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bonefall · 4 months

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Reading your post about the DOTC leaders made me wonder - in BB, when does the DOTC naming style shift into the modern naming style? If they're already using modern-style names by the time Windstar's (possible) grandson is leader, that seems pretty quick - unless Cloudberry and Ryewhisker had DOTC-style names originally, and just got called modern-style names later on.

They did originally have DOTC style names! There's going to be more shuffles soon as I move to expand the Forest Cats into a third major cultural group, but I'm planning for all three of these groups to contribute to the naming system.

The older story, which I'm going to be shuffling now, is that two-part names came from Mountain Cats, but the name changes come from Park Cats.

Mountain Cats have a given prefix, and a familial suffix.

Whichever familial suffix the kittens receive is "political." Usually the names are split evenly, so as an example, Jackdaw Cry and Hawk Swoop named one twin Lightning Cry, and the other twin Acorn Swoop, but Clear Sky insisted that ALL of his kittens receive Sky as their familial suffix. Except Thunder Storm, of course, who he disowned.

This stops being used after the collapse of the River Kingdom and the massive conflict that came from the succession crisis. After that, Byyrkabraw, directly translated as "scab-forming" and roughly translated as "nepotism," becomes a taboo to be avoided. Sharing last names with your parents and family took on a bad, biased connotation for several generations.

Thus, the system dies in Clan Culture. However, it persists and evolves in Tribe Culture! Brook's name in BB is Brook Where-It-Swirls, and she shares the last name with her two brothers. They've kept last names, but the last names have gotten longer.

What DOES remain in Clan Culture is that Mountain-descendant cats 'prefer' 2-part names, and like to say the entire thing. It's Mountain culture that creates Clanmew's preference for contractions rather than syllable-shortening.

As an example, for a long name like... Dandelionbreeze, send her back in time to talk to a Park or Forest cat and they'll shorten her name to "Dan" or "Lion" or "Bree." It's the Mountain cat who would call her "Danzy," which becomes part of being 'polite' in Clanmew name shortenings.

Park Cats are born "nameless," and earn names as they grow.

It's PARK culture that was so centralized and ceremonial, with kings and a clearer hierarchy. As kits, they're just called by a characteristic trait. The Biggest One, Little Ears, Ginger. Their first real name is given when they're assigned as an apprentice, and they become [Mentor's Nickname] [Dominant Paw].

So as an example, because the prince is always mentored by their father and the king at the time was Arc-of-Park, Riverstar's very first name was Arc's Paw.

Once they're fully trained, they can earn titles. On average, a cat will earn two or three of these in their lifetime, discounting outliers like Titles Georg. These are three words or less, and usually reference strengths and achievements. Willow Flayed Bare, Slate Keeper, The Wind Runner.

These titles are made official by the King, which is where Warrior Name changes originally stem from.

In a situation where Park Cats have left their kingdom, they will turn towards the cat they recognize as an authority to make these name changes. In WindCo, either the "parriarch" of a homestead would bestow these names, or The Wind Runner herself. Thunder Storm began doing it on request, as the Park Cats who joined his cause wanted their names to come from him.

It's not seen as "appropriate" for a cat to name themself... but there are rebellious cats, who may forge their own titles, if they're willing to eat the social implications.

River's Ripple was quite independent. He came up with his own name, and then asked his papa to make the name official. King Arc of Park argued with him a lot about this, especially because the name he chose sounded a lot like an apprentice's title, and only caved in when he realizes there would be a MASSIVE scandal if it looked like his prince would willingly bypass the will of his father entirely.

(The Wind Runner's name was "crowdsourced." She didn't give it to herself; that's what WindCo calls her.)

Forest Cat names...

So there's the two-parts from the Mountain cats, and the name changes from the Park cats... and now I'm trying to work in a third element here, which I'm still trying to figure out.

I'm thinking of putting ranks into their names, since I'm starting with a given that Slash/Shai/Silverpelt is their leader. Maybe have it so that the name the Park/Mountain cats call him is "Slashes" in reference to his leg markings, but his real name is Silver-Star, with all of his cats just referring to him as his rank, Silver (formally) or his given name, Star (informally)

(Over time his name is going to become Silverpelt. They believe that he became heaven itself. Ssoen becomes Clanmew's opening particle for omnipotent knowledge, Star becoming the leader suffix.)

Then make it so that his followers follow the Rank-Given name system. So there's Claw-Milkweed, her daughter Kit-Bramble, a good hunter might be Whisker-Violet. So, over a very short number of generations, both the Forest Cat and Park Cat naming systems start to meld, since it's not all that different.

ALSO NOTEWORTHY: The Wind Coalition was more mixed with Forest Cats than the River Kingdom was. So the Park/Forest name schemes beginning to mix together would be beginning up on the Moor, while there would be more Mountain/Forest mixing happening in Thunder's Clan.

This is a WIP section btw, these guys are still extremely new.

Anyway, skip forward a few generations

Cloudberry's and Ryewhisker's names aren't the ones they had in life. The were active 25-ish years after DOTC, after the collapse of the River Kingdom when things had begun to "settle down."

With the Law of the Deputy, Commandment 3, WindCo and River Kingdom are now Clans. They operate with a Leader and a Deputy.

In-canon, Cloudberry is the daughter of the RiverClan leader, Emberstar. I'm not sure if that's going to remain; because I still haven't chosen who Riverstar's successor is. The Law of Loyalty is Commandment 4 and I'm committed to Duststar of WindClan being alive and in a position of power during the succession crisis.

It could be that Cloudberry's father is Riverstar's successor, OR I swap Ryewhisker to be Duststar's son/grandson instead and include a small detail that Duststar feels a need to prove he's NOT being biased in favor of his dead descendant by forcing this commandment through.

Maybe both, that could be fun. Romeow and Mewliet type thing. Two Clans, alike in their digkitty.

Anyway, point being, Cloudberry is from Park Cat culture as a member of RiverClan, which was heavily influenced by some pretty open travel between the groups under Riverstar's rule. The modern naming system was coming together, as cats of these three cultures mixed, but it wasn't quite there yet. So Cloudberry probably had a full title, while Ryewhisker had a title and a rank.

It might even be a translation quirk. Cloudberry is also called "knout," and it's a red-orange fruit that comes to be heavily valued in the Clans. Knout Berry Keeper, which is only remembered as Knout-Berry, written as Cloudberry.

(It would be cute if the direct translation was Cloudberry Cloud.)

For Ryewhisker, the most I know with him is that he's somehow related to the guy who invents Tunnelbuns, or at LEAST some kind of inventive contributor (such as a person who invents bread). He gets his name from that-- Rye is one of the most easily accessible grains.

I haven't nailed their names down yet, since by the modern era, they're known as Cloudberry and Ryewhisker. But they did actually have different names, which have changed over the years.

They also didn't speak Modern Clanmew, their native tongue was actually the border between the Mountain/Park/Forest pidgin and the creole language that would soon be born! A linguist might describe it as Ancient Clanmew.

#BB!DOTC #Better bones au #BB!Cloudberry #BB!Ryewhisker #Clan History #Park Cats #I think it's one of the most interesting periods in Clan history. Though unfortunately won't get a lot of spotlight #Since BB is still a rewrite project at the end of the day #And all of that is like... loosely based on COTC (my beloved) but also full of original content #I once made a joke about Cloudberry opening her mouth and olde english tumbling out #Dark: ''hey cloudberry hows it hangin''#Cloudberry: Cnut cyning gret his arcebiscopas and his leod-biscopas and Þurcyl eorl and ealle his eorlas and ealne his þeodscype #Dark: *clicks tongue* ''i see''

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merymoonbeam · 4 months

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Light and Dark

Cc3 spoilers. You have been warned. 🫡

My obsession with this connection started when I saw @silverlinedeyes post about the six-pointed star in hosab and I added how I thought it resembled the TT scene elriel has.

We have the six pointed star in hosab and ithan-Hypaxia explained it like this.

Ithan angled his head. “A six-pointed star,” he said. Like the one Bryce had made between the Gates this spring, with the seventh candle at its center. “It’s a symbol of balance,” she explained, moving away a foot, but keeping the dagger at her side. Her crown of cloudberries seemed to glow with an inner light. “Two intersecting triangles. Male and female, dark and light, above and below … and the power that lies in the place where they meet.”

And we have the Elriel TT scene.

Elain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade. I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife.

So as you can see by the same color highlighted parts. It matches quiet well. But we are gonna focus on the green highlighted part now.

As you can see ithan thinks that it resembled a six-pointed star when bryce made the drop with the Heart Gate.

Hypaxia said, “Look at the Gates.” The quartz Gates across the city began to glow. Red, then orange, then gold, then white. Firstlight erupted from them. Lines of it speared out in every direction. The lights flowed down the ley lines between the Gates, connecting them along the main avenues. It formed a perfect, six-pointed star. The lines of light began to spread. Curving around the city walls. Cutting off the demons now aiming for the lands beyond. Light met light met light met light. Until the city was ringed with it. Until every street was glowing. And Bryce was still making the Drop. It was joy and life and death and pain and song and silence.

