#being an older mother and losing your 7 year old son/light of your life under suspect circumstances

[ohno-pleasure]

Guess who's up watching The Bad Seed agaaaiin??

It's me, I can't help it, the performances are so great. Everyone is great, but Mrs. Daigle really sells it.

[edgarbright]

A History of Cradle

A timeline covering the past 500 years of Ikemen Revolution’s Wonderland

Spoilers below, of course!

After realizing I might have made a silly timeline mistake in a fic, I’m making a valiant effort to organize what happens when and to whom! Ideally this will be a fully comprehensive timeline and include all characters and their backstories. Sources will continue to be added, such as which route and part that information comes from.

Events that happen after Alice the Second falls into Cradle will not be included. Backstories only!

This is still a hot mess because the site is fighting me on formatting. Things will look prettier in the future!

If you see an error or have extra info to add, please send me a message! I’ll definitely and happily credit you. <3

Last updated: April 26, 2019

(Clash in Cradle Story Event Included!)

500 years ago

A united Cradle under a single royal family splits into two halves: the Reds and Blacks

Jonah: "Five hundred years ago, the Red and Black were actually part of the same royal family. Until there was a struggle for succession that split the family in two, leaving the old royal castle abandoned." (Jonah's Route, part 23)

Edgar: "They say the war between Red and Black has gone on for centuries, but-- what if the history books are all lying to us?" (Fenrir's route, part 12)

??? years ago

Alice the First falls into Wonderland

??? years ago

The Magic Tower begins its research

A book in Kyle’s clinic: “A public institution tasked with the study of magic for the advancement of our country. It is here that Magic Crystals are refined and managed.” (Lancelot’s route, part 5)

Unknown when they began experimenting on human subjects

Amon to Lancelot: "You know full well how long we've been experimenting on humans. This is just one of the ways I've discovered for stealing away magic power." (Lancelot's route, part 24)

??? years ago

The Magic Tower and the King of Hearts begin colluding

Lancelot: “[It] goes back generations” (Lancelot’s Route, part 18)

Harr: "The King of Hearts and the leaders of the Magic Tower have been colluding in secret for generations. Their goal is to realize certain ambitions they share." (Sirius's route, part 20)

100 years ago (Edgar's route, part 20)

The Jack of Hearts attempts a coup d’etat against the King and Queen of Hearts. The rebellion fails. The Jack is given a trial, a sentencing, and a beheading. All his descendants are further punished and forced into a secret pact with the King and Queen.

Edgar: "It started 100 years ago. One of my ancestors committed a terrible crime. Though he was the Jack of Hearts, he conspired to overthrow the King and Queen of Hearts. But his rebellion ended in failure. He was tried by the king and queen for his crimes and sentenced to beheading."

Edgar: "But that wasn't enough. His entire family had to be punished for what he had done. And so, by order of the king and queen, the next jack was forced into a secret pact with the king and queen. To atone for his sins, the Bright family was ordered [to] take on the dark side of the Red Army's affairs forevermore."

Edgar on being the Jack of Hearts: "His occupation is scheming and assassination."

Edgar: "I was born a sinner. Every Jack of Hearts is doomed to embrace his wife with blood-soaked hands and lead his children down the same, dark path. He becomes a true demon."

??? years ago

Lancelot’s (?) mother dies of illness

Lancelot: "My mother was lost to illness when I was very young. And apparently my father didn't visit her enough during that time." (Say I Do! Story Event, Lancelot's Sweet End)

Lancelot: "Even in my most distant memories, I never saw my parents together. I was under the impression that they hadn't actually wanted to get married, but--" (Say I Do! Story Event, Lancelot's Sweet End)

The Red Army dress worn by the King's Beloved, last worn by Lancelot’s mother at her wedding, goes missing

Jonah: "If I remember correctly, the official story is that it's inherited by whomever the King of Hearts loves.” (Say I Do! Story Event, Lancelot's Route)

Old Woman in the Hearts Quarter and Lancelot's mother's friend: "So far, the dress has only been worn by those from certain families that have been approved by the Red Army." (Say I Do! Story Event, Lancelot's Route)

Unbeknownst to everyone for years, per Lancelot when he later finds it: "This dress was in storage at my mother's family home... It's no wonder I didn't find it-- I only searched the home I was raised in, and places directly related to the army." (Say I Do! Story Event, Lancelot's Sweet End)

19 years ago

Jonah (8) has a birthday party hosted by the Clemence family. No one realizes Luka (6) was not invited until the day of the event. Jonah throws a tantrum and brings Luka along anyway. Luka is allowed to stay but is seated furthest away from him. Jonah is instructed to stop crying and is ordered to keep smiling throughout the party, which he forcefully does. His face hurts so much once it’s over Jonah cries again afterward. (Jonah's Birthday Story Event I, Brotherly Love)

18 years ago

Edgar's father (?), the Jack of Hearts, dies a slow death. It is stated as illness but he was poisoned by his younger brother, Claudius (27).

Claudius regarding his older brother: "He was a coward who was satisfied to bend and scrape before the King of Hearts just because of some old pact. He could have used his strength, position, and riches for so much more. I must have told him that a thousand times, but he just didn't get it. That's why-- I had to eliminate him." (Edgar's route, part 25)

Regarding how Claudius killed his brother. Edgar: "But you told me my father died of an illness--" Claudius: "Making his death look like an illness was the simplest thing in the world. I taught you how to use slow-acting poison to finish off your prey, didn't I?" (Edgar's route, part 25)

Claudius becomes the next Jack of Hearts and takes custody of his nephew, Edgar (7).

Edgar: "When I was seven, my father died of illness and my uncle, then 27, became the next jack. He taught me everything a jack needs to know." (Edgar's Route, part 20)

Claudius teaching Edgar to not hold emotional attachments to others: "The first rule of the Jack of Hearts is to never grow attached to any of your pawns." (Edgar's route, part 21)

Example of how Claudius manipulates Edgar when they are in a disagreement (as seen when Edgar is 25 years old): "Edgar. Have you forgotten who raised you after your father died? You're a good boy, so I know you'll come to see the light. You would never abandon me, would you? You're my beloved son." (Edgar's route, part 21)

Edgar: "Suddenly, memories of my childhood flashed before my eyes. The days he [Claudius] spent 'educating' me in all the special skills I could never learn in school. The time he locked me in a tiny, dark room as punishment for crying when I was scared. No matter how much I shouted and pounded on the door, it wouldn't open. All I could do was hug my knees and sob." (Edgar's route, part 21, His POV)

Edgar: "Before I knew it, I had resigned myself to my fate. Eventually, my uncle's education seemed completely natural to me. And there was nothing I could do. I accepted the fact that I would never be free and got used to the boredom." (Edgar's route, part 21, His POV)

Claudius is Jack at the same time Lancelot’s father is the King of Hearts and the unknown Clemence relative is Queen

Edgar regarding Claudius’s time as Jack of Hearts: "The golden age of the Jack of Hearts's secret dealings was the time of the previous king, queen, and jack." (Edgar's Route, part 20)

(Thinking aloud: Was Claudius working with the King and Queen or was this “golden age” Claudius’s doing considering he still carries a side business after he steps down as Jack? His motive against his brother was in regards to taking ownership of the role as Jack. Claudius is a slave/servant to no one.)

17 years ago

Jonah (10), accepting abuse from bullies, is rescued by Lancelot (12), who steps in to protect Jonah and give the bullies a “taste of their own medicine.” While they had met before, this was the first time Jonah and Lancelot really talked

Jonah: "King Lancelot was only 12 years old then and had yet to claim his title, but he became my king in that moment. I decided that night to suport King Lancelot as his right-hand for the rest of my life." (Jonah's route, part 20)

14 years ago

On the first day of school, Jonah (13) rages at Sirius (16) over daring to be Lancelot's (15) friend. Harr (13) witnesses this exchange. Days later, Jonah challenges Sirius to a duel on the basis Sirius is not worthy of being Lancelot's friend. Jonah loses, and Lancelot consoles him afterwards. (Clash in Cradle Story Event, Queen Route)

Harr: "It all goes back to when we were all attending the same school together. I assume you've heard that the Queen of Hearts [Jonah] has idolized Lancelot since he was very young. Apparently he was very eager to finally be able to attend the same school as Lancelot. On his very first day at that school, the first thing he did was rush straight to see Lancelot. But when he got there, he saw Lancelot and Sirius standing side-by-side, talking and laughing like old friends."

Jonah to Sirius, per Harr: "'How dare this dolt of a farm-boy pretend to be a friend on equal terms with a man of Lancelot's standing!'"

Harr: "I happened to be passing by, and I saw him [Jonah] standing there, stiff and furious and red-faced, screaming those exact words at Sirius.”

Harr: "A few days later, he challenged Sirius to a duel, with the reason being that Sirius wasn't worthy of being Lancelot's friend. Jonah clearly took a great dislike to Sirius the moment he saw him. Jonah was 13 at the time, and Sirius was 16. When you're teenagers, 3 years is a really big age gap. Sirius defeated Jonah, and I can still remember the effort Lancelot had to put in to properly console him."

Harr (13/14) becomes friends with Lancelot (15/16) and Sirius (16/17) at school. The three of them are together for one year.

Sirius: "Back then, Harr was the younger, super bratty one, and Lance was the super serious honor student. They were my friends. My partners." (Sirius's Route, part 20)

Sirius: "The 3 of us only hung out together like that for about a year..." (Sirius's Route, part 20)

13 years ago

Harr (14) is recruited by the Magic Tower and leaves boarding school

Sirius: "Harr quit school when he was 14. His innate magical powers got him scouted. By the Magic Tower. After he went to the Magic Tower, he suddenly cut off all contact with us." (Sirius's Route, part 20)

12 years ago (Edgar's Route, part 20)

Edgar (13) begins helping Claudius, current Jack of Hearts, in the field

Edgar: "[My uncle] taught me everything a jack needs to know. And had me helping him in the field by the time I was 13."

Edgar on why he is so calm about this when he was 13, as explained at age 25: "...my uncle was only fulfilling his duty as the Jack of Hearts [by training him]. I didn't really care [about the things he was made to do while helping his uncle]. Humans don't get to choose who their parents are, after all. If you teach a child about 'scheming and assassination' from the time they're young, it just becomes a 'normal job' to them. Lying, deceiving, and killing-- I never batted an eye at the thought. I didn't feel anything."

(See 18 years ago for details on the conditioning/abuse involved.)

11 years ago

Harr (16) barely escapes the Magic Tower with his life. He goes to the King of Hearts (Lancelot's father) and is summarily exiled from all of Cradle. He goes into hiding in the Forbidden Forest (Sirius's Route, Part 20)

Sirius: "After he went to the Magic Tower, he suddenly cut off all contact with us. Two years later, we finally got news-- In the form of those wanted posters... they decided to treat him as an enemy of the state." (Sirius's Route, part 20)

Sirius: "After Harr was banished, Lance's determination to end the conflict in Cradle grew stronger. He said he was going to become the King of Hearts so he could get rid of the rivalry between Red and Black. And then he was going to clear Harr's name. He said he was going to bring peace to Cradle, and make it a home that Harr could return to." (Sirius's route, part 20)

Harr: "Lancelot, did you know? Your father was the one who banished me from Cradle. After I learned the Magic Tower's secrets, I barely escaped with my life. I went to your father for help--and he cast me out." (Sirius's Route, part 20)

9 years ago

Ray (15) uses magic against assailants attacking/attempting to kidnap a group of students at his boarding school. After initial attempts to stop them physically, the situation escalates into an explosion of magic that can be heard across campus. Witnesses come upon a corridor full of students lying on the ground with Ray the one left standing. Ray is escorted away by a teacher and all witnesses are told not to talk about the incident. (Ray's route, part 17) (Fenrir’s Route, part 18)

The event is known as 'The Day That Went Dark'

Fenrir, confirming their ages: "But when Ray and I were both fifteen-- our school was attacked by someone, and-- a lot of the students were really badly injured.” (Fenrir’s Route, part 18)

Fenrir about the school: "Our boarding school was in the Central Quarter, and there were kids from both the Red and Black Territories there.” (Fenrir’s Route, part 18) He states this to confirm it is not a Red vs Black event.

Fenrir (15) overslept that morning and arrived to witness the aftermath

Fenrir: "I overslept that day, so I was running late. Right when I got to school I heard this huge explosion. I went rushing to where the sound came from, and I saw all these students lying on the ground. And in the middle of them was Ray. He'd been fighting alone, and he was a complete mess." "He-- it wasn't an injury, it was something worse." (Fenrir’s Route, part 18) The worse being Ray’s eyes had turned red and he had used magic.

Fenrir: "Even to this day, no one knows what happened. Not who the attackers were, or what their purpose was-- nothing. People started calling it 'The Day That Went Dark.'" (Fenrir’s Route, part 18)

The absence of the attackers probably means they weren’t as badly injured if they were at all injured, and were able to escape.

After the event, Fenrir does not see Ray again for an undetermined but notable amount of time. The next time they meet on the school rooftop, Fenrir says, "Hey, pal, Long time no see." (Ray's route, part 17)

Ray is deeply effected by the event and the relationship he has with his own magic: "Even if I try to protect someone, all I end up doing is hurting everyone involved. What am I doing? What the hell am I?" (Ray's route, part 17)

8 years ago

Zero (14) begins boarding school and meets Edgar (16/17), who is assigned to help orient him

Zero, when asked about for how long he's known Edgar: "It's crazy to think about, but it's already been eight years." (Edgar's Route, part 8/9)

Zero: "I first met [Edgar] at the boarding school he attended in the Central Quarter. I entered partway through the year. Actually, it was my first time attending school ever. Before that, I lived in the Magic Tower. It's a long story, but I left. So, at the age of 14, I was put into a boarding school in the Central Quarter. The school assigned Edgar the role of watching me, as well as helping me get used to school." (Edgar's Route, part 9)

Zero: "Edgar got top grades in every subject and all the teachers loved him. He was a total honor student." (Edgar's Route, part 9)

Zero: "Even when we were students, Edgar was already as good with a sword as the fencing instructor." (Edgar's Route, part 9)

Sirius (22) graduates and takes over the family business (flower farm + Canis Major flower shop)

Sirius: "At the time I had zero interest in joining [the Black Army]. When I graduated, I went home and took over the family business right away. But a year after I started working, I got an unexpected letter from Harr, who was still on the run." (Sirius’s route, part 20)

8 - 7 years ago (Loki’s Route, part 21)

Loki (11), during his 11th birthday party at the Genetta home, accidentally unleashes his magic power for the first time while trying to rescue a frightened stray cat that had wandered into the garden.

