#aban woman

[ryanyflags]

Abman/maban flag? Aban+man

Abwoman/womaban as well?

✦ aban man / abman / maban ✦ aban woman / abwoman / womaban ✦ aban enban / aenban

Some aban (abinary version of man/woman/enban/etc.) flags :3

Only man/woman combos were requested but I thought it'd be nice to do an enban combo too. The spelling used by the other 2 didn't really work with enban, so I came up with my own, with a in front from abinary, en from enban, and the ban ending matches both aban and enban.

For the flags, they're not really like my usual style.

I used my aban flag as the base, mixed the blue colours from the man flag (by trintinic) into the aban green colours for maban, and mixed the pink colours from the woman flag (by trintinic) into the warmer aban colours for womaban. For aenban, I used purple on the bottom (from enban), then a sort of blueish colour as an in-between of enban purple and aban teal, then green from aban, combined the white enban stripe with the yellow aban stripe, then combined the dark orangey yellow colours of both enban and aban together.

Overall just kinda mixed the colours together.

[envy-of-the-apple]

I've been reading all your jjk works and notice most of them having older mc. You wrote gojo with an older woman a lot, how about doing geto with middle age jujutsu teacher

Mc is not strong and barely considered a jujutsu sorcerer with her ct that basically numbs her or others senses like a potent anesthetic, its not really useful in a fight but the best thing for geto. With her ct she can numb his taste buds completely and he never has to taste the disgusting curse ball ever again. And plus mc is actually a really nice and caring teacher. The kind of teacher that uses different study methods to suit different students. The kind of teacher that immediately pick up when students are feeling down. But when geto expresses how much he is fond of her not just as her student she takes it as puppy love that he will soon get over it when he gets older and she only saw him as her student. She said something like "maybe when you graduate we can have this talk again" and geto took it to heart only for his beloved teacher getting purpose from other people(non-sorcer that you happened to help one time). Oh... How sad he is... He thought you would wait for him. And you would finally become part of his family with nanako and mimiko after all you help him raise both of them why are you leaving for some Monkey

I like this idea! But what about making the Mc a nurse instead???

(TW: Blood, implied murder, yandere)

You aren’t even a trained jujutsu sorcerer. You were scouted pretty late, far past high school. Because of that, you don’t have much potential, not that you were upset or anything. You’re still a high school nurse, but instead of treating students with the occasional flu, you treat teenagers who fight demons.

It’s pretty haunting to see, especially as an outsider of jujutsu. But you can’t do anything. You might be semi-important to the school, but you’re still just another rung on the ladder. So you keep your head down, as you always do.

It’s only natural you develop favorites. It’s a second year. Shoko Ieiri. She’s set to be your predecessor, having a much more powerful CT than you do. You don’t mind being in her shadow. The short time you spent in the jujutsu world was hard enough. At least now you know you wont be leaving behind a hole.

Geto is close behind. He’s a quiet boy, well-mannered, well-spoken. Far better than his white haired brat of a companion. It isn’t often he comes for injuries, but when accidents do happen, you’re sure to lecture him while tending to his injuries.

Maybe one day you get curious enough to ask what curses taste like. Maybe that day, he finally decides to be honest.

On tinier areas, like the tongue, your CT can last for hours. You try it out just once when he’s called to dispatch a first grade. He comes back that day with eyes brighter than anything you’ve ever seen.

It continues like that. When he’s called for an exorcism, he finds you. It’s like a goodbye ritual. You and him sit on the exam table, his mouth open wide as you diligently apply your curse technique, careful not to miss a single corner. He often tells you that you saved his life. You didn’t know he meant that so sincerely.

He confesses to you a year after Riko’s death.

Hes like a kid. He is a kid, staring down at you with hopeful eyes, not even a day over 18. You know what you should do. Rip the band-aide off, nice and clean. He deserves that.

But...you just cant break his heart like that, so you lie.

You tell him when he's older. You tell him after graduation. You tell him to wait. He readily does. You hope in a couple years hed be too embarrassed to ask you again. His adult brain would kick in and nag at him. His friends might too. Maybe when he comes back as a fully-fledged sorcerer, you two could laugh about this.

Your last straw is Haibara.

You quit the school. you walk away from jujutsu sorcery. It's hard, because its been your life for years, but leaving hurts less than staying.

You don't tell geto. You just leave. Abandon him.

You go back to your old job. A normal high school, treating normal high school students. Years pass like that. You move on with your normal life.

And then you meet a normal man. Quiet, well-mannered, the ever slightest gray in his hair. He's perfect. When he gives you the ring, it was the happiest you'd ever been.

Geto finds you two years after your marriage.

It's almost surreal meeting him again, seeing him in your quiet apartment. There's so much blood. His fingers are dripping in it.

He smiles. "So, had time to think it over?"

You were half right. One day, Geto did come back as a full-fledged sorcerer.

But neither of you laughed about it.

[kissorkill16]

Really Knowing: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: It's time Mrs. Bales took the time to really get to know Nicky,...and the reason Trinity's been so sneaky.

Nicky knocked on the door of Trinity's house, kicking his foot back and forth as he waited.

He didn't see a car in the driveway, so he thought that meant her parents were gone. But he nearly jumped out of his skin when Mrs. Bales opened the door.

"Yes?", said the woman, she crossed her arms when she saw Nicky. "Oh. It's you."

Nicky rubbed the back of his head as he looked down at his shoes.

"If you're looking for Trinity, she's upstairs, but she's grounded.", said the woman, "After that stunt you kids pulled in the woods, I have a half mind of switching her to a new school."

Nicky still didn't look up.

"Anyway, just say what you want to say and maybe I'll deliver the message to her for you."

Nicky shrugged and looked up, trying to make eye contact with Mrs. Bales, but it felt almost impossible under that hard gaze.

"Ma'am.", he started with, "I just wanted to apologize for all of the stuff I put your daughter through. I wasn't always like this though, I only dragged her into my messes because she felt like the only person who really understood me. Everyone else just saw me and thought of me as an obnoxious little brat who caused nothing but trouble, but she saw through that. She made me feel like I finally had a friend."

The woman's gaze softened and she uncrossed her arms. She sighed and stepped out of the doorway, "Come in."

Nicky couldn't believe it. Mrs. Bales was letting him in, willingly too.

He walked inside, feeling a little happy.

A while later, Nicky and Mrs. Bales sat across from each other.

"Nicky.", said the woman, her voice stern. "My daughter got in trouble where she used to live, and I was so mad at her, I felt like I couldn't trust her anymore after that."

She sighed, "But apart from that, I feel bad that I doubted her about Mr. Peterson, and for judging you too quickly. I want to be able to trust her more after Peterson's arrest, but how can I do that if she's always sneaking around behind my back?"

Nicky knew it was risky, he knew she probably wouldn't believe her, but it was worth the shot. He slowly pulled something shiny out of his pocket. "Would it help if I told you the reason why she's been sneaking around behind your back?"

"You know what?", said Mrs. Bales, "As a matter of fact, it would."

Nicky held out the shiny, round Golden Apple coin in his hand, "Do you know what this is?", he asked. He didn't wait for an answer. "She had a diabetic shock, her house nearly burned down, you guys almost died. Things have been getting crazy, no, crazier since she got this."

Mrs. Bales leaned in to examine the coin, "Where did she get that?", she asked. "I heard about the Golden Apple Amusement Park, courtesy of Principal Abanate. But that place wasn't supposed to be opened up yet.", she shook her head and her hand. "But where did she get that?"

"Would you believe me if I said some freak in a bird outfit gave it to her?"

Mrs. Bales looked at the boy, completely puzzled. "Freak in a bird outfit?", she asked.

"Some call him The Guest, others call him Crowface.", said Nicky, "And he's running a secret cult in the woods that curses the town."

"Cult?!", Mrs. Bales said, completely taken aback. "I wouldn't have moved to this town if I knew there was a damn cult!"

She walked over to Nicky and practically snatched the coin from his hand, examining it closer. "Are you telling me that some beak freak broke into my house and cursed my daughter with this thing?"

Nicky nodded, "I know it sounds hard to believe.", he said. "But I think I know how to stop them."

"How?"

"How they curse the town is through a brass and emerald pentagon device, it's the source of all of their power. I currently have it with me, and me and Trinity were planning on destroying it so they'll be stopped for good.", said Nicky. "Trust me, Mrs. Bales. I know how to help you -"

Without warning, Mrs. Bales pulled Nicky forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much, Nicky!", she said, "You're going to save me and my family! Thank you so much!"

Nicky patted her back, thankful that she finally listened to him.

Maybe as time passed, he could talk to her more and they could get to know each other a little more.

[owl127]

Can youuuu…mayyybe…please write something containing a 🗡️ character and a jockstrap. Ugh something about jockstraps, mouth guards, and feminine girls doing masculine things is so hot🥵

read on Ao3

Reading @lexa-griffins talk about wanheda’s dagger got me inspired, so… *throws confetti in the air*

Lexa’s boots kicked dirty on her way to the bus stop.

“Lexa!” The cries behind her continued, along with the annoying click of cleats against asphalt. “Lexa, wait!”

Ignoring the girl running after her, Lexa climbed onto the bus without looking back. The driver looked her pursuer and rolled her eyes, signaling for the dirty athlete to hop into the campus bus.

“Thanks, Carla!” Lexa heard, and of course she would be friends with the bus drivers, because apparently, Clarke Griffin is very friendly with people. Girls in particular.

Lexa looked straight ahead as Clarke Griffin, captain of the soccer team, president of the debate club, LGBTQ+ alliance vice-president, and a fucking player sat next to her. Clarke swore at the mud tracks following her and lowered her socks with a long sigh.

