#god what IS it this autumn with important events??? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lalachat · 4 months

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"And there you were..."

Author's note: "Hey... how y'all doinnnnn?"

I am so sorry for my radio silence! Life just got so busy that I unfortunately lost motivation to write. I swear to you all I looked at Chapter 8 so many times, but had no inspo and got writer's block. However, I woke up on the right side of the bed today and the cauldron said to me, "get that shit done girl!" And I did! I DID THAT THANG! Wrote my first real smut ever! Please go easy on me, writing has been difficult, but I see all of your overwhelmingly positive comments and it just fills my heart❤️ I will try my best to keep updating this story, not to the extent I was when I first started, but I promise to try to get more out. Y'all finally get to see the autumn court rumor in motion, eheheh🔥

Summary: After an eventful day of emotional turmoil, you find Lucien waiting for you in your bedroom to talk things through, bestie to bestie. However, one thing leads to another and you are stuck in the bathroom with the autumn court male as he questions you about the all known rumor...

This is for all my Lucien girlies❤️

Warnings: profanity, potential grammatical errors, and last but not least SMUT, 18+ for this chapter, I warned you👀

Word Count: ≈ 4,809

Chapter 8: Just Like the Old Days

Chapter 8:

“So, who is buying us drinks?” Lucien asked.

“Out of all the things to say to me right now, you chose that?” you crossed your arms in front of your chest.

“We can't have him getting the wrong orders,” he smirked as he walked over to you by the door. You rolled your eyes at his response.

“Only you could say something like that in this moment,” you paused waiting for a response from him. You hear him let out a strained breath.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yes, no thanks to you,” you swat his bicep, but he grabs your hand before you manage to hit him. He looks at you inquisitively. You shouldn't have said that last part. It really was not his fault, but gods did it still pain you to see him and Elain.

“Y/n look,” he looks at where your hands met, “Every bone in my body wanted me to run after you-”

“Then why didn't you?!” Tears threatened to spill from your eyes, but you aren’t going to let them.

“Because of our mate's y/n! Elain needed me for the first time in her life, and when you ran Azriel was quick to follow you... I saw two different pairs of mates needing the other! I thought it’d be best... I am sorry if I was wrong,” he said as he started to trace circles along the back of your hand.

“Lucien you are the only being I'm so close with, I needed you!” you glanced at your hands and could feel his warmth seeping through your skin.

“Well, I am here now.” He looked up into your eyes. They were full of promise and sincerity. This right here is why this male deserved the world. He has so much love for those that are important to him. Even through everything that has happened recently, he has found a way to help both you and Elain.

You hum, “I can see that now.”

“So, can I ask why you run?” He asked. You could feel yourself faltering... You could not tell him the real reason. You just wanted to back away into a corner instead of having this conversation.

“I had to get away from Elain-” you half told the truth. He does not need to know that your mind and body craves his touch when he just got Elain into his life. He also does not need to know you and Azriel were cuddled up on the floor together.

Lucien sensed your hesitancy in not really wanting to talk about it yet, so he didn't push the matter any further.

“How was Elain?” You figured you should at least ask him.

“We had a suitable time, I think? You know, I really do not know! That woman is harder to talk to than Nesta! Her vocabulary is, “please, thank you, and if you wish,” THAT IS IT! Shes so damn polite it is almost nauseating.” He said as you giggled when he tried to mimic Elain’s voice.

“Oh, you poor thing, having to act all gentlemanly. What did you two even do?” you smirked at him.

“Wipe that smirk off your face! We did nothing, I was so scared my breathing would run her off. All we did was sit on the couch as I read her poems.” He explained.

“Sounds riveting,” rolling your eyes playfully.

“I am unsure how I feel about it. She is so distant and proper with me, cozy and social with Azriel, and with you she is- what's the word I'm looking for?” He rubbed his temples.

“I think the term you're looking for is heinous bitch?” you glanced up at him.

“That works I guess,” he shrugged. “I really do not know what she was so upset about when she was kissing Azriel not too long ago. A little hypocritical, if you ask me.”

“Does she know you know they kissed?” you asked.

“I do not think so, it is for the best I keep to myself for now. I cannot go yelling at her for kissing him when you and I were up against the wall earlier.” He shrugged as you completely forgot you and him were one wrong decision away from fucking each other ruthlessly.

You grew nervous. Azriel and Elain have been together longer than your current reunion with your friend. It is possible they could have a more serious relationship than just that kiss you two saw.

“Do you think they have had sex?” you asked nervously.

“You think they have?” Lucien’s eyes were darkening. Probably from jealousy but fuck- is that attractive.

“I really cannot tell... It is always the quiet and innocent ones that are always doing things beyond belief,” you sighed. Could they really be having sex with each other?

“We should spy on them and find out.”

“You want to spy on them having sex? Y/n if you are a voyeur just say so,” he looked you over, “I always knew you had a hidden kinky side.”

“Lucien, would you sit down! That is not what I meant! I meant we should get to know about their relationship more, figure out what we are both up against. Knowing how close they have gotten can be a gauge on how much hope is left for us.” you said. You figured if Azriel’s shadows had an attachment to you there was still a glimmer of hope! Besides, Lucien and Elain obviously have a small connection from what you saw in the library.

“Ohhhh, now that makes a lot more sense,” he teased. “You do realize Elain and Azriel are also up against our strong relationship too?”

“Yeah, but they are not in love with us. So, it is not as much of an issue for them as it is for us... Also, you forget Azriel does not even know about our bond yet.”

“I really don’t understand that male at all,” Lucien grunted frustrated at him for not being smart enough to sense the bond between you two. He was the spymaster for gods sake!

“Neither do I after tonight...” you said as you walked to your dresser to pull out a nightgown. You turned around and looked at Lucien who stared back at you, clearly not getting the message you wanted to change as he clicked his tongue. Your eyes following the movement.

“You never answered my question earlier...” he mused.

“And what question was that?” you asked, confused as to what he was talking about. You walked to the bathroom attached to your room. You left the door slightly cracked so you could continue your conversation as you changed.

“About needing a certain reminder?” He sat on your bed with his elbows resting on his knees.

“You are still on about that?” Fuck, this male is really testing your rationality. Why does he have to be so alluring? You slipped off your shirt and grabbed the hem of your pants as he responded.

“Yes, I am. Sweet little Elain was curious about my ability to light the fireplace tonight.” You could hear him shuffling around slightly. You slipped out of your pants and popped your head out of the crack in the door.

“First of all, I did not plant that rumor in her head! She simply overheard it,” you said matter of factly. As you looked Lucien up and down. He was now fully sprawled out on your bed, his hair tied up in a messy bun, with his arms arrogantly folded behind his head. Shit, can this male get any more attractive?

“Uh huh, but that still does not answer the question y/n,” he quirks his head at your floating one in the doorway.

You were standing there frozen in your underwear as you tried to come up with any kind of responsible thing to say. Something to end this conversation where it is before it gets too messy. However, the sight before you of Lucien in your bed has caused you to short circuit. Memories of you, in this very bathroom, fanaticizing about the male before you as you pleasured yourself came flooding back. The images of his hands all over you as he buried himself in you, and you and him in a heated kiss against the wall earlier, shitttttt. Your face instantly heated, Lucien looks at you concerned.

“Are you okay?” He started to get up to come check on you.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. You watch him draw closer to you in concern, but the closer he gets the more the scent of the air starts to change. He paused and you watched him take a sharp inhale from shock. You can’t be that turned on right now, right?

His eyes darkened from it as he smirked at you, “So y/n, what do you say?”

Like you said earlier in Lucien’s apartment, fuck it. You both needed this. You both deserved to be selfish for once. You decided to slowly open the door, as the smell of you grew stronger.

“I don’t know Lu; do you think I need a reminder?” You propped yourself along the doorframe as you looked straight into his eyes as you said, “Or is it you who needs one because you forgot how to weild that power?” You tilted your head to the side as his mouth laid there agape seeing you in nothing but your skimpy choice of attire.

“Fuckkkk-” he licked his lips as he stalked towards you.

“Which one is it, Lu?” He stood right in before you and looked down upon your figure.

“If you think that I forgot how to fuck you properly you must be insane.”

Gods you forgot how tall this male was. Respectfully, you wanted to climb this man like a damn tree, and you just might.

“Then show me already,” you said.

“Always so eager,” he said as he crashed his lips into yours in a bruising kiss. His hands grab your arms and threw them over his shoulders as he picks you up effortlessly, never breaking the kiss.

You met his kiss with just as much intensity as you jumped to wrap your legs around his waist. Your hands burying themselves at the bottom of soft silky hair that fell out his bun as Lucien sat you on the bathroom counter. He broke the kiss; you immediately missed contact. He only smirks at you.

“Well, well, well... what do we have here?” he took another inhale, your scent was driving him crazy. This entire bathroom was covered in it. “Your arousal is everywhere in this bathroom, almost as if it is lingering from earlier?” He looked at you questioningly. Your face heated. Is he smelling you from your time in the bath? There is no way! The smell should’ve vanished by now, right?

“What too embarrassed to confess love?” His hand cupped your face forcing you to look at him. “You touched yourself earlier, didn’t you?”

You nodded your head; Lucien placed his hands on the counter blocking you in. His knuckles were white as he tried to keep his composure.

“You will answer when I ask you a question y/n, did you fuck yourself?” His voice was soft but authoritative.

“Yes,” you squeaked, and he hummed. The sound vibrating through your body.

“Was it in here?” He quipped.

“Yes,” you admitted, unable to do anything. Your mind was hazy from being pinned in by him. He sucked in a breath.

“And what did you think about?” His hands started tracing the curves of your hips as he glanced at your kissable lips.

“Lucien!” you whisper yelled. This made your heart flutter, having to admit something so vulnerable out loud to him.

“That’s my name doll,” as he looked at you, “Now what did you think about?” His hands started growing hot on your hips from anticipation. You sighed at the feeling.

“I-, I thought about you-” you quickly admitted. Lucien’s hands tightened on your hips as they soon became scolding hot, but you didn’t care.

“Fuck me-” he rested his forehead against yours, “What exactly did you think about?” as his right hand moved to put pressure against your clothed center. You moaned at the slight touch.

“I-,” you took a shaky breath, “I thought about what it would be like to have you touch me,” you bit your lip as you placed your hands on top his shoulders.

“Like this?” He started circling his fingers against your clothed clit, head still rested against yours watching your reaction.

“Mhmn,” was all you could muster. Fuck he wasn’t even really touching you yet and you were already about to give yourself into a release.

“Or was it like this?” He asked as his left hand left your hip to pull your underwear to the side as his other slid up and down your center.

“Gods,” you head fell back from the feeling until he ripped his hand away, you glared at him. “What the hell?!”

“You are going to answer my questions,” He glared at you as if he was just as upset to not be touching you.

You sighed, “Yes, it was just like that.”

“Good girl,” he mused as he kissed you softly, “And what else did I do to you?” His left hand cupping your cheek as his right hand teasingly slid up your folds. You hissed.

“You-” the feeling of his fingers against you was utter bliss, “fuck- I imagined your fingers inside me,” you mouth falling agape at Lucien’s teasing fingers waiting for a command on what to do.

“How many? One?” He slid his index finger inside you, you gasped as you gripped his shoulders from the pleasure. Your nails slightly digging into him.

“Two?” He added his middle finger next as a breathy moan escaped your lips. The sound going straight to his cock.

“Fuck-” you threw your head back, “s’good!” Lucien hummed in satisfaction.

“Was it three?” He added his ring finger stretching you out. His fingers are much larger than your own, making this feeling more pleasing.

“I- I don’t know how many, I just wanted them.” You said breathlessly.