His magic burst out uncontrollably and destroyed half of his house and injured his friends and family.

His left eye took on a red tint after the incident.

Loki believes this all happened because his magic had been bottled up for so long

(Thought: This insinuates magic is presented much earlier in Cradle children.)

That same day, Loki's parents got in contact with the Magic Tower and agreed to have their son taken in by them.

Later that night, when a cold rain began to fall, his parents packed and abandoned Loki, despite him begging them not to leave him. The Disciples of Magic came and collected him from the ruined house.

The Magic Tower brought him in with the intention of using him in their experiments.

Disciple 1: "His powers are outstanding-- they may even be on par with Harr's."

Disciple 1: "There's no reason for you to ever go home. Your parents don't even want you anymore."

Unknown how long Loki spent in the Magic Tower

(NOTE: I am placing that Loki escaped after a year/less than a year because it matches with one of my earlier theories. Loki is also still noted as being a child by other characters when they first met him.)

After Loki "risked it all to escape, Harr found him."

Harr: "I'll take care of your pursuers from the Magic Tower. I saw them bringing you in. But you'll never have to step foot in that place again. Come with me. I promise I will keep you safe."

And Loki went with Harr and Harr kept his promise.

7 years ago

Kyle (16) and Lancelot (22) join the Red Army

Kyle: "Lance and I joined the army at the same time. So I've seen this [Lancelot passing out from using his magic] plenty of times before." (Lancelot's route, part 9)

Harr (20), in exile, sends letters to Lancelot (22) and Sirius (23). He asks them to meet him at the old ruins in the Forbidden Forest. Lancelot and Sirius are not informed the other will be there. The meeting goes south, Harr is chased back into the forest by Lancelot, and Lancelot and Sirius have a falling out. (Sirius’s route, part 20)

Sirius: "But a year after I started working [at the family flower shop], I got an unexpected letter from Harr, who was still on the run. It said 'I want to meet you, outside Cradle. We need to talk.' I didn't mind what his reasons were. I was just worried about him. So I followed the map he sent, and I ended up here [at the ruins]. But I got a surprise when I arrived. Lance was also here -- and he'd joined the Red Army not long before that." (Sirius's route, part 20)

Further notation that Lancelot is new to the Red Army, per Harr: "Lancelot. You've joined the Red Army now." (Sirius’s route, part 20)

Lancelot on his behavior towards Harr: "I couldn't tell Harr, either [about the collusion between the Red Army and the Magic Tower/Amon]. I didn't want him to get dragged any further into the red darkness that's plagued my family for generations. The Magic Tower was still after him, and I thought the only safe place for him was to stay outside Cradle." (Sirius's route, part 23)

Lancelot on his behavior towards Sirius: "And there's a very simple and obvious reason why I didn't tell you [Sirius] [about the situation with Amon]. You hate war, don't you? I don't care how suited your skills are to being a soldier, an army uniform has never suited you. An apron and a watering can--that's what suits you best." (Sirius's route, part 23)

Not long after this meeting, Sirius gives up on his dream to run the flower shop and joins the Black Army

Sirius either before or after he joins the BA: "I tried to find out what Harr meant by these secrets and ambitions, but-- I was never able to get close to the truth." (Sirius’s route, part 20)

Ray: "You know... Sirius had already been in the Black Army for years by the time Fenrir and I joined. And up until I joined, they'd been begging him non-stop to become the king." "But apparently he just kept turning them down. And the reason he gave was that he wasn't capable of it." (Sirius's route, part 12)

??? years ago (Lancelot’s Route, part 18)

The King of Hearts (Lancelot’s father) has been attempting to end the collusion between the Magic Tower and the Red Army for some time. (Unknown when these attempts began). He makes good progress with Jabberwock Sr. (Amon’s father)

Lancelot: "My father knew that Amon planned to rule this country, and he regarded him as dangerous. He was working to crush those evil ambitions..." (Sirius's route, part 23)

Amon (?) murders his own father and takes control of the Magic Tower. Then--

Amon extracts the King of Hearts’s soul, leaving him little better than a motionless doll

Lancelot: “Though he was technically alive, he was as good as dead.”

Before the day is done, Amon makes a surprise visit to Lancelot (?) at Red HQ, where they meet for the first time. Amon reveals how the relationship between the Red Army and the Magic Tower is going to work. Amon makes it clear Harr and Sirius’s souls will be taken if Lancelot hurts/kills Amon. The lives of Cradle are also being held hostage due to the Magic Tower’s stash of hidden Magic Crystals. Amon offers Lancelot the chance to join him in his work, to which Lancelot has no choice but to agree.

Amon corrects himself at this meeting from calling Lancelot “Lancelot” to “the King of Hearts"

Lancelot claims the throne as the King of Hearts and takes command of the Red Army

Lancelot: "When I succeeded my father, I swore an oath with Amon in my father's place. We'd rule Cradle together-- me publicly, and him behind the scenes. Amon told me that if I didn't swear that oath, he would burn this entire country to ash." (Sirius's route, part 23)

Lancelot: “I pretended to agree to his plan, hoping to get close to him and eventually catch him off guard. I was searching for his hidden cache of Magic Crystals so that I could destroy them all. But to manage that, I also needed him to believe that I was going along with him. That I shared his ambitions." (Sirius's route, part 23)

Amon, expecting Lancelot to betray him, has the Magic Tower make covert skirmishes against the Red Army and Lancelot over the years (Lancelot’s Route, part 24)

Amon: "You see, all those skirmishes I've instigated over the years were meant to drain you of your magical powers." Lancelot: "And you think I didn't realize that?" (Lancelot's route, part 24)

(Theory: these attacks are probably blamed on the Black Army.)

??? years ago

Kyle (?) finds Loki (?), who is passed out on the ground and a mess. Kyle notes that it seemed like Loki was on the run from something. It is their first meeting. (Loki’s route, part 14)

Kyle: "The reason [Loki] buddied up to me in the first place is-- I happened upon him after he had fainted from using too much magic. So I took care of him.”

(Food for thought: does this mean Kyle took Loki to his home to care for him or did he take Loki to the Red Army HQ infirmary?)

A general "years earlier" is given for time frame.

Loki and Kyle’s friendship begins

??? years ago

Luka (?) graduates and goes against Red Territory by joining the Black Army instead

Luka: "After graduation, I decided to join the Black Army. So, Ed and I became enemies." (Edgar’s route, part 19)

Edgar: "The Jack of Spades may be my enemy, but he is also my friend." (Fenrir's route, part 12)

??? years ago

Edgar (?) graduates, and at some point joins the Red Army

The process of replacing Claudius in the Red Army is unknown

Zero regarding Edgar leaving on “family business” from the Red Army: "This happens from time to time. He'll disappear for a day, but he'll be right back to work the next morning." (Edgar's Route, part 8)

Edgar regarding the Jack's pact with the King and Queen: "After those two [Lancelot and Jonah] took on their titles, they haven't issued an order for dark plots or assassinations."  (Edgar's route, part 20) 

Zero (?) graduates from boarding school and joins the Red Army despite having no lineage to speak of

Zero: "After we [Edgar and Zero] graduated, I had nowhere to go. Until he practically forced me to join the Red Army. I'm the person I am today because of him. Though I'm still not sure if I should be grateful or not." (Edgar's Route, part 9)

??? years ago

Civilians besiege the Red Army Headquarters

This is the event which earns Lancelot (?) the nickname the Beautiful Beast

Edgar: "A band of civilians once stormed the Red barracks trying to kill the soldiers. When the military holds all the power, it's pretty common for civilians to resent them. They took us by surprise, so there were quite a few casualties on our side. Until [Lancelot] showed up, saber in hand. And then the fight was over in mere moments."

Alice: "[Lancelot] took out all the attackers by himself?"

Edgar: "That's right. His swordsmanship was breathtaking -- even I thought so. He's incredibly strong even when he doesn't use magic. Almost seems unfair." (Lancelot's Route, part 12)

(THINKING ALOUD: Was it actually the civilians attacking due to unrest or was this another one of Amon’s traps? Lancelot not using magic would have thwarted Amon’s scheme if so...)

Half a month ago

Lancelot’s (29) father, the prior King of Hearts, is killed and his body is hung on the Black Bridge

Lancelot: “I found his corpse hanging from the Black Bridge, as if it was put there on display.” (Lancelot’s Route, part 18)

Ray: "Half a month ago Lancelot's father--the former King of Hearts--was murdered." (Jonah's Route, part 10)

Perpetrator unknown but Lancelot theorizes it was Amon

The reason for this murder was likely to fabricate a reason for the Red and Black Armies to fight. It works, and Lancelot uses it on Day 0 when declaring war.

Day 0

At a meeting in the Garden, Lancelot and the Red Army declare war on the Black Army

The armies have never gone to war before despite 500 years of conflict

The reason Lancelot gives is due to the murder of his father by the Black Army

Lancelot makes it clear he intends to absorb the Black Army into the Red Army

Later that night, Alice the Second falls into Wonderland, right into the Garden...

Special thanks to

@kashimalin for helping to source the former King of Hearts’s DOD

@tenjouu for spotting Sirius’s-graduation-to-Harr’s-letter time frame

@itsmcdlove27 for highlighting Lancelot’s beautiful beast moment

@myotomespace for source correction! <3

[mutfruittea]

Fallout OC Interview

tagged by: No one, but this looks like fun and figured ‘why not?’

I’ll tag: 

@mouseclarke​

As well as anyone that wants to! If you were lookin’ at this and think “Oh man, that looks like fun. I wish I was tagged” CONSIDER YOURSELF TAGGED by me. ^-^

1.       Choose an OC.

2.       Answer them as that OC.

3.       Tag 5 people to do the same. *cough*

 1. What is your name?

“Samantha Wright”

2. How old are you? 

“A bit over 228. Give or take a few years. It’s a long story.”

3. What do you look like?

 4. Where are you from? Where do you live now? “Ha! A small town in the middle of nowhere. I was attending University, in Texas, when I met my late husband. Shortly after we got married, he joined the military and that moved us around for a while. We were stationed near Boston when he was discarded… I mean discharged from the Army. This was all before the war. Another long story. Currently I live with my family in Diamond City.”

5. What was your childhood like? “Not much to say. My mother’s family was conservative; my father’s family was liberal and I’m the result of that co-parenting situation.”

6. What groups are you friendly with? Are you allied with any factions? 

“I’m the General of the Minutemen and the Overseer of Vault 88.

I’d say I’m friendly with most groups in the Commonwealth, but a few of these groups have requested to remain anonymous.”

7. Tell me about your best friend. “Oh Nicholas? You’ve gotta remember to keep hydrated around him, because he is one S A L T Y sonofagun. He’s an alright detective too. You can tell him I said that.” *wink* “His office is behind Arturo’s, just follow the neon signs. I sincerely hope that you never need his services. 

All joking aside, he’s a good man and an even better friend. The more I think about it, he’s more of an older brother at this point. I’m not sure where I’d be with out his help and support.”

8. Do you have a family? Tell me about them! “My son; Shaun and Sister-in-law; Natalie. Shaun has a perpetual thirst for answers that grows increasingly difficult to quench each passing day. He’s polite, smart and accepting of everyone. Even if they are not accepting of him…

Natalie is a pistol. She’s astute, quick witted and is ALWAYS giving Piper and I a run for our money with her debates. Recently, she’s been on about exploring the Commonwealth with us. We’ve pacified her with a promise to revisit the topic at the end of the school year. Boy… is she counting down the days. Ha! Honestly, I admire that fire within her.”

9. What about a partner or partners? 

“My wife, Piper… “The spine of my book, which without my pages would scatter.” I don’t recall who or what that quote is from, but it’s the closest to describing how I feel about her.”

10. Have you ever heard of The Brotherhood of Steel? What do you think about them? “I’ve heard of them. Hard to miss that massive entrance and announcement they made. I’ve worked with them sparingly. Our core morals and values don’t always line up.”

11. Who are your enemies, and why? 

“The usual characters; Raiders, Gunners, Super Mutants, aggressive wildlife, etc. Preston doesn’t like it, but I usually don’t fire the first shot. I’d never ask this of those is one of our settlement or even of the Minutemen under my charge. It’s just a personal choice. I like make sure I’m not accidentally targeting a non-hostile. Yes, I lose the attack of opportunity, but there have been some close calls in the past.” *Pats Dogmeat’s head*

12. What about The Enclave? *apparent forced smile* “I haven’t had the pleasure.”

13. How do you feel about Super Mutants? “One of the reasons I rarely fire the first shot. The FEV process is brutal, but inconsistent. I’ve met a few Super Mutants that were altered physically, but not mentally. Interestingly enough, I discovered this anomaly is not isolated to just the Commonwealth. After some research and asking around, this has happened before in different areas around the States. Mind you, these are just rumors and personal experience.”

14. Have you ever fought a Deathclaw? “Oh yeah. OOOooohhh yeahhh.”

15. What’s the craziest fight you’ve ever been in? “The craziest? Oh my, it would have to be when defending the U.S.S.  Constitution with Ironsides. Never in a million years would I have imagined myself fighting scavengers off a land-bound ship along, side a robot that fired missiles and wore a bicorn hat. If it wasn’t for the evidence on top of that skyscraper, I’d think It was just a fever dream.”

16. Do you like fighting? “No, but there are times when a person is called to do things they don’t particularly enjoy.”

17. What’s your weapon of choice?

“I know it’s controversial, but I rarely leave home without my laser riffle. Especially since Shaun built most of the modifications on it. It’s sentimental to me if nothing else.”  

18. How do you survive? Your wits, your charm, your skills, brute force, some combination? (a.k.a. what’s your S.P.E.C.I.A.L?) “I’m not the strongest, perceptive or most agile. My mother used to say I had “the endurance of a goldfish on land, but could sell a scuba tank to a seahorse.” I’m not entirely sure that was a compliment or not.”

