#and if the moon falls out of the sky and kills everyone again I am going to LOSE MY ENTIRE SHIT

[great-axepectations]

P!Apo Theorycrafting

So on last night's stream viewers were allowed to ask one question regarding p!apo's lore. My question was "Who is the most important person in his life?" and the answer was a cryptic "a reflection". He also mentioned there's something in his first pirates episode that no one's been talking about. So of course that's been buzzing around in my head all day so here's an attempt to coherently present my thoughts:

Missing Moon God

In the stream where Martyn and Sausage were cursed, one of messages they both received was (verbatim): "The warmth of the Sun and Moon fully vanish from your skin... As if not even the Gods can help you now..." We've seen our beloved admin sun god, a sun god cult, and sun god artifacts and chapels. Where's the moon god? Why was the word 'Gods' plural? And 'sun' and 'moon' both capitalized? If there is no moon god then why mention it? I've seen a bunch of light vs dark dichotomy in pirates lore, with light not necessarily the 'good' side. A bit of a moral gray area if you will, much like pirates themselves.

Spooky lore tweets from the official account say "look to the light in the darkness". The sun is a light in the day. The moon would be a light in the darkness. (Or stars, admittedly. There's a lot of star imagery on pirates.)

What Are Pirates About

There is a small section in the middle of Apo's pirates episode labelled 'What Are Pirates About' with the following dialogue:

Graecie: Listen, I know you're here for for the most glorious battles and stuff Apo: Well yeah, obviously. That's what pirates are supposed to be about, right? At least that's what I was told. Acho: Do you make all your decisions based on what you're told?

Acho's question could be conveyed as "Do you think for yourself? Or are you doing this because someone told you to?" Who told Apo what pirates are about? And why is he so intent on following their expectations? Are his motivations his own, or is he doing things because someone told/expected him to? Acho and Graecie then talk about how being a pirate is about being free to make your own choices. Is that the direction Apo's character growth is going in?

"A Reflection"

So how do these connect? The moon, while bright in the sky, does not technically shine with its own light: it reflects the light from the sun. And maybe it's the terminal brainrot I have from being a fan of the traffic life series and how that exposed me to the sublimely sad music of The Crane Wives, but I can't help but think of the lyrics to The Moon Will Sing:

The moon will sing a song for me I loved you like the sun Bore the shadows that you made With no light of my own I shine only with the light you gave me I shine only with the light you gave me

Now I'm not quite sure what a connection between p!apo and the moon could be (other than the fact that he safely washed up on the faction isles under the light of the moon), but the metaphor still stands. If the most important person in his life is a reflection, is Apo just the mirror? I also joked in the chat that it could be 'a ghost trapped in a mirror', but what if that were true? I haven't seen every stream, but the writings in his book seem to be addressed to a loved one, and I've seen people theorize it's someone who has passed on. Is he trying to preserve that light by reflecting it? And again, where is the moon god?

And knowing that cc!apo has a penchant for creating tragic little characters, is p!apo going to start finally living for himself and then die in a horrible traumatic way that fucks me up for weeks?

[ultralightpoe]

Hi! This might be an odd request, but type o negative is one of my favorite bands and I think they’re so underrated. I was wondering if I could request a song fic with Aemond? Preferably “everyone I love is dead” or “wolf moon” but really any type o song if you find one you think fits :)

Everyone I Love Is Dead - Aemond Targaryen

Description: ---

Word Count:1268

Warnings: murder, suicide and shitty writing

Authors Note: Lmao, I rewrote this one 5 times and still hate it. I am so so sorry.

April requests open, go look at my page to see the event I have going on right now, especially if you love taylor swift.

Seems three years

Though maybe four

Someone drops dead

Whom I adore

You love someone

There will be grief

The kiss of death

Lips of a thief

He could still smell the smoke from that day. 

He could feel it burning his lungs everytime he inhaled, allowing the pain to take him when he closed his eyes and let his chest fall, coughing as if he was still there in the sky watching you fall rather than sitting across from his brother in the great hall. 

If he paid close enough attention he could hear Vhagars roar, the sharp scream you had released as your dragon whined. The clash of dragons fangs against the others bones, the sickening crunch and the devastated look on your face when Aemond reaches for you. 

He stops the memory there, too sickened to think of the rest of it, too hurt. 

It was terrible to love something, he had learned, to adore something so much that when it is taken away you throw up everything your guts allow and still beg the gods to take you too. 

He wanted to kiss you once more, to bring you back and hold you once more. What a sick joke. 

“Aemond. Darling.” His mother calls, and when he finally snaps himself back into the moment he sees her waiting patiently on the steps with her hand outstretched, his brother behind her snickering to Lord Baratheon. 

“Do ignore the moping Lord Baratheon. My dear brother is upset he had to kill his whore.” Aegon laughs, Helaena gasping in surprise before the Lord releases a boisterous laugh. 

His hands are clenching at his sides before he realizes it, the urge to remind his brother that he was wearing the crown because of him, because of what he did to……you.

“You’re not being fair.” You snipe, snatching Aemonds arm before he could escape the argument he had started, pulling him back to you. Chest to chest you pull on his neck to try and drag his eyes to your own but he fights back, not tearing his sight from the wall to your left. “This shouldn’t have to be-”

“You married me.” He interrupts, still refusing to look at you. “You begged me to marry you-”

“I ASKED you to marry me, which seemed fitting considering I was with child. YOUR CHILD.” You sneer, skin heating with embarrassment. You had remembered it to be far romantic and apart of you reminded yourself that Aemond was lashing out of fear and hurt. That he didn’t mean the words he said. 

But it still hurt for the love of your life to mock you. 

“Yes. Remind me of that failure again, why don’t you?” He seethes back, head whipping to face you finally. 

Maybe he sees the tears forming in your eyes, or maybe your face pulls him back. But the second his eye lands to your own his face falls and he reaches a hand out to touch your cheek. “Y/n-”

“You have chosen your side and I have chosen mine.” You mumble, taking a step back. “Let us hope the other gets  a quick death if this is how you wish it to be.”

“I will not kill you Y/n.”

“You say that now. But I know you. Like you said Aemond, I married you.”

A dusty stack

of photographs

Of times I've cried

But mostly laughed

Commit the past

Into blue flame

Acrid smoke

Cowardly shame

There had once been a painting of you both, hung above the fireplace. The empty wall where it once was always caught Aemonds eye whenever he entered. Tonight was no different. 

He had left once his brother started on another bottle of wine, choosing to hide away in his chambers instead. He had planned to read, maybe try and sleep, but once his eye caught the empty slot he was right back to where he started. 

He regretted throwing the picture in the fire, it felt like his soul had completely collapsed when the flames consumed it before he could get it out in time. The hollow feeling in his chest now was no better, just a gaping hole where his heart should be. 

It was heartbreaking that you were right. You had known Aemond, better than anyone ever had, you had known what he would do. 

The wind slapped against your skin harshly as you tore through the sky, your heart beating out of your chest while the sobs racked through you. The last thing you had seen before being cloaked within a cloud had been your brother's dragon, Arrax, falling into the ocean below. The golden scales caught in the last sunlight as he did so. 

Aemond. Of course it was Aemond. 

A bitter taste coated your tongue as the realization finally set in. Aemond had killed your brother, and you would be next. 

The cloud began lifting as the wings of your dragon flapped and a roar filled your ears, hair whipping around your face as the sunlight emerged only to be replaced with the large mouth of your husband's dragon. 

Vhagars neck wrapped around your dragons and a loud crunch was heard, a scream tearing through your lips as the body beneath you went limp and the wind starting slowing. Blood sprayed and your lovers face filled your vision, eyes wide as he reached to grab you, tears flying. 

For a moment you reached, but stopped, pulling your hand back and grabbing the reins tighter. You would die with your dragon. You would die a dragon riders death. 

At times I'm truly terrified

'Cause dope and booze

Don't help to hide

They're used to mask

A weakling's hurt

It's just like painting

Over dirt

Unlike Aegon, Aemond could never get rid of his pain through booze and whatever mushroom or green toxic the court gave him. It had been three years of numbness. 