The important part is here that it was the Heart Gate. The center of the crescent city. Map:

One of seven in this city, all carved from enormous blocks of quartz hewn from the Laconian Mountains to the north, the Old Square Gate was often called the Heart Gate, thanks to its location in the dead center of Lunathion, with the other six Gates located equidistant from it, each one opening onto a road out of the walled city.

So it is the...heart. you know what is described as heart in acotar? RAMIEL.

Ramiel. The sacred mountain. The heart of not only Illyria, but the entirety of the Night Court.

A little elain quote:

“When I sleep,” she murmured, “I can hear your heart beating through the stone.” She angled her head, as if the city view held some answer. “Can you hear mine?”

And in my wild hunt post I theorized that Ramiel felt like the gates in a way. Because I think sarah took inspo from the Lia Fail stone from myths. It is one of the four treasures of Tuantha De Danaan. I went into more detail in my wild hunt post I link so Im not gonna add everything here again.

So Lia Fail.

The Lia Fáil was thought to be magical: when the rightful High King of Ireland put his feet on it, the stone was said to roar in joy. The stone is also credited with the power to rejuvenate the king and also to endow him with a long reign.

And we know that ramiel stone heals.

“Who healed you?” Nesta pulled back to survey them. “How are you even here?” “The stone,” Emerie explained, features soft with wonder. “It healed every wound on us the moment it brought us out of the Rite. We arrived here, of all places.”“I think it knew where we were needed most,” Gwyn said quietly, and Nesta smiled.

And we know that with firstlight you can heal. Does the ramiel stone consist firstlight and it works in a gate like way? It literally teleported them? How can it do that?

In hosab we have this:

“Your power came from the Gate—with a shit-ton of firstlight mixed in. So your magic—beyond the light, I mean— needs to be powered up. It relies on firstlight, or any other form of energy it can get. You’re literally a Gate: you can take in power and offer it. But it seems the similarity ends there. The Gates can store power indefinitely, while yours clearly peters out after a while.”

So a gate can take power and offer it and it can store indefinitely. If we take the ramiel as a first light storage of daglan with the ramiel stone it is working like a gate would?? Because in hofas the daglan under prison said they hid many things...under mountains as well.

Vesperus backed up a half step, hissing at the gleaming weapon. “We hid pockets of our power throughout the lands, in case the vermin should cause … problems. It seems our wisdom did not fail us.” “There are no such places,” Azriel countered coldly. “Are there not?” Vesperus grinned broadly, showing all of her too-white teeth. “Have you looked beneath every sacred mountain? At their very roots? The magic draws all sorts of creatures. I can sense them even now, slithering about, gnawing on the magic. My magic. They’re as much vermin as the rest of you.”

We have another light and dark scene with important sword and dagger. The dagger that was in the elriel scene—TT and Gwydion.

They are white and dark light—Alpha and Omega.(I have a post about this)

The male drew it, and Bryce flinched.

Flinched, but—“What the fuck?” The knife could have been the twin of the Starsword: black hilted and bladed. It was its twin. The Starsword began to hum within its sheath, glittering white light leaking from where leather met the dark hilt. The dagger— The male dropped the dagger to the plush carpet. All of them retreated as it flared with dark light, as if in answer. Alpha and Omega. “Gwydion,” the dark-haired female whispered, indicating the Starsword.

And whats important is that with her power bryce can unite them to open a portal to nowhere.

Polaris’s eyes widened as Bryce plunged the blades into her chest. And as those blades thrust through skin and bone, the star in Bryce’s own chest flared out to meet them. It collided with the blades, and both sword and knife blazed bright, as if white-hot. The light extended up through Bryce’s hands, her arms, her body, turning her incandescent— Into a star. A sun.

What's important is that as bryce collects Theia's power that was parted into three parts she starts to realize it is taking a touch of darkness...

Bryce rolled her eyes, but for a heartbeat, Hunt wondered if Thanatos was right: Bryce had explained how the prism in the Autumn King’s office had revealed her light to now be laced with darkness, as if it had become the fading light of day, of twilight—

And we go to that scene...

With a prayer to Cthona, she sent twin beams of light arcing around the prisms, shooting straight into them.Twin bursts of that light flared from either prism, gunning for each other. Bands of light falling into darkness, her power stripped to its most elemental, basic form. They shot for each other, and where they met, light and darkness and darkness and light slamming into each other—Bryce stepped into the explosion in the heart of it. Stepped into her power.It lit her up from the inside, lit up her very blood. Her hair drifted above her head, pens and papers and other office detritus flowing upward with it. Such light and darkness—the power lay in the meeting of the two of them. She understood it now, how the darkness shaped the light.

And the purple highlighted part...it is exactly the same as the six pointed star.

And if we go by the elriel scene...

Can you see the connection?

Also that elemental part in bryce's scene. we learn about that in acosf.

Cassian forced himself to sit perfectly still as Rhys dragged a hand through his black hair. “Once, the High Fae were more elemental, more given to reading the stars and crafting masterpieces of art and jewelry and weaponry. Their gifts were rawer, more connected to nature, and they could imbue objects with that power.”

And we know how theia and her line can use the TT and Starsword bc she helped them make them.

Theia extended her hands toward the water, the offered blades. And on phantom wings, sword and dagger soared for her. Summoned to her hands.Starlight flared from Theia as she snatched the sword and knife out of the air, the blades glowing with their own starlight. My mother returned that day with only Pelias and my father’s blades. As she had helped Make them, they answered to the call in her blood. To her very power.

So maybe Azriel and Elain have some kind of elemental magic as well?

Also the stone on top of ramiel...sings.

But when he’d touched the onyx monolith, when he’d felt that ancient force sing into his blood in the heartbeat before it had whisked him back to the safety of Devlon’s camp … It had been worth it. To feel that. With a solemn bow of his head toward Ramiel and the living stone atop it, Cassian caught another swift wind and soared southward.(acofas)

TT and Gwydion also sing.

“Let’s go,” Azriel said, and released her hand. Because the sword and dagger weren’t merely tugging now. They were singing, and all she had to do was reach out for them—

What's more interesting is @icedflames made a post about Fragarach and about the connection between gwydion and tt which came true in cc2 as we learned they were connected.

You have to stand on top of Lia Fail stone with Fragarach.

In Irish mythology, Fragarach (or Freagarthach), known as "The Whisperer", "The Answerer", or "The Retaliator", was the sword of Nuada, the first high king. The sword was forged by the gods and was meant to be wielded only by those who posed above the stone of destiny (the Lia Fail) which roared and the sword whispered in response.

So do we need to take Gwydion and TT to Ramiel? To that Stone? We need Elriel to do it bc all of them are "light and dark"? What will happen if they are all there?

Also dont forget about book of breathings prophecy.

Life and death and rebirth

Sun and moon and dark

Rot and bloom and bones

Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Love me, touch me, sing me.

Also Fionn dipped the Gwydion to Cauldron.

Another shift of memory, and Fionn pulled a long blade from the Cauldron, dripping water. A black blade, whose dark metal absorbed any trace of light around it. Bryce’s knees weakened. The Starsword. Two other figures stood there, veiled in the thick snow, but Bryce hardly got a chance to wonder about them before Silene’s narration began anew.

And Cauldron sits upon Ramiel.

“The Cauldron,” Nesta said hours later, pointing to yet another carving on the wall. It indeed showed a giant cauldron, perched atop what seemed to be a barren mountain peak with three stars above it. Azriel halted, angling his head. “That’s Ramiel.” At Bryce’s questioning look, he explained, “A mountain sacred to the Illyrians.”

So we are going to ramiel with gwydion and tt? 🫡

#elriel #ramiel #gwydion and truth teller #light and dark #cc3 spoilers #I will add more to this if I find anything more usefull but as of now my brain is done and I cant add more to it #hofas

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jiubilant · 2 months

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AND. if I may be so bold. 46 for Ayo <3

46. shimmer

"You are an exception to our order's every stricture, Dragonborn," says Arngeir in farewell, handing her his own stout walking-stick. "Your power, your Voice, is a gift from the gods. So long as you use it in service to their purposes, you cannot stray from the Way."

His pupil of two months shoulders her traveling-pack. She's young, Arngeir thinks, watching her straighten beneath its weight: not so young as his last student, who had come to him in childhood with three wolfskins on his back, but new. Untried. She looks at him with a strange, belligerent eagerness, her face a sun half-eclipsed.

"How should I know," she says, her smile like the shimmer on the snow, "how the gods wish me to use my Voice?"

"For tutelage in the Way, you climbed this mountain." Arngeir does not smile back. "For the answer to that question, you must climb down again."

The Dragonborn, accustomed to such answers, makes a rueful face. She kneels to him in the way of her far folk, her knees crunching in the snow—then springs up to kiss his cheek, heedless of her burdens, in a way that is only her own.

"I'll return with Jurgen's horn," she promises, then grins. "And more parsnips for Borri's stew."

Breath and focus, Arngeir reminds himself, and does not grimace. "No more parsnips."

"Ripe cloudberries!"

