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marvelsmylife · 2 months

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Can you feel my heart breaking? Part two

Pairing: Azriel x reader

Plot: five months after Azriel discoveres you are his mate, the night court pays the day court a visit. What happens when Azriel discovers another male is making his intentions known that he wants to court you?

A/n I’m contemplating writing a part three (including smut) let me know if you guys are interested in it.

Part One

Acotar Masterlist

Send in Requests

It took everyone in the inner circle to physically stop Azriel from going after you when you left for the day court. After revealing that you already knew Azriel was your mate, Rhysand explained that you asked for some space. Azriel listened in horror as Rhysand detailed what you endured for the past year and a half. He couldn’t believe you bottled up all the pain you felt while you watched him love someone else.

Poor Elain started apologizing for being part of the reason you left and swore nothing ever happened between her and Azriel. Rhysand reassured her that you held no ill will towards her and you left to clear your head but that you would be back in a few months.

Rhysand begged Azriel to give you space while you process your emotions. “Rhys, please. I need to see her. I need to tell her that I know that I am her mate and that I want this mating bond.”

“No,” Rhysand said firmly: “You are also prohibited from traveling to the day court until she lets me know she’s ready”.

Azriel didn’t give up though, he sent out his spies into the day court and they gave him updates on your well-being. Every night they would report the same thing: you were fine, you were safe, and you were still staying with Helion despite your family living nearby. Over time, they would report that you were smiling more and having pleasant conversations with the people around the villages you would visit.

That brought a smile to the spymaster's face. He remembered how kind you were to everyone who crossed your path; even towards people who didn’t deserve your kindness.

One day though, one of Azriel’s spies informed him that there was a new general in the day court who had taken a liking towards you. They informed Azriel that this new general is actively seeking you out and gifting you small presents to win you over.

Panic started to take over Azriel’s body at the news. It never crossed his mind that someone else would try to court you while you were away.

Azriel pleaded with Rhysand to visit the day court so he could see you. He told him what his spies had informed him and he was worried you might accept a courtship. Rhysand wanted to respect your wishes but he couldn’t bear to see his brother's desperate state anymore “ok, ok I’ll contact Helion and request if we can visit. But let me make one thing clear” Rhysand warned “You better hope whatever you have plan works out. I need y/n back home with us”.

Helion accepts Rhysand’s requests and extends an invitation to Rhysand and his inner circle to stay with him.

Azriel was on edge when they finally arrived at the day court and waited for you to come down and greet them. While they waited for you, Helion thanked Rhysand for sending you to him because in his words “you brought so much happiness to him and his people”.

Rhysand responded with “That’s why we love her so much. She’s like our own personal ball of sunshine. I don’t know what we would do without her.”

“You would survive” you teased and caught everyone’s attention “but it’s nice to know I make that much of an impact on you guys”.

Time seemed to stop for Azriel as he watched you make your way downstairs. That was until the unnamed general appeared by your side and whispered something in your ear.

Jealousy surged through Azriel as he watched you playfully roll your eyes and giggle at whatever the general had said. “Control your anger,” Rhysand warned: “Do not jeopardize our alliance with the day court over his comments. Y/n has no interests in the general”.

Right at that moment you looked over at Azriel and sent him a concerning look. You were about to ask if something was wrong when Helion announced that it was time for dinner and guided everyone into the dining area.

Throughout dinner, Azriel couldn’t help but glance over at you. A smile appeared on his face as he took in your beauty. He couldn’t believe he completely overlooked you and was pining after the wrong female. He wanted to desperately tell you in front of everyone, especially in front of the general that had also been eye fucking you throughout dinner that he knew you were his mate.

He didn’t though. He knew it would be foolish to announce it in front of everyone and probably cause you to be embarrassed. He needed to do it when you were alone.

Fortunately for him, that opportunity came sooner than he thought. “I’ll be right back, I need to use the washroom” you excused yourself and left the table. Azriel took the opportunity and excused himself as well before trailing after you.

Azriel patiently waited outside for you. His shadows went wild with excitement when you finally exited and quickly darted towards you. “Oh hello,” you squealed at the shadows running up and down your body.

“They missed you” Azriel explained and got your attention.

“Azriel” you whispered “what are you doing here? Why aren’t you eating with everyone else?”

“I needed to talk to you in private” Azriel replied and started making you feel nervous about what he might want to talk about. “Why didn’t you tell me you were my mate?” Azriel asked with desperation in his hazel eyes.

The question took you by surprise but you decided to answer it honestly: “Because you were in love with Elain,” you replied: “You were so in love that you questioned the cauldron's decision to make Lucien Elain's mate.” Azriel felt his heart stop at your explanation. He didn’t know that anyone heard his argument with Rhysand months ago about him thinking the cauldron made a mistake. “I thought if you found out I was your mate you would think the cauldron definitely made a mistake and that I was intended to be with Lucien and you with Elain. I just want you to be happy and if that means being with Elain then you have my blessing. But if you do proceed with courting her, I will be permanently moving to the day court.” You tried your hardest not to cry before continuing: “I can’t bear to be under the same roof when it happens”.

Sadness rippled through the bond and Azriel hated the fact that he was the reason behind it. “I don’t want Elain; I want you” Azriel pleaded. “I can’t live another second without you by my side.”

“It’s just the mating bond” you replied “It’ll fade away over time.”

“No it won’t” Azriel got closer and cupped your face “Do you need me to get on my knees for you? I’ll drop this instant if it means you forgive my actions. Listen, you don’t have to accept the mating bond right now if you don’t want to, but please allow me to show you how much I love you.”

Every part of you wanted to say no, you just got in a good place mentally and you didn’t want to have it destroyed again. Another part of you felt the desperation through the bond and wanted nothing more than to wrap your arms around Azriel. Letting out a shaky breath, you whispered: “Please don’t break my heart.”

Azriel took that as an invitation to lean in and kiss you. You felt yourself become one with Azriel as he deepened the kiss and started moving his hands up and down your body: “I’ll guard it with my life” Azriel replied; his lips hovering over your own “Thank you for trusting me with it”.

Just as Azriel was about to slip his hands under your dress, a loud cough caused you to pull away. Azriel looked over his shoulder and spotted the general glaring at the two of you: “My high lord is wondering if you will be joining us for dessert or are you two going to fuck instead.”

“Tell Helion that we will not be joining you guys,” you replied before looking up at Azriel: “Tell him that my mate and I are going to be in my room for the rest of the night.”

Azriel gave the general a wicked grin at your response before being pulled upstairs to your room.

@willowpains

#azriel imagine #azriel x reader #azriel x you #acotar imagine #acotar x reader

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peachypede · 4 months

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I will never not be bitter about how Kamado is portrayed as an shitty guy in the fandom and Volo is uwu pretty boy he was just feeling angsty when he tried to destroy the world and kill protagonist with giratina uwu

Rant below

Kamado, yes, made a horrible decision. He had his reasons. He saw his whole village destroyed by pokemon when he was young and never wanted that to happened again, Beni says they watched their family and friends DIE, so he gave in to his paranoia and banished the protagonist. It’s not an excuse, but he has his reasons for doing so.

And what does Kamado do when he realizes he’s wrong? The man get down on his hands and knees and BEGS your forgiveness. He does the Dogeza, the bow in Japanese culture that is the ultimate form of apology and respect to the other person. Kamado eats dirt and is basically saying “I fucked up so bad and I am so very, very, very sorry.” The Dogeza also is performed to show high respect, so Kamado is basically telling you as well that you far surpass his position. Your emperor levels of worthiness and strength. I think the amount of how embarrassing and humble this pose is is lost to people in the Western culture but this is a BIG apology and possibly even the BEST apology Kamado could gives since it’s an apology beyond words. He also apologizes to everyone else, telling them they were right and he was wrong.

"I acted on ill-considered presumptions and drove you from the Galaxy Expedition Team, forcing you to face great hardship alone…”

And you change Kamado. He becomes more willing to delegate and work with other people. He follows your lead. Hell, he has a line after you beat him on Prelude Beach where he basically calls you a god, that’s how much this dude respects you now.

"Perhaps you are a divine being yourself, sent to bring us gifts from above…”

The guy takes no credit for the victory on mount coronet, he says it’s all you!

"I know I've no right to say this... But we are truly fortunate to have been able to count you among the Survey Corps' ranks. If you had not joined us, we would have fallen on Mount Coronet. We would have lost our home. We would have lost our future."

He is a truly changed man in the end.

"I used to think that Pokémon were terrifying creatures. You've helped me see otherwise."

Volo on the other hand? Tricks you, betrays you, and then tries to KILL YOU. Kamado was always upfront from the beginning that he didn’t trust you, but Volo? He’s buddy-buddy with you to take advantage of you.

And he’s the reason why this all happened! He created the rift, displaced pokemon and hell some people since Ingo obviously fell in through this rift too (People blame Arceus for this :/ ) and nearly killed everyone in Hisui with rampaging nobles and origin forme Dialga or Palkia.

And in the end, Volo doesn’t apologize at all. The dude doesn’t even change.

"Someday, I'll solve every riddle in the legends of Hisui's Pokémon. And on that day, I'll stand before Arceus at last—No, I will CONQUER it! No matter how many years, how many decades, how many centuries it takes me!"

I’m just fully convinced at this point that it 100% has to do with Volo being pretty and Kamado not being that attractive.

My hot take of the new year: Kamado is WAY better husband material than Volo could ever be.

Anyway my rant is over…no hate on Volo lovers, I do think he’s a fun character to rotate like a chicken on a spit in your brain but this has been my biggest grievance in the PLA fandom.

#pokemon kamado #pokemon volo #it’s just discouraging when Im like ooo I wanna see more Kamado stuff #and all the stuff is everyone shitting on this man #and i get Volo shoved in my face #and then also people shit on Arceus when Ingo falling into Hisui was definitely Volo’s fault #arceus did nothing wrong #kamado did some things wrong #Volo not only did wrongs things but laughed in your face while doing the wrong things #pokemon legends arceus

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 4 months

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aita for "defending a pedo"

tw for pedophilia and child abuse

(⬆️ to find later)

this happened while ago

i (20F) was talking to a friend about weird life experiences. i was just returned from visiting my grandparents so i told the story about the neighbor that i had there

for context: i live in eastern europe, and for most of my childhood i lived back and forth between the city and the countryside. the countryside in the region im from and this particular village is tough. im talking no running water/ the toilet is in back yard, only one house out of 5 has an internet connection, child labour on the fields, the only school went up to only 8th grade, etc. not the most remote of villages but far far off any "modern society" standards.

during the half of the year where i was at my grandparents up until i was around 12, I had a neighbor my age that i used to play with. she was significantly poorer than us, objectively. while my grandparents allowed me to play with her, they wouldn't like me going to her house instead because of the living conditions. i have gotten fleas from her before and in general the smell and conditions. they also didn't like her because she would try to steal stuff, so i wasn't ever allowed to invite her inside, but they've gotten over this because she was just a kid. her father passed when we were young and her mother is a severe alcoholic and just an abusive monster. she was mostly taken care off by her godmother while her mother beat her, stole her allowance, sent her off to work to the neighbors and do a lot of chores kids shouldnt do etc. before you say "why didnt anyone call child protective services" read again the context this was all happening in. we did our best to help her, once i stopped going to my grandparents we'd ocasionally send her my old clothes that didn't fit me anymore bc her mother refused to buy her clothes. it was geniunely heartbreaking to see because she tried her best to be loved by her mother and to help her. trying to buy her gifts, to be obedient, to take more of the workload, etc.

as i started properly living in the city (500km away) we drifted apart heavily. we simply lived such complete different lives it was hard to talk to her about anything outside of basic niceties. i still cared about her, she is smart and geniunely pushed so hard to go to highschool in the nearest city which is 20km away despite her mother. she was always positive and optimistic and had an insane work ethic. i respected her and wished she had gotten the privilege i had of leaving the village and getting a life in the city but alas.