They had celebrated him on his return, chanting his name as the news was announced. 

A goblet was placed into his hands within moments of entering the keep, he hadn’t known what was in it nor had he cared, before he placed it to his lips and chugged. Doing his best to wash down the acid that coated his mouth. 

They chanted for him, placing flower crowns on his head as he passed, waving green cloth as some in the back chanted on the whore and bastard's death. Your little brother….and you. 

If you had just grabbed his hand you would be he- no. You wouldn’t. You would have never forgiven him for your brother or your dragon. You would have hated him far more than you already did. Another wave of nausea filled him as he pushed himself to the wall to ground him. 

You were gone. You were gone. Gone gone gone gone gone gone. 

Another goblet was placed in his hand, Aemond laughing bitterly as he knocks the contents down. Gone gone gone 

Life's a game I cannot win

Both good and bad

Must surely end

The mirrors

Always tell the truth

I love myself

For hating you

It was far easier to hate you now. To hate you for choosing their side, to hate you for looking so amazing in the color green, to hate you for making him fall in love. If he hated you then maybe he could move on, save himself from despair. But that was a lie. 

He knew it. And as he lay in his bed for the final time he hoped to see you again. Just one more time……just one more…….

[starishome]

Ballet

Philip couldn’t sleep, he closed his eyes but he didn’t fall asleep. He looked at the window and could see the moon still in the sky, it wasn’t even dawn yet so maybe Philip would go out to get some air.

Tomorrow he had a potions demonstration, he wasn’t worried, he already knew what it had to be, what he was afraid of now was not getting enough rest and falling asleep in class and somehow getting the wrong element and killing everyone… Oh well.

Philip sat on the edge of the bed. Webie noticed the human’s movement and approached his side.

“Skeak”

“No, I still can’t sleep” the brown-haired boy replied to the little spider “What am I going to do? If I’m late again Caleb will kill me”

“Skeak?” Webie asked

“I just don’t know! “Yesterday everything was fine, I reviewed for the demo and even relax in the afternoon.” Philip threw himself back down on the bed. Webie walked over to him and snuggled close to his face. “I even went to see Made-” Silence, Webie noticed that his owner looked away, whenever he didn’t want to talk about something he did.

“Skeak~ Skeak~” the palisman crooned making faces.

“D-don’t look at me like that! I… I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Philip turned his back with red cheeks and a frown. The spider crawled back up for the human to see and made faces again.

“Enough…” Philip curled up in bed again, put his head on the pillow and covered himself up to his neck, leaving his head free “I’m going to try to sleep again, this conversation is over”

Webie saw his owner cover himself and close his eyes, she didn’t continue talking and simply lay down where she usually did, near the human head, she gave him a fleeting glance and she closed her eyes too.

“Hello? Madeline?” Philip entered a dressing room and closed the door behind him. Madeline had told him that she wanted to talk to him before his performance and that it was something important.

Philip had obviously dressed in his best suit, combed his hair very well (except for that rebellious lock that would not settle for anything in the world) and put on his best boots.

The human looked at himself in the large mirror that was in the dressing room and fixed his jacket and put on a satisfied expression.

“Philip~” called a sweet voice behind him. Madeline was standing behind the human, her hair up in a bun and her typical gold earrings.

The teenager was left perplexed and speechless, he felt his ears getting hot and the heat spreading to his face.

Madeline's dress consisted of a tight-fitting suit on top and the puffy skirt on the back. The white dress had gold decorations on the sides of the top that matched the long stockings she had on. The worst of all? It wasn't covering her shoulders, arms and practically everything that is her torso. How inappropriate.

"Do you like my dress Philip?" The witch said happily, spinning around and with her eyes shining with illusion.

Madeline didn't look pretty, she looked beautiful, gorgeous, and that couldn't even describe how pretty she looked.

Philip's mind raced to find the right words to not give himself away. "I uh..." Madeline's smiling and expectant face made it much harder.

"Uh... I-I" Philip gulped and pulled at his jacket in an attempt to ease his anxiety. He glanced at Madeline again and she was still staring at him.

"Did the cat get your tongue?" The witch laughed and began to approach Philip, instinctively the human began to back away as the witch approached until he couldn't back away any further. Madeline smiled, but it wasn't her typical innocent smile it was a confident smile.

The human looked away not knowing what to do, he felt dizzy? He didn't know how to tell the strange feeling in his stomach, he didn't know what to do either. Yes, the calculating and intelligent Philip for once in his life didn't know what to do.

Madeline's soft hand touched his face and he felt a chill. "Would you let me do something? Maybe this way I can calm my nerves."

Now, in this situation the witch hunter could be upset or about to faint, but he wasn't, he was more calm than anything else.

Without thinking too much the hunter nodded and the witch smiled. Just when she approached everything went black.

"Philip!" Caleb shouted as he knocked on the door. "I don't want another call from the principal!"

Webie climbed up to the bed, his owner was ready, combed and in his clothes to go to school. But, he had his face in his hands.

"Skeak?" the little spider asked.

Philip, with a red face, sweating and a little nervous said

"I don't want to see her today…"

Tagging: @iputhepinprincess

[middleearthpixie]

Something in the Night

Author's Note: This is just an idea I've been playing with for a while now, so let me know what you think, if you'd be interested in any more of it, the usual. 💜

Summary: Following the Battle of the Five Armies, a seriously wounded Thorin Oakenshield returns to Erebor to recuperate and eventually ascend the throne as king. With the deaths of Azog the Defiler and his son, Bolg, Thorin no longer has to worry about the bounty the Defiler placed on his head and can instead concentrate on restoring Erebor to its former glory. 

Nina Carren of Esgaroth has one goal—to make Thorin Oakenshield pay for unleashing Smaug the dragon unto her home—where he destroyed the town and killed her family. The Defiler might be gone, but his bounty remains very much in place, and she fully intends to collect on it. 

Finally, the opportunity shows itself for her to do just that, only to have it go horribly awry. Wounded and now at his mercy, neither Nina nor Thorin stopped to think what might happen, should things not go quite according to plan…

Pairings: Thorin Oakenshield x ofc Nina Carren

Warnings: The destruction of Esgaroth 

Rating: T

Word Count: 2.9k

Tag List: @mrsdurin @i-did-not-mean-to @fizzyxcustard @xxbyimm @kibleedibleedoo @arrthurpendragon @exhausted-humxn-being @knittastically @notlostgnome @myselfandfantasy @medusas-hairband @guardianofrivendell @jotink78 @ruthoakenshield @frosticenow @quiall321 @dianakc @msjava1972 @glassgulls @evenstaredits @heilith @asgardianhobbit98 @way-too-addicted-to-fandoms @sazzlep

Nothing is forgotten or forgiven when it’s your last time around ~ Something in the Night, Bruce Springsteen.

Sunny days were Nina’s favorite. She loved the way the sunlight sparkled against the lake’s surface, making the black water look as if encrusted with diamonds. At night, when the silver light from a full moon shone upon it, she couldn’t tell where the night sky ended and the lake began. 

She stood out on the narrow deck just off the kitchen. Like most of the houses in Esgaroth, the one belonging to her family was tall and skinny, and it seemed to lean slightly to the left. On days when the winds whipped in from the west, she’d swear the house actually swayed. The only house not built this way belonged to the Master, and Mama didn’t like it when anyone brought him into a conversation. He was the only person Nina had ever seen who seemed to be universally hated by every man, woman, child, and household pet in Esgaroth. It was rumored even his own lackey—Alfrid—hated him. But then again, the Master hated everyone in return, so it was really quite a fair tradeoff. Of course, he hated everyone because he liked to play that he was better.

Nina and the other average denizens of Esgaroth hated him because he was a greedy ass. He raised taxes arbitrarily, imposed fines by changing laws and regulations on a whim, and made certain to keep his subjects subservient by taking away and locking up anything and everything that even remotely resembled a weapon. There would be no uprising if he had any say in it and since he had the constabulary at his command and they didn’t, he had all of the say. 