“Lexa—” Clarke tried, but Lexa mmf-ed and turned her back to the alpha. “Okay, this is getting ridiculous.”

“You’re the one tracking mud on school property.”

“Brittany is like, nothing, she’s—”

“Have you slept with her?” Lexa turned to look into Clarke’s eyes, searching for honesty, trust, anything that would make the last three months she dedicated to this woman worth it. She found honesty, yes, but regretted it immediately.

“Not recently!” Clarke defended. “She likes to cheer in every game, and she keeps saying we’re seeing each other, but Lex, I haven’t been with her since before I met you!”

Lexa squinted her eyes, watching a bead of sweat forming on Clarke’s forehead.

“Okay, maybe once after we met, but we weren’t exclusive back then!”

The logic part of Lexa’s brain argued that Clarke had a point, and even Lexa had been on a fruitless date after she met Clarke. Had she thought about Clarke all the time? Totally. Did it in the end help her see she was actually into the charming athlete? Yes, but irrelevant at the moment, since now the unreasonable part of Lexa’s brain kept replaying Brittany’s voice: “And that’s Clarke, number 10. She’s the captain. She’s also delicious.” A pink tongue over lipstick gloss had accompanied that statement, and a graphic image of that girl on her knees for Clarke had made Lexa escape the match as soon as she could.

Clarke had seen the iteration from the sidelines and had abandoned the bench in obvious pursuit.

“Are we exclusive?” Clarke asked when Lexa refrained from commenting. “I… I thought we were.” The girl swallowed, setting her face in the same hard angles as when she kicked a penalty. “I want us to be,” she said, extending a hand between them.

Lexa signed and took the offered hand in hers, feeling how warm it was, despite the fall leaves rushing past the bus window. She loved how warm Clarke’s hands were, a dichotomy to her always freezing extremities. Lexa mumbled something, and Clarke leaned closer, asking, “what was that?”

“Maybe I overreacted,” Lexa confessed, the almost empty bus a witness to the fact. “I hated seeing that girl talking about your dick like she owned it.”

Red crept into Clarke’s cheeks, making its way to her ears. “Well… she doesn’t,” Clarke said, one hand around Lexa’s waist. “You do,” she whispered, and Lexa’s face flushed with heat. “I want to be exclusive. If there’s any girl out there bragging about my dick, I want it to be you.”

“How romantic.”

“You’re into it,” Clarke argued, her bright eyes following Lexa’s scarf until it hid inside her jacket.

Logic once more piped up in Lexa’s mind that the girl had a point. The thong she had worn to celebrate Clarke’s game dampened with proof.

“You didn’t bring your phone or anything?” Lexa asked. “You just ran after me?”

“Of course. I couldn’t let you go looking pissed like that! And Octavia will pick up my shit.”

“So it’s not the first time you abandon your team celebration to pursue a girl?”

Panic flashed in Clarke’s eyes and Lexa felt merciful. “I guess from now on you’ll only be doing this for me.”

“Yeah.” Clarke kissed Lexa’s cheeks, sighing in relief. “My apartment is not far from here,” she said, the kiss lingering. “And I’m in desperate need of a shower.”

“Oh.” Lexa’s heart picked up, her cold hands warming up in her fingerless gloves. “If it’s out of desperation, we need to stop.”

“You’re so kind.”

With Octavia and the rest of the team still back at the football complex, there was no reservation for stripping as soon as they stumbled into Clarke’s apartment. The spare key with her neighbor was worth it (the assistant professor had looked the couple up and down and threw the key in their direction before closing the door and turning her TV colossally loud). Clarke’s shirt and cleats didn’t make it to the hallway, and Lexa’s pants puddled by the bathroom’s door. Lexa pulled the athletic shorts down and met the hard resistance of a jockstrap cup.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable?” she asked, drumming her fingers on top of the hard carbon fiber.

“Right now it’s pretty uncomfortable.” Clarke chuckled and kissed Lexa’s neck hard enough to bruise. “But that’s your fault.”

Lexa focused on Clarke’s high ponytail next, letting the blonde tresses free under the white light. “Yeah,” Lexa said, “it is.”

“Feeling possessive, huh?” Clarke nipped at the soft skin under Lexa’s chin while stepping out of her shorts, completely nude. Clarke moaned at the hands exploring her broad shoulders, digging into her trapezius, and scratching her deltoids. Lexa admired Clarke’s curves, but she salivated at her muscles.

A moan froze in a gasp as Lexa felt for Clarke’s erection, now free from the confines of jock straps and tight, athletic shorts. “Very possessive,” Lexa said, moving her hand in deliberate slowness, pushing eager hips back when Clarke tried to increase the pace. “You can be the leader of your team, but here” — a strong squeeze that made Clarke whine — “I’m captain.” The exhale on Lexa’s shoulder was nothing but a moan.

“Fuck,” Clarke said, her head surrendering to Lexa’s biceps as she mercifully started moving her hand.

Clarke smelled like sweat, and heat, and vetiver, and Lexa had it all for herself. She inhaled deeply, her brain creating a new pathway for that scent of love, need, and lust. Lexa prided herself on being an omega in full authority of her body and desires, but as Clarke groaned on her neck, Lexa surrendered to the primal need of control.

“Come for me, babe,” she said, softly albeit with a command, and poor Clarke followed like a trained puppy.

Lexa held her close as Clarke trembled, expending the last of her strength over Lexa’s olive skin. When Clarke’s knee threatened to buckle, Lexa guided the exhausted girl under the hot shower stream.

“I’m sorry.” Clarke mumbled as water covered her mouth. Lexa distracted herself with shampooing Clarke’s hair, and the fresh scent of mint and vetiver filled the fogging air.

“About what?”

Clarke turned to look Lexa in the eyes, all half-lidded and yawning. “I’m sorry for not being clear about being exclusive before. I was afraid.”

Lexa nuzzled the shampoo suds away from Clarke’s cheek. “Afraid?” she asked.

Clarke hugged her under the water, their wet bodies molding together. The water soothed Lexa’s skin, but Clarke remained her major source of warmth. “I was afraid you’d say no.”

“How could I not?” Lexa kissed her girlfriend — seemed safe to call her that way — until they were out of breath. “I hate sports, and you got me outside in a chilly morning just to watch you kicking some balls.”

“It’s one ball.”

“Whatever. Come here.”

Clarke obeyed, her hand sliding down beautiful curves to elicit a moan from Lexa. She responded in kind, hardening between them.

Octavia was pissed when she arrived home from their game and there was no hot water.

[salmontooth]

An older piece I had done but didn't want to post until I finished the fic I wrote for it (I'll post it to A03 later)! I wanted to have Ghassan and Dad-aban having a moment while Sargon got some much needed rest before the Tower of Silence

As always, thank you to @gryffintheparrotcat and @kaihoney <3

PLEASE heed the warnings listed before the fic! I hope you enjoy!

WORDCOUNT: 3,225

SPOILERS FOR “PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE LOST CROWN”

WARNINGS: Slight descriptions of gore, suicide ideation (only for one paragraph!), mentions of child abuse/neglect, self-hatred, implied sexual content (past!)

“You need to rest.”

Sargon looked over to Ghassan, and his gaze softened. “I will be fine once we get back to the Haven. There’s a Wak Wak there that’ll patch me up.”

Ghassan didn’t like that answer, but every time he voiced his concern, Sargon would just repeat his reply:

“I’m fine, the Wak Wak will heal me.”

“It looks bad, I know, but it’s nothing that damn tree can’t fix.”

“Ghassan, I know you’re worried, but I’ll manage until we get to the Haven.”

“Look, I survived worse.”

Ghassan figured asking a mockingbird to change its tune was pointless so he continued the rest of the journey in silence, taking note how Sargon limped with every step and the slower reaction times to enemies. He dispatched what few hostiles they ran into with no issue of course, but Ghassan knew that Sargon was faster than this. The Rashabar was exhausted.

By the time Sargon announced that they had arrived at the Haven, Ghassan was ready to tie down the warrior himself and force him to take a break, if only for a few minutes. As they passed an open tent with an elderly woman brandishing an impressive-looking stick, a small girl bounded up to Sargon and planted herself in front of him. Ghassan watched as Sargon’s determined expression melted into fondness and he stopped his march.

“Sargon!” the girl exclaimed. “You’re back!” She then took notice of Ghassan standing behind him. “Oh! Is this the prince you were looking for?”

Sargon chuckled. “Yes, he is. Ghassan, this Fariba.” He gestured to the girl. “Fariba, this is Ghassan.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Fariba,” Ghassan said, smiling through his concern for Sargon.

“Likewise!” Fariba returned, before squinting at the ex-prince. She then got a devious grin on her face. “You were right Sargon: he is handsome! I can see why you like him so much-!”

“ALRIGHT! We gotta get to the Wak Wak. So, goodbye Fariba!” Sargon blurted out, stopping Fariba from finishing her sentence, but the damage had been done, and Ghassan could see the blush creeping up Sargon’s shoulders and into his cheeks. Ghassan gave a small chuckle, and Sargon whipped around to glare at him, as if to say, “Dammit, don’t encourage her!”

Fariba giggled and bounded away, Ghassan hearing her shrill voice beginning to pester the old woman in the tent. He turned to Sargon and murmured, “You think I’m handsome?”

Sargon groaned. “I should’ve just left you at the Simurgh’s Gate.”

