#muri forester

[lilleputtu]

More business!

[thehmn]

I made a post some time ago (LINK) about how trolls are more nuanced creatures in Scandinavian folklore than in modern English speaking pop culture and are often used as sympathetic allegories for people who just can’t fit in with mainstream society, be it because of their disability, gender or sexuality.

I realized I forgot about the Danish 1856 ballet A Folk Tale (you can watch it on YouTube here LINK) despite it being an excellent example because in modern times it has been reinterpreted to fit this new view of trolls. (Because it’s an older ballet it has less dancing and more miming and acting than you’re probably expecting)

The story to help you better understand the ballet: The human girl Hilda and the troll girl Birthe are swapped as infants.

Many years later during a picnic Birthe is flirting with the nobleman Sir Mogens even though her fiancé Junker Ove is present. She enjoys toying with both of them, much to Ove’s dismay and Mogens’ delight. It all ends in Ove and Birthe having a fight resulting in Birthe leaving with Mogens and Ove staying in the forest past sundown to collect his thoughts.

Suddenly a nearby hill opens and reveals the troll sorceress Muri and her adopted daughter Hilda. Muri tells Hilda to lure Ove closer and get him to drink from an enchanted cup but he refuses, spills the drink and won’t give the cup back. As revenge Muri summons the elves who dance him into madness and leave him scared, confused and half naked in the dark forest (if you only know fantasy elves this is a perfect example of what the original elves are like in Scandinavian folklore)

In the underworld we learn that Hilda has been told she’s an elf girl but she senses something is off. Both of Muri’s sons, Diderik and Viderik, are in love with her but Muri has decided that Diderik should marry her because he’s the oldest. During the engagement party Hilda and Viderik get the guests drunk and run away.

They end up near a sacred spring where they see a priest feed the healing water to sick people. They try to cheer the sick and poor people up with music and dance but suddenly Ove shows up. He still has the elf madness and scares everyone. Mogens happens to walk by and thinks Ove is attacking people so he runs to get help, secretly plotting to get Ove out of the way so he can marry Birthe. Meanwhile Hilda feeds some of the sacred spring water to Ove and dance him back to sanity. Mogens returns with soldiers, hunters and farmers and trap Ove. Viderik helps him escape using his magic music and sends Mogens and his men on a wild goose chase.

Back at the mansion Birthe is terrorizing her servants and even goes as far as to threaten to throw her mother out of the house. Hilda who had been running from Mogens’ men makes her way into the mansion where she is recognized as the true heir to the estate. Because of her horrible treatment of the household Birthe is immediately thrown out onto the street and runs to Mogens for help only to find him under a troll spell. Instead of being horrified she’s delighted. Viderik realize she’s his real sister and while they talk it out other supernatural creatures come out and trap Mogens. Muri and Diderik have been looking for Hilda and Viderik and arrive just as Birthe is starting to come around to the idea that she might be a troll. Muri sees an opportunity and asks Mogens if he wants to marry her daughter Birthe. He’s too terrified and refuses until Muri offer him treasure. When Birthe realizes her troll family is even richer than her human family she immediately accepts that she’s a troll and together Birthe and Mogens follow the trolls into the underworld.

Back at the mansion Hilda and Ove have been reunited and are celebrating their wedding. Mogens and Birthe arrives which at first scares people but they’ve come in peace and to show their good will they’ve bought a dance troupe and preform for the newly weds. The ballet ends on a freeze frame of Hilda and Ove standing in the light, looking towards the human world, and Birthe and Mogens in the dark, raising their arms towards the supernatural world, both couples getting their happiest possible ending.

Now, the original version took place during the renaissance and had a strong Christian theme. Hilda wanted to return to the human world because she longed for Christian values and Ove was like a beacon of purity for her to follow. At the end all trolls left Denmark, symbolizing Christianity finally taking hold of the country.

The updated version takes place in the time it was written and the Christian themes have been severely downplayed. Trolls and all supernatural creatures are still very much present, even watching the wedding from a distance. It is now a personal story about people feeling misplaced and longing for a community that understands and accepts them.

Birthe is aggressive, even cruel at times, but this version also implies her behavior is part nature and part nurture. She is described as spoiled meaning her parents had a huge hand in how she turned out, unable or perhaps unwilling to handle her condition and now her mother despise what she has become. This is evident in how Birthe behaves around her mother. She LOVES her wet nurse who took on the emotional parenting role but recoils at her mother’s touch. She also directs most of her abuse at the housekeeper because she most openly mocks Birthe’s clumsiness and inability to act refined. There’s a heartbreaking scene where Birthe gets so frustrated with her inability to dance and fit in that she screams at her own reflection until the wet nurse calms her down.

Only two people are able to calm Birthe down, her wet nurse who cuddles her when she gets upset and Mogens who is seen directing Birthe’s attention to himself which softens her demeanor because she likes him and doesn’t want to cause him more harm than he can handle.

Both her and Mogens are also more queer coded in this version. Birthe wants to be a dancer and gets very up and close with the female dancers. In the first scene Mogens can be seen flirting with the female staff and in the last scene he feels comfortable openly flirting with the male dancers. It’s worth noting neither acts jealous when they see their partner flirt, again shining a light on their alternative relationship.

And who could forget when Birthe tricks Mogens into kissing Ove. In the taped version he kiss Ove’s hand but in the version I watched live they kissed on the mouth which better explained why Mogens grabs Ove’s face later as if to mockingly say “You think I’m disgusting? Look at what you’ve become”

And you’d think Mogens had more reason to be mad than Ove but no, he’s flustered but gets over it almost immediately while Ove is so angry he rips his jacket off like the good pure boy he is.

And something that really stands out is Mogens’ worship of Birthe. The first time Birthe appears all the other characters run to the opposite end of the stage but Mogens doesn’t even flinch. He just bathes in her presence. When she asks him to push her on the swing he unprompted gets her whip.

In a later scene she’s seen using a bell to bully her servants and the final thing that makes her realize she has lost all power is when they ignore it, which makes it very symbolic that Mogens gives her the bell back in the final scene and holds her up high while she rings it. Boy loves his Dom GF so very very much.