here's where the "conflict" is: when i was 18 (and she was too) i have heard from my grandparents that she's pregnant. they mentioned it off in passing so i asked them to elaborate bc that was complete news to me. they elaborated that when she was (i think) 17 she met this guy who was 26, they became a couple, and now they waited until she was of legal age to get married. and now she's pregnant. then they told me some stuff that happened pre-mariage, more of her mother's abuse and the likes. they also mention having met the guy and he seemed like he geniunely cared about my neighbor

i felt conflicted on this. on one hand, the age gap is fucked up plain and simple. on the other hand, she finally had her ticket to escape from her mother and her life and to move to the city and i was happy for her. on the other, being pregnant at 18 is insane to me. on the other hand, despite the grossness of the age gap, if the guy is decent its still better than what she would've dealt with if she stayed even longer with her mother. this year, while visiting my grandparents, she came over to visit with her kid and husband and we talked. she seemed geniunely happy. the guy is nice, the kid is healthy, love and pampered, and she finally has some meat on her bones and color in her face. i obviously dont know and cant know what their life is like in the privacy of their own home but compared to the girl i knew before all of this she was doing a lot better. she started a cosmotology school and is soon going to start working. im happy for her, i wish she didnt have to end up being pregnant and married at 18, but i was still happy for her.

everything i said here i told more or less verbatim to the friend i mentioned in the begining. their takeaway was that i was defending the actions of this guy, that i should be even more visibly digusted, and that i support abusive men because i didnt hate their relationship. i didnt know what to even reply to that, as they went off calling me disgusting, calling my village and culture that "allowed" this mariage to be socially acceptable "barbaric" and that i should've spoke up about it. i tried to reiterate my point and clarify that i am digusted by the age gap but the situation my neighbor in was so fucked that you couldnt really do much. they didn't reply, and i haven't heard from them since (idm, we were never really close)

but now im wonder. AITA for seeing this situation the way i do? should i have done more to help her or talk about it?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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bowserpunk-vevo · 2 months

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Croatia in eurovision psa/lh

i need europe to know something about Croatia's eurovision entry. and i mean it, this is... quite rather important. well if you wanna understand the song that is, idk maybe it wont be as important to you, i dont know you

so if you heard it, you may have noticed that its a song encouraging dancing and is all happy and hyper and whatnot. the song is actually very sad and melancholic and sombering if you live in a culture like ours. he is singing about going to a big city, leaving his family and everything he ever knew and loved behind. he literally uses the phrase "my anxiety attacks". over here, most people stay in their family home for generations. my grandmother still "worships" the home her father was born in. the villages and towns are small here, pretty much your whole life is just as small, and to suddenly go so far far away from such a closely-bound family/town to a big city where life is completly different and cold... its a big scary things. he talks about the city boys and hopes they also know his family's dance, he calls them advanced, and is hopeful the noise will be calming... its scary, and its a thing that happens very very often. Croatian people are moving away more and more. and not just to a big croatian city (the the capital is very popular as well), but to places like Germany, Ireland, or Sweeden and Norway. i personally have family or people i know who made a life far away and we dont even know how they are by now. its a big decision, but its in search for a better life (we literally have addventisments begging people to stay in their city/town or even in Croatia itself). he says he's leaving with the first light, and asks his family not to cry, but to dance... and together they'll have one last one, as a last goodbye.

i just really want everyone listening to the song to know that its not just a dance song, a party song... its a song of great turmoil and remedying it with a family dance. i feel by understanding more of the song, you'd see it with more respect.

and im not just pulling this outta my ass, those are the themes we have here, and if you watch the official music video of the song... it ends with him sitting by a pier waiting for his boat, sitting on his bag with his head in his hands, all alone, not a soul in sight. as the sky is cloudy and dark, somber music playing along. much different atmosphere from the rest of the video, and song in general.

#mr. koopa original #eurovision 2024 #esc 2024 #eurovision croatia #esc croatia #eurovision song contest #eurovision 2024 croatia #esc 2024 croatia #baby lasagna

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lingthusiasm · 3 months

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Lingthusiasm Episode 88: No such thing as the oldest language

It's easy to find claims that certain languages are old or even the oldest, but which one is actually true? Fortunately, there's an easy (though unsatisfying) answer: none of them! Like how humans are all descended from other humans, even though some of us may have longer or shorter family trees found in written records, all human languages are shaped by contact with other languages. We don't even know whether the oldest language(s) was/were spoken or signed, or even whether there was a singular common ancestor language or several.

In this episode, your hosts Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne get enthusiastic about what people mean when we talk about a language as being old. We talk about how classifying languages as old or classical is often a political or cultural decision, how the materials that are used to write a language influence whether it gets preserved (from clay to bark), and how people talk about creoles and signed languages in terms of oldness and newness. And finally, how a language doesn't need to be justified in terms of its age for whether it's interesting or worthy of respect.

Read the transcript here.

Here are the links mentioned in the episode:

Lingthusiasm episode 'Tracing languages back before recorded history'

'My Big Fat Greek Wedding- Give me any word and I show you the Greek root' on YouTube

Glottolog entry for 'classical'

Wikipedia entry for 'Complaint tablet to Ea-nāṣir'

Wikipedia entry for 'Bath curse tablets'

Wikipedia entry for 'Cuneiform'

Wikipedia entry for 'Mesopotamian writing systems'

Wikipedia entry for 'Home Sign'

Lingthusiasm episode 'Villages, gifs, and children: Researching signed languages in real-world contexts with Lynn Hou'

Wikipedia entry for 'Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language'

Wikipedia entry for 'Kata Kolok' (also known as Benkala Sign Language)

True Biz by Sara Nović on Goodreads

Gretchen's thread about reading True Biz

You can listen to this episode via Lingthusiasm.com, Soundcloud, RSS, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also download an mp3 via the Soundcloud page for offline listening.

To receive an email whenever a new episode drops, sign up for the Lingthusiasm mailing list.

You can help keep Lingthusiasm ad-free, get access to bonus content, and more perks by supporting us on Patreon.

Lingthusiasm is on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Mastodon, and Tumblr. Email us at contact [at] lingthusiasm [dot] com

Gretchen is on Bluesky as @GretchenMcC and blogs at All Things Linguistic.

Lauren is on Bluesky as @superlinguo and blogs at Superlinguo.

Lingthusiasm is created by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. Our senior producer is Claire Gawne, our production editor is Sarah Dopierala, our production assistant is Martha Tsutsui Billins, and our editorial assistant is Jon Kruk. Our music is ‘Ancient City’ by The Triangles.

This episode of Lingthusiasm is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license (CC 4.0 BY-NC-SA).

#linguistics #language #lingthusiasm #episodes #podcast #podcasts #episode 88 #language history #oldest language #classical languages #ancient languages #sign language #home sign #cuneiform #writing technology #writing systems #SoundCloud

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munson-mayhem · 1 year

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Loookkkkkk idk if I hate this entirely or am kinda proud but imma post it either way

Hidden feelings part 2 this was originally a one shot

Just a reference I am having them be aged up in this they are 18/19 and no nothing super nsfw happens just a smidge of spice.

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Months had passed since I was left alone at stone island by Ao’nung’s friends almost a full year actually. So many things have changed since then, we lost Neteyam to the war almost half a year ago. Ao’nung had completed his Iknimaya about four months ago and got his first tattoo his own Marui, the three beads for his songcord and a special garment that ended up being chest harness that was similar to his fathers but still uniquely his. I had bonded with a Tulkun about two months ago which makes Lo’ak and I one step closer to completing our Iknimaya. Kiri and Spider have gotten closer if that’s even possible and we’ve been teaching Spider the way of the Metkayina and he’s learning very well. Tuk has made friends with almost every child in the village. Ronal our Tsahik had her baby a little sister Tsireya was very excited to be an older sister, Watching Ao’nung and his baby sister interact made me realize. I want to start a family with him one day, not any day soon but one day. As the latest eligible male in the clan Ao’nung has had the attention of many of the females especially since he’s the next Olo’eyktan much to my dismay. Tomorrow marks the day a year ago that Ao’nung and I told each other that we cared for eachother it is also the day of my Iknimaya.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A group made up of clan warriors escorted me to an island about an hour away from our home island where the Tsurak or skimwing’s live until we make a bond with them much like the Ikran in the floating mountains. Waiting on the island for me is Tonowari and Ronal the

Olo’eyktan and the Tsahik, only them and the warriors that brought me here are allowed to stay. Family and friends are all back on the island waiting for my return hopefully as a full member of the clan.

Tonowari greets me with a kind smile as Ronal pulls me into a hug, once Ronal releases me we turn to Tonowari and he begins to speak

“Y/N sully this is your last right of Iknimaya when you succeed you’ll be a full member of the Metkayina, you’ll be able to choose a mate and you’ll receive your first tattoo as well as the other traditional gifts. You will be one of our people.”

He gives me a reassuring smile to help with my nerves and speaks once more

“Y/N go into the water and claim your Tsurak”

With a deep breath I turn and walk into the waves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It takes a little under an hour but I was able to claim my very on skimwing. I glide up to the shore where Ronal claps for me and Tonowari wears the grin of what I can only describe as a proud father. Everyone knows Ao’nung and I care for one another and intend to choose each other as Mates, his parents are extremely supportive of us too. When I dismount and walk to them I’m pulled into a tight hug by both and even once Tonowari releases me Ronal holds tight and whispers in my ear.

“ you will make a wonderful Tsahik one day my dear, Ao’nung is luck to have you welcome to the family.”

I return her hug even tighter now with a large smile gracing my face.

When we release each other everyone gets on to their respective Tsurak and we begin our journey back to our home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the island comes into view we can see a large bonfire on the beach the entire clan ready to celebrate on our return which shocks me just a little and I give Tonowari a questioning look.

“ the entire clan was confident you would succeed today “ he says as we reach the shore as we all dismount and walk towards the group I see Ao’nung on the beach and I want nothing more than to run to him but I know I must be introduce by our leader.

“ Metkayina people welcome our newest clan member Y/N” he said in a loud voice cheers and sounds of approval filled the beach

He glances at me and whispers under his breath “ go to him” all while a proud smile graces his face.

Once I have my all clear I sprint to Ao’nung and launch into his arms my legs wrapping around his waist we both laugh as he holds me up by my legs. I can feel his large hands gripping at my thighs just like that day a year ago. I rest my forehead on his and we smile. I sigh and in the lightest breath whisper

“I see you and I love you “

His grip on my thighs tighten and a small gasp escapes me only loud enough for him to hear.

“ and I see you Y/N, my Mate. I love you.” He whispers back.

He releases my legs reluctantly setting me back to the ground and nods towards my approaching family. We greet them together hand in hand. The evening is spent laughing and celebrating, I of course tease Lo,ak just a little seeing as everyone originally thought he’d be the first of us to complete Iknimaya. Throughout the evening many people greet me and welcome me as a full member to the clan through it all Ao’nung never leaves my side until his and my parents walk up to us he leans down to whisper in my ear.

“ I’ll be right back I have to grab something for you I’ll meet you at your new Marui my mate.”

He releases my hand as our mothers reach us and disappears into the crowd.

Ronal and my mother embrace me into a hug, my mom has a few stray tears on her face so I wipe them off and smile at her.

Ronal and my mother both present me with a songcord bead.

The bead from Ronal is a small spiraled shell

“To represent you being one of the Metkayina now” she says.

My mother steps forward to present the next bead it’s a wooden bead that has red paint on the outside.

“I made it out of a piece of my fathers bow it was made from the wood of our home tree from before the war, it’s to represent the Omatikaya where you were born. My mother explains.

Ronal speaks once more.