That got a laugh out of Ghassan and they continued deeper into the Haven. There, in the middle of a platform, stood a golden tree. It was modestly sized, and as the leaves swayed in the gentle breeze, the gentle notes of windchimes could be heard. Sargon’s gait picked up noticeably, and he quickly limped his way over. Ghassan stood back, watching as the Rashabar pressed a hand into the glowing bark. Golden ribbons of light danced down from the leaves, caressing Sargon’s body. The warrior sighed and leaned his head against the bark as well, and Ghassan watched with a morbid curiosity as Sargon’s wounds knitted themselves back together. Sargon only flinched once as a deeper wound on his arm stitched itself together, gritting his teeth and forcing a breath out. Finally, the light faded and Sargon stood up a little straighter. The injuries were gone, but not the bone-deep exhaustion, and Ghassan could see it.

“See?” Sargon turned to Ghassan, extending his arms to show that there were no injuries hiding. “I’m fine.”

“Physically, yes,” Ghassan agreed, but his tone turned hard. “But mentally? If your clothing has anything to say, it would seem you have been running yourself ragged.” He waved a hand over Sargon’s state of dress. He was caked in dirt and blood and Simurgh knows what else. The cuts and scrapes had no evidence of existing, but the blood was still there, dried onto Sargon’s skin. “Have you let yourself rest?”

Sargon opened his mouth, but then snapped it shut, thinking twice.

That would be a no then.

“I don’t have time,” Sargon argued, annoyance beginning to seep into his tone. “Every moment I waste is just more time for Vahram to reach the Simurgh’s heart.”

“There won’t be any time if you keep going like this!” Ghassan countered.

“Orod and Menolias were counting on me to make this right.”

“Then they would have died for nothing if you perish on your way up the tower!”

Sargon stilled at that, a distant look glazing over his eyes. Sargon didn’t show emotions easily, but Ghassan could see that he had struck a raw nerve. He sighed.

“I’m sorry,” Ghassan murmured, edging closer to Sargon. The Rashabar didn’t move. “That was unfair of me. But Sargon….” Ghassan reached out a hand and gently squeezed Sargon’s bicep. “Please rest; if not for yourself, then for me.”

Sargon had a conflicted look to him, and Ghassan sighed. He took Sargon’s hands and led him to the wall nearest to them. He let go and he sat himself down, leaning against the brick. “Alright, down here.”

Sargon raised an eyebrow before he realized what Ghassan was offering, and he blushed once more. “Nafasam, I can’t-”

“You can and you will.” Ghassan left no room for argument. Then in a softer tone: “Please…”

Sargon looked embarrassed as Ghassan continued to hold out his arms to him. “Come on.”

The Rashabar looked over his shoulder to where Fariba had run off to and then back to Ghassan. Slowly, he lowered himself down and into Ghassan’s lap, resting his head against the other man’s chest. It was awkward, but soon Sargon began to curl around Ghassan’s body, and, blessedly, relax. The prince wrapped his arms around the exhausted warrior, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into Sargon’s skin.

Sargon still had a tenseness to his frame, and Ghassan sighed. “You’re safe,” he whispered, making sure only Sargon could hear him. “You’ve done such a great job; you deserve to rest. I’ll be here when you wake. I promise.” Whatever spell Ghassan had cast, it worked quickly. Sargon’s body slowly relaxed in his hold, and his breathing began to even itself out. Then, suddenly, Sargon was dead weight, and Ghassan had to maneuver both of them in order to sit comfortably against the wall.

Ghassan leaned his head against the wall, but let out a growl when his crown hit the rock, the metal making a clinking noise of displeasure. With a frustrated groan, Ghassan tore off the trapping, and had to stop himself from throwing it across the room, instead, opting to place it gently down at his side. He knew his anger and frustration would do nothing. If anything, it would succeed in making him look like a child throwing a tantrum…

Just… so much had happened. It was a normal night, but then Anahita came and ruined it. Or maybe, it was Thomyris’s fault? Either way, now he was stuck on a cursed mountain with the threat of a new, vengeful god being born. On top of that, his mother is a usurper, and his whole life a lie, and he now had limited allies willing to help him. He sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead into Sargon’s.

“Rough day?”

Ghassan’s eyes shot open and swiveled his head to the voice. There stood one of the Immortals – Artaban, Ghassan remembered- with a knowing look in his eye.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you, Prince Ghassan.”

Ghassan let out a humorlessly laugh. “Please… don’t call me ‘prince’, Master Artaban.” The older man gave him a weird look, so Ghassan continued: “Thomyris usurped the throne. I am not the rightful heir.”

Artaban nodded. “Did Sargon tell you that?”

“Of course,” Ghassan met Artaban with a challenging glare. “Are you implying that Sargon had lied?”

Artaban gave a chuckle and slowly sat down next to Ghassan and a slumbering Sargon. “Oh, of course not,” he reassured, his hands creeping to his mask and beginning to fidget with the golden metal. “The kid can’t lie; he’s horrible at it. The sky would sooner fall than Sargon purposely lying to someone.”

Something gave a metallic click, and Artaban gave a sigh of relief as he gently pulled away the mask covering half of his face. Ghassan tried not to stare, but it was impossible not to notice the ruined flesh and gnarled scars that adorned the left side of Artaban’s face. He quickly turned his gaze away when the Immortal tilted his head to get a better view of Ghassan. He must be blind in that one eye…

            “How did you get him to sleep?” Artaban asked, his rough voice dragging Ghassan out of his thoughts. The ex-prince looked down to Sargon, who hadn’t moved at all.

            “By telling him that if he died of exhaustion before stopped Vahram, that Orod and Menolias would have died for nothing,” Ghassan answered, and then met Artaban’s gaze. “I am so sorry about your loss.”

            Artaban squeezed his eye shut, trying to compose himself. “I am too, Ghassan. They were good men. Loyal to a fault….”

            “You don’t blame Sargon?”

            “Of course not. Sargon had no choice; he was forced to defend himself.”

            Ghassan nodded. It was a self-defense situation. One that had disastrous consequences.

            “He talks about you a lot.”

            Ghassan looked to Artaban. “He talks about me?”

            The older man chuckled. “Of course. You have been his driving force this entire time. He explained to you what happens in the original timeline?” When Ghassan nodded, Artaban went quiet for a moment. Then: “He was destroyed when you died. He was so upset to have survived the fall into the Depths. From what he had told me and what I had been able to gather from Fariba, he was planning on joining you if there wasn’t a way to reverse fate.”

            Both sat in contemplative silence, the only sounds being the windchimes from the Wak Wak Tree and Sargon’s sleep-heavy breathing. Sargon… Sargon was planning on taking his own life if Ghassan couldn’t be saved? The Rashabar, the Black Wind that destroys all in his path, had given up as soon as Ghassan was gone? Somehow the news of Sargon planning on taking his own life shook him more than learning about his own death.

            “I didn’t know that,” Ghassan murmured dumbly, not really knowing what to say.

            “I didn’t expect you to know that,” Artaban reassured. “Sargon isn’t one to divulge his emotions. But I can read him. Hell, I helped raise him when he became an Immortal, of course I can read him. And I had never seen him more determined before.” The Immortal looked to Ghassan; a cheeky look descending on his face. “I noticed that Sargon had stopped calling you ‘prince’ before we even got to this mountain.”

            “I had asked him not to,” Ghassan replied.

            “Did you tell him to call you nafasam instead?”

            Ghassan sat up straight, embarrassment painting his face red, and he pointedly avoided Artaban’s azure stare. “No, not directly…”

            Artaban chuckled. There was a beat of silence before: “You love him too, don’t you?”

            Whatever walls Ghassan had spent a lifetime erecting around his personal life and feelings came crashing down at the sound of Artaban’s sincere tone. Perhaps it was how Sargon trusted this man; enough so to call him father.

            “Yes,” Ghassan said, no hesitation in his answer. “I do. I love him so much it physically hurts.” He sighed and looked down at Sargon. There were new scars on his face; the Rashabar had explained them away with his fight with Vahram and his fall into the Depths. What worried Ghassan the most was the stab wound in his shoulder. It looked like the Wak Wak tree had stopped the worst of bleeding but the wound was still gaping and raw. Sargon blamed it again on Vahram, and it pained Ghassan to think of it scarring over, a permanent reminder of his leader’s betrayal. He looked back to Artaban. “I love him too much.”

            Artaban nodded, and gave a knowing chuckle. “I knew it. You two have something going for each other.” Ghassan narrowed his eyes in confusion, and the Immortal rolled his eye in mock annoyance. “Don’t think I didn’t see both of you sneak off after the ceremony on the last two nights, and with Sargon coming back drunk off something that was not alcohol. Not to mention the bruising on his neck and abdomen.”

            Ghassan felt a new wave of blush crash over him and he quickly adverted eye contact again as Artaban gave a laugh. It was boisterous but not loud enough to wake Sargon. Not that it would’ve; the poor Rashabar was dead to the world around him.

            “Hey, don’t be embarrassed, son,” Artaban placed a hand on Ghassan’s shoulder. “Next time, just be a little more conspicuous about it, lest the Queen sees.”

            Ghassan scoffed at that. “I couldn’t give a damn as to what she sees.”

            Artaban gave a grunt of agreement. Then: “What comes next?”

            Ghassan sighed. “I… I don’t know. I honestly have only been thinking about surviving this horrible mountain. I haven’t really had time to think of what I will say to my mo- Thomyris when I see her again. If I see her again.”

            “I cannot imagine the choice that lies before you, son,” Artaban said gently, “but I have faith you will do the right thing.”

            “What is the right thing?” Ghassan asked, his voice desperate for any kind of guidance. He was taught Persian trading policies and how to rule a country. He had no idea on how to move on from this.

            Artaban shrugged, not callously. “I don’t know, Ghassan. But I do know Sargon will be behind you, no matter what. As will I and Neith.” He chuckled. “She has also had enough of this bullshit.”

