#the call of the horned piper

[lailoken]

"The traditional metaphysics of Elfland lie at the heart of true Witchcraft, a body of ancestral faery teachings and arts which formed a hidden tradition transmitted down the centuries across Europe and the British Isles. The historical documentation provides ample evidence of the witches' trafficking with Faerie and their close associations with faery beings and the people of the Sidhe, 'the lordly ones in the hollow hills'.

The underworldly realms of the Sidhe is conceived of asbeing literally 'beneath' the earth, 'underneath' the surface phenomena of nature and middle-earth as an underlying depth-dimension of archetypes and endlessly regenerated potentialities. This is the spiritual landscape of Elfhame where the 'People of Peace' dwell, known to the Irish Celts as Tir Andomain and Tir Na n'Og, the Annwvyn of Welsh tradition and in Teutonic lore, the kingdom of Hel. In the mediaeval period the chthonic realm was known as the Land of Faerie.

In the Netherworld we descend to the very roots of being, into the faery radiance which emanates from the haunted mounds; concealed in the depths is the secret source of generation, death and rebirth for it is the place where the souls of the dead reside between incarnations according to traditional lore. There, the dead are restored and renewed by partaking of the sacred fruit, the apples of the Otherworld plucked from Mother Holle's subterranean orchard or from the trees of Ynys Afallon, ruled over by Morgan Le Faye. The Silver Branch or Craebh Sidhe, which allows passage into Elfland, is a bough upon which three silver apples hang, emitting faery music that entrances all who hear it.

The 'Hooded Ones', the land-spirits and faery ancestors of ancient Britain; their pointed hoods became the caps of the pixies.

Our ancient forebears possessed a perpetual awareness of other worlds and states of reality which at particular times and places could break through' into our world, often in eerie and eldritch ways. There were also traditionally known loci where the worlds touched, places of intercommunication between middle-earth and Elfland such as trees, mounds, hills, caverns, watercourses, pools and wells. At these sites passage between the worlds could, and still can be effected through the use of the faery arts.

The kingdom of the Sidhe exists outside and beyond the cycles of space/time which govern the material universe - it is well known that travellers to Faerie have spent years there only to find mere minutes have elapsed upon their return to our world. Those who reside for a night in that land may find that centuries have passed when they come back into middle-earth. Elfhame lies outside the circles of time and this mysterious atemporality is the inner key to the metaphysics of rebirth and the cyclic reincarnation of ancestors in their tribal and familial descendants.

Elfland is inhabited by a diversity of intelligences ranging from the divine beings and godlings within the earth to divinized ancestral-souls and non-human faery-entitities, theriomorphs and ornithomorphs. All these beings can be accurately described as faeries, for they all inhabit that mode of existence which is utterly 'other' - the wild and mysterious faery 'state'.

According to the inner doctrine of the faery-faith, the post-mortem soul descends into Elfhame and enters into the state of the Sidhe, sojourning as a faery in the otherworld whilst awaiting the right cyclical patterns which will enable it's earthly rebirth to occur, usually in the body of a clannic descendant. The spirits of the dead thus become mystically unified with the inner heart of the land, merging with particular loci such as hills or trees for the world of the Faerie is the inherent spiritual dimension which exists concealed within the natural landscape as it's inner archetypal reality.

The human' and the 'faery are the two poles of our being between which we oscillate through our transmigrational cycles of rebirths, our countless discarnations and incarnations. In other words, the Sidhe are ourselves awaiting birth in middle-earth and we ourselves are the Sidhe awaiting our return to Elfhame. The faerie Craft is concerned with regaining the totality of our awareness, bridging our human and faery natures and activating the 'Sight of the Two Worlds' or 'Second Sight', the faculty of trance-seership and direct spiritual vision into Elfhame.

The dead thus become faeries between incarnations and certain souls in the underworld may, in time, undergo a complete faery metamorphosis and no longer incarnate as human-beings - these are the 'Master Men' of Scottish witch-lore. The identification of the faery- faith as an ancestral cultus clarifies many hitherto obscure problems and allows us an insight into the destiny of the soul and it's post mortem relationship with the noumenal and natural environments. The Faery Rade or Sluagh Sidhe rides out at Halloween, the liminal and intercalendary time of the hallowed ancestral souls. This Faery Host manifests along the dead straight 'faery passes' which link the sepulchral tumuli which are their forts, changing their hunting-grounds at the four Quarter-Days. These 'faery-roads' are a Celtic analogue to the Dutch 'death-roads' and German 'Geisterweige', the Saxon 'deada waeg', the tracks of the Wild Hunt and the spectral Black Dog and the traditional English Corpse-Roads', 'Coffin-Paths' and 'Church-ways' - they are all funereal lines of spirit-movement which link burial places, graveyards and mounds. On the west coast of Ireland much oral folk-lore makes the identity of the faeries as the souls of the departed very clear for they say that if you have many dead friends you will have many good faeries about you. The Sidhe of Irish tradition and the Elves in German folklore, are the chtonic faery-ancestors, divinized souls who have passed below the land and who exert a subtle influence upon the living in whom they await rebirth, mysteriously informing their minds and bodies from the depths of the hidden kingdoms. As Jacob Grimm astutely observed: "The dead were known to the Norsemen as elves."

—

Call of the Horned Piper

9: 'Faerie Witchcraft & the Geography of Elfland'

by Nigel Aldcroft Jackson

#faerie #faerie faith #faerie folk #gloaming folk #call of the horned piper #nigel aldcroft jackson

[calyptramoths]

FINISHED THE RAVEN KING. spoilers in tags once again

#the raven king #the raven cycle #(said in the same way as the one piece meme) ITS REAL.... PYNCH IS REAAAAL... #ronan is my favorite character. gwenllian is my second. god bless #i genuinely love gwenllian a lot tbh. shes a delight #piper was also super funny. my little uquiz girlie #will never forget you #glad neeve is dead. never really cared for her #was annoyed when she came back but then she died and it was like ah. finally. relief #all of these characters are very funny. the writing style makes for comedic bits and allows for it to actually feel like a persons thoughts #its very well done #was worried that the book would actually for reals kill gansey bc if persephone can die anyone can #but i was relieved in the end #OHHH AND ADAMS DAD CALLING RONAN ADAMS BOYFRIEND. god save the queen #i like how the prophecy happened. the kiss didnt kill gansey bc he was her true love #the kiss killed gansey because it was Gansey #OHH ALSO ORPHAN GIRLLLL #i like orphan girl. satyr queen. will always wonder if she has horns under her beanie or not #i liked her friendship with adam #SPEAKING OF FRIENDSHIPS #ronan and blue are my family dynamic in this entire series. THEY ARE SO SILLY #when blue got suspended and ronan fist bumped her. and when ronan said she looked badass with stitches. incredible #I REALIZED THERES A TYPO IN THE TAG BEFORE THE LAST ONE #MEANT TO SAY FAVORITE. OOPS. #anyway #everything that happened in blue lily lily blue is merging in my brain with the events of the raven king #my fault for reading them back to back with little break in between #i will do it again with the dreamer trilogy

[kayakischaotic]

PJO/HOO/TOA HEADCANONSSSS 🎉🎉🎉

WHOS READY TO RUMBLEE

also I haven’t read the books in awhile + I have terrible memory so o7

clears my throat

PERCY JACKSON:

—>all my faves had a emo phase. including Peter Johnson

—>he owns a BUNCH of different earrings, nothing too big or extravagant, but like a little fish, maybe an arrow, etc

—>dyes part of his hair blue because he’s Percy

—>Sally TOTALLY knew he was bi when he was little

—>has a bi flag necklace (I’m jealous)

—>once dyed his hair blonde while he was at camp and after everyone called him a dumb blonde he decided to never dye it blonde again

—>he totally loves having his hair played with cause Sally used to always play with his hair when he was a kid

—>his eyes change from blue to green depending on the lighting

—>he’s been the little mermaid for Halloween at LEAST once

—>has an extensive collection of Hawaiian shirts

ANNABETH CHASE:

—>she sticks a bunch of little pins on her Yankees hat

—>doesn’t know how to drive (at least not very well)

—>if she could she’d have road rage so much

—>probably owns at least 5 different pairs of earbuds/headphones that she uses on her iPod and/or Daedalus’s laptop

—>building a campus place similar to New Rome at CHB

—>instead of a box of chocolates for Valentines day, she once gave Percy a bag of M&M’s. but only the blue ones

—>drinks at least 3 cups of coffee most days

—>bi-curious/questioning

—>also questioning her gender a bit

—>read Harry Potter and couldn’t tell if she wanted to BE Hermione or be WITH Hermione (still can’t tell)

GROVER UNDERWOOD:

—>pan, ace

—>will eat anything if he’s stressed

—>has little rings he can put around his horns for added style

—>tism

—>he/they KING!!