It also says something about Mogens that he randomly appears in the bad part of town. He’s very good at playing the upper class game and seems to be quite respected but also seeks escape in the outskirts of society. When Birthe really gets going you can see Mogens acting shocked followed by pure joy at such a free and wild woman. The Danish translation of Shakespeare’s Taming of The Shrew is Troll can be Tamed and this ballet almost feels like a response to that. Trolls/wild women should not be tamed! They should be free around people who love them for their wildness!

Their behavior is perfectly in line with what we see in the underworld. Muri is played by a male dancer to give her the proper imposing height and it’s left up for interpretation if older female trolls are just bigger than the males or if she’s a trans mommy. The engagement party is risqué from the start and quickly turns into a drunken sex orgy (Good luck to Mogens when he is engaged to Birthe. All I’m saying is as a human he’s going to be very popular with the other creatures) It might seem like an evil world but this version of the ballet really tries to make it clear that this is normal and expected behavior in the underworld. They act like that because they like it and are all happy with the way their society works. Even the more gentle troll Viderik prefer the underworld to the human world. It’s not bad just different.

Birthe and Mongens almost come of as lower level money-happy Disney villains, deserving of a fitting punishment for their treatment of the people around them, but certainly not death and the story is overall sympathetic to them as people who have been mangled by a society that mistreated and punished them for something that was out of their control which is why they get a happy ending. Definitely worth a watch.

[saintoriasaina]

TOP 10 FAVOURITE OC ARTITS‼️‼️💯💯

ARTITS😭😭😭 WELL WELL.........

I don't wanna rank them they're all so talented and amazing💓

@0n-is-tired0 - Love all ofyour OCs, especially Kuro, for a while I also wanted to put him in my pfp since he is just so amazing and AAAAAAA!!!!! SAVE ME KURO!!!!!!

@iwilldevoururmum - my first mutual💓 love QUINN LOVE HER SO BADLY SHES JUST THE CUTEST!!!! Her clothes are so cute and look so comfy I love them so much!!!! 💕💕💕

@sweetestpotatoes10011 - I don't even need to explain, Murderer is literally SO WELL WRITTEN, LITERALLY!! I love her and her lore so much, she's just the cutes ever and i honestly can't wait to see more drawings!!!

@kokorozizoo -you draw like those 2000s art, I LIVE FOR IT. It's so beautiful and nicely drawn, it looks so soft and we can see the amazing talent you have on your hands RAAAAAAAA

@lorrainailurophile - Love the medieval themed stuff....making me wish I was Muri myself to experience it all....OH, to be a carefree cat woman wandering the forest and have a tower of my own!!!!!

@rare-konst - KONSTAIN IS SO CUTE AND I LOVE THE WAY SHE'S DRAWN AND LOOKS, the dynamic with Nyen is so nice and I wanna just push then together and make them kiss ......(Which I totally will))

@agentwhiteofplanetearth - I love meowla.... she's the best mother, she's honestly just an amazing character, very well written and your Artstyle is just the BEST!!! I headcanon that she can knit...MEOW

@necogutz - NYX IS SO CUTE!!!!! you also latched onto the howdie style very well....I LOVE IT!!!! Nyx is just the cutest catman ever he probably hates carrots ........

@orangelovesyoumore - I LOVE VATERINA SHE'S JUST THE CUTEST, I always think that if she was a smaller doll she probably would've came with a lamp, holding onto it. I LOVE CATERINA I REALLY DO

@hitchhikeerrrr - consider me Yukina's number one fan, she's so cute and I WANNA draw more of her, I love her so much and I love to headcanon a hairstyle on her hair.....I wanna bake cakes with her and RAAAAAA!!!

And again guys I can't reply to comments so if you wanna ask something or know somethijg just go to my asks ok💓 BTW I LOVE ALL OCS THEY'RE ALL SO CREATIVE AND I WANNA BE MORE NOTICED BG CREATORS!!!! I JUST LOVE ALL OF THEM AND I WANNA CRY SINCE THEY'RE ALL SO AMAZING AAAA!!!!!!!!

[lunamagicablu]

In matematica non sono brava. Perdo il conto delle foglie dei rami e per le stelle ogni volta ricomincio da capo. Non riesco a misurare il salto delle cavallette e non so la formula per il perimetro delle nuvole. Il calcolo di quanta neve sia caduta mi sfugge e anche di quanta ne possa reggere un filo d’erba. La somma dei passi per arrivare al mare non mi riesce e mi chiedo se per il ritorno devo fare una sottrazione. Ho diviso il numero dei semi per i frutti il risultato è una nuova foresta e ne avanza qualcuno. Se moltiplico le giornate di sole per quelle di pioggia ottengo più di sette stagioni e non so quante settimane. La matematica mi confonde. Come misura del mondo è strana. Per quanti conti si facciano qualcosa non torna mai pari. Due finestre fanno una vista? quattro muri sono una casa? Noi siamo i nostri centimetri, chili, litri? quanto pesa un segreto? quanto misura una risata? e l’area del cuore come si calcola? Azzurra D’Agostino, "La misura del mondo" ********************** I'm not good at math. I lose count of the leaves on the branches and for the stars every time I start over. I can't measure the jumping of grasshoppers and I don't know the formula for the perimeter of the clouds. The calculation of how much snow has fallen escapes me and even as much as a blade of grass can hold. The sum of the steps to get to the sea doesn't work for me and I wonder if for the return I have to do a subtraction. I divided the number of seeds by the fruit the result is a new forest and some are left over. If I multiply the sunny days by the rainy ones I get over seven seasons and I don't know how many weeks. The math confuses me. As a measure of the world it is strange. No matter how many accounts you do, something never adds up. Do two windows make a view? Are four walls a home? Are we our centimetres, kilos, litres? how much does a secret weigh? how much is a laugh? How is the area of the heart calculated? Azzurra D'Agostino, "The measure of the world"

[soba-riri]

He makes a beeline to the open office just down the hall, nodding to employees as he passes. He peeks into the room, catching sight of her at her desk, stewing over the paperwork there.

