

“I used my Force powers to keep you alive on that bridge - it created our bond,” she says. That goddamned bond! “I convinced the Council that I could use that bond to draw out your memories and lead us to the Star Forge.”

“Tell the truth, Bastila,” Malak says, “you wanted to taste the Dark Side for yourself! You knew the only way the Council would permit you to explore the Sith's power was through Revan's lost memories!”

“No!” she says, “I wanted to help you, Revan.”

I scoff. “But you wouldn't mind helping yourself along the way, I bet.” After all, she thought this was an audition for masterdom - she’s looked for power before.

“Revan, I thought this mission would redeem you; that it would atone for your past crimes. How else could you be saved?”

No. No. “You used me! You and the whole Council! I trusted you! And you used me and lied to me the whole time!”

“Rena, Malak nearly killed you, but the Jedi Council gave you another chance to live! They gave you a chance to redeem yourself by defeating the Sith!”

“A rash and futile hope,” Malak says, “The Dark Side is too strong, my power is too great! Even my old master is no longer a match for me!” He turns to me. What was before anxiety and fear is now firmly rage and anger. At Bastila, at the Council, at Malak, at me. “A small part of me has always regretted betraying you from afar,” Malak says, “I always knew there were some who would think I acted out of fear, that I did not want to face you. But now fate has given me a second chance to prove myself. Once I defeat you in combat no one will question my claim to the Sith throne; my triumph will be complete!” He reaches out a hand, and Bastila and Carth are both immobilized. “The Jedi Council were foolish to let you live. I won't make the same mistake. We shall finish this alone in the ancient Sith tradition: master versus apprentice, as it was meant to be!”

I am. Absolutely. Done. Today has gone on long enough. I have had it. “You wanna know something?” I say, “This is, categorically, the worst day of my life.”

---

Damn it, Rena! If she hadn’t stopped me before, maybe I could have shot Malak and we wouldn’t be in this situation! And now she’s fighting Malak alone. She doesn’t stand a chance against him.

But why should I care? She’s a Sith Lord! She’s been a Sith Lord the whole time! Oh, she can claim she doesn’t remember all she wants, but how can I know she’s telling the truth? How can I trust her? She deserves everything she gets!

But… it’s Rena. My friend. I saved her life on Taris, she’s saved my life more than once, she’s always been there for me. She found Dustil. Turned him away from the Sith. I love her. She feels right. And I promised to protect her. And then…

No. I promised to protect Rena. This is Revan. Revan, who led us during the Mandalorian Wars, rallied Jedi to our side. Revan, who won the war for the Republic. Revan, who betrayed us all.

I can’t forgive Revan. But I can’t forgive Malak, either. Malak gave the order to attack Telos. And I- I don’t know if Revan had anything to do with it, but Malak definitely did. He deserves to die. And the war has been a lot worse since Revan was killed. Wiped. Whatever. And if that has anything to do with the two of them, Malak is clearly the worse of the two. He deserves to die. And I want to take revenge on Revan myself. For lying to me. For using me.

Was any of it real? Was she ever on the side of the Republic, the whole time? Did she even love me like she said? Or was it all a lie? Hell, for all I know, she wanted us to be here. Maybe she sent a transmission to Saul when I wasn’t looking. Maybe she really did join the Sith on Korriban.

But I saw into her head. That first night on Korriban, whatever she did, I saw into her head. It was strange, the whole experience, but it was like I saw her whole life. She told me - well, sort of told me - that she could never fall if I was there. That she wouldn’t. She couldn’t hurt me. She couldn’t do that to me. And that’s how she told me she loved me. I don’t think she meant to. It just sort of came out. And it showed me that I loved her. Something I didn’t want to think about, I guess. Especially not then - I was so focused on Dustil. And Morgana. She died five years ago and I was never able to get her off my mind. Before Rena. And when she showed me inside her head… it all made sense.

But what if all that was a lie? How can I believe anything she’s ever - Rena, look out! In a fraction of a second, she dodges Malak’s lightsaber. And I feel her in my head, like I did before - “Thanks, I got it.” It doesn’t feel like her, not like it felt before, on Korriban. On Korriban, it felt… I don’t know how to describe it. It was like… coming home after a long time. It was a warm full feeling. A good feeling. But this, now, feels completely different. She feels almost… cold. Dark. Rushed.

Maybe that’s just because she’s fighting, she’s focused. But I saw how she yelled at Bastila. And Malak. She’s not the same at all, is she? She’s not the same Rena. And she never will be again, will she? The woman I… the woman I thought I knew - she’s gone. It’s just Revan now.

---

This was not the way I hoped she would find out. I wanted her to find out in a safe place, surrounded by friends, no more battles to be fought. Perhaps after we’d found the last Star Map or before we went to the Star Forge. Of course I knew she would have to find out eventually. I knew that a fight with Malak was inevitable, and that he would reveal her true identity. I just did not want that to be the first time she heard it. I wanted her to hear it from me. I wanted to be able to answer all of her questions in a calm, safe environment, a place where she could express all of her feelings safely, and understand why the Council did this.

Being captured by the Leviathan was the last thing I expected. Everything was going relatively smoothly. I was concerned about Korriban, but Jolee told me she acted exemplary, a fine model of Jedi teachings. As much as usual, anyway. As I’ve told her before, her methods are unorthodox, and she has a tendency to act emotionally, but she is dedicated to the wellbeing of others. I’ve regularly seen her put the lives of others before her own, as have the others. I never knew Revan personally - when she and Malak left for the Mandalorian Wars, I sided with the Council - but from what I’ve gathered, “selfless” was not a word others would use to describe her. Revan and Rena have many things in common, but I don’t believe they are the same at heart. Rena certainly has her faults and her shortcomings as a Jedi, but I could never see her falling to the Dark Side.

I’m ashamed to admit I wasn’t always so certain. Her feelings for Carth were concerning at first. As I said, I never knew Revan, but she had a reputation for hedonism, and Rena seemed quite the same at first. And not only that - her dueling on Taris concerned me, as well. She seemed very aggressive. But I came to learn I was mistaken in that assessment. She used dueling more to blow off steam than as an outlet for aggression.

Her identity was a mystery to me at first. I knew that the Council put her under my command, but beyond that they seem to have taken quite a few liberties in explaining her knowledge. She has a number of specifics when it comes to being a scout or ecology. And I don’t know where her crusade against Czerka came from. Perhaps these details came from Revan’s memory, and the Council just changed the explanation. Perhaps the identity was someone else, someone who died in the war, or someone from the archive memory. I had only met her briefly before the attack on the Endar Spire, and I doubt it was an encounter she’d remember. She was up late, fixing a droid. If I hadn’t known her voice I wouldn’t have recognized her. Most of what I knew about her came from a datapad, at first.

It took a long time before I stopped calling her Revan. I of course never said it out loud, but there were many times when I thought to myself, “Why is Revan doing that?” or “That is not something I expected from Revan,” or “Revan is getting on my nerves.” It wasn’t until Dantooine, during her month of retraining, that I began to think of her as Rena and not Revan. I never knew Revan, but Rena is my friend. And I don’t have many of those. It’s a complicated friendship, certainly, and we have our fair share of disagreements. But part of friendship is how you deal with those disagreements.

Although, I wonder if that friendship is over now. Not because of how her true identity was revealed, although that certainly doesn’t help. I know she disagrees with me, but the Jedi are more than simply an idea. The Jedi are the only thing holding the Dark Side at bay. Without the Jedi, the galaxy would descend into darkness, beyond hope, possible beyond salvation. Certainly that is more important than any individual. If saving Revan will defeat Malak, I have no regrets. If Carth suffering Admiral Karath’s torture would have aided the Republic, then I would consider that an acceptable loss. I wouldn't enjoy it, of course, but if it was necessary I would find a way to live with the consequences. And I gather Revan would have felt the same. But Rena doesn’t. Perhaps they are more dissimilar than I thought.

Rena reaches out to kick Malak, but before she makes contact, Malak whisks her into a Force whirlwind and runs. A coward, as he has always been.

---

Asshole! I could see it in his eyes, I was making progress, I was making a dent, and he runs!

I could just let him go. This is not going to be the last time we meet. It can’t be. The Star Forge is still out there. And Malak would like nothing more than to get rid of me now. I’m a problem, and the only way to stop me from being a problem is to kill me. I have no intention of dying today, if only because I need to give the Jedi Council hell. I don’t want to think about that now, though, if I think about that now I’m going to have a fucking panic attack. So that’s that. I’m going to wait for Carth and Bastila to unfreeze, and then we get to the Hawk and go. Easy.

But it could never be that simple, could it? Malak would not leave any avenue for me to just go. And even if he did, that wouldn’t be the end of the fight. Maybe there’s a tracker on the Hawk. Maybe he’ll follow us to Manaan. I have no idea how this will end, but it won’t end well.

I don’t want to be here. I don’t know what this feeling is in the pit of my stomach, but I hate it. Oh. Wait. That’s what it is. Nope, I don’t want to think about that now. I need a hug. But Carth is still frozen, assuming he could even trust me again. Nope, not thinking about that. I touch Carth’s hand, at least, looking for a little comfort. And he lets me read him. He hates it. God, that’s a horrible feeling. Nope, don’t want to think about that. Focus on the Sith Lord.

