#caribou speaks

[comm-caribou]

I will avoid watching a show until all or most of the episodes are out so I can just binge them all, but will willingly watch spoilers just so I have a clue of what’s in store and if I’ll need tissues

[kyliecatqueen]

Countryhumans but almost all of UK/Great Britain/British Empire's descendants are hybrids [50% human, 50% their national animal] except for Australia and his states who are all 100% human, and the family (+ friends who are in the know) have an inside joke that Britain fucked animals and that THAT'S why he's got so many hybrid descendants even tho that's very much NOT the case lmao

👇 English family species under the cut👇

- Britain: Human

- America: Bald Eagle Hybrid (eagle legs, tail, + wings on back, human upper body)

- Canada: Caribou Hybrid (centaur legs + antlers)

- Australia: Human

- New Zealand: Kiwi Bird Hybrid (same proportions as America but with kiwi legs/tail/wings)

[woodfrogs]

look at this 50 000 year old wolf puppy. look at him. he even has little teeth

i want to give him a hug and a bone 😭❤️

[an-ivy-covered-summer]

reggaeton is comfort music for caribbean girls when they’re going through something, for real.

[headlessmage]

The Caribou comes forward, first out of the box and first to speak. He has an intimidating presence, towering over me with an impressive rack of antlers. I can tell he’s older, wiser and perhaps dealt with enough young bulls in his time to know when to start a fight (and when to end it). 

But there is gentleness in his voice when he reaches out to me, a hidden warmth to him. There is patience to his way of speaking, a slowness not out of uncertainty, but out of wisdom and time that cannot be contained. 

I offer him water, a simple offering that he accepts with grace. He offers me a chance to see him in my dreams, a chance to share his past and knowledge, should I sleep with his antler under my pillow. He also offers me his strength and presence, not out of concern, not out of a rush to fight, but out of a mutual respect to be earned and forged together. 

[katsukikitten]

Dragon King Katsuki has made a deal with a more southern village, they agreed to give one of their daughters in exchange for peace.

You go unwillingly.

You do not even speak the same language, some words are common knowledge between the two of you but most are lost in translation, in the harsh way he moves his tongue. Sharp like a knife slicing into your skin just as deep as his eyes. You hate him you're certain. Tonight will be cold, colder than anything your lands have ever seen.

But what you don't know is that your king has laid down extra caribou furs, that he's made you a fire that will not go out from his own magic breath and that he has enchanted a dragon scale to heat your bison hide all night.

Because he knows you're from warmer lands and it is his job as a man to keep his wife comfortable, no matter how much she hates him.

[writing-mlm]

hi this is weird but like I’ve been on a avatar kick and just finish legend of Korra and wanted to know if you could do a bolin x Male waterbender who’s best friends with Korea and she encourages it but reader is oblivious to the pinning

Plans without planning

Summary: Bolin has been trying for months to put his big boy pants on, thankfully he has the sand to help him. Pairing: Bolin x Male reader Wc: 1.8k A/n: maktaaq- whale skin and blubber and suaasat— a soup made out of either seal, whale, caribou, or seabird meat

Dressed in soft blues that blow in the soft breeze that seems to live in the Air temple, you peel an orange with an ulu in the same manner Bolin had watched you cut maktaaq countless times before. Eating a slice, you huff while picking at the skin. It’s just not the same. 

A vacation, Korra had promised this would be a vacation. But you couldn’t see water for miles and you refused to eat meat within the temple; something you’re sure Tenzin would approve of but you were sure you were going fruit and vegetables mad. There were only so many times you could eat a salad before you were done with greens for the rest of your life.

“I know right,” Bolin forced a laugh as he sat next to you, running his hands nervously up and down his legs. “Men like us need meat!” He raises a fist, faking being angry. You chuckle, sparing him a glance before looking off towards the clouds. He beams, red dusting his face when you laugh at his joke. 

You think Bolin’s funny. He’s a lot of things, but you like that he’s funny. Coming from a family of sticks in the mud he’s like a breath of fresh air. Not to mention he’s the nice type of funny, he’s never mean with his jokes. He’s also so kind, and gosh, again, coming from a family of sticks in the mud who were hell-bent on making a family of damn near bodybuilders, you’ve never really had someone speak so kindly around— and at— you before. 

Plus, he’s jacked. 

A silence falls over the two of you while you offer him half of your orange. He takes it with a thank you and looks towards the clouds. He gulps and nibbles on it, unsure if he should start a conversation. He probably should, right? He looks at you again, chewing on his bottom lip while trying to think of something to talk about. 

Bolin thinks you’re scary, so his ideal type. He won’t go too into detail about his type because honestly, as long as he thinks the person could absolutely wreck him, he’s going to fall head over heels for him. He likes that you’re a little softie, though. In the confines of rooms, isolated from the rest of the world you’re a bubbly guy. You like his jokes, a whole lot. He remembers one time you didn’t stop laughing until you nearly passed out. 

He’s a naturally chatty guy, he never stops talking really. 

But his mind is running blanks, what could he possibly think to say? You’re so… ugh! And he’s so…eh! Shaking his head, he clears his throat and you start to look at him when the door behind you gets thrown open.

“There you guys are!” Korra shouts and you look behind you while Bolin jumps, shouting that he wasn’t doing anything. You glance at him, a little confused before turning your attention back to Korra. “Oh, was I interrupting anything?” She grins, a hand now on her hip. Her other hand flickers between the two of you and you shake your head, smiling over at Bolin who nearly melts under your gaze. 