—>will just snack on a head of lettuce

—>has to wear reading glasses (what a nerd /pos)

—>has an extensive knowledge of which plants around CHB taste good, and which taste bad (has definitely been taken to the medics once or twice for eating poisonous plants)

JASON GRACE:

—>everyone makes fun of him because of The Brick™️.

—>THEATER KID

—>will ramble to you about wolves for as long as you will let him

—>frequently dyes small strips of his hair with hair chalk

—>him and Annabeth are like best friends. please.

—>questioning

PIPER MCLEAN:

—>she ate the rest of the non-blue M&M’s for Annabeth

—>genderfluid she/her lesbian.

—>helps Hazel, Annabeth, and the other girls do their hair (and sometimes Percy)

—>sees Jason and Leo as her brothers

—>wears suits to fancy events

—>usually uses her charmspeak to win at board games

—>girl in red’s biggest fan

—>EVERYONES WINGMAN

LEO VALDEZ:

—>makes everyone friendship bracelets

—>will totally light candles just to watch them burn

—>pretends he’s Festus’s vet whenever he has to fix him

—>calls the Argo II his child

—>doesn’t have a proper sleep schedule in the slightest…

—>gay, demiboy

—>totally introduced everyone else to neo/xeno pronouns

—>he/they/it mainly, but also uses a bunch of neos and xenos

—>has a dragon stuffed animal he calls Festus Jr. that he struggles to sleep without

—>he is the autism creature /j

—>will call anyone in sight bro or dude

—>scared of heights

—>keeps calling himself “the rizzler”

REYNA AVILA RAMIREZ-ARELLANO:

—>therapist friend

—they/she

—demiromantic asexual

—>astrology lover

—>straight A student without trying or studying

HAZEL LEVESQUE:

—>the only person on the Argo II that can keep a plant alive (somehow)

—>unlabeled

—>her and Nico help paint everyone’s nails

—>is always wearing either a skirt or overalls. (better yet: overalls skirt)

—>lactose intolerant

—>totally holds a dance at Camp Jupiter that is similar to a school dance at least once a year

FRANK ZHANG:

—>token straight friend

—>has a fairly large stuffed animal collection (only to be rivaled by Octavian’s)

—>if he ever visits CHB he purposely avoids being near the fire

—>makes the rest of the 7 watch superhero movies with him

—>owns lots of comics

—>him and Percy ramble about superheroes and comics together

NICO DI ANGELO:

—>certified DJ of the 7

—>his favorite restaurant isn’t even McDonald’s.. (it’s Olive Garden /j)

—>if demigods could use technology, he would totally be a tumblr user. (happy (late) Ides of March)

—>THEATER KID

—>he keeps saying “gaslight gatekeep girlboss” and everyone is kinda confused

—>loves listening to 70s/80s/90s rock

—>is (attempting) to learn the drums

—>survives off of energy drinks and coffee

—>has a nightlight in his cabin for when Will visits

—>also listens to Crywank

WILL SOLACE:

—>definitely has dressed up as a lamp for Halloween

—>HE/THEY!!!

—> trying to convince Nico to be in a band with him, playing guitar, Austin, playing sax, and Apollo, playing flute (Nico’s not having it)

—>favorite color is “all of them”

—>attempts to grow plants (fails)

—>he would totally be addicted to Tiktok if he had it

—>if anyone asks what time it is he will respond one of three ways: “it’s time for lunch” “its game time” or “it’s time for you to get a WATCH”

—>he’s really bad at reading clocks

—>totally cried during Frozen

APOLLO/LESTER PAPADOPOULOS:

—>he/they bi icon

—>motto is “fake it til you make it”

—>adhd, probably

—>always looses board games

—>chronically online…

—>will purposely sing the wrong words to popular songs so half of CHB thinks they’ve been singing these songs wrong the entire time

—>him and Nico bond over saying things like “gaslight gatekeep girlboss”

—>scared of the dark

—>quotes Mean Girls at least once a day

—>trying to make a theater class at CHB (Chiron agrees, Dionysus is… not quite there yet)

—>surprisingly good at lying (fake it til you make it!)

—>some Aphrodite kids told him their skincare secrets while he was mortal and gave them a few products

—>wears eyeliner on a daily basis

—>when he was a mortal the Aphrodite cabin and his cabin played dress-up on him and made him wear a bunch of weird outfits

THATS ALL FOR NOW!!!!!

I bet you totally can’t tell who my favorites are by how much they have put down…. /s

TELL ME SOME OF YOUR HEADCANONS SO I CAN ADD THEM TO MY HOARD

#pjo #hoo #toa #pjo hoo toa #riordanverse #percy jackson #annabeth chase #grover underwood #jason grace #piper mclean #leo valdez #reyna avila ramirez arellano #hazel levesque #frank zhang #nico di angelo #will solace #apollo #lester papadopoulos

[dustedmagazine]

Rail Band — S-T (Mississippi)

“Marabayasa” is a groove that transcends time and geography, a monstrous monolith of funk that follows a pied piper’s sax through strutting, swaggering, stop-motion syncopation. The singer, Malian legend Mory Kanté leads an exuberant call and response, his fluid, note-bending salvo met with an echo so rhythmic, so hip swaying that it commands motion. The guitars are high and golden-toned, the piano insistent on the offbeats. When Kanté launches an instrumental break with a reverberating “waa-aa-aah,” you feel that you’re there in the heat of it, sweating and grinning.It’s the standout track on the Rail Band’s 1973 debut, a record of scorching power and body-tingling joy, performed train-side at the Buffet Hotel de la Gare. The Rail Band, you see, was the state-sponsored musical outfit of the Malian railroad.

That 1970s band included both Kanté and Salif Keita singing, Tidiani Koné on trumpet and saxophone, Djelimandy Tounkara on guitar and numerous drummers, merging traditional African sounds with mambo from Cuba, and funk, soul and jazz from America. They played five nights a week at a café in the rail station in Bamako to locals, expats, visiting businessmen and travelers. To judge by this album, it was a hell of a way to while away the hours until departure, much better than airport CNN feeds, so good that you might decide not to leave.

Consider, for instance, the fluid big-band wallop of “Moko Jolo,” this one with Koné on trumpet and sax both, both horns floating in a haze over an impacted, side-shifting beat. Percussion, on the kit and played by hand, takes the foreground in “Nantan,” setting a wandering rhythm for guitars to snake through, a shifting, phantasmagorical foundation for shadowed group vocals, the sound of distance, heat and longing baked in. It’s all very fine, intricate but physically stirring, full of skill but inflamed with feeling. Still after a while, you might find yourself turning to “Marabayasa” again, because it cooks so hard.

Jennifer Kelly

#rail band #mississippi #jennifer kelly #albumreview #dusted magazine #mali #salif keita #bamako #funk #afro-beat

[godlizzza]

If you’re still taking fanfic prompts, I’d love to read more about Dan and Herb training or teaching Piper about their work, I’m curious as to how that could have gone down over the years, no pressure though! Your work is really good! 😁

"Where are you?" Dan hissed into the phone.

On the other end of the line he could hear the blaring horns and revving engines of traffic. Herbert's voice crackled in his ear.

"Calm down. I'm on my way home now. Try not to let your blood pressure spike in the meantime."

Dan huffed in irritation. He ran his free hand through his hair before leaning heavily against the wall, the landline squished against his ear.

"Well, can you hurry up?" he urged.

"I'm going as fast as the road laws of this country allow me, Dan. Look, it's not my fault that meeting at the school went overtime. If that idiot art teacher would've stopped arguing with me sooner than none of this would be happening," Herbert said, his voice quickly following by the passing blare of another car horn.

When Herbert had informed him he'd be attending the elementary school's open meeting to discuss the budget, Dan had argued that really wasn't necessary but Herbert had been adamant.

"Have you seen the lab at that school? Even a roaming drug cartel would turn their noses up at it," Herbert had said, pulling on his coat in the foyer. "I won't have our apprentice learning science in such conditions."

Then he'd been out the door before Dan could get out another word.