[[ S 4 - P 4 - E 4 - C 10 - I 7 - A 4 - L 10 ]]

19. Have you ever been in a vault? What do you think about them? “Yes, I have… I think what VaultTech has done is deplorable. The idea of a safe place to survive the war was a good one, but the human testing was not. While not all the experiments caused bodily or even psychological harm, the subjects were unaware, let alone consenting, of being participants.

The Vaults themselves are standing the test of time pretty well and make excellent, secured settlements. I’ve been working with the Overseer of Vault 81, another Vault where the scheduled experiments failed. Her advice has been essential in establishing Vault 88, though… we have a BIT more of an open-door policy.”

20. How do you beat all the radiation around here? Has it affected you? 

“Avoiding it when I can, wearing a hazmat suit when I can’t, keeping Rad-X and Rad Away on hand. Preventative practices are best, but not always an option. The best advice I received was, “Early intervention is key. It’s easier to treat light radiation exposure than fully progressed radiation poisoning.”

21. What’s your favorite wasteland critter? “I have a soft spot for deathclaws. My wife calls them “human meat grinders” and I 100% agree… but damn they look cool.”

22. What’s your least favorite wasteland critter? “Molerats for sure. They can swarm and surround you if you’re not careful. Not to mention they are a nightmare for crops.”

23. How do you feel about robots? 

*Shrugs* “If they’re non-hostile, I have nothing against them. We have a settlement run entirely by robots. I happily attended the Zwicky wedding. Lovely couple by the way. Codsworth has been a family friend even BEFORE the war.”

24. How many caps do you have on you right now? “I’d prefer not to answer that, if it’s all the same to you.”

25. Nuka Cola or Sunset Sarsaparilla? “Ooo, Nuka Cola has good variety of flavors.”

26. Do you do chems? “No. Nothing against those who do. “As long as you’re not hurting anyone.”

27. Do you ever think about the Pre-War world? “Sometimes. Certain dates and places bring back memories, but I try to remain as present as possible. That life is gone…”

28. What’s your deepest regret? What would you do differently? [It’s noted that after being asked this question, Samantha looked over the interviewer’s shoulder into another room; where a woman was doing dishes and two children laughing while attempting to put together a mini robot model]

“I have none. No regrets.”

29. What’s your biggest achievement? Or what do you hope to achieve? “Rebuilding the Minutemen is something I’m proud of, but it was a collective effort. I don’t think I can claim that as a personal achievement. As far as what do I hope to achieve? I’m not sure. I don’t measure life by what I have accomplished or what I will accomplish. I’m just a regular person doing my best.”

30. What do you want for the future? For yourself? Your friends? The world?

“I want to be part of a safer Commonwealth. Everyone coming together not jut in crisis, but in celebration as well. With the Institute gone there is more of a chance for that to happen, but we have along way to go. It may not happen in our lifetime, but we can lay the groundwork for future generations.”

[xion92]

Kingdom Hearts OC Week 2019 - Day 3

While for Sora the most important things are friends, for Kaji is the family instead. As he says: “friends can go away or betray you, but family is forever and will always be with you.” For this reason, Kaji deeply cares for each member of his family, not always looking if they have their blood in common.

Kairi

Being his mother, Kairi is the most important person for him. When Kaji is a little child, he wants always to stay with her, and he is scared if she turns away from him. Kairi is very worried about her son, because Kaji is weak and is afraid of everything and everyone who’s not her (and his great-grandmother). She tries various times to make him brave, trying to train him, but she can’t be enough stern with the child, so Kaji will remain a weakling until he’ll meet his future master.

As a young adult, Kaji is a strong and bold man, and he is independent now, but he still deeply loves his mother. They stay together every time they can, even if sometimes they argue because their way to rule is almost the opposite: Kairi is gentle, caring and kind with all their subjects, not always looking for the kingdom in its globality, while Kaji instead looks first the realm, and then the people. But apart from that, Kairi is very proud of her son, and always tries to support him.

Riku

Every master has his pupil. Kaji is Master Riku’s first and only one. Before Kaji’s birth, Riku tried more and more to find his best friend Sora, but he fails again: there’s no way to find or bring him back, at least for now. After a few years, he has to surrender, and stopping his travels, goes to Radiant Garden to greet his other best friend. Kairi and Riku are no longer angry to each other and she is happy to see him again. Riku then meets Kaji, now 5-year-old, and sees how he is shy and weak. So Riku asks to Kairi the permission to train him properly, and Kairi agrees. Riku is a very hard master, and Kaji at first is afraid of him, but after one year, he becomes brave and strong enough to obtain his own Keyblade (months after Riku made the inheritance ceremony with him). 

Thanks to Riku, Kaji as an adult will be the finest and stongest of all fighters in Radiant Garden. Kaji arrives to consider Riku as a part of his family, seeing him almost like a father, and even if he’s the prince, Riku will always be the only person (apart from his mother and grandfather) he will bow to.

Other relatives: Kaji has much respect for Ansem the wise, his grandfather, and it’s because of him that he will develop a machiavellic personality: the subjects, in fact, don’t trust anymore of Ansem, because it was his fault Radiant Garden fell to darkness, years ago. So Ansem teaches to his grandson the first great lesson, the most important for a prince: “you can do everything in the best way, all your life, but if you make one mistake, people will never forget and forgive you, even if you try to repare.” In fact, in Ansem’s case, even if he’s still the reigning prince, he lets almost all ruling to his daughter and grandson, because he’s no longer well seen from his people . So Kaji will always try to show the best part of himself to his subjects’ eyes, because he knows that if people see him in a bad light, he'll never get rid of it, and he could lose his power.

Kaji cares for his two other nearly-forgotten relatives: his great-grandmother, of which, as a child, he always listens her stories and legends about their kingdom. Even as a young child, she is the only person, besides Kairi, he’s not afraid of. Unfortunately, he can stay with her only as a child, because she dies before his growth. The other relative is his grandmother at Destiny Islands, whom he meet in the first trip on the islands with his master (Kairi never brought him there, because she doesn’t want to see her old home, reminding her her lost boyfriend). So Kaji meets her the first time when he’s six, and he sees his grandmother is still depressed for the disappearence of her beloved son. So for the woman is a bless to meet her grandson. From that time, Kaji will always visit her once a month, for all her life, and she’s still alive when Kaji is 16. Now the grandmother is not depressed anymore, thanks to her grandson.

Max and Fethry Duck

The members of his family are the most important people for Kaji, but this doesn’t mean he has no friends. Goofy had his own son, Max, more or less in the same time Kairi had Kaji, and they meet in a visit to Disney Castle, when both of children are 6 or 7. Kaji and Max immediately like each other and often they go to visit to each other. The other friend of Kaji is Fethry Duck, Donald’s fool cousin (in the American characterization, Fethry is a hippy with a lot of hobbies, however here he has his Italian personality, where he is stupid and foolish. I know Fethry is not much known in America, but in Italy he’s a very popular character). Kaji meets him when he’s already grown and he’s ready to begin his journey through worlds with his friend Max, and at first Kaji decides to bring Fethry with them mostly for pity. He’ll become attached to him through their journey.

Below, Kaji and Max were arguing for something. They fight sometimes, they’re both young males, after all. Fethry then stops the fight with his infinite wisdom (note: I didn’t invent this panel, I took it from an Italian Disney comic. I simply replaced Donald with Kaji, and Gladstone with Max)

Mog the moogle

Mog is Radiant Garden’s moogle, and Kaji’s personal informer about all he sees in their world, being him capable to fly. However, Mog doesn’t always make his job properly, and Kaji often looses his patience with him. In the panel below, Mog should report to Kaji standing in front of him, but because of rain, he chooses to keep himself dry sheltering under his prince’s cape. Kaji is not happy about that.

Kain: Kain, originally from Final Fantasy IV, is Kaji’s rival. He’s 5 years older than Kaji, and hates him because, before Ansem decided to reclaim Kairi as his daughter, he already chose him as his successor. But with the return of Kairi, Kain will not be the next prince anymore. Kain didn’t hate Kairi for that, because he knew he could always become the prince after her, but, with the birth of Kaji, every possibility for him is over, so Kain grows in the hate and jealousy for Kaji, and he’ll pretend from the beginning to be Kaji’s friend, to stab him in the back when he has his chance. While Kaji is trained by Riku, Kain asks the same thing to Dilan. So, as an adult, he’ll become a dragoon knight, like his original counterpart. Kain incarnates the conspirations and betrayals described in “The Prince” book, and soon Kaji will have to challenge him to maintain his crown.

...that’s it. Closing with Prince Kaji standing proudly on a hill with his mother beside him (the city of Radiant Garden is only a part of their kingdom, the realm is mainly made of a lot of islands, as seen in the official artworks)

@khoc-week

[loveofyhwh]

September 7: Proverbs 3–4; 1 Timothy 5–6:2; Psalm 64; Proverbs 23:1–3

New Post has been published on https://loveofyhwh.com/september-7-proverbs-3-4-1-timothy-5-62-psalm-64-proverbs-231-3/

September 7: Proverbs 3–4; 1 Timothy 5–6:2; Psalm 64; Proverbs 23:1–3

Old Testament:

Proverbs 3–4

Proverbs 3–4 (Listen)

Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

3   My son, do not forget my teaching,     but let your heart keep my commandments, 2   for length of days and years of life     and peace they will add to you. 3   Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;     bind them around your neck;     write them on the tablet of your heart. 4   So you will find favor and good successOr repute‘>1     in the sight of God and man. 5   Trust in the LORD with all your heart,     and do not lean on your own understanding. 6   In all your ways acknowledge him,     and he will make straight your paths. 7   Be not wise in your own eyes;     fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. 8   It will be healing to your fleshHebrew navel‘>2     and refreshmentOr medicine‘>3 to your bones. 9   Honor the LORD with your wealth     and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10   then your barns will be filled with plenty,     and your vats will be bursting with wine. 11   My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline     or be weary of his reproof, 12   for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,     as a father the son in whom he delights.

Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom

13   Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,     and the one who gets understanding, 14   for the gain from her is better than gain from silver     and her profit better than gold. 15   She is more precious than jewels,     and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16   Long life is in her right hand;     in her left hand are riches and honor. 17   Her ways are ways of pleasantness,     and all her paths are peace. 18   She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;     those who hold her fast are called blessed. 19   The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;     by understanding he established the heavens; 20   by his knowledge the deeps broke open,     and the clouds drop down the dew. 21   My son, do not lose sight of these—     keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22   and they will be life for your soul     and adornment for your neck. 23   Then you will walk on your way securely,     and your foot will not stumble. 24   If you lie down, you will not be afraid;     when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25   Do not be afraid of sudden terror     or of the ruinHebrew storm‘>4 of the wicked, when it comes, 26   for the LORD will be your confidence     and will keep your foot from being caught. 27   Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,Hebrew Do not withhold good from its owners‘>5     when it is in your power to do it. 28   Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,     tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. 29   Do not plan evil against your neighbor,     who dwells trustingly beside you. 30   Do not contend with a man for no reason,     when he has done you no harm. 31   Do not envy a man of violence     and do not choose any of his ways, 32   for the devious person is an abomination to the LORD,     but the upright are in his confidence. 33   The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked,     but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34   Toward the scorners he is scornful,     but to the humble he gives favor.Or grace‘>6 35   The wise will inherit honor,     but fools getThe meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain‘>7 disgrace.

A Father’s Wise Instruction

4   Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,     and be attentive, that you may gainHebrew know‘>8 insight, 2   for I give you good precepts;     do not forsake my teaching. 3   When I was a son with my father,     tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, 4   he taught me and said to me,   “Let your heart hold fast my words;     keep my commandments, and live. 5   Get wisdom; get insight;     do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. 6   Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;     love her, and she will guard you. 7   The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,     and whatever you get, get insight. 8   Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;     she will honor you if you embrace her. 9   She will place on your head a graceful garland;     she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” 10   Hear, my son, and accept my words,     that the years of your life may be many. 11   I have taught you the way of wisdom;     I have led you in the paths of uprightness. 12   When you walk, your step will not be hampered,     and if you run, you will not stumble. 13   Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;     guard her, for she is your life. 14   Do not enter the path of the wicked,     and do not walk in the way of the evil. 15   Avoid it; do not go on it;     turn away from it and pass on. 16   For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;     they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. 17   For they eat the bread of wickedness     and drink the wine of violence. 18   But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,     which shines brighter and brighter until full day. 19   The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;     they do not know over what they stumble. 20   My son, be attentive to my words;     incline your ear to my sayings. 21   Let them not escape from your sight;     keep them within your heart. 22   For they are life to those who find them,     and healing to all theirHebrew his‘>9 flesh. 23   Keep your heart with all vigilance,     for from it flow the springs of life. 24   Put away from you crooked speech,     and put devious talk far from you. 25   Let your eyes look directly forward,     and your gaze be straight before you. 26   PonderOr Make level‘>10 the path of your feet;     then all your ways will be sure. 27   Do not swerve to the right or to the left;     turn your foot away from evil.

Footnotes

[1] 3:4 Or repute [2] 3:8 Hebrew navel [3] 3:8 Or medicine [4] 3:25 Hebrew storm [5] 3:27 Hebrew Do not withhold good from its owners [6] 3:34 Or grace [7] 3:35 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [8] 4:1 Hebrew know [9] 4:22 Hebrew his [10] 4:26 Or Make level

(ESV)

New Testament:

1 Timothy 5–6:2

1 Timothy 5–6:2 (Listen)

Instructions for the Church

5 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

3 Honor widows who are truly widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. 5 She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, 6 but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. 7 Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband,Or a woman of one man‘>1 10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12 and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 14 So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. 15 For some have already strayed after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” 19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. 21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. 22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. 23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) 24 The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. 25 So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

6 Let all who are under a yoke as bondservantsFor the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface‘>2 regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

False Teachers and True Contentment

Teach and urge these things.

Footnotes

[1] 5:9 Or a woman of one man [2] 6:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface

(ESV)

Psalm:

Psalm 64

Psalm 64 (Listen)

Hide Me from the Wicked

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

64   Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;     preserve my life from dread of the enemy. 2   Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,     from the throng of evildoers, 3   who whet their tongues like swords,     who aim bitter words like arrows, 4   shooting from ambush at the blameless,     shooting at him suddenly and without fear. 5   They hold fast to their evil purpose;     they talk of laying snares secretly,   thinking, “Who can see them?” 6     They search out injustice,   saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”     For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep. 7   But God shoots his arrow at them;     they are wounded suddenly. 8   They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;     all who see them will wag their heads. 9   Then all mankind fears;     they tell what God has brought about     and ponder what he has done. 10   Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD     and take refuge in him!   Let all the upright in heart exult!