“Having a manly talk about eating meat,” You grin, tossing up the orange peel. She catches it and lights it on fire while you roll your eyes. Show off. “Why?” Her eyes widen when she remembers why she’d ventured all the way up there and she smiles, playing with her arm cuff. 

“Oh, Asami wants to go to the beach—“ Your eyes twinkle at the mention of a beach. Water. Glorious, amazing water. 

“Say less, Korra. Let's go!” Jumping over the chair, you rush out to go and change into your swimming trunks while Korra’s gaze slowly shifts to Bolin. She raises her eyebrows and sighs, head resting on the frame of the archway. 

“I know!” He cringes, covering his face. “I’m trying— I am!” He swears, still covering his face. 

“Really? It’s been three days and still you haven’t made a move,” This whole trip was some elaborate plan he’d come up with and begged Korra and the others to go along with. Mako didn’t really care, he tried not to involve himself in his younger brother's love life and Asami was always down to leave the city. 

Korra on the other hand. If the word involved could become a person; it would become her. She’s been telling him all your favorite things, your least favorite things, and ways that would totally get him to win you over. Not to toot her own horn but she’s quite the matchmaker— she got her and Asami to date, after all. 

“I will,” He promises. “Why don’t you guys give us a moment on the beach?” She nods, looking over her shoulder. Just making sure that you aren’t there. 

“I’ll see what I can do.”

—

“You ever built a sandcastle?” Bolin asks while he’s already knee-deep in sand and you’re letting the waves roll over your legs. You’re enjoying the water like a fish that’s been above the surface for too long. 

“I built plenty of snow castles. Never a sandcastle,” You shake your head, turning your body so you’re fully facing him. He gasps and shakes his hands, unable to contain his excitement. You smile at his excitement, eyes darting down to your sand-covered legs as a crab runs across. You flinch and shoo it away without him noticing. 

“I love sandcastles! You just need a bit of water and a bit of sand and… boom! A masterpiece is born!” He explains. “And it doesn’t just need to be a castle, you can make anything!” 

“Can we make…” You trail, thinking about something. “A snowman?” He nods and you agree, collecting water while he runs to get a bucket. When you look around you find that the others had since walked to the other end of the beach. You can only imagine they’re having another heated conversation. Mako is probably saying something annoying or stupid. Or both. 

When Bolin returns, you drop the water and the two of you start working. They’re very… not great attempts at a sand snowman but Bolin says they’re cute and you’re inclined to agree with him. Eventually, the two of you make an entire army of them, covering a good part of the beach before you both settle in the sand. 

“You got really good,” He notes, looking at the progression of the sculptures. His didn’t. At least by comparison. He was rushing the whole thing and if he was being honest, definitely wasn’t paying attention to anything but you the entire time. 

“Thanks! Yours are nice too,” You raise a hand, pointing lazily at his tilting sand snowmen. “They really capture the feeling of a melting snowman.” At the compliment he beams, red covering his face in a way that isn’t a sunburn. 

“Yeah, because they’re all bleh when they melt!” He laughs, mimicking a snowman dying in the sun when he says bleh. You nod, laughing alongside him. 

When the shared laughter dies down, you look for Korra and the others. It’s been hours since you’ve last seen any of them. Hopefully, they didn’t get into a fight or something. 

“Korra?” Bolin asks, following your line of sight. You nod, pushing hair out of your face as you turn back to him. “They’re probably trying to out-swim each other or something. Korra mentioned she’d be back around sunset!” He lies through several stutters, unable to look you in the eyes. 

But you take his words at face value and nod. 

There’s a silence that falls over the two of you and Bolin runs his hands up and down his sandy legs. Again, he has no idea what to talk about. There are a million topics he possibly could but… he can’t remember any of them right now. 

He looks at you, eyes quite literally sparkling before he sees Korra a distance away. She’s making wild gestures before she huffs and grabs Asami, kissing her before pointing at Bolin and then you. He flushes and looks away with a clearing of his throat. 

“You’re cute in this light,” You smile and he jumps, turning to you with eyes blown as wide as saucer plates. 

“Wha-what?” He asks and you chuckle, looking him up and down with a slow flicker of your eyes. 

“It’s just… you look nice with the sun on you like that.” You shrug, your fingers digging into the sand. 

“You always look nice,” He blurts, sitting on his legs and your eyebrows raise at the sudden burst. 

“Thank you?” He nods, hands moving wildly again as he talks. 

“Like this one time, when you tried out pro-bending, and you made the waterfall over the opposite team and we got disqualified—“ You cringe at the memory but he shakes his head. “It’s okay. But you looked so good doing it. And then when you were sick and I offered to make you soup, you looked nice standing in that blanket.”

“I had snot running down my nose and puffy eyes, Bolin,” You laugh. 

“Well, yeah, but still.” He shrugs. “You’re always cute— handsome— whatever!” He rushes out. 

“I didn’t know you thought that about me,” You admit, sitting up and wiping your hands free of sand. “Is that why Korra kept insisting we shared a bed back at Zaofu? With Suyin?” 

“Maybe,” He meekly nodded, settling back into the sand. He huffs, looking up towards the sky. He guessed this was a good time; probably the only chance he’d get again to actually follow through with his plans. “I’ve been trying to ask you out for five months! But I keep getting all tongue-tied and nervous. And then there was that time with Mako— he ruined the whole thing.”

“Really?” You ask, scratching your cheek. “I would’ve said yes.” You admit, standing up. It’s getting late and you really don’t like the feeling of the wet stand on your legs. 

“Wait really?” He smiles and you nod, looking towards the water and then back at him. 