The wood railing ringing the deck was old and falling apart, the paint faded and peeling from the splintering wood in long, curling strips, ruined by sun and spray, by fog and snow, by frigid winter air and baking summer heat. But she paid little mind to it. It was clear, cold day, the air scented with the promise of snow. 

But that wasn’t what had her so lost in thought as she watched the waves glitter and sparkle in seemingly all directions. 

No. Nina glanced in the direction of the Master’s fine, pretentious, utterly stupid house, and sighed.

She was in love.

“Mooning, are you?”

A shadow fell over her and she looked up to see her older sister, Lenna, propping an elbow on the railing and offering up a knowing smile. 

“No,” Nina shook her head as she managed to tear her eyes from the building, “I am doing no such thing.”

“He didn’t know you were alive, little sister. All he cared about was getting the Master to release him.”

“Which he did. And he smiled at me.”

“Or he was smiling at Shalia, as every red-blooded man does.”

“But he is not a Man, and you know it. He is a dwarf. And not just any dwarf, but the King Under the Mountain.”

Lenna let out a low laugh. “I am not calling you Queen.”

“You will when I win his hand.”

“He’s leaving in like, two hours. And he is not coming back.”

“So, I have two hours to get him to notice me.”

“You are mad. And Mama said we’re to mind the stand for a while. She has to go and fish.”

Nina sighed. “Very well. I wish Papa would return.”

“He’s not coming back, Ni. We need accept that.” 

Lenna turned to go back into the kitchen and Nina followed her. So much for going to the docks to see Thorin Oakenshield and his Company set out on their quest to reclaim their home of Erebor. She’d heard tales of Thorin and his family, but until the previous night, had never before laid eyes upon him. But as she stood in the snow, with the crowds of people who’d gathered after Thorin and his men—and a Hobbit, of all creatures—had been arrested for attempting steal weapons from the Esgaroth Armory, and her gaze fell upon him, she saw him for the first time.

And promptly lost her heart. He was simply the most handsome man—er, dwarf—she’d ever seen, with long, silver-streaked hair that was almost as black as the lake itself, a beard that was darker still, and pale eyes that could be either green or blue. She was too far away to tell. All she knew was he was handsome, with a deep, authoritative, elegant voice.

She followed her sister down to the street level, although streets in Esgaroth were canals and floating walkways. Their family’s trade was in baked goods, which were baked from sunup until�� mid-morning and sold until they ran out. They had a prime location in the center of town and as everyone knew everyone, there was plenty of gossip and laughter in addition to work. 

Nina found it hard to concentrate as she kept turning west, in the direction of the Master’s house. All she could see was the upper balcony and part of her hoped Thorin Oakenshield would step out onto it. Last glimpse she had of him was on the steps of the Master’s house, promising everyone in Esgaroth they would share in the riches of Erebor, and she and Lenna had gone to sleep last eve dreaming of what life would be like once they no longer had to worry about money. 

But by the time they were done for the day, Nina had to accept that the dwarves had taken their leave and no one knew when or if they would ever see them again. A dragon had claimed Erebor and first Thorin and his company had to defeat it. As the sun sank low over the lake, Nina sighed and propped her elbow on the railing of the kitchen balcony, her chin on her fist. The thought of never seeing Thorin again, of something terrible befalling him, hurt her to her core.

“Do you suppose he’s frightened?”

Lenna tugged her worn shawl tighter about her shoulders. “Who wouldn’t be, facing off with a fire breathing dragon?”

“Well, true, but I suspect he is braver than most. He is, after all, the King Under the Mountain.”

“You’re just saying that because you think him cute. Because you want to kiss him and make those funny noises with him, like Rhys and Ena make.”

Nina stared at her sister. “You listen to them? Oh, that’s wrong.”

Lenna chuckled. “They’re so bloody loud, Ni, how do you not hear them?”

In the distance, rising from the darkness, the summit of the Lonely Mountain stood silent sentry over Erebor, Esgaroth, and Dale, the now abandoned city that lay between the two. Nina tried not to dwell on it. “I put the pillow over my head.”

“And that helps? You’re only on the the far side of our room.” Skepticism wove through Lenna’s voice.

“No.” Nina met her sister’s gaze. People often mistook them for twins, which Nina found laughable, as two years separated them. While they did share the same coloring—coppery red hair and wide, almond-shaped green eyes—Lenna was strikingly beautiful, her hair sleek and straight and perfect. She was delicate and pretty and people fell all over themselves for her. If she wasn’t as sweet as she was pretty, Nina would cheerfully throttle her for being so bloody perfect.

Nina on the other hand was short and stout, her hair often a rat’s nest of unruly curls that refused to behave. She was rough and tumble and more than once had punched a boy out for daring to get fresh with Lenna. The younger generation knew to steer clear of making Nina Carren angry. Nothing good ever came of it. 

Lenna sighed, shaking her head. “I didn't think so. Hopefully they will find a flat of their own soon.”

Nina smiled. Their older brother and his wife were married a year already, and even with saving as much as they possibly could, had yet to move into their own home. Sometimes, when they thought the rest of the house was asleep, and Rhys would exercise what Mama called his husbandly rights, Ena sounded as if he was murdering her. But come morning, Ena would be fine, smiling and laughing and no matter how Lenna tried to assure Nina that Rhys was not hurting his wife in any way, Nina couldn’t make herself believe it. The entire idea of doing… that with any man made her shudder. 

At least, it did until she saw Thorin. Then curiosity wove into the revulsion, and she wondered what it would be like, to know him in that way…

“Lenna?”

“What?”

“Have you ever…”

Lenna smiled. “Once. With Dane Inahorn.”

“You did?” Nina couldn’t keep the shock from her voice. “When?”

“Last Yule. His parents weren’t home and we… well…” Her smile faded. “It was only the one time and it was dreadfully uncomfortable. At least, it was for me. It hurt. It hurt and just when it stopped hurting and started feeling almost good, Dane came and that was that.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“I’m not. He smelled odd. I’m not doing it again until I’m married and won’t have to worry about jumping at—”

A low, ominous rumble rolled their way from the west, and a faint glow lit the horizon, orange against the darkness. 

“Len, what’s that?” Nina clutched her sister’s forearm. 

“I—I don’t know.” Lenna stood at her shoulder, her hand over Nina’s, her fingers tightening. She gave a gentle tug on Nina’s arm. “We—we should go inside, I think.”

The rumble grew louder and the air stirred, but it was different from the usual trade winds. Hotter. With more force. It blew through Nina’s hair, lifting it up to toss about her face as the air grew hotter still.

The entire town seemed to sway, just as it did whenever a strong storm whipped out over the middle of the lake and swept toward them, but this was different. There was far more movement. Wood and pilings creaked, some seemed to actually groan. There was nothing at all normal about the sounds or the swaying and Lenna gave a harder tug on her arm. “Ni, I mean it. We should—What is that?”

They saw it at the same time—a bright orange ball of light bouncing along the horizon, steadily growing larger and brighter. Lenna grabbed her hand and leaped back as the wind blew stronger, a low swish of leather sweeping through the air accompanying.

“Lenna? Is that… is that Smaug?”

As she made herself say the word, the dragon became identifiable, its massive wings propelling it toward them. Nina froze, unable to move, her gaze riveted on the creature as it drew in a long breath and exhaled a jet of flame that was almost red in its intensity.

The first buildings on Esgaroth’s west side were the fishermen’s shanties and they caught with the first blast, flames of orange and yellow devouring the roof shingles and licking along the walls. Another blast and the next block was engulfed. Screams rang out, footsteps pounded against the wooden walkways that were near-perfect kindling for the enormous firedrake. Heat rolled toward them like the heat of a blast furnace, almost knocking them off their feet with its force. 