(ESV)

Proverb:

Proverbs 23:1–3

Proverbs 23:1–3 (Listen)

23   When you sit down to eat with a ruler,     observe carefully whatOr who‘>1 is before you, 2   and put a knife to your throat     if you are given to appetite. 3   Do not desire his delicacies,     for they are deceptive food.

Footnotes

[1] 23:1 Or who

(ESV)

[fistofthesun]

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 29, 30, 34, 35, 36, 40, 43, and 44.~

                  Character Development Questions: Hard Mode. | accepting.

I kept this short on purpose because… safcjk. Have to put it under read more too because it’s hella long.

2. What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like?Like most children Khashin had always adored his mother who took good care of him despite of her rather weak health condition. She taught him the practical things of life - at least those aspects he needed as young boy – for example how to take care of their cattle or how to sew basics things. She was surprisingly soft for being an oroniri woman; yet somewhat childish which can be explained due to her extremely young age.  

Khashin really loved these few years with her. She was always nice to him –not as strict as his father- and after his daily work she would always set down with him to play for him on her Morin Khuur and also sing for him. Or, what she also loved to do, was to play hide-and-seek which often ended with her scolding her son for running too far away during their play. Yet this was that part of the day he was always looking forward to; these moments when he could laugh with his mother.

Her death when he was just scarcely six years old was a true shock for him. It was the last day when he had shed tears.

3. What is/was your character’s relationship with their father like?His father is well respected within the Oronir’s tribe – known for his formidable hunting skills and his archery. He was called a prodigy with the fine art of archery ever since a young age, albeit his hunting did not improve until he had already grown into a man. Nonetheless, albeit he is not the strongest, he has received the honor to be invited to the Dawn Throne. Suffice to say, his father had always been strict with Khashin. He had expected him to become as good in using the bow like he was – yet Khashin had no talent for it whatsoever. Unfortunately his father was blind for this very truth for very long; only frustrating his son and himself with his harsh training methods. Of course Khashin started to dislike the very usage of the bow very quickly, though he bore it until very late.

After the death of his mother and the birth of his younger sister, his father took over the responsibility to take care over her instead. Khashin, at this point already six years old, was expected to live on his own now. The boy often suffered hunger and wounds no one took care of – and his father never asked him for his well-being as well. In fact, considering how much of a disappointment Khashin had been as son until then, he was not allowed to get too close to his sister until he can prove himself worthy. Nonetheless Khashin never felt hatred towards his father, obeying to him. For the boy it sounded perfectly normal that his newborn sister required more attention; and naturally, as oroniri boy, he understood well enough that he had to become stronger.

Since Khashin proved to be completely worthless in the usage of the bow even many years later (partly the reason why he completely gave up on it), his father never spoke to him anymore. The relationship is still incredibly complicated.

4. Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?

Generally speaking, he had two of these moments who ‘changed’ him. His mother’s death had been quite traumatic to him, naturally – but it was not what ultimately changed him. It was the moment when he realized that he was no good but still had to struggle; the moment when he realized that he needed a complete different approach if he wants to keep his mother’s promise. This moment was when he was covered in mud laying in front of his entire tribe, defeated. They were not laughing, but their piercing eyes on him and the disappointment inside his father’s eyes is something he will never forget. He was twelve years old then.

The second moment was when he realized that he lost any feeling inside both of his hands. Before that point he had been relentlessly honed his skills, albeit he was still quite naïve to think that he could obtain true strength without sacrifices. After losing any feeling, however, noticing that he had completely worn out himself and broken his bones maybe too often, he started to care even less about himself. Before that point he was slightly egoistical, maybe, becoming selfless by not caring too much about himself, anyone’s opinion of him or whether he is alive or dead.

As Warrior of Light there were several of these moments. It is why I roleplay him differently compared to any other verse then; even his traveling one. Khashin, in his original-verse (Steppe) but also in his travelling lacks some compassion. Not that it is not there – because it is there – but he rarely shows it. He lacks a general kindness in his actions and words towards strangers, which is what he quickly changes as Warrior of Light, however. He sees too much pain, despair and regret along the way and wants to treat (most) people with kindness therefore.

5. On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?Steppe/Traveling: He always has a knife to skin beasts. He never has too many things with him; not even in the traveling verse. WoL: He does not have too many different things on him as well. It highly depends on the timeline/area. Sometimes he carries a few potions with him to give it to other people who might need it.

7. Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?Khashin rarely does dream to begin with. As child he had them more frequently; and particularly after his mother’s death he would often see her pale, cold face in front of him. For a boy, who loved his mother above anything, this was truly a nightmare. As he became older, however, he was becoming used to rarely sleep at all and if only little. Mayhap due to this he was not truly able to dream at all; but his nightmares, if happening, are always a dark, pitch black pit he is falling in with his loved one’s faces fading.

10. Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing?Generally he does enjoy to wear little clothes. This is easily explained that he loves to have more freedom for his movements; often finding the clothes unfitting for his style of combat. Naturally he is most of time, particularly in the Steppe-verse which is often very cold as well, wearing clothes – but he often finds himself stripping at least his top for fighting.

17. What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?Like many children Khashin took a liking to ‘Ail ger’, a game played with only stones. Basically it is a ‘doll game’, just with stones. You place stones in a circle to represent the yurt and then play with the other stones accordingly. His mother often played this with him, often finding new, unique stones to add to their collection.  

18. Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others?As someone who was born as Oronir, he highly values to have ambition. Without it none of them would become worthy of their Dawn Father’s radiance. Naturally this also applies to other people – even in his non-Steppe verses. Wisdom becomes more important to him once he left the Steppe, but it plays overall still a minor role unless he is WoL.

19. What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before?His biggest flaw is probably the very fact that he is a quite jealous and possessive type of person. It is not that he forbids his partner to have super deep friendships with others or meeting them, not at all, but if he’s there he likes to ‘show’ who his partner truly belongs to. If someone touches his partner with the attempt of flirting with them, this person has to be prepared to face the consequences – which usually are broken bones. In fact Khashin becomes quite…intimidating, not to say scary, when it comes to chasing people away from them who might become romantically or sexually interested in his partner.

Since Khashin never had a relationship before, it was not an issue yet LOL.

24. How quick is your character to trust someone else?Trust is only proved by loyalty and actions over time. Particularly Steppe-Khashin does not easily trust people and they have to earn his trust first. He’s like this in his traveling-verse as well; in his Warrior of Light-verse he’s only for a little trusting everyone a bit more from the start.

25. How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person?He is, by nature, a semi-skeptical person to begin with. Since he does not get emotionally attached to anyone for extremely long, he is quite neutral and open to all ends. If actions prove as much, he will draw the natural conclusion and suspect someone. However, he is extremely loyal towards his friends and loved ones. Something extremely major needs to happen for him to suspect them then. He does not easily trust people to begin with, after all.

29. What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?He always wanted to become respected among the Oronir. This has yet to be fulfilled.

30. What does your character find repulsive or disgusting?There is barely anything he finds disgusting to begin with. Even things which most might find disgusting are fine with him, considering his background. He’s kinda tough in that sense.

34. Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method?One has to know that Khashin is incredibly stubborn. If there is a door, he’ll use the wall at times instead. He will stick to his principles and methods, no matter what. Unless it really does not work his way – then he’ll adapt to different methods.

35. How does your character behave around people they like?Khashin is a really closed up person; he’ll more frequently talk about himself with people he likes. His arrogant façade is also dropping, at least a little, and he does show this extreme caring side of him he wasn’t before. Also, one will realize that his constant teasing is also a way to show his affection. Particularly since his way to tease people is slightly changing once he starts to like them.

36. How does your character behave around people they dislike?He’s literally arrogant asshole. And will threaten them.

40. How does your character treat people in service jobs?He’s not unfriendly to them. He in fact never is, not even to strangers – albeit this probably depends on how one interprets his arrogance and sass.

43. Has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them?Esugen really helped him out when he was much smaller. When his mother died, Esugen was already a young man who was quite used to everyone belittling him. Fortunately he is  quite kind by nature, especially for an oroniri man, so he often took care for Khashin when no one else was. He was of course not able to replace the family Khashin had lost, but he will never forget his kindness.

44. How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it?Khashin has an incredibly tough time to even fall in love with someone; let alone realizing that he is in love. This is not due to his oroniri beliefs, as one could assume – albeit, to admit as much, he had always thought that someday he will marry –but because he is also not looking for anyone. He does not waste any thoughts to this, which also shows that he merely has flings in his traveling/WoL-verses as well. This is by no means an intentional thought – as I said, he does not think about it – but he would consider himself quite unworthy of anyone as he is right now. In most verses, partly even in his WoL-verse, he still seeks strength. His life is dedicated to his tribe, his family – his sister to be precise; and unless he has proven that he is capable of protecting the remaining persons he loves, he will not waste too many thoughts about it. He also has literally zero experience when it comes to be or fall in love, so if it happens he will not realize it. To realize as much will take him the longest time ever as well.

[lilbreck]

AGoT Prologue - Chapter 3: Daenerys I

Notes:

Since I’m going to be more than likely addressing GRRM in a… less than praising manner a lot of the time, I’m going to call him Mr. Martin here. It’s my way of trying to soften my attack.

To the people who refer to the chapters only as the POV [insert number], what did chapter numbers ever do to you? Did they poison your dog, dry up your well, and run off with your girl? What the fuck did they ever do to you? To whoever didn’t put the chapter number in the actual chapters of this book: I fucking hate you.

Mr. Martin, have you ever actually interacted with children? Because, going by your writing, it doesn’t seem like you have. While Dany’s advanced mental age could be due to a life the run due to her brother’s paranoia and his probable mental, emotional, and physical abuse, I side eye why Bran is written so old.

Having said all that. I have the maps open, the appendix with children’s ages a click away, and I am ready to read.

Prologue

Royce is pretty much a young Hot Topic manager that everyone who works with him secretly (and not-so secretly) thinks is fucking useless and full of himself. He also apparently has the survival instincts if a particularly stupid rock.

But, hey, he’s a sharply dressed pretentious idiot!

They do a really good job of describing how it feels to freeze to death. Damn. I also like the that Others don’t appear to be mindless. It makes them far more threatening, IMO. I also like that it’s not just the dead coming back, there’s that supernatural cold that comes with them that just adds an edge of terror to it all.

Question: To those who use this prologue to speculate on Jon’s future (because of how it kind of mirrors his death), does the fact that Royce was blinded before he died change the idea for you that Jon might lose an eye? Just curious.

Chapter 1: Bran I

Age 7

And we’re going to have a seven-year-old see a man beheaded. Life’s hard, y’all. It’s the third guy from the prologue so I guess he ran fast enough for the Others not to get him? It’s interesting that, apparently, Ned didn’t tell them any of what was going on, just that they were off to behead someone. I say this because Robb was under the impression they were going to kill a wilding sworn to Mance Rayder. Speaking of wildings, can I just say, there is some major anti-wilding propaganda coming from Old Nan. I wonder how much of it is close to what they’re like. Obviously not the laying with Others bit.

You have to wonder, if it’s not even winter yet, and their breath is already showing… how fucking cold does it get in the North? Also, how many thirty-five-year-olds is Bran seeing to recognize that his father may look older than thirty-five? Most kids I know either think their parents are forever the same age, or always old. Or, you know, both.

Theon (who is about five years older than both Jon and Robb) is an ass. He just straight up laughed when a man got his head cut off and then kicked the head away. I’m with Jon.

I see we have the first sign that Jon sees a lot that others don’t (the man was afraid). Also, I wonder how long he’s been calling Robb “Stark”. I wonder if this is only under certain circumstances, or if it’s all the time. It’s been a long ass time since I’ve read this.

I’d like to take a moment to say that I’ve been thinking a bit more harshly of Cat than I possibly should have. I forgot that Jon and Robb are the same age. What this means is that, as far as Cat knows, as soon as Ned got her pregnant, he fucked off South and got another woman pregnant. Now, we know that’s not what happened, but still.

I also completely forgot that the direwolf they found had been killed by, presumably, a stag. Damn, but Theon was fucking eager to kill the pups. I mean, it’s easy to say “of course” since when know what happens now, but still…

And Bran noticing that Jon had deliberately excluded himself as Ned’s son, even called him “Lord Stark”, in order to save the pups. I’m all emotional over here.

This chapter we see that Theon’s an ass, Jon is willing to draw attention to what probably hurts him the most to save even puppies lives, and Jon either has some freaky sensitive ears, or there’s already a call between the direwolves and the Starks. I’m guessing the latter.

Chapter 2: Catelyn I

Age (32 or 33, IIRC)

Married to Ned – 15 years.

I really like how the differences in religion really say a lot about the mindsets of Southern houses and Northern houses. Now, when she (and everyone, I assume) refer to “the children of the forest”, I’m assuming they mean a people, not just actual children roaming around the forest. I’m putting that out there, because you can never really tell in fantasy.

I think it says a lot that, even after years, and a political marriage turned to love and trust, she still doesn’t seem comfortable with their religion. She even talks about how the eyes of the heart tree followed her. She still very much views herself as a Southerner. I wonder if, when she married Ned, she brought any lady’s maids or anything of that nature with her. Other Southerners to help her feel less isolated. I’m thinking not, and I feel so much for her.

Chapter 3: Daenerys I

Age 13

Okay, give that she’s a year younger than Jon, I want to know the timeline for Rhaegar’s death, Aerys’ death, and the birth of these two. I’m sure there’s a timeline somewhere, I’ll look it up later.

I like that Dany is smart enough to question what Illyrio wants from them if he’s giving them so much, though I have to wonder what she went through to make her ask that. Also, I don’t like Viserys right off that bat. He fucking twisted her damn nipple, painfully.