“Well, you have them,” he mused back as you glanced at his lips as his words left his mouth. Your hands grabbing a fistful of his shirt to bring him into a kiss. Catching him by surprise from your neediness to have his mouth back on yours, he let out a low grown. You smirked into the kiss hearing his response to you. Your desire growing more impatient.

“Lucien, please-” you broke the kiss in need for stimulation. His hot fingers inside you made you impatient as you tried to move yourself against him.

“Please what? Use your words doll,” he said teasingly.

“Stop with the teasing and just fuck me already!” You huffed a hair that had fallen onto your face.

“Such a desperate little thing,” he said, and he fully removed his fingers before pumping them back inside you.

“Yes!” you cried out from finally getting the stimulation you wanted. No, NEEDED.

“S’good for me, fuck you feel so good baby,” Lucien mused as his fingers kept working in and out of you. His cock was begging him to be where his fingers were.

“More,” you begged.

“More what doll?” as you scratched along his back trying to get a grip of reality.

“Need you so bad,” you cried out as he kept at his pace.

“Not until you are coming undone on my fingers.”

His left hand found your bra clip and unhooked it. His fingers light as a feather but as hot as hellfire itself as he slowly slid it off your shoulders. The cold breeze instantly hardened your nipples as he tossed your bra to the floor.

“You are ethereal,” he kissed your neck as his left hand found home on one of your breasts, pinching your nipple slightly.

You traced your hands down, down, down his back. You can feel Lucien’s muscles tense at every touch. You reached the hem of his pants and slipped a pinky finger inside the elastic of his underwear and slowly traced it around to his lower abdomen. The slight tease of your finger had his eagerly hitting your soft spot effortlessly. You were writhing beneath him.

“Shit- right there Lu!” you breathed as your hands took hold of his hips bound to leave bruises.

“Fuck you are so gorgeous,” as he took your other nipple into his mouth and moaned. Your head hit the wall behind you as you were starting to reach your climax.

“Lucien,” you said breathlessly.

“I know baby, I know. Doing s’good for me,” as he nipped at your ear.

“I’m gonna-” you tried to tell him you were about to finish but your sentence fell short as you felt your release seconds away from washing over you. Lucien’s left hand found your chin and forced it down to his gaze.

“I want to watch that pretty face of yours as you cum on my fingers, yeah?” he gave you a chaste kiss. You somehow managed to nod your head despite how good Lucien was fingering you, and you locked eyes. His pupils were full blown, the beautiful russet-colored eyes you loved was gone. He looked utterly primal, and it turned you on even more than you already were. His hand hot inside your core, only adding more pleasure before you were gripping the base of his hair and clenching around him.

“That’s it, cum for me y/n,” his eyes never left yours as you came undone on his fingers. “Gods you are so fucking beautiful.”

Moans were slipping and falling from your mouth as he worked you through your high. You swore you saw stars from how hard you came around him.

As you regained your stability, you looked down to see Lucien’s hand glistening in the light peeking into the room. You smiled at him through your lashes as you pulled him back down into a kiss, but Lucien broke away.

“You have made such a mess,” he teased.

And sure enough, you looked back down to see that his pants were covered in you. Only proof of how good he finger fucked you. Your fantasy had just come to life before you. All you could do was smirk at him as you gently grabbed his wrist and sucked his fingers clean. You hummed at the taste of yourself on his fingers and Lucien watched every move you made.

You wrapped your arms around his neck as you kissed him once more, letting him get a taste for himself. His tongue gliding along your bottom lip before he took it into his mouth and released it with a pop.

“Better?” You asked and he hummed.

“So sweet,” he said as he licked his lips as you unbuttoned his pants.

“Now what can we do about these?” You asked as your hands slid into the hem of his underwear and slightly tugged down. Lucien looked at you playfully as he took a step back and threw his hands up in an “I don't know” kind of way. You giggled as you slipped off the counter to help him out his pants. Your hands slowly pull them down his waist before you kneeled to pull them the rest of the way. All you can see is his pants and underwear at his ankles, you tap his ankle as a way of telling him to lift it and he does. You do the same to the other and toss them across the floor.

You slowly trail your gaze up his muscular legs to his hard cock standing proud against his lower stomach. Your mouth watered at the sight of his needy swollen cock dripping with precum. Fuck, you had forgotten how big he was. If Lucien had wings, he sure as hell would have a large wingspan.

You slowly looked up at him, batting your lashes, as you grazed your fingers up, up, up his legs as you started to stand. Your hands took a slight detour to slightly touch his aching member and Lucien let out a hiss as his head fell back.

“Fucking tease,” he groaned as your fingers collected some of his pre cum and licked it off, standing back up.

“Do you want to know what else I thought about?” You said as your hands played with the bottom of his shirt.

“What else did you think about?” He cocked his head to the side completely captivated by you.

“I thought about what it would be like to have your dick inside me again,” you bit your lip seductively from the thought of it.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you said as he let you pull his shirt over his head. Your eyes roaming his gods sculptured body. You had forgotten how built he was, lean muscle everywhere from all his training with swords.

“How did I fuck you y/n?” He placed his hands on your hips guiding you back to the counter and you smirked.

“Ruthlessly,” you said breathlessly, and Lucien only smirked.

“Then turn the fuck around,” he snapped as his hands spun you to face the counter. You were now staring at your reflections through the mirror above the countertop as Lucien’s hands slid your soaked underwear off you.

“Bend over,” he commanded as he popped a soft slap on your ass. You yelped in surprise as you bent over the counter.

“Always such a good girl for me,” as he softly rubbed the now pink handprint on your ass. He bent his body over yours, as he kissed your cheek. You could feel his cock pressed up against you as you slowly started to grind onto him. He pushed harder against you in response.

Lucien grabbed your chin as he said, “You remember our safe word, correct?” Placing soft kisses all over your neck.

“Yes,” you sighed into his touch, “Do you?”

“Yes, I do.” He smiled at you, as he grabbed his cock and drug his tip through your core. Fuck it felt like you were on fire.

“Lu please, I need you so bad.”

“Alright baby, you asked for it,” he smirked at you as he gave you no time before he rammed his dick straight into you. You screamed his name as both pain and pleasure ran through you from how deep he was.

“Oh my gods, you're so deep,” you moaned as he slid himself all the way out and right back in.

“You are so tight,” as his hands gripped your waist. All you could do was watch him through the mirror as he fucked you. His brows furrowed in pleasure and mouth slightly hanging open.

“Lucien faster,” you begged.

“You are going to take what I give you! Now, put your hands together on the countertop.” His dominance over you had your core clenching against him as you did as you were told.

“Fuck, you like that don't you?” Another soft smack landed on your ass, causing you to bite your lip to stop from moaning. “You like being told what to do?” you nodded.

“What did I say about using your words y/n?” he growled.

“Yes, I like it when you tell me what to do. Now please fuck me already?!” You were starting to grow impatient and were about to start rocking back onto his cock.

“Little girls who play with fire are bound to get their fingers burned,” he said as you felt a tingling sensation around your wrists. You looked down to see swirling bands of fire holding them together. Your eyes lit up in response. Lucien watched as you looked at him in utter awe.

“You can do that?”

“I can do anything you want doll, now, grab ahold of the counter.”

The fire bands were still binding your wrists together, sending warm sensations throughout your arms as you managed your best grip onto the countertop.

“Do not let go, you hear me?”

“Yes sir,” you smirked at him.

At that phrase, all restraint he had dissipated. He began thrusting into you like there was no tomorrow. Your walls clenching around him from the sensation of having both fire restraints and his burning cock inside you.

“You are scorching,” you moaned out in pleasure.

“Such a slut for my heat, aren’t you baby?” he grunted out as he pounded into you from behind.

“Fuck- yes,” your knuckles grew white from gripping the counter so hard to even out Lucien’s thrusts as you looked back at him. You could see his cock going in and out of you. The sight of it had your walls fluttering around him.

Lucien moaned feeling you flutter around him, “This cunt is mine.” One of his hands left your hip as he played with your clit.

“It has always been yours. Since the day I first met you, it has been yours,” you moaned head slumping to your shoulder.

“Fuck- Y/n, I-” his finger circling your clit moved faster as his thrusts grew harder at each stroke.

“You feel s’good Lu,” you looked back into the mirror. His hair fell out of his bun and is now clinging to the sweat on his forehead. He has never looked more handsome than right now. His hair framing his face and his eyes burned into yours. You felt your core tightening around him.

“So do you sweetheart,” he moaned as his feet spread yours apart, his thrusts now hitting deeper than before.

“Oh mother, right there Lucien!” You screamed as Lucien removed his hand from your clit and grabbed a fistful of your hair craning your neck.

“You look so perfect right now,” his cock jetting ruthlessly into you.

“I’m close-” you breathed.

“Yeah? You gonna cum all over my cock just like you did my fingers?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna- OH FUCK!” Your release had come burning through you, the bonds on your wrists tightening and growing hotter, as you looked at you and Lucien’s bodies meeting through the mirror.

“Shit- y/n you feel so fucking good,” he growled as he kept fucking you through your high. All you could do was watch Lucien with a handful of your hair coaxing you through it. Your entire body felt like it was on fire as Lucien’s thrusts grew sloppy, a sign he was close.

“I’m almost there y/n. You’re taking me so well,” all you could do was moan in response as Lucien filled your walls with his cum. Your core burning from it in a comforting way as he collapsed onto you. Both of you are out of breath and drenched in sweat. You felt the restraints on your wrists vanish as Lucien kissed you on the lips.

“Gods I’ve missed you,” he mused.

You kissed him back, “I missed you too.”

You two just sat there smiling at each other like utter idiots, enjoying this nice moment before reality sets back in. You turned around and hugged Lucien.

“How about you we clean up?” you asked as you peered up at him.

“Yes, I will run us a bath,” he smiled at you as he kissed the top of your head, “but first we need to do something about your legs.” He bellowed. You looked down to see both yours and his cum dripping down your legs. Your face grew hot from embarrassment.

As if he could read your mind he said, “Don't be embarrassed, it is rather sexy!” as he smirked at you in an all too knowing way.

“I'll go clean myself up while you run the bath,” you said.

“Alright, I will see you in a bit,” as he turned to run you both a cold bubble bath.

You left and cleaned yourself up in your room before walking back to your bathroom to find Lucien sitting on the side of the tub waiting for you.

As you walked in your nose scrunched up, “This bathroom reeks of sex now,” you laughed, and Lucien joined in at the sight of your face.

“Just like old times, huh?” he laughed.

You smiled, “Yes, just like that.” You truly did miss him all these years.

“Now how about a nice cold tubby to clean up?” he outstretched his hand to you to help you into the bath.

“Did you just say tubby?” you asked as you took his hand and let him help you in.

“Yes, do you have any issues with it,” he glared playfully.

“Nope,” you said popping the p as he climbed in after you.

“Good, now get over here and let me take care of you,” he smiled.

“m’kay,” you said as you made your way over and laid against him as he washed your hair. Both of you savoring this moment while you could.

Since it has been a long time sine the last post, please let me know on this chapter if you’re interested in being on my taglist!

Tags:

@thelov3lybookworm @justdreamstars @character---obsessed @stained-glass-eyes0708 @acourtofbooksandshadows @sourapplex @b0xerdancer-writes @fireworksacrosshorizons @esposadomd @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @mis-lil-red @cleverzonkwombatsludge @emme-looou @bubybubsters @impossibelle @holywolfsstuff @acourtofbatboydreams @bloodicka @byyalady @kennedy-brooke @sassyslytherinshai @minnieoo @sh4nn @high-lady-of-books @fides25 @thesnugglingduck @annaaaaa88

#acotar x reader #acotar #azriel #elain archeron #cassian #nesta archeron #feyre acotar #mor acotar #lucien vanserra #lucien x reader

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bodhrancomedy · 8 months

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A Fantasy Story About Midwives Saying "Screw You" to Destiny by Bodhrán M.