“We need to go. Now.” Lenna tightened her hold on Nina’s wrist and Nina said nothing, just broke into a run to keep up with her sister. Rhys and his wife were not home yet, and as they reached street level, they plunged headlong into utter chaos. Half of Esgaroth was aflame now and Nina looked up as the dragon flew overhead. Cinders and shards of flaming house rained down upon everyone, sparking fire after fire as the dragon lazily flew from one end of town to the other, from west to east, from north to south. The heat was unbearable now, choking her, making her eyes burn and her nose run, and her breath near impossible to catch.

She and her sister ran. Smoke thickened, blinding them, choking them, and little by little, the fires gave off the light of the sun as they devoured building after building, block after block. Boats clogged the canals, and somehow, Lenna lost her grip on Nina and the panicking crowd swallowed her whole.

“Lenna!” Nina screamed despite her stinging throat and streaming eyes, fighting to get to where she’d last seen her sister. “Lenna!” 

“In you go, love!”

She screamed again as someone grabbed her and tossed her like a sack of flour into a small boat. She hit the bottom, the wind driven from her, and threw her hands up over her head as more burning shingles and wood scraps swirled on the wind from Smaug’s wings. Something scorched her left cheek, along the cheekbone. The acrid stench of singed hair stung her nose and when she brought her hand to her temple, her hair crumbled as if it was no more than ash. 

“Here he comes!” Someone above her screamed and Nina opened her eyes to see the dragon rise high into the air, its belly aglow and getting brighter as he dragged in a deep breath. She closed her eyes, braced herself for the sting of fire on her skin.

Only it never came. 

“Bard got him!”

“He did! I seen it!”

“He got ’im!”

Nina once more opened her eyes as Smaug writhed higher into the night sky, the glow of his belly going from orange to yellow to blackened ash. He twisted one way, then the other, a low, gravelly roar rolling across the night sky.

Then he plummeted back to earth.

The wave caused by his striking the water was beyond monstrous, flinging the boats and their passengers in all directions. Nina found herself looking first at the sky, then at the lake, and when she hit the water, the air left her body in a massive rush. The frigid water bit into her with sharpened fangs and the last thing she remembered was a hand snagging the back of her bodice to haul her out of the water and back into a boat, where she lay on the bottom shivering, ice crystals in her hair, on her clothes, in her eyelashes.

When she came to, she was on the sandy shore on the slopes of Dale. Her entire body ached. Her cheek stung, the burn along her cheekbone raw and sore. Like everyone around her, she had only the frozen clothes she wore—a worn blue cotton dress over a worn linen chemise, waterlogged hose and boots—and like the others, she searched in vain for Mama, for Rhys and Ena.

For Lenna.

They weren’t there. 

Over the next two days, she searched—for clothing or a blanket, for food, for her family.

They were gone. All of them.

She found Lenna washed on the beach, facedown, pale and unmoving. She was buried with the others in a simple grave just east of the beach. But there was no trace of Mama. Nor of Rhys or Ena. Incinerated, perhaps. Dragged to the bottom of the Long Lake when the firedrake hit the water, maybe. All she knew was her entire family was gone and she was alone. 

Around her, she watched as families were both reunited and broken. She watched mothers and children cry with joy and sob with sorrow. She helped her neighbors bury their loved ones, allowed them to help her do the same. As darkness fell, salvaged wine was passed around and despite her tender years, she drank her share. The next day, her new life began. 

A week later, the survivors were now settling in Dale, and she overheard Bard the Bowman, the man responsible for slaying Smaug, say, “It looks as if the company of Thorin Oakenshield has survived.”

They survived. 

He unleashed the beast that destroyed her home, her town, her family. 

Yet, he survived. 

That night, at the end of Dale’s main thoroughfare, Nina sat upon the low stone wall on a promontory that overlooked the front gates of Erebor. She sat, ignoring the cold, knees drawn to her chest, and just stared at the fortress city. Light glowed from within, visible through the city’s damaged façade. 

Her stomach rumbled. She ignored it. 

Her eyes stung. She blinked back the tears. 

There were riches inside that mountain. Riches Thorin vowed he would share.

A week had passed and not a single dwarf emerged from the city. 

Earlier that day, the king of the Woodland Realm, a tall, thin, handsome elf with pale gold hair and cold blue eyes arrived with an entourage of hundreds. She’d heard men speaking of a coming war between Men, Dwarves, and Orcs.

She heard tell of a giant pale orc called Azog the Defiler. 

For some reason, he had a score to settle with the King Under the Mountain.

He had placed a bounty of said king’s head.

For just his head.

Nina stared at the front gates, fury bubbling up from her gut to keep her warm. That damned king destroyed her home and her family. 

Not only will I collect that bounty, I will do him one better. I will bring Azog the whole bloody dwarf. 

[thedangerstranger]

Pelipper mail! A nightmare! It isn't yours!

The sky is green, and the moon is full. Too full. It seems to be falling to the Earth.

Your wonderful girlfriend is standing right next to you, a determined look in her eyes.

A slender and intimidating figure that wears a black, cape like armor by the waist, and a white mask, rises in the air. It hold out its hand, and sends a beam of light to the moon.

In response, the moon opens up, revealing a large, red eye.

A wave of crushing pressure hits you, and it takes all of your strength to remain standing. Scarlet cries out in pain, before collapsing. You collapse too.

You realize that you are going to die. Everyone you've ever known will, too.

You barely have the strength to look next to you. But when you do, you see Scarlet standing up.

She smiles at you, and begins to float towards the red eye of the moon.

You desperately try to pull yourself up. But no matter how hard you struggle, you can't get up.

All you can do is watch, as Scarlet floats into the eye, and disappears.

You have the distinct feeling that you will never see her again.

i'm gonna kill the moon i'm gonna kill the moon i'm gonna kill the moon i'm gonna kill the moon i'm gonnasas

Quite enough, dear.

(If it wasn't clear, I had to take their phone from them before they went even further down the rabbithole of moon-destroying thoughts. I am calming them as I write this. I would not leave them in such a way.)

still the moon is lucky it's barely past new right now i want to blow it up massively.

[alls-fair-in-pride-and-prejudice]

My Gale obsession has progressed to playlist creation - something no individual character has achieved before - list of songs and their justifications for being included below the cut

Wizard of Waterdeep - the song was literally written about him it's going in

The Moon Will Sing - a song about being overshadowed by the one you love, always living for them rather than having your own life, apt for Gale's relationship with Mystra

Icarus - "Look who's digging their own grave/that is what they all say", "Icarus is flying too close to the sun/ and Icarus's life it has only just begun" a young Gale who is voraciously devouring every tome he can get his hands on, creating new spells, constantly pushing his limits again and again

Constellations - a song about the tower of Babel (an act of reaching for the heavens) only to fail and lose connection and communication, trying to grasp at meaning in the meaningless

Abigail's Song (Silence is all you know) - "When you're alone silence is all you know/ Let in the noise and let it grow" "When you're alone, silence is all you see/ when you're alone silence is all you'll be" representative of Gale's isolation in the aftermath of the orb, and clawing his way back to living again

Bitter Water - "I am not a fool entire/ no I know what's coming/ you'll bury me beneath the tree I climbed when I was a child/ I know I shouldn't love you/ I know I shouldn't love you but I do" the singer reflects on an abusive relationship, how it would lead to killing them but they still cannot fully let it go.

Venus - I love using astronomy imagery for Gale, especially given the way I've flavored my Tav romancing him. This is where he's opening up to new love, feeling like someone sees him, the man, rather than the great wizard.

Achilles Come Down - "You crave the applause/ yet hate the attention/ then miss it your act is a ruse" this song is the battle of his own desire to fulfill his goddess's wish of martyring himself and Tav's (and perhaps his own self preservation) saying that there is more to life and it is better to live

Cosmic Love - "The stars the moon/ they have all been blown out/ you left me in the dark" many potential meanings! Gale being abandoned by his goddess? Tav mourning that he left them for martyrdom?

As the World Caves In - "And here it is, our final night alive/ and as the earth burns to the ground/ oh girl it's you that I lie with" he conjures the stars because it might be his last night alive and he wants to spend it with Tav I have so many feelings

Wash My Dreams Away - the music that plays when he takes Tav to the astral plane!