"Piper's already here," Dan hissed, casting a furtive glance over his shoulder at said apprentice, who was spinning around on one of their bar stools. "What am I supposed to do?"

"She's eight, Dan," Herbert drawled. "I'm sure you can handle it. I have to go now. You're distracting the driver."

"Herbert-"

But Herbert had already hung up. Dan let out a long, aggravated sigh as he hung the phone back up on the wall. He was granted only a moment to compose himself before Piper chirped up from her seat.

"Where's Dr. West?"

Dan turned to find Piper staring up at him with her impossibly big blue eyes. He shuddered. It was like being stared at by an owl.

"He's running a little late but he'll be home soon," Dan replied.

"Okay," Piper said, jumping to the floor. Her pink sneakers were caked with dry mud and Dan cringed as they squeaked against his clean floorboards. "Can we start now?"

Dan began, "I don't think-"

But Piper took off before he could finish the sentence. She raced down the hall and Dan hurried to try and catch her. She unlocked the basement door and was flying down the steps in seconds.

"Wait!" Dan called after her, hopping into his work boots and nearly falling over in the process. "Piper."

"I'm not doing anything," Piper called back sweetly. "I'm just looking."

"Well, stop," Dan ordered, finally pulling his left boot on and straightening up. "You know you're supposed to wait for us to open the lab before you can come in."

He stomped down the stairs to find Piper balancing on a chair, stooped over the head of their latest cadaver. She had her hands braced on the operating table, bent so low her nose nearly brushed that of the corpse. Dan's heart seized in his chest as visions of Piper losing her balance and tipping forward, straight into the open chest cavity assaulted his brain. He rushed down the last few steps to grab Piper's arm and yank her back.

"Stop it," he snapped, hauling her back to the ground.

"I'm just looking," Piper said again, a whine creeping into her voice. She stared daggers at Dan's hand locked around her upper arm until he let go.

"Stop just looking then," Dan told her but she was already scurrying off, poking her nose into the latest barrel of reagent.

Dan's temples throbbed as he tried to corral her, but Piper didn't pay him any head, no matter how many times he told her to stay still. Herbert never had this problem with her. She hung off his every word and would never dream of directly disobeying him. It seemed she reserved this defiant streak only for him.

"Piper," Dan warned as she picked up a pair of forceps from the tool tray, "if you don't put that down right now, you'll be banned from the lab for a week."

Piper narrowed her eyes at him, clutching the forceps like a dragon guarding its treasure. "You can't do that."

"Oh, really?" Dan shot back, his tone seeped in faux cheer. "Well, why don't I call Dr. West right now and see what he thinks?"

Piper went still, her eyes growing wide and fearful in an instant. "No, no- Don't!"

Dan reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cellphone, flipping it open. "No, no, I think I will. If you're going to break all of our rules I think he should know about it."

He began punching in keys and Piper dropped the forceps with a clatter. She flew across the room and clutched at his shirt, tugging desperately.

"No, please!" she begged. "I'm sorry. I'll be good. Please don't call him!"

Dan looked down at her beseeching gaze. When he didn't say anything, she threw her arms around his legs and buried her face in his side.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Cain," she sniffled. "You know you're my second favourite doctor."

"Gee, thanks so much," he deadpanned, but put his phone away anyway. He gave Piper a swift pat on the head.

He'd seen Piper hug Herbert on multiple occasions, and while Herbert always looked a little disgruntled, he never pushed her away. Sometimes he even hugged her back. When Herbert had suggested- well, more like informed- Dan that Piper be their apprentice, Dan had thought he'd just been excited at the thought of having a willing ear to impart his theories onto. He hadn't anticipated seeing an odd paternal side of Herbert emerge.

He wasn't sure he liked it.

Actually, he definitely didn't like it.

When Dan was younger, in the days before he knew Herbert, he'd always thought kids would be a part of his future. But after Herbert and the reagent had been introduced into his life- after they'd stumbled into love- thoughts of a quiet life with a wife and kids had quickly been erased. It had always plagued him though. What would having a child be like? Was he missing out on something amazing?

Piper's entrance into his life wiped away any lingering doubts he had. Dan thought he much preferred it when it was just him and Herbert.

Herbert came home about fifteen minutes later. He descended the stairs to find Dan standing watch over Piper while she dutifully wrote out the lab rules.

"Hello?" Herbert said with some confusion.

Piper perked up at the sound of his voice. She let her book and pencil fall to the floor as she raced across the lab to throw her arms around him.

"Hi, Dr. West!" she greeted cheerily. She was almost glowing with happiness at the sight of him and Dan thawed slightly to her.

Herbert grunted but placed his hand softly on the back of Piper's head. He looked over her at Dan and raised an eyebrow. Dan just shrugged in answer. While he didn't think he'd ever have that same warmth with Piper that flowed between her and Herbert, he thought he could learn to live with her presence.

After all, they shared one thing in common: a love and devotion to Herbert West.

#thanks anon! youre sweet #lets go pta dad herbert #dan cain #piper skrelpton #herbert west #danbert #re-animator #my fics #asks #writing prompt #reanimator #thr couple down the street

[cerastes]

Which defenders and supporters do you recommend?

Defenders:

Mudrock remains relevant forever on virtue of being Mudrock. Damage, bulk, self-sustain, you name it. On the same note, Penance is pretty good, and her S2 remains active even if she's stunned, making it good at dealing with Stun-heavy maps. Still, keep in mind they cannot be healed for their Elemental damage (but they still get the Elemental damage mitigation from being in Mulberry's S2 range, for example).

Blem is always solid due to her good damage and ability to heal herself and others.

Spot is damn good still, his ability to heal and 3-block at 0-1 Hope cost is simply too damn good. He's probably the best 3* on higher Waves.

Horn is REALLY damn good. Practically THE anti-Highmore machine as long as you can ground her. Horn's range and sheer damage make her an amazing unit, especially in the latter floors where maps get bigger and you can do more stuff with her.

Saria remains relevant forever on virtue of being Saria. You know what Saria does. She still does it very very good.

TBH Cuora being a stone wall actually finds plenty of spots to shine.

Supporters:

Gnosis can Freeze the floaters and Highmore, grounding them (watch out with Highmore, though, you'll need ASPD artifacts and set-ups to let him survive being that close to her in order to actually be able to freeze). Gnosis is just very good in general besides this.

Skadi the Corrupting Heart remains relevant forever on virtue of being the Corrupting Heart. S2 will be your main tool with her, giving you VERY important stat heft to handle higher Waves on more equal footing, with S3 finding some really good chances to shine (Piper's Call, Highmore if you have the team for it and don't need her S2 for her, among others).

Ling "Blue Woman" is always very powerful, though keep in mind that her effectiveness declines on higher Waves due to increased enemy RES as well as stat heft, making her summons not instawin buttons. She's still VERY good, though.

RRRRRRRROBERTA GAMING

Shamare with investment, particularly S2M3, is a very reliable source of a rare ATK debuff. She slashes enemy ATK in half in an area, this is immensely powerful, especially in higher Waves.

Scene is strong, her cameras help a lot with their utility.

Podenco remains, as the youth say, Based, because her S2 Slows and Silences. VERY strong tool in IS3.

Suzuran is always useful to have thanks to her Supporter Skill Aura, multitarget slow+fragile with S2, and her huge area slow+fragile+heals S3. Her S3 in particular is very good against Last Knight, since making him slower and more susceptible to damage is exactly what you want.

#arknights

[purplesimmer455]

Emily and Kiran sit outside on the porch, and Kiran tells Emily about a spooky urban legend they heard about the rec center having a haunted clown painting. "We should check it out." Kiran says, a gleam in their eyes. "Um, I don't want a ghost to haunt me, Kir. What if he keeps honking a spiritual clown horn and keeps me awake?" Emily half-jokes. Kiran laughs, giving Emily a playful look. "You're so funny, Ems." They say, nudging Emily's shoulder with their own. Emily grins, hiding her blush. "Why thank you, Mx. Oberoi." She says goofily. Plus, Emily grumbles to Kiran about how much she misses her cousin Piper. "She's so loud but without her the house is quieter, and I miss talking with her every morning. Plus, who am I going to ask for crush advice?" She says and Kiran nods before asking. "Wait, who do you have a crush on?" Emily turns red again. "Oh, just a cute person in our grade." She says quickly, and Kiran gives her a mischievous look. "Is it Allison? She complimented your dinosaur t shirt once." They say. "Yeah, she's cute." Emily says. Kiran's eyes turn slightly dark but they smile. "That's great Em. Maybe when your moms let you date, I can be your wing-person and help you ask her out." They say casually. "Yeah, maybe." Emily says in the same tone. She wishes she could just tell Kiran she likes them but is worried Kiran doesn't feel the same and it'll make their friendship awkward. Emily thinks to herself that maybe she'll try to video call her cousin Piper and ask her for advice later.