Okay, so I’ve got a bit of the answer to the timeline question I had. During Robert’s Rebellion, Viserys was eight, but Dany was still an early stage pregnancy, if I’m interpreting “only a quickening in their mother’s womb” correctly. So, while not exactly a year younger than Robb and Jon, it’s close enough. And she’s going to be riding to “reclaim” a home she’s never had, seeing as she doesn’t even remember Dragonstone, and she was still with a wet-nurse when they fled there. Already I just want this poor girl freed from her brother and taken some place safe and warm where she can be a child like she obviously wants to. Maybe find a w ay to return to Braavos.

It’s also interesting to see the different views that we have on the Rhaegar and Lyanna story. The first we hear of it, he was battling and dying for the woman he loved. Of course, Dany’s only getting her information from her brother, so everything has to be taken with a grain of salt. Also, how much of their wondering was actually because of people after them, and how much was her brother’s paranoia. After all, Dany does say she never saw anyone.

Just going by Dany’s descriptions, Viserys has been full on mad for a while now. IIRC, in the show, the bath scene with Dany was mean to show that she was resistant to heat. However, in the book the servants/slaves never comment on the heat. Dany does, but she only says she likes the heat because it makes her feel clean and her brother is telling her that it was never too hot for a Targaryen. So, yeah, I’m thinking that “heat resistance” in the show has nothing to do with the book.

Poor Dany doesn’t even have a moment to pretend this is anything other than her being sold. She quickly makes the connection between the young slave’s comment about Drogo’s slaves wearing gold collars and the gold collar that’s put on her. Fuck Viserys.

Oh, I didn’t realize we got a reference to the red priests and the Lord of Light this early on. Heh. Wow, they are spread far and wide, aren’t they?

I’d like to point out that Dany has a far better bullshit detector than her brother. She’s probably had to develop a habit of being able to read people because her brother seems quick to lash out. Also notice that Viserys claims to be the last dragon… while his sister is standing right next to him. He is damn far gone.

Okay, there is obviously so much wrong with the Dany and Drogo pairing. Let’s skip over the fact that her brother is selling her to him, because that’s a common thing through this series / time. Dany is thirteen here, Drogo is about thirty. Aren’t we all glad they aged a lot of the characters up for the show? Another thing that should set off red flags is how much Drogo frightens Dany just from how fucking mean he looks.

“I’d let his whole khalasar fuck you if need be, sweet sister, all forty thousand men, and their horses too if that was what it took to get my army. Be grateful it is only Drogo. In time you may even learn to like him. Now dry your eyes. Illyrio is bringing him over, and he will not see you crying.”

Yeah, everyone involved in this (save Dany, of course) needs to die painfully. Like, you know how Vlad would impale people and the pole would go through them from ass to brain, but sometimes it wouldn’t get the brain and they’d be left up there to slowly die? I want that to happen to these people.

 We’ll leave off here and read three or four more chapters tomorrow. Hell, maybe more. We’ll see. However, feel free to comment away. Let me know if there’s something I missed, or if you want to talk about any specific thing.

Just remember, it’s been a long time since I’ve read this, so I’m only familiar with the first three chapters so far.

[queersunflowers]

LGBT+ Movie Reviews

I’ve binged watched as many movies in the LGBT+ section of Netflix as I could and have reviewed them in case you find yourself bored over the summer and wanna watch something cool. All these reviews are in my opinion and I’d even recommend some of the ones I found poorly done to my friends to watch just for fun. Feel free to add more because Netflix is constantly adding and taking down movies, some of which on this list are no-longer on Netflix anymore. These critiques are not professional in anyway, these are just my personal opinion and I tried not to analyze everything in case you want to watch them for enjoyment later on.

(These are in no particular order! Also if you’re uncomfortable with body parts / drug use / alcohol use / sexual content with minors, I highly suggest not watching these. Most of these also involve smoking a lot of cigarettes, idk why this is a common theme but it is??)

1. The Way He Looks 5/5

Based on I Don’t Want To Go Back Alone, this movie is about Leonardo, a blind teenager, searching for independence. His relationships with everyone around him change when a new student, Gabriel, comes to his school. They quickly become close and his perspective on life changes with their growing bond. This movie is incredibly sweet and I still think about it a whole year after watching it. The character and scenes stick out and the acting from Ghilherme Lobo is amazing.

2. Blackbird 4.8/5

Adapted from a novel by the same name, Randy is a church choir boy living in a religious town in Mississippi, struggling with his sexuality. With his internal struggle, Randy is also faced with the fact that his mother blames him and his little sister’s disappearance. His father tries to be apart of his life but the most positive influence turns out to be Marshall, an openly gay man. The cinematography was very pretty and aesthetically pleasing. Characters were a bit 2D but you can’t help but awe at character development as well as certain scenes. 

3. 4th Man Out 5/5

After celebrating his 24th birthday, Adam decides to tell his buddies he’s gay. At first, they shocked because he doesn’t fit their perception of a gay man and take it pretty badly initially. After the shock dies down, they’re determined to help him find the right guy. I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Okay but really, it was beautifully done in that it breaks stereotypes of what it means to be gay. It had the right about of both humor and charisma to keep you watching. Also I love Evan Todd so there’s that. But idolization aside, this movie was cute and leaves you smiling and genuinely happy. 

4. 4 Moons 4.5/5 (No longer on Netflix)

This movie is about four different generations of men exploring their sexuality either for the first time, or giving themselves one last hoo-ra before retirement. This movie shows the pure first moments of love and the ugly sides of it. The characters aren’t connected at all, which initially confused me but over the course of the movie, made more sense. You grow attached to characters and feel like you’re going on the same roller-coaster as them. The plot was very well thought out and shows the intricate feelings of each situation. 

5. W E E K E N D 4.7/5

After a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what’s expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special. (IMDB) Things are little confusing at first and the plot moves very fast in the beginning but character development and technical aspects make up for those. It’s no wonder this movie was nominated and awarded as much as it. 

6. North Sea Texas 2.4/5

The movie follows the story of Pim, who falls in love with his male best friend, Gino. I’ll be quite honest, I watched this movie some time ago and I don’t have the patience to go back and re-watch it. It’s a cute movie, don’t get me wrong, but it isn’t very memorable at all and I’d sit here and try to critique it but I can’t lol. It has nothing to do with Texas, it’s actually a Flemish movie, so I have no idea why they named it the way they did. This is a cute movie to watch if you have a lot of time on your hands.

7. The Outlist (Documentary) 4.7/5

The Outlist is a documented account of celebrities “coming out” and dealing with being out in the pubic eye. This movie featured people like Ellen DeGeneres, Janet Mock, and Neil Patrick Harris. This was actually recommended to me by one of my teachers who is a lesbian. It is a positive reinforcement “it gets better”. However, I wished there was more representation as far as race and LGBT+ people. Most of the people being interviewed were either gay or lesbian, which is good because we need accounts of them, but I would of liked more out trans, bisexual, pansexual, etc. people involved. 

8. Eat With Me 4.9/5

When Emma moves in with her son Elliot, they walk on glass around each other because of his sexuality and troubles with the father. However, when the restaurant Elliot owns that serves Chinese food starts to go under, Emma reconnects with him through authentic Chinese food recipes. Emma explores her individuality and this is more of a movie about the mother and son relationship than anything, which is probably why I love it so much. Yes, there is a man who becomes a love interest but the plot lies within the mother and her coming to terms with her new life and how she wants to live it. Lots of movies focus on the negative sides of being gay and having the family deal with it, this shows the upsides and how they coexist. 

9. Jenny’s Wedding 2.5/5

Jenny has been keeping her sexuality a secret from her family for too long and when she decides to get married to her lover, she decides that is a proper time to come out. She decides that if her family can’t accept this, they run the risk of losing her forever. Which sounds great in theory. Just like I said before, many movies focus on the negative, this heavily focuses on the negative to the point where its just too much. This is one of those movies where instead of focusing on the movie, you ponder what other movie you’ve seen because the main actress just looks so familiar. The acting was cliche but I’ll direct the blame to whoever wrote this. I really wanted to like this movie.

10. GBF 1.5/5

Ugh. You’ll be laughing at this movie not because it’s funny, but because it’s so horrible. Oh my god.  What happens after Tanner is outed by his classmates and becomes the title “gay best friend” for three high school queen bees? (IMDB) Not much but yet so much. It might be the worst movie I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes. If you’re a fan of gore/horror, you might recall the movie “Deathgasm”. This is just like that but Deathgasm is so much better. Please watch this just because it’s horrible. 

11. Loving Annabelle 2.0/5

After getting kicked out of two schools, Annabelle is sent to a Roman Catholic school by her mother. In an English class, Annabelle quickly develops a crush fro the English teacher. This is that AU. I have read so many better fanfictions that execute this idea better than this movie. An actual exert from my notes: 

12. Blue Is The Warmest Color 4.8/5

A young French girl, Adele, catches the eye of an older art student, Emma, and they form a chemically explosive relationship. If you’re gay, you knew this movie existed before anything ever. This movie is memorable and teaches you moral lessons that you should carry fro the rest of your life. However, it pursues the stereotype that bisexual people are more likely to cheat which is total bullshit but whateverrrrrr. (I’m salty.) Honestly, a classic that you should watch if you haven’t already. 

13. XXY 2.7/5

Alex, a 15-year-old girl with both male and female sexual organs and the rest of her case remains a mystery to me. Her mother invites friends (?) from Buenos Aires and their 16-year-old son Ãlvaro, and curious teenage shenanigans ensue. Who wrote this??  I was utterly confused and there was no plot that I can remember? It’s quite literally just her living with both male and female genitalia.

14. Strike A Pose (Documentary) 5/5

This documentary follows the lives of Madonna’s background dancers during her Blonde Ambition tour. Wow. It’s truly amazing. The story telling from each of the dancers and the way they loved their lives before and after the tour is tragically beautiful. The sass between all of them is perfect and leaves you smiling even though you’ve cried five times during it and it’s not even over. This movie made me want to come out to someone even though i have no one to come out to. It makes you think about life and how we need more movies/documentation about the AIDS epidemic, which impacted multiple dancers. There’s no words to convey how powerful this is. 

15.  Pariah 5/5

In Brooklyn, Alike quietly embraces her identity and is looking for her first lover. Her mother is constantly pressuring her into pursing a girly lifestyle, unfortunately perpetuating the stereotype that all queer women are butch. Her father tries his best to be there for her but somehow the lines blur and she’s left to deal with her sexuality in other places. The color grading for this movie is beautiful. Sound was great and whoever directed it gave set design a box of fairy lights and said “go wild”. The plot was so real and raw and the characters where very complex. This movie pulls some heavy emotions out of you especially if you’re apart of the LGBT+ community. They write friendships between queer women so perfectly! Ahhhh, amazing. 

16. Bloomington 3.4/5

A former actress goes to college to find independence and becomes involved with a female professor. This is so much better than the other movie on this list with the same concept so if you’re looking for a teacher/student movie, here it is. There’s not much plot here other than the obvious “we can’t get caught”. 

17. Room In Rome 1.9/5

Two young women share a night of passion in Rome. That’s it. If you don’t like sex, don’t watch this movie because it is quite literally just sex and lies. There’s some character development but half of it is lies which leaves you utterly confused. Set design is pretty but it takes place in one (1) hotel room. 

18. I Love You Phillip Morris 3.8/4 (No longer on Netflix)

Steven Russell comes out of the closet to his family and in a passionate vow to be true to who he really is, he moves to Florida but gets swept up in the wrong crowd. He ends up in jail and meets Phillip, who becomes the love of his life. This movie is a roller-coaster and you are not wearing a seatbelt. This is on the more comedic side of the movies on this list and has some truly funny characters. I probably laughed more than anything watching this. 

19. RENT 5/5 (No longer on Netflix)

A group of impoverished queer friends struggle to survive in New York City’s East Village with the looming outbreak of HIV/AIDS. A black drag queen, black pansexual professor, jewish boy, bisexual activist, black lesbian lawyer, HIV positive rock singer, and hispanic sex-worker all face adversity and challenges in their situation yet in the end, always maintain their sense of friendship. I am absolutely in love with this movie musical you have no idea. I’ve written essays on it. Character interaction and development go beyond the surface and technical aspects were on point. 

20. Those People 3.6/5 

In Manhattan, a young gay painter is torn between his obsession with his best friend and a promising new romance with an older foreign pianist. (IMDB) Costume design was amazing–all technical aspects were so if you need any inspiration, this movie is good to watch because they pay close attention to detail. This movie pulls emotions out of you and makes you want to cry. As you watch you are subconsciously thinking it’s going to go a certain way, but that’s not how life works out. 

21. Man On Heels 3.8/5

A transgender homicide detective decides she wants to try and transition. Although she has to hide this from her coworkers, which proves to be quite challenging. If you do not like violence or blood, this movie is not for you. This is an action movie and not all the information in this movie about transitioning is 100% accurate. The line of masculine vs. feminine is highly defined here but overall is a good, well put together movie.

22. We Were Here (Documentary) 5/5

Whip out your tissue box because you will cryyyyy. This documentary explains how in the 1970′s, San Francisco was the safe haven for all LGBT+ people but was soon struck with a wave of death, becoming ground zero for America’s AIDS epidemic. Interviews and accounts of survivors as well as nurses trace back the lives of all those lost. I’m not very good at reviewing documentaries but this one moved me, even though I am apart of the LGBT+ community and have known about this tragic event for years. From covering the riots and activism to hospital rooms, there’s so much history and emotion squeezed into an hour and twenty-nine minutes. Wow.

23. The 10 Year Plan 1/5

Best friends make a pact to be together in a decade if neither finds love. With two months left in their deadline, they both scramble to find someone to avoid being each other’s last resort. (IMDB) There’s no words to describe how incredibly awful this movie is, oh my goddd. The camera man and technicians knew what they were doing. Nobody else did. It was pretty to look at, but horrible acting. GBF was better. I blame the screenwriter and director for everything. Dialogue was bad, plot was cliche and you knew where this was going to go. They just couldn’t cut the movie off at 30 minutes so they had to waste time fucking around for the other 30, drawing the “plot” out for wayyy longer than it had to be. If you muted the movie and closed your eyes for exactly half the movie, until the ending scene, you’d think this movie was great! I am so upset!