Witchcraft - the comparison of falling in love to enchanting magic was too perfect to not include

Weaving Magic and Making Potions - there are no lyrics to this song, but it's all magical sounding and it's weaving magic yes I put this in as a pun

Mouth of the River - "I wanna live like that/ live the life of the faithful one/ wanna bow to floor/ with everyone else/ wanna be someone [...] oh it's the curse of the man/ I was living life living life/ living just to please" the contrast between wanting to be faithful, have a purpose, but also wanting to be the best, wanting to be loved for what you can do

Measure of a Man - "the measure of a man/ stands or falls with what he leaves behind/ gather on the sand / let your voices carry to the sky / let the gods look down on this and wonder" this is just the vibes. Tell me you can't imagine this playing as Gale sacrifices himself at the final battle with the Absolute. The gods look down and wonder why he refused to do this for his goddess, but chose to do this for those he leaves behind - his friends.

Fair - this whole song embodies the vibes of a romance with Gale. "it's not fair you make me laugh when I'm really cross with you" or the juxtoposition of this eternal devotion with the mundanity of love. Gale's romance is about loving him for the man he is, not the magic he wields - there is life changing devotion in the romance yes, but they are also just two mortals who love each other.

The Tower - "Got a neck so strong for the crown upon your head/ Don't think anyone will leave it when you're dead / There's a throng of men mightier than you / And they're waiting and they're watching 'til they fill your shoes" This suits his ending as god of ambition like, he's literally inspiring others to follow in his footsteps as someone who ascended to godhood! His power is in the crown of Karsus which a bunch of people wanted to get their hands on! His own followers are gonna be the type to try to usurp him just you wait

Slow Burn - "I don't have to die for you to love me" a love that comes after one fraught with expectations and pain, realizing that you don't have to martyr yourself to be loved by this person, you can just be with each other. This is his good ending, a slow burn and a gentle life.

I Want to Live - some may say this is Astarion's song, some may say it's Tav's, I think it belongs to all the companions. They're brought together by that need to live. They want, they have to survive this, and survive this they do.

[hischierlovebot]

Find The Word Tag

Tagged by @mikathemad and @kitnita thank you so much to both of you!!

This is going to be so long, so I'm cutting it off soon, sorry in advance jsjsjs

My words (Mika's): remember, white, love, sweet

Remember:

“I live with him, remember?” Wyatt’s eyes dart to the side, before returning to Roope’s face.  Something twists in Roope’s stomach, like his food is settling all wrong. He frowns. “I thought you’d left,” he replies. Wyatt’s fingers twitch, before Wyatt shoves his hands deep in his pockets. “Yeah, well,” Wyatt shrugs, then bites his bottom lip, chewing on it like he wants to make it bleed. It comes away red and shiny when spit, when Wyatt finally releases it, hums and shrugs again as he turns to Roope. “An experiment. It went terribly so. I went back to Joe’s.”

White:

Everybody knows, that the northern sirens are more dangerous than their brethren from the South. Or, rather, they all should know, but the southern sirens were flashier, easier to remember, than their more cunning siblings, their minds made as sharp as their teeth by the cold that could kill everyone without pause. Petey had shown them his teeth when he arrived, all sharp edges and blinding white, and never let anyone forget them.

Love:

“Yeah, Marns and…,” he sighs again. His voice sounds muffled from behind his fingers, and when he lets out a chuckle, it’s airy and as fake as the designer bags that Kniesy insists are the real thing. Auston drops his hands from his face after a moment, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, while his mouth twists into a smile that’s all sharp edges, every one of them directed inwards, before continuing. “Only falling in love with boys and things that will break my heart.”

(bitter)Sweet:

It should be a relief, that he can rest, that he isn’t late, not really, but instead it tastes like disappointment, something bittersweet lodged in his throat. He lead his team to the playoffs, for the first time in years. They got kicked out of them, so thoroughly and suddenly that Nico’s body couldn’t get used to the idea, loose the shape of his stick between his hands, the roaring of the crowd from his ears.

Zoe's words:

Matter:

Trevor comes undone under Jack's hands with a soft cry, his body writhing on the bed as he buries his fingers in the sheets, soft whimpers spilling from him no matter how hard he bites his lips. Leaning forward, Jack presses their mouths together, coaxes Trevor's open and drinks the sounds he lets out like he's a man lost in the desert and Trevor an oasis. 

Hot:

Ty does turn around, now, and Wyatt's face feels sunburnt all over, like the time he fell asleep by the pool and forgot to put on sunscreen. Under Ty's surprised expression, Wyatt feels both hot and cold, like he might discover a shade of red never before seen on a human. "Okay," Ty replies, slowly, his eyes scanning Wyatt's face like he can read whatever is writing under his flush. "But I stand by it. You're as pretty as a girl, prettier than some, even."

Respect:

There is no respect in any of my wips friends, I am sorry, there are some very rude people

Even:

Hischier’s wearing the stupid sweater. The one with white and brown stripes, so fucking ugly that even Jack would like to burn it to ashes. He’d rip it off Hischier, throw it in a volcano just so he didn’t have to see it, save humanity from such a horrendous sight. The Hischier on screen, prerecorded, ignorant of Jack’s existence and his inner monologue, laughs and shrugs. The sweater engulfs him whole, and Jack clenches his fist so hard there are prints of a half moon in the palm of his hand.

Thank you both for tagging me, it was a lot of fun!

Tagging: @coffeehound91 @ijustdontlikepeople @devilssacrament

Your words: sky, blood, forget, years

[madcatdaderpydrawer-blog]

Two weeks ago on Freddy: Monty finally meets their goddaughter

Monty somehow clips a segway through the wall, so now it’s just stuck there.

Monty screams for an hour straight, hurting everyone’s ears.

Upon being introduced to Francine, Monty says something bad enough to get censored.

Monty figured she probably won’t remember this. Freddy has Francine demonstrate her brains by having her tell time from the Sun’s position and then draw an analog clock with that time on it. Funtime Freddy cannot read analog clock.

Monty asks Francine for her SSN. Freddy tries to stop her from telling them. She writes out Funtime’s SSN. She learned it by watching her dad do Funtime’s taxes.

Monty asks Francine for Freddy’s credit card information. They bribe her with toys while Freddy tries to stop her.

Meanwhile, Funtime was doing calculous on the wall to figure out the time.

Conversation about Mimics. There was one in Funtime Freddy, that they killed. But he almost killed classic Freddy and Francine first. I am very far behind on this channel, the last episode I watched was at the start of Funtime’s villain arc.

Francine demands uppies. Momty stares Freddy in the eyes for several moments before crouching down.

Francine hugs them. They refuse to hug her back.

Funtime Freddy takes a picture. Fortunately for his continued health, he only has MySpace.

Monty catches Freddy up on family drama, and their occasional existential crises.

Talk about Monty’s relationship with Earth.

Francine demands another hug. Funtime joins in this time. Monty yells at Funtime to get off.

Back to Mimic talk.

Freddy describes Baldur’s Gate 3 Collector’s Edition as being “Marginally cheaper” than Foxy’s suit. Foxy’s suit is worth $700-1000, because he’s a discontinued model.

Monty is the nicest visitor lately. The rest of the recent visitors were after Francine’s magic.

Francine demonstrates her magic. By turning Monty Ruined, much to everyone’s shock and horror.

Monty shows off some of their own magic. By walking through a table.

Momty’s sister is human!

Funtime has not seen Titanic. He has, however, recreated it while Freddy wasn’t home.

Monty asks about Sun and Moon. Freddy reveals that he already found out the truth. Monty fills him in on Eclipse dying.

Funtime forget to tell Freddy about the deal he made with Eclipse during his villain arc. Freddy is pissed.

Monty leaves. And then comes back to steal the segway.

Classic Freddy: How did you- how did- how did you clip it through the wall like that?

Monty: You see, when you have enough anger issues, you can make anything possible.

Funtime Freddy: Huh. Can you make icecream fall from the sky?