“I thought you knew, I gave you half of my last suaasat. Not even Korra gets that privilege.” He scrambles up and holds your face for a long moment. His eyes dart between yours and you smile at him.

“Are you going to stare at me or kiss me, Bolin?” You tease and he shakes his head, clearing his thoughts. 

“Kiss, definitely kiss.” He leans in, eyes closing and you lean in. Your nose brushes his for just a second before your head tilts a little, pulling him in. Once your lips touch you hear cheering from behind you and laugh while Bolin pulls away, joining in on the cheering. 

Shouting, he picks you up and you cling onto him, not used to people lifting you so high up. 

[rwby-encrusted-blog]

wizard princess weiss is captured! she must be saved before the barbaric savages ruin her! Especially that brute sent to guard her, hes just a beast, lying in wait!!! ignore how he braids her hair, ignore how he went barechested into a blizzard and dragged a caribou in each arm and especially ignore his fumbling attempts at singing!!!! she may not be chained but she knows a trick when she sees one! Queen willow Scrys on her daughter to see shes just fine. if anything, she wishes she could switch places.

Weiss: *Getting dragged out of a wrecked wagon* Let go of me you Brute! You Know not of what I can do! Once my rapier is within my hands you will be kneeling To me!

Jaune: *Carrying her over his shoulder* Pourquoi dit-elle des bêtises? (Why does she speak Nonsense?)

Saphron: Elle vient d'un pays non civilisé. (she is from an Uncivilized land.)

~~~~~

Weiss: Das stinkt! Warum musst du es drinnen schlachten?!? (That reeks! Why must you butcher it inside?!?)

Jaune: *Carving a caribou with practiced ease and gentleness* I Thank you for your sacrifice, and beg forgiveness in following Nature's design. My your rest be long and comforting.

~~~~~

Weiss: *Eating Caribou stew* Jaune?

Jaune: ?

Weiss: Il croit ... à la ... gentillesse?

Jaune: ... Non "Il croit à la gentillesse." Dites "c'est bon". (Not "It believes kindness." Say "It is Good"

Weiss: *Giving a thumbs up* Dites C'est Bon?

Jaune: C'est Bon.

Weiss: C'est Bon.

Jaune: *nodding*

Weiss: ... *Praying he understands* Danke.