24. Closet Monster 4.7/5 

Haunted by past memories and his suppressed sexuality reaching the surface, Oscar tries his hardest to avoid his broken home and leave his hometown. He is an aspiring makeup artist and is juts trying to quiet get by when he meets a boy who flips his normal life inside out. I love this movie so much. If you do not like blood or guts or anything of that nature, do not watch this movie! It is on a artistic side so you’ll have to read a little into it and things are done for a reason. Whoever was on the set design and makeup design team deserve medals!! This was a beautiful movie that I’ve watched multiple times just because it’s so captivating. 

25. Being 17 3.9/5

Two boys have heated tensions between each other at school and that’s as far as they’re relationship has gone. That is until one boys mother falls ill and the mother of the other takes care of her while taking in her son, forcing the two boys to live together. There’s occasional plot holes but it is visually pretty, the director really put an interest on scenery and that payed off. The plot was iffy though and was rushed at certain parts, making it a bit awkward. 

26. The Falls 3.4/5 (No longer on Netflix)

While on their mission trip, Chris and RJ fall in love, something forbidden from their religion. Oh my god this is a trilogy I’ve just now learned! I haven’t watched the other two but I defiantly will soon ahhhhh. This movie was aesthetically pretty and is very funny. The character development is deep and this movie shows how religion can affect LGBT+ lives and how you’re able to move on. There are some minor plot holes and things execution wise that made me give t the score it got, but was overall a good movie. Good enough to get me to search the web for the other two movies.

27. Almost Adults 2.5/5

I’ve seen how devoted some people on this site are to the actors as well as the YouTuber who made it and please keep in mind I bare no ill will against  Adrianna, in fact I’m subscribed to her. Don’t crucify me. Two best friends are transiting to adulthood, one embracing her sexuality, the other ending a long-term relationship with her boyfriend. This movie is packed to the brim with stereotypes of queer woman and written poorly. It is touching and sweet but makes me cringe when I listen to it. Lots of character development in both main characters and its very funny. I’ll be honest, you’ll only like this movie if you like the actors and screen-writer. I gave it such a low score because it reminded me wayy too much of how GBF was written in that everyone talked like they were years younger than what their character was. It’s written to how adults see today’s youth. I really wanted to like this movie, being a queer woman myself, but I could not find it in me to give it a higher rating than that. 

28. Blush 4.2/5

Let’s go sneak into clubs and do hard drugs with our new bisexy best friend! A high school student takes interest in a new, free-spirited girl and they quickly become friends. She is exposed to drugs, heavy alcohol, and sex. I’m not entirely familiar with Israel traditions so I can’t say if this is fully accurate. Color grading of a Haley Kiyoko music video and could of been better sound wise. However with all its minor setbacks, this was a beautifully done movie. You can see the change in the main character as she discovers her identity, as well as her struggles at home. She remains true to herself and overall is a very strong character. 

29. Esteros 4.1/5

Two childhood best friends reconnect after years of separation and explore their feelings for each other as adults. I’m not a huge fan of flashbacks because I feel like they take the audiences attention away from the real plot but these were okay and made sense with the story. I was left confused at points during the movie but they stayed aesthetically consistent. This movie is pure, 100% fluff, no real hurt or angst at all bless. Very minor plot holes with the flashbacks and all but left you feeling warm inside, just a good movie. I can’t remember if they show any genitalia so if you don’t like dicks, proceed with caution. 

30. 52 Tuesdays 3.9/5  

Billie is taken aback when her mother comes out to her as trans. Taking place over a whole year, problems start to arise in both Billie and her mother. This is another artistic and obscure movie. I found myself amazed yet confused at some parts throughout the movie. The lighting contrasts between shots with the night and day were nice. I wish the plot wasn’t so vague all the time and it wasn’t so random. These are one of the times that I feel flashbacks weren’t the best route to go on. It’s message was very clear though: Transitioning is never easy and is rough in some form for everyone who does go through with it. 

[tommyboyproductions]

An Apology and an Offer

Story under cut, pt 7

The entire festival seemed to have fallen silent upon hearing what Mr. Okuma had just stated aloud, infront of everyone. Ray could feel his chest tighten and his head hurt from even greater confusion. How could he not have known about his mother being an Okuma? Why had his father not told him about this. This entire time, Saya had gone on hating him, when they were actually family. 

"Shinya, why are you doing this now." Hokuto stepped forward, Ray looking over to his father. He hadn't realized he was even there until now. Mr. Okuma turned towards Hokuto.

"Ah, it's been years Hokuto. Don't tell me you haven't mentioned to your son about his own mother's family?" Mr. Okuma cocked his head and Hokuto furrowed his brow.

"This isn't your place. You should leave." Hokuto's tone grew darker. Sara had made him promise to only tell Ray about the other side of his family if it were completely necessary. Until now, it hadn't been. Sara had been outcast from the Okuma family from the time she grew into a young adult and began seeing the world of cooking in extremely different light than the rest of them. The last thing she wanted was to burden Ray with the exhaustion she had dealt with her whole life. The Okuma's tended to be extremely intolerant people and no matter how hard Sara tried to get them to see eye to eye, it was always in vain. Especially when it came to her older brother Shinya Okuma. Bringing brought up with the old beliefs of their ancestors, the Okuma's looked at cooking as a duty rather than a pass time. It was not something to be enjoyed or toyed with. It was something you did to bring up your family and make them stronger. It was how they defined their family name and anything beneath that was viewed as weakness.

"Don't worry, I'm just about to. But Hokuto... perhaps you should consider sharing with your son where he truly comes from. It's never too late for the younger generations to follow suit. Your son was born for this purpose. Don't you think?" Shinya smiled a demeaning smile while Hokuto stood silent. He wasn't about to fight back with this man who he had so long despised. "Daddy... What are you even talking about!? You mean... Ray's a part of our family?" Saya's head was about to burst along with everyone elses. Her stomach was a mess and her frustration with her father was only growing. "Why wouldn't you tell me?! You're so upset with Ray's dad for not telling him, but you did the same thing!" 

"Until now, Saya, there was no need for you to be aware of Ray has an Okuma. I was simply waiting for him to blossom as he so clearly has. Perhaps you could learn a thing or two from seeing my battle with him. You still have much more growing to do." Shinya smiled at his daughter, who still stood in shock.

"I don't mean any disrespect sir, but you sure do talk a lot." Ray rolled his eyes, grinning. "I said I would cook with you. And I'm sure my mom would love to see me beat you. I mean, she couldn't have been too fond of you if she never even told me about you." Ray sighed, looking over to his father. There wasn't even an ounce of him upset with his dad for never telling him. This news he was just given, if he really thought about it, hadn't changed anything. He would still cook just as he always had. 

"I see... you have an attitude like her as well young Ray." Shinya was obviously becoming more aggitated. "Then it's settled. I'll have someone contact you with the date and location. Until then, I suggest you practice. Practice more than you ever have, since it will quite certainly be the last time you cook with such a fire in your eyes." Shinya turned, looking at Saya once more. "I'll be waiting at home. We have alot to discuss." And with that, he returned to his car, leaving everyone standing still in silence. Saya couldn't break her stare at the ground. It was as if a ton of bricks had just fallen on her. This whole time, she hated Ray so much for everything he had and did, when he had been family all along. She was so confused and so angry, she couldn't move.

"Saya." Daizo stepped up from behind, placing his hand on her shoulder. He could tell a part of her was falling apart inside. Not only had she tried so desperately her entire life to please her father and to some how become better than Ray, now she had to face the fact that he was an Okuma. He was undoubtedly born with the talent she had always longed for. 

"I..." Saya began.

"...Well! That was... unexpected!" Sachie laughed into the microphone awkwardly, trying to snap everyone out of it. "Anyways! Enjoy the rest of the festival everyone! In just a few moments, we'll have a special performance from the Music Club, along with some fireworks to close down the evening! It's been great!" Sachie cheered, placing the microphone back on the stand. She was definitely ready to be done with that thing, especially after the turning of events that had just taken place.

"Yo dude... whaaaaaat?" Shouta made his way up to Ray, his face in complete disbelief. Hokuto had already walked over, shaking his head. "Was that guy really serious?" Shouta turned to Hokuto for confirmation. Ray's father looked down, a pained look on his face. It was obvious he regretted never mentioning it to Ray. Even a part of him imagined having to do it one day. But not like this.

"Ray..." Hokuto began.

"It's okay, dad." Ray smiled, nudging his father. Hokuto looked up at his smiling son. "I can see why Mom wouldn't like that guy. He's pretty annoying..."

"You got that right. That dude has somethin way far up his ass..." Shouta tisked his tongue. Akihiko made his way over, his face a bit dull, but not from the big reveal.

"Congratulations Ray. You've seemed to have won fair and square." Kiko admitted. His support for his sister had not dwindled and it pained him to see her lose, but he was mature and could handle the disappointment with dignity.

"Thanks! Your sister was awesome. I'm kind of surprised she didn't win!" Ray spoke earnestly, cheering Kiko up a bit.

"As am I." Kiko smiled, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "But she will redeem herself. You have not seen the last of Aimi Ito." Kiko was certain there would come a day where his sister and Ray would battle with their talents again. "You rang?" Aimi made her way over to the group, standing next to her brother. "You did awesome Ray. I'm glad we got to cook against each other like that. You definitely didn't disappoint. And now, I can say I battled an Okuma..." Aimi winked, leaning into her brother's side.

"Seriously dude, you know what this means right!?" Shouta jumped excitedly, grabbing his bestfriends attention.

"...What?" 

"You're like... famous! Like, Okuma famous!" Shouta seemed more hyped up over the news than anyone. The shock had definitely worn off.

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing..." Ray smirked, enjoying his bestfriends enthusiasm.

"Hey uh... Ray?" A small, strawberry voice flew through the air as Honda walked over to where the group stood. "I can't believe all of that just happened..." She was obviously just as shook as everyone else was. "Are you alright?" Honda asked, shyly pushing a part of her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah! I'm okay. It doesn't really change anything for me. It just gives me more cooking to look forward to." Ray nodded. "And... I kinda wanna see if I can get this guy to change his mind. Why would you want to be so serious all the time? Seems boring."

"Man, you're telling me. He gave off this weird, miserable aura. D'you feel that?" Shouta acknowledged. Everyone seemed to agree. There was definitely something off about Shinya Okuma. Perhaps Saya's attitude was forced into her. Maybe that's where she got all of her miserableness from.

"Your mother and Shinya disagreed on practically everything, Ray. That's why she never told you about him. She didn't want anything to cloud your happy judgement of cooking. But now, I don't think that's possible. I'm sorry I wasn't the one to tell you..." Hokuto couldn't shake the feeling of regret for not being honest with his son. He had always been open with Ray about everything, especially since Sara had passed. But this was totally different.

"Like I said, it's okay. You kept Mom's promise. That's what's most important to me." Ray sighed. He suddenly felt a presence behind him, causing him to turn. There stood Mahiru Masaomi, his hand clutching his opposite arm.

"Hey, Ray?" Mahiru began.

"Yo! You're that Mahiru dude!" Shouta lunged forward, throwing his arm around Mahiru's shoulders. Mahiru looked at Shouta, alittle surprised by the greeting.

"...Uh... yeah!" Mahiru smiled.

"You man. You have serious talent, you almost completely bombed this thing! Ray's a lucky guy." Shouta grinned, causing Mahiru to smile as well.

"I figured he would win... he's got way more talent than any of us..." Mahiru admitted. Ray shook his head, obviously disagreeing, but before he could say anything Mahiru continued.

"Ray? Can I talk to you for a second?" Mahiru requested. Ray nodded, commenting to the other's that he would return. The two boys walked away from the group, back over to Mahiru's booth. 

"What's up?" Ray asked. Mahiru looked a tad excited but also nervous. His exact mood was hard to determine.

"So... you're really going up against Mr. Okuma, huh?" Mahiru began.

"Yeah... I guess so!"

"Well... I was wondering..." Mahiru paused, running his fingers nervously along the back of his neck. Why was this question suddenly so hard to ask? Perhaps now that he had lost to Ray, he was a bit intimidated by him. But another part of him was so entirely intrigued, he couldn't control himself. "I was wondering if I could help you... you know, prepare for the cook off and stuff. We could look into recipes together and..."

"Of course!" Ray immediately accepted, his cheeks turning red. Thinking about getting to cook again with Mahiru, this time in a friendly way, made his heart race. There were surely things Mahiru could teach him as well in vice versa. And the fact that Mahiru had the same burning passion for cooking as Ray did made it even better. 

"Really?!" Mahiru was more than happy for Ray's acceptance and it showed clear on his face. The two boys had barely even met and they could already feel their souls intertwining. 

"How could I turn that down? I've never known anyone my age that felt the same way as I do about cooking. This could actually be really fun!" Ray knew there were endless possibilities as to what the two of them could create together. And if Mahiru hadn't of asked first, Ray may have suggested the idea himself.

"Ray! Mahiru! It's about to start!" Shouta shouted over to the boys, waving for them to come back to the group. The Music club had just finished setting up and soon after their performance would be the fireworks. A perfectly good way to end that year's festival. Mahiru walked over with Ray and the rest of the group looked on as a small, brunette walked to the front of the crowd. In her hand she held a violin and without another word, she began to play. Throughout the day this had been the same girl who played here and there to entertain students who walked by, but now, the every single eye was on her. The music began to flow from the strings and everyone was suddenly entranced. It was as if a peaceful spell had been cast and every last one of them had fallen prey to it. This girl was clearly very talented with her instrument of choice which made it no surprise that she was the one chosen to calmly end the day for everyone. 

"That's... that's the girl from earlier!" Shouta whispered to Akihiko, wondering if he had remembered passing by the small girl playing the violin.

"That would be a solid observation." Kiko agreed. He too enjoyed the sounds she made, but Shouta was on a whole other level of enjoyment. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her long, flowing brown hair blew gently as the breeze passed by, carrying the sweet melody she played along with it. There was something about the way she looked when she played. Anyone could tell that she truly felt the music. Alot like Ray when he cooked. Shouta knew he had to meet her. She was a mystery to him and he was determined to get her attention some how. Once the music had ended, applauds erupted, causing her to blush a bit. She looked timid, which may have been why she exitted the impromtu stage immediately. Shouta's eyes followed her, but before he could see where she went, Ray grabbed his arm.