            Ghassan huffed out a breath in amusement, before his face fell back into a frown. “We could keep this a secret; that Thomyris usurped the throne, but the people deserve better. It’s been thirty years of plague with her as queen. I think the gods were punishing us…”

            “Punishing her.” Artaban corrected. “Ghassan, this isn’t your fault. You were born into this misery; you had no choice. And, with how Thomyris rules with an iron fist, I doubt there would’ve been much that you could’ve done to help undo the damage she had caused.” Artaban lowered his voice. “Son, I’ve heard the rumors about her striking you. About her neglecting you.”

            Ghassan swallowed thickly, a weird sense of fear washing over him. No, you can relax, his inner voice soothed. He’s safe. Sargon trusts him. So can you.

            “They aren’t rumors, sir,” Ghassan murmured, not making eye contact with the other man.

            Artaban let out a sad sigh. “I feared as much.”

            “I don’t want to go back to that. To her, sir.”

            “I understand, son. But,” Artaban made sure Ghassan was looking at him, “you need to go back, to see this through, if only for a little while. Sargon will be with you, and, if you’ve learned anything about him, he will tear Thomyris apart if she tried to lay another hand on you.”

            It was comforting to know Sargon would stand in opposition to the queen he had fought wars for. Just for the anxious mess that was the crown prince- now proven a fraud. But, even if Ghassan couldn’t see anything worth protecting about himself, Sargon did. So much so he brokered a deal with the god of chaos to save him. To the point where he was forced to fight his brothers in arms, and where he had had to watch as they took their final breaths, their demises at his hand. To where he was willing to stand against the White Lion of Persia, the man who taught him everything about Immortal life and who had mentored him. Sargon loved him. Sargon loves him. Sargon, one of Persia’s most feared warriors, the Black Wind that destroys everything in his path, loved him. A fraud. Even now with the truth revealed, Sargon still had this undying devotion to him. A devotion that wouldn’t be smothered, no matter the circumstance.

Ghassan was overcome with emotion, and he had to take a few deep breaths to steady himself, lest he start crying in front of an Immortal. Artaban had a sympathetic, understanding look.

            “Sargon is a good man,” he whispered on a shaky breath.

            Artaban nodded. “Aye… he is. I would take credit for his selflessness, but the Simurgh knows I could’ve never raised a man like that.” He smiled fondly down to Sargon, who was still asleep. “I don’t expect you to make a decision right this instant; think on it and really contemplate, but I hope that knowing that Sargon will stand by your choice makes it easier.” He put a hand on Ghassan’s shoulder. “I believe in you, Ghassan.”

            Artaban and Ghassan would sit in comfortable silence for a moment, before the Immortal clicked his mask back on and pushed himself from the wall he was sitting against. He gave Ghassan one last smile before making his way back to the little area he had taken up residence in.

            Sargon would sleep for another hour or so, and probably longer if the Rashabar hadn’t gone under with the sense of divine urgency gnawing at his nerves. And Ghassan was there, as he had promised, and ex-prince could see the relief on Sargon’s features as he awoke in the arms of someone he loved.

            Of course, it wasn’t as much sleep as Ghassan would’ve liked for Sargon to get, but he knew what was at risk and didn’t push the issue further. At least he had gotten him to rest a least a little.

            “We will meet you at the gates of the Hall of Divination,” Ghassan said, handing Qays back to Sargon as the Rashabar maneuvered Layla so he could slide it back into its sheath.  

            “I will meet you there,” Sargon promised as he took Qays and sheathed it next to Layla. “Please wait for me.”  

            “Of course…” Ghassan murmured, then, as Sargon began to turn, he shouted, “Sargon, wait!”

            The Rashabar stopped and faced Ghassan again. Ghassan launched himself into Sargon’s arms, mindful of the stab wound he had suffered in his shoulder. Sargon, surprised, stepped back at Ghassan’s weight, but quickly recovered and wrapped his arms around the ex-prince, holding him tight and close.

            Ghassan pulled away and pressed his lips to Sargon’s. The Immortal immediately returned the affection; it was nothing passionate, but it meant more than any intimate kissing.

            “I love you, nafasam,” Sargon whispered into Ghassan’s mouth.

            “And I love you,” Ghassan murmured back. The two released each other, and, with one last crooked smile to Ghassan, Sargon took off towards the idols that would teleport him closest to the Tower of Silence. In a flash of bright light, he was gone, and Ghassan was left alone with the sounds of the windchimes in the Wak Wak tree.

[l-in-the-light]

Do you think Law would be more into men or women as a sex partner? Or both? 🤔

First, a warning: this post will answer multiple asks at the same time! Mostly because I partially answered those questions elsewhere and because of that my answers are shorter than usual, so I decided to group them together. Now let's get to the first question <3

I think Law would like boys. He just seems to like to hang out with males, his crew kinda reflects that, 19 males, 1 female. But at the same time, I feel like he doesn't care about genders all that much, at least considering canon material, he doesn't really treat girls in any special way, be it patronizing or especially protective. All the way back in Dressrosa he put Robin in his Caesar's exchange team (which, mind you, was the team that did the most risky operation!). So it's possible he actually doesn't care about gender all that much at the end of the day. He would be totally fine with Yamato (Yamabro <3) too.

Simple answer is: he just gives me the gay vibes. He seems to naturally gravitate towards other males, like Luffy, Zoro, Penguin and Shachi, even Usopp and Sanji (he did enjoy being carried by Sanji, didn't he?). Meanwhile he seems to have only approached Robin and Nami in canon, and it was always about business then lol. I would usually think it's because he's respectfully keeping his distance from females because of his traditional upbringing, if not for the fact he didn't care that he put Robin (so, a woman) in most dangerous group in his plan. I would usually elaborate more on the topic, but I literally miss source material for that: Law just doesn't interact much with females at all. Let's also keep in mind he blatantly refused Monett's flirting as well lol. It doesn't have to mean anything, but it definitely could.

Of course the answer I'm giving here completely dismisses the possibility that his lack of interest or avoidance of females simply stems from his amber lead syndrome. But that's also a fair possibility!

Hi anon! I answered this one already :D I will copy-paste it for your convenience!

One could consider that intellectual attraction would be a big thing to Law, if not for two things: his crew doesn't seem to be the smartest, and Luffy also is not, yet we all know he likes to hang out with both. So I guess he doesn't mind it that much and intellect isn't the most important factor to him when being attracted. Unless you consider him being intellectually attracted to Luffy, because Luffy is good at reading emotions, but you know, I think Law himself wouldn't agree to call it "intellectual attraction", haha.

So I guess my answer would be "no", because it doesn't seem to matter so much to Law. He doesn't seem to gravitate towards smart people, but he clearly gravitates towards cheerful people instead, no matter their IQ levels. And I think the same applies to his possible dating partners. The most important thing is that he can protect and pamper them and relate to them emotionally, so intelligence would be just an extra bonus imo. Of course when it comes to plans and alliances, smart allies would be probably better, but then Law made an alliance with Luffy while fully aware how crazy and carefree he is, so that again proves the point I'm making here.

Also Law is just modest, so he doesn't think of himself as some sort of genius that has to date only some other genius to feel satisfied with the relationship. In fact, he's often impressed with Luffy despite Luffy not being the smartest.

I mean, is he a workaholic? I guess in AU modern settings in which he's a surgeon he would be, because in reality many doctors are workaholics by default. But in canon? When does he give that vibe? When he's lazying around on the deck of Polar Tang? When he falls asleep on Sunny despite the fact he should have kept watch for Doflamingo and his men before they approached Dressrosa? Or maybe in Wano, because in the very first scene we see of him it's Law just lazying around in some abandoned, destroyed roadside shrine-like building? Yeah, no, he isn't overworking himself, he has his people for that, meanwhile he will just lie around and think over stuff. His hobby of wandering also doesn't give any "workaholic" vibe if his idea of spending free time is just bumming around without any specific aim or goal.

He is an overworrier, that's for sure. But that doesn't neccessarily make him a workaholic. He even tries to discard samurais request to help organize the Onigashima raid's plan after the traitor had been exposed, that's not exactly something a workaholic would do, right? In Law's novel it was actually Wolf who had to teach Law some responsibility for his crew, for example, because Law was acting sly about that. It also took him weeks to actually do anything else than just stay home and enjoy daily life back then too. He's definitely not a workaholic by nature. He is big on discipline and can study hard, I will give you that though. We see that when he studies medicine like a top student with his father in the flashback, we see his dedication as well when he trains and studies with Doflamingo's Family and later also on his own. But this still doesn't make him a workaholic to me. I think exactly because he's smart he doesn't have to be a workaholic to get his work done, because it simply takes him less time to get the same result.

Now that this part is out of the way, let's do the second part of the question. Would sex relax him after he's busy or studying hard? Well... I would say, it depends. I imagine that after a hard training, or lots of studying, or just dealing with overall chaos that Heart Pirates or Strawhats are, he would instead prefer some peace and quiet. I do not think sex is a purely relaxing experience, unless you expect your partner to do everything for you. Sex actually requires some work done to be good, lol. It's not just happy endorphins, body doing motions on it's own, and we're done. What about emotional connection? That needs work, vulnerability, opening up. In Law's case, that's a lot of work, especially if he's dealing with a trauma (and he is, all the time). At the end of the day he would probably choose to get rid of the tension on his own, it would be faster, more effective, doesn't require extra work or processing a trauma. And that would be probably his choice after a day that was very busy/tiring for him. After all, you don't want to add more stress on top of stress to deal with it, right? That's very counterproductive and would end up with a result of even more tired Law. Not even endorphins would be enough to sooth him afterwards, lol. He would simply just collapse.

But in all honesty, I think reading Sora's comics would do much more for relaxation. Or drawing, for example some ideas for clothes customization, he seems to really enjoy doing that.