Jaune: *Taking a guess as to what she said* Je Vous en Prie.

~~~~~

Willow: *Scrying on Weiss* ... Hmm.

Willow: *Draws a rune on a stone and hold it to her ear* Hello, Tai? You may delay you trip as you see fit. No, no, It's exactly what she needs right now.

Willow: Also, if I know prismeya, which I do, you would need to fight Her. Do you want to face off against her again?

Willow: That's what I thought. Take your time.

[frmulcahy]

Listening to an episode of the @antiquesfreaks podcast where they cover the costuming in The Terror and here are some amazing moments:

"But Ken, are you the only one of us that put themselves through reading the book?" "I did. Because John Bridgens was trapped inside and I had to get him out and if I read the book good enough, perhaps I could save him"

"If you don't tell these men what to wear, they're gonna look like straight up hoochies."

"As we see in the later episodes of The Terror and discipline does break down and Dundy just starts showing up to command meetings with his suspenders out! Slattern that he is!!!

"Victorian Navy: one to one analog to working at present day Target."

"I heard they flog you at Target."

"I was press ganged into working at Target."

"It's Victorian times. Everyone's wicked fucking repressed and they're about to get wicked un-repressed whether they like it or not, and they're going to show that through their clothing."

"a blur of muttonchops"

"I pre-gamed the show for 5 years with gifsets on tumblr to makes sure I would be able to tell at least the major speaking roles apart, and I still could not tell Little and Jopson apart until I figured out they had different eye colors."

"And now I'm Pilkington SpottingTM as a hobby"

calling JFJ a "fashionable boy" with his "nippies out" because he doesn't button up his coat all the way like Franklin and Crozier

The two regular hosts repeatedly comparing themselves to a delinquent class that their guest is stuck substitute teaching

"I think my character would be hitting a fat doobie right about now"

Discussing Jared Harris being obsessed with his own costuming details like all the mending on Crozier's clothes

Jopson's first appearance - "he's normal and they're normal and everyone's having a normal time here on this completely routine expedition." "It's so normal. Do you ever fall in love with your boss???" "It couldn't have been more erotic if they had just had gay sex."

Stanley and McDonald's button grouping on their uniforms to denote rank

THEY TALK ABOUT THE ICONIC JFJ GANSEEEYYY

Also Irving's Sanquhar scarf :')

"the red sweater of tenderness" sobbing screaming throwing up

"I think The Terror would have been improved if all of the marines had Boston accents for no reason"

Also marines vs normal sailors

comparing sailor's clothes to fast fashion because it's not very tailored lmaooo

The canvas overcoats being period inaccurate but still neat because they're referencing later polar expeditions like what we see on the guys in the Shackleton expedition etc

They talk about irl Goodsir's letter about clothes and the many many shirts!

Nive having to wear a cooling vest under her costume since it was real caribou fur and her coat being patched with sail cloth later.

They go into Yup'ik masks which is super cool! As well as have a conversation about the ethics of visuals/information/knowledge about indigenous artwork being shared with folks outside of those communities.

Repeated! Dan! Simmons! Roasting! As! They! Should!!!!!

Reapted! Nive! Nielsen! Praising! As! They! Should!!!!!!!!

Sophia's "oceanic color theme"

"They let the dresses have colors. The dresses have colors. The dresses have bright beautiful colors, and it's great."

"They had invented aniline dyes and they were about to make it everybody's problem!"

Lady Jane in more solids vs Sophia in more patterns

"'A woman could never possibly understand polar exploration' meanwhil Silna's up there doing it better than all of them."

Clowning on how other period pieces never use bonnets and always fuck up in the hair and makeup department

"I found Harry Goodsir's fursuit btw"

"On a scale of Calypso's Birthday to Fitzjames's Carnivale, how's your impromptu nautical drag ball going?"

"It's actually exactly like The Purge." "It's like a little Victorian maritime Purge."

"As far as metaphor and literary analysis and whatever, scurvy understood the fucking assignment."

"I punched in Scorbutic Nostalgia so that I could remember to read about it later." "I have some literature for you if you want." "Yeah fantastic! I love disease"

"CGI bear expensive"

"This episode comes with a heavy caveat of 'go to Terror Camp'" amazing.

THE DRESSTM

Tozer's Hotspur costume and Dundy's Henry VI costume and their relevance

"This is the last we see of Party!Dundy"

(About Little) "Every day he gets emails :("

Bridgler and Apollo/Hyacinthus stuff fuuuuuccckk

"Hodgepodge, my boy"

"Oompa loompa doompity dacticals, don't indulge your morals over your practicals"

"Rip Hickey you would've loved Joker"

Not a silly quote but just a really fantastic one: "That is what the best historical designers do, is they find these nuggets of information that allow them to tell a story with authenticity, both in a way that is historical but authentic to the characters as well." EXAAAACCCTTTLLLYYYYYY

"Whomst among us has not Joplarped to get through the workday?"

[comm-caribou]

Howdy y’all, it’s been awhile…

Um, where do I even begin? I started a new job in March, I like it… sort of. When I say I like it, I mean I like the paycheck because it’s more than I’ve been making at my other jobs. However, I still work a second job because my ambitions cost more than I make currently.

There’s a whole list of reasons why I haven’t been posting much. Mostly because I’ve been working a lot, the other reason being when I’m not working I just feel empty/depressed.

A lot has gone on in my life since last October that it sometimes feels like I’m literally losing my mind. I’m trying to get to a better place, but right now I feel like I’m drowning in feelings I cannot explain.

I’m sorry I disappeared, I know I do it a lot that some of you probably already know the drill. (*Caribou stops posting for a few months and returns out of the blue*) I hate that I’m like this… and I’m truly sorry this happens with me.

I want to return, I like writing here…

…I just can’t post what I want to right now.

[halcyone-of-the-sea]

BABES IM ON THE FLOOR 😭 I watched this Price Voice Lines Video and my god 🫠 His voice is so deep im litrally insane. Could you maybe do something with his lines around the 13:35 mark, where he’s being a self-sacrificing jerk? 🤭 Maybe the Reader is with him on a mission or something and like their both super protective and trying to save eachother or something ❤️

All, Most, Some, None

PAIRING: John Price x F!Reader

SYNOPSIS:  Snow melts in the heat of blood.

WORDCOUNT: 2.4k

WARNINGS: Angst, major character death(s), some fluff in the beginning, protective!Price, pre-relationship pining, obliviousness, blood, bullet wounds, hurt/no comfort, etc. no happy ending