“You may receive your first tattoo tomorrow for now go find your Marui Ao’nung is there with your piece of clothing and your last bead.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It only took about 10 minutes to find the newest Marui. When I walk in Ao’nung greats me with shy smile and holds out his hands in them is a beautifully crafted top that looks quite similar to the one his mother wore the day we first met. The main difference between the two garments is that Ronal’s is made of brown/ orange leather and orange and yellow beads with a few larger blue pieces at the very edges, but this one was made of black leather with beads as blue as the sea and ones that match the shade of metkayina skin but the part that brings it all together and makes it uniquely me are the green beads scattered throughout the piece. Sitting just on top of the garment is a shell with a single pearl in it.

I move forward and hug Ao’nung so quickly he has to try not to drop the gifts.

“I love them Ao’nung so much, I’m just not sure the top will fit me.” I mutter just loud enough for him to hear

He tilts his head to the side.

“Why wouldn’t it I made it myself ?” He asks

My face turns hot and goes a slightly darker blue color on my cheeks ears and chest “because my chest is bigger” I barely whisper.

Taking a breath I continue.

“I know you’ve noticed. My chess is bigger than regular Na’vi because of the human genes from my father.”

He chuckles and smirks.

“I know they are larger I’ve always liked it . It’s Like when a Na’vi woman is about to have a babe but yours are always like that…… imagine what they’ll be like when we do have a babe.” He says still with a devious look on his face.

I can’t stop the heat from consuming my face entirely it’s warm to the touch. He’s still wearing a lazy smirk and chuckling lightly until I start to talk.

“Can you untie this top the tie is on my neck, I want to wear the one you got me.” Now it’s my turn to smirk as he blushes. Nodding slowly he steps around me and caresses my neck and shoulders softly making me momentarily stop breathing. After only a moment of hesitation I feel the string being pulled and my current top falls to the ground with a thud. I can hear Ao’nung swallow hard, his fingers still running along my neck. Pulling away for only a moment to grab the new top he returns and lays it lightly over my chest. As he does this one of his long fingers brushes the side of my breast, I suck in a quick breath and he holds his.

“Ao’nung….” I whisper his name almost pleadingly.

“Don’t ….. I promised your brother we wouldn’t do anything.” he growls his fingers still barely touching me.

“Eywa give me strength…..” he mutters.

Leaning forward he begins placing light kisses on my neck making me even more breathless the hand resting just above my breast lowers slowly and it fills his whole hand. When he begins to kneed my breast I moan and that makes him growl into my neck. As he kisses where my neck meets my shoulder I shudder and he bites at it making me cry out as soon as I do I feel him groan into the place he just bit his breathing just as shallow as mine. With one hand playing with my boob he reaches around with the other arm and wraps his large hand around my waist pulling me back into him fully. His hands feel so large and strong on my body gripping and pulling at me, He is mine and I am his. We are destined by eywa to be together.

Ao’nung pulls away and turns me around but before I can say anything.

“Jump.” He whispers in my ear.

I don’t hesitate and jump into his arms one large hand gripping my thigh roughly the other grabs my chin and pulls me into a wild kiss, the top he made now forgotten on the floor. We’re barely breathing as we kiss each other he pulls me even closer and in that moment we both feel my nipples rub against his chest he growls as I moan, My one hand is gripping his shoulder the other finds it’s way to his hair and grips it tightly he gasps at this. When he does we both pull away panting. Walking over to a desk of sorts he leans on it almost sitting and with the way he’s holding me I’m now practically straddling his waist my boobs level with his face. With a wicked smile before I can process what he’s about to do he takes one of my nipples into his mouth tongue swirling around it, I’m whimpering and mewling but it’s not until he give my nipple a bite that I loudly moan his name for the first time. At hearing his name roll off my lips like that he freezes completely hands gripping my waist so hard that if I were human they would be broken. I hear a small pop as he releases my nipple from his mouth a small string of saliva following.

“I will not dishonor you and our future mate bond by not having us mate before the spirit tree as tradition says.” He says grinding his teeth slightly trying to reign in his desires. “I.WILL.HAVE.YOU.MATE……” he says each word slowly “but not this night” he finishes speaking setting me down onto the ground. Standing up he goes to retrieve the new top and walks to me, I smile at him and turn around. Placing the top on me he ties it and I turn towards him still grinning like a fool.

“It’s beautiful Ao’nung. I love it and I love you, I can’t wait to start our life together.” I say as I pull him into a hug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Five years later

“Neteya “ I shout “go meet with your uncle Lo’ak and Aunt Tsireya I’ll meet you all at the beach” I say trying to stand but my growing belly makes it harder. My four year old daughter already running out of our marui and toward her uncles. Sneaking up behind me my mate comes in and helps me stand caressing my belly. When I’m finally up and standing Ao’nung kneels in front of me so that he’s level with my growing baby bump. “ be nice to your mother today little warrior it’s an important day after all your cousin is being welcomed into the clan.” He says and then kisses my belly when he rises he kisses me too and we go meet our family and clan on the beach. We preform the duty’s as Olo’eyktan and Tsahik since Tonowari and Ronal stepped down last year . It was our first time leading a communion with eywa to welcome a new baby into the clan.

Good thing Lo’ak and Tsireya were family.

#aonung #aonung x reader #avatar #avatar: way of the water #neteyam #avatar movie #avatar x reader #lo’ak #pandora #sully family #ao’nung x reader #jake sully #tsireya #ao’nung #neytiri #metkayina #omatikaya

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faery-the-diamond · 3 months

Note

Just a local gray fox poking his nose in to ask:

For Lambert: Did you have any siblings? How would he describe the culture of his old home compared to how he has built his cult's culture?

For Narinder: I know you and the Lamb have conflict in your relationship, but you may have also experienced similar things in your past.. At the very least, grief, loss, and regret. Maybe not now, but eventually, the two of you could talk things over and find some bit of solace in each other?

(To the author/artist: I love the complexity you've built into the AU and the ways you've chosen to develop these characters. I haven't yet fully finished the game completely, but I look forward to having some stories to share eventually.)

Lambert: Yeah, a younger sister. She was a lively one and perhaps naive to a fault sometimes, but... I still miss her.

Lambert: As for the latter, well, I'm kind of restricted in how much of my culture I can add to the cult, since everything about the Red Crown is tied to death. Which requires me to built everything around it. So what I can add are minor cultural peculiarities.

Lambert: So I'd say that my cult and my home share the same peaceful nature: no sacrifices, no throwing the followers to their doom on left and right just because it's more convenient—

Narinder: Ahem...

Lambert: ... Don't look at me like that. I already explained about Midas and the Fox.

Lambert: Anyway. There's also the fact that I'm trying to be more as a part of the community I'm building. Still keeping the needed respectful distance as a leader of course, but that's how my father ran our village anyway.

---------------------

Narinder: Maybe, maybe not. Pushing us to make up isn't going to make it easier though.

---------------------

Thank you for your kind words! : D

#cult of the lamb #mercy gone wrong

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taiiunknown · 1 year

Text

Whipped Cream 🤍…

This story is inspired by my favorite song whipped cream-Ari lennox 🫶🏽

Summary: y/n and Shuri have been friends since teens , they met through their moms . One day y/n Mom get Ill and Decides to let Queen Ramonda take care of her since y/n doesn’t really knows her dad . Around 16-18 shuri and y/n have a on and off relationship without anyone knowing especially the Queen, A lot of bumpy roads both of them ride on with each other , but they figure it out .💔

Warning:possessive shuri,Brat reader,cursing,smut⚠️⛔️(oral,,kissing,strap slinger shuri🌝), death,Angst,fluff, jealousy,light choking 😉,Crying (reader a crybaby), Manipulation, Embarrassment kink, Obeying kink, pussy whipped (reader and shuri), THIS WHOLE THING IS TOXIC AND CONTROLLING SO DONT TAKE THIS SERIOUS

Me and Shuri have known each other since we was around 14 until one day I had to move to America to live with my dad, And yes I am half American and wakandan bc my mom is from Wakanda and my dad is African American. I’ve lived in and out of Wakanda, My mom was really close to Queen Ramonda that’s how me and shuri met. Both of us was 14 and Ramonda wanted to catch up with my mom since both of them grew up together, so Ramonda invited me and my mom to the palace bc she also wanted me to meet her children.

When we arrived at the palace shuri was standing right next to her mom with a smile on her face when I approached them while having my headphones in, my mom snatched them off my head and whispered to me “show respect before I take your phone” she said “hi I’m y/n, nice to meet you” I said sarcastically while staring at them both with a smirk “wow” Shuri said shocked that I am in fact a rude person “Shall we ?” Queen Ramonda said pointing towards the entrance of their home “yes, and sorry” My mother whispered to Ramonda “it takes a village so don’t worry about it” Ramonda said with a chuckle.

When we entered the palace they introduced me to T’CHALLA and he was very kind, After 20 minutes of eating dinner with them and our moms catching up while laughing they dismissed us from the table and told me and shuri to go get to know each other more.

*in shuri’s room*

“Wow” I said walking into shuri’s humongous room “you can make yourself comfortable on my bed if you want?” Shuri said closing the door behind her, I walked to shuri’s bed and did what she said . “Sooo..”Shuri trailed off slowly walking towards me “what do you like to do for fun?” She finally asked “umm…I honestly into technology mostly but other than that I read,listen to music or skate board due to my dad teaching me when I was younger” I said “oh ok that seems cool…I like technology too.” Shuri said smiling while walking away “it’s awkward in here” I said bluntly while now standing up “yea…” Shuri said taking a deep breath “ want to listen to music ?” Shuri asked “sure.”

After spending two hours with shuri we found out we have things in common with each other , from being a popular loner to the music taste . Me and shuri had made a pact to hang out again to get to know each other more since we barely like dealing with people we very much clung to each other like we was meant to be friends, or even more than that, not saying I like shuri or nothing it’s just I feel like we are gonna have a long road ahead of us .

*5 years later*

Today is my 18TH birthday and I am so excited! I can’t believe that I am actually finally legal , I just wish that my mom was here to witness this bc ever since she been gone I’ve kinda felt lost even with the Queen and shuri been a big help with taking care of me since I was 16 and helping me heal , it’s just been a lot and I’ve even been to therapy to deal with my depression and attachment issues.

Oh ya… you guys didn’t know? Sorry I forgot to tell you .

My dad stop calling when I turned 15 so it’s always been me and my mom , But after me and shuri first meeting we have been hanging with each other non stop and I mean non stop. Okoye would say we was attached at the hip and I would 100% believe her . At 16 and shuri was 17 of course , I found out my mom had this very indescribable disease that neither me or shuri can figure out , till a couple months later it was too late , MY MOM TOOK HER LAST BREATH AT 38 Years old . That whole day was the worst day of my life bc I felt to small, like I was trapped in a bottle and can’t help to get out . Everyday I think about her, HER smile, HER smell,HER laugh, HER funny jokes, HER loving hugs, HER supportive ways, HER everything. Saying that I’m doing mentally okay was a understatement, bc I’m not.

*BACK TO THE PRESENT*

(Tonight me and shuri thought it was a good idea to get fucked up and also have fun , so we decided to throw a amazing 18TH party for me)…

I wore a cute champagne spaghetti strap dress with clear heels, And curled hair ofc .

Shuri decided to where a black button down shirt with black pants and a chain with a panther claw on it , Along side some sexy heels she go my for her 19th birthday.

“Y/n hurry we are gonna be late!” Shuri said while banging on my room door “OKAY MY BAD I DIDNT KNOW YOU WAS A PARENT WITH 12 KIDS !” I shouted back bc who was she rushing..

Once we made it to the club I am easily greeted by my little small group of friends, people that came to show love for my party, some of my friends who work in the lab beside me. “OMG YOU LOOK SO GORGEOUS MY LOVE !” My friend rhinestone says “THANK YOU BEBE!” I say pulling her into a hug. “ENOUGH LOLLY GAGGING LET GO GET WASTED !