Her blonde hair, carefully braided to keep it in place, is the same as always, but judging by how she’s rubbing her temples, she probably has been spending far too long at her desk. It makes him feel bad about what he’s going to present her. But duty calls.

He raps his knuckles on the doorframe, catching her attention. “Romeo Command, or should I say Colonel Forester.” Keith returns the smiles Muri gives him. “You know staring at those papers eight hours straight wouldn’t give you the answers when you’re tired, right?”

“And I recall telling you that I’m not a Colonel anymore, Greenwood.” She pushes the paper aside and leans back against her chair. “But you’re right. What’s the reason for your visit?”

Keith lowers himself into a seat, shrugging. “Can’t I visit to check in on you?”

She smiles, slightly amused. “I appreciate that. But I also see that you brought something.”

He sighs and hands her file. “You’re right. As much as I want this to be a casual meeting, there’s trouble. We detected a disruption.”

Muri frowns as she flips through the file. “It’s not someone from our time, correct?”

“No. There’s no reason why someone from our time would go so far back to mess with it.”

“Some people can’t be contained by logic.” She mutters. Spreading out the documents on the table, she quickly skims through them. “What are the casualties?”

“Six men.” Keith replies. “However, it’s recent, so the fissure in time hasn’t…” He waves a hand in the air aimlessly. “Caught up yet.”

Time is an extremely complex thing to grasp. It’s better for everyone’s sanity to not assume they can understand something older than the universe itself. The base line is, if someone messes with time, the damage can be subtle to catastrophic depending on who gets affected.

Muri grimaces, understanding his implications. “Right. Are there any men available to deploy?”

Keith blows out a heavy breath. “None that are knowledgeable in this area of history. And while I say we got time; we don’t have enough time to cram 1800s history into someone’s brain.”

“Right,” Muri repeats and rubs her temples. He feels terrible for dropping this on her. He makes a mental note to grab her some coffee and food later. Suddenly, she straightens and reaches into her drawer to pull out a spare phone. “It looks like we have to use Faraday.”

“Oh boy.” He grins teasingly. Time to do good on that coffee and food.

[animeoasisblog]

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[al-mayriti]

i want to talk about this cause it's the only thing keeping me going besides the sims right now.

so. last year i think? i started this idea that takes place in this alternative earth i created with more countries and where the UN is actually useful and has a bunch of project to promote multiculturalism etc (another project i have is a UN promoted international academy where students are selected via lottery from all around the world. i'm actually envisioning it as a 4 seasons coming of age tv show, when i have more done i'll definitely share stuff about it here <3)

in this alternative world, the UN hires this couple of travel youtubers to travel to every single country in the world, collecting info about each place, and when they get home they'll create a blog where they talk about every country + a book financed by the UN, sorta like a travel guide but for all the world.

in order to make sure they are thoroughly visiting each country, i laid down some rules. for each country they have to visit:

3 largest cities

1 extra random city

1 natural area

1 man made monument (can be another city or town of special interest)

1 extra activity. can be a hike through the mountains, scuba-diving, a cooking class, etc. it depends on the country

they have to spend one day on every city (with exceptions), and also if the city is particularly big (i.e. tokyo, shanghai, delhi etc) they are there for two days.

excluded to this rule are micro-nations / city states, and countries with less than a million inhabitants. for those nations, they only have to spend a full day there. that's it.

the couple are leon solamhovich macasgaidh, who was born and raised in krasnodar, crimea, to a crimean mother and a scottish father; and dana jäppinen, from petroskoi (petrozavodsk) in karelia, to karelian parents. they met at the university of calgary, and have been together for 5 years as the start of the trip. they live in calgary, part of the blackfoot confederation. they'll get married as soon as i get to that country hehe, and i'll probably make leon propose when they're in karelia i think.

anyways, i'm on country 64, here's how the map looks like! they started in new zealand, and are currently in south india. i change the colour every 50 countries; the lighter shade is 1-50, the darker shade will be 50-100 (there's 250 countries in total btw). also i mark every year in a darker colour, that's why new zealand and manchuria are darker. so yeah, that means they've been over a year traveling and haven't made it out of asia yet lol.

below the cut i'll relay the order of countries they visited and the details of where they went, for how many days, etc abbrevieted as much as i possibly can lol

new zealand (july 23rd - august 3rd): auckland - hobbiton movie set tour - wellington - queenstown - te wahipounamu - christchurch - hanmer springs forest camp (archery).

new caledonia (august 3rd - 4th ): nouméa - blue river provincial park

australia (august 4th - 16th): brisbane - noosa heads (cruise to australia's everglades) - sydney - mungo national park - adelaide - melbourne - heide museum of modern art

fiji (august 16th - 18th): nadi - mamanuca islands

vanuatu (august 18th -21th): enam - tanna (diving class) - blue cave - cultural visit to a kastom village

tonga (august 23rd - 26th): neiafu - nuku'alofa - tongatapu island tour - paepae o tele'a

niue (august 26th - 30th): huvalu forest - niue island tour - mutalau (plantation tour) - avatele beach (snorkel) - whale watching

cook islands (august 31st - september 2nd): rarotonga - muri beach - punanga nui market - muri night market - avaavaroa (turtle sea scooter safari)

hawaii (september 3rd - 8th): honolulu - pearl harbour national monument - east honolulu - pearl city - hilo - honokaa (quad bike scenic tour near waipio valley) - hawai'i volcanoes national park

tahiti (september 9th - 10th): papeete - plage de ahonu (surf) - tapahi - arahoho blowhole - cascades de faarumai

pitkern island (september 12th - 15th): pitcairn island museum - island quad bike tour - christian's cave - diving in the hms bounty wreckage - adamstown - whale watching - st. paul's pool

samoa (september 19th - 21st ): sopo'aga falls - papaseea sliding rocks - piula cave pool

tuvalu (september 21st - 26th): vaiaku - funafuti marine conservation area - funafuti - tuvalu women's handicraft centre - david's drill - airstrip - nukulaelae - niulakita