Destiny is a woman.

There’s nothing much important about that particular aspect of Her. It wouldn’t make much difference to the world if the sparks that make up the goddess of human fate had decided that Her avatar should be male or genderless. After all, personality is more important than genitalia when you can shape them yourself and She would have been just as a much as an arsehole if She’d been a He.

The important part is that She made Herself a humanoid body and, with humanoid bodies, come humanoid thoughts.

Thoughts like, ‘I’m bored’ and ‘You know what might be fun?’

Gods aren’t worshipped here. They turn up too often and overstay their welcome: rather like that one friend at a party who didn’t bring any alcohol and is suddenly very insistent on trying out a watery interpretation of socialism. At best, the more conscientious ones get thank-you gifts. At worst, it’s a toxic relationship for whomever has caught their attention.

Priests tend to get friendly with the bottom of a glass by their third year in service.

Destiny doesn’t have priests. Contrary to popular belief, She doesn’t have much interest in everyday people either. If you were to be honest – preferably in the temple of another god She’d recently annoyed – Destiny’s plans are faint pencil sketches for most. Often, She gets bored and, apart from one or two big events, most people have blameless, simple lives.

But sometimes, She likes to leave a massive metaphorical rake across the lifespans of a significant number of people.

This is one of these times.

And here we meet Sandford Candles – Sand – riding towards the village of Westbank, blissfully unaware that it is going to be obliterated by the hand of fate before he has time to finish his residency.

He was a skinny, suntanned youth, old enough to grow a beard but so far completely unable to. His hair was the colour of wet straw and cut in the style of Not Able to Afford a Proper Barber. Stray tufts stuck up at irregular intervals and occasionally he attempted to flatten them with his hand, but since he had three out of five fingers, it was less successful than he obviously intended. He was clad in the junior uniform of the Royal College of Medicine – maroon breeches, cream tunic, sky-blue jerkin – which had never looked good on anyone who wasn’t colourblind and therefore did not look good on him.

It certainly didn’t look good after a few hours of being rained on, but it was telling that that hadn’t upset him. Sand moved through the world with the good humour of someone who has never yet had anything bad happen to him.

Besides, the last rays of the setting sun were shining down on him through the autumnal leaves, the birds were singing, and he could see signs of civilisation that suggested his destination wasn’t too much further. He was taking his first steps – or rather, Arta, his horse was carrying him – into the next chapter of his life and he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to make the best of it.

#deaf #queer #writing #writeblr #fantasy #funny #im inspired by terry pratchett #but obviously nowhere near as good

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bonefall · 1 year

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Better Bones Hollyleaf

For @m3ow124 who asked for info about BB!Hollyleaf and I provide.

[ID: BB!Hollyleaf. She is a buff black cat with spiky bits all over her body, including a holly-shaped tail tuft. She has a spiky 'mane' that is still growing in.]

I'm a butch Hollyleaf truther. She's big like her mom, the body type is inherited from Runningwind.

BB!Po3 is a relaxed, slice-of-life kind of series with 'episodes' focusing on different events around the Lake as the Clans settle into their new territory.

Though the POV is still split, Hollyleaf is now the "central" character. She drives the wider narrative.

Examples of some episodes that will happen: The Shinewater Plague, Poppypaw's Undeath, Ripwater the River Monster, The Tunnels, the Reduxed Tribe Journey, Cinderpaw's broken leg retooled into an episode about her BPD, ShadowClan's Lichen ReBog Project, Sol working some chaos (but Blackstar doesn't loose faith until OotS), the Battle of the False Eclipse. I really will add just about anything that sounds fun.

She is a lesbian and her relationships with Willowshine, Heathertail, and Cinderheart are all given focus.

HOLLYLEAF AND FALLEN LEAVES ARE THE SAME CHARACTER. This story contains Time Travel Shenanigans.

She changes her name to Fallenleaf after returning from a century spent in the tunnels... and traps the God of Autumn inside of her lmao.

I haven't worked out her physical changes after becoming Fallenleaf, so feel free to suggest. I'm thinking of a kind of "ginger vitiligo," like orange-and-white patches resembling leaves creeping up her body making her look like Sol.

More art and relevant summaries I've done: Jayfeather and Longtail Cinderheart Leafpool Firestar

Below the cut: A full guide to Hollyleaf through Po3, Cruel Season, and Hollyleaf's Century, ending with closing notes about what she's up to in OotS and Beyond. She doesn't die in the Great Battle, she's got much more interesting things to do!

!!IT IS LONG!!

BB!Power of Three

Iceheart, once known as Scourge, is an important uncle-figure in her life. Mousefur, Firestar, Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, Daisy, all cats she has opinions on during the various episodes.

Like canon, she is a cleric apprentice for a while. About a month or so.

In that time she became almost traitorously close with Willowpaw, and had to let her down gently.

It doesn't pan out as a cleric-- but she doesn't swap places with Jaypaw yet. He undergoes full Warrior training before choosing the path.

Firestar tasks his deputy, Brackenfur, with training Hollypaw in the hopes of bringing her up to snuff with her siblings.

Bracken and Holly get super close, and she's brought along on a lot of the diplomatic meetings with other Clans. She's being taught about Fire Alone, the ideology of her grandfather, Firestar.

She does have to reckon with it though-- as it exists as a challenge to parts of the Warrior Code. She is taught that she's an upcoming prodigy, and that she walks in the pawsteps of greatness. She has to be a hero-- but what does that mean?

She was meeting with Heatherpaw in the tunnels, not Lionblaze. Like canon, this ends after they're trapped and have to find their way out with young kittens, Sedgekit and Thistlekit.

As time goes on, she meets a lot of betrayal. Sedgepaw reveals the tunnels to Onestar, Willowpaw does nothing to stop Mistystar from joining the battle to attack ThunderClan in spite of all its help, and even ShadowClan does nothing to save Brackenfur during the Battle of the False Eclipse.

(This Eclipse is fake, it is Sol previewing what will come on the night of the Great Battle.)

We end Po3 with Holly deeply shaken, doubting what she's been taught and clinging even harder to the only thing she has left; that she is, by definition, a hero.

Seeing each grandkit grappling with their own arc, that Jayfeather feels StarClan hates him, Lionblaze with the fact he couldn't protect his Clan all alone, and Hollyleaf wondering if everything she's ever done has been worth it, he shares a prophecy he received long ago;

"There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws. All three of you, you will work this out. I know this because I love you, and StarClan is capable of making mistakes."

That's the last big conversation they have with him, because he soon dies in...

BB!Cruel Season

(A book between Po3 and OotS, bridging the lighthearted tone of the former with the serious, plot-driven one of the latter. This is reposted and fluffed from another post, you'll recognize it if you've seen it)

The prophecy is revealed at the end of Po3, Ashfur overhears Firestar's words, and Cruel Season opens up with the three grappling with its meaning.

This sets the stage for the following;

Hollyleaf worrying about what her purpose is if everything she's done has been for naught and StarClan is terrified of her.

Lionblaze concerned for what this means in terms of how he will protect ThunderClan if he is so powerful he could destroy it.

Jayfeather confirming to himself that StarClan is full of assholes, telling his siblings that he fought Molefall to save Hazeltail.

In addition, Ashfur is doing some prophecy math; Fire and Tiger + Kin of your Kin = Disaster

The death of Brackenfur, the prophecy, the fact Jayfeather has been fighting StarClan and Grandpaw Firestar just decided to do nothing about it..... it's got Holly isolating herself.

WHY does StarClan hate them? ...is it just Jayfeather? Is it because he's been defying them?

Cracks are starting to form, but that's still her brother. She loves him. This is when Sol pops up again, offering to be someone to talk to.

(Reminder: Harry is the vessel. Sol is the god inhabiting him.)

Harry is thinking this is for more manipulation, Sol itself is taking an interest in a possible new vessel as he grows bored.

But we're overdue for the fire scene.

This time, the Fire is NOT random. Unknown to the Three, this is a Dark Forest plot.

Thornclaw (knows the territory), Whiskernose (established as knowing how to manage fires in TNP), and Breezepelt (breezepelt) are creating a diversion so they can murder Firestar

Regardless, the Three are caught in it.

While helping to evacuate the camp, Jayfeather's senses are overwhelmed. He can't get out of the fire, Holly and Lion run back for him and the blaze surrounds them.

Squirrelflight is at the lip of the quarry on the far side, trying to kick down a weak tree they can run up

Ashfur makes his infamous move, kicking her to the side

"I CANT LET YOU DO THAT, SQUIRRELFLIGHT"

They have a fight, Ashfur shouting about the prophecy, Fire and Tiger + Kin of your Kin = they are fated to destroy the clans, if Squilf had chosen him this never would have happened

Squilf is pinned, but reveals with passion, "BRAMBLECLAW'S KITTENS ARE DEAD, THESE AREN'T MINE"

Ashfur is confused just enough that she's able to muster a massive kick, sending him flying into the weak tree, knocking it over

Lionblaze races across this tree to help Squilf, smacking Ashfur across the face

It's a Moment, Lionblaze seeing his mentor both furious and terrified of him, blood on his claws

Ashfur absconds, leaving the Three with Squilf

Now this next part is important and contains a big change of motivation from canon; I want it to be clear that Holly killing Ashfur is 100% her REVENGE. It's not about safety, nor about keeping the secret. So here's how it goes;

The blood on Lionblaze's paw, Squirrelflight’s wounds, and the absence of Ashfur is DEFINITIVE PROOF he tried to murder them

Brambleclaw, the deputy and defacto leader because Firestar is missing, is furious and declares that if Ashfur is seen on ThunderClan territory, he is to be considered a rogue and to be brought to justice.

Ferncloud, Cloudtail, and the rest of Ashfur's associates are shocked.

Birchfall, Ash's nephew, tries to ask "are you SURE?" But immediately regrets it, seeing the haunted look in their eyes.

Especially Lionblaze, Ashfur's apprentice. He's devastated.

When Hollyleaf hunts Ashfur down later, she is IGNORING the order to bring him to justice.

But before that happens... they discover the body of Firestar.

His throat is torn out. It's immediately assumed that Ashfur did it.

Ferncloud is choked up, "He wanted to hurt Squirrelflight so badly he settled for her father..."

Hollyleaf alone realizes that he had black fur in his claws during his vigil later...

And she removes it.

She speaks to Sol about this and he tells her that it was surely an omen.

It means SHE is responsible in some way.

She agrees and adds,

"I'll do what has to be done, I will prove I'm worthy! I'll exact justice on everyone who needs it, this black-furred killer, Ashfur, and the one who broke the code and set these events into motion with my birth"

Sol: "this woman is crazy im in so much love i need to possess her right now"

An aside; How are her sibs feeling right now?

Lionblaze remains very close with Squirrelflight, getting more of the truth from her.

He's confused and upset, but, accepts that she did it to protect them and Leafpool... even though he doesn't Get It yet.

He will Get It soon though. That's a secret tool that will help us later. Just for now remember Lionblaze Doesn't Get It.

(Squilf is always his mom and he has no doubt about this)

Jayfeather really doesn't want to hear it, having independently worked out that the only other parent they could have is Leafpool.

(since this wouldn't be a Federal Fucking Issue if it was Cloudtail)

That evokes a lot of negative emotions. Mostly resentment and bitterness.

All this time his questions about why StarClan hates him could have made sense and they just didn't.

The Queen's Rights are an important part of their culture but... there's so many lies here.