"Come on man, let's go watch the fireworks." Ray smiled, pulling Shouta along with their friend group. Shouta sighed, following along. He'd have to find her later on some how. The two boys walked with everyone to a small patch of grass where they all took a seat.

"Hey guys!" Fuyumi's voice cheered joyfully as she bounced up to the group, taking a seat without an invitation.

"Hey Fuyumi! Where's Sachie and Maaya?" Honda questioned. Before Fuyumi could reply, the other two girls walked up, taking a seat as well.

"Mind if we join you?" Sachie smiled, receiving a smile from the rest of the group.

"You did a great job hosting today!" Ray complimented. Sachie grinned, running her fingers through her hair. 

"You guys were the ones that did /really/ great. So don't even!" Sachie eyed the chefs sitting along the grass, Ray, Mahiru and Aimi. She could tell without even asking that the three were about to become even greater friends after the night was over. Maaya squirmed where she sat on the ground, as if she had something to say. She bit her lip nervously before finally speaking up.

"Mahiru, you're... very talented." She stated, with a tone that was unlike Maaya. Typically she was extremely profound when she spoke. Very similar to the way Akihiko presented himself. Mahiru looked over, patting the back of his head. "Thanks...!" He smiled, thankful for the compliment, but surprised by the delivery. Fuyumi and Sachie looked at each other shrugging. They could never quite tell what their friend Maaya was thinking, so they shrugged it off. 

"I can't believe today's almost over..." Honda sighed, leaning back on her palms.

  "Yeah, it went by way too fast. I'm bummed." Shouta huffed.

"But it was awesome, guys! And now, we have even more to look forward to. I want to see all of you this summer. A lot." Ray stated, looking from each friend to the next. He couldn't remember the last time he was surrounded by such amazing people. People who had impacted him so greatly in such a short period of time.

"Of course!" Honda agreed.

"Yes! Definitely!" Fuyumi was pumped.

"So this is where all the cool kids hang." Yuki snuck over, plopping down next to her younger sister Honda.

"Hey sis!" Honda hugged her, happy that her sister had made her appearance that day.

"I heard you guys talking. You all need to come over to our house next week! I'll make you some dinner. I mean, you three have cooked enough for a life time these past few days, right?" Yuki giggled. The entire group lit up at the invitation. Hokuto looked on as the young group laughed and talked together. It warmed his heart seeing Ray in the middle of all the excitement. He wanted nothing more for than his son to be happy. Both him and his wife always dreamed of that. And even though Ray was young and had a lot in store for his future, right then, it was as if every prayer Hokuto and his wife had made had been answered. "Aimi, you should come over early that day! We can all have some girl time before the boys get there." Yuki winked, the other girls seemed to like the idea as well. Suddenly, a loud burst filled the air as beautiful colors displayed themselves way up in the sky. The glitter came down in streams, causing everyone to ooh and aah in amazement. The fireworks had finally begun. The group silenced themselves, observing the beautiful colors one by one as they exploded above them. This was the perfect way to end such an exciting day and in that moment, every single one of them felt completely at peace. The warmth of each others company only added to the comfort and none of them wanted this moment to pass. Students all around the festival seemed to find themselves in similar situations. Friends smiling together. Couples leaning against each other. With incredible fireworks displayed all around them. The school year may have finally come to an end, but the summer was only about to begin.

[bloodbondsnarrative-blog]

Basic plot

Basic Plot

Before main story:

The kingdom was ran by a tyrant

A Hunter (Whose little sister was killed by the tyrant) (the Father) hunted down a Djinn (the Mother) and contracted her to help him gain the strength in order to take the kingdom- to kill the tyrant king. 

After killing him, the Djinn and the Hunter fell in love and were urged to rule the kingdom due to their good leadership in the rebellion and the people believed the Djinn would bring good fortune (They were seen as a lower class of angels- there were good and bad ones).

Due to Djinn law, a contract is broken after three wishes have been granted (In Islam, 3 represents the human soul and the human acceptance of mortality)

After the three wishes are granted the Djinn lose all memories of their master and wonder to find a new one.

With 1/3 wishes taken the Djinn and the Hunter are bonded so long as the final wish isn’t made and she would be able to stay with her love until death- if a master dies while bonded to a djinn, they turn mortal (Own interpretation)

Blood is also a vital bond- a djinn is loyal and a bond of blood can unlock enchantments- they are family creatures 

The Djinn and the (now) King marry and have 7 sons 
           (7 in islam represents the seven gates of heaven and hell)

The King longed for a daughter to try and fill the void left by his sister’s death

When he was granted a daughter, she was sickly and small and needed to be cleaned and healed- He asked his sons to run and get water from the courtyard

Some of the younger brothers (who were jealous and simply didn’t like the idea of having another sibling gaining their already divided attention) tried to sabotage the older brothers- stopping them from getting the water so their sister would die.

The king soon realised that the water was not coming, ordering his servants to get the water- in his anger, he curses his children-
          “Curse those boys! I wish they’d all fly away and release me from their idiocy” 

(His bad intentions and psyche were channeled into them- his negative feelings tainting the wish and turning them into something seen as bad- a nuisance like a raven)

Due to the bond that the King shared with his Djinn wife- she had no other choice but to grant the wish and their seven sons were transformed into ravens. 

Djinn are known shape shifters 

The Seer helped the daughter recover 

The couple couldn’t wish for their sons back due to the rules of the Djinn (Three wishes and then they have to be apart) and so continued their life with their daughter- never telling her of her siblings or her Djinn heritage in fear she would hate what her parents accidentally did.

18 years pass


The princess grows up learning from the knights (in secret)- she believed it would made her father happy due to the sad smile he gave the training boys- (He missed his sons and regularly sent his knights into the world to search for his sons- he wanted them back to see if they could shift back due to their Djinn heritage) 

On the eve of the princess’s 18th birthday, the knight party returns but with half of them gone and the survivors near death

They report of shadow riders- seven of them- following them back to the kingdom and wreaking havoc

In the chaos, the princess takes up arms and helps defend her kingdom- coming to blows with one of the shadow knights in the process. But they do not harm her, they commit a mass slaughter- when the sun begins to rise they leave

The kingdom tries to recover- learning that a chunk of their kingdom was damaged- and began to put up a defence

The shadow riders returned every month on the full moon- never did they harm the princess, king or queen

More creatures arrived behind the Shadow riders, tainting the land and wreaking havoc

The princess loses dear friends (and a possible love interest) 

The princess figured out that she was safe from them and determined that she should track them down and end them before they ended her kingdom.

Her parents refused to let her- they didn’t want their only child venturing into the wilderness

The princess disobeyed them and visited the Seer- 

‘Those beasts were not human. Not now at least. I fear you must venture into the lands of the Gods if you wish to find them. That is the only place that such evil could exist’

“How do I get to such a place?”

‘You must travel to the edge- the boundary between our world and theirs. To where the sand hisses and where the stars walk on the clouds.’

She ventures to the edge of the world- to the border between the human world and the land of the Gods 

She takes water (meaning life), Bread (sustenance) and her family ring to remember her family ( she places it on her left pinky due to it being too small for her ring finger- it was from her childhood- shows that she will hang onto her family no matter what)  

Many different Gods inhabit this land, with the excuse that there are many old and new gods- if they are worshipped, they live in this land
   

She arrives in a market place filled wth an array of gods and creatures alike

She spots a group of lowly creatures (travellers) being harassed for their supplies and puts a stop to their harassment

She ends up staying with them for the night

“we must ask: What is a human doing in this land?”

‘The shadow riders, they attack my kingdom every full moon, killing my people and wreaking chaos. I intend to kill them.’

They are all shocked

“Are you stupid? Those monsters spread death wherever they roam. They are the darkness itself- the physical embodiment of everything bad in existence. They are the night. You cannot kill the night.” 
“We strongly advise against this poisonous journey. You have no place here. Return to the mortal realm while you still hold your life.”

‘I am not looking for advice. Especially from those who appear just as lost as I am- who don’t have a place themselves.’

“That wont be the way for long! Theres a witch that gives orphan travellers and nomads their place in the world! She promises that their deepest desires would be granted!”

“Don’t tell her that! She could take our Wishes!”

‘Look, I don’t want your wishes. I just want to bring justice to the deaths in my kingdom. So, if I wanted to kill the shadows, what would I need?’

(From the quiet traveller) “Light. You need light to destroy the darkness. Venom from the sun itself.”

‘Where do I find this venom?’

“Sol. The sun goddess, her venom would be strong enough to kill anything. Get her venom and you will have your justice.”

The princess is warned to be weary of the creatures in this world- humans are a delicacy and creatures can smell their blood- “Humans have such a unique smell, its potent and stands out. The sun goddess will surely try to eat you- amongst others here.”

The princess ventures across the ice plains to reach the desert plains where the sun resides

She finds the ‘moon’, a huge beast that lives under the ice (glows and a huge fish with ice crystals) 

While up close with it’s mouth, she sees the ice crystals inside- links that up with the ice blast it throws at her

She manages a good fight but gets caught on the edge of the ice- she could barely see what was going on as it was night time

The Moon-fish has her leg- about to deal the final blow- she thinks she is going to die

The stars swing in and save her 

“Humans venture here often and get devoured by the gods. You were lucky it was only in it’s quarter stages as it grows through the month.”

They tell her ‘The moon is angered, just as much as we are. The humans are beginning to fear the Night due to the shadow riders. Creatures may want to eat the humans at such close range- the smell you see? But in the end, you are our creations. We cannot watch over you when you hide from what we arrive with.’

The shadow riders have tainted the night- poisoning the moon

They agree to help her on her quest- Only helping her gather the venom. 

They go in the night- the sun was too powerful during the day and the stars cannot venture out during the day:

The North Star (Polaris)- The guiding star and the leader ordered for the most powerful stars go:

Sirius 

Canopus

Centauri

Arcturus- doesn’t make it back

Vega

They venture to the desert, to the temple of the sun

The Goddess ‘Sol’ is a giant Naga, one that follows the princess around her temple in an attempt to eat her

The princess uses the moon’s ice crystals to freeze sections of the Naga, shattering them, allowing her to collect the venom of light quickly- but she it still damaged from the fight

The stars and the princess make it back to the Kingdom of the Stars and recuperate- the princess must tackle the shadow riders, she tells them that they do not harm her for some reason. She must go alone- not wanting anymore death
‘A star has withered because of me. No more.’

The North Star tells the princess that a bond of blood- a sacrifice can unlock the door to the glass mountain but it can be forged with a chicken bone (its still a sacrifice)

The princess ventures to the glass mountain and realises that she has dropped the chicken bone. There was no wood to whittle. No animals to kill to replace the bone. - ‘A sacrifice must be given- you are in the kingdom of the Gods after all and blood is the strongest thing there is…’

She saw no other choice and cut off her left little finger (where she wore the ring)

The bone fit the lock and she walked inside, her sword laced with the venom. 

She meets a blind dwarf who bowed in her presence and told her to ‘Wait for the others to return before feasting’ -Creatures can smell by blood

She sees the plates on the table and begins to lace them with venom, not noticing that her hand is bleeding sluggishly, her ring slowly falling off her bleeding finger until it ends up landing in the last plate 

The shadow riders return, all of them sitting down at the table- noticing the trail of blood leading to the cupboard where the princess is hiding- they don’t go on the offensive, they appear to be taken aback- confused and their faces contorting in hope

While the others are slowly encroaching on the cupboard (No Weapons) , the oldest remains at his plate, staring down at the ring.

He slowly picks up the ring and shows it to the others- his armour slowly disappearing into human skin
 “Our sister has come to take us home…”


The other riders slowly lose their armour and the princess exits the cupboard, slowly seeing the human faces of the riders- seeing the resemblances and the family rings around their necks

Her bleeding is too much and she becomes unconscious 

When she wakes up, she finds a jug of water near her bed (Shows a redemption from the brothers- finally delivering the water to their ill sister) 

She still goes on the offensive- taking up her sword and aiming it at her fully human-formed brothers, they get her to calm down and start an explanation:

“I want an explanation! Your evilness- your crimes must have a reason!”

She learns of how her father cursed them in anger- why she was never told of her Djinn heritage

She learns of their time manifesting in their father’s ill will from his curse- they tell her that they were found by a witch- one that granted them their one wish- to be human again: but witch craft and Djinn magic don’t mix and they were transformed into monsters. 
‘Witches twist things you see… We wanted to be human again and return to our world of birth. We did return just not in the way we wanted to.’ 


She remembers the travellers from the market, how they were going to see a witch- she needed to stop her.


[newstfionline]

Princes William and Harry are all grown up, and their mother would be proud

By Karla Adam and William Booth, Washington Post, August 28, 2017

LONDON--Princes William and Harry are good lads--and either would make a proper 21st-century king. Given all that has happened, that is amazing.

On the 20th anniversary of the death of the People’s Princess, the British people have reached a consensus: Diana raised two relatively normal, capable, flawed but decent, and maybe even exceptional sons, under extraordinary circumstances.

That one of them, Harry, once dressed up as a Nazi is mostly forgotten. That the other, William, is a little dull is okay.

All eyes are now on the next generation of royals as the world remembers the strange and unsettling tabloid days surrounding the death of Diana, killed in a spectacularly reckless car crash in a Paris tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997.

William was 15 then; Harry was 12. That they were young and that it was heartbreaking escaped no one. Billions watched the televised reports that day, one of the largest global audiences ever assembled.

Since then, the pair has done well. To recap, the princes got through their teens and survived their roaring 20s without fatal embarrassments.

There was plenty of partying--and some jousting with paparazzi outside night clubs. But both served honorably in the military, which was applauded by the British public.

William worked as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance until last month. He had a day job. His crew saved lives.

Harry served as an Apache attack helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. Two tours. He got high marks for trying hard not to draw too much attention to himself. Or as the Sun put it in a tabloid headline, “From wild nights to fire fights: How Prince Harry became a man.”

Once dubbed the Party Prince, the ginger-haired bachelor Harry has settled down, a bit. He is now dating the American actress Meghan Markle. He understands your interest, but issued a statement through his Kensington Palace spokesman to back off.

These days, William and Harry are busy promoting charities that seek to help AIDS sufferers and disabled veterans. And most remarkably, they are speaking out on the stigma surrounding mental health challenges--by discussing their own, and by extension, very delicately, their mother’s struggles. She suffered from depression and bulimia.