nauru (september 27th - 28th): buada lagoon - wwii memorial monument - japanese wwii prison - central plateau

solomon islands (september 29th - october 1st): tenaru waterfalls - honiara - mbonege beach (snorkel)

chatham islands (october 2nd - 4th): ocean mail scenic reserve - kaingaroa

papua new guinea (october 5th - 16th): port moresby - varirata national park - mount hagen - kuk early archaeological site - goroka - lae - lab lab - gloucester - kimbe bay (diving) - rabaul

kiribati (october 17th - 18th): te umanibong - kiribati local produce market

marshall islands (october 18th - october 19th): alele museum - majuro bridge - elefa handicraft shop

federated states of micronesia (october 19th - 22nd): lelu ruins historic park - kosrae nautilus resort - shark island (diving) - utwa-wahlung conservation area - tafunsak beach - olum hiking trail

guam (october 22nd - 24th): lamlam mountain - valley of the latte adventure park - ypao beach

mariana islands (october 24th - 25th): nmi museum of history and culture - okinawa peace memorial - bird island observatory - helicopter tour of saipan - banzai cliff

palau (october 25th - 28th): badrulchau stone monoliths - etpison museum - airai bai - icebox park - japan-palau friendship bridge - rock islands - jellyfish lake

philippines (october 28th - november 6th): manila - quezón city - puerto princesa (subterranean river tour) - cebú city - oslob (whale shark watching and inambakan falls tour) - davao city - eden nature park

singapore (november 6th - 8th): gardens by the bay - artscience museum - marina bay sands sky deck - lau pa sat - sengkang floating wetland

indonesia (november 8th - 19th): penang - jakarta - bekasi - prambanan - surabaya - mount bromo - kota kinabalu - kinabalu park - kiulu (rafting)

hong kong (november 19th - 21st): ngong ping - tung chung - hong kong space museum - tsim sha tsui promenade - avenue of stars - chi lin nunnery - nan lian garden - happy valley racecourse

macau (november 21st - 22nd): the cotai strip - a-má temple - macau tower

guangdong (november 22nd - 30th): xiaolan - yangjiang - kaiping (unesco watchtowers heritage and ancient villages tour) - guangdong - baiyun mountain - gulong gorge (glass bridge waterfall ravine underground river cave tour) - dongguan - shenzhen

indochina (december 1st - 13th): hanoi - tràng an - ban that hium - luang prabang - thakhek - pakse (4000 islands tour) - vat phou - wat - phousalao - phnom penh - ho chi minh city

thailand (december 13th - 22nd): bangkok - ayutthaya - nakhon ratchasima - kanchanaburi - huai kha khaeng wildlife sanctuary - nakhon sawam - chiang mai (dinner private course) - chiang dao valley (mountain bikes & kayaks tour)

kawthoolei (december 22nd - 31st): loikaw - kandarawadi palace - pan pet (guided tour) - myawaddy - hpa-an - mount zwegabin - saddan cave (kayak tour)

mon (december 31st - january 8th): moulmein - bilu island tour - ye - kyaikkhami - set sae beach - setse yele paya - sathuim (thaton) - kyaik htee yoe pagoda - sittaung

myanmar (january 8th - 20th): yangon - winga baw elephant camp - pyay (world heritage pyu ancient city, sri ksetra) - bagan - mandalay - naypyidaw - taunggyi - shan mountains horseriding tour

kachin (january 21st - 31st): myitkyina - mongkawng - indawgyi lake (birdwatching tour) - hpakant - puta-o (5 day trek on the lisu trail)

arunachal pradesh (january 31st - february 9th): hayuliang - dong valley - pasighat - kekar monying (brahmaputra river rafting) - itanagar - pakke tiger reserve - tawang

assam (february 10th - 22nd): guwahati - manas tiger reserved forest - nagaon - kaziranga national park (jeep safari) - jongal balahu - jorhat - charaideo maidam - hollongapar gibbon sanctuary - silchar - buban hills

nagaland (february 23rd - march 1st): dimapur - dzuleke village - chümoukedima (triple falls seithekema) - mokokchung - kohima - puliebadze wildlife sanctuary

manipur (march 1st - 10th): ukhrul - imphal - kangla fort - andro (3 days trek) - thoubal - keibul lamjao national park - loktak lake - churachandpur

mizoram (march 10th - 18th): champhai - murlen national park - aizawl - reiek tlang - falkawn - serchhip - paragliding in serchhip - lunglei

arakan (march 19th - 29th): sittwe - mrauk u - weaving lesson in mrauk u - myebon - kyaukpyu - ngapali fishing village sunrise tour

andaman (march 30th - april 1st): port blair - corbyn's cove beach (jet ski) - baratang island tour

bangladesh (april 1st - 10th): dhaka - gazipur - sylhet - chittagong - st. martin's island (scuba diving) - khulna (sundarban tour) - somapura mahavihara

meghalaya (april 10th - 19th): tura - nokrek national park - pelga falls - mawsynram (mawjymbuin cave) - mawmluh (speleology tour in mawmluh cave) - mawlynnong - jowai - shillong - dawki

tripura (april 20th - 28th): agartala - junpai hills - unakoti archaeological site - baramura eco park - khumulwng eco park - kamalasagar kasba kali temple - dumboor lake - chabimura - tripura sundari temple - udaipur - neermahal water palace - sepahijala wildlife sanctuary - dharmanagar

himalaya (april 29th - may 9th): phobjika valley - kumbu lhakhang trail - gangtey nature trail - punakha dzong - punakha - bagdogra - siliguri (darjeeling himalayan railway toy train) - koshi tappu wildlife camp (3 days safari) - kathmandu - pokhara (momo cooking class) - langtang national park - rasuwa gadi

tibet (may 9th - 17th): gyirong - mount everest base camp - tingri - shigatse - gyantse - karola glacier - yamdrok lake - lhasa - nyingchi (xiuba ancient castle)

sichuan (may 18th - 26th): shangri-la (thangka painting class) - kunming - chengdu - dujiangyan panda volunteer tour - chengdu panda base - leshan giant buddha - huanglong national scenic spot - lanzhou - yinchuan (shapotou desert tour)