It doesn't matter if he can logically "Understand" or whatever, he hates that response, "Oh it makes sense" no shut your stupid mouths this all sucks. "We were lied to and I've been fighting my whole life for reasons that were kept from me"

All this turmoil makes him start leaning on Poppyfrost, for comfort, for the rightness of their relationship.

He leans on her too hard and she got pregnant. OOPSIE JayFUMBLE.

But anyway back to the Hollyleaf

A few weeks later Ashfur tries to drag himself to justice.

He's been living on his own, missing his family, hoping to find mercy for being unsuccessful.

It wasn't a fight. It was a murder.

(This is important for TBC later, as Ashfur is allowed into Silverpelt over this while also making sure that StarClan isn't accidentally incompetent like canon)

BB!Ashfur is characterized as being a truly "loyal" warrior. He did care about his Clan above all else and that is why StarClan accepts him.

Though he DID carry extra anger in his heart for Squilf rejecting him for Brambleclaw, the theme of BB is that these elements of Clan Culture, the commitment to the code and the willingness to do anything to protect it, are destructive.

Note: In TBC many arcs later, BB!Ashfur does actually care about enforcing a strict interpretation of the Code, AND ALSO he wants to have Squilf. It's both.

Next on Hollyleaf's list; Leafpool.

SECRET REVEAL TIME

She does the big Gathering Reveal

Bramblestar IMMEDIATELY demotes Squirrelflight from her deputy role for covering this up, breaks up with her, and disowns his children.

Assures the gathering that there will be consequences for Leafpool, and promotes Thornclaw to deputyship on the spot.

Jayfeather is now the only Cleric of ThunderClan.

Breezepelt, who was tense but friendly with the Three, has declared them his enemies because Crowfeather CAVED IMMEDIATELY and admitted he loved Leafpool, embarrassing him in public AGAIN by making it clear he was not wanted

"They're the reason he treats me like this! They're disgusting! They shouldn't have been born! I thought they were my friends but they were actually part of my torment!"

ThunderClan IMMEDIATELY starts treating the Three differently, because they are halfclan and cleric children

Lionblaze suddenly understands what Squilf meant by, "I did it to protect my sister, but also to protect the three of you"

Remember that thing from before? He Gets It Now.

"Sometimes keeping secrets is Good Actually," concludes Lionblaze

Opinions are split about Squilf and Leafpool,

"Squilf was protected by the Queen’s Rights"

"Leafpool still broke the code tho"

"That should have stayed between her and StarClan, she did the right thing"

"That law is stupid anyway!"

"Uhhh no it's not? Brokenstar? Ripplestar? Leopardstar? Helloo??"

"Are you saying Squilf's kids are tyrants? What is wrong with you?"

"I'm saying you don't respect the code you heathen!"

"She still lied to Bramblestar and needs consequences!"

"A halfclan cat is a halfclan cat! It was revealed and we must deal with it!"

ThunderClan is fighting, basically.

Holly has her scene later of trying to get Leafpool to eat deathberries, like canon Leaf is a queen who's like, "...girl you can't hurt me more than I already am"

And this is the point where Poppyfrost realizes she is pregnant. They're Jayfeather's. He is the only Cleric in ThunderClan, Poppyfrost does not want to be a single mother, it's a mess.

So they contact Cinderheart and Lionblaze and ask for help. They agree-- but preparing for the arrival of the kittens means they'd need to start saying they're mates.

Cinderheart, the cat that Holly is actively interested in: "hey uh Hollyleaf I'm, uh, mates with your brother now?"

Hollyleaf:

"Youre McFuckinf What?"

Cindy, unable to keep a secret and not really being in love with Lionblaze, admits there are kits she needs to adopt. Hollyleaf does more deduction and jumps to the correct conclusion, Poppyfrost is pregnant because Jayfeather has violated his vow.

And she's going to do something about this.

Sol offers his services. Friendship ENDED with Harry; now HOLLYLEAF is my best friend.

Hollyleaf decides Jayfeather needs to be dealt with. He has disobeyed StarClan for the last time

As he slips into the Tunnels to communicate with Rock, she follows him, planning to kill him quietly

Lionblaze intercepts this, defending Jay.

"What happened to my sister?! Hollyleaf, this isn't you!"

"A black cat killed Firestar, and I've killed that black cat! Soon I will put an end to all enemies of the Warrior Code!"

"What does that MEAN"

The fighting destabilizes the tunnel, Lionblaze is able to push Jayfeather out just in time before the rockslide

Sol saves Hollyleaf's life by teleporting her 100 years into the past, so that she isn't killed by the collapse.

Lionblaze is a tank and rocks can't kill him, when the Clan digs him out, he's just bruised and unconscious

They never find Hollyleaf's body, or any remains at all. Not even blood.

The book ends with the birth of Ivykit and Dovekit, tension settling over the entire family, pain and mourning all at once.

Cinderheart admits she still loves her, and misses her with her whole heart. Lionblaze can't understand why it happened. Jayfeather is expressing his pain through anger. Poppyfrost wants to put this behind her as soon as possible.

UNBEKNOWNST TO THEM, Hollyleaf is with them right now! Here's how Hollyleaf BECOMES Fallen Leaves, causes the collapse of LionClan, LeopardClan, and TigerClan, and sets the events of DOTC into motion;

Hollyleaf's Century

I will state my intentions though, so you can see what I'm trying to do here;

The downfall of the three kinships MUST go back to Hollyleaf preventing them from mounting resistance by being focused on pointless bullshit. It must be her fault that they lost, by trying to rigidly force the code onto a completely different society.

Sol is the God of Autumn, of change, of rules, and of games.

Story opens up with the cave-in. Hollyleaf is going to be crushed.

So, instead, Sol changes the time around them. Holly does not know this, but he has dragged her over 100 years into the past.

She's found by a cat named Broken Shadow.

Broken Shadow nurses her back to health and adopts her, introducing her to the Shadow Family, teaching her the language, and introducing her to society, as a parent does.

She's with them for a few months, enough to learn Lakemew and become accepted.

The Lake Cats find her name strange, Hollyleaf, and start calling her Hollyleaf Shadow, but she insists instead it is Holly Leaves.

"Ah, we see we see :)"

The Lake at this point was almost completely forested, Holly used to think the Ancient Oak was special but... now she wonders if that's how big all trees are supposed to be.

There are three societies around the Lake. The Shadow Family belongs to the Tiger Kinship, there's also a Lion Kinship and a Leopard Kinship.

She gets introduced to Jay's Wing and Dove's Wing, twins from the Leopard Kinship, and their cousin Lion's Roar, who is the leader of the Lion Kinship.

Holly is uncomfortable about loyalty being split between borders.

However, these groups largely interact peacefully.

Jay's Wing is some sort of student of the tunnels, he worships an ancient god.

Holly Leaves is disturbed that they do not have a StarClan and have these... entities. Yes she has Sol but she doesn't WORSHIP him.

Everything Changed When the Victorians Attacked

Environmental destruction I'm still working out, you know what, I'm gonna mark this

(MIDDLE SECTION IS STILL UNDER A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION, THIS SECTION IS THE MOST SUBJECT TO CHANGE, THE POLITICS ARE FUZZY.)

First things first; the Lake is shrinking. The Leopard Kinship seeks help because they have less fishing territory.

Why? The river beyond what-is-now RiverClan territory is being forcefully tamed, straightened to flow fast through the town and for conversion into farmland.

This makes the water flow faster and spend less time in the Lake, both making the river itself more dangerous, damaging the northern wetland, and shrinking the Lake.

Leopard Kinship weakens but becomes more reliant on the other Kinships. This is normal for them.

Holly Leaves uses this moment to start gathering power. At first it's simple magic tricks, doing little bits of aid, using Sol's power.

She knows what the humans did to the Old... New... The Forest of her Forefathers. She knows she needs these cats to trust her.

It's for their own good, she says.

The quarry is set up in what is now ThunderClan's camp, in what was Tiger Kinship territory. It's likely a sandstone quarry specifically.

Slurry was dumped into the river between what-is-now ThunderClan and WindClan territory. This is before that gorge dried up.

Lake is slowly poisoned. Dust from the quarry degrades the nearby forest.

When the logging begins, Holly Leaves grabs authority, leading the Shadow Family and many cats of the Tiger Kinship into battle to take the Leopard Kinship.

They don't put up much of a fight, Jay and Dove try to calm their family down, assuring them that Holly is a vessel for a deity and likely has ancient knowledge.

"There needs to be some changes around here. This is all because you have no one in the Stars to protect you. But I'm here now-- I will save you."

At first it's battle training, but she starts making hard roles. Borders must be defended. There must be healers.

Lion Kinship can join them or be gone. That's the only territory not destroyed and they need the land.

Using the power vested in her by Sol, she starts leading attacks to bring all cats under her power so they can fight the humans.

To oppose her, Lion's Roar becomes quite vicious. He reminds her that he needs 13 sacrifices, and she's feeding them to him.

3 heroes; Three Seasonal Gods. Jay's Wing eventually undergoes a Tunnel Trial to earn Rock's Favor, and his twin Dove's Wing appeals to the benevolent god of Spring, Midnight.

(Insert political drama I'm still teasing out)

The important thing about this drama is that it MUST go back to Holly Leaves being obsessed with control and punishment, dedication to her code of ethics that don't matter to this society, devolving the Three Kinships into infighting.

Leopard Kinship probably makes some kind of break for freedom, which is when Jay and Dove eventually break with Holly

This infighting eventually leads to Jay's Wing's death.

Holly killed him in a fit of rage, somehow, this I know but I am still working out

She looks down at the cat who was her brother and becomes sick, realizing what she's done, what she tried to do in the past, and how she's gotten what she wanted

His god, Rock, is in absolute despair over this.

He takes the body and buries it outside of the tunnel where Jay's Wing completed his trial; the only patch of Old Forest left in the modern Lake Territories.

Dove's Wing is distraught. Lion's Roar is enraged. Holly Leaves' political power dissipates.

They insult her by calling her Folly Leaves. "Great job saving us all, Folly Leaves."

The Lake is destroyed, the forest is gone, except the patch where Jay's Wing was buried. Humans pass right by it, like they can't even see it.

There's nothing left.

Holly keeps trying to demand they stay, trying to force them to remain... and Dove Wing has to put her down, to save the survivors.

(AND NOW WE'RE BACK TO SOLID GROUND)

After this, Dove Wing renames herself to Half Moon. A broken half of a pair, to signify how she will never be whole again.

Half Moon goes on to found the tribe, and Folly Leaves is alone.

"At least I still have my god"

"I'm bored now Holly lmao have fun byee"

Sol kicks her spirit out of her own body, and returns to the future, expecting her to fade away over the course of the following century. He leaves her for dead, essentially.

Alone, in despair, and overwhelmed by guilt, Hollyleaf can only imagine her family for comfort.

Over the decades, she begins to forget her own name. Hollyleaf, Holly Leaves, Folly Leaves, Fallen Leaves... she can't remember which one was correct. Are any of them right?

She watches the Lake wither, to the point where even the humans can't live there.

And then... she watches it recover too. Slowly becoming the home of her childhood.

The whole time, she's waiting for her family to come home.

One day, with no warning, a young Squirrelpaw, Brambleclaw, and Crowfoot tumble into her hole.

She remembers an old story her mother taught her once, of a StarClan Warrior who passed on a prophecy that reunited them after they had been scattered.

"When the great storm brews, meet together where the dusk begins and the sun drowns."

She begins to remember things. And she remembers, SOL NEEDS TO BLEED.

Years later she FINALLY gets her chance. She sees her own body guiding a couple of apprentices into the tunnels, and leaps out of the shadows, catching her neck in her teeth.