I assume you mean in canon story? He wouldn't even engage in an activity that would result in a child, because that child would probably not survive till age of 10. I covered that in my answer to this ask: https://www.tumblr.com/l-in-the-light/759927365045485568/ Those girls would have to literally put him in seastone cuffs and force themselves on him for that situation to happen. He's a responsible adult, no matter how reckless he can sometimes get. That also means no drunk sex, because dubious consent.

I also don't believe he would be into one night stands, because he's a complete emotional wreck that has trouble emotionally engaging with people, and also because I believe he's actually more into commited relationships than flings (which means no Robin or Ikkaku situation, unless they're The Love of his life on Cora-san's level). If you want to read more about the reasons why I think he just wouldn't be into one night stands, here's the link (there's a whole section marked with a headline dedicated to that): https://www.tumblr.com/l-in-the-light/759545339455930368

I will be very honest here, I don't like the idea that a handsome guy just has to get macho sex with any female that he meets on his way, just because he's the male and they are the female. I also think it's extremely disrespectful to have occassional flings with your own crew, no matter the gender, because you can't escape the forced power dynamics there. Who would actually say "no" to their captain if it can result in being kicked out of their literal home that is Heart Pirates crew and the submarine? This is noncon territory right here. Do you really like to imagine Law this way, because I don't. I'm pretty sure he has the rule of "no romance on the crew".

But let's consider this scenario: Law loves Robin and she's literally the love of his life. Robin wants a baby. Since they're both responsible and mature people, they would talk about it and before doing anything in that regard, they would reach the conclusion that having a baby is probably not the smartest decision here. Imagine loving a child for 10 years only to live every single day knowing your beloved child won't live up to their 11th birthday. You want that trauma, would you choose that trauma for yourself? Knowing exactly that would be the result? And if for some stupid reason Law did get it on with Robin and that resulted in unplanned pregnancy, would you really dedicate 10 years of your life to this? What will you tell your child then if they start to have dreams for their future, thinking they want to become this or that, only to crush them all down by telling them "sorry, you won't live that long, it was the result of our selfish decision". I mean this is all levels of fucked up imo.

Now, the final scenario. We disregard the Amber Lead Syndrome, it never happened, Law is completely fine. His love life doesn't change, he still would engage himself only with The Love of his life. If that resulted in planned or unplanned pregnancy it wouldn't matter, of course he would want to be a father. Even if mentally he wouldn't be ready he would play it cool and try to be responsible and step up, even if he would lack confidence himself. He would pamper his partner to a disgusting degree to show his support (not in sweet words though, he still hates overly emotional things and reactions) and since he's a doctor he would be probably pretty good at this. This is totally an AU territory here though and I admit I'm not so interested in that.

Hi! Glad you enjoy my posts! I kinda already answered those questions before, I will leave you here with the link!

Here's the answer to whether I think Law would enjoy sex without being in love: https://www.tumblr.com/l-in-the-light/759545339455930368 short version: no, I think he would want the deep emotional connection he can get only from commited relationship. Since he wouldn't get it out of a fling, because he's too emotionally withdrawn with people he doesn't know well (actually, even with his close ones he is kinda withdrawn), all he would get is lots of physical closeness which might not even make him feel all that comfortable (let's not forget about his touch trauma after all!). I elaborate on the reasons in that link, especially in the beginning of the answer!

I will instead expand here on the only exception I can think of (but please keep in mind that I consider him aroace or at least ace). I suppose he could be open to queer type of relationships, which could mean "sex with a friend". But it would look like that only from the outsider's perspective. Because for Law that would be The Relationship of his life, equal to a romantic one for people who aren't queer. So, it wouldn't be casual and it would be actually very commited setup there, just outside the box. I mean, come on, this guy is super passionate even if he doesn't show it outwardly much, you really think occassional fling would be even close to satisfying for him?

Not to mention the obvious problem here: he's not very open even to his own friends (be it physically or emotionally). This guy is a lot of work when it comes to emotional attachment. He literally has only few people he even told about Cora-san, that being Bepo, Penguin, Shachi and Luffy. Would he "get it on" with any of them then? I think not, unless he decides this is The Relationship on the same level of commitment he had to Cora-san, at the very least. But yeah, those are your potential targets in the "sex with friends" department, no others on the horizon for now! Also it wouldn't be an easy fling, this guy is traumatized and *it will* get in the way of any sex he could attempt to have, which means he would probably not be getting any at the end of the day, simple as that.

As for the last part of your question: I think he is more of a giver than receiver. He would definitely spoil his significant other to no end, no matter if it's about dating, friendships or sex. Pampering someone who is dear to him is very important to him, because he lost so many people he cared about and he craves to show his care in some way and to have someone to care for. Unless he eventually just clams up due to his trauma, which is as likely. The trauma is exactly the reason why his love would be so overwhelming.

That being said he probably wouldn't mind to be on receiving end and get spoiled as well, because he likes equality in human relations (I mean actual human relations, not just him ordering strangers around!). He needs to feel loved and to give love back, but… surprisingly I think he would also be alright if his love is one-sided and if he would never try to "go for it". And that's why ultimately I think he sways to be the "giver" more than "receiver". But it's pretty damn close at the end of the day, because he is really love starved, isn't he?

Thank you, anon! This ask made my day <3 without you, your enthusiasm, and other lovely people like you enjoying reading my insights, I wouldn't even start sharing them. Many of my posts are actually inspired by all the positive energy I received here, many of you have given me a lot of ideas, in one way or another, thanks to your reblog tags, asks etc. So believe me, the gratefulness is definitely mutual :D

[theneighborhoodwatch]

As a palette cleanser for when you’re done studying, what are some of your favorite works of horror besides Welcome Home?

it's hard for me to articulate what makes a work of horror my Favorite, so i just racked my brain for the ones i tend to come back to the most often, and i came up with these. i tried to include official links only, but some of these can easily be found Elsewhere online (hint hint) and others don't have any official english localizations. i've also included a brief summary and content warnings for each one - be warned that some of these are A Lot.

don't hug me i'm scared: (channel 4 series) episodic surreal horror comedy about three puppets sharing a very normal house, learning very normal lessons from the designated "teacher" of each episode, and navigating their very normal world. content warnings include: unreality and gore. like, at least once an episode, there is gore. lbr if you're a fan of welcome home then you at least have a passing knowledge of dhmis.

sex house: a parody of early 2010s reality tv, centering around six contestants being invited to the titular house for one thing and one thing only - sex. they will have sex. the network won't stand for anything less. content warnings include: sexual coercion/extortion, one dubiously consensual sex scene between two people with an extreme age gap, pregnancy, animal death, brief but on-screen gore, drugging, death/near-death situations as a result of negligence, and one instance of Questionable asexual representation that might have just been a diversion (i really cannot tell.) also there's a scene in episode 4 where a character draws muhammad on their forehead so that they can't be filmed and i still have no idea how to feel about it.

porkin across america: a former daytime talk show host embarks on his latest venture, a food tourism show in which he samples the best pork-themed dishes every state in the U.S. has to offer. but can he see his quest through to the end while also outrunning the harsher realities of life and reality TV? signs point to no. content warnings include: gore, body horror, two instances of offscreen but audible animal death, a brief instance of drug abuse, and some casual racism on the part of the host in order to establish him as Every Unlikable American Food Tourist (this gets dropped early on.)

i want to hold aono-kun so badly i could die: two teens attempt to forge the perfect relationship with one another - an effort that is somewhat hampered by the fact that they come from less-than-perfect families. also, one of them is a ghost. content warnings include: explicit sexual content, gore, body horror, suicide, graphic suicide attempt, death, child death, animal death, and pretty much every kind of abuse (emotional, physical, sexual, neglect, etc.) in the context of both familial and romantic relationships.

devotion: a screenwriter in 1980s taiwan awakens one evening to find himself in his living room, now dark and decrepit, and attempts to navigate the ever-shifting layout of his apartment in order to look for his daughter. content warnings include: gore, domestic abuse, ableism, some flashing/jumpscares, [potential spoilers from this point forward] religious abuse, cults, and child death.

slay the princess: a visual novel (albeit a demo for now) about a princess locked away in a cabin, and the narrator who really, really wants you to kill her (for perfectly altruistic reasons, i'm sure.) but who is she? what does she look like? does she seem like the kind of person who could bring about the end of the world like the narrator insists? that all depends on how you see her - literally. content warnings include: black tabby games was kind enough to provide content warnings themselves!

the wolf house: a stop-motion film presented as a propaganda piece for a cult heavily based on colonia dignidad, following a young woman who flees in order to escape her punishment for letting three pigs escape, and ends up taking refuge in an abandoned house in the woods with two pigs (unrelated to the first three.) i honestly have a hard time describing it beyond that - i would say it's worth watching for the animation alone, but i think the story it presents as well as the historical context really elevated it for me, to the point where i don't think i would have the same appreciation for it otherwise. content warnings include: body horror, references to nazi/white supremacist ideology, cults, religious abuse, and possible allusions to child sexual abuse.

also, i didn't include works from either of these people because if i listed Every work of horror they had a hand in that i liked then this post would be 200 miles long, but i really like alan resnick and jordan peele's horror work. i was almost going to include what happens next, but that isn't really horror so much as it is a new age thriller-drama thing, and i couldn't really find a way to summarize it more succinctly than just relaying the events of the comic so far in full. good thing each title card comes with content warnings.

[ayakamizu]

FFXIV Write 2024 Day 5 - Stamp

Stamp: Verb. To mark or impress with a design, word, mark, etc. Characters: Thancred Waters, Lady Lilira (Nanamo Ul Namo), Ayaka Mizushima (WoL) Expansion: A Realm Reborn Rating: G Notes: Thancred's POV for this one! Takes place towards the beginning of the Ul'dah storyline and tweaked a bit to fit the scenario and because I don't remember what exactly happened at the start of ARR anymore.