A/N: You know I have to finish out my requests with just pure heartbreak.

*I do not give others permission to translate and/or re-publish my works on this or any other platform*

You look out over the dark landscape and take down a breath as the atmosphere of the camp behind you murmurs like a warm drink. Night had fallen swiftly two hours beforehand when you’d first volunteered to take watch, your smile bright and eyes eager. Snow was just beginning to slide down from the gray sky, thick clouds hanging like a navy cloth—splotch marks of yellowish stars a far-off glimmer of infinity. 

When the footsteps echo out, coming to your position, you already know the weight and pace of who it belongs to; can trace the way his feet will conform to the dirt and the crunch of white powder. A grin flickers your lips easily but you don’t bother looking over your shoulder. 

John huffs as he takes his place beside you on the lookout, crossing his arms over his chest. In the corner of your eye you spy on his loose yet measured face, that authoritative edge that seeps into his skin at times. 

For a long moment, the two of you look out over the earth, studying the dips and drags of the Northwest Territories of Canada in early winter. While cold, the jackets the both of you wear take the chill off well enough. Along the body of your MK14 EBR, your fingers rest casually—no need to be tensed and ready. Your sharp eyes hadn’t spotted anything for eons. 

“Sitrep, then, Sol?” You hum under your breath as John looks over at you with a raised brow.

“Rabbits and Caribou, Sir.” Your voice goes teasing, “I think we’re boxed in from all sides—I suggest immediate evac.”

A low chuckle and a firm shake of a beanied head, a puff of condensation as the darkness seeps over all to be seen. John glances at you with a smirk.

“Unfortunate, seeing as we just got here.” You smile and laugh deep in your throat. It was at moments like this that you thanked whatever deity was out there that Captain Price had seen your potential all those years ago. 

He’d handpicked you when you were nothing but a Private—brought you up with knowledge and stern, yet gruffly companionate, assistance all the way to Lieutenant. You don’t know the exact moment when you started to get flustered around him. 

Your chest is tight right now, fingers that were once cold going clammy as you twitch them. Inside your chest, your heart pounds blood into the thin drums of your ears like boot-thumps. Clearing your throat, you shift your feet and push out, “Did Laswell get in touch?”

“Ah,” John shakes his head, taking a breath as he says, “Negative. We’re on our own for this.” He turns his head fully to you and for a moment you’re enraptured by the shine in the depths of his blue irises. Teasing, “Think you can handle it, then?”

You turn away quickly, face burning. 

“Doubt me?” Matching his jab you smile widely. John chuckles and jerks his shoulders, grunting as his chin tilts. 

“Never.” Hiding the violent burn of your cheeks, you look at the landscape quickly, nails tapping the metal of your gun. 

“Sol?” John speaks after a moment of tight silence. You blink over with an interested look, cocking your head. The Captain had shifted to fully face you, and one of his hands itches at the side of his finely-trimmed beard. Fast eyes glance over your form like a studious teacher—your lungs still inside of your ribs. John mutters, “Stick near me tomorrow, yeah? Want you on my six.” 

Touched, your brows still furrow with confusion. 

“Don’t…you need me to lead Unit Two?” John’s already shaking his head, gritting his teeth. It’s like something’s bothering him. 

Feet taking you forward, you grab onto his bicep and stare into his tense face with slight concern. “John?” You ask, lids narrowing. 

The man stills at the sensation of your touch, even separated by the layers of his gear and jacket. Eyes slip to yours and lightly soften, the edges easing in their relentless wrinkle of dark thoughts. Like the star that your codename emulated, you seemed to be a ray of illumination for the Captain, and John’s nose twitched before his eyes quickly looked away from your open face. 

It wasn’t right to think the way he did about you. 

“Just have a feeling, Love,” he shakes his head slightly, clearing his throat. Your hand drops from him and he stops himself from snatching it back. 

You smile at him, huffing a laugh. 

“Well, who else’ll be able to take my place, then, seeing as you’re so eager to have me by you?” Gazing behind you into the small camp, John grunts, keeping his eyes on you. A small smirk slips over his lips and pulls his beard back.

“Daniels has got it…copy?” Your throat hums in consideration before you nod in a firm flinch of your head. 

“...Alright.”

“Good.” The Brit shifts his feet and the snow squeals. Snowflakes collect on the top of your head, sitting atop your scalp like tiny insects as the swell of your mouth goes back in a grin. John blinks at you, and before he knows it, he’s extending his hand up to his beanie with little thought beyond how lovely you look like this. 

He plops the fabric down on your head and you snap a hand up to press into it in shock. The man’s large frame slinks back as he takes his leave with you looking back at him; his feet make tracks, leading away to mirror the ones that came before. 

“Don’t get a cold, eh? I’ll expect you to be back in your tent within the hour, Lieutenant.” Face burning, you can’t answer. 

Blue eyes peek over a wide shoulder. Something sparks in those met gazes, a pinprick of wonder and deep affection. Perhaps it was even love.

The snow falls faster, and as John disappears into the darkness the chill of the open ridge suddenly seems less violent than your pulse as it thumps to the humming of the earth. Hiding a giddy smile, you look back out and rub at your neck; hat upon your head perfectly ingrained with a scent of charcoal and pine. 

—

“Leave me! I won’t make it!” The words made your stomach drop through your intestines. Shouted over the open line John’s voice barks the order like a knife with break-neck efficiency. No hesitation. 

It had all gone to shit in a matter of hours. The sun was just on the horizon, spreading its hands of dawn over the camp that was awash with blood and bodies. Enemy soldiers, the ones that your squad was tasked with taking out within the next day, had killed the next sentry on duty after you and stormed your position. 

To think you were minutes away from being that very sentry was mind-numbing. But now the real problem was the state of the camp. 

John had been hit through the right thigh.

Taking cover behind a large pine tree, you dart out at every other interval to fire rounds into anything that dashes like a wild animal into the open. Most of the squad was dead—the rest scattered in the sparse cover that was offered or in the process of dying. Snow melted in the heat of crimson fluid.