"They'll be more than ripe," says Arngeir, "by the time you bring them back—"

"Honey, sadonvum," says the Dragonborn, walking backwards, "for your tea!"

Her housecarl, dressed for travel and waiting with dogged patience at path's edge, catches her before she can fall down the Seven Thousand Steps. At the sound of the Dragonborn's laugh, the wind that knifes through High Hrothgar stills, then swirls up the snow of the forecourt in a delighted dance.

Not even then does Arngeir smile. He watches his pupil of two months, not long enough to learn a single tenet of the Way, start down the mountain—a tempest of his tutelage, like the one who had shattered Markarth with his thu'um.

Behind him, the door of his monastery scrapes. Someone tugs his sleeve: Borri, who has always, since they were boys, walked through snow with a hart's silent tread.

I do not think that one, he signs with ancient hands, will Shout High Kings apart.

"No," Arngeir agrees, his troubled eyes lingering on the Steps. "No. But what will she do?"

* * *

The Dragonborn does a cartwheel in the first open field she meets, or tries to; her pack overbalances her, and she flops into the heather with a whoop.

"The sun!" she says in greeting, and basks in the warm grass. A vole dashes across her hand. She beams at it, half-drunk on freedom and the sweet lowland air, and hails it in the tongue of voles and dragons: "Lok vah, malfahdon!"

Lydia prods her with a foot. "My Thane, we have leagues to travel today—"

The Dragonborn grins and yanks her legs out from under her. The wrestling-match that ensues is brief and unheroic: they crash through the heather, startling a family of grouse, and then Lydia is sitting on the Dragonborn's chest.

"Don't be cross," she laughs, seeing the look on her housecarl's face. "Aren't you glad to be gone from that mountain?"

"Yes, my Thane," says Lydia with utmost patience, breathing hard, "but—"

"No more parsnips!"

Lydia's stubborn scowl wobbles.

"No more parsnips," she concedes, and ducks her head to hide a smile.

Her hair tickles the Dragonborn's nose. Something tugs in her chest, as though a lock of it has snarled around her heart.

"Look," she says, smiling. "Everything listens, down here. Not like those lazy mountain stones." She stretches her arm across the sunlit grass, cupping her hand in invitation. "Malfahdon!"

The heather rustles. The grass parts. The vole, quivering with terror or joy, crawls obligingly into her palm.

[send me a number, and i'll write a microfic using the word or phrase!]

#<3 #skyrim #microfic #arngeir #lydia #oc tag #ayo

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ariadnethedragon · 4 months

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HOFAS thoughts as I read it: (SPOILERS below)

All that t*rture in the dungeons, Ruhn’s piercing and tattoos. Baxian’s tattoo. The wings. “How strong is your bite?” Sarahhhhh!!!!! Stop! That was more than I could handle😫

The Middengard Wyrm😖. Nesta dealt with it brilliantly but it just makes you appreciate how impossible it was that human Feyre managed to kill this thing by herself with no decent weapons.

Azriel hugging Nesta and stroking her hair after she took the Mask off🥺

Bryce’s wallpaper being Hunt and the photo of her friends in the phone case—that made me tear up

Imagining the inner circle all surrounding Bryce’s phone trying to figure out how it works is hilarious. Also Nesta being jealous of Bryce’s music collection, “THOUSAND?”

The nightbright angst KILLED me💔💔💔

Hunt just dreaming of Bryce. She’s the only thing pulling him through, “He’d wanted so many things with her. A normal, happy life. Children.” HE BETTER GET EVERY SINGLE ONE IF THOSE THINGS OR HANDS WILL BE THROWN!

Silene. The Daglan. My theories were true😁😁

Sigrid. I had so much hope for her story but I was disappointed. Hopefully it’ll get better

Ariadne!! I wanted to see more of her😕

Ruhn’s bedroom. The burn cream😭😭😭

Lidia FUCKING Cervos. That breakout scene. Magnificent.

Jesiba and Ithan’s dynamic. Librarian Ithan and the fact that Jesiba is a Parthos priestess!!! Also JellyJubilee being the computer password😂

Bryce using the mating bond to teleport to Hunt😭😭😭

Bran and Ace. Lidia giving them her ruby ring for tuition as a goodbye💔

Hunt and Bryce got married?!!! WHEN?

Cloudberry crown sounds funny idk why

If I had a penny every time SJM included a set of unhinged/partly unhinged fae twins (yes connall I’m looking at you) in her series, I’d have three pennies bc it happens every single time

So the astronomer is basically a Voldemort 2.0

Flynn and dec going crazy for waffles on the mer ship

“I never had anyone fight for me” Oh Lidia my love😭😭

Guess I’m shipping Tharion and Sathia now🤷‍♀️

Lidia being turned on by Ruhn lighting a fire—girl, I get it.

“Because I’m yours, Day. I’m fucking yours.” Screaming crying throwing up

Lidia: “I want you all the time”😭😭😭😭😭😭😩😩😩😩💗💗💗

Idk why but I am disappointed in the Autumn King, I thought there would be some redemption for him for some reason

Ruhn: “I am going to live and I am going to live well without you”😭😭

Bryce was always a queen but now she a queen Queen👀

Avallen becoming all green again.

Hunt being a demonic test tube baby😂😂

Dec being the first to look for service. Typical😂

Ithan x Perry???? Cinnamon and strawberry? I start getting suspicious when they notice all the nuances of that person’s scent. I think they’d be cute though

Nooooo, the prime—I keep thinking of him as master oogway from king fu panda and it makes me sad

Sabines finally dead🥳🥳

Ithan is prime now? Okay okay pop offf!!

Hunt finally breaking free of his halo and freeing Isaiah as well❤️

Is the under king from the ToG universe??? Valg??

Connor💔💔💔😭😭😭 The bullet. Memento mori

Sathia and Colin McCarthy. This will be interesting

Commando Hunt. The underwear was too small🤭🫨🫨

Morven guest room having red lace thongs😂😂

Okay tharion and sathia are really growing on me🥰🥰🥰

‘She’s my mate you fucker’ SCREAAMMING

Ace finally calling Lidia Mom😭❤️

Lidia is the descendant of Brannon. The fire, the hind/sacred stag. OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!

Pollux being incinerated☺️☺️☺️

The sprites and Irithys💗

The kill switch, the godslayer rifle. Bryce just blackholing the Asteri. She is so brilliant and cunning and clever and I love her.

Danika and the pack. Light it up Bryce. I SOBBED

Jesiba crying and then her sacrifice😭😭😭💔💔

Ember and Randal going to Prythian. Randal bonding with Rhys but more importantly Ember and Nesta—I want to cryyyy🥹🥹🥹

Starsword/Gwydion back in Prythian…whats going to happen in ACOTAR 5???

The princes of Hel—you gotta love em

Lidia and Ruhn finally having that beer

Flynn x Perry? Jealous Ithan😏

Syrinx running for his life when Hunt and Bryce share a heated look. It’s nothing new but it cracks me up all the time

Pegasuses in Avallen🥰🥰

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akwolfgrl · 9 days

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I'm a great fuck but better lover

Usopp was sitting at the table writing his letter to Kaya. He hadn't been able to pick her code name, stuck between buttercream and saffron, when Sanji came back from delivering snacks. He had been wondering why he had skipped him, but before he could bring himself to speak up about it, Sanji spoke.

“Usopp, do you want the special snack I promised you now or later?” Sanji asked.

“Now!” Usopp popped his head up from his letter to have something made special just for him! He was the only one who hadn't had anything special so far!

“Look what that old geezer sent me. It's my tin fish subcision,” Sanji placed a small open box on the table before taking a seat. “I know as a chef I could cook fresh fish, but these are not just from the east blue! They send you a curated box of four to five tins of fish from eatch sea, and the glandline isn't always included. So pick a tin, and we can try it together, and I'll make something from it,”

“I don't know anything about them, maybe tell me where thire from and then I'll pick,” Usopp didn't know much about different kinds of fish outside of the east blue.

“Sure!” Sanji eyes sparkled with excitement. “First we have from east blue a Markel in korma suace, west blue we have spicy muscles I know we have muscles here but these are a different species and are much larger and meater, south blue we have a coconut octopus in olive oil, the best olive oil comes from the south blue, and last we have Smoked herring from the north blue,”

“That one,” Usopp pointed to the herring it was the biggest tin after all. He wanted to get the most that he could out of the snack.

“Sure let's taste it first before deciding what to do,” Sanji put away the other tins. Usopp chose to look away from where the cook was hiding them. That way, he could deny ever seeing them if Luffy ever caught wind of their existence. “Here,” Sanji handed him chopsticks and opened the tin. “It should have a slight smokey taste and be flaky, “

Usopp tool the chopsticks and broke off a piece of the fish. It was good, of course, but he was more excited to see what Sanji would make.

“Hmm, I think I'll keep it simple and go with three different styles on top of crackers, sweet, spicy, and savory,” Sanji left the table, taking the tin with him. After rummaging around for he a bit, he came back with six large carkerks. “First the sweet, we have cloudberry jam,”

Usopp took the cracker and ate it. The sweetness and furitness from the jam worked well with the salty smoky fish.