Kiran’s had a crush on Emily since they first saw Emily in their 7th grade class last year, wearing a yellow ruffle t shirt and talking about dinosaurs with their mutual friend Mariela. Kiran loves how Emily’s goofy and brave and sweet, and hopes Emily feels the same way about them that they feel about her. Now, they listen as Emily tells them about their latest soccer game and about how she’s working on building some muscle. “My mama lets me use her weights but only the light ones.” She adds, and flexes her arm playfully at Kiran, who tries not to blush as they poke her arm.

#ts4 #mysims #Emily Liao-Feldman #Kiran Oberoi

[najia-cooks]

[ID: Whole spices including cloves, cinnamon, long pepper, and nutmeg in a small bowl. End ID.]

Mekelesha / መከለሻ (Ethiopian finishing spice blend)

Mekelesha wot is a finishing spice blend, added to dishes towards the end of cooking time so that the heat does not destroy their aromatics. Each cook adjusts their mekelesha blend to their own taste, but they usually include six or seven spices: Ethiopian false cardamom, long pepper, cumin, cloves, black pepper, and sometimes nutmeg.

Mekelesha adds complexity, intensity, and freshness to Ethiopian dishes, especially if made from whole spices at home. Also try it in other dishes such as kebabs, barbecue sauces, roasted vegetables, cooked salads, and more.

Recipe under the cut!

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Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Ethiopian false cardamom (korerima / ኮረሪማ; Aframomum melegueta), or substitute green cardamom

2 Tbsp (17g) Ethiopian long pepper (timiz / ጥምዝ; Piper capense)

1 1/2 Tbsp black pepper (kundo berbere)

1 Tbsp (7g) cumin seeds (kemun / ከሙን)

1 Tbsp (5g) whole cloves (krenfud / ቅርንፉድ)

4-inch chunk (5g) Ceylon cinnamon, or substitute cassia

1 nutmeg, crushed (optional)

See the notes at the end for a detailed description of spices and substitutions.

Instructions:

1. Toast whole spices one at a time in a small, dry skillet over medium heat. Toast each spice until it is fragrant, 30 seconds to 2 minutes; larger spices will take longer than smaller seeds. Set spices aside on a large plate and allow to cool.

2. Grind all spices in a coffee grinder or spice mill and filter through a fine mesh sieve. Store in an airtight container out of direct sunlight.

Notes on spices:

Korerima

Korerima is also known as “grains of paradise,” “black cardamom,” or “false cardamom.” Some recipes mistakenly call for Nepal cardamom in place of korerima, because Nepal cardamom is also known as “black cardamom” in English. The aroma of korerima once ground, though, is much more akin to that of green cardamom than to the smoky, camphorous aroma of Nepal cardamom.

Ceylon cinnamon

Ceylon or true cinnamon is a variety of cinnamon commonly grown in Ceylon, Sri Lanka; it has a subtler, more nuanced and less bitter flavor than cassia cinnamon. Because it must be rolled by hand (unlike cassia cinnamon, which curls naturally), it tends to be more expensive than cassia. If you can’t locate any Ceylon cinnamon, though, cassia is a good substitution.

Long pepper / timiz

Long pepper is the dried berries of Piper capense, also known as African long pepper or Ethiopian long pepper. Piper capense grows across west Africa, south Africa, and the horn of Africa. It is smoky, camphorous, and resinous, not as spicy or sharp as black or white pepper. Piper longum (Indian or Bengal long pepper) berries, which are sharper in taste, are best known for their cultivation in Southeast Asia, but they are also grown and eaten in East Africa and may also be referred to as “timiz.” In the U.S. and Europe, Ethiopian long pepper may be found online, or at a speciality African foods store, where it will be labelled “timiz”; Indian long pepper may be found at an Indian or halaal grocery store, where it will be labelled "long pepper" or “pipli.”

If you can't find timiz, substitute 1 Tbsp black peppercorns and 1 Tbsp white peppercorns.

#spice blends #Ethiopian

[queenofcats17]

So, remember this post? I decided to write it.

So here’s all the Allison cutscenes with Sammy written in. I ran out of steam at the very end, but I think Allison would ask Sammy to rally the Lost Ones or at least thin out the crowd a bit.

Also, this is probably gonna be pretty disjointed. Apologies

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

“I wouldn’t drink too much of that if I were you.” A woman’s voice came from behind Audrey, causing her to gasp and drop the soup can she’d been holding as she whirled around to face the source of the voice.

Standing there was a woman, although she looked nothing like any woman Audrey had ever seen before. The woman had dark hair tied back in a ponytail, and with horns poking out from under it. It looked like she was wearing a headband as well. The woman’s arms were stained black, almost up to the shoulders. It looked like her dress was a part of her skin, at least on her torso. She wore a utility belt and a rope slung across her chest.

Behind the woman was a man. Or something that looked like a man. He was completely black, black as ink. Maybe he was ink. His face and head were completely featureless, save for two glowing golden eyes set deep in the smooth blackness. He wore a mask on the side of his head, a mask of Bendy. Like the woman, he had a utility belt. But he also had an ax, hold loosely in one hand.

“It helps patch you up,” the woman continued, smiling warmly as she approached Audrey. “But the aftertaste, it’s not so good.”

Audrey took a step back, her shoulders tensing.

“Calm yourself, little lamb,” the man said, approaching as well. “We mean you no harm.” His voice was low and soft. It was...beautiful.

The woman glanced back at the man before turning her attention back to Audrey. “He’s right. We’re not going to hurt you,” she said gently, reaching for Audrey’s arm. “Looked like you needed some help.”

“Don’t touch me!” Audrey snapped, wrenching her arm away and taking another step back. “What are you? What is this horrible place?!”

“We are the faithful,” the man spoke with quiet reverence, spreading his arms wide. “The chosen few who follow the path of the Demon. For he will set us free from these inky prisons we call bodies!”

The woman sighed, giving Audrey an apologetic smile. Did this happen often?

“The Demon?” Audrey echoed, her fear only building at such a response. “You mean that thing that attacked me?”

“No. That’s a Piper,” the woman answered, as though that was supposed to tell Audrey anything. “And he’s part of a gang so be careful.”

“As if my Lord could ever be mistaken for something so lowly as a Piper.” The man sounded genuinely offended.

Audrey felt like crying. None of this was answering any of her questions. She still didn’t know where they were, what had happened to her, or what these people were.

“I don’t understand any of this,” she groaned. “I can’t think. It hurts.”

“You’ll catch on pretty quickly, if you can stay alive,” the woman assured her. “Lesson one: Searchers don’t have legs and tend to swarm.” She mimed walking with her fingers, looking at Audrey with a hopeful smile. Was this her idea of a joke? When Audrey didn’t react, the woman’s smile dropped. “Look, it’s not good to stay in one place for too long around here. Keep moving and stay close to the shadows. Take my advice. Head to the upper levels. It’s...safer there.”

“The deeper into this place you delve, the more horrors you will find waiting,” the man said solemnly. There was no hint of the reverence that had been in his voice before, only a weary resignation.

“Can I come with you two?” Audrey asked. These two seemed to understand this place. If she could stay with them, maybe she’d be alright.

The woman’s face fell further, guilt creeping into her expression. “You can’t...I’m sorry. I have a wolf, Tom. He doesn’t care for strangers. He barely tolerates this one as is.” She gave a weak smile and gestured to the man.

“Your wolf is lucky we share a common enemy, else I would have separated his head from his shoulders long ago,” the man declared, eyes narrowing.

“A wolf?!” Audrey sputtered.

The woman couldn’t help but laugh. “Like I said, you’ll catch on. Good luck, I hope we’ll meet again.”

“Best of luck, my little lamb.” The man nodded toward her.

The two of them began to walk away, only for the woman to stop and look back. “Oh! And one more thing! Above everything else, stay away from the Ink Demon.”

“What’s an Ink Demon?”

“He is our Lord! Our savior!” The man proclaimed, gesturing grandly once more. “He will break the cycle! He will set us free!”

“He’s dangerous,” the woman said, an edge entering her voice as she glanced pointedly back at the man. “You’ll know him when you see him. He likes to smile and he kills anything that moves.”