“Well that was exciting!” Thancred stated, looking at the voidsent disintegrating before them. Quickly, he turned to grin at the pair of ladies standing behind him—one was the woman he came to escort back to her keepers while the other was a lovely addition.

Repressing the urge to wince, a mistake on his part to underestimate the creature, he walked over to the pair and kept his eyes trained on the lovely stranger. The first thing he noticed were the pale scales and horn (an Au Ra) and the way she gripped her staff. It was difficult to see, but it shook in her hands—a newly arrived adventurer then. ‘Twas a good thing he arrived when he did.

Though she did hold her own well against the voidsent. The spells she cast—a thaumaturge then, which made sense if she was a new acolyte of the guild—had helped take down the creature in the end. The adrenaline, then, of taking on such a monstrous foe.

“You, young lady, ought to head back before your family starts to worry,” he chided ‘Lady Lilira’ playfully. The young woman pouted, something she could get away with this far removed from her identity.

‘Damn,’ he thought, he would’ve liked to stay and talk to the lovely lady before him, but he couldn’t ignore a request from the Sultana. “Of course, my lady,” he said, turning towards the stranger once more. “Apologies for leaving so soon without an introduction, but—”

The lady’s eyes narrowed, gaze flickering back between him and the other woman. “I suppose you are right,” ‘Lady Lilira’ conceded, smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles in her garbs. “If you would be so kind as to escort me, good sir?”

“You’re hurt,” she interrupted, eyeing him critically. Thancred was so shocked he didn’t pay attention to the way her gaze racked over his body before settling on his left side—the one that received a careless slash from the voidsent before it perished. “Please, allow me to assist you.”

“You’re a conjurer…?” He asked, shock coloring his features. Surely he saw her employing fire magic just moments ago, then how—?

“I… do not think Eorzea has an exact equivalent for what I can do,” she answered, looking pensive. “Conjurer. Thaumaturge. I’m fine with either label for now.”

“Fascinating,” he intoned, curiosity piqued. Perhaps he could introduce her to Y’shtola someday—after getting the opportunity to share a drink or two with her. ‘Twas only fair before having her be scrutinized by the scholar. “Then please, feel free to assist.”

She gave him a shy smile—was that hint of pink on her cheeks? Oh he could work with that later—before approaching him. Now, he noticed, her grip on her staff was steady. This close, he noticed how intricate the design of it was. It wasn’t like anything he’d seen before in Eorzea at least.

“Do I need to pull my shirt up a bit?” Thancred asked, shooting her a flirtatious smile. Her cheeks darkened a little further—such a delightful reaction!

“It would help,” she answered, lowering her staff closer to his torso. The rings clanged against each other, but didn’t make as harsh of a sound as he envisioned. “Less interference.”

Doing as he suggested, and suppressing the urge to hiss at the motion, he took a look at the mark and huffed in annoyance. A careless mistake indeed! Twas a good thing the others weren’t around to see such an unsightly thing. It was then that he felt the cooling sensation that came with healing magic and closed his eyes in relief, letting the magic do its thing. It reminded him of a cool splash of water against burning skin in the summer months—like those summers spent in Limsa Lominsa’s abandoned piers. There was even a salty tang to the air!

Eventually, he felt the magic cease and looked down at his injury. What was once a gashing wound was a sealed, pink line along his side. It felt itchy, which was a good sign as any of how well this stranger managed to heal him.

“There,” she said, looking pleased with herself. She brought the staff closer to herself, giving an approving nod. “Good as new!”

“I don’t know how to repay you,” he said, turning his attention away from the healed wound to give the woman a grin. “Perhaps we—”

“Ought to get going, yes?” ‘Lady Lilira’ interrupted pointedly, one of her eyebrows raised at Thancred in an unimpressed fashion. He felt his shoulders slump, very aware that she had a point.

“The lady is right,” the stranger agreed, smiling at the pair of them. If she noticed Thancred’s disappointment, then she was doing a good job of not pointing it out. “And there’s no need to return the favor. You helped me earlier, so we can consider ourselves even.”

Damn, she had a point as well! Perhaps luck was not on his side today—or at least when it came to this lovely stranger.

“If the lady insists,” he sighed, eyeing both of them. “Then we best be off, Lady Lilira.” With a quick bow, he marched towards his charge. “‘Twas nice meeting you, my dear!”

The woman waved, giving him a sheepish smile before turning her attention back towards the tree. Had something caught her eye? Or was she here for a reason? Oh, he would have loved to ask.

“You really are an incorrigible flirt, Master Thancred,” the Sultana said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Oh dear, it would seem my reputation precedes me then,” he chuckled. “To think that even the Sultana knows!”

“Aside from witnessing it in person just now… Raubahn told me as much.”

What an uncomfortable thought; the General of the Immortal Flames knowing his reputation. Perhaps that explained the way the man would scrutinize him at times…

[razsstory]

Chapter 1

It was a starry, cool night. Raz and his sister decided to go back to the dark eco pool that Raz fell into a while back. His sister decided to make some warning signs beforehand to hang by the pool. She thought that maybe putting up the signs would help people stay away from there so there wouldn't be any more accidents or incidents like Raz had. When sis was putting up the signs, Raz decided to walk around the pool to see if anything had changed since the last time he visited. He noticed that there was something shining on the other side of the pool and decide to check it out. He reached down and grabbed what looked to be some sort of amulet with an eerie face on it. He noticed it looked similar to a face that sis would describe in her nightmares. He also remembered that the face sis had described was on some sort of necklace made of chains that sis owned. He decided to keep the amulet in his pocket and take it home to inspect it further. As sis put up the last sign, they both decided to go back home and get some rest. 

The next day, he got out of bed and was eager to know more about this amulet. He grabbed the amulet off his nightstand and sat at his desk to look more into the amulet. The amulet was shaped like a circle with a triangular face in the middle of it. It was purple with two different eyes. The right eye was a circle with an X in the middle and the left eye was shaped like a triangle with a little curve inside of it. The mouth had sharp teeth with what looked like purple ooze dripping out of its teeth. On the sides of the triangular face were triangles sticking out to represent spikes. He also noticed that on the outer side of the amulet were five little empty holes that were shaped like diamonds. The holes were big enough to fit something inside them. He also noticed a little hole on top of the amulet. So, he took a piece of a long strip of leather from his desk drawer and attached it to the amulet so he could wear it as a necklace just like sis would wear. He put on the necklace to see if it would actually be wearable. To his surprise, the necklace fit really well on him. He suddenly felt some sort of connection with this necklace with his soul, like they were both linked in some sort of way. He started to feel a little lightheaded and decided to lay on his bed to rest to see if sleeping it off could make him feel better. The second he sat on his bed, he immediately blacked out. 

When he opened his eyes, all he could see was the deep, dark void that laid before him. He was questioning where exactly he was. He started walking slowly forward to see if he could see any source of light. All of a sudden, a spotlight flashes on just a few feet in front of him. He looks up and sees a familiar face. It was the face on the amulet. He looked down at his chest and noticed his necklace was gone. He looked back up at the face floating in the spotlight to see it just smiling and staring at him. “Who the hell are you?” Said Raz looking at the eerie face with a concerned look. The face floating above him stood silent. Another spotlight turned on right behind the floating purple face. Below that spotlight was a person that Raz had seen before in his past life. Before he had his incident with the dark eco. He remembered the person in that spotlight was a woman that he was close with that he had not talked to in some time. Raz’s eyes opened really wide. He started to walk closer to the woman in the spotlight. When he got closer, she vanished in thin air. “She never did care for you, now did she?” Said the eerie purple face. Raz slowly turned his head around and looked at the face. “She still cares. S-she's probably just busy with other things.” Said Raz. Another spotlight came on behind Raz. He looked back and saw the women with other people he had not recognized before. She looked like she was having fun with them. “Busy with other things, huh? Doesn't look like it to me.” Said the face looking down upon Raz. “Shes abandoned you. Thrown you away like an unwanted puppy.” Raz blankly stared at the group of people in the spotlight speechless. The face floated down right beside Raz’s right shoulder. The face then gently put his hand on his left shoulder. “She didn’t need you anymore. She replaced you with other people that she found more interesting that you.” Raz looked at the face beside him with a depressed look on his face. Raz had nothing to say. He thought that the eerie face was actually right. “You're just a replaceable asset to everyone, aren’t you?” Raz started to shake in fear and fell on his knees. The face faced right in front of Raz and continued to speak to him. “How long will it take for Strawberry to replace YOU.” The face said angerly. Raz bolted up and looked at the face with a sad look in his eyes. “SHE’D NEVER DO THAT.” Said Raz in a furious tone while he was holding back tears. “What’s wrong? Did I strike a nerve?” Said the face with a jerky smile on his face. Voices started to speak in Raz’s head that made him feel like everything around him was spinning. He fell to the ground and blacked out once again.  

When he opened up his eyes back up, he found himself back laying in his bed. He looked around and noticed Strawberry was sitting on the other side of the bed with a concerned look on her face. “Everything okay?” Said Strawberry. “Y-yeah, I’ll be fine.” Raz replied while he was catching his breath. “Why do you ask?” “You were shaking uncomfortably while you were sleeping.” sis remarked. Raz sat up and looked down at the amulet he had still on his neck. He had more questions he wanted answers to. 

[kaaras-adaar]

// Something that I’ve always loved and respected when it comes to Kaaras’ mum is that she’s never been a punisher, but an understander when it comes to dealing with children and discipline. Her techniques as a tamassran meant she understood the meanings behind behaviours (or tried to) so she could get the best outcome for the child.