“Next savory with banana peppers,”

Usopp ate the next one, “I like the Jam one better,” Not that he didn't like this one. “A little dry,”

“Mm your right. If I have cream cheese, I'd have added it, but this next one should be better. It has kimchi,”

“Qhats kimchi?” Usopp asked, taking a bite. “Mm it's good,” It was spicy, and Usopp liked spicy food.

“That Kimchi is cabbage, daikon radish and green onions, it's not very fremanted yet but still good, want some more kimchi?”

“Yes please,”

“Usopp, if you draw me more pictures of the crew with Mr. Noddles, we can keep doing this once a week. If Zeff keeps sending my subscription,”

“You've got a deal!” Usopp wanted to try the other fish.

“Hey, if you want you can borrow my fish book, I keep it in the kitchen so you can read it anytime you want,” Sanji offered him cleaning up thire snack while Usopp continued to eat the kimchi he had been served.

“Sure, the great capitan Usopp is an excellent fisherman! It couldn't hurt to know more about fish, I catch em and you cook em!” Usopp actually was a pretty decent fisherman if he did say so himself. Sanji chuckled and grinned, Usopp totally saw what Zoro saw in the blonde man. Wait, no! He didn't! He had Kaya back home!

#one piece #fanfic #sanji #black leg sanji #roronoa zoro #vinsmoke sanji #zoro #zoro x sanji #zosan #god usopp #usopp #tin fish #snacks

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warrior-cats-rewritten · 2 months

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Let's talk about Conflict Names.

If you've scrolled the Warriors Wiki, you've probably seen this message at least once.

And in a universe FULL of name combinations and new prefixes and suffixes being added all the time, it's... Odd. How do names like Robinwing and Seedpelt get used so many times? Why are there 2 Nightstar's now? WHY ARE THERE 3 BIRCHSTARS AND 3 DARKSTARS?

Well, I think it would be nice to change that. In-Universe, all apprentices still go to the Moonstone/Moonpool to foster a connection with Starclan. Starclan will show the leader who goes with them all the name "slots" of the cats who have come before.

Sometimes, in an extremely rare circumstance, there have been multiple cats with the same name (this is more... easter egg for wcr/comedic effect; but lore-wise, Starclan will often not provide the names of Dark Forest cats in an attempt to "erase" them), but it can never be a leader. There cannot be 2 Firestar's, ever. A Star cannot lead if it is being outshone by another.

Where the fun lies, is that sometimes, a leader will give up their leader name in Starclan, freeing up that slot. Heatherstar gave up hers to go back to being Heatherstep, as she did not enjoy being leader. Heatherstar would now be a valid name again. Also, the ancient 2 word names (Sky Petal, Cloud Spots, Blue Whisker, Briar Bloom) do not take up slots. Post-mortem names, such as Swiftpaw being named Swiftclaw, or Mapleshade's kits, also do not take up slots.

During Tigerheart's Light, Starclan ran into a bit of a pickle. Tigerheart was going to become Leader, but there has been a Tigerstar in history who did not give up his name when he went to the Dark Forest. But... His spirit had faded away! But... The memory of him hasn't...

When they asked Tigerheart "Do you wish to be Tigerstar?" What Tigerheart WANTED to say was:

"Sure. It sounds like a good name. Though I have some bad memories with it too, and my relationship with my mother is really strained now because of it, I'm also not sure of the Clans will like having another Tigerstar around. Maybe it's not such a good idea."

All he managed to get out was "Sure. It sounds like a good name-" before Starclan slapped the title onto him without a second thought.

With that MAJOR issue out of the way, let's get to the renaming of cats! Note: Renames are not done on basis of who came first, but which one I like better for the cat. I think Frecklewish fits the Thunderclan cat more than the Skyclan one.

Note: This post is not complete and was only posted due to the Tumblr app being trash. I will repeatedly reblog this with more names added. Thank you.

Thunderclan

Rabbitleap (TC) is now named Rabbitsong

Beechfur (TC) is now named Beechtuft.

Seedpelt (Mapleshade's Vengeance) has now been somewhat fused with Seedpelt (Pinestar's Choice). Now a molly whose fur is streaked gray with age, and her name is Seedwhisker.

Seedpelt (Pinestar's Choice) has been partially fused, as seen above, but the leftover cat (ew) has been named Dragonflypelt.

Seedpelt (FQ) is THE Seedpelt. Seedpaw is almost named Seedpelt as well (that's that little joke I mentioned, but also a sign that Bramblestar's got NO idea what he's doing)

Owlstar (SoTC) and Owlstar (CoTC) have been fused, the way they should have been.

Cloudberry (TC) is now Splashberry.

Shadowclan

Applefur (TF) is now named Applefang.

Ashfur (ShC) is now given the very simple Honor Title Ashclaw by Nightstar, and comes out of retirement.

Marshscar now becomes Marshstar to avoid a future Conflict Name with Marshkit, who will become Marshscar.

Mudclaw (ShC) is now named Mudstep.

Buster, who used to be Rippletail, is now named... Well he still becomes Buster, but BEFORE that he's named Droptail. Pun.

Hollystar has been renamed Birdstar, Jagged Peak and Rainswept Flower's daughter.

Riverclan

Shadepelt (AVoS) is now named Shadenose, and is the sister of Foxnose and an OC, Bumblenose.

Mintfur (RC) is now Mintwhisker, named after Mintclaw (Silverpaw TPB) a Rebel who was killed fighting against Tigerclan alongside his mothers Waterfern and Tangleburr.

Silverpaw (BOTC) is now in Windclan, as they need more padding, and OOTS Riverclan has enough apprentices. Their name is now Streampaw, and they become Streamsong. They are the offspring of Rustlewish, who adopted them from Riverclan, hence the name.

Applefrost and Appleshine actually had their names swapped. Appleshine is now the daughter of Appledusk and Reedshine. Applefrost is now Breezpelt and Heathertail's daughter.

Nightstar (RC) now never becomes leader, as Riverstar outlives her during Riverstar's Life towards the end. She and Nightheart (Ro) are now the same cat. She was inspired by a strange cat named Nightheart and made her name Night Heart.

Milkfur (YS) is now named Milkpatch, both after her mother and the slowly growing white patches in her fur. Her brother is named Troutfin (the name she was mistakenly given in the preview for Yellowfang's Secret) and he gave Hailstar a life!

Windclan

Thrushpelt (WC) is now not only a girl, but this lady WAS named Thrushpelt and earned the title Thrushleaf for her handling of the epidemic caused by sick rabbits.

Gorsetail (TNP) is now named Eveningtail.

Wrenflight (WC) does start out as Wrenflight, but after her actions supporting The Rebels against Tigerstar, helping Tangleburr and Waterfern free prisoners at risk of her own life, Tallstar renamed her Wrensky, freeing up the Wrenflight slot for the Skyclan one.

Birchstar (WC) is now Warblerstar, she is an ancestor to Onestar through his grandfather, Woollytail.

Skyclan

Frecklewish (SkC) is now named Freckleshine.

Birchstar (SkC) is still Birchstar, but stepped down at his death, going back to being just Birch, the same one in DOTC. The second leader of Skyclan. Birchstar (RC) is now the definitive Birchstar.

Rainfur (SkC) is now Rainyfur, his old name having been Rainy, because "oh it's just a coincidence his name was exactly the same as a Clan name" is a pathetic cop-out.

Unknown Clan

Robinwing (SkC) is now Robintail, after her short, fluffy tail.

Emberdawn (TBC) is still Emberdawn... Because no one remembers her, and Starclan doesn't care much about names that aren't attached to it, meaning that TECHNICALLY, there could be another Houndleap, Emberdawn is not in the Dark Forest, but she is also not in Starclan. Her horror story will be revealed eventually, still working on the finer details.

#warrior cats #warrior cats rewrite #warriors #wcr #important #character list #warrior cats rewritten

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da-birb-writes-sometimes · 11 months

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Though The Path May Be Long, I Shall Find You; Jack Howl

A path lies ahead, some are more treacherous than others. At the end of the winding, coloured footsteps is where they can rest; a bird directing them forward, made out of precious stone.

Main Character; Jack Howl

Supporting Roles; Jack's parents, Vil Schoenheit (if you squint), Leona Kingscholar, bird messengers

Content; Soulmate AU (I use the term soul match), gender-neutral reader, this can be read as platonic, familial, or romantic, made up some lore for Jack's family, hurt/comfort (but not as much as the others)

Content Warning; brief violence (not reader or Jack), some swearing, nightmares (reader)

Word Count; 5 K

Do not put mine - or other creators’ - works into AI; that shit steals.

Prologue & Leona's Story | Ruggie's Story

Winter was in the air, despite it only being the start of September. But this was the Shaftlands, winter always came early, and a thin blanket of snow would be covering the ground before the end of the month. Jack was out picking berries with his father, as his mother was out hunting game to fill their freezer for the long winter nights. The Howl family was stocked up on almost everything, but having some fresh and rare cloudberries were always welcomed; especially during the long nights that were to come. A raven flew overhead and came to rest on his father’s shoulder, croaking into his ear.