None of this was guaranteed, not at all.

That neither prince became a punchline, an afterthought or train wreck--growing up in the selfie age under the all-seeing eye of the most unforgiving tabloid culture on earth--is remarkable.

Their parents, Charles and Diana, had a deeply unhappy public marriage with the most lurid details gracing the front pages of the world’s newspapers for years. The fascination continues today.

A documentary that aired on Britain’s Channel 4 two weeks ago generated news about how much sex--or not so much--Charles and Diana were having as their marriage cratered, mostly because Charles could not get over his one true love, Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, who he later married.

Although many might wish otherwise, the 68-year-old Charles will almost certainly be king when his mother, the 91-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, God save her, dies.

In Britain, at least now, Charles appears a kind of afterthought, a vintage image. The enduring moment of Diana’s funeral 20 years ago is not Charles but sons William and Harry, walking behind their mother’s flag-draped casket, their heads hung low as they shuffled forward through immense crowds of mourners, most silent, but some wailing, others nearly hysterical.

It was a “long and lonely walk,” said Prince William in a new BBC documentary “Diana, 7 Days,” one of several marking the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death. William said he tried to hide behind his floppy blond bangs, which were like a “safety blanket.”

Reflecting on it today, William says he had many roles to play that day--he was a grieving teenage son, yes, but he was also Prince William, the nation’s future king.

There was a balance, he said, “between me being Prince William and having to do my bit, versus the private William who just wanted to go into a room and cry, who’d lost his mother.”

Until recently, William and Harry haven’t spoken publicly like this about their mother and what it was like to cope with her loss at such an age.

It’s hard to overstate just how unusual it is, even in 2017, for the queen’s subjects to see the princes on the telly talking so openly about Diana.

Old-school British aristocrats are renowned for the stiff upper lip. The royals can be reserved to the point of hypoxia, in a mostly mute doggedness, viewed charitably as keeping calm and reigning on.

The queen has ruled for more than 65 years and she has given exactly zero interviews during her long reign.

But William says he felt now was an appropriate time to honor his mother’s memory. In the two documentaries, the princes paint a portrait of a fun-loving, cool mum who is dearly missed.

The princes light up when they talk about Diana playing pranks--from hiding candies in socks to sending rude cards to her sons at school to arranging supermodels to surprise William at their home.

“Our mother was a total kid, through and through,” Harry says in the HBO documentary “Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.”

“One of her mottos to me was, ‘You can be as naughty as you want--just don’t get caught.’”

In 2012, Harry was photographed naked in Las Vegas during a game of strip poker. He didn’t really lose that hand.

Today, Harry, 32, lives in a cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace.

In his post-army career, Harry founded the Invictus Games, a sporting event for disabled veterans. To help publicize it, he roped in the queen for a promotional video with the Obamas that went viral on Twitter.

Proving the royals have a sense of humor.

His older brother, William, second in line for succession after his father, Charles, is the less interesting one, with the thinning hair and the glamorous wife. He doesn’t have the same bad-boy allure as his brother, but he hasn’t fully escaped criticism from the news media.

“Work-shy William” is his nickname in some tabloids, upset that he hasn’t clocked up enough royal duty hours. “Throne idle” pocked one front-page headline in the Sun.

William defended himself against the jibes, saying that he was concentrating on being a good father, pilot and a royal. But he will soon be clocking up more duties in service of the realm.

William and Kate, both 35, recently packed up the fam--George, 4 and Charlotte, 2--and moved their main residence from Anmer Hall in Norfolk, a relatively secluded area in eastern England, to Kensington Palace in the bustling British capital. Prince George starts school this fall in Battersea, south London, a few miles from the family home.

Both William and Harry are now full-time royals, and as such carry out “engagements”--as they are called--on behalf of the queen, and draw attention to various charities.

The queen--“the boss” as William has called her--is still very much at the helm, but as she continues to gradually scale back her duties, the younger generations are taking on a greater role.

Commentators say that William may start to fill in some of the gaps left by his grandfather, Prince Philip, who recently hung up his royal cleats at age 96.

“In the closing years of her life, the queen and William will make a natural couple,” carrying out royal duties, said Robert Lacey, a royal biographer. He noted that the two have a similar style--reserved, cautious, calm--that contrasts with the more opinionated Prince Charles, the queen’s eldest son and first in line to the throne. In an interview with the BBC, William suggested he is more likely to rule in a manner similar to the queen.

Despite their recent openness, it’s widely reported that the princes loathe the media and William in particular comes across as guarded.

“William has to be more private. He’s the father of two young children and he doesn’t want a repetition of the abhorrent behavior of the media that chased his mother to her death,” said Jobson.

In the BBC documentary, William said that when he saw his mother crying, it was usually to do with something connected to the media. He said this took its toll on him and he found it difficult as a young boy who wanted to protect his mother from the paparazzi.

“And I mean a pack, like a pack of dogs, followed her, chased her, harassed her, called her names, spat at her, tried to get a reaction to get that photograph of her lashing out, get her upset,” said William.

Last year, Prince Harry fired his own salvo at the news media, condemning what he said was the media’s racist and sexist abuse of his girlfriend Meghan Markle, an American actress arguably best known for her role in the TV drama “Suits.” The princes have signaled they won’t be talking about Diana as much going forward, but don’t expect them to stop talking about the importance of expressing feelings.

“There may be a time and a place for the ‘stiff upper lip,’ William has said. “But not at the expense of your health.”

[ranya-smut-blog]

Married to Dr.Woods XIII

“So how was school today?” Raven asked her daughter as they got inside their home

“Well we had a party. I ate a lot of cookies and got a lot of Valentine cards”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah and I got a kiss too”

“Those chocolates are pretty good”

Kaia giggled, “No mommy. Not a chocolate kiss, a real one”

Raven tripped on her heels upon hearing her daughter’s words. Luckily the counter was nearby and she caught herself.

“Who was it?”

“Natalie” Kaia replied with a cheesy smile

_

“Chief!”

Is the word that wakes Dr. Woods up in the on-call room. She finally got a chance to rest after a 72 hour shift.

“What is it?” She mumbles as she adjusts to the new light in the room

“I’m sorry to wake you but we need you in the ER”

Anya stretches and lets out a groan before throwing her legs off the bed and headed out, adjusting her white coat on her shoulders as she walked.

“Okay what do we got?”

The nurse hands her a chart, “Bed 3, Ms. Soto is 7 months pregnant, complaining of severe stomach pain”

“Page Dr. Montgomery for a consult”

She gets a nod from the nurse, then Anya proceeds to the patient and pushes the curtain out of the way.

“Hello Ms. Soto, I’m Dr. Woods and I’ll be your doctor today. I see that you’ve been experiencing pain the past two days?”

“Call me Jilian, and yes. At first I thought it was normal in the pregnancy you know, stings here and there but I woke up this morning and it had gotten worse. I tried to ignore it but obviously I failed since I’m here”

Anya nodded at the woman and began her basic exam. Her lungs sounded fine, so did her heart, and everything else seemed to be functioning alright.

“Well Jilian I’m glad you couldn’t ignore it because something could be wrong and we’ll be able to treat it. Everything is alright, now we’ll just check on the baby”

The patient was going to reply but the OB/GYN showed up, “I was paged?”

“Yes, Jilian this is Dr. Montgomery and she’ll be checking on your baby, I’ll be back okay?”

“Wait! I’m not going to lose my baby am I?” She asks

Anya takes her hand, “I know you’re scared right now but Dr. Montgomery is an excellent doctor that deals with babies and stuff like this. Is there anyone I can call for you? Husband maybe?”

Jilian shakes her head, “Don’t have one, he didn’t want to be responsible”

“Alright, well I promise I’ll be back and I’ll be with you through this okay?”

“Okay”

Anya dismisses herself and heads back to the nurse station, “Who’s next?”

“Actually we have hang glider accident 2 minutes out” she replies

Dr. Woods takes the two minutes putting on yellow trauma scrubs and gloves. She had already pinned her ring on the inside of her blue shirt, no way was she losing or getting it smeared with blood ever. The paramedics soon came in with the victim through the doors.

“22 year old Elizabeth Parker, BP 100/70, open tibia fracture and complains of abdominal pain” one of the paramedics says

“Take her to trauma 1 and someone page Torres STAT” Anya orders

A minute later Dr. Torres was already in the trauma room looking at the fracture.

“Well this is a nasty break, wait this isn’t bone, it’s a rod”

“Yeah she got it implanted when she broke her tibia when she was skiing in New Zeland” the girl on the other side of the table said

“Who is this?” Torres asks Woods who was doing an ultrasound on the patient

“I’m her older sister, Dona, and I told her this was going to happen”

“But she acts like my mom” the patient mumbles

“I’m not going over this again, I can’t watch you try to die”

“It’s just a little break”

“No it’s not just a little break, you’ve broken both forearms, dislocated your shoulder, lost a kidney, concussion, knee fracture, etc you name it”

“Wow, you have a death wish” Torres tells Elizabeth

“Well I see lots of free fluid. Let’s get her up to the CT asap” Anya says

Callie and the nurse take her up while Anya stays behind and removes the trauma scrubs and gloves. Then makes her way back to bed 3 where she had left Jilian with Dr. Montgomery. The problem was that when she got there, they no longer were there. She asked a nearby nurse on information and she said Addison had taken her up for an emergency C-Section.

She ran to the nearby elevator but it was entirely full. She then went to the stairs and ran up to the third floor, it was her workout of the day. The doctor checked all 10 operation rooms until she found them in the very last one.

“Hey Anya, nice of you to join us” The OB said

“You could’ve told me you were taking her up here, what happened?”

“I could’ve but her baby was in fetal distress and you were dealing with another patient so no time. You understand right?”

“Yeah sure”

“Would you like to do the honors of cutting the umbilical cord?”

“Why me?”

“Well you heard her, she has no husband. Plus you promised you’ll always be with her”

“Alright but wipe that smirk off your face”

“How can you tell if I have a mask on?”

“I heard it in your voice, now let me go scrub in”

The rest of the procedure took about 15 minutes and Jilian was now in recovery. The baby boy was in an incubator, hooked up to machines that would help him develop. He weighed about 3 pounds 5 ounces and was 15 inches long. Anya didn’t know why but she felt oddly attracted to this case. It could’ve been the fact that the baby had no father or the fact that he had to be evacuated from his mother because he wasn’t receiving enough oxygen.

She really didn’t know which one or even if those were the reasons why. What she was sure about was the fact that she wanted to be with Jilian Soto and her baby, for as long as she stayed at the hospital -which would be long-. She’d keep updated on the baby’s progress and would entertain the mother. When Clarke heard what her sister-in-law was planning on doing, she smelt trouble but decided against telling the doctor. After all, it seemed to make Anya happy and she didn’t want to be the one to take that away.

_

The CT results were in and Anya was going to tell Elizabeth’s sister the results. She made her way down to the waiting room, accompanied by Dr. Torres who would be operating on Elizabeth’s tibia.

“So she might lose her kidney?” Dona asked

“No let’s not jump ahead” Callie tried to calm her down

“No please, tell me the worst case scenario. I want to be prepared” she insisted

“Okay well worst case scenario she loses the kidney and we start looking for a donor” Anya explains

“That’s me!” Dona chirps up

“You’ve been through this before?” The orthopedic surgeon asks

“Yea take your pick, bone marrow, blood, liver anything you can think of. What’s mine is hers.”

“Wow seems like she’s extremely accident prone even for a daredevil”

“No all the parachuting and stuff, it all started when she wanted to remission. She was diagnosed with plastic anemia when she was 2”

“Well that must’ve been hard, most likely that you were a match” Anya points out

“Oh it wasn’t luck, I’m a donor baby”

Torres was instantly filled with realization, “You’re her younger sister!”

“Yeah my parents only had me to save her” Dona smiled but both Anya and Callie knew, it hid a lot of pain. Torres felt bad for the woman, she was just being used.

During the surgery, Callie was working on the tibia and discovered that the rod had done a lot more damage that she’d anticipated. They had also gotten a general surgeon to look at the kidney while Anya stood on the side, watching.

“We’re going to be here awhile guys, there’s a lot of bleeding”

“There’s a lot of damage to the kidney, pass me a clamp. You guys may have to consider that donation after all” he says

“Well there’s no doubt the sister would give it” Anya speaks up

The OR phone rang and one of the nurses answered it. When she hung up, she revealed that the call was referred to Dr. Woods, her wife wanted her home early because she wanted to talk to her about something important.

“Can’t say no to the wife can you?” Torres chuckles

“Neither can you, Arizona would keep you out of your apartment”

Hours later the surgery was over and the green eyed doctor and the orthopedic surgeon were back with Dona.

“The general surgeon wasn’t able to fix Elizabeth’s kidney” Callie said

“Eventually she’ll need another kidney right?” Dona asks which Callie nods at

“Well here I am, open the tool box. Anything for her”

“Hey listen, this doesn’t have to happen now. She can stay on dialysis until we find a donor” Anya explains

Dona thinks for a second, “It’s okay to say no right?”

“Absolutely, it’s your life”

“Then I’m saying no.” The sister smiles

“Okay then, we’ll keep you updated” the doctors smiles

“God that felt good, now I need to find a boyfriend and a job” she states which makes the doctors laugh

It was night time now and Anya was back with Jilian in her room. Honestly, she had forgotten about Raven’s call, as soon as she entered the patient’s room, everything else didn’t matter.

“So when can I hold my son?”

“Not yet, he’s still under critical condition. Have you picked a name yet?”

“He’s my first child and all I ever dreamed of was to hold him and I can’t even do that. But no I still haven’t chosen” Jilian cried

Anya sat on the bed and comforted her. The rest of the night included the new mom asking a whole bunch of questions about the baby and his condition. Also a night filled with baby boy names. Dr. Woods fell asleep that night, in the patient’s bed. Something she’s never done in her entire career, Clarke of course saw this and just simply shook her head. Her friend was making a terrible mistake about getting involved way too much with this case but she’ll have to suffer the consequences.

A worried Raven stayed at home wondering why her wife wasn’t there. She called and called but it went straight to voicemail. The next morning she went to the hospital after dropping off Kaia and what she found wasn’t what she expected. That morning was a disaster for Anya and Raven but more for the music teacher