Monty: *goes outside*

Funtime Freddy: Is he really gonna-?

*One hour timeskip*

Monty: *screaming at the sky* I sound like that guy from the Matrix.

Classic Freddy: You- yeah. Aah (pained).

Funtime Freddy, clutching his ears: Ahhhh my ear!

Monty: Maybe a few days

Classic Freddy: I swear, if I walk out one day and just get pelted by chocolate icecream-

Monty: Anyways, how you guys doin- *notices baby Francine* Oh.

___

Classic Freddy: Aw, she’s saying that you look sad-

Monty, joking: Always sad.

Francine: *tries to hug them again.

___

Monty: Funtime- Funtime is a murderer.

Classic Freddy: Legally, I don’t know anything he does. Legally.

___

Monty, to Funtime Freddy: You are a *long censor*

Classic Freddy: NOT IN FRONT OF FRANCINE!!!

___

Monty: Also thank you for the SSN and Feeddy’s credit card number. *leaves*

Francine: *finger guns*

Classic Freddt: You did what Francine?!

Francine: *hand wave of denial*

Francine is already a menace

[pearblossommina]

ToG Read-a-Long, Queen of Shadows, day 12

Ch77

magical hand holding GOD THIS IS LIKE AN INTENSE ANIME SAILOR MOON MOMENT

you two!!!! You are so powerful and full of friendship!!!!!

“Rowan shifted, his leg flashing in agony as he exchanged his limbs for wings and talons. He loosed a cry, shrill and raging. A white-tailed hawk soared out of the small opening, past Aedion.”

Y’know, I just realized. Now that magic is back, Aedion probably has another form, too!

I want someone to bite him on the neck and teach him how to shift

What form will he take! He was already deemed a “wolf” but since daddy is a mountain cat, perhaps he’ll be a cat, too?

Ch78

Um ok

That’s a TWIST

So do I believe it, or is this a cunning last-ditch effort to try and get mercy from the good guys?

I gave a hard time believing that the All-Powerful Dark Lord would be satisfied instilling a minion as the King of Adarlan just to be a Duke but

Duke Perrington IS a pretty despicable person so, maybe this is true?

How odd, how very odd.

I say let’s kill him anyway to be safe

“Chaol is alive,” the king murmured through his emaciated hands

(HAHA YEAH HELL YEAH)

(you can’t kill him he’s filled with the spirit of pure, totally platonic love)

(DORIAN)

(GO GET YOUR MAN)

(THE TIME HAS COME)(THE TIME TO HUG AND KISS)

Ch79

“The scent of pine and snow hit her, and she realized how they had survived the fall.” Rowan saved them! And Dorian and Chaol are together again!

LOVE

This is so utterly amazing ahhh my heart

I love this

Can we all please hug and kiss now! And roll around in the grass, and feel joy and laughter and friendship!

Please!

"If you loot, if you riot, if you cause one lick of trouble," she said, looking a few in the eye, "I will find you, and I will burn you to ash." She lifted a hand, and flames danced at her fingertips. "If you revolt against your new king, if you try to take his castle, then this wall"-she gestured with her burning hand-"will turn to molten glass and flood your streets, your homes, your throats."

Chill out, queen!

They just lost one tyrant, lol, no need to come at them with such ferocity, RELAX

“She was barely inside the oak doors before she collapsed to her knees and wept.”

Baby

Please don’t cry

I love you! Everyone loves you!

Look what you’ve DONE today. Look at all that you’ve achieved. It was a miracle, YOU are a miracle, and now!

Now!

You need to rest; so you will be ready for the shower of love and joy that’s coming your way.

Ch80

(SJM: do you feel a growing spark of hope in your heart?

Me: Yeah! Yeah, I finally do! Thank you!

SJM: *writes about Elide in eminent danger*

Me: why?)

YEAH that’s it MANON go save your GIRL

(My whole heart) (I am shipping them so hard)

(I know I’m fucking insane but in this moment it feels real)

Ch81

“And Manon’s golden eyes glowed as if they were living embers as she looked at the two guards gripping Elide. As she beheld the disheveled robe.”

I AM SO LOVE WITH MANON

GOD

SHE’S SO HOT

THE WAY SHE CAME FOR HER

THE WAY SHE BRUTALLY KILLED THOSE MEN

MANON

YOU ARE MY LESBIAN FANTASY, PLEASE

PLEASE

THIS JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER

Ch82

Omg Kaltain. 😭

Baby!

Baby, no!

I have hated watching you suffer. I have hated every minute of it. I love you for being willing to sacrifice yourself, but you don’t deserve to end your story here. I just want to feel happiness, oh honey. I want you to come with them!

“Kaltain unleashed the last of her shadowfire, tipping her face to the ceiling, toward a sky she’d never see again.”

😭😭😭

SHE JUST WANTED TO SEE THE SKY

Ow

my heart

That was incredibly satisfying to read lol

I’m so glad most of the characters are still alive and everyone’s THEMSELVES again. I couldn’t ask for anything else.

(Except maybe Kaltain to go on living)(and become best friends with Aelin and match her, flame for flame, and maybe they could paint each others nails and gossip about boys)(and everything would finally calm down and everyone could just be happy)

[am-i-writing]

At a night like this

The moon is bright tonight. There aren’t any clouds, it isn’t too cold, the company is nice. The beer is good. Most people are a bit tipsy, some drunk, some sober. It’s fun. It’s the kind of situation where you forget that the world and its residents are in shambles. I like nights like this. My life seems good at a night like this. I know it isn’t, it never will be. I am dying. I know that I am, my friends do too. I usually talk pretty openly about it, it isn’t a secret and it isn’t something I can fight. Cancer. The doctors said I have around one more month and that there wasn’t anything anyone could do. I should just “live life as full as possible”. And I am. I have a girlfriend, she is the most amazing girl I have ever met. My friends cried for me when they found out, but now they seem to have accepted it. I know my death will still break them, but I am sure that they will handle their grief in a semi healthy way. I’m glad that I could help them with that. A large part of my life has been occupied with thinking about death, so helping them was something that wasn’t really hard for me. I am lying on the soft grass, my fingers intertwined with those of my girlfriend. “The stars make me think of you. I don’t know why, they just do.” She turns her head to face me. I am again reminded of just how much I love her. The diagnose is 29 days ago. Death is creeping closer with every second. I hope she’s gentle with me. “You’ve been through a lot. You don’t deserve any of this. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t-“ Tears are falling from her face. She is all choked up, almost hyperventilating. I don’t know what to do, so I just lie there. There’s a silent tear rolling down my cheek. I am 17 years old. I know that she is right. I deserve better than any of this. I don’t deserve to die. But I can’t change it, so I won’t waste my time or energy trying to. “Please say something” She is almost begging now. It breaks my heart, hearing the one person I love more than anything beg for me to respond to her. But I just keep watching the night sky, looking for something, a shooting star maybe, anything that could be taken as a sign from the universe or god or anyone really. And then I hear her get up. Sitting up, taking some deep breaths, standing up. “ I love you. I always will. But I won’t let you just lie here, without fighting back. Fight back. Don’t leave me here alone without you. I love you.” With that, she leaves me, going back to the fire and the rest of our friends. Another tear. A long, sad, desperate sigh. And that’s when I feel it. There isn’t enough air. The cancer in my lungs has at last started to kill me. These will be my last minutes. Getting up would be too exhausting, it would most likely cause me to die right there. So I just lie there. Letting the void take me in slowly. The moon seemed bright tonight. I hope everyone will be fine without me. I know they will. I want them to have more nights like this

[rae-sunn]

We begin on a dark night

yes, it’s cliche I know but I’m only telling the story.

it was a dark night, the sky was clear, but a storm hung in the air, suffocating any who so much as breathed within the wood.

A girl ran through the forest. Bellowing past the fallen trees, past rocks and boulders, past animals who saw her and quickly fled.

Breathing heavily, panting, but she couldn’t stop running. She couldn’t stop. It would catch her.

Her foot caught on a branch.