Jack’s ears perked up, but he continued picking berries, trying to overhear the conversation between his father and his messenger, made from sodalite. Hmm, oh there’s a large patch over there! Dad’s busy so he wouldn’t notice if I went ahead and picked those!

“What news do you bring,” the older man asked the bird. A particular harsh wind rustled through the evergreens. Seems like winter would be here early this year, earlier than usual.

The raven puffed up, and shook their head. “The Mrs has harvested a moose, a large bull. Enough to feed the household until spring.”

Mr Howl nodded his head and his raven was off again, going back to reunite with the others. “Jack?” He called out. Nothing. “Jack?!” He looked to where he was earlier, but he wasn’t there. “JACK?!” He shouted, causing birds to leave the trees in a panic. “JACK HOWL?!”

Jack was still busy picking berries, and he stopped upon hearing the echoing, concerned, yelling of his dad. How had he gotten so far away? “Dad? I’m over here dad!” He stayed calm, and stayed put. Should you ever get lost, stay put. Should you panic and run more you’ll only get yourself more lost. He got up on a rock and waved his arms, in the hope that his dad would notice the movement. “I’m over here! DAD?!”

A twig snapped in the undergrowth, and Jack stopped. The wind was moving towards him and he could smell something, something dangerous. He wedged himself into a narrow rock overhang and held his breath. Slow padded footsteps thudded outside and soon he could see the brown fur of a brown bear outside of his hiding place. And he could hear and feel the hot breath entering the crevice.

“JACK?!” His dad shouted, and all he saw was something white and furry fighting the bear. But it wasn’t his dad, it was his mom. “Jack, come on! Hurry!” His dad forcibly dragged him out of his hiding spot and made a beeline home.

…

“What were you thinking,” his mom inspected his face, looking for any marks, even though during the fight with the brown bear a claw had left a gash on her shoulder blade. “I told you to stay with your dad while out foraging-”

Jack’s eyebrows were knotted, and his lip trembled. His mother stopped and cupped his face.

“Love,” she embraced him in a crushing hug, “we were worried about you. Please, just stick near us. Okay? You’re okay, Jack.”

Jack squeezed her back, tail in between his legs. “I’m sorry Mom.” He just wanted to pick some cloudberries, his mom’s favourite. He wanted to surprise her with enough so that they could make some jam together. But all the berries that he had picked had been destroyed during the fight. It was all for naught.

A light knock on the front door made him stop, and his mother went to answer it. At the door stood a blond boy a few years older than Jack, bright amethyst eyes looking up. “Excuse me, Mrs. Howl, but can I play with Jack?”

Jack’s mom looked at Vil, taking mind to make sure her wound dressing was still covered. “Sorry Vil, but-” she stopped and looked towards her son. “But, you’ll have to play here, in the yard.”

Jack looked up, asking silently for permission, and his mom nodded a yes. “What do you wanna play,” he asked excitedly, grabbing some of their usual play things.

Vil smiled, and helped bring the toys outside. “Hmmm, what about knights? Trying to save the village?”

And the two boys went off and played. Vil would continue to visit every day, until a large ice storm rolled in on Jack’s fifth birthday, forcing everyone to stay inside.

That night, as Jack was starting to fall asleep, he looked outside. The ice had temporarily stopped, and a bright orange moon hung in the sky. Green and blue auroras painting the night sky. Jack didn’t know what to ask for when it came to his messenger. He knew it was going to be a raven, as it was customary for a raven to form a bond with a wolf pup.

“Can I,” he paused, thinking. What do I want? “Can I have someone there for me?” He was about to turn in for the night, but an unseasonably warm wind opened the window. He rushed to close it, and when he looked down there was a raven messenger, but it wasn’t made out of typical stone. It was made of petrified wood; representing trust, grounding, and knowledge. But he didn’t know that, all he knew was that he had a raven. That he had a soul match. That’s all that mattered.

…

Jack placed his belongings down on the floor and the desk beside his bed, looking over the room. He didn’t know what to expect of Savanaclaw, but he was thankful that he at least had a dorm, unlike the one student. They also smelled… different, not a bad different, but different. They didn’t smell like they were from Twisted Wonderland, that they were from somewhere entirely different. But that wasn’t any of his business, and he wasn’t about to poke his nose into someone else’s business, let alone a complete stranger.

He shook his head and started placing his items where he thought they would go best. And since he was now in a place temperate enough without any harsh winters, he could finally start growing some plants he saw in a book once; some cacti. The little green plants spoke to him; they survived in harsh conditions and adapted to not only survive but to strive. He could appreciate that, even if the plant did prick him every so often, he couldn’t blame it for doing so, that’s what the spines are meant for.

His mind wandered, wondering if his siblings were doing okay? He knew that his parents were more than capable of looking after them, but he still worried. Ever since his mom fought off that bear, she hasn’t been able to use her left arm like she normally did; weaker from nerve damage. Her raven also had the scar, and couldn’t fly due to it. But she never alluded that she was in pain, keeping on a brave face for Jack, and later on for his siblings.

Jack looked down to his raven. Unlike the others, his raven was made of fossilized wood, preserved throughout the aeons. He turned it over gently, his hands dwarfing it in comparison. It would stay small, small enough to hold until his soul match’s bird awoke… that is if he had one at all. Apparently, messengers made out of anything other than stone were rare and could be seen as a blessing, but also as a warning. A warning that hardships may await them in the future. He didn’t want to dwell on that though, he had a messenger so that in itself proved that there was someone out there for him. Be they a friend, found family, or life partners, like his parents.

“What lessons do you hold,” he asked quietly, ears twitching making sure the coast was clear. He placed the wooden bird on his desk carefully, and when he was satisfied, he left the room, heading off to the dining hall.

A cold breeze entered the room, which was rare for the Savanaclaw dorm. It carried the smell of snow, pine trees, and a lone snowflake landed on the wood raven, resting between their eyes. They shook their head and stretched out their wings, flexing them for the first time. The cold wind was gone as soon as it came, the warmth from the sun-baked stone returning.

The raven hopped to the window sill, looking out to the rapidly setting sun. “The time is nigh. They are here.” And they took off, but not to find Jack.

…

You couldn’t sleep, but what could you really expect? You had just arrived to this ‘Twisted Wonderland’ and everything you knew had been flipped upside down. Magic was real. There are merfolk, fae, and beastmen?! All of the fairy tales were true but they were Disney-fied; honestly that probably saved your butt, since the originals are… well you would have had fewer chances of survival let’s just say that.

“I swear if I see one more Mickey Mouse easter-egg-” you muttered under your breath, rubbing your temples. It didn’t help that your new place, Ramshackle Dorm, was not up to code. How that ‘Headmage’ thought the decaying mansion was suitable to live in was beyond you. To be fair, he does seem to be quite a few screws loose.

A gust of cold wind blew the windows open and you scrambled to close them. When you finally got them closed a low croaking was behind you. You turned around and on your bed were two ravens, but they looked to be made of stone instead of flesh and feathers. “Finally arrived, I see,” the one said, hopping up to stand on the bed frame.

You blinked a few times, but the ravens were still there. “Uhhhh, I just got here.” You had already been exposed to so much today that, sure why not, talking stone birds are totally normal now. Totally normal. Nope, not internally freaking out. You are totally zen. WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?! Not having an existential crisis. Everything is normal here.

“We have been waiting many years for you,” the other raven spoke, their voice being deeper than the previous one. They stood stoically, unlike the more hyper one which was tracing patterns in the hole-ridden bedsheets. “However, there is much to learn here. You must grow before I or your messenger digress any further information. For now, know this; many a hardship will fall your way, but you must stand tall. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for.” They bowed to you and took flight, exiting through the window from whence they came, leaving you alone with the more playful bird.

Many a hardship will come your way. You had just gotten here and that cryptic line of advice sounded more like a warning than something comforting. I must stand tall? I’m stronger than I give myself credit for? Haven’t I already received enough character development? I just… I want to go home.

You felt a soft tap tap tap on your hand. The raven had stopped making patterns and was sitting beside you, looking up at you. “Come now, it has been a long enough day for you. You cannot do anything if you are not well rested. Off to bed with you now, shoo shoo!” They flapped at you with their wings.

You planted your feet down, and stopped. “And why should I listen to you?!” You snapped. For all that you knew, this could be a prank, a hazing ceremony of sorts.

The raven stopped and calmed down. “I am a part of you. Once you awaken tomorrow, I shall tell you everything that you ought to know.”

You would have protested more, but in all honestly all of your energy had been drained throughout the day. The mattress was hard and lumpy, the sheets thin and with holes, but you fell asleep quickly. The wood raven silently looking after you.

“King of Beasts,” they said in a hushed tone, looking up to the moonless night. “Make haste, for many a challenge will face them. Send their match on his quest for them… before something else finds them.”

…

When Jack got back to his dorm it was dark out, being held back by a fight between Leona and the Diasomnia housewarden. But when he opened the door he stilled. When he left, his wood raven was sitting on his desk, and now it was flying around and collecting anything shiny it could find. “Oh, this would make for a lovely present, yes, yes, that will do nicely!”