“He won’t be dangerous if you don’t anger him,” the man muttered, folding his arms.

“Let’s not give the new girl ideas that are going to get her killed.” The woman grabbed the man’s arm, beginning to drag him away. She was stopped, however, by Audrey calling out.

“Wait! What are your names?”

The man straightened, pulling away from the woman to bow to Audrey. “I am the illustrious Sammy Lawrence, prophet to my Lord, the Ink Demon, and shepherd of the lost. She is the False Angel.” He gestured to the woman. “Or, one of them at least.”

The woman smiled in a way that indicated this wasn’t the first time Sammy had introduced her in this way and she still wasn’t thrilled about it. “Thank you, Sammy.”

“You are most welcome.” Audrey could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

“They call me Alice,” the woman said, turning to face Audrey as well. “I’m not very fond of it.”

“I’m Audrey.”

The woman smiled softly. “Well, Audrey, welcome to the studio.”

A rumble briefly drew Audrey’s attention away from the pair, and when she looked back...They were gone.

.

“Hello?” Audrey leaned into the strange tube. What on Earth was this thing?

“Audrey?” Alice’s voice crackled forth, her relief clear. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“The lamb yet lives!” Sammy’s voice came through a bit more distantly, as though he were standing behind Alice on the other end.

“Uh, Alice, I think you and I have very different definitions of “alright”,” Audrey laughed weakly.

“You’re alive and intact,” Sammy said, sounding surprisingly gentle. “That’s more than some can say down here.”

“I guess I should have said I’m glad you’re still alive,” Alice laughed. “Where are you?”

Audrey glanced behind her, reminding herself of her position. “Animation department entrance? But it’s locked up tight.”

“Good.” The response seemed to satisfy Alice. “That means you’re heading up. Look for anything you can use to break in. Maybe there’s a Gent pipe nearby.“

Suddenly, a rumble shook the studio, sending debris showering down from the ceiling.

“What was that?” Alice asked, a note of panic entering her voice.

“There’s something in here.”

“Audrey! Find that Gent Pipe now!” Alice urged.

“Keep your wits about you, little lamb,” Sammy cautioned her before the feed seemed to cut out.

.

“Alice? Are... Are you there?” Audrey clung to the strange pipe device, desperate to hear the other woman’s voice. “Alice!”

She almost cried from relief when Alice’s voice finally did crackle through the speaker.

“Audrey! Where are you?”

Audrey glanced back down the hallways she’d come from. “I don’t know. It’s dark... and I... I don’t know what to do.”

“Is that the lamb?” Sammy’s voice came through. “How goes her journey?”

Immediately, Audrey found herself overcome with rage. “You! You said the Ink Demon wouldn’t be a threat to me if I didn’t anger him!”

“I did say that,” Sammy confirmed, frustratingly calm.

“But he did attack me! I didn’t even do anything!”

“I told you that you were going to get her hurt,” Alice scolded.

“Well you must have done something wrong to earn his ire,” Sammy insisted. “He has a reason for everything he does.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Audrey yelled, hitting the side of the tube with her first.

“Just ignore him,” Alice said. “Wait where you are. I’m coming to find you. Just don’t move.”

Then the feed cut out.

.

“Are you alright, Audrey?” Alice asked as Audrey got back to her feet.

Behind Alice, Sammy had entered the room, along with a sour-faced cartoon wolf with a mechanical arm. Well, that wasn’t the weirdest thing she’d seen around here at least. The wolf gave her a respectful head nod to acknowledge her presence.

Sammy, however, wasn’t focused on Audrey, instead kneeling beside the body of the other Alice.

“I’m so sorry, Susie...” He whispered, reaching out to gently touch her face. For a moment, he almost seemed like a different person. For a moment, Audrey almost thought she could see a human there. Why did he look so familiar?

“Susie?” Audrey asked, briefly distracted from her delight at seeing her ally again. “Is that her name?”

“Did you say something, my lamb?” And just like that, the spell was broken, and the Sammy Audrey had met the first time was back.

“Uh...Nevermind.” Audrey decided not to dwell on it, instead turning her attention to Alice. “I cannot begin to tell you how good it is to see you, Alice!”

“It’s good to see you too.” Alice smiled as she sheathed her blade.

“And is this... your wolf?” Audrey asked, gesturing at the cartoon wolf, who nodded.

“Audrey, meet Tom.” Alice put a hand on Tom’s shoulder. “He’s my protector. My friend.”

“Your loyal lapdog,” Sammy said, getting to his feet.

Alice’s gaze snapped over to Sammy, her eyes narrowing in a glare. Sammy just smiled, his glowing eyes turning to crescent moons as he did.

Audrey got between the two of them, hoping to cut some of the tension. “You all got here just in time. Now I understand why you don’t like being called Alice.”

Thankfully, it seemed to work, as Alice’s eyes fell upon the other Alice again. “The machine creates many of the same forms, at least on the outside. On the inside, we’re all pretty different.”

Audrey wondered for a moment if Alice had known this other Alice. She could see regret in the other woman’s eyes. Regret and guilt.

“Well, from now on, I’m going to call you something other than Alice,” she said definitively. “It just doesn’t suit you.”

“We’re agreed on that front,” Sammy snorted. “She’s no angel.”

Alice gave him another disapproving glare before turning back to Audrey. “What did you have in mind?”

“How about... Allison?” Audrey suggested.

“It’s not bad,” the newly minted Allison murmured, considering the name. “Ok! I’ll try it out. But only if you can tell me what in Heaven’s name you’re doing in Wilson’s retreat!”

“Wilson!” Audrey gasped. “I almost forgot! I have to get back right away!” She started for the hallway, only for Allison to pull her back.

“Are you crazy?” She asked. “Wilson’s our enemy!”

“Do you even know him?” Audrey demanded, yanking her arm away. “Have you ever talked to him?”

“I’ve seen what he’s done.” Allison’s voice and expression were solemn. “That’s good enough for me.”

“His work certainly speaks for itself,” Sammy agreed.

“Look, it sounds like he has a plan to kill the Ink Demon. For good!” Audrey said, trying not to sound like she was pleading. “And I think he can help us all! I just... I just need to go back and hear him out.”

“Well, if it’s true, you’ll both need as much help as you can get,” Allison said, and Audrey could practically see the wheels turning in the other woman’s mind. “The Ink Demon won’t go down without a fight!”

“Have you gone crazy?!” Sammy exploded. “You can’t kill the Ink Demon!”

“Why not?!” Audrey demanded. “He’s dangerous! He wants us all dead!”

“He’s an integral part of the system!” Sammy snapped. “Something must take his place if he’s toppled and I would much rather have the devil I know rather than whatever that man is cooking up.”

“Just give him a chance!” Audrey took a step toward Sammy, ready to start swinging.

“Stop it, both of you.” Allison stepped between them. “Sammy, we can discuss this later. Audrey, Tom and I will gather some of our friends. Anyone who’s left.” She turned to Audrey, taking Audrey’s hand in hers. “Good luck, Audrey.”

“You too, Allison.” Audrey’s anger dissipated at Allison’s touch. It was going to be alright, she told herself as she pulled away. She was going to go home.

As she turned to leave, she was stopped once more by someone grabbing her arm. This time it was Sammy.

“Heed my words, little lamb, for I have seen this all before,” he said, voice low and ominous. “One man crowned king, standing atop a mountain of those sacrificed for his ambition. He does not care for the denizens of this place. He does not care for you. Whatever his plans are for you, I guarantee, they cannot be anything good.”

Audrey couldn’t help but shiver, pulling away. “I need to go,” she said.

“Keep your wits about you, my little lamb!” Sammy called after her. “Else you find yourself with your neck upon the chopping block!”

#bendy and the dark revival #batdr spoilers #audrey batdr #allison angel #sammy lawrence #fanfiction

[d34thbr34th]

#polls #please #heroes of olympus #nico di angelo #rick riordan #percy jackon and the olympians #trials of apollo #nico pjo #pjo hoo #pjo hoo toa #solangelo #will solace #piper mclean #hazel levesque #reyna ramirez avila arellano #jason grace #coach hedge #leo valdez #pjo fandom #pjo series #percy jackson series #percy pjo #percy and annabeth #percy jackson

[lailoken]

"Hela, the Teutonic goddess of the underworld who is half dark and half fair: her name signifies the 'Veiled One'"

—

Call of the Horned Piper

'Faerie Witchcraft & the Geography of Elfland'

by Nigel Aldcroft Jackson

#call of the horned piper #nigel aldcroft jackson #traditional withcraft #faerie witchcraft #hela #Bone Mother

[pen-of-roses]

WHG 20-Prompt 5-Silver

WHG tag list: @ratracechronicler, @maple-writes, @concealeddarkness13 @drabbleitout, @grailfish, @forthesanityofsome, and @pied-piper-of-hamlet (let me know if you want to be added)

(Prompt 4 was combined between Din and Silver so read that before this if you missed it)

Under threat of being dragged out by the Peacekeepers, they’d emerged from their hiding spot after most of the search party had disappeared to another car.