I think I saw Malak go through the door in front of me, rather than left or right. But it’s locked. Why? Why is he making this difficult? Let’s try finding another way into that corridor. Door on the right. There’s another door on my left that should lead to where Malak is, but it’s locked, too. Jesus, dude, really? Okay, keep moving forward. Another door. Left turn. One more door that should lead to Malak, but it is also locked. Why, dude? Why? All this effort to prove you’re not a coward, but you’re acting pretty cowardly. I keep moving forward to the next door. Through that and after another turn there’s one more door that should lead to Malak. If this one is locked, too, I swear to fucking God…

It opens. There he is. Bastard.

---

I can feel Malak’s stasis hold slowly wearing off. It starts small at first. I can move my foot, just a little. Then it fades even more, and I can curl my fingers. Then it fades completely, and I can let my muscles relax for a moment. But only a brief moment. Rena is still fighting Malak. I can sense it. But his is not the only anger I feel. Carth is clearly not having the best day, to put it mildly. And as much as he’s trying to focus solely on Malak and getting to the Ebon Hawk, his thoughts are obviously clouded by Rena. Anger at her, and me, at the Jedi Council, but also confusion. And mistrust. Perhaps even some depression. Clearly there is sadness there. But how deep it goes is unclear.

“Damn it, Rena!” he swears at her, “She’s going to get herself killed, fighting Malak alone.”

“You still care about her, then,” I say. I did not expect his feelings for her to go away so quickly, but I did expect them to be mixed.

“Care, hell, I don’t think we’ll be able to find the last Star Map without her,” he says. No, that’s not quite right. But no matter. We have more important things to worry about. “I saw her go right, but the door closed and I have no idea where she went from there.” I saw that, too. “Can you sense where they are?”

“I can try.” I reach out with the Force. She’s close. And despite Carth’s concern, for lack of a better word, she would seem to be doing very well on her own. She’s certainly thinking about her identity, but she’s doing her best to focus on Malak. This fight isn’t going to end today. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but this fight is not going to end today.

A choice needs to be made. One of us isn’t going to make it out of here. And Carth’s right, the others need Rena to find the last Star Map. Revan found it on Manaan once before, and even if she doesn’t know it, Rena has the memory. A sacrifice needs to be made. My sacrifice. “We need to hurry,” I say, and we run through the center door. I only hope we’re not too late.

---

Malak moves fast. Almost too fast. I let myself react on instinct rather than using any particular form or thinking about my responses. I just let my mind go blank. Muscle memory. Memory. Memory. Nope, don’t want to think about that. Focus on this.

I’m not going to win this fight.

Malak reaches out a hand and suddenly I can’t move. God. No. No this can’t happen. Carth, if anything happens, I just want you to know I love --

“This isn’t over, Malak!” Bastila? They’re unfrozen. I’m not going to die today. But something’s not…

“Your friends do not give up easily, Revan,” Malak says, “You always could inspire loyalty. But even the three of you together cannot stand against my power!”

“For the Jedi!” Bastila shouts, and she throws her lightsaber at him. Malak starts to move towards her. I still can’t move, not yet. Focus, Rena, focus! Undo it! Do something! “I’ll hold Malak off!” she says, “You two get out of here! Find the Star Forge!”

“No, Bastila, he’s too strong!” Carth says, but she doesn’t change. “No!” She reaches out a hand and closes the door behind Malak, sealing them in. And suddenly I can move again, I don’t know how, but I can move. I’ve got to help her, I’ve got to get in there! I head for the lock, there’s got to be something I can do! Come on. Come on! “The door’s sealed, we can’t get past!” Carth says, trying to stop me, “Come on, we have to get to the Ebon Hawk!”

“No, we can’t, I have to help her!” I have to help her!

“Bastila doesn’t stand a chance against Malak, but we can’t help her. Not here.”

“I can’t let another person die!” I shout. I can’t. How many deaths did Revan cause? How many did Revan kill? I can’t do that again, I won’t have her death on my ledger, too!

“We have to get off this ship and find the Star Forge,” he insists, “That’s the key to beating Malak!”

“No, the key to defeating him is right behind this fucking door - are you going to help me or not?”

“No, I’m not!” he says, “Look, Bastila sacrificed herself so we could get away, and I won’t let that sacrifice be in vain. If you won’t come with me, then I'll shoot you and carry you out, but I’d rather not do that. Don’t force my hand.”

I can’t leave her. But I can’t leave him. I can’t -- I don’t know! I - wait, what the fuck, put me down! “I’m not waiting for you to figure it out.” This is completely degrading.

Thankfully he puts me down when we get to the ship. “Get the hyperdrive up and running, they will have deactivated it on Saul’s orders. Let me know once it’s ready,” he says, “I don’t want to be here a minute longer than we have to be.” I nod and run for the hyperdrive engine. T3 whirs along behind me.

It’s something to focus on, at least. This wasn’t a single “flick a switch” deactivation, this was by the book. Power couplings disconnected, safety caps on the ends, this is going to take a bit. I pull my communicator out of my pocket and buzz Carth. “This is going to take a couple minutes, don’t do any fancy flying.” He acknowledges me but that’s it. I don’t have time to think about that right now. He gets us out of the hangar and the battle begins. Shield grid’s in good shape. Caps off the couplings, this may sting a bit. I don’t know as much about engines as I do about droids, but the caps seem to be the same, just scaled up. If a droid’s going to be powered down for a while or could get wet - like torrential downpour wet - you’re supposed to disconnect the power couplings and put rubber caps on the end, for safety. So no one gets electrocuted or so the power flow doesn’t get corrupted, because that’s a bear to fix. And if this were a droid, I’d want to start at the bottom coupling and work my way up. The process here should be the same, too - turn the power off or reroute it, pull the caps off, reconnect, reroute it back. So I start on the lowest of the four. Reroute, caps, reconne - Carth, I said no fancy flying! Stop with the loop de loops! Reconnect, reroute. Second. Try not to lose my lunch. As if I’ve eaten much today. Third. God, Mission, hit them before they hit us! Fourth. Come on, come on… Done! “Carth, punch it!”

Hyperspace. Finally. The worst is over.

Or… maybe it’s just getting started.

[fan-clan-fun]

Canon Clans Suffixes (with name changes)

Because I find it fun to scrutinize “The Sacred Texts” with a scalpel and a magnifying glass, I like to revamp little things like naming. So here’s my attempt at giving some iota of consistency to this messy world we love. My goals here are to stick to traditionalism, but also throw in some suffixes I personally love and give them meanings. I’ll also include some canon cats whose names I’ve changed to fit this system.

Lovely! Its always helpful to see personal interpretations and preferences for suffixes, everybody has a few they really like!

-claw: a skilled fighter. Classic pick. Cats who get this include Tigerclaw, Hornetclaw (Bramble-), Lionclaw (-blaze), Shrikeclaw (Ivypool), and Juniperclaw.

I see you are changing a lot of the prefixes as well! I do admit I like Shrike and Hornet as prefixes, and Shrikeclaw does seem to fit her quite well.

-cloud: a calm, easygoing cat. Also a classic. Whitestorm has been renamed Whitecloud to fit this and Tree’s clan name is Ashcloud.

-face: a particularly handsome or beautiful cat. I gave this name to Amberface (Berrynose), Tipface (Stemleaf), and Mothface (-wing)

Honestly giving Berrynose a name with the -face suffix would help to explain a lot of the stuff involving him lol. 

-fang: good fighter and good hunter. From what I heard, Sparkpelt seemed to need this suffix, so she’s renamed Sparkfang. I don’t know who else would earn this though.

-feather: a medicine cat skilled at reading omens. This is my standard pick. It also lets me keep names like Goosefeather and lets Jayfeather keep his suffix (but he’s renamed to Juniperfeather). Shadowsight also gets this suffix, becoming Shadefeather.

An interesting choice, though I am curious as to why this one was chosen (besides name consistency), what is the reasoning behind it? Do omens often come in the shape of birds? What connects -feather to spirituality?

-flower: a nurturing cat. Many cats get this name. Cloudflower (Moon-), Snowflower (-fur), Willowflower (-breeze) Goldenflower, Aspenflower (Ferncloud), Whiteflower (-wing), Daisyflower, and the one notable tom case, Rockflower (Fernsong).

Pretty standard, although I do like that you give Fernsong a -flower name. I may not have read the arcs past Omen of the Stars but he does have that reputation of being a nurturer.

-foot: a fast cat, also a classic. Spiderleg becomes Spiderfoot and Harespring becomes Harefoot.

-fur/pelt: a cat with nothing really notable about them. Alderheart, Tigerheart, and Kestrelflight become Alderpelt, Adderpelt, and Kestrelfur respectively. Bluestar’s warrior name is still Bluefur.

-heart: a cat with strong morals. Rookheart (Hollyleaf), Rimeheart (Bristlefrost), Mudheart (Hawkfrost), and Smokeheart (Cinder-) all get this suffix, as does Fireboy over here.

I am so glad that you have given both Holly and Hawk the -heart suffix, I think it really does fit them quite well. I will probably fiddle with names a bit when the times come as well for my own writing and giving these two the -heart suffix is one of my plans.

-leaf: a medicine cat skilled in the healing aspect of their job. Spottedleaf got this one, as did Speckledleaf (Brambleberry), Fireleaf (Flametail), and Willowleaf (-shine). I think they may shake things up a little with -root and/or -berry and/or -bark.

Out of curiosity, why would only medicine cats shake it up a little with suffixes? It seems like none of the other suffixes have any of the same meaning.