After one shot, it turned into two, after two it turned into three, after three it went to fourth, after four it went to five, and let’s just say I get wasted quick.

( PLAY , I KNOW THERES GONNA BE A GOOD TIME- YOUNG THUG AND JAMIE XX)

MY song comes on and let’s just say my body was moving on its own honestly, I make my way through the crowd to start moving my hips as the rock, side, to side. I feel eyes burning in my skin , as I turn around I noticed her staring at me with nothing but lust in her eyes, then her eyes follows the figure behind me . Apparently there was hands slowly coming from behind me to grip my hips so I started to keep grinding on the unknown male , bc why not ? . As I look back to the corner shuri was at she was moving her finger in a (come here) motion so I obeyed bc I thought she genuinely wanted something even though I’m drunk as ever, as I got closer she quickly yanked me up by my neck (not in a abusive way THE FUCK) “WHAT TF ARE YOU DOING Y/N ARE YOU TRYING TO TEMPT ME Tonight BY DANCING ON SOME RANDOM AND LITERALLY MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH ME, YOU KNEW EXACTLY YOU WAS DOING , YOU WAS BEING A BRAT AND IM GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW BRATS GET TREATED!” She said in a low shout “meet me in the car, NOW!” She shouted in my ear . I QUICKLY MADE IT TO THE CAR WITH NO HESITATION BC IM IN SHOCK OF SEEING THIS SIDE OF SHURI , I KNEW SHE WAS MEAN BUT NOT THIS TYPE OF MEAN . And not to be that person but I got a little wet at that and couldn’t wait for what she was finna do when we got back to the palace bc me and shuri only had sex once and that was after like 2 months my mom died and it was just sex I needed to relieve my pain and after that night together we promised to just stay best friends and never mention it again .

The ride back to the palace was so silent , I can feel my wetness slowly dripping down my thigh and a pit in my stomach for what ever punishment shuri had for me , when we made inside the palace shuri gave me a quick glance and said “go to my room and strip and you better be naked by the time I get up there or it will be more consequences.” She said in a low tone , I quickly made it up to her room and did everything she told me to do , she slowly walked in locking the door behind and licking her lips like I was a snack , good thing I sober up quick . “Lay down and spread your legs” Shuri says while taking off her shirt and watch, less then a second shuri was between my legs licking my clit at the fastest pace and ever while being three fingers feel inside me , “UGHH- FUCK BABY IM ABOUT TO CU-” with out a thought I came so hard everything felt like it was turning white , “MHM” I squirted while making a high pitch moan that I never did before, I immediately went shy till shuri said “THATS MY GOOD GIRL” she said while slapping my pussy making me squeal a little. “Get on all fours and arch for me Usana” Shuri said while walking to her closet, “AHHHH!!!” I moaned so loud as shuri shoved in with out a warning with her strap while going at a impossible speed “FU- SHURI SLOW DOW-” *CLAP* “HUSH AND TAKE THIS DICK OR YOU WILL NOT CUM !” Shuri said after sending a harsh slap to my ass…

After a hour and 30 minutes of shuri fucking me brain less ,she bathed me and put me to bed after that she gave me a kiss on my forehead.

*two days later*

It’s been two days since shuri fucked me and she been keeping her distance lately, I was wondering why until she came in the lab today smiling and giggling with a girl she had her hands around her waist with . WTF , DID I MISS SOMETHING, I said to my self . Shuri noticed me and her smile instantly dropped, “Shuri can we talk for a minute ?” I said in the calmest voice I could ever have. “What’s up ?” Shuri answered with furrowed brows “who is that?” I asked “Lia” she said “mhm” I said “wym mhm?” Shuri asked with raised eye brow “just mhm” I said turning away and exiting to go back to my room .

“That was weird” RiRi said after I told her about what’s been happening “ so she just gonna leave you WHIPPED like that and bring who ever lia is, to her lab all hugged up with no real answer on who lia really is?” RiRi asked now getting mad about the situation “idk but two can play that game …” I said before me and rir said our good byes and hung up the phone.

*Time skip*

Two months has passed and I figured out that Lia and shuri use to fling with each other so I ended finding me a lil boo too , mykel, mykel has been breaking my back in , but not how shuri use to . I met mykel in the lab a couple times bc she usually the work in the area I work in , just to show him off to shuri I always kissed him in front of her or even let him hug me by my waist in front of shuri and trust me when I tell you , she HATED him!

“Hi babe” mykel said walking inside the lab coming towards my desk. “Hi handsome” i said with a bright smile , Me and mykel only been together for 4 weeks but so far it was going good , “what’s the move for tonight sexy ?” Mykel asked “idk you tell me, Bc no matter how much I will love to watch a movie and chill, I also will love to make a movie of our own” I said while straddling his lap (Right now me and mykel the only one in the lab since it’s 9pm)

“Y/n Will be right back!” Shuri said while grabbing me tightly by the arm and dragging me from mykel lap to a secluded under construction corner

“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MARBLES?!” Shuri whispered/yelled “I’m sorry I didn’t know you was here.” I said “I honestly feel like you are tryna piss me off with that scum you’ve claimed to be with , And also me and you both know he can’t beat that pussy up better than me so stop this madness between you and him RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR TO BAST I WILL MAKE YOU AND HIS LIFE A LIVING HELL!” Shuri has officially lost her mind , Did this bitch just threaten me to break it off with mykel when she literally has a whole Girlfriend, OH hell no I’m finna turn up on her ass.

“YOU FUCKING BIT-” Before I can even finish I felt a hand wrap around my neck (Not a hard hold) “WATCH who you talking to Phambi kokuba ndimxelele uMntu wakho Indlela ebendindibize ngayo ngoTata, kwaye undithembe i wont hesitate ( Before i tell your Man How I had you calling me Daddy, And trust me i wont hesitate)” Shuri semi Whispered in my Ear . Shuri let go of me and walked off before turning back around and said “Do what I told you….NOW!” Then walked out the lab back door , When I looked around the corner shuri had me held at I noticed Mykel was packing up leaving “Babe? Can we talk for a minute?” I asked getting closer to him “ya wassup, And why was Queen Shuri so mad?” He asked “She just wanted to talk to me about a new project that I forgot about that’s all” “Ohhh okay, We’ll what you wanted to talk about?” mykel asked “I think we should break up…” I said with my head down “Why? Did I do something wrong?” “No!no no …It’s just I need to focus on myself for a while that’s it” I said with a tremble in my voice Tears was threatening to spill bc I seen his face sadden and it honestly broke my heart “I-I understand y/n… I’m sorry I got to Go” Mykel said rushing pass me sniffling slightly bumping my shoulder. When he left I honestly broke down letting all my tears fall bc I really liked him and he made me happy, I didn’t have to go through any toxic stages with him and he brung me hope and peace , but I guess good things doesn’t last forever…But this was the only way for me to keep both me and him safe bc everyone knows shuri is not the one to be played with…

After my little break down gathered my things and went home to cry some more bc ever since Queen Ramonda died shuri has been such a controlling,Manipulative,possessive,Mean person who wasn’t the same kind,understanding, sweet shuri that I use to love being around . It like the more I got older the more her love grew for me, And the more her love grew for me was more possessive she gotten.

*1 Month later*

It has now been a Month since shuri made me break up with Mykel and ever since that night shuri has doing nothing but getting under my skin , for example, she will have me staying in the labs from 5am till 9pm literally doing nothing but paper work or watching her do nothing !, Another time she had me do all her work just bc she claimed she has a meeting when she literally only went to Starbucks and took a nap for 4 hours.

I haven’t seen mykel after that night also, rumor has it he quit and moved back to nigeria. I kinda moved on from him but not as much bc little things kinda reminded me of how happy I was with him. Shuri and her girlfriend are still together of course, WHICH IS SO UNFAIR due to the fact shuri only wanted me to break up so she can still fuck me and keep her girlfriend, Yes you heard me I said still fuck me. Every time I even look at shuri she’s already staring and if I mouth off too her about stuff I don’t want to work on she has to put me in my place it’s either Fucking me senseless or giving me to silent treatment. Believe it or not I’m still madly in love with shuri it’s just she wants her cake and she want to eat it too, I sometimes just don’t understand us.

“FUCK YOU SHURI !” was all I heard outside the lab , When I turned my head I seen A angry Lia stomping away from shuri. When I seen shuri coming towards the door I quickly turned back around acting like I was still working on the sequence I supposed to did yesterday but my head was hurting at the time, “EVERYONE OUT !!” Shuri yelled which made everyone scatter out of the Lab , I grabbed my stuff and was finna leave from my station when I heard “NO YOU STAY !” When the lab was now clear she turned back around to look at me with nothing but lust and anger in my eyes “You look so good right now” shuri said as she looked at my black body con dress with my black bubble slides, gold anklet, and white lab coat. “And why do you have on slides in my Lab ?” She asked with a raised eyebrow while slightly biting her lip “I-I-I’m sorry , I j-ust thought since I wasn’t going to be here for long that I could wear something comfortable” I said stuttering a little bit bc she made me nervous I couldn’t even look her in the eye, “What did I tell you about eye contact?” Shuri said while slowly walking up to me, I didn’t say a word just kept my head down looking at the jewelry on my slides until I seen some black and white retro dunks come in my vision , shuri then lifted my chin with a not so tightly grip that made me look her in the eye “I STRICTLY SAID WHEN I AM TALKING TO YOU , YOU LOOK IN MY EYES , WHEN I AM FUCKING YOU SO HARD THAT YOU CRY YOU LOOK INTO MY EYES, WHEN I AM THREE FINGERS DEEP IN YOU , YOU LOOK INTO MY EYE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!!” Shuri yelled “Y-YES” I whispered “YES WHAT ?!” Shuri said while now giving my ass a harsh slap that made me Instantly get wet “YES DADDY !” I Moaned while biting my lip to try to keep my other ones back “Meet me in my room I need you naked and layed on your back or I promise I will not make you Cum for two months” shuri said I quickly walked out the lab to do what she said when I made it to her room.

Let’s just say that’s after that night Shuri claimed me as Hers and promised me that she will never put me before a bitch who pussy isn’t good as mines ever again, After Shuri destroyed me for 2 hours me and her was layed down naked under her cover while I’m layed on her chest “Shuri what happened to Lia and mykel?” I asked curious “I sent mykel away and banned him from Wakanda” MY MOUTH DROPPED IN SHOCK “And Lia was mad bc I did the same to her and told her , Her pussy wasn’t good and kinda dry” MY EYES AND MOUTH WAS NOW WIDE BC WTF?!!! “Close your mouth before I stick the dick back in it” shuri said while kissing my neck , I quickly closed my mouth bc I’m tired. “I Love you shuri” I said while kissing her boobs since she kinda sitting up and I’m still layed on her chest “I love you More y/n , always and forever. You’re not going anywhere and me and you both know that”

Ever since we was teen we have both been

Whipped!

THE END 😛

#wakanda forever #shuri x reader #shuri x y/n #shuri udaku #toxic!shuri #riri williams #shuri x riri #shuri smut #riri x reader #riri x oc #iron heart

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aristotels · 3 months

Note

re EE being in the periphery. i’m pretty sure there were articles about how germany uses EE countries in EU for cheap labor. like sure, they’re privileged compared to most say african states, but it’s not like WE countries give that privilege for free or out of good heart, when in reality it’s geographic control + cheap labor + brain drain. combined with the fact that EU doesn’t allow for state control of markets, it means that those EE countries that had state enterprises are now in disadvantage. like i think EE countries have more in common with latin american countries than western europe , idk.

yeah, and not only articles you can find in english, but there are actual studies and articles; they are however in croatian so i dont know how much help would that be (the emmigration issue here is huge, its mainly to germany/ireland) (we have so many SONGS about moving to germany and ireland too). heres wikipedia on it, i guess you can use google translate and it also lists something quite shocking: many cities and villages in croatia and bosnia have more people living in germany than in their respective native towns.

as for lived experience, when i visited germany, you could literally walk around the city and find our people there, mostly in low-skill jobs. i once said "u pičku materinu" and a totally random guy in the street was like "ooooo pa evo i naših". "arbajt" and "bauštela" are such common phrases here that they have become memes, and dalmatians from zagora literally wear mercedes signs around their necks. recently there was an article saying how, despite euro, people from imotski STILL mourn over the deutsch marke, because they used to go work there, and then would come home and just live for an entire month off one bill. they STILL convert euros to marke.