And regretted immediately as the cacophony threatened to drag them under the instant they set foot off the train. 

It’d be easy to slip away again. The Peacekeepers were trained, but for brutality and instilling fear, not for the survival that had been pressed into them. Their armor had a weakness at the neck. While the helmets protected their faces, they also created blindspots. One of their current guards was favoring a shoulder, easy to exploit. These were just more monsters, and human ones at that, so they could be beaten and pushed past just like—like—

The weight in their hand, taste of copper in their mouth, and battlecries of the long fallen slipped away with the memory and whatever nightmares they’d fought before. Probably for the better.

Besides, they’d gotten this far. Being alone in the heart of this abyssal damned place would probably be worse than the rigid rules prior to the Games. Not to mention they didn’t quite know what would happen to the District if its tribute fled prior to the Games.

So instead they bit their cheek and sat when prompted.

From there, the taste of copper became real as the true challenge of self control began as a group of people began to argue over them, about them, touch them, manipulate them however they wanted. 

Their clothes were stripped, and discarded. clothes that had been borrowed from their family and mended by hand over the months. They managed to not break each finger of the hand that had done it.

Forced into a sweet smelling bath and scrubbed raw, the hot water was so similar to the heat from the vision from the train. That did result in a dislocated shoulder and a blackeye. Technically two, but theirs healed before they were dry. 

A comb was taken to their hair, for it’s apparently Capitol-esque appearance, but also condemned for the tangled state of it, and the bone white horns underneath it. They forced down more gold-tinted memories of other hands doing the same and a voice in their ear.

The only benefit was no one was talking to them, and they weren’t expected to speak.

Wrapped in a towel and left to wait, they were hyper aware of every footstep outside the door, of every chant of magic in the air, of the sickly sweet perfume clinging to their skin, of the way all the metal shined in just the right light to look golden rather than silver, of where the camera was and how best to avoid it.

“Well, you certainly look more human than the animal the other’s described.” Someone said as he walked into the room and hung a bag off the door.

They bared their teeth, aware they were stained with blood from their cheek and signed “You’re the animals to me.”

“Oh so you can speak,” he signed back, and they blinked, rather taken aback as the strange man sat. “Perfect, that’ll make this so much easier on me. I’m your stylist for these wonderful things the Capitol calls Games. In short, my job is to make you look good so the lovely and ever gracious people out there will help keep you alive, if you wish them to. Or don’t, if that’s more to your liking. I’ll enjoy the show either way.” Crossing his arms, he sat back, raising one blonde eyebrow in challenge.

They squinted at him. He looked Capitol-esque alright, with a suit that looked almost like it was made of flowers, though the shape of them was unlike any they had seen. Calla had said the Capitol liked to genetically modify stuff, so maybe they were based off that. Or complete and inaccurate fabrications. His hair was covered with glitter, and purple makeup adorned his face in the same garish way they’d seen on the escorts and Capitolites. Yet he also seemed off. With his cocky smile, raised eyebrow, and head cocked, it seemed like he was sizing them up and judging.

Magic thrummed all around them, but whether he was the source of any was difficult to tell with all the different sounds.

Maybe not all of the Capitolites were as empty-headed and blind as the escort had made it seem. They would have to be more careful and observant.

“You didn’t give a name,” they signed.

“Nor did you, if you recall. Now, I have very little interest in wasting any more of our precious time, so if you’re willing, let’s get on with getting this over with.”

Reluctantly, they nodded. 

Time passed too slowly after that, but the stylist kept the others from handling them too roughly this time around, even giving them privacy while they changed.

In the end, they were left in front of a mirror, focusing on the intricacy of the bark-like texture of the suit, and the leaves and flowers that had been woven into their hair. Pointedly, they did not look at the makeup that had been done, couldn’t risk seeing that face. But the rest, they felt comfortable saying was almost…nice. Wildly inaccurate and overdone. But nice.

Some of the “wood” even covered their ears so when they walked out, the noise wasn’t completely overwhelming. And looking at the other outfits, they’d probably have to thank the stylist if they saw him again. 

Of course, whatever odd reprieve that had been couldn’t last terribly long as the chariots began. Two tributes raced off on the horses, which drew most of the crowd’s attention. But not all of it. 

There were eyes watching them again, too many, and no place to hide or shrink away from it. Even with the padding, the noise from their cheering was too loud. Several of the other tributes were screaming of powerful magic, and that pull from earlier was back, threatening to drown them in the gold.

Overhead, someone spoke of peace and tradition

Behind their eyes, a voice whispered of safety and love and power over destiny.

A cruel smile watched above.

A kind smile flickered in and out of existence and the air smelled of blood.

#writeblr hunger games #whg #whg 20 #silver #*squints at stylist* how did you get in here #this got away from me #I don't know what it is #Silver deserved some nice #for what they're about to go through #some #a pinch

[honourablejester]

PF2e Ancestries That Intrigue Me

So I’ve been browsing the various PF2e ancestries and heritages on Archives of Nethys, and I just want to mention a few that sparked joy.

Ancestries:

Grippli: Frog people! Frog people are always a guaranteed sell for me, I seriously just love frogs, and grippli are specifically arboreal frog people. You are a tree frog. There’s even a specific heritage, the Windweb Grippli, that eventually lets you be a gliding tree frog. I love it. I just wanna be a frog, man.

Leshy: You’re a plant. You are even, depending on your heritage, a specific type of plant. Want to be a tiny fungus being? Fungal Leshy. A squat grumpy cactus person? Cactus Leshy. You can be a vine, a root, a seaweed, a fruit leshy. If you decide you want to be a pumpkin leshy and choose the Gourd Leshy heritage, you don’t have a brain (your knowledge and personality are stored in your spirit) and can store things inside your empty pumpkin head. Which makes them harder to steal. I don’t … I can’t even. Amazing. Also, cannot possible overstate this, leshy are adorable. The art is just amazing.

Ysoki/Ratfolk: Much as with Grippli, sometimes I just wanna be a rat, dude. Possibly specifically a Sewer Rat, although the Longsnout Rat is also cool, and has a feat called ‘Plague Sniffer’ that lets you smell disease on people, which feels interesting and evocative of a lot of things. Also, the bit of me who grew up with The Pied Piper of Hamelin as my favourite fairytale wants to go in a lot of directions with a ratfolk character.

Fleshwarp: Bit of a switch of direction here, but … me and horror, me and cosmic horror, me and dark fantasy. Fleshwarps are fantastic. You have been horrifically transformed/manufactured by magical/alchemical/otherworldly forces. Each fleshwarp looks completely different, depending on what their particular horrific transformation did to them, so you can go absolutely wild with the body horror details so long as you keep to a broadly humanoid shape (bipedal, one head, four functional limbs – you can have more if a) they’re vestigial and non-functional or b) you take a feat). The heritages for fleshwarps are essentially how you were created, and you’ve got some options from ‘made in a vat’ to ‘warped by wild magic’ to ‘magical cybernetics ate your emotions’. And their feats are fucking gnarly. Weapons grown from your bodies, making enemies pay for wounding you by sickening them with the sight of your innards and the strange behaviour of the wound, gaining a sheen of acidic slime on your skin … Like. Okay. Body horror is not usually my horror cup of tea, but hot damn I would play around with this! They are fantastic. And there’s a lot to play with thematically with the consequences of such a difficult and warped existence. Like. Lots of story meat on this ancestry. Amazing.

Kashrishi: You know that thing where unicorns might have been rhinos? And the slight difference in vibe that gives? Kashrishi are halfling-sized empathic rhino people with crystal horns. I repeat. You are a three foot tall, built as hell bipedal psychic rhino unicorn with empathy and a crystal horn that glows when you use magic. Whoever came up with this idea and then put it in a book so that people could actually play it, I hope you got paid big money for it. This ancestry somehow hits a perfect bullseye dead centre on the venn diagram of the bits of me that love dwarves and the bits of me that love unicorns. I want it.