Sol can't believe she's STILL HERE he expected her to DIE

TIME LOOP COMPLETE, Fallen Leaves has her body back.

After this, she declares that her name is Fallenleaf!

...probably because she doesn't remember it was actually Hollyleaf and she guessed wrong. But it stuck.

Aaaand one last segment!

OotS and Beyond

She has to re-acclimate to society after 100 years in a tunnel.

And... she has a lot of guilt looking at Jayfeather. Her brother, her ally, her enemy, her victim.

He wants his sister back, it's been a long and hard time without her. She can't unsee his dying eyes.

Cinderheart missed her more than anything, and Fallen missed her too. She reminds her of good times and simple lessons.

Fallen takes part in the Great Battle, but has to balance the angry, trapped god inside of her the whole time, preventing her from taking risks.

After the Great Battle and a near death, she gets with Cinderheart almost immediately.

Ivypool and Dovewing are IFFY about this-- their parents were never romantically involved but they've never seen their mother so happy.

That's pretty difficult, both for Dovewing who's filled with rage about Life In General and Ivypool who's, deep down, a huge people-pleaser.

(They are still not aware that Jayfeather and Poppyfrost are their bioparents, that's revealed in TBC.)

Cinder and Fallen raise a kitten together, Hollylark.

The kit was created when Fallenleaf's magic misfired during a sneeze, magically making Cinderheart pregnant. OOPS.

After the events of AVoS, Fallenleaf starts realizing how... out of place she is, here. She is loved, but she can't be a normal warrior responsibly with how strong she is.

Now that she realizes how small the politics of Clans are... these feel like games. Like something Sol would do. Is that true? Or is she just insecure

She knows nothing about herself, so she can't answer these questions.

The catalyst for her leaving is Hollylark's horrible, young death. She doesn't know if there's anything she could have done to prevent this.

So... she has to find out.

Fallenleaf leaves to go learn more about herself from Midnight. Cinderheart goes with her. Wherever she goes, she will follow.

#Hollyleaf's Century #BB!Hollyleaf #Bonefall Po3 #Bonefall OotS #Fallenleaf #Better Bones AU #Character Summary

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broomsick · 10 months

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10 simple steps to celebrating Álfablót!

Autumn is almost upon us! I hope you guys are as excited for it as I am. I have a whole bunch of fun little posts prepared concerning all things pagan and/or heathen that are of interest, this season. Álfablót is one of my personal favorites when it comes to harvest celebrations! It can pretty much be viewed as the culmination of the harvest season cycle. If, like me, you scatter offerings to the álfar and the Vanir across the summer, then this will most probably be your last harvest offering for the year (quite like Samhain, though the two are entirely different celebrations). Might as well make it count!

Depending on your beliefs and personal preferences, you may want to make your offerings to the álfar, your dísir, the landvættir or any other land spirit of your choosing for that matter, the Vanir, and even all of the above. What matters most is your gratitude! It’s the main point of this ultimate harvest offering: a last “thank you” to the deities and spirits who grant us prosperity of the land. The way I see it, however, gratitude comes in many, many shapes! For example, if you’re someone like me who likes to garden and grow your own veggies and herbs, you can express during Álfablót your gratitude for a plentiful summer, and ask for another good harvest for the next year. If you’re someone who works with a specific spirit (or spirits), you can choose to take a much more personal approach and personally thank them for their guidance throughout the year. This can also be done if you feel close to this or that Vanir deity!

The second most important aspect of the celebration to keep in mind for Álfablót is sacrifice! Scary word, I know. But it’s crucial to the very idea of blót. I’d go as far as to say that one is pretty much synonymous to the other. But it’s nothing to feel nervous about: sacrifice in the context of a mordern-day blót is really quite simple! A sacrifice is the offering of something that’s yours and which you willfully let go of in honor of this or that deity/spirit! This can be a piece of food, a drink, an object and the like. Either something you already own or something you bought for the occasion! During harvest season celebrations, my sacrifices usually consist of a few veggies or bundles of herbs harvested in my garden. It’s also possible for those who don’t garden to offer something similar, by offering seasonal products bought from local farmers! If such sacrifices are not in the cards for you, it’s also possible to save part of your dinner as an offering for the blót. It serves to represent your appreciation of the gifts of the earth! As you were given good food by the harvest spirits, you are also ready to give back to them in thanks!

But enough with the chatter, let’s jump straight to the practicalities! Once more, I’d like to say that these are all ideas and activities I personally enjoy engaging in for an Álfablót. So please feel free to custom any of these to your needs or just to use this sort of template as simple inspiration!

1. Before the sacrifice and the celebration, I usually like taking a moment to meditate on the upcoming event! I sit still and put on some music which reminds me of the season, or the Gods I will offer to. Then I close my eyes and take a quick moment to gather my thoughts concerning the blót: who am I honoring? What am I grateful to them for? What do I wish for in the upcoming seasons? Etc! It’ll clear your mind and put you in the autumn spirit for sure!

2. If you celebrate with friends or family, every one can contribute a meal or a piece of food, such as corn, soup, bread, a dessert, some beer, etc etc… Homemade and/or seasonal will further honor the gifts of the land! If you celebrate alone, why not try to prepare one such meal and save some of it for offering!

3. Before the sacrifice, put some music on, sip a drink, have some fun, get into the celebration spirit in honor of Álfheimr and of Freyr!

4. When the sun is close to setting, light a bonfire. If you don’t have access to a safe outside space in which to start a fire, lighting a hearth or a simple candle are also options.

5. Effigies or representations of the Gods/spirits honored (for example a statue, a phallic symbol, a picture or even just a symbolic object) may be anointed using your preferred method of cleansing, such as incense or ritual oil. The Gods and spirits can then be formally invited to join the celebration, for example, using an invocation.

6. In a group setting, everyone then recites something for the honored deities: something they’re grateful to them for, a prayer, a poem, a song, etc… The same can be done if you’re alone (with the option of reciting more than one of these, of course).

7. Offerings of harvested greens, flowers, written prayers and the like are cast into the fire one by one to be received by the Gods of harvest! I think I don’t need to mention how offerings of alcohol shouldn’t be cast into the fire, for obvious reasons. I usually prepare a ritual bowl and place it upon my hörgr so that libations may be poured in it instead!

8. Time to feast! A toast and a blessing are made in honor of the álfar before eating starts.

9. Seasonal foods I enjoy during Álfablót celebrations: meat pies, roasted veggies, squash, boar meat in honor of Yngvi-Freyr, spicy or creamy soups, craft beers, cold pasta salads, red and white wines, garlic buttered bread, anything pumpkin or apple, ginger flavored sodas or alcohols…

10. Bonus! If you’re a fan of journaling, it’d be fun to note down your impressions of the celebration and ideas for the next!

#norse paganism #blót #heathenry #paganism #norse gods #deities #spirituality #deity work #polytheism #rituals #pagan holidays #offerings #devotional polytheism #devotional

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clickbait-official · 2 years

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An overprotective brother vs. the apple of Poseidon’s eye - who will win?

tw: violence & accusations against reader, if its not ur thing dont read this one

masterlist

~~~

Humans were jealous creatures. Always wanting just the tiniest bit more. And very easily, they can become dangerous creatures.

And what are humans if not created in the gods’ image?

Life in the castle was busy on this chilly autumn morning. People hurried back and forth, bringing with them both endless chatter and preparations for an important meeting - hosted by Lord Poseidon, of course, alongside his s/o.

Servants brought in a large table with many chairs, while others busied themselves with the tablecloth and the proper folding of napkins. Some began to organize the royal blue flowers into vases, setting vases in the center of the table in a symmetrical fashion.

It was about an hour until Adamas and his generals would arrive, and already you were made to get ready. After twenty minutes of playful bickering between you and your servants on the proper color of your outfit, you were finally ready.

Of course, you looked stunning.

Standing beside Poseidon, you prepared to receive your guests.

He squeezed your hand- the only indication that he was responsive to your nervousness. No one else could tell, but the affection in his eyes told you everything.

He loved you.

Your attention was drawn by the arrival of your in-law Adamas.

You don’t miss the expression on Adamas’ face as he is brought inside.

Jealousy.

~~~

“I’m taking a break, darling.” You whisper to Poseidon. Social events were exhausting after a while.

He nods, and a quiet understanding of come back quick was exchanged.

You were one room over from where the meeting was taking place, standing near a window. The stars painted the sky in a such a beautiful manner…it was entrancing. Everything else seemed to be drowned out, if only for a moment.

The sound of footsteps brings you out of your staring.

“He actually looks at you,” The scorn in his voice was obvious. “And he only met you three years ago.”

Adamas steps out of the dark, eyes glinting with a malice that made you shiver.

“Yet I’m his older brother, and he hasn’t looked at me once. Not a single time”

He stopped, now standing much closer than before.

”At first, I wondered what was so special about you. And then I realized that there wasn’t. You must have put some sort of spell on him, played with his mind- to manipulate him into loving you. Because why else would he act like this with someone like you?”

In the blink of an eye, his face twisted into something akin to rage, and he raises you up by the neck. Almost immediately you start clawing at him.

“Did you think no one would notice? Did you think I wouldn’t see what you did to my baby brother?” You struggle to breathe, and every second that passes that you don’t answer he gets angrier.

“Answer me!”

He drops you to the floor, scoffing. His teeth are bared as he hisses out, “You can’t even fight back.”

With that, he leaves, shoes clicking against the floor. You stay on the floor, gasping for air, wondering how such a cruel creature could ever be related to your lover.

Slowly, you get to your feet. Now mindful of the new bruise around your neck, wincing as you go to touch it.

One of the servants, a woman by the name of Phoebe, rushes through the door, mumbling “-more plates, more plates.” under her breath. Though, when she sees your sorry state, she startles.

“O-Oh! Let me go get Lord Poseidon! I’ll be right back!” And she leaves as quick as she came.

You squeeze your eyes shut, already feeling the headache come on.

~~~

The baby blue walls of your shared bedroom were nothing new. What was new, however, were the various doctors scattered around the room, murmuring to one another.

You take a heavy breath in, which alerts the doctors that you’re awake.

“Go tell Lord Poseidon that his s/o is awake.” Orders one of the doctors. Another hurries around, picking up salves and bandages while another asks you constant questions.

It’s overwhelming, but soon stops at the presence of Poseidon.

He points to the door, and the doctors take the hint and get out.

His eyes rake over your body, and his face goes dark in a way he’s only let you see a few times.

A finger rests under your chin, making you meet his eyes.

“Who did this to you?”

It’s a simple question, with a not-so-simple answer. Poseidon is a protective god, and no one is allowed to hurt the few people he holds dear.

However, this becomes complicated when his own brother is your attacker.

“Answer.”

Reminiscent of his older brother, Poseidon mimics him nearly perfectly. Though, this time the god will not simply leave you behind.

“Your brother. Adamas.” You croak out, wincing at the way it hurts.

He merely hums, yet you can already tell he’s plotting fratricide. Patting your head, he tells you; “Rest now, I will be back later.”

With that, he leaves the room, trident in hand.

~~~

i was blessed with a surge of motivation and now its everyone elses problem

requests and asks are open!

(request here)

#snv #ror #x reader #snv poseidon #snv poseidon x reader #ror adamas #snv adamas #ror poseidon #ror poseidon x reader #snv x reader #ror x reader #record of ragnorak #record of ragnarok x reader #record of ragnarok #shuumatsu no valkyrie x reader #shuumatsu no valkyrie #record of ragnarok poseidon

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bodhranwriting · 7 months

Text

The Chosen Many

Destiny is a woman.

The important part is that She made Herself a humanoid body and, with humanoid bodies, come humanoid thoughts.

Thoughts like, ‘I’m bored’ and ‘You know what might be fun?’