EE is a neo-colony to the WE. whenever i talk about this, while i do use EE as a term because its more understood than SEE (southern-eastern europe), my experiences are yugoslavian, and there are big differences between eastern bloc and exyu countries. it isnt the same, economically nor politically, since yugoslavia was a part of the third world movement, thus primarily working with african and latam countries in its past (also reason why we have the lowest skin-based-racism in europe)(different than nationality racism, thats what we excel at).

a lot of croats (esp dalmatians) mainly moved to latam countries during ww2 as opposed to the usa (the current chilean and argentinian presidents are croatian dalmatians)(sorry guys we are kinda ruining yalls countries)

it was very surprising to me when i started following global-south-commies on here, they always have very positive opinions of yugoslav countries. i find it very endearing how all my political yugoslav posts end up being hits among them.

politics unrelated, croats tend to love latam countries because of football, messi was literally the coolest person in the entire world while i was a kid. there are lots of similarities in mentality.

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the-splorts-eye · 1 year

Text

Do you love detective stories but hate cops?

Do you love gay detective stories and hate capitalism?

Like disabled main characters who's disability actually comes up?

Like characters of color but not in the mood for stories on racism?

Tempted by the thought of romance at ages of 30+?

Does the idea of stories so queer you'll hesitate before calling any character a "man" or a "woman" make you think "Ah, yes pronoun shenanigans, just like my discord used to make"

And you into an abundance of strong, diverse female and nonbinary characters?

Do you fight for women's wrongs?

I know rep-only recommendations can be annoying, but I'm trying to grab your attention to promote some indie media. Luckily, though, this post isn't rep-only!

To read my full recommendation and review of Three of Hearts, click below. ♦️♥️♣️♠️

And if you aren't in the mood for a new thing right now, consider reblogging! Maybe even ping a friend who might be into this! You love supporting queer indie creators, right?

The story

♠️♣️♥️♦️Three of Hearts♦️♥️♣️♠️ centers on two paragovernmental agents in a fantasy, post-war, queernormative 1950s.

Roughly 20 years before the opening, a set of heroes purged magic from the world to turn the tide of the war. But scraps of this thaumaturgic energy still remain. S.U.I.T.S (securing unpredictable injurious thaumaturgic situations) is an agency founded to deal with everything left behind.

When two of the longest standing employees at S.U.I.T.S, Agent Vellum and Agent Felspar, are called onto a new case involving stone crops and a missing person, Felspar isn't surprised (Though Vellum, who's injury had him doing desk work most of his career, is). Things devolve quickly when the Agents realize this case comes from Felspar's home town of Cloven heart, an idyllic magical village that prefers to handle justice on it's own.

Answers yield only more questions, as the Agents realize almost everyone in town has something to hide, and Felspar isn't the only one whose past keeps catching up to him:

How much magic is still around? What's Vellum got sloshing around in there that people think is so juicy? What is Diamond, elven pop star and queer icon, doing in such a small town? Just how big is this case, and how can the Agents balance their legal responsibility, with promises they've made to Cloven Heart?

WHEN. WILL. THEY. JUST. KISS?

(if you're skeptical about central romances, I get it! See notes on aro/aceness and platonic relationships in the rep section for more info)

The combination of magic and newfangled war tech — think telegrams and radios — is somehow just as charming as a rotating cast of characters who will each stake their claim on your heart, but betrayal is imminent and mistrust is rife. The story strikes a wonderful balance between slice of life goodness, and edge-of-your-seat high drama, culminating In a show I highly recommend.

But are they just reskinned cops: my answer has got to be no. While they are technically law enforcement, the main two are entering a commune-like space, where that isn't so welcome. It's a situation they treat with caution and respect. The classic cop-plot of "Should I make myself judge, jury, and executioner because The Bad Guy™ deserves punishment" just isn't a problem. The justice system isn't perfect, in our world or the show's, and the story acknowledges that. But in a social, cultural way, they don't act like cops. They DO act like detectives. But the rules they choose to break and the ones they choose to follow will hopefully satisfy my fellow cop-haters who crave a good mystery

mid post note: I am not involved with the making of the show or the game space Kings. I just really like this podcast. Also, if you are seeing this text you are looking at a copy of the original posted on an unused sideblog so that I can keep the notes separate from my naturally spreading original without looking like a bot, and not get blaze notification spam.the references to "look in the notes for more" won't work for you. Yes, I spent my own money on this.

The format

♠️♣️♥️♦️Three of Hearts♦️♥️♣️♠️ is an Indie actual play — this is not DnD, hear me out — podcast in the game Space Kings. All the tension of dice rolls, without drawn out combat or clunkiness, it's a breeze of story-forward listening, even if you've never listened to actually play podcasts before!

If you've tried dnd actual plays, and haven't like the flow of them, I would recommend trying this. A few encounters that may feel random (though they're not) get the story kicked off at a fast pace, but it quickly settles into a story with a tight plot, great pacing, and impactful character development.

The use of a playing card deck to see the outcomes of risky actions means that no matter what happens, success or failure, the tension keeps rising, because there are only so many successes in the deck before you shuffle. The hosts do a wonderful job of explaining mechanics in the show, so it never interrupts the listening experience.

Actual-play connessuires who want to primarily see people playing a game might not be satisfied, as bonuses are given liberally, and I would describe the podcast as more story focused than game focused, But the risks are ALWAYS real, sometimes (often) with thrilling, shocking outcomes.

Also concerned AP listeners should know there's some chaos magic involved! I was surprised when it first came up, and doubtful about how it might affect the story, but it ended up weaving into the rest of the plot really well, and I feel neither like it had no affect, nor like it shook up everything the party was building in an unsatisfying way. Personally I would have preferred to go in knowing it was there, but I also don't think it's major enough to belong in the main synopsis. Now you know, though!

The hosts make a real effort to blend stats and story, and I think the pull it off wonderfully without spending too much time on mechanics. If you want to see that though, session 0 and other crunchy details are on the Patreon (where you get the same content no matter how much you pay, at a minimum of a dollar a month).

The pod has all the lighthearted fun and banter of a "friends around the table" show, but never once have I had that "oh my god, I'm not a part of your inside joke, shut up and play!" Feeling.

EDIT: i did not know "friends around the table" was the name of another podcast. no hate to them I'm sure they're lovely, this was just the use of a phrase.

I think it's a delight for AP and non-AP fans alike.

The episodes: roughly 45- 75 minutes long, with a midtro and some post-end music scenes, so listen through the end music, or check that there isn't extra content by seeing how close the play head is when the end music starts. It's not too long and quite pleasant in my opinion! The midtros always come at a nice moment to step back from the story, and are not too long and not irritating. I enjoyed listening to them! At some point, a midtro starts getting reused, and I was slightly disappointed I wasn't hearing new jokes every episode, but it's a small thing. I skip the repetitive ones with my 30 seconds forward button, and while I haven't timed the Intro, that's worked really well for me. I don't have to fiddle with my play head to make sure I don't skip forward too far. Super convenient.

Trigger warnings: the show is pretty lighthearted! Listeners sensitive non-graphic mentions of needles, blood, and/or guns might want to skip on this one, but most episodes don't get heavy. The few that do have pre-episode notes that warn you things get dark, how they get dark, and how to skip the darkest bits. Personally, I listened through them and enjoyed those parts a lot! But if that's not your thing, I agree with the warning that they're very skippable, and I think trigger-sensitive listeners will be pleased. As an indie pod, there are no fan made, super specific lists of triggers.

I'm trying to emphasize the balance between lightheartedness and drama, but if your mental health is sensitive to grim & dark media, i think this one is pretty safe. Please always exercise caution! But I'd describe 3o♥️s as emotionally restful.

Transcripts: transcripts are in the works, but do not currently exist except for episodes 1 and 2. Three of Hearts is a non-scripted show, so those are also unavailable. Some of the money given to the show will be used to hire a queer disabled transcriptionist! So if you listen and love it, consider sending cash their way. All transcripts are on patreon for free.

The rep

Don't you hate when someone raves about rep and you go in expecting something good and get like. One dog-boy described as having "chocolate colored skin"? Or when people make a "watch for rep" post and then mention like. Gay and maybe trans people and that's it, even when shows DO have disability and POC rep? Yeah that's not me. Here's the spoiler free rundown, race is at the bottom because I get into more detail with it, not because it isn't important:

Edit: For more on some of these topics from a hosts perspective, see the reblogged addition by @/citrusandsalt

MLM characters: Main characters, one confirmed bi the other unknown

Wlw characters: Reoccurring side characters (present or mentioned in every episode I think) Married. Orientation unspecified.

Enby love: LOTS. It's actually hard to really categorize mlm and wlw stuff because almost every character is nonbinary. Anyways— it's VERY queer

Women: I...I don't know exactly which characters are women 😂. But there are many feminine characters, and they're badass as fuck. Some are compassionate, some are cold, some are chaotic, most are a mix! The two main characters are...masculine...(I say with much hesitation) but you will not feel robbed for your woman-ly content.

Non-traditional family structures: All of the families in the story, pretty much, are non-traditional. Adoption is super common. (You want some wlw who just KEEP adopting kids? You got em) Found family is a MASSIVE force in the story. Also, It's a post-war story.........which is to say almost everyone's parents are dead.

Edit: an MC had poly parents, which may not be obvious but is true!

Polyamory: to my knowledge so far, there are polyam characters, and it is definitely present in the world! But no poly relationships in the forefront. I am about 2/3 through the current episodes, so there may be a present polyamorous relationship later, but also if I confirmed it that would be a spoiler. This may be that "playing it by ear" thing that happens with ttrpgs. I wouldn't listen for the hope of polyamory alone, but I don't tell you it's not there/won't happen.

Trans characters: almost all of them. Might think "oh there are only a few!" And you are wrong. You are so wrong.

Neopronoun users: yup! To my knowledge, minor characters. A handful who use at least he/she/they or they/them and may also use neos in a manner im forgetting

Plurality: no system characters yet, but the creators are friendly, I asked ;)

Aro/ace characters: none confirmed yet to my knowledge. Romance is very central, sex is joked about on occasion but it isn't at the forefront of the story at all. There are many, single characters who are thriving.

Edit: Actually! There is one character who discusses demiromanticism in cannon that I forgot, and another confirmed out of cannon character who is ace. Both are non-main major characters!

Platonic relationships: YES. As an aro person who hates so many romance tropes this one gets my stamp of approval. There's no real jealousy drama, exes who communicate and are supportive, and romance doesn't kill friendships. There's a central sibling relationship and non-familial platonic ones that have conflict, drama, resolutions, and a deeply satisfying significance in the story. If you don't like romance at all, this one might not be for you. If you just don't like stories exclusively about romance, I think you'll enjoy this. Genre wise, I'd definitely describe three of hearts as a mystery primarily with a strong romantic subplot, not a romance itself, and that comes through in player and character's additives and priorities.