-nose: an intuitive cat skilled in tracking. Only two notable characters get this, Dovenose and Maplenose (Leafpool).

I actually think these name changes work quite well, and do fit Dove’s power and her abilities.

-path: a cat with an affinity for mentoring. I noticed Rosepetal had five apprentices, so I gave her the name Rosepath.

I’ve heard whispers that -path was used by some people as a mentoring suffix, which is really cool!

-storm: a cat with a turbulent disposition, also classic. Crowstorm (-feather) and Beetlestorm (Breezepelt) get this, as does Dapplestorm (Blossomfall).

I mean the suffix sure does fit those cats.

-stream: a strong swimmer. Silverstream gets this obviously. Not sure who else would get it though because I’m only including it for traditionalism’s sake. It’s not one I’m particularly fond of.

Thats interesting, Im curious as to why? Maybe another suffix like -creek or -leg would be preferable if you dont like the sound?

-stripe: a tabby with distinct stripes. Graystripe gets this and so does Honeystripe (-fern). There’s also -speck and -spots for the other tabby types

-tail: an agile cat, very classic. A lot of cats get this. Cherrytail (Squirrelflight), Birchtail (-fall), Wisteriatail (Twigbranch), Honeytail (Heather-), and a bunch of bg characters with -spring, -leap, or -flight in their names.

-throat: a skilled orator, linguist, bard, storyteller, or just a well-spoken cat. This is a very rare suffix and no notable characters get this.

So I am actually very curious about this, because if a suffix is so rare, that you cant name a cat in the series at all to have it, why is it on the list? Would any cat even remember it if isnt in use? What kind of requirements would you have to have for this suffix, since I cant imagine that there would be many (if any) teenagers/young adults who could be considered masters of speech or storytelling at the 12 moons most cats get their warrior names at. I would suggest if you want to keep a suffix on the list, it should have at least one usage in the clans, else they would forget about it. 

-whisker: a prudent hunter. I can’t think of anyone I changed to -whisker on the spot.

And here are some other suffixes I’m indecisive on.

-pad or -shade could be a stealthy cat. Even if I accepted one or the other, it’d be hard to pin down who would get this.

Personally I do think that having a stealth suffix is a pretty good way to expand a more traditional system, because its also a very useful skill. While it can be used in hunting (and some might say a whisker cat is by nature stealthy), a stealthy cat has a separate but partially overlapping set of skills. It does seem like you havent gone through all the names in the many many books so far, so I am sure there are a few cats somewhere who could have qualified for this suffix if you choose to keep it. 

Considering -ear or -eye to mean a skilled scout, but that’s overlapping a lot with -nose’s territory, so I’m hesitant in including it.

I agree with you when it comes to -nose, and since -nose already seems to be uncommon, I would think sticking with nose is sufficient. 

I considered -stone for the meaning of “a very loyal and dedicated cat”. Not sure about it.

I do like -stone as well, but unless you have a specific cat in mind I probably wouldnt include it. 

I’m thinking -pool could be for a wise cat, but I’m not sure about that.

-shine is a cute suffix, but it’s rather hard to work with because it doesn’t mesh well with a lot of prefixes. I could use it to mean “upbeat and cheerful” and give it to Briarlight, but it’s not exactly easy to work with.

-frost is an amazing suffix, but it’s sort of the opposite of -shine. It sounds good with a lot of prefixes, but it’s hard to pin down a meaning for it.

I really like -light as a suffix but dang if it isn’t a monster to work with. It has -shine and -frost’s problems, but I really like it and don’t want to give up on it.

-breeze is a pretty solid suffix, but I’m afraid it’ll be redundant. -foot is pretty solid and I can’t really change that because traditionalism. Maybe it’s like -fang? I’m not sure.

Similarly, I like -thorn and -blaze as suffixes, but they’re pretty hard to work with when you already have names that fill their niches and have the “one suffix per meaning” rule that stricter traditionalism has.

Yeah I see your concern for most these last suffixes. As lovely as they are, unless they have a good solid place in you writing, and cats you can immediately think of using for their names, I wouldnt be too worried about incorporating them into your clans.

Anyway, there’s my suffix list! I hope you enjoyed! And if you have any suggestions, please let me know because I am not bright. Thank you!

[mynachopaper]

Heyo...I’d like you to answer all of the weird questions that say a lot please...😇🖤

That’s very naughty of you. I expect payment when I’m done...

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

Wine glasses. I love their shape

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

Chocolate

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

Bubble gum, I like the oral fixation

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

Wierd, creepy, creative. “He needs to find an outlet or have a beating”- My arabic teacher

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

Glass bottles

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

Tomboy

7. earbuds or headphones?

Headphones

8. movies or tv shows?

Both

9. favorite smell in the summer?

river in the cedar forest

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

Fencing

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

Nothing (sometimes fruit if I need to)

12. name of your favorite playlist?

SHmood

13. lanyard or key ring?

key ring

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

Turkish delights

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

Simon versus the Homosapien agenda

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

Legs to my chest on a chair

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

My trainers

18. ideal weather?

Thunder and rain

19. sleeping position?

Curled up on my side

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

Notebook but laptops are great for convenience

21. obsession from childhood?

Horror stories and or occult (Yes I cringe too)

22. role model?

Don’t have one

23. strange habits?

I like to practice voices and movements (mostly for DnD) anywhere. Shopping, cooking, with the cat. normally I’m on my own but I’ve been caught a few times.

24. favorite crystal?

Obsidian

25. first song you remember hearing?

Wide, wide as the ocean- My dad sang it to me as a kid

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

Swimming

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

Bonfire jumping (used to do it with the scout kids)

28. five songs to describe you?

Fall into me- Alev Lenz

Rush- I am waiting for you last summer

Smile- Nat King Cole

Limb to limb- Fatal

Kiss breakdown- Micheal Brook (Perks of being a wallflower soundtrack) 

29. best way to bond with you?

Discuss your passions and your fears. Other than that, play silly games with me.

30. places that you find sacred?

Anywhere that is deemed so. 

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

My pajamas (honestly no idea)

32. top five favorite vines?

Don’t have favourites.

33. most used phrase in your phone?

I love you to the moon and back.

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

I have adblock so I don’t hear enough for them to get stuck. Maybe the old spice commercial.

35. average time you fall asleep?

12-1am

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

The orly owl

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

Duffel bag

38. lemonade or tea?

lemonade

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

Lemon meringue pie (obviously)

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

Nothing too weird. We did have a slew of dead birds that were killed and placed in weird positions. They were claimed to be omens.

The culprit was never caught. But I did have an old journal where I kept notes on them. I lost it in the move though..

41. last person you texted?

My online friend in the uk

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

Jacket pockets

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

Hoodie, I need the soft

44. favorite scent for soap?

sandalwood

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

Fantasy, DnD for life

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

Shirt and underwear

47. favorite type of cheese?

Brie

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

Orange

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

Already answered

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

When my friend and I got stuck in traffic so we listened to the John Mulaney story about the salt and pepper diner. Afterward we actually made the playlist and listened to it. We died, the song got to us and we lost our minds.

51. current stresses?

My Father being ok back home. Me not finishing uni. Breaking my promise to my friends back home of making something of myself.

52. favorite font?

Bree Serif

53. what is the current state of your hands?

Their ok, quite dexterous. My nails have grown out too

54. what did you learn from your first job?

People take production for granted. The public opinion of a show means little. The entertainment industry is weaker than everyone treats it.

55. favorite fairy tale?

The Bloody Chamber

Book by Angela Carter

56. favorite tradition?

Our family does breakfast in bed for the birthday person

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

Self harm, the invasion of my country, getting out of my old life.

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

I improvise well, I remain calm in an emergency, and am often the first to act. I have good emotional skills. I will always find a way, though it often comes at great cost.

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

After someone tells me I can’t do something “HAVE YOU MET ME?!”

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

Probably Shonen. Love me some JoJoBA

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

Yeah, I stayed. I stayed, because every time you threw a brick at my head, or said I smelled, it *hurt*; but it could never hurt more than every day of my life just being *me*! I *stayed* because I thought, if anyone can change me, can make me... *not* me, it was you! - Kung Fu Panda

62. seven characters you relate to?

Tarzan-Stich-Quisimodo-Ginger (From Chicken run)- Po (Kung fu Panda)- Mulan (Yes really)- Charlie (Perks of being a wallflower)

63. five songs that would play in your club?

Shut up and dance with me- Walk the moon

Suzy- Caravan Palace

Rocket Fuel feat. De La Soul - DJ Shadow

Come with me now - KONGOS

Dance with me tonight - Olly Murs

64. favorite website from your childhood?

Miniclip

65. any permanent scars?

Some on my arms and a large one on my forearm 

66. favorite flower(s)?

I’m a cliche, I love roses

67. good luck charms?

My Celtic ring and my pride pin

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

It was chocolate shrimp in Sanfrancisco. Fad food with an abhorrent mixture.

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

Spiders don’t kill every prey that falls into their web. Sometimes they just wrap them up and let them squirm helpessly.

70. left or right handed?

Right, unless eating

71. least favorite pattern?

Uh... not sure

72. worst subject?

Maths

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

Fries and Icecream

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

8

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

I was 5

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

Baked potatoes, especially with Sour cream and garlic 

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

A succulent?

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

Sushi from grocery

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

School Id (not by much though)

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

Jewel tones

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

Fireflies

82. pc or console?