Priests tend to get friendly with the bottom of a glass by their third year in service.

But sometimes, She likes to leave a massive metaphorical rake across the lifespans of a significant number of people.

This is one of these times.

His enthusiasm wasn’t even dampened as he rode into what certain, snootier classmates would term a ‘bend in the road’. A cluster of cottages huddled around a square of green, gradually fanning out into lonely farmhouses and huts ranged along the lakeside. Shepherds were herding their sheep and chickens back into their barns, fishers tying up their boats at the slick-wood docks, and small shopkeepers shutting up. Flies buzzed over the water, black swarms coiling unpleasantly.

Most of them stopped as Sand rode in, watching him in polite silence, their stares raking him from head-to-toe.

He coughed nervously. “Um, hello?”

One of the fishers – a tall, dark woman– sighed heavily and jerked her thumb back the way he came. “If you’re looking for Mother Nylund, back to the red oak, take a left, and don’t get eaten.”

Sand blinked, wetting his suddenly dry lips. “I – “

“She’s a scary one, our Nylund. Last apprentice ran away crying.” The fisher grinned unpleasantly. “You look like one for crying.”

“Uh…” Sand scanned the faces of the crowd. To his slight relief, several of them were shaking their heads at the speaker, a few turning back to work. One of them – a stout, ragged old man in a multicoloured shirt – caught his eye and gave him a wink and a sly thumbs-up. The effect was slightly spoiled by him immediately taking a long drag from a bottle in his hand and spilling it on his collar.

“Are you deaf?”

Dragging his attention away from the ensuing scuffle as a shopkeeper stepped in to disarm the man of his alcohol, Sand said, “No. Thank you for the directions.”

As he urged Arta to turn, he heard the woman called, “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the flies!”

The laughter, hopefully, wasn’t all aimed at him.

A few minutes and a stomach-churning second of believing he was lost later, Sand urged Arta towards a squat stone cottage overrun with ivy. A half-circle of a fence enclosed it in a front plot of tamped-down dirt with a chicken run and pen lurking by the edge, but by the smell wafting in the breeze, there had to be a massive herb garden around the back.

Dust boiled up over his feet as he slid lightly off her back and he steeled himself as he strode towards the front door. He raised his fist to knock –

And nearly fell into the hallway as someone yanked it open with considerable force. That same someone grabbed him by the collar and snapped, “Have you ever had a baby?”

“I – no – I’ve been sent from the College –“

“I know you’re from the College, man! Have you delivered a baby?”

Sand gaped. “Not yet, I’m –“

“Well, there’s a first time for everything and lucky you, it’s breech. Take this and get on your horse!”

#writeblr #writing #fantasy

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brainrotta · 9 months

Text

Mu Qing is number one

Mu Qing had recently discovered that some of his devout followers in the mortal realm were planning to stage a play in his honor. As their beloved god, he felt compelled to ensure that the production was tasteful and met the highest standards. Thus, he decided to attend the first rehearsal in disguise, making sure there were no malicious rumors about him and that everything proceeded as expected.

He was thinking of inviting Feng Xin to come with him… just casually, no big deal, if he wants, whatever. They’ve been sneaking around these past couple of days, around the heavenly capital, and this could maybe be their first date. Or not, it’s just a stupid play, no one cares. But he never did.

Feng Xin knew about it already, because, for some reason, he became extraordinarily good at noticing and remembering every little thing about Mu Qing. At the same time, he became equally inept at performing the same mental tasks concerning anything else.

He secretly hoped for an invitation, but even if it didn't come, he had no intention of sulking; his plan was to surprise Mu Qing with an unplanned date.

Like some bad luck, as the event drew near, Xie Lian unexpectedly called Mu Qing, seeking his assistance at Puqi Shrine, at the exact same time as that play rehearsal. Nothing of importance, he concluded. Xie Lian was going on and on about some maple leaves, autumn harvest, cooking dinner and so on. Mu Qing politely excused himself, explaining he has important business to attend to that cannot be postponed and suggested Feng Xin is probably available and willing to help. Wait, nooo. Why did he say that? He wasn’t sure.

Now, at least, he can feel rejected. Feng Xin will for sure run to help His Highness. He would never choose him as a first priority, not that he was competing for such status.

He knew Feng Xin couldn’t possibly know that he was choosing. Mu Qing never asked for anything; never put himself out there, exposing to the possibility of rejection. And additionally, he did everything in his control to end up going alone. Nevertheless, he still felt like the rain was pouring down on him, like he was being wronged.

But oh well, he’s used to it. On his own. He just likes it like that.

The time had come eventually and he was just about to leap down alone, when Nan Feng caught him by the wrist and pulled him back into his arms. “Gotcha” he smiled at him.

“You were really gonna go alone?” he inquired, sounding a bit angry.

“Well, how else? Let go of me, what is wrong with you?” Fu Yao struggled out of his embrace while saying a bunch of stuff he absolutely didn't really mean.

Nan Feng softened his tone a bit “I thought we could maybe go together? Like, just the two of us,” looking at him with puppy-like eyes.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at Puqi Shrine?” Fu Yao snapped harshly, still not sure why.

Nan Feng scrutinized him for a moment, his brows furrowed, thinking this crazy, miserable youth was being too pitiful.

“His Highness did call, indeed. But I have a person I care about a lot, someone I wanna spend more time with. And he is my number one now.” He approached and planted a soft, lingering kiss on the side of Fu Yao's temple. "I wanted to go with you."

Fu Yao, curling into himself with a smile, pondered the fact that he is somebody’s number one, Feng Xin’s number one. He hugged him tightly and teased, “Is that what you told him?”

“I told him, I need to kick your ass” Nan Feng smirked too obnoxiously, Fu Yao rolled his eyes over the top.

As they were snuggling and bantering, focused solely on each other, Nan Feng stumbled, and they both fell right through a portal, landing embraced, legs intertwined, on top of the stage where some play was just about to begin.

#fengqing #feng xin #mu qing #tgcf #tgcf fanfic #heaven official's blessing #xie lian #fu yao #nan feng #nanyao #mxtx fanfic

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ryin-silverfish · 6 months

Text

Chapter 22: Coarse, rough, and gets everywhere

-After dealing with the Yellow Wind demon, the gang ventured forth in this fine autumn season, only to be blocked by the Flowing Sand River, 800 li wide and full of Weak Water.

"What, exactly, is a Weak Water? Are there like, Strong Water?"

-As the poem suggested, Weak Water(弱水) refers to water that has no buoyancy, and anything that fall in would just sink, even a feather. Record of such strange water appeared first in the Book of Mountain and Sea; it surrounds Mt. Kunlun, the abode of Queen Mother of the West, and Book of Late Han also stated that Weak Water and quicksand could be found near QMoW's dwelling.

-These tales could be inspired by IRL geography, where a lot of the rivers in western China, bc they are flowing through plateaus or deserts, are very shallow in depth and regular boats would just capsize inside. When non-native ppl saw those rivers that couldn't be traversed by boats, they thought the water itself has no buoyancy.

-Also, there was a portion of Gobi Desert the historical Xuanzang crossed, 莫贺延碛, which had the alternate name "Sand River"; in Xuanzang's biography, this was also where he was awoken from his thirst-addled sleep by an unnamed great deity. Much like how this desert deity would later evolve into Sandy, the "Sand River" would also become a literal river in the JTTW story cycle.

-We learn the real reason SWK isn't good at underwater combat: he either needs to use one hand to cast a Water-repelling Spell in order to move freely, or transforms into an aquatic critter, both of which would get in the way of wielding his staff.

-Hmmm, why couldn't he just grow a third arm (sth he's obviously capable of, given his fight with Nezha) and use it to maintain the spell while bashing some aquatic demons' head in? Maybe only 1 concentration spell is allowed at a time, D&D style...

-I feel like we've all wondered what the job of "Curtain-raising General" entails—is he like, literally the guy at the gate who lifted those fancy bead-curtains every time a celestial came through? Well, kinda. Not really.

-"Curtain-raising" is actually an important part of Daoist rituals. Before the sacrificial offerings began, there were curtains covering statues on the altars, and only after it was believed that the gods in question had arrived to court were the curtains lifted(literally or metaphorically), and the priests able to present their prayers to them.

-Here is a video of the "Curtain-raising Charm", performed by Quanzhen Daoists:

youtube

-So Sandy's job is less gate guard, and more of an announcer of JE's court sessions. This is my personal take, but I feel like part of why the punishment for him breaking a cup was so harsh was bc he was an official specialized in court rituals and propriety, so he should've known better than to jeopardize such an important event.

-We also learn the answer to another question many have asked: "Why can't SWK just fly Tripitaka to Vulture Peak on his somersault cloud?" Turns out, a mortal's body was too heavy to be carried on clouds, and though the Yu translation was slightly wonky here, ordinary demons could summon a magical wind for fast-travel and kidnapping, but they were still staying close to the ground and not truly high-up in the air.

(Also, if he could, we wouldn't have a 100 chapter story.)

-Finally, some internal alchemy stuff relating to Sandy from my annotated Chinese edition: during the fight between Pigsy and Sandy, the latter was referred to as the Spatula, 刀圭. The second character, made of 2 characters for "Earth" stacked on top of each other, was later broken into "Two-Earths" in referral to Sandy again.

-In internal alchemy, Earth represents ideation/determination, specifically, that of attaining immortality. When the ideation stills, it is known as "Yin-Earth", and when it stirs, the "Yang-Earth", collectively referred to as "Two-Earths". It functions as the catalyst and meditator between the Spiritual Mind(Wood) and Vital Energy(Metal), which must come together and mingle during cultivation to form the Golden Elixir.

-Thus, Sandy's soon-to-be role as the Only Sane Man and meditator between SWK and Pigsy.

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

#journey to the west #jttw book club #xiyouji #jttw reading group #Youtube

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tokiro07 · 4 months

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The most recent chapter is great, but also show me 2 things:

1. How poorly the Ruin arc shows Andy’s supposed “development”. I mean, for a guy who declared war on every UMA in existence and the gods, getting incapacitated by bombs of all things doesn’t help his proving that he can battle high-end UMAs, much less the gods. At the current chapter 191 Andy could absolutely negate that embarrassing loss seeing how he dealt with “genocide weapons”.

2. How the themes kinda got murky by basically saying that the random Ghost fight helped Andy grow way more than him setting out to get Fuuko back and beat Ruin and slaughtered UMAs to the point where God intervened.

I'm not really sure what you mean by the themes getting murky. It sounds like you took Andy vs. Ghost as being narratively superior to Andy vs. Seal, and mostly on the basis that he learned how to weaponize his soul in that fight

I think in one sense, it is more important to the narrative, but to me, it's more important because it's the capstone to that arc in particular. Andy vs. Seal was meant to force Andy to introspect and understand what his end goal is (growing old with people he loves) and to introduce him to the concept of materializing his soul (which he already believed in conceptually as of the Autumn arc)

Andy vs. Ghost took both of these elements to their next logical step. After learning he could materialize his soul, Andy was put in a situation where he needed to A) use his soul to move his body, and B) weaponize his soul, teaching him a major skill that would prove useful going forward. The battle itself contributed to Andy's long-term goal by allowing him to rescue Fuuko (meaning that his attempts to rescue her were directly responsible for his combat growth) AND were thematically significant because he was fighting Nico, who was ALSO fighting to retrieve the soul of his dead lover

Where Andy was fighting for Fuuko so that the two of them could save everyone and make all of their friends and loved ones happy, fighting for the future, Nico was fighting to see Ichico as he remembered her in what he knew would be his and everyone else's last moments, fighting for the past. The previous major battle, Andy vs. Rip, was nearly identical, where Rip also abandoned everyone else to go back to the way things were

Andy vs. Ghost was not a separate event from everything else in the Ruin arc, it was the climax to Andy's story in that arc - he left the Union to find Fuuko, met Lucy and learned more about himself, fought an inversion of himself in Rip and came to understand what needed to be done to make things right and achieve the world he wants to see, returned to the Union and fought another inversion of himself in Nico to finally get Fuuko back

As for Andy's actions in the Ruin arc prior to that, we didn't even know about the Superior Rules yet; we saw him tearing through a bunch of standard Rules that reshaped the world around him as they died (Insect/Thirst), a bunch of Master Rules (Magma/Gravity/Slice), and then was stopped by Seal, a UMA made specifically to counter Andy. He didn't even lose to Seal, he jumped into a seal because he saw that Lucy was able to influence him from the inside, so he thought he might be able to exploit that!