Spying the downed figure of your Captain, you growl and sprint out before you can talk yourself out of it, taking the recoil of your MK14 EBR into your shoulder and teeth gritted. John writhes on the ground, trying to maintain control over the remaining forces as his leg is limp and useless. He growls out in pain as his head hits the ground behind him. 

“Fuck!” He shouts. You feel a bullet whizz past your head as you skid down to your knees beside him. 

“Sol!” He glares at you as you survey the damage quickly, ducking when the metal projectiles get gradually closer and closer. There’s shouting in the far treeline; death cries. “What the hell are you doing? Get out of here!”

“You’re stupid if you think I’m about to do that to you!” You yell, jerking your gun up to release three bullets into someone who had burst out with a raised assault rifle. Pain flares in your left bicep, but you barely notice it beyond a strained, instinctual, whimper. “I’m getting you out of here.” 

Panic had gone as deep as your DNA, seeing the large pool of blood around John, his venom-laced words that stem from agony.

“Leave! Fucking hell, Lieutenant, that’s an order!” 

“John,” you shout, “shut the fuck up!” The man’s eyes go wide with shock. It wasn’t often that you swore at him. 

Making your hands dive under your Captain, you loop your hands behind his shoulders and latch at his armpits. With all of your might, you shift and begin dragging him backward into the trees; gritting your teeth at his pained yell and the bare of his own pearly whites.

Moving like this was stupid, you wouldn’t be able to take out your gun without dropping John—and you certainly weren’t going to do that. Not on your life.

“Christ,” the Brit groans, and you frantically watch the blood trail he leaves behind along the ground. Like a rabbit who’d gotten his leg bit off by a wolf but was still trying to run.

There was too much blood.

Agony explodes in your side, but you keep dragging backward with a new hitch in your lungs; eyes awash with tears before the air leaves you with a ragged and violent gasp. The sounds you hear from all around are horrible—the screams and the popping of rapid-fire shots. Sucking down oxygen with a vile cough, you get John behind a cropping of rocks and have to settle him down as you hack into one of your arms; chest shuddering.  

There is a pressure inside of you that digs into your flesh, but the adrenaline floods your brain over the alarm bells, drowning them.

You pull back your arm to see blood. But it doesn’t matter—not now. Not with John like this.

Looking down, you stare into his eyes while you get to your knees by his side. His gaze is wide and stuck at your abdomen with panic, where you already know the damage a bullet can do. 

“Love…” he begins, but his fingers curl into fists of pain instead. John breathes heavily, and when you look down to his thigh you find far more than one bullet. 

There were three, all spaced out in an arch. One at his thigh, one up on his pelvis, and the other directly in his stomach. Your eyes widen with mute horror, mouth stuttering as your throat closes. 

“Yeah,” blood bubbles from John’s mouth as he chuckles in quick gasps. “No good, eh?”

Tears build in great waves, but you force out, “No,” growling, you feel your own blood stain your gear and clothes. No exit wounds for either of you, you can already tell. “No, John—not like this.”

“Sweetheart,” he tries, but you grip the beanie on your head and shove it into his stomach, pressing on the wound there as he wheezes and you sob. 

“No, John!” A large hand finds the back of your hair, and you shake your head wildly. 

Blue eyes stare with regret and torment before darting back down to your wound. You can feel it—you already know; knew the moment the stray bullet hit you. 

The both of you…

“I’m sorry,” he says, quietly so that you have to strain to hear it above the noise. “I’m sorry, Love.” With a shiver of intense throbbing, the strain growing, you dart forward with waning strength and place your lips to his. 

Bloody hands grip his cheeks, slipping over his beard in fruitless desperation. Blood coats your mouths, but the moment of pure love and tenderness takes over. For a minute you can both forget the chill of metal and the blood pooling to the ground. The shaking in your muscles.

You can forget that the both of you are dying.

John keeps the back of your head to him as strength begins to slip. When you pull away with quivering limbs, his thumb weakly brushes your undereye to dispel the bitter tears. He hums with wet eyes. 

“I never got to take you out, did I?” You slip down beside him, shivering and losing heat not only because of the snow. Limbs grow heavy and in the back of your mind, you know you should be afraid—terrified. Maybe you were.

The comment makes you want to scream and rage and wail. 

“No,” you instead say, laughing through a sob at the cruelty of it all as you latch onto him. “No, you didn't, John. But I’m here now. I’m right here.”

Eyes slide over your face as you stay near him; waiting. A tiny smile as his bloody fingers brush your cheek. 

“When we get back I’ll show you ‘round Hertfordshire,” you both know that will never happen. His forehead knocks against yours. “You’ll love it, Sweetheart. Know you will.” 

“I will,” you promise, knowing you can’t. The world besides both of your eyes swirls. “Anywhere with you, John, is worth going.”

It’s obvious what you mean.

John presses his lips back to yours with one last whispered breath of his vow. “I’ve loved you since I first saw that beauty of a smile.” 

The two of you whisper promises and secrets as the gunfire dies down, lips making up for all of the times you should have kissed before and now don’t have the time to. Eyes don’t leave each other as the blood keeps flowing into two large pools of crimson sin. You’re drowned in it—flooded in it. 

You should have told him sooner.

“I’ll find you,” you whisper, eyes fluttering. But the body is long cold. 

You let your muscles loosen as the last of the fight leaves. Content, even in this, but for the simple fact that John’s arms are around you forever in this moment of endless infinity. The sky rolls back, and your last view is of him.

—

In the snow, preserved by the elements even weeks later, they would find your bodies, curled amongst themselves as if to protect one another. They would say that it had been because you were cold, freezing, and bleeding out from your wounds that you’d huddled for comfort. But that wasn’t the truth. 

The two of you had never been warmer than when you were with the other. 

What they couldn’t account for were the twin smiles on frosty lips.

TAGS:

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[l-in-the-light]

So the SBS for newest volume was revealed and...

SBS corner isn't considered spoilers for me, but if it is for you, please skip this post, duh!

I just wanted to point out I was part of the camp that said it was Kizaru since the beginning, so even though it's not stated black on white (it's white on black, actually), I still think this is as close to a confirmation as we will ever get, so let me brag for a second:

Feels good, haha.

Now down to the nitpicks, so *why* did I think it was Kizaru from the start? (well, I did suspect Caribou too, but it's later revealed he was with Augur and Devon instead).

At first it was just a fight, Luffy vs Kizaru. He calls it "playing around" and Luffy declares that the same "playing around" is Luffy's job. It's important to remember that, because I think Kizaru realized he could use that for his own purposes.

Just when Saturn arrives and soon after Luffy loses G5, Kizaru's attitude changes to "this is not good". This change in situation was something he didn't consider to be desirable, despite that it tipped the scales in favour of the Marines.

Then Kizaru takes his sweet time when he realizes Luffy finally has reached his limit. I'm not saying this fight didn't take a toll on Kizaru, he was panting before at the very least, but let's not forget that if he moved now he would have to finish Luffy off. Seems like his original plan was to push Luffy beyond his limit before any other players (like Saturn) arrive.

"Someone gimme food"

Kizaru realizes the situation is rapidly escalating now and in all the wrong ways. Strawhats and the present-on-scene Vegapunks are all immobilized, Luffy run out of energy, Sentomaru got captured, Saturn is holding Bonney and giving order for Marines to shoot at her. One second of hesitation is enough for Bonney to lose her life. And all Kizaru can do now is to be worried about his dear friends and witness them dying. Or perhaps... he could help tip the scales a bit again.

And in next moment Saturn realized someone gave Luffy food. No one saw Luffy move away, no one is near him either, Strawhats are still immobilized btw (including Sanji and Franky). This thing could have been done only by Caribou or Kizaru, but Kizaru would be faster and indeed impossible to spot if he moved with his speed of light.

And we can see Kizaru also moved, he's no longer lying down but sitting instead. He doesn't say anything, but he has the "..." thought bubble that looks very distressed (the tore-up border of the bubble is betraying Kizaru's emotions in this scene). Is he perhaps thinking something like "I hope no one will figure it out" or "I think no one should have noticed"? Would be pretty fitting.

Overall it was a good plan, but Luffy didn't restore his strength in time to help Bonney. It was actually Kuma's unexpected arrival that saved her (very touching moment).

And that's Kizaru's only reaction to Kuma's arrival. His body language shows relief, but his words kinda contradict that.

Only after Kuma punches Saturn, Sanji, Franky and Vegapunk are "released" from the immobility spell, which causes Sanji to immediately collapse to the ground, apparently. This is the definitive proof that they couldn't have been the ones who helped Luffy before.

Kizaru's back to "playing around", openly declaring he just wants to test Strawhats growth. Very interesting, considering the situation worsened for the Marines. By all means he should be quick and down to business instead of playing around. Seems he made his decision of how to manage the situation: again, by stalling for time and observing how it all proceeds, while just resorting to "playing around".

Here though he declares something contradictionary to his behaviour from mere moments ago. Perhaps beause he's speaking to Saturn. He emphasized the point that too many people are around and they need to be quick. But when you're quick you might have to prioritize impact over efficiency (which leaves openings for possible escape - Kizaru wouldn't be able to guarantee every target is actually eliminated).

Kizaru probably still was hoping to avoid this result, but once he realized he can't save Vegapunk no matter what, he decides it's better if he kills him himself. At least it will be quick with his powers, you know? The least he can do for his friend is to relieve him from his suffering, make sure his death is a bit more humanitarian than slowly bleeding out. Before Saturn actually stabbed Vegapunk, Kizaru was not ready to make this decision btw, always choosing to do something else (go after Strawhats, engage in the fight with Luffy, lying down beaten up).

This scene further proves my point. Kizaru assures them this is a mercy killing that won't hurt a bit. Because he believes the only alternative would be a very painful death instead. Thankfully him betting on Luffy was a good move, because it's Luffy who stops him here. So it officially looks like Kizaru did everything he could to kill Kuma and Bonney, but the enemy stopped him, so the end result can't be blamed on Kizaru. He's doing that dance between stalling the fight and avoiding the worst case scenario for most of Egghead's arc.

"I'm in a real pickle now". Yes, he is indeed. Sanji is cute btw for offering him an easy way out, lol. Kizaru will still have to write that apology letter to Akainu anyway.

And finally Luffy sent him flying far, far away, and this time Kizaru doesn't even try to get up anymore. That's it for him. He had to kill Vegapunk with his own hands and I think he didn't expect how big of a toll it will take on him. Luffy in a way provided him another easy way out of the situation, because if Kizaru just stays here and hopes for the Strawhats to take Bonney to safety, then at least he would have saved her.

So this is what I believe Kizaru was trying to do all this time. Avoid killing Vegapunk somehow (though he knew there was a really slim chance for that, but a man can still hope, right?) and at the very least make sure Bonney won't die on Egghead. Kizaru indeed has a heart, but he also has to make sure not to lose face and he can't really disobey or ditch his responsibilities as a Marine Admiral. But he definitely wasn't lying when he said he was forced to kill his best friend, and he truly wished he wouldn't have to do that.

That being said, I wonder what's his plan from this point onward. Some people suggested he might retire after this, but I think somehow that would erase the whole point of his struggle here, it would make it lose it's meaning. But he definitely showed us a little bit of his rebellious side. Though we need to remember, he ended up being just a circumenstencial ally to Strawhats, at least at this point in time.

What's the moral of this story? NEVER TRUST A "..." THOUGHT BUBBLE. It hides secrets, every. single. time. If Oda delibaretely hides character's thoughts from us, but emphasizes it by using "..." thought bubble, then ask questions, dig deeper, there's something to discover there. Also I don't mean speech bubbles, just thought bubbles. This has been a thing in many other mangas, it's not just a One Piece visual storytelling gimmick. For example, Death Note used that device in exactly same way, pfff.

[chromatic-lamina]

chapter 1107 spoilers

Howabout that cover? Howaboutthat cover? How ABOUT that cover?