Versatile Heritages:

Firstly, I’m gonna say that I love the idea of taking these and making them heritages and not ancestries, so you can put them on any base ancestry. DnD 5e was starting to head this way with the dhampir and reborn, but because of 5e’s structure when it comes to races/ancestries, they still mostly just replace the ‘original’ race. PF2e’s ancestral heritage and feat structure lets you have both from the get go and choose elements of both to build on. I can have a tiefling dwarf. That’s still dwarfy. I can have a dhampir dwarf. An aasimar dwarf. An elemental dwarf.

And yes, instinctively, I pretty much do want to put all of them on a dwarf. I just like the idea of taking the quintessential dwarfness of a dwarf and adding something bonkers onto it. Dwarves are just so solidly dwarfy that they warp whatever you put on them around it. A dhampir is one thing, all cool and gothic, but a dhampir dwarf is something else. An aasimar dwarf is the grumpiest, most pragmatic half-angel on the planet. The sheer … solidity of dwarves just shifts the vibes, and I love it. Get your dwarf vibes all up in planar business!

Though, you know. Once my brain lets go of dwarves a bit, I can see some interesting potential for other combinations. An aasimar fleshwarp, for example, would be interesting. Which came first, the destruction or the grace? Were you born beautiful and blessed, and warped from jealousy or cruelty or bad luck? Or did some benevolent deity recognise the beauty of your spirit even in your shattered and twisted physical state and confer some touch of celestial grace upon you (my personal favourite)? How much of the aasimar shows through the ruin of warped flesh? I love the image of the halo feats you get from an aasimar on a fleshwarp. You are a shambling mound of twisted and tortured flesh, but you shine with a gentle heavenly light, that possibly even heals people. An absolutely stunning combination of the profane and the divine. I love that.

Versatile heritages are just a fantastic idea. Pulling those out and letting them be taken by anyone. You can have a heavenly frog. You can have a vampiric cactus. You can have a demonic dwarf. Absolutely excellent system decision. I love it.

A specific new-to-me versatile heritage that sparks interest is the Duskwalker, a heritage where your soul was basically allowed to knowingly reincarnate by a death deity. There’s a lot of psychopomp-adjacent lore and abilities that definitely intrigue me.

Specific Heritages from Ancestries

For those ancestries where it’s a specific heritage that sparks interest for me as much as the ancestry as a whole:

Witch Gnoll: Don’t get me wrong, I definitely do enjoy gnolls as an ancestry option in and of themselves. Gotta love the chance to play a hyena person. But the Witch Gnoll in particular just makes me want to play exclusively that heritage, because it’s a spooky gnoll. It’s the hyena laugh made manifest as a heritage. You’re a sly, shaggy, dark-furred hyena person with spells to throw sounds and freak people the hell out. I love it. I want to play a witch gnoll saboteur rogue, for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

(Sidenote: Between gnolls and kashrishi, I’m strongly considering trying to get my hands on the setting source books, Mwangi Expanse and Impossible Lands. They look cool)

Trogloshi Kashrishi: You’re a subterranean empathic rhino unicorn. With subterranean albinism, and you automatically get the kashrishi feat that makes your crystal horn shed light. Not going to lie, probably going to be my first choice for kashrishi.

Death Warden Dwarf: Look. We have discussed that I like spooky dwarves, along with generally weird dwarves. And the Death Warden cannot help but evoke the childhood memories of the Mines of Moria for me. You descend from a line of tomb guardians. You get bonuses against undead. Your family stood watch in the dark against the defilement of the dead. I just. I like it.

Unbreakable Goblin: I suspect this heritage probably annoys people in play and possibly in concept once it gets old, but I just really enjoy the entire idea of a small creature heritage that boils down to ‘we bounce and we don’t go down’. You’re just a tough, excitable, bouncy little dude. Heck yeah.

Summary:

You can possibly tell where my general interests lie from this selection. Heh. But yeah. I like a) cute things and b) spooky things. And dwarves. And generally short, stocky creatures who may or may not be also unicorns.

I do want to doodle out that aasimar fleshwarp character, now that I’ve been waxing poetic about it. Gonna go have a further think. Heh.

I do think Pathfinder 2e’s structure for character progression, the way it’s built on feats per level, does make ancestries and heritages a lot more flexible and customisable and combinable. Your ancestry is not just one-and-done, it’s a thing you consistently interact with and consider over the course of your character’s career. I like that. And I love the versatile heritages and how they can be added to anything. Ancestry feats were an excellent game design decision.

And, to reiterate, whoever made the stocky rhino unicorns? You deserve a raise. Full approval!

#pathfinder #pf2e #ancestries and heritages #dwarves #rhino unicorns #cosmic horror #the profane and the divine #such cool options

[subliminalbo]

I feel like I have to write a little bit about Alphas and what to expect from this series moving forward. Maybe I'll do a little write up on all of my ongoing stories, Idk. I'm pretty sure most people are here for the white eyes manips.

Alphas started on my Deviantart as a series called Captured. It's about a sorority that brainwashes people. My stories used to follow this standard formula: introduce a character with the face of a hot model, she gets mind controlled by the end of the chapter. This formula ended up limiting my options as far as what stories I could tell.

So I created Captured, starring Corbin Arroyo, a character I'd teased a few too many times to not have her own series. She's my kind of take on a campus private detective, a crime and social justice blogger who locks horns with a domineering mind controller in an effort to save her friend.

It's the first time we follow a character who doesn't get mind controlled in chapter one. Outside of that it's...kind of a mess. The original story is told in first person perspective from Corbin's point of view. It does the Gatsby thing where Corbin is giving us information about things that she isn't present for. There's also this kind of haphazard pacing that makes it feel like I'm just trying to get from point A to point B which, honestly, is exactly what's happening.

So I'm rewriting it. The biggest change is a switch in perspectives: from Corbin to her friend Piper, who goes out on her own to investigate the evil sorority. The first chapter of this new version doesn't feature any significant mind control but I'm hoping that the character building is worth it. I know that this is a tough sell but I think it's going into some fun and sexy directions, so I hope you'll stick through it with me.

#series: alphas #hypnokink

[liz-trix]

The Leviathan

[CW: Toon disfigurement] So... you want to tell me that the Ink Machine hasn't gotten clogged up at least ONCE in its time or producing "toons". I highly doubt that. And it's something I've thought about a lot! So here I am, introducing... Whatever this thing is. I like to call it The Leviathan. It's the result of what happens when someone doesn't take care of their oh-so-precious Ink Machine.

A hulking amalgamation of all your favorite characters and regrets taken physical form!

Physically another Alice Angel clone gone wrong, but this unfortunate soul was unlucky enough to be the first to get clogged in the Ink Machine mid-production, resulting in a handful of the next cued up toons being pumped into it. Its main torso is that of Alice, with the head being disfigured and taken over by a misshapen horn growth. Supposedly there's a Boris and a Piper in there. Somewhere...

Rumor has it that this abomination of a slug o' souls can be found in the lowest levels of the Studio, residing in the caved in Inky Caverns...

#cw body horror #batim oc #bendy #batdr #bendy and the dark revival #batim

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

The Insiders Chapter 12: Treat- Darry Curtis x Ruth Bellows

Word Count: 3.8kk

April 18, 1965

“You still haven’t told me what we’re doing,” Piper attempted to prod Ruth as she drove back to the Curtis home. After Tuesday returned home safely Ruth had made the split second decision that she wanted to take all the girls out for a girls day away from Tulsa. After all, they could all agree that they deserved it after the whole rumble and soc business. So, she informed Tuesday and Charlie to get ready before taking Piper home and getting ready herself. Now they were on their way back to Darry’s house and Piper had been asking about what they were doing ever since Ruth had picked her up. 

“Because I already told you I’d tell all of you when we get closer to Broken Arrow,” she answered simply, making the younger girl scrunch up her nose. 

“Yeah, but I’m your favorite.” Ruth couldn’t help but laugh at her attempts at prying her for information.

“It wouldn’t be fair,” she reminded her. Piper huffed, then faced her with a playful grin.

“You’re not kidnapping me, are you?”

“Guess you’ll have to wait to find out,” she joked as she pulled into the driveway, honking her horn once. It took a minute or two but Tuesday and Piper finally walked out of the house in different outfits than that morning. 