mongolia (may 27th - june 13th): xining - qinghai lake - dunhuang (camel riding) - zhangye (3 days badain jaran desert tour with jeep safari) - baotou - hohhot - ulaanbaatar - terelj valley (camping horseback tour) - murun (uushigiin uver deer stones)

buryatia (june 13th - 15th): ulan-ude

sakha (june 15th - july 4th): irkutsk - taltsy museum - kabansk - chita - yakutsk - 10 day cruise on the lena river (khara-balyk, lensk, lipaevski island, olekminsk, lena pillars) - oymyakon

east siberia (july 4th - 17th): kosomolsk-on-amur - khabarovsk - anadyr - sledging in chukotka - mount dionysia (snowtubing) - gudym - bikin - terney - sikhote-alin nature reserve - vladivostok - yuzhno sakhalinsk

kamchatka (july 17th - 19th): petropavlosk-kamchatskiy - koryak volcano hike

manchuria (july 20th - 29th): harbin - jingpo lake - changchun - jingyuetan ski resort - ji'an - wandu mountain ancient city - shenyang - tonghua - dalian - shedao island

japan (july 29th - august 8th): tokyo - yokohama - kyoto - nara - osaka - ekawasaki (canoe house shimanto river kayaking) - matsuyama - amami oshima

korea (august 8th - 17th): busan - jeju island - suncheon bay ecological park - sinchang - namgye seowon - seoul - makgeolli brewing class in seoul - pyongyang

china (august 17th - 28th): beijing - 2 days great wall hiking tour - chinese calligraphy class in beijing - tianjin - luoyang - shennongjia national nature reserve - xiangyang - shanghai

hunan (august 28th - september 7th): hangzhou - wuzhen water town tour - yingtan (longhushan) - guilin - nanning - xiamen - gulangyu - 2 days fujian tulou tour

taiwan (september 7th - 16th): kaohsiung - tainan - taichung - new taipei - taipei - beitou hot springs - jin ping spring resort (mei-hua river tracing)

sri lanka (september 16th - 24th): colombo - kaduwela - maharagama - sripada peak wilderness sanctuary - nuwara eliya (tea plantation tour) - kandy - polonnaruwa

maldives (september 24th - 25th): kuda haraa - dhoni dolphin cruise

tamil nadu (september 25th - october 3rd): chennai - illanthope (paramotoring) - kumbakonam - thanjavur - coimbatore - madurai - mundanthurai tiger preserve

south india (october 3rd - ???): agumbe reserve forest - halebidu - bengaluru - hyderabad - warangal - visakhapatnam - jindhagada trek

[characteroulette]

Some Lights from the Seasons kiddos!! Hurrah!!

Kunen

They/Them

Red hair (flared out), green eyes, triangular nose, pointed ears, waxy green skin, short blue-green Oni tail, sharp fangs and claws

Casual clothes: green hoodie, black long-sleeved button-up, brown cargo pants, black boots, black fingerless gloves

5 feet 2 inches

15 ~ 20 years old (thin and wiry)

Forest Sprite / Blue Oni mix; a perfect blend of both of their worst instincts (secretive, suppresses his bigger emotions, connects himself to a single other being)

Tends to be annoyed with others. It took him until he was an adult to learn to relax around his friends.

Paco is his heart's biggest yearning and the one being he's connected himself to. He has two older half-sisters and was raised mostly by his father.

(His alternate outfit is what he wears once he's an adult. The hat and coat were a gift from his family)

Paco

He/Him

Fluffy brown hair (waterproof), blue eyes, big and round nose, tanned and slimy skin (his hands and feet are dry, cracked, and discoloured), webbing between his toes and fingers (also cracked), enflamed gil markings on his neck

Casual clothes: orange bandanna, blue polo shirt, orange shorts, white crew socks, red and white sneakers

5 feet 5 inches

15 ~ 20 years old (has some chub / blubber to him) (he's transmasc)

Muckrish; his discolouration and unnaturally dry hands/feet come from having been born in the City and being raised there until he was around 10

Peace loving and friend to all to an infuriating degree. Kindness is his most prominant trait, but he's careful not to be a doormat. Wears his heart on his sleeve, even when filled with his own barbs.

Kunen is his best friend. He's also besties with Kunen's sister (Muri). He and Paulina were sweet on each other as children, but settled on just being friends.

(His alternate outfit is what he wears as an adult when he and Muri are travelling back to Kunen's Forest. He's more sensitive about his discolouration now having met other Muckrish)

Hikari

She/Her

Wild black hair, four golden diamond eyes, ashen grey skin, has no nose and no ears in this form

She wears a long sleeveless white sweater and white shorts in her humanoid form, keeping her feet bare

5 feet 5 inches in humanoid form

7 feet 2 inches in her full wolf form

15 ~ 20 years old; shifts her form depending on her mood

Werewolf; was abandoned as a child and grew up taking care of herself in the Forest. Gets along well with Muri (Kunen's sister) and Paulina (Paco's friend).

Fairly nonchalant and chill. Enjoys teasing and playing with her friends. She cares deeply, but tries not to show it. She's probably the one who "gets" Kunen the most.

She's just cute and silly and I like her a lot ;w; ;;

[lilleputtu]

I went through and actually tried to find some reasonable numbers of things and decided Gallagher needed not just rocks and ores, but definitely more wood too, so Elena went into the forest.

[francy-riflessioni]

Te ne accorgi subito

che quella Donna è una scogliera,

le tue ondate provocanti

non scalfiranno la sua durezza,

l'arte della tua seduzione

avrà le armi spuntate.

Non serviranno colpi di sciabola

e nemmeno ricami di fioretto....

Non diventerà più indulgente

per i tuoi complimenti,

non ricambierà i tuoi sorrisi,

non si scioglierà se la fai ridere.

Avrà sempre i suoi occhi da giudice

puntati sui tuoi gesti,

non darà peso alle parole...

Lo capisci subito che non fa per Te,

che non è una dolce gattina

d'aggiungere alla collezione...