PC

83. writing or drawing?

Writing, though I wish I could draw

84. podcasts or talk radio?

Podcasts

84. barbie or polly pocket?

Neither

85. fairy tales or mythology?

Mythology

86. cookies or cupcakes?

Cookies

87. your greatest fear?

That I had no impact on anything

88. your greatest wish?

To gain the power to change the world

89. who would you put before everyone else?

The one I love. A partner (If we had a child then it falls to them)

90. luckiest mistake?

When I had an accident at work over my selfharm wounds. Some metal staging scraped against my arm.

91. boxes or bags?

Bags

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

Fairylights

93. nicknames?

Teddy, Monster, Quis

94. favorite season?

Winter

95. favorite app on your phone?

Reddit is fun

96. desktop background?

My current Pfp

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

2 My parents

98. favorite historical era?

Don’t really have a favourite

[femininenachos]

do you have any big headcanons for canon universe clexa? ;)

If we’re to suspend our disbelief that Mount Weather had the tremendous foresight to hoard a bunch of priceless art and other cultural artefacts before the bombs dropped, then they probably scooped up important works of literature too: first editions of the great American novels, the collected works of Shakespeare, classics from antiquity, etc etc.

Now, it’s become accepted in fanon that there is a library in Polis tower. We did see Lexa snoozing with an open book at one point, so we know she is literate and has access to the printed word.

Before the Mountain Men were defeated, books were probably extremely rare in the wider world. If whole cities were destroyed, then libraries, bookshops, schools and colleges were obliterated too, nothing left but ash and rubble. Previous commanders had scouts sent out to scour the ruins for anything valuable and from time to time they brought back a highly prized paperback. In the hundred years or so since, the tower has accumulated a modest collection.

However, let’s just say that these books aren’t exactly literary masterpieces. So when Lexa gives Clarke a tour of the small library, speaking in hushed, reverent tones, Clarke has to work hard to contain her incredulity. Because on the shelves she spots The Da Vinci Code, Twilight, and several self help books including The Secret. Apparently that old adage about only cockroaches surviving nuclear armageddon needs to be updated to include terrible New York Times bestsellers.

But then Lexa presents the most sacred text of all: a Harlequin romance, preserved in almost pristine condition, the gloriously pulpy illustration on the front featuring a swooning heroine and her swarthy lover in a passionate clinch. The woman is depicted wearing a torn black nightgown, ripped up the side to display a whole lotta leg, her long dark hair scooped to one side...

Clarke almost chokes on her tongue.

Because, suddenly, a few things about Lexa’s approach to seduction start to make sense.

(I also have an idea that Lexa’s lofty ambition to improve the literacy of her people is to have her scribes copy these shitty paperbacks and disseminate them to the masses. Classes are held in the lower levels of the tower, using the hallowed writings of Dan Brown and Stephenie Meyer to teach the population how to read.

Clarke is appalled.)

[hiraeth-wayfarer]

Hiraeth Creature #1049 - Aivu-Ulta

"A deluge from the celestial sea blesses the land with both spectacle and magic a few times per year. Shooting stars cross the sky in a brilliant display, and in their wake, light storms of star dust fall from the heavens. A shimmery powder that very lightly tingles the skin, celestial magic can be much more powerful during these flurries, and star-based divination can be much clearer when read along the falling of this sacred dust. As it falls, even the wind is said to become visible as shimmering folds that appear as billowing silk, and an auspicious beast slithers and rolls along with Hirath’s breath on these lustrous nights. Aivu-Ulta, nearly invisible against the backdrop of night, comes down to the celestial sea to indulge in soft stardust baths and to feel the breeze run down their hide, slowly and hypnotically swimming through the air.

The Aivu-Ulta are considered mysterious to most cultures who only have brief recordings of them in obscure texts, primarily as a night-time spectre or a nebulous folk figure. To the Hill-Folk whose lives were completely saturated in the cosmos, the Aivu-Ulta was among many honoured guests in their towns. They are said to be bearers of wisdom, often born and raised in the courts of the Cosmoscape where they learn to be scryers and scouts. They aid in the process of divination as well as sneak into far-off planes and share their visions with those they trust. Their common use of celestial arts naturally brought the Aivu-Ulta and the Hill-Folk tribes together through chance, yet seemingly ordained meetings in the wilderness, and eventually they would come to greet each other as equals rather then as aloof secrets. The Aivu-Ulta taught them how to properly focus their meditations to let them hone in to lands across the Cosmoscape, but also were involved in village life in the form of reading omens, helping brew medicines and teas, as well as helping name newly born babies. They are known as “Revered Visitors” in Hill-Folk records and are still called that by the few townships that still thrive on ancient homelands. Those who have foolishly tried to strike them out of the sky, mistaking them for quarry, often find themselves in harrowing storm of crystalline dust and falling meteors. Thankfully, their friendship with the Hill-Folk has given them a good impression of Hiraeth overall, and they are willing to help nearly any who ask, if they can manage to see them properly in the sparkling sky."

[bedlamgames]

No Haven 0.903

Main highlights for this one are cheerleaders, titfuck training, forced encounter expansion, other new assignments, new commissions, and more.

Download links can be found on the No Haven page. Update notes can be found under the break.

If you don’t have RAGS and you need a copy to run it there’s one on the help page here or the one pinned on the patreon you can find a link to in the attached read me which is more up to date. If RAGS has never worked on your system despite the help page suggestions then it might be worth trying with one of the alternate players. There’s also improvements on there to the RAGS player that can also help with performance.

v0.903:

Personal assignment improvements: ---Added a chance in Town boosted by Sneaky and Perceptive to get some extra supplies for free when you would normally have had an uneventful day. ---Added a chance in the Tavern boosted by Friendly and Resilient to get some more extra supplies without extra gold spent when you would normally have had an uneventful day. ---Increased the Tavern supplies result where you would gain 20 to 40. Training improvements: ---Advanced Bimbo Training - Anyone with this training will count the traits Bimbo (Bim) and Sex Addict (Sex) as fully favoured. Crit no longer grants Bimboborn and instead If trained by someone with Hypnotic/Dominator/Corruption/Malevolence will fully embed the bimbo mantra. ---Heal Slut Training - Anyone with this training will count the traits Healer (Hea) and Slutty (Slt) as fully favoured. ---Advanced Sissification Training - Anyone with this training will count the traits Feminine (Fem) or Beautiful (Btf), along with the Exceptional version (Exc), as fully favoured. If trained by someone with Hypnotic/Dominator/Corruption/Malevolence will fully embed the sissy mantra. ---Exquisite Fellatrix Training - Anyone with this training will count the traits Submissive (Sub) and Seductive (Sed) as fully favoured. If trained by someone with Hypnotic/Dominator/Corruption/Malevolence will fully embed the suck cock mantra. -Changed the calculation on forced encounter making you a puppet leader. Previously you needed to have five different people forcing encounters along with paying out 100g or more to the current forcer. This made it potentially impossible for it to happen if you kept getting hit by one repeatedly. I've changed it now so that it's a separate roll for each forcer with it being adjusted for how much you're paying out making it much more likely if there's more than one but still possible if you have just the one. -Bimboborn removal protection now only applies to slavers. -New powerful racial for Draki giving them the chance of rerolling the assignment result when their magic/elementalism would be a positive. -Oozes now can use their racial to avoid Week's End rejection. Also fixed the typo in regard to Male/futas getting a +50% penalty instead of 30%. -All three versions of Kiruna have gained a substantial buff to her butt variable. Recruited Kiruna now correctly is Draenei Wright like the playable one. Her and the Orc Wright will now have the new Wright racial. -Added an extra ten days length to the expiry of the Male Perfidity critical success opportunity. -Fae have now also lost their auto aspect after it was turned into a Racial a while back. -You can no longer make use of golems, driders, and legion. -Northerner cheerleader may be an inch away from succumbing to her orc cum habit, but for now at least remembered how to dance. -Marshlands training is back to being once per slaver again after somehow that condition mysteriously disappeared. -Demi-Angels will now get regular surnames while True-Angels will get the old Demi-Angel ones. -Insatiable should now also count as Sex Addict for fulfil opportunity assignments. -Succubi can now properly shun the other. -Removed the mention of having a tail from the draki Their view. -If the slaver scouting the Ever Forest is lost on the Fail you will no longer get the scouted assignment. -Fix for the short trait gained when getting Cunning from marshlands training. -Fix for an CT error referencing Orc Cum Addict training. -Fix for the (Exc) rejection check on Week's End comes. Also fixed former Cheerleaders getting rejected, for city elf cheerleaders having the fallen examine, and the correct rejection result not showing. -Fix for a name change issue due to becoming a succubi.. -Fix for being able to send the slaver you're betraying on Whore Makers. -Fix for the new enflamed/heightened senses, nipple chain, and sensitive nipple checks. -Fix for an order of encounters with Donella and the witches that could lead to getting a blank result. -Fix for a bunch of errant text on Advanced Sissification Training. -Fix for opportunity assignment displaying a random image for the result. -Fix for Fulfil Opportunities not being removed on expiry correctly.

v0.902:

-Critical fix for Elven Farm locking up the game. -You can now unlock the Arrogance Subjugated assignment by sending anyone with corruption to Treachery Most Foul rather than having to do it yourself. -To make oozes less samey they will not get an extra trait on average, and there's a new trait package with minimal traits to reflect oozes that break out of the usual mold. This will mean it is also a bit less likely for them to start with bimbo. -Before slavers would only try to start a forced encounter if they were unscrupulous (or a Wisp). I've changed it now so if they feel they have a case for revenge so badly failed hypnotic/dominator attempts, you being possessed, or them having less than 50 morale will override that. I've also made it so there's a bonus to the attempt at less than 50 morale and an increased one at under 20 morale. -Fix for the High Elf dominatrix getting their aspect for free. -Fix for being able to remove a second-in-command due to them being a leader who dislikes the role overriding checks for being a bimbo, thug, or whatever. -Fix for not having the option to make use of slaves made into slavers. -Fix for not getting slaves or slavers on critting Goblin Village if recruitment focus is set to beginners.

v0.901:

New assignments: ---When Week's End Comes. A new Uncommon City of Aversol assignment with a whole bunch of special text as it's affected by the weather and two of the events in Cold Front and Ragestorm. Has commissioned artwork also used for five 'semi-unique' slaves like the city elf bride and lago'mae priestess. Anyone from this one has their own special racial and with enough of them unlocks a new encampment upgrade. ---Basic and Advanced Titfuck Training. Both have commissioned artwork. There's now a chance boosted by this training for slaves to be titfucked when normally they'd have been fucked instead. New commissions: ---A Corner of your Very Own. Also used for Amazon Bimbos. ---Most Impropa. Also used for Orc Slaves. ---Cheap and Cheerful. Also used for Neko Bimbos. ---Raid Isolated Elven Farm with two versions with the entirely naked version used for a Crit or Success. As part of this redone the intro and added a chance of the crit to get a Shadow Outcast. Added some text to the Critical and Success when you got to reflect that. ---Pillow Talk with two versions. This was contributed by a patron so my current plan is to use them for now with the first one as the intro, and the cum version for a Crit or Success unless one of the current placeholders would work better, and then in future I plan to commission a more generic one while only using these ones if the player or slaver sent is Futanari. Because the former placeholder used to be also the Wood Elves examine I've replaced that with two new more fitting placeholders for males and females. ---Not a new one specifically. However I have used closer crops of the succubi from Truly Divine female slaves. One if the slave in question has a tail, and if not, the other will be used in general. Assignment trait adjustments: ---Fel Tainted is now a Failure on the Marauding version of Spectacle of the Sacred rather than being Catastrophic. Swapped the positions of Clumsy and Magic: Corruption. ---Fel Tainted is now a Failure on Mistress of Torments rather than being Catastrophic. Follower is now a Disaster, and removed Feminine as a trait checked on that one. ---Fel Tainted is now a Success on Seduction of the Light. Very Rare Race (160+ Value) is now Critical, and Depraved has been moved from Success to Disaster. ---Added Lengthy Tongue as a Success to all Lesbian and Blowjob training. ---Replaced Submissive as a Disaster on Basic Dominance Training with Unruly and Friendly. New racials and racial adjustments: ---Made the auto Fel Tainted that Succubus, Legion, Nethemir, and Fallen get into a properly listed Racial. Now will have a reduced effect if they don't also have Fel Tainted as a trait. ---New racial for High Elves which both reduces the power and penalty of them frequently having Fel Tainted at the cost of losing access to Shadowplay. If they get the corruption Forehead Branding will lose this racial and can take that aspect as normal. ---Oozes have gained an extra save to avoid wounding/removal. ---New racial for Wrights to reflect what bonuses they had already. Also gained an improved extra save to avoid wounding/removal and will now be immune to most corruption gained on assignments. ---Added mention to racials where races don't need supplies or have resistances to biomancy and/or corruption. -Legion have now lost their auto aspect after it was turned into a Racial a while back. -Redid the placeholder composition for Shadow Outcast slavers removing the inappropriate troll design. Also redid the placeholder for Wedding Crashers as on looking at it again it's a pretty rough composition. Now broke into two using the same pieces. Left one for starting the assignment and examine for former briders with smaller chests, and right won for Crit or Success and the examine for above massive titted and above enslaved brides. -Outside of expanding the encampment other upgrades may not be purchased in the Golem scenario. -Fallen and Succubi no longer always start with Fel Tainted automatically and so should come with 1-2 extra traits on average compared to before. -Blowjob training has an increasing chance to turn feeling up into a blowjob. -Made it so the assignment profane ritual special result and others like with an increased chance of better results reduces corruption resistance. -Bimbo Shadow Outcasts now use the Expert Cumslut commission. I've also polished up that composition. -Updated Kat's new lore page with two new quotes, one from a new character. -If you're a puppet-leader you're now immune to being overthrown as well that's pretty much happened already. -Added Dancer to the Disasters caused by Hard Carry and blocked Lurg specifically from trying out as a cheerleader. -Moved the faith skill checks out from being dominated. Now Dominated/Obedient will just block them if they'd be a negative. -Fix for Basic Sissy adding (Fem) on top of (Exc) -Fix for the Sneaky from Mistweaver also not applying to the Mistweaver themselves. Did the same for Meticulous Plans on solo assignments. -Fix for the amazon maiden from Tall Tales, and the cathayan maiden from Cathayan Caravan not having the right traits caused by a previous bug fix. -Fix for a bunch of stuff involving slave selection like Biomancy/Corruption when Share the Wealth was the last assignment you went on. -Fix for becoming a puppet leader during a forced encounter repeating text twice and not showing correctly. -Fix for the recruited Kiruna not having a cock. -Fix for Tsumi Harpies being a favoured region for Cathayans rather than a favoured race. -Fix for repicking on assignment not clearing some of the tracked info about assigned slavers including whether or not more than one Ooze Caller is present. -Fix for the Imbued Symbol of Shaping saying it gives you Summoner instead of Biomancy. -Fix for not actually being able to take the aspect Old Hand. -Fix to ensure Aesandril is female. -Fix for Scout the City taking seven days instead of eight. -Fix for some oddness with Switch caused by Submissive being checked first, and if they have some form of Sub, Dominant checks would be skipped. -Fix for two successes on Lady-in-Waiting resulting in another part 2 being generated. -Fix for several traits being missed on skill checks when the character is obedient. -Fix for some issues with golem mercenaries.

v0.90:

-New assignments: ---Wayward Temptations. A new uncommon Dreadsea Coast assignment with specifically commissioned art and a hidden reward. Also used for the recruitable slaver unique Kaara de Sindero Oscuro's examine which gives you a pretty big clue of what that hidden reward might involve. Crit and Success have different descriptions on the outcomes based on your slaver's traits and aspects to reflect how they might go about accomplishing it. Specifically there's ones for Anointed One, Submissive, Depraved, mental powers like Dominator, Mind Reader, Faith: Shallya, and Seductive in that order along with the more basic approach for none of the above. All with altered/expanded versions when you go personally. ---Quicker than they Like. A new rare assignment on the Great Plains, and a follow up with some impressive rewards to the first QAYL. Only available for player characters who have run that first assignment themselves and were fortunate to return relatively unscathed. As part of this there's now a bonus to QAYL for you based on how many times you've run it yourself up to a maximum of five times which will also increase the chances of having a forced encounter. ---Spectacle of the Sacred. A new rare assignment on the Dreadsa Coast using patron provided commissioned art. Available from the second month onwards. First time you go on it has unique rewards (including an encampment buff), and text with two alternate approaches. Can be repeated after that with the two goals but with somewhat different text and rewards. -Other new commissions: ---To Hunt a Paladin. First part for the assignment and then another part for the successes. ---Raid Human Village. Also used for Human Commoner male slaves. Now should always respect the gender to enslave general order with specific traits if you get a male on the Crit. ---Raid Goblin Village. Now moved to the Dreadsea Coast, and has expanded text to reflect that. Two day version is no more and has been replaced by a five day version with improved rewards to reflect the additional time taken. Has alternate versions of the commission including one only seen if you do send an ogre futanari and succeed there. Now should always respect the gender to enslave general order. ---The Encampment. Will be used on finish day to show up randomly along with the title page, the blank background, your character's examine, and the map. It also will be replaced if there's an assignment completing or a slave is being used. Crops of it are now used for the Male Wright and Female Neko slaver examine (the old Female Neko slaver examine is used for now as the Futanari one with the old Futanari one being removed). ---The Encampment for the Golem Scenario. Crops with variants of it are now used for Kreen and Cathayan slave examines. Due to this I've added a new placeholder for Female Cathayan slavers. ---Female/Futa Human Cityborn Slaver Examine, Female/Futa Marlsune Slaver, and Female/Futa Marlsune Slave Examines depending on the version used. There's also another version to be used in a later update when a certain advanced race is added.   -Forced Encounter expansion: ---Failing to implant a trigger can now result in the target slaver returning the favour if they are Hypnotic/Dominator/Psionic and will be more likely to attempt to start a forced encounter. It's also a bit more risky to fail to use a trigger or dominate during a respect check against a Hypnotic/Dominator/Psionic slaver. ---New text with variations for forced encounters due to being subjected to Malevolence and being Possessed. ---New variations based on whether they've done it before, and new variations with improvements for being subjected to Hypnotic and Dominator. ---Possible now to gain the Puppet Leader status with enough repeated visits and if the right requirements are met. -New racials: ---Kestrae Harpies now better reflect their forest flying abilities. ---Demi-Angels boost healing both in encampment and on assignment by being present. ---Neko may ignore the first Disaster gained on Infiltration assignments. ---Kitsune now do better on Diplomacy against the easily fooled, but less so against the more cultured. ---Humans help other races work better together. ---Fallen having gotten so corrupted to fall from being demi-angels now get even more corrupted. -Two new unique starts: ---A seductive Sea Elf male using the Chained Melody commissioned art with a new aspect and lore page. ---A big Forest Goblin male using commissioned generously provided by a patron with a new aspect and lore page. -Updated the Art Sources to include all current commissions including for some future assignments. -Overhauled the text on Hard Reality. Mainly the critical success which is now twice as long as it used to be, but there's also improvements to the success and intro. Also fixed the issue where she was not coming with Magic: Illusion. -You can now get level ups from the encampment even when you're at the max aspect slots meaning you can get a chance at getting free aspects like Dark Pact and Practitioner to Arch-Practitioner. -Jacked up the odds on the scouting upgrades for the mid level and most expensive ones. -The recruitable form of Kat is now inexperienced, has picked up a new outfit, seductive and a more specific lore page, along with pumping up her ass to the next level. -Biomancy flexibility may now be done if the target is agile but hasn't got the exceptional result and is not an elf. Also corrected the breasts to show when they've hit maximum.   -Arisin' on the Storm will only be generated now from the second month onwards. -Convent slavers and slaves will now come wearing their habits like in the Heretic scenario. -Convent rather than having their own specific skin description now track what they were before joining the sisters. Using the skin description tables from their various possible origins and will have extra description noting what they were before. This will also come with some potential extra value bonuses. Witches already worked like this before with the various human subtypes, but now have a chance to also be elves and neko like Convent can with their own set of new specific descriptions. -Expanded the Convent lore pages a bit mainly to better flesh out some of the faith's hidden places of worship. -Small expansion to the City Elf lore page. -Added a check so that Shadriel has to be a slaver for the owned relationship when her former matriarch is promoted to happen. -Added a note to the start and to the Art Sources that all non-commissioned art is now considered placeholders with the intention to replace in time with commissions. As part of this replaced the petrified examine for the Artistry in Flesh assignment art. -Reduced the bonus gold and supplies from Marauding rank ups as at max rank they could be way, way too high. Bonus is increased now on Rare/Special assignments. -Reduced the rate that the recruited ooze caller calls oozes. -Reduced the expiry length of all versions of Saving Glory by 40 days, and increased all versions of Shark of the Cards Expiry lengths by 4 days and Board the Crossbones by 2 days. -Mad Schemes due to potential inconsistencies based on how that aspect is worked out will no longer show in suggestions. -Biomancy Flexibility will no longer show as completed if the slaver hasn't got Elven Flexibility and can be attempted if they already have Agile. -Forest Goblins have some skin colour variations rather than just the one. -Added some tall male descriptions where they have dancer, sneaky or agile which would make the 'built like an orc' mention inappropriate. -Fix for an issue with Reputations where on a positive result you could still go down in an illogical manner. -Fix for the check for hates it on guard assigning was using the camp bitch one instead. -Fix for Switch not generally doing what it should do when it comes to trait checks. -Fix for formatting on Ballet of Brutality, Queen's Gaze, Private Dancer, Rules of Nature, Scourge Artiste, The Seven Veils, Dawn's Radiance, and Shallya's Mercy. -Fix for the following having the wrong short abbreviation for their Trapper trait which was preventing them from getting the Booty Snatcher aspect: One of the Forest Goblin trait packages, The Ooze Caller start, and the unique from Deluge of Oozes. -Fix for Obedient slavers not getting the Sub crit version on Decadence Like No Other. -Fix for the description for Beautiful not being shown under Full Custom. -Fix for an issue with Brief Foray where there was only a minimal amount of gold rewarded. -Fix for getting the sub version of possession despite being dom/corrupt due to running out of trait slots. -Fix for the abbreviations of Greedy being incorrect which could result in drow ex-soldiers picking up double greedy from corruption. -Fix for an issue with high value/veteran rewards such as the Asanei leader from Best Left Sealed. Due to them getting the chance for extra traits the minus for that was potentially setting them back to 0 making the game think they didn't have any traits and so when they got the generated one the fixed ones were being overwritten. -Fix for the outfit from Ponygirl training turning up on random assignments. -Fix for dominant characters not having access to zoomed driders.   -Fix for Arrogance Subjugated only being able to be done once. -Fix for being able to take Strong Right Arm with 6-7 points. -Fix for the unique starts keeping their set physical attributes after taking different physical attributes in full custom. -Fix for being able to start Advanced Blowjob Training with only a partial in Basic Blowjob Training. -Fix for Corner of your very Own being set as Uncommon causing expiry issues.   -Fix for an issue with Slave Wear, Street Walking Attire, and Dresses were incorrectly changing the clothing total and could result in a message saying there's no clothing available.   -Fix for change of liking encampment roles in the morning text only showing if the slaver had a status effect. Thank you to Donna the helpful Werebear for highlighting this! -Some text fixes.

[momtemplative]

Watching My Diet.

Of Words and Images, That Is.

As for a spoiled life, no life is spoiled but one whose growth is arrested.—Oscar Wilde, from The Picture of Dorian Gray.

1.

When I was pregnant, I was astounded by the amount of shit-advice people felt entitled to force upon me, thanks to the visual whistle-blower of my growing belly.

I kept the book, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin next to my bed like a sacred text. The second half of the book contains a collection of empowered women sharing inspiring stories of their natural birth experiences. I read at least one story every night to off-set the deflating stories that were pushed at me. (One, still clear as day in my mind over a decade later, came from a woman who had never had kids! She said, in low tones and with concern in her eyes, “It’s the most painful thing you will ever experience. You WILL NEED DRUGS.”) 

I would often fall asleep with Ina May’s book on my chest, thinking maybe the positive messages would cause seep into my being, like a topical treatment.

Now, during the era of COVID19, the news is an IV drip of mounting catastrophe into all of our collective veins. And the way we receive news during these current times is 24-7, on screens, visual, relentless and without limits. (PS: as said in Time, “media images can be so intense that they can cause symptoms of acute stress or even PTSD.”) 

Like many, I find myself falling into the habit of using my few-far-between windows of space to either read updates from the Post and the Times, or to check social media. While informative at best, these word-venues are, nutrient-wise, anemic crumbs not suitable for a bottom-feeder.

So why the impulse to keep going back?

According to Time Magazine, “The human brain is wired to pay attention to information that scares or unsettles us—a concept known as “negativity bias“. Meaning, our brains are predisposed to go negative, and the news we consume reflects this.”

On a personal level, my intake of news is rising by the day—sometimes seemingly out of my control. I’ll just be grabbing my phone to check the weather and suddenly I’m well into an article on the pandemic, as if in a trance. 

Without clear boundaries and a bit of mindfulness, the news and media we are ingesting can be far more toxic than beneficial. The effects of constant negative-news consumption are real and complex. 

And I feel the wear-and-tear in my mental state, to be sure. I’ve been taking in the news every night, just before bed, via my tiny phone screen as if that makes it less potent and more manageable. Not the case. I can easily slip into helplessness, along with tasting the vinegar of potent rage in the back of my throat, even as I’m trying to settle in for sleep. 

Anxiety and stress create cortisol, which can wreak havoc throughout the physical body and beyond. My neck and shoulders feel like they are clutching with white-knuckles for some unseen disaster, pretty much all the time. Yoga and breathing provides a world of help while doing it, but the muscle memory is so deep, that the bad patterns often return within moments of back-to-life.

This is not to say the solution is to bypass the news entirely. But if we are in this for the long haul, deliberate choices need to be made, for the stability of everyone.

2.

Last week, my dear friend, Steph, mailed a box of crafting goodies to my girls. An eclectic mix of junk-drawer extractions and art things—things that have the potential to clutter up a house. But, when assembled in a package with intention and love, feel like vintage treasures from another world. Girl scout patches, circa the early 1990’s, ribbon in original packaging from the Carter administration, an untethered bouquet of white plastic glitter flowers. And in the midst of this treasure chest: a hardcover copy of the Oscar Wilde book, The Picture of Dorian Gray.

It was a fancy, old-timey edition that I had read through and written-in during college, using the same red ink from the same red pen the whole way through. My handwriting is young—an un-mastered version of my current script. But my brain is searching and inquisitive. I’m not sure why Steph wound up with the book, but there was a time when I passed out Oscar Wilde books like a communist would pass out propaganda and I likely forced it upon her.

Back then—over twenty years ago, more than half my current age—Oscar Wilde spoke to me in a way I was not accustomed to being spoken to, and brought about feelings that literature rarely provided. I indulged in Him, collected photos, quotes, and bought multiple used copies of his books. He became an unwitting spiritual guide of sorts. I carried the story of his tragic incarceration and subsequent death with me the way a god-fearing man would hold the image of Jesus’ crucifixion close to his heart. If they sold Oscar Wilde on a necklace, I’d have bought one, for sure.

Placing my hands on the cover of that book—while my girls squealed and unpacked the rest of the boxed treasures—was not far from the feeling of placing my hands on a body to massage. Flesh—living, breathing flesh. Cracking open the book brought with it not only the slight sigh that takes place in the inner ear during a good stretch, but also a swell of emotions. I flipped through the pages, feeling saved.