Age diversity: the youngest characters in the show are older to middling teens, and the oldest are in their 400s. Okay but the oldest in human terms are roughly 60-70. The most common age range, and the ones the central characters are in, is 30-40. The second most common is that 60-70, then some ~40-50 folks here and there, with people in their 20s being probably the rarest (no named ones off the top of my head?) And there are a small number of teens. This is not a story about youth and youthful beauty. Generally, the older a character becomes the most bad ass/spooky powerful they are, and older characters are very involved in the plot.

Mental illness and neurodivergency: to my knowledge so far no characters are in cannon confirmed to have a specific mental illness or ND, though I wouldn't be surprised if it was part of a character or the main characters, and just hadn't come up. Listeners with cluster b or "scary" disorders, or with conditions that may cause them to lash out, will find satisfaction with how compassionately the narrative treats werefolk. To say more encounters spoilers. I would also say that depression, while the word isn't used and it is not central to the story, is present as a narrative force, and also treated wisely and with compassion. Still, as is usually for a good story, all of these bitches need therapy.

Disability: LOTS. There's a lot of "different, not broken" themes that disabled listeners are likely to love, but both of the main characters are disabled! One is a cane user, the other experiences migraines. These have a genuine, pressing, mechanical impact on the story. It's COMES UP. It's a real joy. For a magical world, there is no magical healing! Or there is, but it isn't a perfect solution, which in my opinion is just a magical version of real healing, though yours may differ! Also, there is a minor, reoccurring character who's a wheelchair user, and I think he's really fun.

Disfigurement: Excuse me if I am not prepared with the most sensitive way to speak about this, but I'm doing my best! There is a character with no eyes or nose, who is central and lovely. To my knowledge, there are no amputee characters or characters with limb differences (of the wheelchair user I'm not sure if it's specified whether or not he has legs). There is a character of questionable morality who has significant facial and bodily disfigurement. In as few spoilers as possible: this was not injury or genetic related. The disfigurement is treated with a firm compassion, and does not exist as a "this character is evil" signal. It's a long arc, but I imagine people who relate will be satisfied, though I cannot speak for anyone.

Characters of color: many! The main two are Hispanic and Asian. Terms like "dark skinned" are used for characters, but in the fantasy world race doesn't exactly translate, and I wouldn't call it "important" in this story. Read more about race below:

Fantasy racism: sort of! The word "race" is used to mean "humanoid species" and I know some folks don't like that? None of these fantasy races are oppressed, but specific people (Magic versus non-magic people) have conflict about that aspect of their identity, and policing is a related concern. I would place the allegory more in the space of transness and disability/neurodivergency if pressed to choose, but it doesn't feel like it's trying to tell a story about real-world oppression, primarily. I have more complicated thoughts on exactly what I'm trying to communicate here, but they involved some spoilers. DM me for more info!

Hosts/creator identity: out of three hosts, two are white, one is not! They are very queer, and disability is also...a thing! These are real life people, so I'm not going to get into detail, but check out their twitters plugged in the show for more on how they self-identify.

Edit: One of the hosts, Essay (@/citrusandsalts) discussed more on hosts identities in a reblog! If this concerns you, and you want less of me walking on eggshells about other people's identities, read her addition too!

Edit 2: Jordan, the GM also has commented additions!

Okay but are they racist: Real talk! As a black person who thinks I keep my ears sharp, I would say no! Not at all! This is one of those situations where I was like "YOU'RE WHITE?" And shocked about it, (if you listened to TSCOSI, same vibe) which is a very good thing in my books. The hosts are open and sensitive, and I have no complaints, however, this is just one perspective! This isn't coincidental, race is an active consideration in how the story is told — just not a central theme.

Minor but worth mentioning: A minor character has a name with what I believe is the Nahuatl "tl" sound in it, which is not pronounced correctly. It's a really hard sound! And I, op, can't really do it! But if that really irritates you this might not be the podcast for you.

#blaze it lmao

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whathebeep · 4 months

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Can I just say like,,, obviously my brain is always thinking about Baldur's Gate 3 and narratively how it could continue for a BG4 (I know I'm getting ahead of myself here) BUT

There's so many characters that could make comebacks in the game and I am so here for it. In my mind, under the cut, here's the top contenders for returning characters (other than obviously Volo, Jaheira and Minsc) (Late game Spoilers included!!)

So first and foremost our fav Archdruid Halsin! The fact that he goes back and rebuilds the shadowlands village and builds it up as a community means so much. It means you could go there in BG4 and meet Halsin, the community leader, the wise Archdruid who runs the orphanage. Whether or not he is actually the leader directly or just a respected community member and advisor to the leader of the town/village (depending on how big it grows) would both be good narrative choices. You could listen in on him tell stories of the adventures he has with the PC from BG3 to the kids. Hell you could probably meet Thaniel while in the area if you're a druid/have a high enough nature skill. There's so many possibilities for this and I adore it so much.

There's a lot of the characters you could also meet there too, who so happened to either have settled down there or are only passing through, visiting an old friend.

Astarion of course you could meet either ending route for him! Either as an adventurer (maybe travelling with Shadowheart?) Or as a vampire lord ruling in Baldur's Gate, out of Cazador's old estate. He would probably keep the vampire secret from you as he's a spawn l, but perhaps if he comes to trust you he'll let you know. Perhaps he'll even direct you to a safe spot in the Underdark to rest your head. Whether or not he tells you it's all spawn would be up to choice. If he's a vampire lord I imagine he'll be very Strahd/Cazador like, and will either want you to be a spawn for him or will want to kill/manipulate you into doing his bidding. Either way he'd probably be a boss fight

Shadowheart as an adventurer as well (again potentially travelling with Astarion, or having settled down) but HEAR ME OUT. I love LOVE the idea of A Selune worshipper Shadowheart eventually returning to revitalize the Selune temple you see early game and starting up a village there. Hells.or even Isobel and Dame Aylin doing that and Shadowheart eventually making a home there.. I'M HERE FOR IT

Lae'zel ofc, but they'd have to have a strong reason for her to return to the material plane. Maybe she would, after defeating the bitch I MEAN Lich Queen.

Gale maybe as an Elminster type character? Like it would be different depending on what ending for him is considered "canon", but either god of ambition or teacher will work super super well for this. He could offer the position of his chosen to the PC cause let's be real that's basically your thing no matter if you're good or evil, or he could be a wise wizard who can give safe advice to you or just bump into you on your travels.

UGH there's just so many options and I love it

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #halsin #astarion #Shadowheart

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raayllum · 4 months

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Very non-consequential, but still fun question: what animal do you associate with each of the main trio? (plus anyone else you feel like doing!)

I overthought this question because I couldn't just do animals in general and had to go with specific species so:

Callum is a bird, obviously. The boy loves his Ocean arcanum too but birds have the wings, and the intelligence and mating for life bonds (more often), and sharp little beaks that can gouge your eyes out. Man has teeth. Let's leave them there.

From there it was whittling down which bird to pick, so I learn towards either a standard Rock Pigeon or a Clark's Nutcracker bird.

Rock Pigeon

Rock pigeons for a few reasons.

Elegant but not overly pretty, which fits Callum pretty well. He's grown into a handsome boy but he'll always have a tiny bit of awkwardness, and the green sheen nicely ties into his eyes

Callum's name means dove, and pigeons and doves are very similar overall. However, Callum is less squeaky clean/outright peaceful than just a dove would indicate, so pigeons have a more grey/black down to earth colouring felt right. "Dirtying yourself with dark magic" and all that

They mate for life, which is a memo re: Rayla Callum has definitely gotten on board with lbr here

Pigeons are very smart, remembering faces, see the world in complex colours (artist anyone) and able to navigate complex routes to find locations / their way home (hence why they were used as messenger birds during wartime).

At his best, Callum is very communicative, has a great memory, and will eventually learn to navigate his own path away from others' imposed destinies on him

Clark's Nutcracker

They're in the Corvidae family like crows and ravens, which makes me happy, as those are two of my favourite birds

Again has the intelligence that our boy needs/deserves; these guys in particular are very good at prying seeds apart with their beaks, which gives me key of Aaravos / Callum unlocking secrets vibes

Sharp pointy beak to bite/stab people with. It's what he deserves

They also mate for life hell yeah

I also feel like they somehow match him better aesthetically but Idk why so grain of salt

Rayla I defaulted pretty easily to either a wolf or honestly more likely an arctic fox.

I wanted something smaller and more solitary than a wolf, since even within her village community Rayla has always been an outsider

Also very influenced by aesthetic (white, fluffy, slim) in addition to being loyal the way canines tend to be + a hunting animal bc like look at her swords

They also change colours as their coats update with the seasons, which felt very on par with how Rayla has transformed her wardrobe colours and herself / tries to take on different faces and identities depending on where she is on her arc

Constantly shifting like the moon amirite?

They are described as playful, cunning, cheeky, and curious

Bc they're heavily arctic animals / places with long winters, they depend more than other animals on hiding and stowing food away for later, which makes me think of how Rayla is pretty consistently carrying secrets / stashing the coins away in Stella's portal

Ezran to me is a Strawberry Poison-Dart Frog.

I chose this one cause I feel like an amphibian of some sort would best reflect Ezran, given his associations of being torn more explicitly between two worlds and two things. On the one hand, he's a child and should be treated/respected as such, and on the other hand, he's also a king and should be treated/respected as such. So amphibians having water and land, the way that Ezran does well both in times of conflict and times of peace (the latter being something Rayla really struggles with in particular) is well reflected. Also Bait, obviously

I went with orange > red even though Ezran wears the latter, cause orange feels warmer than the danger! zone red puts in, as well as mixing well with Ezran's brown hair. The touch of blue is for his eyes and his connection to Zym, and a tropical lil guy who likes sunshiney weather. Frogs are also pretty slippery and fast and Ezran (esp pre-series) is pretty wily and mischievous, getting into nooks and crannies he shouldn't be and then getting out of hot spots later on in show, so that matched up in my head

Other notes:

Viren always makes me think of serpents, and Claudia and Aaravos always make me think of spiders, so I'll toss those two in as well (although I feel they're more self explanatory symbolism wise / more offered within the text itself).

#requests #fandom crack #at least partially #imminent-danger-came #brotp: we're in this together #thanks for asking #the dragon prince

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inamindfarfaraway · 2 years

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Picture this: Knuckles Wachowski sitting up on the porch or at the window with a rigid posture and intense stare at the road when Tom is out on duty for longer than usual or goes to deal with something actually mildly eventful or even potentially dangerous, from the second he leaves to the second he returns. Keeping watch. Not responding to anything. Not moving or talking, never glancing away, barely blinking or breathing. No matter what happens around him. He won’t eat or drink until the sustenance is placed directly in front of him, so he can consume it with little to no taking his eyes off the road.

Because when his last father left, he didn’t come back.

Now, to cheer up, picture this: Sonic, Tails and Maddie get concerned about Knuckles when nothing they do - not even Sonic’s teasing - can make him react. They can’t distract him from or reason him out of his anxiety. Instead, they offer unconditional, nonjudgmental comfort and companionship, turning the Dad Watch into a family activity with them sitting beside him and creating a beanbag and towel nest/blanket fort (depending on whether he’s outside or inside). It helps to not be alone, like he was in his village those days and nights of helpless waiting. He slowly allows himself to talk to them beyond the polite bare minimum, then banter and joke with his brothers, play with Ozzie, be hugged by Maddie, etc.. He eventually trusts them to perform the Dad Watch entirely on his behalf until something happens. Tails plans a shift rotation for the times it really stretches on, but they all end up snuggling together anyway. And so Tom stops being greeted by the crushing grip and thorough examination of his tense, brittle eldest son who fiercely demands to know every detail of his work and keeps him in his line of sight for the rest of the day; and starts coming home to his happy, relaxed wife and kids whose faces light up to see him in not relief, but pure love and joy.