And she tripped

And she fell

She tried to get up but her legs wouldn’t move. She was frozen. Stuck. Dead

everyone heard the scream erupt from the wood. It wasn’t the first time, but it echoed, through the woods, through the village, through the mountains and the hills, chilling everyone to the bone.

No one expected the second scream.

it was shrill, monstrous. The beast was afraid, it was in pain.

Running again, not prey this time. This time it was a hunt.

Dark again, the moon the only light, illuminated the monsters tracks.

It must be caught. It must be killed. This cycle must end. The beast must end.

What happened next. I don’t remember, it’s fuzzy.

Something about falling, stabbing pain, a net, fear.

Then darkness, no more moon, no stars, no sky at all.

Then a light, warm, fuzzy, golden, dim.

like a lantern floating in the dark. Maybe whoever has it remembers what happened to me.

I walk over to the lantern bobbing in the darkness. No one is here. Maybe if I-

I reach out for the lantern.

Falling

I hit solid ground, dirt, walking forward, grass. Sharp rocks cut into my feet, I don’t care. I’m alive.

I run, through the grass, over the rocks. I run out of joy, joy to be alive. I stop. We’ve caught up to each other now.

“wait”

what

“who are you, why are you in my head”

I’m you

“no, you’re not”

Yes I am, I’m different, but I’m still you

“I am me, you are a beast”

We are a beast

I look down at my hands, slightly different than before, too sharp, barely noticeable, but still different.

“ what happened”

They were chasing me, chasing us, they caught us both in their net. The beast. And the witch.

“I’m no witch, that boy lied”

who would they believe, really

We exist together now, we died together, now together we live again. We can take our revenge, or we can live.

“I don’t want this, I want to go home”

as do I

But we cannot return to our homes, either of us. You will be killed again, and I will die with you. Please we were given a chance to live once more. Don’t make me give it up.

“Okay, but I will find a way to separate us, one day”

One day, you will, I will help you. I promise.

“I know”

I know

[this-tumbleweed-surecan-fish]

Fully Updated Febuwhump Masterlist!! And guess what

Day 1 Over the Moon

Zedaph slept through the end of the world and he'd like a hug.

Day 2 Burn Me Once, Die in the Flames

Joel gets himself captured.

Day 3 New Arrival

Joel arrives in the naughty corner. (Mountark)

Day 4 What are you doing in my Swamp?!

There's an ancient god in the Evermoore. He's confused, they're pathetic, co has a knife.

Day 5 Look man, I just want to retire, can you, like, become a god some other time? Please?

It's not everyday you watch someone become more.... But like... Really? Now?... Couldn't have waited five more minutes until Techno's out of here?

Day 6 Last One

The world has ended and the King of Mezalea wants nothing but death.

Day 7 Don't mind the Scalpel

Day 8 Don't Get Lost

Hermes wanders through Lower Stratos. They don't know their way around.

Day 9 A Universal Language

How to make yourself heard without speaking 101. (Do not try at home)

Day 10 Go to Sleep

Katherine gets to choke on some sand idk i didn't read the fic

Day 11 Heatwaves and Snowstorms

Pixlriffs catches the fever and everyone knows what that is, obviously.

Day 12 How to Fall to your Death for an Eternity

Turns out Vigil's hourglass is kind of important and shattering wasn't a good idea. At least they now have more chances to safe that hostage?

Day 13 Mother, I love you, but

Her son has forgiven. He was a soft core, he isn't as vengeful as She is. She does not tolerate the Tinkerer being so close to Her child.

Day 14 How Great is your Will to Survive?

Captain Lizzie, the Queen of the Endless Seas, sits in chains.

Day 15 The Sweet Prince

"There was a prince who stole the moon's child." Maybe if he is gone, she'll go back to her place in the sky.

Day 16 Mirror, Mirror

Beauty was the easiest path to value, he'd learned long before he'd even become a god. Which was great, because he had been beautiful then and he was even more so now.

Day 17 Cracked Skin

Joel is robbed of his divinity, back in the shattered mortal body he killed so long ago to become more.

Day 18 It's Ringing (It's for you)

The Police vs Watchers (Fail) (Not Clickbait)

Day 19 Till Death do us part is for Quitters

fWhip dies.

Day 20 Night Train

Grian tries to capute a criminal. Mumbo tries to take the train home.

Day 21 I Plead

A trial of a pirate queen. A continuation of 'How Great is your Will to Survive?'

Day 22 HIking Log

"Joe turned the camera to the path again and he stopped the footage. The frame was blurry, still moving and slightly tilted. But there between the trees. There it was."

Day 23 Bitch, I'll die for you

Either God Joel needs to stop jumping in puddles or King Joel needs to learn to chill. For the sake of Jimmy's heart.

Day 24 What Hawaiian Shirts Are For

Monday's, am I right?

Day 25 Father, Is This Love

Wilbur thinks his father is dead and doesn't know how to feel.

Day 26 On Lost Love

The aftermath of the end. Or: How cracked things crumble. Or: The end of the world happens fast and slowly.

Day 27 Dead Man Walking

fWhip after the end of the world

Day 28 Benefits

Set in Mountark

[7r0773r]

Now Do You Know Where You Are by Dana Levin

A WALK IN THE PARK

To be born again, you need           an incarnation specialist—a team from the Bureau of Needles          to thread you through— Your next life          turns on an axle of light—which Plato likens          to a turning spindle—what was that?          I mean I knew

what a spindle was          from fairy tales—how it could draw blood          from a testing finger, put a kingdom to sleep—          but what did it actually do, how          did a spindle look in real life?          I didn't know. As with so many things:          there was fact and there was

         a believed-in dream . . .

Everyone had them back          in the ancient day, spindles.          When we had to weave our living-shrouds          by hand. "A slender rounded rod          with tapered ends," Google said. Plato's, so heavy with thread,          when viewed from the side, looked like a top—          though most diagrams assumed

         the hawk-lord view . . .

Moon thread, threads of the planets, earth thread.          Your thread. Everyone else's.          Nested one inside the other, a roulette          machine— If a thread could be spun from liquid light was what          I kept thinking— imagining a sluice          of electric souls between the earth-wheel's rims—          there "I”

was a piece of water, Necessity          wheeled it around—Necessity, who was married to Time,          according to the Greeks— Mother of the Fates.          Who would measure and cut your

         paradise/shithole extra life . . .

Well we all have ways of thinking about          why, metaphysically speaking,          anyone's born— though the answer's always Life's          I AM THAT I AM

                   —how it hurls and breaks!          on Death's No there                    there . . .

        —which sounded kind of Buddhist. According to the teachings we were all          each other's dream . . .

         And soon able to vanish— out of the real          without having to die, whoever's got the cash—to pay          the brainier ones to perfect          a Heaven upload—to cut the flesh-tether          and merge

         with the Cloud . . .

Well we all have ways of constructing          Paradise. To walk alone deep in thought          in a city park was mine          for several minutes, thinking about spindles.          Before the vigilance of my genderdoom

         kicked in—

And there it was, the fact          of my body— all the nerves in my scalp          and the back of my neck, alive—          How it moved through space, how close           it had strayed          toward concealing trees, my female body—          Jewish body—inside my White body—dreaming          it was bodiless

         and free . . .

         to decide: how and when and if to fill the body's hungers—          how and when and if to walk in thought through the wilderness . . .

         before Death comes with its Fascist hat.

         Its Park Murder Misogyny hat.

         Its Year Ten in a Nursing Home stink                      hat—

         However spun                      my thread.

Anyway,          it's peaceful here in the park, at midday,          if a little deserted. I've moved to the path that winds closer to the street.          Thinking again, as I always do, about body and soul. How they          infuse each other. How they hate each other.          How most people pledge allegiance to one or the other.          How painful it was! To be such a split

         creature—

***

ABOUT STAIRCASES

1 To be human is to reflect upon your position in space: on a roof it's called Seeking, in a basement Paranoia—especially with a telescope. On the leather couch, behind the blue door, in a row of doors down a long, white hallway, windows chicken-wired glass: thirty years ago I told Dr. C., I feel like I'm being haunted by my four-year-old self, I feel like I'm being haunted—inside my body. Jury-rigged staircases, one atop the other, in my psych-room construct inside-body: on the roof it's called Save Me, in the basement Don't Kill Me—up and down, the ghost-child raged. Thinking then,            Inconsolable Escher—you never wanted to climb                      the fucking stairs, ever.