The article, What You Read Matters More Than You Might Think, in Psychology Today discusses the difference between “deep and light reading.” Deep reading is defined as reading that is slow, immersive, rich in sensory detail and emotional and moral complexity. It is distinctive from light reading, which is little more than the decoding of words. The author continues by saying deep reading is great exercise for the brain and has been shown to increase empathy, as well as inspiring reflection, analysis, and personal subtext to what is being read. 

A passage from The Picture of Dorian Gray—”Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle magic there is in them! They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as viol or of lute. Mere words! Was there anything so real as words?”

Another passage (how can I resist?): “In this country, it is enough for a man to have distinction and brains for every common tongue too wag against him. And what sort of lives do these people, who pose as being moral, lead themselves? My dear fellow, you forget that we are in the native land of the hypocrite.”

How I missed that man. And what a time for him to pay a visit.

3. 

Last weekend, I was feeling particularly ill-at-ease. My speech had edges like so many sharp river rocks. Tears and sadness rotated through in unpredictable gusts. 

On the particular day I refer to, a book called Ordinary Magic, Everyday Life As Spiritual Path all but did a swan dive from my bookshelf and landed at my feet. The cover-image was dated and sun-bleached. The font and spacing came directly from the early 90’s, which is when it was published. I have a vague memory of buying this book at Half-Priced Books in Columbus, just before I made my move out west, in 2002, eighteen years ago. It’s a collection of Buddhist essays that focus on sectioned-out, topics—creativity and community, for example. It did not take long to realize that the editor, John Welwood, steals the whole dang show. His intros to each chapter sparkle with the quiet wisdom of one who is not the headliner, but knows his own worthiness.

(As with Oscar Wilde, I could include countless quotable phrases, but a taste is all you need.) In his introduction to the creativity essays, Welwood said, “By being still and receptive, instead of busily trying to find solutions, we give our intelligence the time and space it needs to find an appropriate way to proceed.” I read that line and gently set the book on my lap to take pause and think to myself, Thank god.

Another account of being liberated by the right words.

The Unknowing. Yes, that is the landscape we all inhabit now. How do we work with such potent feelings of lack-of-control? A classic solution would be to distract the hell out of ourselves so the low hum of anxiety doesn’t seem as loud. Or, we could try to re-frame our reaction, teach the brain that there could be another approach. 

Our lives are, in many ways, on hold as we await a vaccine to protect our collective physical health. But our mental health is not on hold. Our intellect is under non-stop media siege and our sanity begs to be nourished and protected now more than ever. An essential piece of that puzzle (the puzzle of avoiding going clinical insane, that is)—more so than what’s contained in a bottle or that can be purchased online with a credit card—may very well already live on our bookshelf.

John Welwood also said, “What is fresh and alive comes only from the unknown.” I’m pretty sure I’m going to have that phrase tattooed on my forearm  in old-english script after this whole thing is over. 

May 17, 2020

[zeldagang-hyrule-hylians]

50 Extremely Helpful Tips and Tricks for Breath of the Wild

These are 50 things I learned from playing Breath of the Wild for hours on end. These are all personal discoveries, nothing was Googled (because I dislike rumors and hearsay, I would rather see for myself).

1. Horses will naturally follow along paths, making it easy for you to look around at scenery while on the horse. Be careful, because they aren’t perfect. You can’t turn and charge your horse at once, as they will get mad and throw you off.

2. You can use both remote bombs at once.

3. You can shield deflect Calamity Ganon’s fireball.

4. You can turn on and off your Champion’s Blessings (Mipha’s Grace, Revali’s Gale, Daruk’s Protection, and Urbosa’s Fury).

5. The Hebra Great Skeleton is behind a big door that you have to open by rolling a big snowball.

6. Thunderblight Ganon can be defeated by holding a metal rod up to him (by using Magnesis), Windblight Ganon can be defeated by perfectly timed arrow shots, Waterblight Ganon can be defeated by similar attacks, and Fireblight Ganon can be defeated by having Remote Bombs get sucked up and detonated in his fire ball.

7. You can use Cryonis to break Vah Ruta’s ice blocks instead of wasting arrows, and using Magnesis with metal objects against Vah Rudania’s Sentries is quite useful.

8. Giving 10 Luminous Stones to the Zora Ledo will get you 1 Diamond worth 500 Rupees, but just selling 10 Luminous Stones will get you 700 Rupees.

9. It’s technically possible to defeat Calamity Ganon using only Tree Branches.

10. Blood Moons will sometimes occur in the middle of the day without warning. This is because there was a malfunction and the Blood Moon fixes the problem.

11. Cooking during a Blood Moon (during 11:30 to 12:00) will cause the food to be of highest quality.

12. Royal Guard’s weapons deal a lot of damage, but they have very low durability. Royal weapons are more balanced and look impressive.

13. The Hylian Shield (earned in Hyrule Castle’s Lockup by defeating a Stalnox) can break, but you can buy a new one from Grante at Tarry Town, along with a bunch of other awesome gear!

14. Ancient Arrows instantly kill anything they hit (Guardians too if you hit them in the eye). Guardians will drop ancient tech, but anything else will just die without dropping anything, so only use Ancient Arrows when necessary!

15. It takes practice to do a Perfect Dodge and Shield Parry, so if you’re not the best, don’t worry!

16. The three Dragons (Farosh, Dinraal, and Naydra) drop scales and fragments when you hit them with regular arrows, depending on where on their bodies you hit them. Don’t get too close though, because touching them will hurt you. Offering scales at each of the Springs shows you the way to Shrines (except with the Spring of Wisdom, at which you need to defeat the parasite infecting Naydra to get in).

17. The Sheikah text found almost everywhere in the game directly translate to English (except for Impa’s parchment, which translates into Japanese). For example, the Pins you can place on the map have Sheikah text that translates into “It’s dangerous to go alone” (a reference to the first Zelda game).

18. The best weapon (damage) is the Savage Lynel Crusher, which deals 78 points of damage. However, there is a special Royal Guard’s Claymore that deals 114 points of damage.

19. Lynels are the hardest things to beat in Breath of the Wild. You can defeat them by stunning them with arrows and mounting them, attacking while mounted, OR you can defeat them by doing a bunch of Perfect Dodges with flurry attacks (make sure you have multiple strong weapons, as Lynels have crazy health).

20. Having full outfits enhanced by Great Fairies will allow you to have set bonuses, giving you special abilities when you wear an enhanced set.

21. Horses can die. Fortunately, the Horse God Malanya located past the Nette Plateau will bring them back to life!

22. The best places to find the three dragons (again, Farosh, Dinraal, and Naydra) are (in order) Floria Bridge and the Bridge of Hylia, Tabantha Great Bridge and the Eldin Great Skeleton, and Lanayru Promenade and Mount Lanayru.

23. Locations of Lynels include Lanayru Road East Gate, Oseira Plains, Gerudo Summit, Laparoh Mesa, East Deplain Badlands, North Akkala Valley, Ploymus Mountain, Coliseum Ruins, and the First and Second Gatehouses of Hyrule Castle. Depending on where in the game you are, the Lynels are of varying strengths (except Ploymus Mountian, which always has a normal Lynel). Lynels drop a whole bunch of loot!

24. The DLC has so much extra stuff including extra quests, gear, and Master Mode with GOLDEN LYNELS that have 7,500 points of health!

25. Silver enemies have insane health, but they drop awesome loot (such as gems that you can sell for Rupees).

26. There are three Labyrinths (Lomei Labyrinth Island, North Lomei Labyrinth, and South Lomei Labyrinth). These Labyrinths are easier than you think, and you obtain the Barbarian Armor just for navigating them.

27. The Labyrinths hold more than just Shrines (for example, the Lomei Labyrinth Island has a secret underground area with a ton of active Guardians and a chest with a Diamond Circlet in it).

28. Although difficult, it’s possible to cut down a tree, use Stasis on the tree before it falls, hit it with a blunt object a bunch of times, then climb it to travel short distances VERY fast. However, if you don’t do it right, you could take damage.

29. The White Horse can be found on Sefula Hill. It’s a good quality horse, but make sure you have extra stamina and stealth to mount it. Take it to the Outskirt Stable, register it, and take it to an old man named Toffa to get the Royal Gear.

30. The Giant Horse can be found in Taobob Grassland and can be registered as an actual steed at a stable. It doesn’t have any stamina at all, but it runs faster than any other horse gallops, so... (and be careful of the Lynel that prevents you from leaving).

31. You can ride some wild animals including deer and bears, however, you cannot register them.

32. Although you can’t register him as a horse, the Lord of Satori Mountain can be mounted like a horse (with stealth and lots of stamina, of course).

33. Lynels (again, I know) are unaffected by elemental weapons, and always carry elemental arrows. If you want to attack a Lynel, face them head on instead of attacking from a distance, because they attack by shooting an arrow up into the sky that follows you and lands directly on you every time.

34. Breath of the Wild is full of references to other past Zelda games (wink, wink).

35. The underneath of Hyrule Castle (the arena for your fight with Calamity Ganon) has Sheikah text that reads “LABORATORY” on the floor and a map of Hyrule (including the Divine Beasts) on the walls).

36. To navigate the Lost Woods, pick up a torch and light it on one of the provided fires. Whichever direction the embers and smoke go, that is the direction to go!

37. You can actually buy and own a house in this game. The house is in Hateno Village and it costs 3,000 Rupees and 100 Rupees for each upgrade.