His soul match was finally here then. He should have felt happy, but all he felt was confusion. Should I be… happy? “What are you doing?” He asked the raven, as it had made a mess of his side of the room.

The raven squawked, and dropped a coin it was carrying. “Ah, Jack, my good fellow! Finally back I see! Oh, I’m just gathering up some exquisite gifts for you to give to your match!” They presented all of the ‘presents’ they had collected; several coins, a bobby pin, and some dryer lint. “Are they not lovely?”

Jack’s ears pulled back, “You didn’t have to do that, I can do it myself.” He wouldn’t classify any of those gifts 'exquisite’ or ‘lovely’. “Nevermind that. How are you alive?” He already knew the answer but he wanted to hear it, to have confirmation that this was real. That this was really happening.

The raven hopped down to the floor and bit at his tail, hard.

“HEY-”

“There, proof that I’m alive. There should be a bruise tomorrow as well.” The raven looked smug, and puffed up with pride. “Oh your meeting shall be splendid! Their raven and I have it all planned out-”

“No,” he interjected. “Nothing is planned out, it’s not your place to plan how, when, or where, we meet. Don’t force them to do anything.” He didn’t want to force his match with anything, even if both of their birds wanted nothing more than to plan some horribly cheesy scene. “We will meet when we meet.”

The raven stilled in its actions, looking at the things it had collected. “Which will be when, Jack? It has been over ten years since you received me.”

Jack pushed his hair out of his face, centering himself. “I’m not sure, but one day. It could be tomorrow. It could be a week. Months. Or years. But we will meet when we deem ourselves ready. That isn’t for you to decide… So please, let us do it on our own terms.” He sighed, and sat down. He wasn’t planning on any of this happening and it was only his first day at Night Raven College, and there was still yet more to come.

…

Jack had adjusted to life in Savanaclaw and the college. He may not always agree with how… underhanded some of his peers may be, but he wished not to rock the boat. But he had stepped out of his comfort zone, he had confronted others when they abused their power. But even with all of that chaos, he had made a friend; you. But he knew that you hadn’t told him everything, and he wasn’t going to push you for it either. You would do that on your own terms, and he would patiently wait. Unlike his raven who kept on pushing him.

“It’s almost winter break,” they croaked in his ear. “Do you not wish to inform your parents of this wonderous news? That your match is here?”

Jack shrugged the bird off, and sighed. “I would, but I would like to know that for certain that they, my match, are prepared for… that. Mother can be… overprotective.” He may not be a young pup anymore, but his mother still doted over him. And yes, he loves her, but he doesn’t want to throw his match to the wolves when it came to his family. He didn’t want to rush into it. He wanted a slow progression where they got to know each other.

The raven relented in its actions. “Ah, I understand… have you seen the footsteps yet?”

“No.” No, he had not. There was no trace of any glowing footsteps, and he has yet to be visited by his match’s raven, which means that they were not ready. There was still something they were looking for; either in themselves or around them. He just wondered; what were they looking for?

…

Books upon books upon books, and there was absolutely nothing. No word of your world, the only thing coming close being this world’s version of Paris. Other than that, nothing. You were frustrated. Have the weeks of pouring over volumes of text been for nothing? And now winter break was nearing, and you would be left alone here… stuck as you have been for the past several months.

“Prefect, you look unwell,” Jack’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts. He had become an unlikely friend during your time here. He had helped you so many times before, and now he even brought you some lunch, as you were hunched over yet another book. “And you’ve been reading non-stop.”

You looked over to your friend, and there was concern in his warm, golden eyes. A lot of people saw Jack as aloof, but you saw him as warm, but not overbearingly so. “Just trying to understand a few things is all. You don’t need to worry about me, Jack, you’ve done more than enough as is!” He had even brought you a plate of pear compote, his favourite.

He didn’t look convinced, his ears pinned back. “You can just ask, Prefect. I may not know everything, but it’s best to not let things cloud your mind.” He sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

“What do stone birds mean?” You quickly closed your mouth, regretting that you brought it up. As far as you could tell, no one else had a stone bird. “Ignore that-”

Jack cocked his head. “Prefect, do you have one?” He didn’t need an answer, as your expression, body language, and fast heart rate was one enough. “A stone bird means that you have a soul match. Someone who is right for you. They can come in many forms… but a lot of people wish for a romantic one. The more common ones are familial or platonic matches though.” He reached down into his bag, getting out a small journal with a wolf and raven on it.

“Don’t get your hopes up, herbivore,” Leona took a seat at your table and eyed the journal. “Shouldn’t be letting some bird tell you who to bond with.”

You picked at your plate; both of what they said playing in your mind. Jack’s ears twitched, and he opened up the journal. In it were crystal meanings, common birds for the different clans of beastmen. “Bitter, aren’t we?”

Leona’s ears pinned back, and Jack shifted closer to you. He didn’t know why, and he knew that Leona wouldn’t try anything, but he felt compelled to protect you from harm, even if it never came. And the hairs on his neck stood on end, much as the hackles of an agitated canine would.

Leona raised an eyebrow at Jack and rolled his eyes. “Not bitter, herbivore,” he sighed. “Just don’t like havin’ someone else call the shots for me, let alone some pesky bird and some long-dead king from times past.”

Jack huffed and handed the book to you, ignoring his house warden. “Hopefully this helps, since the messengers can’t tell us anything of substance-”

“What’s your stone bird?” Your eyes widened, and you fumbled. Why did I do that? That’s something that only… his soul match should know? What’s the etiquette on asking about soul matches? Did I offend him? Why is Leona looking so smug right now?

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, “A raven, that’s the messenger that wolf beastmen and their soul match receive.”

Huh, that’s- Wait a minute MY ‘messenger’ is a raven- Your brain was scrambling trying to put that information together. “That makes sense, I guess,” is what came out of your mouth instead of some hot word vomit. “Since, ya know, ravens form friendships with wolves and help lead them to food- Well in this case not food, rather their soul match…” You stopped talking, feeling like you were just digging yourself into a deeper hole. Best stop while I’m ahead. STOP RAMBLING! “But, uhhh, thanks for the book Jack!” You smiled warmly, finally having at least a few answers to the seemingly never ending list of questions you had.

“It’s no problem,” Jack offered a small smile and a nod of his head. But you knew that it was genuine, you could read him like an open book.

I don’t get why people are intimidated by him. Jack’s a nice guy. Sure, he’s a bit aloof at first, but he means well. “Just let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, okay?” He had already helped you out so many times before, so you only thought it would be fair for you to help him out in return in the future; not to repay him, but because you’re his friend. Friends help out friends.

He gave you a nod and the bell rang, and you were both off to your respective classes. Both of your wooden messengers flying after you, giving each other a nod.

…

Ink. Ink was everywhere. Hands were everywhere. And eyes, so many eyes were looking down at Jack. What is this? He shook his head and the scene changed, there were still eyes looking down, but the hands were gone, and there were only a few puddles of ink? Overblot? But there was no one around. The scene shifted again, and this time he was in the magishift field. Leona’s overblot?

“It’s their nightmares, I’m afraid. Rather rare for their dreams to enter into yours.” His raven said, but was nowhere near, off in the physical world. “I cannot do anything I’m afraid.”

But why is my soul match having nightmares of overblots? Only certain people have witnessed them… But he walked forwards, the field shifting into water, the browns and tans fading into blues and purples. Azul’s overblot? But only- But he was ripped out of the dream by his alarm blaring. He shot up out of bed, in a cold sweat. “What was that,” he huffed, trying to calm his racing heart.

His raven hopped over, and handed him a towel. “Night terrors. Premonitions. Awful things. They’ve been haunted by them for months now.”

This caused Jack to frown. His soul match has been haunted by dreams, dreams that he had just witnessed for months? How in the Seven were they able to get any sleep if their dreams were filled with the fraction of what he saw? They must be exhausted… “Is there anything I can do to help?” He hadn’t really thought it over, but the urge to help his soul match, whoever they were, was strong

“Hmm, until you properly meet through the path, no. but you know them, so just keep on supporting them-” the raven stopped, realizing its blunder. Jack wasn’t supposed to know that he had already met his soul match.

He narrowed his eyes at the wood bird. “I know them,” he said, not amused. “How long have I known them for?”

The raven did its impression of a guilty smile. “Oh since about… Actually, I can't say that, as that would be a dead giveaway and can’t have that happen, no no, can’t have that happen at all.”

Jack just stared at his messenger, and he bounced his knee, thinking. If my raven won’t tell me anything maybe their’s will… But that would have to wait until later, right now he was behind in his morning routine. “Fine, I’ll leave you alone then.” If you won’t tell me, maybe their raven will.

…

Night after night has only been nightmare upon nightmare. Waking up, sweating, gasping, and feeling like there were eyes everywhere. But they were just dreams. Dreams aren’t real. Dreams shouldn’t scare you. But they did. And tonight was no different.

The sun wasn’t up yet, but you couldn’t fall back asleep. You didn’t get up either, staying in a fetal position, trying to rid the feeling of sticky ink and the sensation that you were being watched. “It was just a dream,” you whispered, “it was just a dream.”