Con Lei troverai portoni chiusi,

sbatterai il muso contro muri di cemento....

Per entrare in confidenza con Lei

dovrai scalare montagne,

attraversare foreste di spine

e superare fossati coi coccodrilli...

Troverai risposte di ghiaccio

e risposte bollenti,

da incenerirti...

Quella lì vuol tenerti testa,

vuole metterti alla prova,

come persona prim'ancora che maschio...

Non è una pelle per ragazzini,

per bulletti gonfiati o bluff vanitosi...

È solo per uomini di ferro,

per cercatori, guerrieri....

gente che sa cosa vuole

e non lo dimentica mai...

È una Donna impegnativa,

una sfida quotidiana,

uno scrigno di piaceri

che richiede fatica....

È una tigre che non crede

ai falsi leoni....

Quella può sbranarti ad ogni passo...

Tu lo sai, eppure...

fra tante docili gazzelle

è proprio Lei che vuoi....

Quella che ti spezzerà

o ti renderà più forte...

Quella che adesso che la conosci,

non puoi dimenticarla....

Non è solamente una Donna,

è il tuo Destino.

Riccardo Tango Alfieri

[landscapes]

Besenbüren, 2021

[lilleputtu]

The snow does not stop Beth from making that money

[sketchy-saram]

Idk what spirit I was possessed by to like, pound this sketchy AF comic out, but I did it. :p  I was channeling my HC post about Muriel watching over the apprentice, so here is one instance where Celeste wandered off into the forest and Muriel had to find her.

(As you can see, it was no smooth road for him, poor guy!  And every time she walked off too far, she’d forget why she was walking that way, get confused, and then turn to see this strange man she didn’t recognize. xD)

You get to see an Early Celeste! This would be maybe 2 years before the start of the game. She’s still not all there yet, and her hair’s still growing back. (Sort of.)

Anyway, enjoy? xD

[heard-you-had-the-plague]

As a wise someone (ko-re) once said:

I wanna lay riiiiiiiight on his tiddies ✨❤️

cuz well I don't have any and my neck is aching 😃

finally colored that old reversed!Muri sketch

[antiqueanimals]

Those of the Forest, illustrated by Olaus J. Murie, 1989.

[asteroideaaa]

'ong [ʔ·oŋ] vin. unfold, blossom

Genre: angst (with a happy ending)

Netayam X female OC Omatikaya

Word count: 3.3k

Authors note: this is my first ever fic please be kind. English is not my first language so bear with me. If any of my Na'vi is wrong I apologize

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧

My whole life ive been in love with Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk'itan

I woke up in my muri. It was a very rainy night, my favorite type of weather. I jumped out of my hammock and tiptoed to the opening but as I got to the very edge, my mother stopped me

“Anibyea ‘Efu ‘Ong'ite, turn around and eat before you go out,” she said with fury in her voice. My mother was rigorous when it came to taking care of my body. In her Tawkami culture, it is very valued to take care of our health.

“Sa’un I’m not hungry” I whined like a child stomping my feet and dropping my shoulders.

“Ewya has blessed you with this beautiful body, Anibyea.” yeah ‘beautiful’ who was she kidding 

“Fine I will eat but if the a’o nectar is gone it is your fault” I huffed

“ Patience, my child. The nectar will still be there I promise. Come sit down and eat, I made utu mauti stew.” she knew it was my favorite. I could not turn it down. It reminded me of my father. He died in the great war against the sky people he was Olo eyktan of the Tawkami clan. With no sons to pass it on to my mother stayed here and birthed me right in this forest. 

“Yes, Sa’un” I walked to the small table in defeat. I sat down and brought the spoon to my mouth, Pure bliss. The warmth and tanginess were something unimaginable. Nothing beats a mother's meal. From what I'm told she was her clan's best cook. She knew every plant and herb Eywa has planted on this planet. She is even the clans cook.

“See isn't it delectable my child?” my mother said as I held up the bowl to my lips trying to slurp up the bits of utu mauti.

“Yes, Sa’un it's so good. You should tea-” I was interrupted by someone crashing into my muri.

“Anibyea it rained last night we have to harvest a’o nectar” kiri shouted very excitedly “ oh my apologies ‘Ong Oel ngati kameie.” she said gracefully  “Anibyea come let us go before Lo’ak slurps it all up,” she said out of breath as if she didn't just very properly to my mother.

“ Sa’un may I go now?” I pouted at tilted my head as if I was a  pulukan pup.

“I suppose my child be safe and be home by eclipse,” she said very sternly throwing me my herb pouch. She knew I wouldn't be home by eclipses but as long as I came home in one piece.

I skipped my way over to kiri putting my hand on her shoulder and guiding her to turn around and walk toward the forest. We look at each other and smiled deviously. Then ran as fast as we could. Feeling the soil under my toes and the wind strike my face. Minutes go by and I'm still ahead of kiri, but I feel that she's catching up. I turn to look back at Kiri. a big mistake I just made. I ran straight into a tall Navi man making us both tumble and fall. 

“ oh my Eyaw I’m so sorry.” I say trying to pick myself up. I look up and see Neteyam Sully, my childhood crush since birth practically. Our eyes meet again I slip again face planting straight into his chest.

“ damn Anibyea I knew you were into my brother but I didn't think you'd hunt him usually that’s the man's job” Lo’ak laughed referring to this old Navi tradition where men hunt their soon-to-be mates. 

“ shut your skxqwng ass up Lo’ak.” he said shoving me off of him straight into the muddy soil right next to us accidentally of course. Neteyam was cold but would never hurt me. I have gotten used to this cold treatment as we grew into young adults. Kiri came running to my side and lent me a hand. 

“We probably shouldn't have run it is still slippery from the rain last night.” kiri said scratching the back of her head out of guilt.

“ yeah Kiri what were you thinking? Now I'm all wet and probably have a broken rib” Neteyam said angrily rubbing his rib trying to soothe the pain. Was I really that heavy?

“Here let me help.” I grab my pouch to pull out my herbs.” 