38. Avoid Hyrule Field if you don’t want a run-in with Guardians.

39. There are five types of Guardians (Decayed Guardians, Guardian Stalkers, Guardian Skywatchers, Guardian Turrets, and Guardian Scouts). Guardian Scouts are found in Shrines, Guardian Turrets are found all over Hyrule Castle, and the other types are found throughout Hyrule. Sentries are miniature Guardians dispatched by Vah Rudania, so those weren’t counted.

40. The Silent Princess is found in sacred places such as Great Fairy Fountains and near the Master Sword pedestal.

41. It takes 13 hearts to lift the Master Sword. Yellow added hearts don’t count. The Master Sword can’t break, but it will run out of energy and become unusable until it recharges. The Master Sword normally has 30 points of damage, but when near Guardians or Calamity Ganon (or in Hyrule Castle), it glows and has 60 points of damage.

42. In Hateno Village, there is a statue (similar in appearance to the Goddess Statues) that will exchange hearts, stamina, and Rupees.

43. When you have found all of the Shrines, the Sheikah Monks will gift you the Tunic of the Wild, which is Link’s famous green outfit (recieve this at the Forgotton Temple).

45. At Kilton’s Fang and Bone store, you can buy monster masks that will make you blend in with the monsters they look like. This will make specific monsters act friendly towards you. Be careful though, as Lynels are too smart to be fooled by the Lynel mask for too long.

46. The key to Eventide Island is to be patient and attack enemies from a distance. Reach Eventide Island by gliding from Cape Cales (carry extra stamina).

47. Upon arriving on shore of Eventide Island, a mysterious voice will inform you that you will be stripped of everything in your inventory. Don’t panic! Leave some gear in the water before you walk on shore and then retrieve it after the challenge starts.

48. To completely obtain the Zora gear, get the Zora Armor from the Zora King, the Zora Greaves from the Zora Laflat after showing her a picture of the Lynel on Ploymus Mountain, and the Zora Helm from a chest in Toto Lake.

49. Wearing the Champion’s Tunic allows you to see the number of health points an enemy has.

50. Looking for something? Simply looking on the map helps locate quite a few things, for example, Leviathan Bones, which are huge.

[treasureboys]

friends

who?: yg treasure box’s park jihoon genre: ☀️ type: bullet point

treasure map

han river, ramen and your boyfriend 

did I mention he’s introducing his squad to you? 

a/n: I’m falling for so many park jihoons 🤧, dedicated to my sunshine, @sohngf

disclaimer: pictures used do not belong to me and credit goes to their original owners this is purely a work of fiction DO NOT READ IF TRIGGERING

~

you know what’s worse than meeting your s/o’s family? 

meeting their friends

so when Jihoon talked about introducing his close friends to you 

you were sO SCARED 

the fear and anxiety set it whenever he mentioned it 

but you weren’t going to back out just because you were nervous

“haha friends from school right?”

“oh nah, this is my trainee team. My dorm mates! I spend so much time with them! :D”

*spits out water

“t-trainee team? y-yg trainees?” you stammered out

Jihoon takes your hand, “yeah babe, don’t worry! They’ll love you!”

“Isn’t there a no-dating rule? What if they snitch?

“They won’t and my manager is way too oblivious to tell. They’ll understand,” he reassures. “But if you’re uncomfortable, we don’t have to tell them.”

“I-I’ll see.” 

Jihoon beams so widely his eyes become shining crescents. He leans over to plant a kiss on your cheek

“Thank you! I know you guys would get along so well!”

You nod uncertainly while flashing a smile, trying to remain positive

“Let’s go. I think people are starting to take note,” you warn, capping a black mask over his mouth and nose.

Jihoon tugs his baseball cap lower, then takes your hand and continues the ‘park date’

later that night, you receive his text 

Jihoon💖: han river, next saturday, ramen picnic, you down? 

read 8.09pm✔️

it takes you a whole hour to get the guts to read the text and another to formulate a suitable reply

You: of course!! Can’t wait!!

there isn’t a single bone in your body that can press send

*type type*

You: of course!! Can’t 

*type type* 

You: of course!! Ca

*type type* 

You: of course!! 

you know you’ll be getting -10 sleep tonight 

~

saturday finally rolled around 

you spent at least an hour picking out an outfit and doing your hair 

the first impression had to be perfect 

you wouldn’t settle for any less

“Just relax, love,” Jihoon soothed. “You guys will get along so well.” 

As usual, your rather happy-go-lucky boyfriend was calm and collected, beaming broadly 

He kept his hand entwined with yours, running his thumb over every few seconds 

You guys wandered around the banks of Han River, scouting for a good picnic spot 

It was such a relaxing place to simply chill and get rid of stress

Yet, all you could feel was the inconsistency of your heart rate

All the walking made you all the more nervous 

“T-there!” You pointed to a shady spot underneath a large tree. “Good enough?” 

Jihoon only grinned and began walking towards the place 

He began to lay out the picnic mats and equipment

“The guys want to meet and choose ramen together, is that okay?” Jihoon read the message off his phone 

Forcing a tight-lipped smile, you could barely manage a nod 

“Jihoon hyung!” 

Your head snapped in the direction of the voice 

A boy practically galloped towards Jihoon and threw his arms around Jihoon’s shoulders, effectively knocking him over 

They landed on the mat with a laugh 

He seems chill enough...the wonders of youth 

“____, this is Kil Dohwan,” Jihoon introduced

Dohwan greeted you with a toothy smile “Hi!” 

Jihoon takes the initiative to introduce everyone first

“Okay, and this is ___, my...childhood friend. We’re really close and I thought it would be good if all of us could hang out together.” 

you swear you hear snickers at ‘childhood friend’ 

oomph 

Jehyuk and Sungyeon seem to have knowing smiles on their lips 

oh my god…

“Shall we go get ramen?” Seokhwa? suggests. “Well, before Jyunhao faints.” 

Everyone breaks into chortles before setting off for the convenience store 

“See,” Jihoon whispers while discreetly slipping his hand into yours. “You will be fine.”

*walk walk walk* 

everyone splits to get their own noods

and you find yourself in the same row as Jyunhao, the smiley Taipei boy 

“So, ___, how did you meet Jihoon?” he asks, his eyes scanning the shelves for the right ramen packet 

You bite your lips, unsure of how to answer without making it obvious. “Uhh, our families were friends so naturally, we met up and hung out quite a bit.” 

Jyunhao hums in response, his smirk smile widening “That’s sweet.” 

O shit, o shit, o shit

He continues, “Which beef curry ramen should I get?” 

phew... 

*ka ching ka ching* 

Treasure B is the broke students' gang I guess yg is your ramen sponsor today 

Jihoon moves to walk with you but Yoonbin cuts him off, linking arms 

oh.

“Careful with that,” Yunseo cautions. “Your container is kinda full.” 

“Oh, thanks. don’t worry!! I can manage,” you reply politely

wow i suddenly love staring at my bubbling noodles 

“Hey ___, you should add me on SNS. I’ll give you my number later,” he adds 

“Sure!” You don’t mind having a new friend to talk to :D 

“Sorry, it may be hard to reach me since...YG doesn’t allow phones and all...”

“No worries! I-”

you were about to add how hard it was to contact Jihoon all the time 

“I’m sure you know what to do, considering the amount of time Jihoon spends texting you,” Yunseo pipes up with a wink, leaving you frozen and flustered 

~ 

the strange questions stopped pouring in as everyone tucked into their ramen 

talking to the boys was easy 

they were all rather laid back and bubbly 

and they shared their ramen :D

“I’ll clean up,” Jihoon offers. “You guys keep talking.” 

our leader

As soon as he was out of earshot 

Everyone’s gazes turned to you 

them: ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

you: ಠಿ_ಠ

them: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

you: (´･ω･`)?

I misused one of them didnt I? o well

“You know,” Sungyeon shifts closer to you

“Jihoon talks about you a lot. Cute, since y’all just friends.” 

these sneaky bitches found out, didn’t they? 

“He should. I am his girlfriend/boyfriend after all,” you shoot back, a satisfied smirk crossing your lips 

For a second, they are shocked

you can’t even believe you disclosed that sacred secret 

you snapped and did: that

Shookt to the soul 

Then everyone erupts into cheers and claps 

“I knew it!” 

you can’t help but laugh too ? like they have this charm 

“Treat Jihoon right, okay?” Seokhwa nods firmly. 

Jyunhao scoffs playfully, rolling his large eyes. “If anything, ___ is too good for Jihoon🤪.” 

no tea no shade just facts

“Jihoon genuinely likes you, ___,” Jehyuk reveals. “He doesn’t shut up about you. He’s like in love with you.”

oOF IS THAT MY HEART WARMING UP 

The boys continue to spill tea, making you turn 20 shades of red and pink 

Jihoon has always been your cheeky, sunshine-emitting sweetheart 

he was a simple guy with tact and the ability to make you laugh

you’ve never really seen him in this light 

the treasure light 

“hey! what are you guys talking about?” Jihoon takes his seat on the mat, right next to you 

he swings an arm across your shoulders, tugging you closer 

he lowkey thought he fucced up but you go its ok bby

A bright blush colours both of your faces when the guys ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ 

“We would love it if ___ hung out with us more!” Dohwan saves. 

Everyone else either clamours or nods in agreement 

Jihoon has the audacity to look(s) pleasantly surprised, he agrees without hesitation 

“Hyung, you can’t keep them all to yourself!” 

“Watch me. ___ said yes to my confession, not yours.” 

That’s when you know that you’ve been accepted not only by Jihoon’s friends...

but by his family too