Andy was a beast during that arc, but he was a beast with maybe 200 years experience by that point; we knew Ragnarok was coming, and anyone familiar with basic storytelling could probably tell that our cast was going to lose, so of course the Andy we saw was going to get shown up by the next iteration. If you think Yr4Billion!Andy makes Yr200!Andy look like a chump, he kind of should, but only in the sense that you realize now that he still had a lot more room to grow, not that he hadn't grown by that point

I'm sorry if you don't like the Ragnarok/Ruin arc anymore, but I still think that arc is great and that this arc is great for their own separate and distinct reasons

#undead unluck #fouryearsandananime #uu spoilers

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lustrous-dawn · 5 months

Text

Zhen sat on the steps to the home, breaking off a stalk of grass to chew on. He had plenty to mull over, the Ho-oh slumping as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

A gentle breeze rolls in, crisp and cool, tossing loose strands of vermillion hair. It carried the promise of autumn on its heels, the Ho-oh rousing to inhale deeply. The first true breath he took all evening.

“I blew it, big time,” he said, his voice grim. He was holding it all together at first, striding in with such confidence. With Abilene at his side, he could handle anything. He remembered the faces that stood out the most, the idle chatter.

Rio.

Like himself, she felt like an outlier among the group of ‘Mons that gathered this evening, a sense of kinship developing in the short span.

Zhen rubbed at his jaw. He could have done better with the conversation. He managed to uncover more things about her than he should have and he could tell she wasn't used to it. A slight frown as he remembered her tight grip upon the cup she held as she spoke.

"I will say, sometimes when you don a persona like a piece of armor, it feels like you're putting on a performance in a more literal sense. Like a costume.”

That's all this event was to him. A massive performance, with him starring an ass in face of the public.

A grimace at the spark of jealousy that ignited at the sight of Teach with Ginjiro. It was uncalled for. It was not himself. Reshi didn't deserve that side of him.

He hadn't been meant to be listening, but he heard the sound of Nakhti, her kind voice full of worry, pulling him from his idle thoughts.

“He came in as if his whole world had crumbled around him.” She said, “He was destitute. I couldn't in any good conscience leave him on his own.” He heard her voice begin to uplift, “Then you should have seen him, dear Abby. The pep to his step. The life in his eyes becoming more vibrant day by day. The children took a liking to him I have never seen them do and it has made him all the better for it.”

“I know he is healing, ma’am,” Abilene replied. “But tonight…”

“Do you think he is not strong enough to handle what is in front of him? If you believe as much, then continue to act as his pillar in his time of need. He needs the support, god or not. Even the children quietly noticed Zhen was not himself when he arrived on our doorstep.” The Kangaskhan had become worried. The Ho-oh was beginning to retreat as he had before, the questions had only served to agitate him.

“Our sun is bruised, dear,” she continued. “The humans did not love him. They harmed him. They did not hear his pleas so we must. Listen to him when he comes to you, Abby.”

“He doesn't come to you?”

She let loose a small chuckle. “I believe he fears me. He hardly sits down with me as he used to.”

That's not true. His hands dug through the soil, raking grooves. Tears streamed down his face. He didn't want to disappoint her with false promises and failed attempts. She became someone important to him and he didn't want to let her down. But her words hit hard.

The humans didn't love me. He gritted his teeth. Again.

Again-

A force hit him, pulling him from his spiraling thoughts. The warmth of the Whimscott against his back, her wool teasing the nape of his neck, chasing away the cold that threatened to settle in.

“It’s okay, Zhen. We’re here for you.”

His eyes settled on the palms barely across his waist. So small. But she grounded him, a soft scent lacing through the air. He placed his hand over them and hunched inward.

“I ruined the evening, Abby,” a tumultuous whisper. “I’m sorry. I didn't mean to.”

“We all make mistakes, Zhen.” She burrowed closer. “You're owning up to them makes you better than most. Even if it wasn't your fault. Come inside, please. Nakhti wants to speak with you.”

He stiffened.

“You need to face her. She will understand.”

#Zhen #Nakhti #Abilene #Plot #*

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mehiwilldoitlater · 2 years

Text

part 2

Teyvat's trembling signaled the beginning of the Decay.

It wasn't something to be confused with a phenomenon like the falling of the leaves in autumn, because it was still life that was changing. No, the decay was life itself, which leaves everything to go somewhere else. It started in Mondstadt. From there, an audible cry was born from all over the world; a cry of pain, anguish, and sorrow. A cry of hate.

After that, animals started to die from a mysterious illness. The luckiest ones were able to leave before, headed for an unknown destination. Then, it was the turn of the flora. Trees begin to lose color; leaves start to fall, dried from all of their energy. And yet something felt strange. It was more like that every life force in the world was directed at something.

The Tsaritsa may have been the only one that feared the cause of this strange phenomenon. When the Cryo Archon heard for the first time of this "Impostor of the Creator" and about the manhunt that had burst, instead of instigating the hate in her people, she felt pain for this poor woman. Maybe Tartarglia was right; she was a gentle soul. She felt nothing but sorrow for that tormented soul. The day that the Tsaritsa became aware that the victim of this unfortunate event was even expecting a child, she felt a twinge in her chest. How could they, the people of Teyvat, be able to do such an atrocity, in the name of their God even?

When the decay started, doubt started to bloom in the Tsaritsa heart. She gives her order to her habinger and fatuis: find the cause of the decay, find this woman and bring her to Snezhnaya.

It was just a matter of time. The discovery was made only by asking some people in the city of freedom. One of the knights was able to hit the imposter. It wasn't a fatal hit... at least not for her. The ones that witnessed the loss of that child were no longer alive, eaten alive by the decay itself, a sickness that destroyed them slowly and painfully. From that day, the woman disappeared. No trace of her was left, and no one dared anymore to search for her. There were far more important matters at that moment.

Now, the Tsaritsa doubt was no more: the people of Teyvat had slaughtered the holy child, unborn, in the womb of their creator.

A cold blizzard fell in Snezhnaya; there was no rage, only sorrow.

Dead trees marked a path. It was easy to believe that, to find the cause of the decay, the only solution was to follow it. It wasn't something that she hadn't seen before; she remembered far too well when she created a path of flame and destruction for the monsters of the cataclysm, when she was the Crimson Witch of Flame. Oh, she remembered well, the day she met Pierro, the day that her ruler gave her another chance.

La Signora was well aware of what was going on, but she needed proof. Followed by some of her subjects, the path of death led her not too far from where the accident happened, at the mouth of a cave. "Are you certain about—?" one of the mages inquired. "Yes" She replied, her tone firm but cold. She begins to move, only to stop in order to give her orders. "Do not follow me if you care for your life. Prepare the medical arrangements and everything. Once we finish here, we leave for Snezhnaya." And like that, her figure disappeared in the shadow of the cave. For the first few minutes, it was like nothing was out of place. Drops of water from the ceiling, a slight echo from her footsteps on the rocks, and the luminescence of some plants. Everything was normal. After half an hour, when she felt the stench of meat and blood, she smiled. She was in the right place.

The look of the cave had changed. No more crude rock, wet or full of moss. The walls were covered in an intricate pattern of wyne and roots, leading in one direction and connecting at one singular point: your body, laying on the ground, half submerged in a pond.

For a moment, La Signora thought that she was too late, but an almost invisible shivering of your body gave her hope.

That was the proof she needed: the decay was caused by Teyvat itself; their world was trying to save the Creator. But, of course, that wasn't enough. All the energy in the world wasn't enough to sustain your life; you needed help.

When she rushes, the sound of her footsteps wakes you from your slumber. A pair of careful eyes met an almost dead one. Nonetheless, even on the verge of exhaustion, your eyes were full of primordial hate. Before you could even move, La Signora raised her hand, carefully, showing you no sign of harm.

"Easy... I'm not here to harm you."

"Then... what do...you want...from me?"

Your voice was feeble, all of your strength focused only on your recovery. She thought it was a pity that she had to meet you in such a state.

"Your Grace..." she kneeled, slowly in order to not stress you more. "I'm here under order from my queen, The Tsaritsa. She ordered me to find you and assist you."

"AH!...It's her clever way of saying delivering the knockout blow!"

Your tone was hard, bitter, and full of resentment.

You didn't trust her, and how could she blame you? After what they made you go through, it was stupid to believe that you would have trusted one of the Habinger. But La Signora was on a mission, and that was you.

"It wouldn't be satisfying to kill someone that is already dying... I would prefer someone that would put on a fight."

Another bitter chuckle from your mouth, followed by a stifling silence. You didn't have enough time, but she knew how to play her cards.

"... What's your name?"

"...Y/n..."

"Good, Y/n, I know that you don't trust me. I wouldn't trust anybody after what they have done to you, but, if you haven't noticed, you're dying, and Teyvat with you. Since the plans of my Queen require that our world stay where it is, I had to help you. "

To be an emotional speech, it was the worst that you ever heard... but somehow it was the most reasonable one that you could accept at the moment, and, in your current emotional state, you were ready to live or die as much as you cared. After another couple of minutes of awkward silence, you tried to move to your pond, but the roots connected to your body were far too tight, restricting your movements. The pain in your wounds wasn't better, making you emit a few hisses. A pair of gloved hands appeared in your view. Your reaction was to freeze, hoping for a painless blow, but the only thing that you felt was the sound of the roots that were disconnected from your body. Oh, that wasn't painful, only tickling.

La Signora helped you to get rid of the other wynes and finally get out from the pond. Teyvat did find a strange way of helping you...

The coldness of the hair hit you for a few second, untill the long cape of the Habinger engulf you. It was warm...you had never believed that in all that mess La Signora could become the first person that could help you.

"Good. Outside, I have a few agents ready to help. We'll leave after we secure your health, your grace. "

"...Why?"

"Umpf, i already told you, The Tsaritsa-"

"No, not that...why did they..."

Your eyes watering under the eyes of the Habinger. All the hate started to fade.

"...It's okay if they wanted to kill me... but why? Why did they have to kill my baby? What did he...He just wanted to live! "

Your voice cracked in a series of sobs and hiccups, your hands covering your face. It was just too much for you, for your baby, for everything. All this pain was eating you alive, and you were alone to face it. When they started to hunt you, he was your only reason to fight. If you were there now, it was for him! And yet, they took him away.

You felt the hands of La Signora on yours, slowly moving them from our face, letting you facing her. You felt a warm sensation, her face was full of determination. She knew all of your pain, she once felt it on her own and she reborn from it with only one thing on her mind.

"Your grace, there is no magic that can bring back someone from the world of the dead. There is no excuse in what they have done to you...yet, i want to offer you what you need."

"Revenge."

((umm yes, some villain!au in order to give a thrill hehehe))

#genshin impact #sagau #genshin villain au #la signora #ask

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cable-knit-sweater · 2 years

Note

Mayaaaaaa! *knocks on your window* are you alive in there???