I also imagine Knuckles generally being clingy with and protective of Tom once he accepts him as his new dad. At least at first, before it sinks in that serious threats like Robotnik are very much outliers. Mama’s boy - or as @samthefrank put it, ‘Mother’s Best Boy’ - Knuckles is wonderful, but I think since his father seems to have been his only parent, it makes sense he’d have a deep care, respect and appreciation for Tom too. His previous definition of parent was just ‘Dad’. That’s important! I imagine he’d greatly value doing traditional Earth father-son activities with Tom (*slams open the door in ecstasy* “Brothers! I have received the Rowboat Bestowal of Wisdom, the sacred rite of passage of our family line!”). Maybe Tom offhandedly calls him “champ” and it becomes his official nickname because Knuckles is “honoured to be celebrated as Father’s Champion!”. A contrast to Sonic’s initial ‘You’re my friend, not my dad’ attitude that Tom cherishes.

#knuckles wachowski #he is Mother’s Best Boy and Father’s Champion #tom wachowski #maddie wachowski #sonic wachowski #tails wachowski #wachowski family #sonic movie #sonic movie 2 #sonic cinematic universe #scu

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aita-blorbos · 2 months

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AITA for killing the guy my daughter was having an affair with/handling this situation poorly?

Okay, sorry in advance because this is going to be LONG:

I (50M) am a widowed retired army officer of some wealth and nobility living at home with my daughter (24F) and her husband (28M), as well as basically the entire village. (Don’t ask; I’m not going to explain the dynamics because that’s not really important.)

My son-in-law recently went away on a work-related trip for several months. Before he left, one of his friends (27M) came to stay as an extended houseguest, which I was perfectly fine with even though I thought he seemed a bit mysterious and suspicious.

However, said friend quickly became obsessed with my daughter and my daughter got bored without her husband around and long story short, one thing led to another and a little over a week ago I could’ve sworn I heard him escaping her bedroom early in the morning. But yeah, they had an affair. (No, I do not have all the details. This may be important.)

So my son-in-law/her husband got back yesterday (note: also their wedding anniversary) and my daughter felt really bad about it and wanted to write a letter confessing everything to him. However, I walked in in the middle of her writing it and I tore it up and told her that she couldn’t confess what happened because if she did then our family would be disgraced and her husband would be driven to suicide. (Honestly, probably not true especially in light of what’s happened since, but I had to get her to stop somehow. Our reputation is on the line!)

Anyway, more unimportant stuff happened but long story short her husband almost found out about the affair in the middle of the village’s/his coworkers’ homecoming party for him because the other guy was a dumbass, but I challenged him to a duel in the cemetery that night (so: last night). (Oh, also I should mention that I was totally right about him being shady because he’s been claiming to be a count but I did some Investigative Detectiveing TM and it turns out he’s actually a count’s bastard child so he’s a lying liar on top of everything else.)

So we were going to have our duel and I was going to kill him but SIL (that’s son-in-law, right? I’m old and bad at technology) interrupted us and told us we couldn’t duel in the cemetery or at all because that’s a) not very respectful of the dead and b) not very Christian and we have to forgive each other or something. (Important info I forgot earlier: SIL is a Protestant minister.)

So SIL wanted us to shake hands as an act of reconciliation or some shit and I got so mad I blurted out the truth that his wife/my daughter had an affair with this guy. Daughter also showed up and confessed everything and SIL basically lost his mind and tried to kill him but didn’t because one of his clergy coworkers (55M) showed up and talked him out of it.

So more stuff happened and the whole village found out and I briefly contemplated suicide but decided that my original plan of killing this SOB was a better idea and went off to find him.

However, I overheard my SIL talking to my daughter and telling her he wanted a divorce and he wanted her to marry the other guy. Daughter said no because apparently she still loves SIL??? I don’t know, man. But either way, no way in hell I was letting my daughter marry him because he was a horrible person and I hated him, so that doubly motivated me to track him down and kill him.

So I did. And he’s dead now I guess. But…I don’t know. I don’t feel any better. I just feel terrible. I feel like I fucked up immensely. Even though I avenged my honor and rid the world of one more SOB. But I don’t think it really solved anything else. My daughter and SIL are horrified, and honestly, so am I. My only hope of dealing is that the whole church congregation is having a special service to deal with all of this and to decide what to do about my daughter, and I guess me too, but I think she’s the main focus. Maybe that’ll help?

But no matter what happens in that church service, I feel like I have to ask: AITA?

#aita #am i the asshole #unreality #suicide mention

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rmtndew · 2 years

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The Beauty of Thorns

(A ‘Beauty and The Beast’ AU)

Part 1

Summary: Belle lives in a cursed village and those who live there are forbidden to leave. Every year a Drawing is held and a man is chosen to be a sacrifice for the Beast. It’s the only life Belle has ever known but as her friendship with August Walker begins to bloom, she realizes that the Beast can be cruel and that life is far from predictable.

Pairings: August Walker X Belle

Warnings: Mentions of blood, curses, sacrifices. It’s not gory but very in line with darker fairytales.

Word count: 4,200+

Part 2

A/N: This was inspired by a post @littlefreya shared several months back about the Beast and Gaston and a conversation ensuing from it. She encouraged me to try my hand at writing this AU, so thank you Freya! Also, this had started out following the Disney version a lot closer but I couldn’t quite get it going, so I had to pivot and I hope y’all like how it turned out. It’s a little different than my beloved cartoon but it felt like it needed another path.

I pulled at the collar of my dress, fiddling with it as it felt like it was constricting me, making it hard to breathe. Mother kept trying to get me to put my hands down and stop making a spectacle but I couldn’t help it. I understood why I had to wear that dress; it was plain and dark and somber. It was respectful, or at least as respectful as a piece of clothing can be, and what was taking place that evening was due all respect. It was time for our town’s annual Drawing.

As the door opened at the back of the town hall, I folded my hands in my lap, willing my irritation away as I watched the town elders - including Father - emerge first. Following them were the five men whose names were in the Drawing that year. I knew them all but couldn’t allow myself to feel any type of sorrow at seeing them there. Not until the last one emerged and I saw that it was August Walker.

He and I had never been particularly close. I feared he looked at me as some scrapy young girl who spent half her life with her nose in a book and the other half like a wildling up in trees or scuffling with the boys in the village. At least that’s what I was like when he returned from war. I’d grown since then into more of a woman than a savage child but I could never forget the day August had returned back to the town:

One of the boys had snatched my book from me and destroyed it. In a fit of rage, I tackled him into the mud, clawing and biting at him. August saw the commotion and intervened, pulling me off the boy with ease. He gave the boys a thorough tongue lashing before taking me home. Mother and Father were unhappy that I’d gotten into yet another fight but August took my side. The next day he returned with a new copy of the book that the boys had ruined. He’d made a point to look after me since then.

His name wasn’t supposed to be in the Drawing. It was Moses Young’s turn. But he’d become a father to a sweet girl three months earlier and lost his dear wife during the birth. It didn’t have to be announced but everyone could see why August had taken his place instead. My sister, Marybeth, gasped at the sight of him. I saw Mother take her hand, trying to calm her. Marybeth, like all of the other women in town, was in love with August in some small way. They all talked about how handsome he was, constantly fawning over him, but they never seemed to see beyond that.

The men stood with Father and the other elders. They looked scared or worried. But not August. Maybe he was scared, I knew I would be if I was up there, but he didn’t let it show. The elders took their places at the front of the hall and Elder Green, our town’s leader, went over the town’s history and why we had the Drawing.

During the founding, an elder turned away a beggar woman asking him for shelter. After his denial, a young woman came and asked the same request of him. Taken by her beauty, he invited her in. The next morning, the woman was gone, along with the elder’s only child - a son. The townspeople searched for the boy in the forest and found a house hidden in its depths. Inside was the beggar woman.

She told the elder that since he had been cruel, she had taken something precious from him. When the elder tried to approach, demanding for her to return his son, a great beast appeared beside her. She told the elder that because of his actions, his son was to be sacrificed to the Beast. To save him, the elder could offer himself up as a sacrifice instead. He refused. The beggar woman was furious that he would forsake his own child.

But a young man that was part of the search offered himself up in exchange for the boy. The beggar woman was touched by the young man’s willingness and took pity on him. She told him that for his bravery, he and the future generations of his family would be spared, while the others would be cursed.

The beggar woman, revealing herself to be an enchantress, cast a spell over the forest. It came alive, sending vines and thorns to ensnare the men, dragging them from the house back into the forest. The thorns drew blood and when it soaked into the forest floor, the enchantress told them that their lineage would be cursed along with them. No one of their bloodline would be able to enter the forest nor leave the town.

When the men were released from the thorns, they saw that the elder was gone and in his place was his son. The enchantress told them that to pay for their wickedness, they would have to give up a man each year as a sacrifice to the Beast. If one was not offered, the Beast would be sent into the town to take any man that belonged to the cursed bloodlines.

But the men forgot their promise to the enchantress and the following year, they offered no sacrifice. That night, the Beast ran wild through the town, taking five of the elders as payment for the broken treaty. From that day forward, the town repented and created the Drawing. Five men - representing the five elders that had been taken - were to be presented and one name was to be drawn. The chosen one would be offered up to the Beast as a sacrifice.

When Elder Green finished presenting the town’s history, the Drawing began. The names of the men had all been put into a box. Elder Green came forward and the entire room fell silent as he reached his hand into the box. I could hear Marybeth uttering prayers and knew she was hoping that August wouldn’t be chosen.

I held my breath as Elder Green pulled a paper from the box and unfolded it. His eyes studied the name for a moment before he announced, “George Burns, you have been chosen.”

The wailing that came from George’s mother sent shivers down my spine. I couldn’t fathom that kind of anguish. I watched Father come forward, bringing the white cloth he was holding to George. Father unfolded it, revealing a single red rose, and held it out, presenting it to him. I could see George’s hesitation. He didn’t want to accept his fate and I didn’t blame him one whit. He visibly began to shake and turn pale. But finally, he stretched out his hand and pricked his finger on a thorn, drawing blood. Once the blood was drawn, the sacrifice was set. There was no going back.

The next day, Mother called me down to the kitchen.

“Belle, I need you to deliver this,” she said, handing me a basket. It held bread and cheese, a cake and a bottle of wine. I knew it was for one of the men who had participated in the Drawing the evening before and hadn’t been chosen. Though a small gift, the Elders tried to show their gratitude to the men who had been a part of it.

“Who am I delivering it to?” I asked.

“August Walker.”

I did as Mother asked and took the basket down to August’s house. When I arrived, I raised my hand to knock at the door but before I could, he pulled it open. I was startled and took a step back. August was a big man, looming over me in the doorway.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, Belle?” he asked.

I held out the basket. “Father and Mother wanted to give this to you as a thank you for your participation last night.”

He looked down at the basket but didn’t take it. Instead, he glanced back at me and gave me something bordering a smile. “Why don’t you come in and share it with me?”

I shook my head. “I couldn’t…”

“Why not?”

Truly, looking at him I couldn’t think of a reason why I couldn’t. Marybeth was in love with him but so was every other woman in the town. But I had no feelings towards August and I knew he had no romantic intentions towards me so what would it hurt to keep him company? Especially with someone who had volunteered to be in the Drawing as he had so bravely done.

“Perhaps I could stay for a little bit,” I conceded.

He smiled then and stepped back, inviting me into his home. He led me to his kitchen before taking the basket from me, then pulled out a chair for me to sit on. He took the cake and wine and placed them both on the table, putting the rest of the basket aside. I watched as he took the bottle and brought it to his mouth, ripping the cork free with his teeth. The bottle made a loud ‘whomp’ sound as he did. I couldn’t rightly say why such an action made my pulse race but it did, though I tried not to let it show. August took two glasses from his cabinet and poured the wine, offering me a glass first.

“I’ve never had wine so early,” I said. “Mother makes us wait until dinner and even then, she’s not too keen on Marybeth and I indulging in it too often.”