2 To be human is to try to change your position in space: hide-and-seek, king-of-the-mountain, all the drugs I did to stay awake inside dreams—Elevators, the philosopher wrote, do away with the heroism of climbing; no longer is there virtue in living up near the sky. In mythology class, we dis- cuss ambition: the falling boy, his melted wings—late night dorm room pot-cloud question: how many human means of ascension? D. lost interest,           took up his guitar—                      money, beauty, talent, force.

3 Can change be achieved by contesting your position in space? The brave ones try it: climbing into trees marked for clear- cut, refusing to move to the back of the bus. What we expe- rience as conflict, the mythographer wrote, the Great Mother perceives as parts rearranging—but is harmony possible in a kingdom of ladders, where there's always a foot coming down on a neck? A poet asks: What would be a horizontal           notion of progress? (wider and wider                      rings of kindness—)

4 In a movie, a man repents murder by climbing to the top of Amazonian falls, lugging in a net his suit of armor. And when one of the priests, after hours of watching him slog through mud, lifts a machete and hacks the ropes—well it feels so true: how our liberated man tries to dive for the armor. But I'm thinking now about letting it go. About Georges Guétary in An American in Paris, singing "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise." In top hat and tails. On stairs that light up when pressed by a toe. He climbs between dancers descending in rivers, dancers who swan, diaphanous, down—once, a war was over and the stairs were lit: such           going up and down                      with flourish—

[gothprentiss]

33-40, 75?

this is long so in the interest of everyone’s scrolling,

spotify

33: nightwish - the carpenter (live) (now not to be horny on main but the first time i heard the way floor sings “they tell me to lie on the grass” i did have to pause the song just to recover myself.)

34: epica - abyss of time (omega alive) (first epica song i’ve ever been impressed by lyrically. it actually just has nice prosody and gives a better structure to their usual brand of successwin esotericism)

35: kamelot - seal of woven years

36: nightwish - i want my tears back (live @ wembley)

37: epica - fools of damnation (did they know what they did when they kept giving simone lines like “fool, kneel for me again”…. did they know….)

38: kamelot - poetry for the poisoned ii (so long) (fucking love this song. it’s vampirickal lovers�� it’s perfect. it’s the perfect roy khan and simone simons duet. “i am bound like a beast unto its prey / we are one of a kind you and i” and the progression from “show me how it feels to be alive” to “show me all the splendors of the night” is dope.)

39: leonard cohen - you want it darker (lyrically just a perfect song i think. maybe “a million candles burning for the (help/love) that never came / you want it darker / we kill the flame” or “i struggled with some demons / they were middle class and tame.” there are a lot of extremely boring songs out there which overpersonalize theodicy but leonard cohen never misses!!)

40: epica - kingdom of heaven pt 3 the antediluvian universe (omega alive)

75: kamelot - the mourning after

apple music

33: kate bush - eat the music

34: nightwish - come cover me (live)

35: vava - CX330 (飘荡在黑暗银河系 / 我拥抱我自己 (wandering the dark galaxy, i embrace myself))

36: kamelot - poetry for the poisoned pt ii (so long) (ICONIC MOMENTS IN LISTENING HISTORY)

37: kate bush - them heavy people (“i love the whirling of the dervishes / i love the beauty of rare innocence”)

38: veil of secrets - entirety

39: nick cave & the bad seeds - anthrocene (PERFECT song lyrically. “the animals pull the night around their shoulders / flowers fall to their naked knees” “i hear you’ve been out there looking for something to love / sit down beside me and i’ll name it for you” “behold the animals and the birds, and the sky entire / i hear you’ve been out there looking for something to set on fire” “i hear you’ve been out there looking for something to love / close your eyes, little world, and brace yourself”)

40: kate bush - the wedding list

75: nick cave & the bad seeds - john finn’s wife (the most validly horny a song has ever been. “i slipped my hands between the thighs of john finn’s wife / they seemed to yawn awake, her thighs. // it was a warm and very ferocious night / and the moon, full of blood and light / and my eyes grew small and my eyes grew tight / as i plotted in the ear of john finn’s wife” go off KING)

[bilightningwhumper]

@ailesswhumptober 2024- Day 16

Whumperless Wednesday: Drowning, hostile environment, “I don’t know how anybody could survive that.”

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"Final Piece" Masterlist --- TNEI Tumblr Masterlist

Summary:

Excerpt for "Final Piece" (The Last Unicorn retelling) Galen and Esme attempt to escape notice of the search party after running from the Asylum

Notes:

Characters: Galen/Ame- Unicorn Esme- Elisa/Princess (Wild/Six Swans) Sylvester- King Haggard Pyrrhus- Red Bull Carline- Witch Queen Warnings: mentions of blood and drowning, as well as death (no character death happens, however)

Ao3 link

Word count: 366

Galen (Ame in the past) PoV

Ame shivered in their underclothes as they stood behind the tree and bushes, Esme unconscious behind them. Their throat was sore, stomach aching at how much water they’d swallowed. But they stayed as still and silent as possible, barely breathing as they watched the staff members at the bottom of the waterfall.

“Here, I found something!”

One of the team had found their tattered dress and Esme’s apron, shredded from their time in the water after jumping from the cliff into the waterfall.

They were grateful everyone was distracted by the discovery as their body shuddered involuntarily. The cold water still seeped through their veins, the memory of the rocks and battering currents still fresh memories in their mind. They didn’t know how they’d made it out alive, or Esme who was barely conscious when they’d pulled her out of the river with them.

“The subjects must have jumped.” Sylvester said, walking up to them with Pyrrhus by his side. “I don’t know how anyone could survive that fall.” He turned to Dr Carline, holding up the waterlogged and blood-stained scraps of clothing. “Your opinion?”

The scientist sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I would say you are correct.” she said, sounding more annoyed than upset. The water will have killed them if the rocks didn’t take their lives first.”

And then they all made their way back to the Asylum, Pyrrhus taking up the rear. He turned and looked around the area again. For a moment, fear gripped their body as Ame thought they locked eyes. But then he kept walking back with the others and they were able to breathe again.

Still, Ame didn’t move until the shadows had shifted, until the moon had crossed the sky. It must have been hours later when they finally turned to rouse their friend.

“Esme. Esme.” They shook her, a little roughly. “They’re gone. We have to go.”

They couldn’t help but sag in relief as their friend opened her eyes. She didn’t speak, just nodded. Then they both moved through the forest, silent and quiet like ghosts, determined not to sop until they were as far away from the Asylum as possible before they collapsed.

TNEI Taglist:

@scoundrelwithboba

[dailychapel]

Mark 13:1–37 NLT - 1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, "Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls." 2 Jesus replied, "Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!" 3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, 4 "Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?" 5 Jesus replied, "Don't let anyone mislead you, 6 for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah.' They will deceive many. 7 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. 8 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. 9 "When these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. 10 For the Good News must first be preached to all nations. 11 But when you are arrested and stand trial, don't worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 "A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. 13 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 "The day is coming when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing where he should not be." (Reader, pay attention!) "Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 15 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 16 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 17 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 18 And pray that your flight will not be in winter. 19 For there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again. 20 In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days. 21 "Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or 'There he is,' don't believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. 23 Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time! 24 "At that time, after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world--from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. 28 "Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door. 30 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. 32 "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. 33 And since you don't know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert! 34 "The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. 35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don't know when the master of the household will return--in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36 Don't let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!"

Lord, just like Moses, I boldly ask that you will show me your glory. Reveal yourself to me in deeper ways, and allow me to experience your power, glory, splendor and abundance. You are awesome and holy, and I praise your name!