“No it's fine you've done enough,” Neyetam said coldly and walked away into the direction of the a’o plants.

“Don't mind him Anibyea. He's just mad because mom and dad are pressuring him to find a mate.” my heart sank straight into my stomach. I almost forgot we were at that age now, time goes by so fast.

“Yeah, he's been like this all week. Honestly, it’s the girls that are the most annoying. They are always dropping off gift baskets trying to swoon him.” Kiri said rolling her eyes as she always does. I give a weak but passing smile.

“ what do you mean the baskets are the best part I hope he's like this for a while. The sweets they bring are delicious.” Lo’ak says as he extends his hand out placing him on his head 

We all walk to the a’o plant meeting Neteyam there. He’s drinking out of one of the plants. Oh my Ewya he's handsome. I watch him carefully grab the plant with his hand and drink it to his lips. Oh, how I wished it was me instead of the plant. He stops drinking and our eyes meet I immediately look down at my feet blushing.

Kiri put her hand on my shoulder and looked at me “ Lo’ak and I are going to look for stones for Tuk. shes caught a cold last night and I think some shiny rocks would cheer her up. She was upset she wasn't allowed to come with us, she cried at the doorway in moms arms.” she handed me three water carriers. “Go fill these up with Neteyam, for dinner with the clan tonight.” she winked and grabbed Lo’aks wrist, and walked towards the stream nearby. She’s known about my crush on Neteyam for years. She always tries to help out. 

I walk towards Neteyam with butterflies in my stomach he still facing the a’o plants. I place my hand on his back to get his attention. 

“Kiri wants us to fill these up for the feast tonight. Care to help?” I asked kindly

“Sure,” he says taking one water carrier off my shoulder. we don't talk for a couple of minutes pouring the nectar into the carrier. So I try to break the silence. 

“ so I hear it's time for you to start looking for a mate.” I say 

“ no my parents want me to look for one, but none of the women from here don't spark any interest at all. I have to pick the woman I mate with very carefully she will be the next tsahik. I need a woman to care for my people, and rule by my side with care and compassion. And I don't really see a woman like that here in this clan who would want me.” he said frustrated as he poured the nectar into the carrier. My heart clenches. How could I ever think Neteyam son of mighty warriors would ever be interested in me? I was stupid for ever thinking that. I go silent and my mind starts to think. Should I move on? Have I held his name too close to my heart? 

“There are many women in this clan I'm sure you’ll find the one,” I said, but why Anibyea? Why would you say that? You're supposed to persuade him to take interest in you.

“It's funny our mother used to talk about us being future mates.” he laughs bringing his hand to his lips to cover his smile. He didn't need to cover it his smile was beautiful. 

“I remember when we would actually get along.” I laughed feeling a bit awkward trying to pour nectar into my two carries and they were getting a little too heavy. I slipped and almost fell as both were very full now.

“Here let me,” Neteyam said as he walked over to me. And our eyes meet I start blushing, but don't look away. I examine his face. His big yellow eyes and pouty lips but my favorite part is his jawline. It felt like minutes passed by. But my gazing was interrupted by his deep soothing voice. 

“Do I have something on my face?”

“No, I'm just looking. You've grown so much”

“You've grown to you know. You're blossoming,”

“Me!? How? There is nothing special about me I’m just plain old me I look no different from what I did years ago teyam.” it's been so long since I'd called him that. 

“You've grown a lot trust me Byea.” he hasn't called me that in years. My heart flutters and all of a sudden I’m in love with him all over again.

“ come let's go find Kiri and Lo’ak. We should probably wash off in the waterfall we are still very muddy.” I laugh and grab his wrist leading him to the waterfall.

We catch up to kiri and Lo’ak arguing 

“Kiri it's MY stone to give to Tuk,” Lo’ak says very loudly

“You just want it because you know she's mad at you for saying pink Ikrans don't exist!” 

“ children mawey,” I said in a mothering voice. The sully children seemed to fight over almost anything. It's gotten better as we’ve grown older. Neteyam and I are usually the ones to be fighting these days. It's always something stupid like, how to hold a bow correctly, what animal is the fastest in the forest, or even this one time what fruit tasted better. That argument lasted for days. 

“I'm going to wash off this mud under the waterfall. You guys quit fighting it's giving me a headache.” Neteyam said annoyed. He walked behind tall leave where the waterfall stood. His back was so muscular. His shoulders were so broad I could look at him all day. 

“Anibyea go wash off as well. Your mother will kill you if she sees how dirty you got.” Kiri winked at me again. She really wants to be sisters I see. I threw my pouch at where they knelt down looking at stones. 

“Don't take too long we have to be back home soon,” Lo’ak said still looking for stones

“Since when have you followed rules Lo’ak?” I jokingly chuckled crossing my arms.

“Just go shower,” he scowled and stuck his tongue out at me as if he were a child.

I turn around on my heels and started walking toward the waterfall. As I walk I push leaves out of my face and avoid sticker vines. I hear a squeaking voice from that waterfall. That couldn't possibly be Neteyam. I stand still looking threw that leaves unnoticed by anyone. I prayed to eywa that my eyes were deceiving me. It was Neteyam with a girl. Not just any girl, my childhood bully. Yora’tu. She made my childhood hell. She knew everything I hated about myself. She used to make fun of my skin a lot. Before I started using herbs on my face I had bad acne. She used to tell everybody it was contagious. The other young Navi stopped hanging out with me after that. I can't believe he's hanging out with her. 

“Teyam teach me how to fish pleases” she elongated the please in a whiney voice.

“Soon, I have many things on my mind,” he said focusing on washing mud out of his braids. He didn't say no to her. My mind went everywhere. Were they dating? Is this why he's become colder to me? Why her out off all Navi? I purposely step on a twig to make it known I was entering the waterfall.” 

“Hey, Neteyam we have to go soon. Make it quick I want the fall now,” I said looking past my shoulder as if something caught my eye. Nothing did Id seen everything.

“Yeah, you can have it now I'm done.” 