Honestly, it’s probably why Kaaras has grown up to be a very self aware person. There was a period in his life where he was very low, yes, but he was also away from his mother then, and also pushed her away during that time. I think Kaaras felt ashamed of the person he was, but also was in serious denial and acting out after his father died. That was his way of grieving, and he didn’t do it healthily, no, but he needed to figure it out himself as well. I think Aban KNEW that her interfering with his grieving would have only pushed him further away. But also that Kaaras felt guilt every time he looked at her, blaming himself for the loss and her loss.

Now their relationship is very strong that Kaaras is more self aware and grown, that he’s a much better and stronger person, that he can allow himself to be emotional and accept his feelings and understand them. 

Aban has always been an analyser. She was a very good tamassran because of this. She’s not the type of woman to raise her voice when she’s telling someone off, she’s the kind of person to get to the point, to understand why this child is acting that way, because the way she sees it, is that all behaviours have a reason, and thus a remedy. The only time she will raise her voice is if that’s the only way to get the point across, if that’s the only way the child will respond, but it’s a pretty last resort, the same as any physical punishments (aside from maybe a little hand slap if someone’s going to touch something they shouldn’t etc). 

I just really love Kaaras’ mum. She’s not without her own faults (she sometimes doesn’t understand the privacy Southerners have--and in turn some of the customs Kaaras grew up with despite having been there, too--and she thinks everything is her business), but she’s a good tamassran and her purpose suited her well. 

[lorraine-jean]

Output # 1 : Acrostic Poem

Acrostic Poem will be our very first output in first quarter. Acrostic Poem is a poem that starts with the first letter of our name and it will be about ourselves.

“LORRAINE JEAN”

-LJEAN ABANES

L-Loving kindness in every word I say

O-Open heart, guiding other along

R-Resilient spirit,standing strong and true,

R-Rising above the storms that life can strew

A-Admiring the beauty of the world and, I-In each struggle, my courage can be found

N-Nurtured by faith, in god I find my light

E-Endless hope fuels my fight, day and night

J-Joyful laughter, a balm for weary souls,

E-Every challenge met, as I reach my goal.

A-Allowing love to guide my every plan,

N-Never wearina, a fierce and lovina woman

[ryanyflags]

→ ↓ From left to right, top to bottom:

✦ abinox / abinon / abinmel ✦ aban ✦ aby ✦ abinaryfluid / abanfluid / abyfluid / genderfluid abinary / genderfluid aban / genderfluid aby ✦ abinaryfluix / abanfluix / abyfluix / genderfluix abinary / genderfluix aban / genderfluix aby ✦ abinaryflux / abanflux / abyflux / genderflux abinary / genderflux aban / genderflux aby ✦ butch abinary / butch aban / butch aby ✦ futch abinary / futch aban / futch aby ✦ femme abinary / femme aban / femme aby

Abinary flags :3

[ Gender Flag Sets Masterpost ]

Don't know what some of these terms mean (e.g. aban)? I compiled them (and their sources) on my site [ A List Of Gender Terms ].

The fluid, fluix, and flux terms are based off genderfluid man/boy, genderfluix man/boy, genderflux man/boy, and the matching woman/girl versions. For my nonbinary terms/flags though, I'm defining them more broadly, so any combination of abinary + fluid/fluix/flux works.

Butch, futch, and femme is the same. Anyone who's butch/futch/femme and abinary, whatever that combination means to them, can use these flags :)

Also, I didn't list every possible name for the fluid, fluix, flux, butch, futch, and femme terms. You can use alt terms/names, as long as they have the same meaning.

All these flags use the colours from my alt abinary flag.

For abinmel and aban, I just went with a format that felt right / looked nice. Having the stripes be horizontal looked too much like orientation flags to me, so I used vertical stripes (pride flags don't often use vertical stripes, so I think this helps make it more unique). And the second one, I felt darker and maybe just a bit of desaturated colours would fit. I still wanted them to be colourful though, since I think the opposite gives the impression of depression, which is not just what adulthood is.

Aby follows this girl flag (which has also been used for other diminutive flags, like boy and xip). I don't know how to make symbols for it though, so I left them blank. Having symbols would help them look more unique, so if anyone wants to make symbol versions, they're welcome to.

The fluid, fluix, and flux flags follow my formats, which are based on genderfluid man/boy, genderflux man/boy, and the matching woman/girl flags.

Finally, the butch, futch, and femme flags follows these femme/futch/butch man flags, that's where the bottom 3 stripes come from.

[kissorkill16]

Your Life: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: Trinity was promised her life back.

Trinity sat on one of the mechanical horses of the carousel, clutching onto the metal pole like a lifeline.

Then one of the cultists came up to her, and she knew who this one was without them even taking off their mask.

Principal Abanate.

The woman took off her mask and looked at Trinity, "Hello, dear.", she said. She bent over and sat something down next to her. Trinity didn't even notice that she was carrying something.

They were a couple of bags filled with clean clothes.

"What's all of that?", asked the girl. "Clothes, Trinity. I took the liberty of doing your laundry."

"Why?"

"So you can go back to school, dear."

Trinity was surprised, and confused, and a little skeptical. "I'm going back home?", she asked. Principal Abanate nodded.

"Unfortunately yes.", she said. "Trinity, you're a very useful asset to the cult, and I've loved having you here with me, it's like you're my own daughter. But you have to get back to school."

Trinity nodded as the woman continued. She remembered that Principal Abanate had told her that if she joined the cult, she'd get her life back. Maybe putting her back in school was the start of her getting it back.

"I will continue with my job, along with the rest of our friends, and you will continue to go to school.", she said. "All I ask is that you don't interact with the Inventor's Club anymore."

Now Trinity was sad.

She loved her friends, and to hear that she wasn't allowed to interact with them anymore just broke her heart.

But deep down, she knew it was for the best. She hurt them, badly. She made them risk their lives. So there was no doubt in her mind that they'd try to hurt her back.

So she nodded.

Then she had another thought.

"What about Nicky?", she asked. "He gets out next month, and..."

Nicky probably wouldn't want to see her either, not after what she did to him. Sure, what she did to her other friends was bad, but what she did to him was worse.

Then Principal Abanate said something so unexpected.

"Of course, my dear."

The girl's eyes widened and shined as she looked at the woman. "Really?"

Principal Abanate waved her hand at her, "I doubt he'd want to see you after what you did to him.", she said, watching Trinity's eyes as they lost their shine. "But you can try."

Trinity decided not to associate with Nicky either.

She went over to the principal and leaned into her cloak, burying her face in her pink sweater. Principal Abanate happily gently stroked the little girl's hair.

"Thank you, Valeria.", said Trinity.

"You're welcome, my little raven princess."

[24timemedia]

Ship Tek 2023 India Edition concludes successfully in Kochi. Enterprising Maritime Legends and Organizations honored.The flagship event of Biz Events management, ShipTek 2023, anchored in the ‘Commercial Capital of Kerala’ – Cochin on 25th May 2023 at Grand Hyatt, Vembanadu Ballroom, Bolgatty, Cochin. The one-day international conference was a huge hit and witnessed extraordinary participation from the maritime community. The Keynote address at the event was delivered by Shri Madhu S Nair, Chairman & Managing Director of Cochin Shipyard Sir Sohan Roy, Founder Chairman and CEO, Aries Group, delivered the Opening address at the conference.The conference focussed on the latest green innovations and discussed the maritime industry’s future. Besides the engaging paper presentations, an interesting panel discussion on Green shipping technology and Crew management was also organized. The much-anticipated International Ship-Tek Awards 2023 were presented to organizations and maritime veterans who contributed significantly to the industry and demonstrated innovation, vision, and leadership in their endeavors. Captain Mohammed Al Ali, SVP Offshore Logistics, ADNOC Logistics & Services, delivered the Keynote address for the award function.Mr. Madhu S Nair, Chairman & Managing Director, Cochin Shipyard Ltd was honored with the prestigious Shiptek Hall of Fame award for his contributions to the industry and Capt. Binesh Kumar Tyagi, Chairman and Managing Director of The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd was presented with is ShipTek Lifetime Achievement award for Marine services. Capt. Radhika Menon, Co-founder, IWSF was bestowed with the Women Personality of the Year award, Dr. Jayakumar, Chief Executive Officer, Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited was honored with Excellence in Management- Ports & Logistics, Mr. Dinesh Kewalramani, Managing Director, Oceanic Ship Repair and Engineering Services LLC, Dubai, UAE was honored with Excellence in Professional Service – Marine, Excellence in Professional Service - Oil & Gas was presented to K A Raja Sekhar, Chief General Manager (Inspection), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd; Prakriti Sethi, Chief India Representation, Methanol Institute was honored with Young woman Achiever of the Year award and Mr. Abhijith Singh was bestowed with Professional Excellence- Ports and Logistics award.SHIPTEK Organizational EXCELLENCE AWARDS were bestowed upon the top-notch maritime organizations that have contributed immensely to developing India’s maritime sector. The winners included Shipping Corporation of India (Tanker Operator of the Year), Scorpio Group (Green Shipping Award), Cochin Shipyard Ltd. (Ship Repair Yard of the Year); OSM Thome (Shipping Company of the Year), DP World (Terminal Operator of the Year), Synergy Marine Group (Ship Manager of the Year); Lenol Marine (Rising Star Organisation - Marine Lubricants), Torm (Excellence in Sustainability), Indian Register of Shipping (Classification Society of the Year), The Great Eastern Shipping (Ship Operator of the Year), Milaha (Excellence in Maritime Services), Drydocks World (Best Service Provider – Offshore), Sima Marine (Rising Star Organization- Shipping), Water Metro - Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (Most Innovative & Sustainable Project), Cochin Port Authority (Port of the Year), Aban Offshore (Outstanding Business Innovation & Excellence – Offshore), Wallem Ship management (CSR Initiative of the Year), Stag Marine (Rising Star Organization - Marine Services), Greenfield Marine Technologies (HSE Initiative – Crew Safety), SHM Group (Excellence in Services – Offshore), ISWAN (Excellence in Seafarer Welfare) and GAC Shipping (India) Private Limited (Ship Agency of the Year)The event is sponsored by Milaha (Delegate bag Sponsor), Shift (Cocktail Sponsor), Lenol (Badge & Lanyard Sponsor), Pomfret.Cloud (Registration Area Sponsor), Stag Marine (Conference session sponsor), Class NK, OSRE, Wallem (Associate Sponsor), NISAA, ICC Shipping Association, FOSMA, WISTA India, DSAA, ISWAN, DCMMI (Supporting Organization), Marasi News (Strategic Media partner), Gobalia logistics network, MAREX, Trademaker Magazine, The Shipping Tribune, Maritime Matrix Today, Port to Port, Sagar Sandesh, Bunkerspot and World Oils (Media Partners)For more information, please visit: https://www.shiptekmaritimeevents.com/shiptek-singaporeFor more details contactAshish GabaContact Mob: +971566882257