That new photoshoot of Chris 🥵 I have thoughts. Many thoughts especially after the richy rich photos of Sebastian from this weekend. It feels like one of those Hallmarky movies.

Imagine this: rich CEO Seb is driving through MA on his way to some retreat or something that he's supposed to go to and find his zen after being totally stressed out. But his stupidly expensive car breaks down in this small town. Local mechanic Chris is there to fix it but it needs a part that'll take a day to come in. Chris offers Seb a place to stay at his farmhouse while he waits because they don't really have hotels.

There's homecooked food, lingering glances, horse riding through the beautiful countryside (it's autumn!). Lots of cosy sweaters, fireplaces and even pumpkin spiced lattes (which tastes better than any coffee chain Sebastian has ever been in).

Then Seb finds himself truly relaxing and enjoying himself for the first time in months - years even. Doesn't even check his emails once.

Oh, and they definitely have sex in that hayloft. Chris is picking out hay from Sebastian's hair with a soft chuckle, loving the way Seb looks in his borrowed clothes (those suits and shirts in Seb's suitcase were too formal).

Anyway - have a great day at work ✨ I'll be here when you need to flail 😘

Tej. I am barely alive. Just, hanging on by a thread, thank you very much for asking 😭😭😭😭

I too have many, many thoughts, most of them highly inappropriate and that my brain needs some more time to think through. Thankfully you’re much less unhinged than me and coming up with this BRILLIANT IDEA.

It’s frankly unfair for them to do this to us in such a short timespan. I’m still very far from being over how Seb looked at that event on Saturday, bc god damn he looked good 😫😫

And then to make it all worse, you ATTACK ME with this??? I am literally begging you to write this fic and also to never talk to me again bc what little was left of my mind has now combusted. FUCK FUCK FUCK.

I can just SEE IT so clearly. I’m so weak for the idea of mechanic Chris, in his white tank with oil on his calloused hands, sweat dropping down his neck from a hard day at work, and Sebastian just needing a moment because how the fuck is he supposed to string words together into sentences when there’s this walking wet dream in front of him?

And when Chris does ask him to stay, he’s so eager to say yes, but also thinking this is probably the worst decision ever, because being in close quarters with Chris is going to be a challenge, to say the least. There’s no way Chris is into him - and Chris definitely thinks he’s some sort of spoiled brat at first.

But it actually turns out to be the best decision he’s ever made, because of all that you just said. They get to know each other pretty quickly. Chris makes him realize what the important things in life are, and he finally gets to relax. Of course there are lingering glances, home cooked meals and cosy sweaters. Chris giving him heated looks when Seb is wearing Chris’s clothes. Sebastian feeling absolutely overwhelmed with how this man isn’t just ruggedly handsome, but also incredibly sweet and caring, and a bit of a dork. They just click, and it’s like they’ve known each other forever, but also like this is what Sebastian had been waiting for forever, and desperately needed.

He definitely can’t believe his luck when after the tension builds and builds, they finally give in, and yes, have sex in a hay loft, probably all over the property really. He never really wants to leave.

I absolutely LOVE this whole idea and the fall vibes, and now you’ve written your first Evanstan fic, I NEED YOU to write this one next, pretty pretty please?? I’m gonna be thinking about this all day in between screaming, probably.

I love you and your genius brain so much 💕💕💕

#maya answers #evanstan #rpf #TEJ 💕💕💕#this is TOO FUCKING MUCH honestly

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thethirdvoerman · 1 month

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For the writer's ask game, in the basics, 1, 2, 9, and 10? 😊

1 — music: I do! It's usually something ambient that fits the atmosphere of the scene, preferably no vocals so as to not distract me. I have amassed a small playlist on YouTube that I put in the background when I'm writing, it's mostly horror OSTs, one Midwestern gothic mix with a bunch of songs, and compositions I enjoy. Sometimes I just loop something and let it rip.

2 — pantser or plotter: A bit of both. Mostly stories pop up in my head as messages from God and I do not dare question. I make outlines, but rarely. My current WIP has a vague plan of events, and my Vampire chronicle has like 2 Google Docs and a conspiracy board, full Charlie Day style.

9 — current WIP: I've always dreamt of writing a book and I've been doing so sporadically ever since I dropped out of uni last year. It's called "Postmortem", I have the prologue and 4 chapters done, and chapter 5 is going smoothly. If I had to describe it, it's like a sci-fi urban coming-of-age story set in a small town in Nebraska about a dead girl and her dad hunting ghosts. My girlfriend calls it "pure anime" (affectionate). I'll enclose an excerpt from chapter 5 under the cut (translated into English as I wrote it in my native tongue).

10 — deadlines: I am bad with self-inflicted deadlines, so I don't bother. I don't feel like forcing words out of myself is right, my uni already does that for like 1000 bucks a term. Then again, that explains the leisurely pace of my book writing process doesn't it...

Mio spat on the pavement, then turned exactly ninety degrees with the precision of a soldier, and stomped away from Hunters’ Hall. She could probably wait around; the tiny patch of concrete here acted as both the parking lot and smoking spot for the locals. Yet the mere act of waiting seemed a grueling task in itself, not to mention talking. She could taste the ennui already. A stack of convenient lies upon more convenient lies made up the legend she’d repeat and slightly alter in each town Doc and her stopped at. This time it was “Mio Miyawaki”, yet another empty promise of a person, one that could answer every question about herself without ever telling anything important, nod along in conversation while never revealing what she really thought, and mislead everyone into believing that she was actually, truly genuine despite not even being real.

“Well that’s just great.”

Mio didn’t really hate this bleak reflection of herself. Neither did she like her.

She turned around the corner. The passing-by truck dragged a gust of hot air past her, and Mio instinctively clasped a hand over her nose. In Carrion, summer was always a haze of smog descending into the valley, a mix of exhaust fumes, burning trash and forest fire smoke. Unable to escape the clutches of the trees, like a sea not being able to escape its shores, the sickly fog of ash and stench stayed calm and still. Then, autumn winds would carry it away, and heavy clouds full of snow would come instead. The town, therefore, existed in a constant state of rigor mortis. No life was possible there – aside from, perhaps, the writhing of parasites in roadkill.

The smell of burning and grey ash didn’t feel as annoying as the odor of tobacco in the fog, both gently tickling and cruelly scratching at her throat from the inside.

Her jaws dragged against each other, an industrial chew of machinery, and Mio only felt it as a thin streak of blood ran down her chin. She’d chewed her lower lip into raw meat. Wiping the blood was a mechanical, meaningless gesture. The red of her uniform jacket soaked it up all nice. Neither blood nor ectocardium really stained it.

All so that the illusion of calm wouldn’t be disturbed.

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shimmerbeasts · 5 months

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The Two Festivals

There are three festivals, which mark the progression of a year in Zaun. Technically, because one of those festivals is, Progress Day, it does not really count. Zaun does not actually celebrate Progress Day. At least not with the same fanfare and spectacle, which Piltover does. That is because while for Piltover, Progress Day is a celebration of their ingenuity and inventiveness, for Zaun, this celebration is a warning signal. It is like a gun going off as it marks the start of the trading season. For Zaun, that means they now roughly have two to three months, ergo the remaining height of summer and the beginning of autumn, to make preparations for the Sickly Months.

The beginning of the Sickly Months, which normally falls at the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, is marked by a festival called The Pale Death's Travel. This celebration honours Kindred, the twin god of Death. It is a spooky and communal festival, highlighting the dangers of the diseases, which are about to come, but also pleading to Kindred that if they may not be spared, their death be as fast as possible. Mind you, fast does not mean swift or painless. Zaunites are awfully aware of how painful and slow many of these diseases are.

At the same time, The Pale Death's Travel is supposed to remind Zaunites how much they have to stick together during this period and urges them to keep gang rivalries to a minimum. One of the ways this is encouraged is the tradition of someone, wandering the streets, dressed as Kindred. They do so by wearing a grey cloak, the fur of a sheep on their shoulders and a wolf skull as a mask over their head. This figure makes its way through Zaun, knocking on the doors and asking for entry. The inhabitants then try to come up with excuses why Death may not be granted entry. Once they are out of excuses, Kindred enters and the house inhabitants and the dressed-up person share a small meal together. Usually, they gift Kindred a coin as a farewell present.

Other ways, Zaunites celebrate The Pale Death's Travel is by painting their canine teeth red and their claws either red too or yellow or green. The colours represent the blood and death, Zaunites are familiar with, and the diseases, which as detested as they are, are a part of their life. The celebration is subdued and mostly resides in the houses of the Zaunites. Outside of the visit of Kindred or The Pale Death, as this iteration is sometimes called, they tell each other ghost and horror stories, which highlight the importance of community. Traditionally, Zaunites eat salmon with lemon sauce or salted herrings in tomato sauce. Sometimes, there are also green vegetables or some herbs in the meals.

After The Pale Death's Travel, the entire winter has no more celebration. Instead around the beginning of spring, the Sickly Months finally end and what has to be Zaun's biggest celebration finally comes around. This festival honours Janna, the patron spirit of the Undercity, a goddess of wind, clean air and inofficially, life. This celebration is called The Dance of The Blue Swallow, named so after the blue bird, which Janna is associated with.

This celebration is split into two events, happening simultaneously. Though most Zaunites regard it as the same event, even if one is more meant for the Chem-Barons and their close associates while the other Zaunites celebrate in the streets. The entire festival is a celebration of survival and life, praising that they made it through the Sickly Months while also honouring the dead.

This honouring of the dead is normally done by erecting a small shrine in honour of Kindred, upon which items of the people, who succumbed to the diseases, are burned. It is in the same breath another defeat of the diseases while also letting go of the people, who died. However, at its core, the festival is almost like a very large dance. Something, that upon first viewing comes the closest to a Piltovan ball as is possible for Zaunite culture, however, even so, there are certain elements, which mark The Dance of The Blue Swallow out as distinctly Zaunite.

While this festival is often held and hosted by a Chem-Baron and their housings, unlike Piltover, everybody is allowed to attend the dance, regardless of rank or position. Thus Chem-Barons, deputies and gang members, but also the common folk find themselves mixing in large, complex dancing halls or even spewing out into the streets. And while the invitation is to dance, there is no proper formal dance like it may be in Piltover. Due to its focus on individualistic expression, every Zaunite is allowed to dance however they please, though often couples do create pair dances for themselves.

The Dance of The Blue Swallow is loud and very colourful as opposed to the sombre and muted hues, which are common for The Pale Death's Travel. The people wear bright and colourful clothing, some if they have it, even don jewellery. In honour of Janna, special instruments are played, which release their music through gusts of air and tend to send fine, coloured glitter and fog into the place. Chem-Tech contraptions bathe the dance room in colour and the sounds of their gear create an ambience of its own. Fireworks turn the night sky into day and sparklers are ignited in every street. Often, birds from Piltovan menageries, particularly swallows, are released at the height of the festival to watch them take flight.

The meals and foods offered are among the most varied, Zaunites have throughout this year. From fish to varying types of seafood to crabs and mussels to freshly baked goods, which for once make use of sugar, to heartily and strongly seasoned, sharply grilled pieces of meat to mulled wine and milk with honey. Almost everybody who knows how to cook and bake brings something to the festival for everybody to enjoy.

What makes The Pale Death's Travel and The Dance Of The Blue Swallow such unique celebrations is the fact that they are local and only happen in Zaun. Furthermore, they are completely private festivals, which are not attended by outsiders and even if someone from outside of Zaun finds themselves attending, they are rarely really welcomed and barely tolerated. Particularly Piltovans are completely shunned from these two celebrations. In fact, few people in Piltover even know that they exist.

#culture of predation: zaunite lore

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