“If war taught me nothing else it’s that you should never wait to indulge in what you want. You don’t know when your last breath will be so putting your desires on hold may mean that you never get to experience them,” he said. “So if I want cake and wine during the day, I’ll have it.”

I took my glass and ran my finger over the W that was etched into the stem of it. “May I ask you a question?”

“You just have.” He gave me a slight smirk but nodded his head at me. “You may ask another.”

“Why…why did you go to war? You’re one of the few Uncursed in town, you could have left here and gone anywhere. But you chose to fight in a war and then return once it was over. Why?”

“I joined the war because I didn’t mind fighting and I wanted to see the world. But I stayed because I realized the best way to learn how people truly think is to see them get scared. Then it’s like skinning them of all their egos, pulling it away from their insides, and you’re left with the true guts of who they are,” he said, grabbing a knife. “I thought by leaving I was getting away from the Beast but it turns out that I was only trading one for a legion of them.” He looked at me. “War makes beasts of all men. Some more violent than others but beasts all the same. And so if I was going to live with beasts, I’d rather do it here. That’s why I returned.”

“Did it make a beast of you?” I asked quietly.

“What do you think? Do you see a beast when you look at me?”

“No, sir.”

“Sir?” he asked with a smirk.

“Um…no, Captain Walker.”

He chuckled. “You don’t have to call me ‘captain’ Belle. Or ‘sir’. August is fine.”

“The Bardot triplets call you Captain.”

He took two plates from his cabinet and brought them to the table. “They also call you feral, do they not?” he asked. “So perhaps they’re not the best when it comes to titles.”

“Or perhaps they’re more right than others,” I said. “You are a captain, correct?”

“I was, yes. But I was barely a man when I gained that position and the things I did to earn it aren’t things you talk about to women.” He sat at the table next to me. “And you’re not feral, do you hear me? They’re just cruel.”

“They are but that doesn’t mean that they’re wrong,” I said. “I’m not like them. I don’t know how to be soft. I want to be and I try but…Marybeth, she’s the soft one. She has such a tender heart and the talent for delicacy. If you’ve ever seen our needlework from our younger years beside one another you’d be able to tell plainly. She could - and still can - make the most amazingly beautiful works. Even her back stitches were neat. But me?” I shook my head. “It was as if a blind dog did it.”

He laughed slightly. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“It was. Mother eventually stopped encouraging me because she realized it wasn’t from a lack of trying, it was just that I didn’t have the same talent as Marybeth,” I said. “She and I…we’re like roses. We’ve grown in the same environment, we’ve been cared for in the exact same way, and yet she’s this beautiful, delicate, flower and I…I’m the thorns that grow on the stem beneath it.”

“Anyone can come and pluck a rose. But to handle thorns, someone has to be careful and gentle with how they approach them,” he said. “You deserve someone who will be gentle with you.”

I felt my cheeks warm. I hadn’t expected that response and wasn’t sure what to say to him. “I…I should go,” I said quietly as I stood.

August reached out and grabbed my hand, stopping me. “Stay. You haven’t touched your wine yet.”

“I think it might be too early for me to drink it.”

“So have cake.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Then stay with me.”

I could hear my own uneven breathing. “I’m not much company. You’ll bore of me easily, I assure you.”

“Impossible.” He pushed my chair towards me with his foot without ever letting go of my hand. “Sit. Please.” Though he added ‘please’ there was no request; it was an order. So I sat back down. His eyes felt like they were boring into me and my face flushed warmer. “What do you think of me, Belle?”

“What do I think of you?” I repeated. He nodded. “I think you’re incredibly courageous. And smart. And I think you stand up for what you believe is right, even if others don’t agree with you.”

“You don’t think I’m handsome?”

“Of course I do,” I admitted, my ears burning hot. “But you don’t have a say in that. You were born that way. I think what matters most are the things we choose to be. Don’t you?”

“You’re the only woman in town who speaks directly to me without caring about how I look or that I’m Uncursed.”

“And you’re one of the only people in town who treats me like a lady. Everyone else sees my scraped knees and leaves in my hair and mocks me for having my nose in a book, but you don’t,” I said. “The day after you returned from war, when you gave me a new copy of the book those boys ruined, you told me that you understood why I read so much. That because I’m stuck here, I have to find a way to escape and books…they gave me that. It’s harder to escape in them now that I’m older but it’s the only way I’ll ever experience something new. Maybe it just causes myself heartache to dwell on those things but I want so much more than the life I have and there’s nothing I can do about it. Everyone here should understand, they’re just as trapped as I am, but they don’t. You have left this town and have seen things I’m sure I could never imagine and yet you’re the only one who understands me.”

“I may be an Uncursed but I know what it’s like to long for something you can’t have,” he said.

Several hours had passed when there was a knock on August’s door. He answered it and I was surprised to see Marybeth. Mother was worried that I hadn’t returned and had sent her after me to make sure I was okay. August had been telling me about the places he’d been and seen and I wanted to hear more. But he was a gentleman and didn’t want any rumors starting, so he offered to walk Marybeth and me home, quietly telling me that I was free to come back anytime I wanted to hear more.

Once we got home, he thanked me for the basket I’d delivered earlier and bid me goodbye, but Marybeth wouldn’t let him leave. She said she wanted some fresh air and asked if he’d join her for a walk. He agreed and asked if I wanted to come along. Marybeth shot me a look that would’ve killed me if possible and I politely declined. Instead, I went upstairs to my bedroom and wrote down everything I could remember from August’s stories of the outside world into my diary. I’d lived surrounded by the forest my entire life but I’d never been able to venture into it, so hearing about trees that were over two hundred feet tall and wider than a house seemed impossible. Or mountains that dotted the skyline. Or the ocean. August had made me close my eyes when he talked about the ocean, telling me how everything looked, and felt, and sounded. I ached to be there but I knew it would never be.

I was at my desk still writing when Marybeth returned. As she entered our shared room, I looked at her with the intent to tease her about her walk with August but before I could open my mouth, she burst into tears.

“What happened?” I asked.

“He doesn’t love me!” she wailed.

“What?”

She went and flung herself onto her bed beside me. “He doesn’t love me!”

“How do you know that?”

“Because…because he told me!”

“Why would he tell you that without prompt?”

“He - he didn’t.” She hiccupped. “We were walking and I - I couldn’t stop myself. I had to tell him how I cared for him and that I was madly in love and that I knew I would never love another the way I did him and he…he told me…”

She was sobbing but my curiosity was getting the best of me. “He told you what?”

“That he loves someone else!” she squalled.

“Who?”

“I don’t know. All he said was that she didn’t want to court him.”

I sighed. There wasn’t a single woman in our entire village - save for myself - that didn’t want to court August Walker. It was clear to me that he didn’t share Marybeth’s feelings and attempted to spare her some humiliation of turning her down plainly by telling her that he had feelings for someone who didn’t return them. Though it wounded me to see my sister so upset, I could appreciate August’s forethought to at least attempt to curb her pain. Unfortunately it didn’t work. She cried herself to sleep that night and the next three nights.

Marybeth did her best to avoid August for the next week but it was near impossible to do so when an emergency town meeting was called the following Sunday. We took our seats as Father joined the other elders at the front of the hall. Marybeth was looking behind us when she tapped me.

“August is coming. Switch places with me,” she whispered urgently.

“What?” I asked.

“I can’t bear to sit next to him. Please.”

Mother wasn’t happy as Marybeth and I swapped places and she sat on the other side of Mother beside Mrs. DeWitt, whom she suddenly found the need to strike up a conversation with. I’d just settled down into my seat when August came and sat beside me. He glanced down at Marybeth before looking over at me.

“She’s still angry?” he asked quietly.

“She was never angry. She’s hurt,” I whispered back.

“It wasn’t my intention to hurt her.”

“I know.” I looked up at him. “Thank you for trying to spare her feelings.”

His brow creased. “It didn’t seem to work.”

“She’ll recover. The thing about Marybeth is that she loves deeply and fiercely. She can’t burn out. But her fire will light up with someone new.”

“She deserves someone whose love burns just as fiercely as hers.”

“Yes, she does.”

Once the hall was full, Elder Green stepped forward and the meeting began. “An incident has occurred in the forest,” he said. “I won’t call out any names as they have already been severely punished but last night a group of boys decided to test their bravery by venturing into the forest to see who could remain there the longest.”

Murmurs broke out amongst all of the members of the town. Elder Green held up his hands, a request for complete silence, but it took a moment for the crowd to quiet. “As we well know, the Beast of the forest has forbidden all from entering there unless they are to present a sacrifice to him and this incident was not done in reverence. He has required an additional sacrifice be brought to him. If we do not provide one, he will breach our borders and come into the village to take who he pleases.”

“This isn’t fair!” Mr. Parker called out. “We all have to participate in the Drawing. I put my name in to make sure that my family is safe. But this was not our fault. Are my children to suffer if my name is drawn and I must go as a sacrifice simply because some foolish boys decided to play games with the Beast?”

The murmurs grew louder as more men agreed. Elder Green struggled to regain control of the floor. Finally, Father stood and held up his hand. “Silence!” he ordered. He waited as the room quietened down. “I understand your fears and concerns. We all do. I myself am a father and I understand the fear of leaving your children behind simply because your name is drawn. However, this is not a Drawing. No one is required to put their name forth to be chosen.”

“Then who will be the sacrifice?” a man yelled.

“We will require a volunteer,” Father answered.

The hall broke into louder voices as people expressed their outrage.

“Who would volunteer for something like this?” I whispered to August. “It’s sure death.”

“Sure death to one to protect an entire town.”

“Including the woman you love?”

He looked at me. “Yes. Including her.” He looked back to Father and after a moment stood. “I’ll go,” he announced loudly.

“No!” Marybeth shouted. “Father, no, he doesn’t mean it.”

He looked at Marybeth. “I do mean it.”

“August Walker, are you fully aware of what you’re volunteering for?” Father asked.

August looked at me and I shook my head. “Why must you be so stupidly brave?” I hissed.

“Love makes people brave,” he said to me before stepping out into the aisle. “Yes, I understand what I am volunteering for.”

“Then please proclaim it.”

He took a breath and stood straight, his hands folded behind his back. I saw then the man who had once been a Captain. “The Beast has required a sacrifice to make amends for the disrespect that was shown by the boys who breached our town’s borders as a game. I am volunteering to be the sacrifice so that our town may live in peace and safety until the next Drawing.”

Marybeth began sobbing and Mother pulled her close. I could see the sound affecting August but he stayed focused straight ahead. I wanted to stop him but what could I do? If it wasn’t him, it would be another.

“So be it,” Father said, sadness bleeding into his voice. “Captain August Walker, you left this town and fought bravely and valiantly as a soldier and led your men as a captain. When the war ended, you chose to return to this town and provided safety and security for those of us who cannot leave these walls. Though you leave behind no wife or children, your legacy will be your unwavering bravery and your willingness to give up your own life to save the lives of others. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. It will be remembered. It will be taught to future generations. You will live on so long as we do.”

“Come forward,” Elder Green said.

August’s eyes flicked over to me for a second, then he looked straight ahead once more and began walking towards the front of the hall. Once he reached the Elders, they all stood and came forward, meeting him. Elder Green held up the white cloth and unfolded it, revealing a single red rose. He held it out and presented it to August. August picked the rose up by the stem and wrapped his hand around it, squeezing it tightly. When he released it, he opened his hand and held up his palm for everyone to see. Bright red blood was smudged across it. Marybeth’s cries became loud sobs then. There was no turning back. Blood was spilt. August was the sacrifice.

#Henry Cavill #Henry Cavill fan fiction #August Walker #August Walker fan fiction #Beauty and The Beast AU #Beauty and The Beast AU fan fiction #Henry Cavill fan fic #The Beauty of Thorns

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