[luminalunii97]

Civil disobedience, act 5: Kindness!

The regime started their murdering and brutal crackdowns early on the protests. In retribution people started to share free hugs and fist bumps on the streets. Soon free hug became a revolution act why? Because men and women touching or even sitting next to each other was a taboo culturally and religiously, and the regime likes to keep that taboo in place. Hugging strangers regardless of gender is a taboo breaking act and the regime started to call girls and women who participated in this "whores"!

Among protesters it's a strong tool. Coming out to the streets can be really scary but receiving a hug in solidarity empowers you. Hearing death news everyday can take a toll on you, getting a hug from a stranger you know has heard the news and is mourning with you can be comforting.

For the giver It's a stressful thing to do though. You have to be ready to run if you see a policeman. Sometimes people whisper in your ear "please be careful and stay safe" with good intentions but a haunting tone and it just makes you want to bolt specially if you have anxiety! But anyway it's fun and it brings us unity.

The first and third video are from Kermanshah and Mahabad, two Kurd cities. The last one is from Tehran.

Another kindness act is fist bumping and getting chocolate but make it revolution style. Each chocolate or candy is wrapped in a note. The note is either a slogan (like woman life freedom) or a sentence of encouragement. It can also be a call for demonstration. This started as a tool to encourage civil disobedience. So women who risked their arrest and took off their hijab in the streets were the first group of people who received chocolate. Then men and women, and hijabi and nonhijabi women started to give these to each other. So it turned into a solidarity gift giving ceremony. The day after Kian Pirfalak, the 10 year old boy murder, all over Tehran people handed out chocolates in paper boats with notes that said "in the name of the god of the rainbow".

[images id: 8 pictures taken of notes that accompanied chocolate or candy. The notes are written in Persian.

Pic 1 notes translations: "24, 25, 26 of Aban, freedom." "Accompany us. We will take Iran back with you." "You're not alone buddy."

Pic 2 notes: one is a drawing of Hossein Ronaghi, a political prisoner and social activist who was released from prison 2 months later. Underneath the drawing it says "Hossein Ronaghi said I'm afraid too, I want to have a peaceful life too, I don't want to hear the news of death and torture and execution and poverty and misery, I like to sleep peacefully at night, but I can't be indifferent... " The second note is a drawing of a small woman standing on a mullah's head and putting her headscarf on fire.

Pic 3 notes translations: "woman life freedom" "your hair is so beautiful" "keep doing what you're doing" "#for_you" "thank you for making the city beautiful" "you're a fist and you have a lot of fans" "after the revolution you will be part of our history book"

Pic 4 notes translations: "#women_life_freedom" "be safe daughter of iran" "for your beautiful hair" "for #woman_life_freedom" "fight fight until victory is the anthem of attack" "you are the beauty of my city" "we need hugs to live"

Pic 5 note translation: "for woman life freedom #MahsaAmini"

Pic 6 notes translations: "for dancing in the alley... Hope we will laugh wholeheartedly one day" "we're going to celebrate freedom together, so promise to be safe"

Pic 7 note translation: "women life freedom"

Pic 8 note translation: "if I rise, if you rise, we will all rise. #Women_life_freedom"]

These days we're living in an almost Martial law situation. They're shooting at everyone they see. A man, Alireza Khoshkar Bayati, was talking on the phone in his car. They thought he's filming them and broke his car windows. He got scared and tried to flee, they thought he might be guilty of something so they started shooting at his car. That's how another innocent life was taken. When things like this happen we get more convinced that our only option is the regime change. When you're not even safe in your car talking on the phone, it's impossible to live. After Mohsen Shekari execution for a couple of days, people gathered in the street he closed and was executed for. The anti riot forces attacked silent protesters with tear gas and batons and shotguns. A group of people walking down the street silently. The astonishing part was that many people didn't run. They continued their walk. We have nothing to lose, nothing to live for. The regime change is the silver of hope keeping us all alive. That's why they're afraid of people walking silently. There are still demonstrations happening. In universities. In streets, mostly at night. There are strikes and boycotts. People are getting killed or abducted. And finding chocolates and hugs is no more comforting. The only comfort my people can find is the regime change.

[useless-catalanfacts]

El 25 de gener (“The 25th of January”) is a song by the Catalan band Manel that we could maybe describe as... doubtful post-Christmas music?

I really like the song and its lyrics. I’ve translated them here. Read until the end and let me know what you think what the story is talking about!

But before we get to the lyrics, I’ll give some context for people from other countries who might not be familiar with these characters. According to the tradition, the White King (Melchior), the Blonde King (Gaspar), and the Black King (Baltazar) are the Three Wise Men, who in Catalan we call the Eastern Kings (els Reis d’Orient). These kings were magicians and astronomers, and they followed a shooting star that would lead them to the birth of a child who would be the Messiah. On the night of January the 5th, they reached the barn where baby Jesus was, and offered him the gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh.

For this reason, Catalan people and other cultures with a Christian background celebrate the day of the Three Wise Men as our equivalent of what Santa Claus is to the USA. The Three Wise Men bring presents for all children and families meet to eat a cake.

This song is set after that event, on the 25th of January (a date they probably chose as the title as a reference to the most famous traditional Catalan Christmas song, titled El 25 de desembre, “the 25th of December”), when the kings are on their way to return back home.

These are the lyrics:

Segons els pastors de l'últim poble darrera els horts veurien uns pins, passats aquells pins el camp d'oliveres i, al fons, tres camins.

According to the shepherds from the last village behind the orchards they would see some pine trees, and past those pine trees, the olive trees field and, in the background, three paths.

Han pres el trencall i s'ha obert la clariana i han ordenat als homes descans. Al camp d'oliveres tres reis s'acomiaden i encaixen les mans.

They’ve taken the detour and the clearing has opened and they have ordered their men to rest. In the olive tree field, the three men say goodbye and shake their hands.

Melcior aixeca el cap i veu la muntanya que abans que enfosqueixi ha d'estar travessant i es treu la suor amb el coll de la capa tacada de fang.

Melchior raises his head and sees the mountain that he must be crossing before it goes dark and he sweeps away his sweat with his cape’s collar stained in mud.

I no vol ni pensar que les forces s'acaben i ni us imagineu com s'emprenya quan, en beure en el riu, només troba la cara d'un home gran.

And he doesn’t want to even think of the strength coming to its end and you can’t even imagine how angry he gets when, as he drinks from the river, he only finds the face of an elderly man.

El rei dóna l'ordre pel toc de corneta pensant en aquells que, no fa pas tant, li besaven l'escut i entregaven les armes agenollats.

The king gives the order for a bugle call thinking of those who, not so long ago, used to kiss his shield and turn in their weapons kneeling.

Des de dalt del camell fot un crit el rei negre, que faci el favor algun bon soldat d'aixecar el cul de terra i fer un ràpid recompte de racions de pa.

From on top of the horse, the black king shouts for some good soldier to raise his ass from the ground and quickly recount the rations of bread.

Qui pogués creuar el bosc i trobés una barca! Qui abans d'adormir-se amb el braç estirat notés com els dits mica en mica retallen l'aigua del mar!

Who could cross the forest and find a boat! Who, before falling asleep with his arm straight out, could feel how his fingers slowly cross the sea’s water!

Qui arribés a palau i triés una dona, arranqués unes roses i li allargués un ram! Baltasar té el desig corrent per les venes com si fos sang.

Who could reach the palace and choose a woman, pick a few roses and hold out a bouquet to her! Baltazar has desire running through his veins as if it were blood.

Gaspar pot sentir clavats a l'espatlla els ulls d'alguns patges que estan esperant un cop d'atenció, potser una mà alçada, una ordre reial.

Gaspar can feel fixed on his back the eyes of some page boys who are waiting for a shout of attention, maybe a raised hand, a royal order.

Un dels homes canta enmig d'una rotllana amb la veu més dolça que hagueu sentit mai una cançó antiga que el rei taral·leja amb els llavis tancats.

One of the men sings standing in the middle of a circle with the sweetest voice that you have ever heard an ancient song song that the king hums to with sealed lips.

El patge més vell es gira i comenta mirant un segon de reüll cap al cel “sembla mentida que bé que vivíem seguint un estel.”

The oldest page boy turns around and comments quickly glancing for a second at the sky “It’s hard to believe how well we used to live following a star.”