“Ooh hey, Anibyea didn't know you were here,” Yora’tu said in a slightly annoyed voice. I knew she was infuriated that I interrupted them. She could take everything away from but Neteyam as children. Shed always asked him to play with her but, Neteyam and I couldn't be apart from each other ever.

“Teyam let's go. The water is gonna get really dirty and I just braided my hair,” she said urgently grabbing his wrist and pulling him out from under the waterfall. I thought maybe he'd say no. he didn't and went with her back to the village. I stood under the waterfall watching them get on her Ikran that was quietly drinking water. They flew off faster than normal. If my heart weren't hurting enough. My physical body was in excruciating pain. I slipped and fell from the wind created by Yora’tu’s Ikran. I lay on the rock, touching my head. Red plagued my hand. Then, black.

My eyes are barely open. Someone is carrying me on their back. Why are they running it hurt my head? My head is resetting on their back I open my eyes its Lo’ak. I see kiri by his side trying to keep up. Lo’ak notices my half-open eyes. 

“Don't worry we got you,” he says out of breath “we’re almost to the village.” Then black again. 

It felt like hours had gone by. My head feels like I headbutted an ‘Anstìk. I hear a distant conversation. I wish it didn't it's making my head hurt even worse. I couldn't pick up much of what they were saying. In sound echoey. 

“What were you thinking Neteyam?” I think the voice belonged to Jake Sully. 

“I'm sorry sir, but how is this my fault?” I knew that voice from anywhere. It was Neteyams voice I heard. “You're the oldest you're supposed to watch them.” jakes voice echoes through the room. I'm not a child. Though the thought of Neteyam watching over me being protective making sure I didn't hurt myself on the slippery rocks made my heart swell. Even when I'm injured I still think of him. I’m so deeply in love Ewya this is annoying. I finally get the strength to open my eyes. My hand hits the woven matt of the muri and I push myself up with all the strength Eywa has provided me with. 

“What's going on?” I say softly due to the excruciating headache. I go to touch my head, but I feel cloth has been tightly tied around it. I feel a small child run up to me squeezing my arm.

“You fell and hit your head child. You must lay and rest you hit your head very hard.” our Tsahik Mo’at says confidently. She knew what she was doing who was I not to abide by her commands? I feel Tuktirey try and nuzzle into my arm. So very painfully I lift up my arm to let her in.

“Tuk leave her be. She needs to heal.” kiri scolded Tuk. usually, Kiri is very patient with Tuk. she must be very overwhelmed with how she found me. “I’m sorry everybody I did not wish to worry everybody.” I apologized with deep guilt. Mother is going to be so upset with me. I just earned on going into the forest alone.“You are not at fault here byea, nobody is. Now everybody out, please get some rest you need time to heal.” Mo’at shouted shooing people with her hands before she closed the muri curtain closed. Now I'm left here all alone just me and my thoughts.

It's been hours since I've been staring at the roof of my muri. I study the intricate designs woven into the walls. My eyes feel heavy and my mind is clear. Just as I was about to fall asleep a crashing noise of someone falling into my muri. My ears bend all the back and I'm on my feet. I turn around and grab my father's bow displayed on the wall. My fingers tremble with fear pulling an arrow out and positioning to shoot “one step closer and an arrow goes straight into your head.” I scream trying not to show fear. The truth is I'm a terrible shot. Years of practice and training yet I miss my target every time. The figure steps closer putting their hands up. Scared I take a big breath and aim tighter, hissing bearing my teeth.

“You couldn't hit me if your life depended on it Byea.” Neteyam chuckled. Why is he here in my muri at this hour? The last person I want to see right now. I pull back my bow looking down at my feet. 

“Why are you here Neteyam?”

“ what cant check up on you now?” he said annoyed. I turn my back placing my father's bow back on the mantel. I place my elbow on the wall and bring my other hand to cover my eyes.  “Answer my question Neteyam!” I yell turning around to face him. “I came because I left my riding visor. What's got you in a mood.” Eywa he gets on my nerves. The sad thing is that I still love him. 

“Nothing take your visor and leave. Maybe you should pay Yora’tu a visit. I place my hands on my hips. He makes me so angry lately.

“Why should I? Are you jealous or something? Seeing your childhood best friend moving on with his life.” he snarled at me. Of course, I'm jealous. My whole life I've had this distant dream of Neteyam and I being mated for life. I'm not jealous of him growing up, I'm jealous of the fact it wasn't me he even considered to mate with. I've felt these feelings for him my whole life and not once these past few years has he shown any signs of interest. I'm so over these feelings I'm so tired of thinking about what if’s. Then before I know words come out of my mouth without thinking.

“Yes of course I'm jealous not of your growth but of Yora’tu. You chose her over me. We have been by each other's sides since birth Neteyam! Every day I wake up and think of you. every time I sleep at night I dream of us. I dream of us having a family. I cannot help these feelings but now that I know you have someone else in mind I will stop.” I cry with tears in my eyes. I was in shock not knowing what I had just done. So was Neyeam his smirk dropped and he walked closer to me. He grabbed my hands. This is it he's gonna tell me he doesn't feel the same and that he never has. I hope he does so gently. My heart can take no more pain.

“Why are you saying this now ma Anibyea?” he says ever so gently. I feel as if I'm too late. He's invested in another. I open my mouth, but I speak nothing. He holds my face with his warm rough hands. 

“I wish you would have said something earlier Byea. for many years I've watched you grow into a beautiful woman. You care for our people and the forest, that is something I value in a woman. You have shown that your whole life. For these past few months, I've been so angry. I was angry because I thought I was not worthy of a woman such as you. I don't want Yora’tu. I want you Anibyea. I'm so sorry you carried this burden for so long.” he said ever so softly. I feel like Eywa has answered my prayers. Everything I ever wanted is happening right now at this very moment. Without thinking our faces grow closer. I feel his breath against my lips. Our lips connect, and my lips burn with passion. I could kiss him forever but all good things must come to an end. We disconnect for air. Looking into each other's eyes. 

“Oel ngati kameie ma blossom”

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: ✧･✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ

Thank you so much for reading. please tell me what you think. like, comment, and reblog<3.