Bepo, with a lovely warming pot of tea (or a kettle at least), and a club? (to protect the captain?), finds him skiving off with a snow leopard, a funnel, and maybe an empty bottle of Vodka. Chapter title is: "I've been looking for you", and it refers to the giants, I think, looking for the Straw Hats, and Usopp (especially), looking (out) for the giants, and Catarina Devon doing what, exactly? But Caribou, snivelling little sop of a man that he is, looking out for Blackbeard (his current lord and saviour). But, I'm with Bepo, looking out for Law!

The Blackbeards' land on Egghead and St. Jay Garcia Saturn says he knows all about Blackbeard's background, and Catarina knows it too, and I think it's maybe something separate from the "D" initial, cos', after all, it is in Teach's public name. But we see Van Augur--(like, why is the anime captioning him as Van Ogre when Augur is written clearly on the screen? But anyway). The last time we saw him

was

here in chapter 1081 when Bepo went Sulong and escaped with Law. Most of us thought that Blackbeard's crew had been split in half because

it was assumed that events were happening concurrently, but

Van Augur and Catarina Devon are here (on Egghead), and perhaps Van Augur could have warped himself there, but here he says

he hasn't mastered the warp warp fruit enough to get him and Catarina off the island, so it's unlikely that he could have warped himself all the way from Winner Island. SO, did they pursue Law and Bepo, and the two are nearby, or with the giants, or, or, or? Or is there some other explanation (about Van Augur--I know that Law's whereabouts is still relegated to cover pages)? I'm not a close reader, so I'm happy to have anything pointed out.

But, looks like Catarina will be able to clone

Saturn, and looks as if Saturn knows it. Of course, this guy below (Caribou) would be relevant. Can't wait to see his role!

I'm out of order, of course! I don't think that Law got recaptured, but I still think there might be a giant connection. And speaking of the giants

Usopp's reaction was just

heartfelt, was, ahhh, my heart, and Nami and Chopper were really cute too. And yeah, it's been some time, so the quick recap was necessary. AND, lots of small things I just loved either for humour or poignancy, like:

Brook abandoning everything for the sake of a cup of tea (even though he says he wasn't stopping for a cup of tea)---and Lilith sending forth messages (to raise the barrier, I'm guessing) because Brook is all too calm that the Sunny is heading towards the barrier, and bound to be fried by it. Lilith is not at all equipped for dealing with Straw Hat madness. And no-one can seriously out-machismo

Zoro. He's just too silly and strong. And!!!

the Pacifistas turn on the army, the army needing to suppress a workers' revolt. And that's Kuma in the bottom picture, isn't it? It looks like Kuzan, but PX is written on the cap, I think, in the picture. Again, let me know, please!

Bonney just

being in awe that

she gets to see Nika (and Nika teaches her how to throw a rubber punch, extra future bad news for Saturn, I hope). And

Kuma and Vegapunk (what's the far right image?) take in Nika too. Love Franky's way with words here:

telling Bonney she needs make use of her legs, and Vegapunk decides he's gonna stay (or die), and Borsalino's gonna make sure of it. But!

the power of love is all pervasive! (at least when Sanji's wearing the boots). Although his love was used for protecting Bonney rather than Vegapunk, and probably has more to do with Germa modifications than love, but it is Sanji's motivator, and attacks Kizaru's knowledge of "how things work"!

Kizaru/Borsalino's face in the first panel really shows how much power he's losing. Sentomaru took a path Kizaru could have taken, but didn't. He's following Bellamy's path, so it'll be interesting to see where he ends up. Because he's too smart to be a blind lackey. Being an aware lackey is some powerful conditioning/mental gymnastics.

And I think that's about it. Hoping Kid gets a cover page soon too!

[woodfrogs]

french alcohol: do you want this wine has been grown in this specific vineyard and pressed and fermented in this specific way or this other wine grown in the vineyard next door thats completely different. be sure to properly pair it with your meal :)

french canadian alcohol: oh is that cheap red wine? yeah uhhh throw some whiskey in it. and maple syrup

french desserts: you are eating air

french canadian desserts: here have this block of sugar and heavy cream

[fl3sh34t3r]

[WOE, GOD PERSONA REDESIGN BE UPON YE - Em]

[Also, hey oomfie :> -Em]

*In the darkness of Enidan's level, two pairs of blank white eyes are visible, followed by a soft chattering noise that seems to sound like a fox.*

*A light soon flickers to life, and a vague humanoid is standing under a bright light giving them an almost ethereal glow. They seem to be some kind of hybrid, having fox ears and four tails, raven-like wings, and silver caribou antlers.*

~ @throughoutuniverseswego

(Ooc : AAAAAAAKDNDJDDSK also hiihihihi !!! :3:3:33)

"...what the- gnrhg-!"

*Enidan didn't expect the sudden light, however when it happened, she immediately went to cover her eyes with her arm, unprepared for the sudden shining light that hit its eyes during the dark.*

*They weren't exactly happy with the sudden visitor, nor to be hit with such a bright light that hurts its eyes- but when the light started to lower, she uncovered her eyes as it gave a glare to the unknown individual in front of it before speaking*

"Who are you."

(Ooc: btw,,,Enidan's eyes do get quite hurt when getting suddenly flashed with a bright light- usually depending on how bright is- :b

this is why she instantly kills u if u use a flash her with a flash beacon btw- you're actually harming it unlike with the other items where they just think you're more of a nuisance instead lol,,,

she would die seeing the light of the sun /j)

[sskk-squared]

Merry Christmas! Speaking of, what are the boys asking for for Christmas? (Sorry if this has already been asked haha)

Thank you for the holiday greetings, apologies about the late reply!

The boys had a great Christmas, even if Ryuu-chan didn't get a velociraptor. They don't typically ask for much bc ... I don't want to call them spoiled because Atsushi works very hard for them to not be spoiled, but they don't really want for anything, and a certain oji-tachi likes to buy them anything they talk about wanting.

(Chuuya. It's mainly Chuuya. Chuuya spoils them rotten.)

Ryuu-chan wanted a velociraptor (which he did not get), a sled (which he did get), art supplies and gardening supplies (both of which he got in spades).

After several arguments, Acchan decided he wanted caribou. Atsushi sat with his head in his hands for an hour because Acchan's list was mostly meat. And a PS5. He got a Switch and the promise of a very large steak dinner at some point in the future on Chuuya-oji.

The kids got sweets from Ranpo and some minor trinkets from everyone else. When Acchan unwrapped a container of catnip, Atsushi immediately confiscated it. Last anyone saw, Atsushi was trying to shove it down Dazai's throat. (Chuuya approved.)