“Dreams have meaning,” the throaty voice of someone said. Out of the darkness walked forward a raven, much like your own. “It is good to heed them.”

Dreams have meaning. “Who is the wolf then,” you ease out of the fetal position and sit up, staring at the raven. Your soul match’s raven.

Amongst the nightmares, the being that saves you is a large white wolf, standing between the darkness, the hands, and the eyes, protecting you. A white knight in furry armour if you will.

The raven clamoured into your lap, getting comfortable. “Thought it would have been obvious. The wolf is your soul match, dearie. Afterall, ravens are the messengers and companions of wolves.”

You knew that much already, and looked down at the wood raven. “That’s not what I meant, and you know that.” Why can’t they give me a straight answer? It’s not that difficult of a thing. “Who are they?”

The raven sighed and propped itself back up. “I cannot tell you that… but I may give you this; you know him. And he is closer than you think.” They perched themself on the window sill, the full moon backlighting their silhouette. “And he knows you. Why do you think he’s in your dreams? It’s a very special link, do treat it with care.” They took off into the night, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

You looked up to the sky, searching for answers. “Should I follow?” A brisk wind entered through the cracks of Ramshackle Dorm, ruffling the sheets and loose papers. It was cold, but in a comforting way. You closed your eyes and breathed in, and when you opened them again you saw glowing footsteps the colour of the harvest moon.

You are ready. The breeze seemed to say. The time for waiting and second-guessing was over. Now was the time for action.

…

Jack was doing his morning workout session early since he couldn’t fall back asleep after that nightmare, and running tended to get his mind off of things. He was running laps when he noticed something glowing on the ground. Footsteps. “Did you have something to do with this?” He looked up to where his raven was flying overhead.

The raven swooped down, coming to glide by Jack’s head. “No, just some reassurance is all.”

“What did you tell them,” he huffed, speeding up his pace. The footsteps followed him, but they led outside of the field, to the tree that always grew flowers. That’s where they ended. That’s where I’ll meet them?

The raven soared overhead, looking between Jack and the tree, where someone was sitting patiently, picking at the hems of their sleeping clothes; you. “That they know you. And that they are a lot closer than you think.” The raven stopped in front of Jack, making the wolf-beastman stop right in his tracks. “Go to them. They are ready, Jack. And so are you. Can you feel it? It’s in the air.”

There was a slight breeze that carried the smell of winter, but there was something else. Anticipation. And if Jack focused just right, he could hear the anxious heartbeat of his soul match, waiting for him. He looked towards the tree, where his raven was looking, and saw your outline, the weakest hints of the waking sun rising behind you and lighting your features in soft pinks, purples, and orange.

The footsteps led to you. And Jack could feel his tail wagging furiously. Wagging so hard that it was hitting his legs.

Go to them.

He wanted to run forward, but he controlled himself to a calm walk, not wanting to surprise you. All while trying to control his tail which would be a dead giveaway that he was beyond happy that it was you; his soul match had been you all along.

You sat under the tree, as the footsteps lead you there. And so you sat, watching the dark navy of the sky change colours as the sun rose. You heard footsteps approaching you, but you didn’t look up or get up. You knew. You knew they were your soul match.

Closing your eyes you turned to them, and took in a deep breath. “I don’t know exactly what soul matches are, but I do know that I want to put in the effort to befriend you. Not because some raven told me too. But I do hope we can be friends at the least.” You stopped, waiting for his response.

Jack tilted his head, and huffed out a breath of air in amusement. “I don’t think that will be a challenge.”

Your eyes shot open, and Jack was sitting beside you, the light of the rising sun reflecting in his gold eyes. Your raven was on his shoulder, preening his hair, and his raven was on your’s, fixing your outfit. The two birds stopped their actions, realizing that both of you had finally noticed the other. They took off, and performed their dance before falling back onto your shoulders.

“So,” you started, picking at the hem of your shirt, a nervous habit. “What now? Does this change anything between us? Do you want anything to change?”

Jack looked at you softly. “I’m okay with whatever you’re comfortable with… Do you want anything to change?”

I feel safe with you. You gave him a soft smile, “Not really… but I’m okay if it changes as we do. As long as it’s together.”

Fin!

Author's Note; Jack's story is the one with the least amount of hurt/comfort, so he deviates a bit. Happy with how this turned out though! And I hope I did Jack some justice in this! This story also concludes Savanaclaw's part in the Soul Match AU.

TWST Masterlist (if you want to read more)

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faytelumos · 12 days

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Writeblr ROYGBIV

Rules: Find each of the ROYGBIV colors in your WIP.

Red:

It was still light out, and the rain had let up significantly. [Syfreth] took me to the tree line south of the village, and there seemed to already be some things there. I hesitated for a moment when [my friend's] parents looked up at me. They were both there, holding each other, and [their] dad's eyes were red and wet in the rain.

Orange:

I looked down at the fire, the flicks and flickers of orange light underneath the cover. The smoke was still sweet, and it swirled together above the cover and into the rain. I swallowed again and rubbed my eye. [My friend's] dad knelt down and sat back on his ankles, and he cried quietly.

Yellow:

"Hey!"

We both turned, looking back to Toler's voice. He scrambled and loped over the forest floor and up to us, holding his hands in his front coat pouch instead of keeping them out like he was supposed to.

"You're going to trip!" Ia said, already walking back to him. He just smiled at her, his face flushed and bright.

"Look what I found," he announced, completely ignoring her, and drawing a hand from his pouch. The fistful of vibrant, yellow-orange was like a flame in the forest, and I rushed to his side, my mouth already watering.

"Cloudberries!" Ia gasped, eagerly cupping her hands together.

Green:

The leader shifted his balance in the entrance to the Dome. We were all lined up in the order we'd come back in. The two hunters and Eeteh were in front of me. We had lines painted on our faces in black and green, mostly on our foreheads, down our noses, and over our lips. The man who had painted my face also put lines under my eyes. But everyone still had the smudges on their foreheads they'd received after getting into the spring.

Blue:

Ohrik crouched down and pulled away some rocks from near the base[ of the tree]. "Look, look," he said, waving me down. I crouched next to him and looked where he was pointing. There were bunches of shiny little bugs, skittering about between the wet parts of the rocks. Their backs glimmered many colors, red and green and yellow and even blue. Ohrik reached down and let some crawl onto his fingers. They looked like seeds walking on eyelash legs, and he held his hand up so I could look closer at them.

Indigo Violet Purple:

"How… bad is it?" I asked. I moved to get to my feet and stood stiffly. Every part of me was sore and stuff now. He held up my underfur for me to hold, and I did. The white of my skin was sharply colored by dark, purplish red where the harness had hurt the most.

Thanks for the tags, @tildeathiwillwrite and @dyrewrites! I didn't expect to easily find these colors, since this particular world is always gray and rainy. But I suppose that makes the colors we do see all the more striking!

Tagging @afoolandathief, @amethystpath-writes, @annakayy, @gummybugg, @kaatiba,

@those-damn-snippets, @serenanymph, @surplus-of-sarcasm, @written-in-starlight, and anyone who wants to play!

Also tagging @thelazywitchphotographer and @mr-orion; I think this is the most number of words I've posted of my WIPs at any one time! :0

Bonus Round!

From Hhamath's story, which is much more colorful:

Red:

Paesha struck, and my heart stopped at the booming sound of Lutem's roar as she lunged.

Ræs, Mæpe, and Athetæm fell from Lutem's bodily assault, and I tumbled when her tail hit me in the chest. I scrambled to my feet in time to see her fangs and teeth buried deeply in Paesha's neck, red flowing over orange, Lutem's eyes wild.

Lutem thrashed as Paesha tried to bite her, fangs dripping amber, and I turned to Mæpe where she lay screaming on the floor.

Orange:

"Darling," she breathed, and her voice was sweet and soft. "Don't you recognize your mommy?"

I flinched again. It was like being struck by a boulder running downhill. Mother. This was my mother? The bright orange scales, the voice, the dread—

"Get away," I breathed, backing further into the wall. She looked at me, unblinking, twisting her ears to me but keeping them low.

"What?"

Yellow:

Nevermind that the sun was edging nearer the horizon and the day had begun its first attempts at cooling off. But outside, against the sun-faded green of the building, its deep blue accents and shingles, and the bright purple and yellow floral displays, I was sure to stick out from far down the road.

Green:

Athetæm and Ræs entered just as waiters were moving about the tables. Ræs was wearing the same shirt, vest, and trousers he had worn to our house for dinner. We had managed to put a new style on Meva's outfit despite using the same piece from the same event, but Fethu, Athetæm, and I were all wearing new and fancier clothes. Athetæm had a dark cream under guard to complement his dark complexion, and a light blue, silk cover that had frills around the neck and on the cuffs of his long sleeves in the front. Fethu wore a light green dress, open down her back, with soft pink accents and ribbons. I had dug out my typical garb for fights: a midnight green cover and cape with yellow-green ties. It had been a gift from Athetæm, and I had learned to trust him when he said the contrast with my unnatural coloring was eye-pleasing.

Blue: *

His hand was shaking slightly as he touched the lid where it was most worn. He turned his head to look at me, and his eyes were wide and reddened. He was… so scared. He smelled absolutely terrified.

Before I could ask him anything, he turned to the box and opened it. Inside was more blue silk, plush and soft-looking. This was a jewelry box, but instead of a necklace, it held a vibrantly colored rat skin.

I had seen mouse skins before, ones that had been dyed green or gray to contrast with the ink their messages were written in. But this was not the same caliber. This skin, on top of being surprisingly large, was dyed a lurid, shimmering blue, with golden highlights running down the spine. The edge of it, where Ræs delicately held and handled it, were worn to the point of being nearly bald. Ræs turned around slowly, gently manipulating the little hide to rest fur-down in his hand, exposing the golden lettering tattooed into the rat's inner skin.

He handed it over with the same care and delicacy he used to handle Mæpe. I took it gently in my wings, staring down at it, sure that I would never in my life hold a more expensive rodent skin.

"Can you read it?" Ræs breathed.

Indigo Violet Purple:

An Usevæ stood in the doorway, her head slightly lowered, one claw raised as if to step forward. She looked very much as if she were trying to be unobtrusive, but she was so large that she had needed to open the door almost all the way to get her shoulders in. She was staring at me with wide eyes and perked ears, and even held the forks of her tongue out slightly from her lips, her orange scales seeming muddled in the purple-ish light of the main library.

---

* In this world, people use tanned mouse skins to send little messages, because of a story/folktale where a mouse carried a letter. Common practice is to paint the message on the underside, and the receiver will wash the message off after they've read it and reuse the skin for a new message when needed. They're hard to make, and normally associated with love letters and secret meetings.

#tag game #writeblr tag game #writeblr #writers on Tumblr #writing #writeblr ROYGBIV #Fayte writes #oc: Shryth #oc: Syfreth #oc: Toler #oc: Ia #oc: Ohrik #oc: Hhamath #oc: Paesha #oc: Lutem #oc: Raes #wow these are the only two times “purple” is used in Hhamath's story @_@#I'm frankly surprised

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sidorlss · 2 years

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I think a lot about the ARR quest The Voyage of the Goobbue -

"When the Calamity struck, it sundered life everywhere—and not only among our races. Look around, and you will see how things have fallen apart. Feet, claws, roots—all have been torn from the earth they were planted on.

The dead goobbue was a child of Coerthas. The Calamity shattered its native mountains, and it fled before destruction as a caravan flies before a sandstorm. Years, it wandered. We found it dying and received its memories.

It had gathered seeds from every land it passed through, and they flower upon its corpse, a living map of its loss and exile. North to south, mountains to the desert...cloudberry and shooting stars, marybells and cliff roses, Althyk lavender from lower Thanalan, even roselles from Bloodshore.

To wander is a dream and a nightmare. Adventurers such as yourself must know it better than I, but I imagine there are days when the flame of adventure gutters, and you feel yourself to be as bereft as those in Lost Hope...and upon us, no flowers grow."

It's a piece of dialogue I come back to again and again, and even though it's about adventurers, it applies so strongly to later parts of the narrative that it aches. Such a strong running thread of FFXIV revolves around those in exile and people who can never go home or had to leave their homes and make a new one, and the strength it takes to continue on once everything is lost... though I'm sure whoever wrote this quest in Western Thanalan never anticipated it, it serves as an unintended touchstone to the main storyline time and time again.

#self #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv

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bonefall · 8 months

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Super interested in how you plan to write Leopardfoot! I feel like both fanon and canon tend to make her into a sweet mom(tm) who’s super sad that Tigerstar is evil, very similar to how Goldenflower is usually treated. What’s her thoughts on Pinestar and him leaving? How did she influence Tigerstar? What are her political beliefs?

Society has progressed past the need for sad moms who stare tearily at their evil sons and boohoo about all the murder. It's MOTHER AGENCY TIME

BB!Leopardfoot was FEROCIOUS. Her father was the indominable Adderfang, and he taught her about the importance of honor and glory. When Tigerpaw was given to Thistleclaw as an apprentice, she was proud of it. It felt perfect to her-- that her father's apprentice was now her son's mentor.

For his brief rule, she supported Sunstar completely. It helped that he came after the disastrous and embarassing exit of Pinestar, which ruined the legacy that she wanted him to give her son. Pinestar was a damn coward and a codebreaker... and she assured Tigerkit that he was more HER son than his.

She even gives him a life, for Legacy, in defiance of StarClan

She was friends with Bluemoon for a time, but after ascending to StarClan, she learned about the Forget-me-nots.

This changed her opinion of her. Leopardfoot supports Thistle Law, STRONGLY so.

She supported THISTLECLAW when he tried to forcefully void the Queen’s Rights. If Bluemoon hadn't broken the code, then what did she have to hide?

She backed off when Thrushpelt leapt to her defense though, "She didn't reveal it because she doesn't love me are you happy now??"

Leopardfoot: *awkwardly turns away feeling like an asshole now, tea SPILLED, her friend's dirty laundry EXPOSED, thought she was crusading for the law but she just dug up drama*

Towards the end of Pinestar’s reign, he was getting exhausted. He wanted peace. Leopardfoot wanted kittens around that time, and figured that there was no better cat than the son of Oakstar, architect of the infamous Crusade Era.

If Pinestar had no children, a glorious bloodline would have died out. She wanted it for her kits. Pinestar agreed on the condition that he would be their Mi, which she happily accepted.

So when Pinestar left, she jumped into the nursery to take over and had to explain to her kits where their Mi went.

She drove it home to them that he abandoned everything, because his weakness took over. They would never be like him, she promised.

Mistkit died very young. Nightpaw made it to apprenticeship before she also succumbed. Tigerclaw remembers very well how hard it was to lose his sisters.

Leopardfoot herself was taken shortly before TPB, in Spottedleaf's Plague. Her death causes Tigerclaw to have a bit of a moment.

After the trial in Bluestar's Flowers, Leopardfoot leaves StarClan along with a bunch of other Thistle Law supporters, including Thistleclaw himself. She joins the BOTTE at the end of OotS, fighting to the end with her son.

She misses him a lot, and remains in the Dark Forest to the current arc. She chose her path; and has the dignity to walk it.

She does miss StarClan sometimes though, and will tell you stories about it if you ask.

In terms of demon friends, she's somewhere in the clique between the harsher and softer spirits.

She dislikes Morningstar, Cloudberry, and Ryewhisker on the softer end, and has come to resent Thistleclaw and Finchflight on the other, but likes Darkstripe, Leopardstar, and Silverhawk.

Gets along with a range of "mid" level demons.

In particular I imagine she hangs out with Darkstripe a lot. Taste test buddy, he asks her to try his experimental recipes because she's honest but not mean. One of the few Thistle Law supporting cats he hangs out with after the double-death of Tigerstar.

He calls her Lefty. Her official nickname is "Left" but he calls her Lefty.

(Clanmew: her name is Saorpwyyar. Others call her Saopr. He calls her Sapyy.)

Her mom and dad Swiftbreeze and Adderfang are here too, following Thistleclaw like she did, but she's been minimizing her contact with her dad. She feels like she is owed an apology somehow but also doesn't have the emotional intelligence to know that it's what she wants.

She just knows that she feels really bitter talking to him, and that's unpleasant.

She used to be VITRIOLIC with Pinestar, who is also here, even going after him physically when he chose to join in with the Dark Forest trainees. But now... honestly so much shit has happened, she just doesn't like seeing him. She wishes he wasn't here.

I write her being very dignified. She doesn't like to admit publically she was ever wrong and speaks with confidence, quietly backing off and not wanting to speak about her mistakes. She loves her children and her family, but explores the world in a very "self-centric" way, trusting her feelings and personal judgement over anything logical.

A reactionary sort of person, if that makes sense.

Her Land Mar has to develop over time because she is an ex-StarClan migrant (damned souls get theirs instantly after judgement), but it's called the Fence Cliff. It's a picket fence that blocks off a sheer drop, making a sharp turn down the cliff face and acting as a walkway. Follow the fence down the slope, and you can access the Dark Forest's town biome.

#BB!Leopardfoot #Better bones au #Pinestar’s Crusade #Spottedleaf's Plague #I think I made her a land mar once before but I like this idea more #I may repurpose the old idea when I remember it for someone else #Because I like the idea of Leopard and Dark walking down her land mar to get to the town to collect odd ingredients #And have Leopard talk about how ironic it is that her life's worst moment still goes back to the choices of other people #And Dark kinda puffs and says 'im sick of people blaming everyone else for their own mistakes'#And Lef doesn't really have a response to that #And Dark backpedals not wanting to offend her #And the Cliff Fence would be a super neat setting to write such a convo in #BB!Dark Forest #Dark forest demons my beloved btw.#I was actually at one point planning a cutesy like... not-rework BB-original novella story #Of Ryewhisker gathering ingredients for an anniversary dinner #And meeting with various DF demons #But now that Darkstripe is getting a whole ass postmortem arc about healing through cooking #I might make it about him #Especially so I can put that convo in it

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