“Finally!” Piper called dramatically as the two reached the car, making Ruth laugh and Tuesday roll her eyes. 

“Don’t get your panties in a twist Piper,” Tuesday muttered dryly as she climbed into the backseat. Charlie followed after her, greeting Ruth once they were both inside. 

“Hi girls,” the woman greeted with a smile as she pulled out of the driveway. 

“So where are we going?” Piper was the one to ask the question that all three younger girls were thinking. 

“Well, I figured that we could go into town and get our nails done,” Ruth answered. “I also have an appointment to get highlights in my hair so if any of you want something done they take walk-ins, and maybe we could do a little shopping.” Tuesday gasped excitedly while Piper squealed. 

“How fun!” 

“Now I really feel underdressed,” Charlie laughed, but Ruth shook her head.  

“Nah, where we’re going it doesn’t matter how you dress. There aren’t any greasers or socs to be seen.” 

“Where are we going?” Tuesday asked, her interest piqued. 

“Broken Arrow,” answered Piper, having asked Ruth the same thing before they’d even arrived at Tuesday's house. 

“Alright, I feel better now,” Charlie said with a laugh. “You’re the best, Ruth.” The older girl shrugged coyly. 

“I certainly try my best.” 

“And it’s working,” Tuesday added with a wide smile.

“This is so exciting, I don’t have any friends at school,” Piper said happily, which made Ruth glance at her in concern.

“Wait, really?”

“Pony is my best and only friend” she nodded in confirmation, making the older girl raise an incredulous eyebrow. 

“Oh, friend huh?” She repeated in a teasing tone, watching as the younger girl turned red and nodded. 

“Mhm! My good friend.. Ponyboy.” Ruth hummed, obviously not believing her, but she nodded anyway. 

“Alright then.” 

“How did you and Darry meet?” Piper asked, obviously desperate to change the subject. 

“Oh, well he worked for my dad. I came to work with him a lot growing up and I eventually met Darry when he got the job there during our sophomore year,” she explained. “I’d known him a little because I was a cheerleader and he was on the football team, but we hadn’t really talked until he got the job.” 

“That’s so cute! That’s like the high school dream,” the girl sighed happily. “Gee- that’s so dreamy.” Her response made Ruth laugh. 

“You know, there was a point in high school where everyone thought we would get together,” she mentioned offhandedly, which made Piper squeal. 

“Oh my god- did he know? Did you know? Were you guys embarrassed about it? Did you like him?” She asks, very obviously fascinated in Ruth’s love life. Her avalanche of questions made the woman laugh. 

“Oh I definitely knew, and based on how he looked at me sometimes I think he knew. I don’t really know how he felt but I was a little embarrassed at first. I got over it pretty quickly, and yes I did like him.” 

“That’s so sweet, that’s like one of the movies at the drive-in,” Piper laughed. “You think you guys are gonna get maaaarried?” Ruth blushed at the teasing tone the younger girl mimicked from Ruth’s earlier teasing, then shrugged. 

“I don’t know the answer to that,” she muttered, which made Piper laugh again. 

“I’m just teasing. That is so romantic though.” 

“I like to think so,” she nodded, then her smile turned a bit sad. “I don’t know why we never got together. I guess life just pulled us apart…” she trailed off absentmindedly. 

“That happens sometimes, maybe you guys weren’t ready for one another,” the younger girl shrugged. “Maybe now was the time for a reason.”

“I certainly hope so,” she breathed out as she pulled into a small shopping strip in Black Arrow. The four of them clambered out of the car.

“Wow, this place is so neat,” Piper commented with a wide smile, earning a nod from Ruth. 

“I like to come here when I want to get out of Tulsa,” she responded as she led the three girls into the salon. 

“Everyone looks so friendly,” Piper added as she looked around. 

“Everyone that I’ve met is super nice,” she responded, opening the door for them. “Now I’m just getting highlights and trimming my hair but you guys get whatever. Remember, this is all my treat so don’t hold back.” 

“I don’t even know what to do, I’m so excited,” Piper said, which made Ruth giggle. 

“Well the hairstylist is gonna help you figure out what you want. Look through the magazines and figure it out,” she explained. She waited for the girls to start looking through magazines and such before going to greet her hairstylist and sit down. As the stylist got started Ruth noticed Piper sit beside her out of the corner of her eye. She talked to her own hairdresser before said person got started on her hair. They sat in silence for a minute before Piper finally looked at her. 

“Would you- if I told you a secret, would you tell anyone?” She asked nervously.

“Of course I wouldn’t,” she answered without hesitation “You know that.” Piper nodded then took a deep breath. 

“Me and Pony are dating,” she said almost too quickly for Ruth to understand, but she knew what the younger girl was saying. She smirked a little. 

“I sort of guessed that already, honey,” she responded in a teasing tone, which made Piper blush. 

“R-Really?” She asks, somewhat mortified. 

“Don’t worry, I can keep the secret,” Ruth winked at her. “I just happened to see you climbing into his window the other day.” She giggled as she recalled watching Piper clamber into Ponyboy’s window just a few days ago from her car. 

“Oh,” Piper muttered shyly. “That’ll do it.”

“Does he make you happy?” The girl nodded. 

“He does make me happy,” she confirmed, slightly embarrassed. “I mean- I wasn’t lying when I said he was my only friend.” Ruth smiled sympathetically then nodded. 

“Well, he is a very sweet boy and I hope you guys are happy,” she said sincerely.

“I am, I’m very happy. It’s also fun to sneak in, it’s very romantic.” That made the woman laugh as she nodded in agreement. 

“Totally,” she agreed. 

“This is really fun, I don’t ever get to talk about stuff like this,” Piper admitted.

“Well you can always come to me Piper. We don’t live that far from each other.” She watched the girl’s eyes light up. 

“Really?” She asked hopefully. 

“Of course!” She giggled. “I don’t mind. And I’m sure Tuesday and Charlie would say the same too.” 

“Gee you’re all too nice,” Piper muttered. 

“That’s why you fit in,” Ruth shrugged in response. 

“That’s good, I like it. I like you all a lot.” Ruth cooed at her. 

“Aww Piper you’re so sweet.” Piper grinned as her hairdresser finished up. She squealed after seeing her hair, which had been shag cut into a mullet with a few chunky highlights. 

“Oh! I love it!”

“It looks amazing!” The woman gushed. “That hairstyle totally suits you.”

“I feel like a supermodel!” She exclaimed joyfully as she stood.

“Who says you can’t be?” Ruth giggled as she stood too, her hair also finished. “I think you could be one.” 

“You look like one too! You look so cute!” 

“Thank you,” she responded amusedly before walking over to Tuesday and Charlie, stopping when she saw the latter’s hair “Oh my- Charlie you look amazing!”

“That’s the understatement of the century!” Tuesday laughed. 

“Gee, it’s so different, I’m gonna have to get used to it,” Charlie laughed as she ruffled up her hair a bit. 

“Well I think all three of you look amazing” Ruth compliments “Do you guys want anything else done here, or are we done here?” 

“I’m done,” Tuesday shrugged, Piper and Charlie agreeing with her. The latter took out her wallet and faced Ruth. 

“There ain’t no way I’m letting you pay for all of us,” she said. Ruth merely laughed as she walked up to the receptionist. 

“Watch me.” Charlie huffed, but thanked her before following her out of the salon once she finished paying. 

“I hope Tulsa is ready for us after today,” she joked, earning a laugh from Ruth. 

“Alright girls, now you have the choice to go shopping or get your nails done first.” They took a vote, then the girls walked towards the nail salon a few doors away. 

“I’ve never gotten my nails done,” Charlie admitted with a laugh.

“There’s always a first time for everything,” Ruth responded kindly as she led the girls inside. The girl hummed thoughtfully, then smiled playfully. 

“If it impedes me working out, I’ll bite them off,” she half joked. 

“No need for that. You can’t just pick a color and they’ll paint it,” the older girl explained with a giggle, pointing to the shelves of nail polish colors. As they looked over the various nail polish colors, Charlie suddenly turned to the oldest girl. 

“Ruth- how did you do it?” She asked, catching Tuesday’s and Piper’s attention. “You’re completely self sufficient, you’re only with a man because you truly love him and don’t need him, you could do it all on your own. How?” Ruth was surprised by Charlie’s question, but she still answered. 

“Well, I’m not gonna lie and say it’s easy. After all, all I did was take over my dad’s business,” she laughed softly. “But it does take time to find your groove and I needed to be mindful of everything I did to the company. And as far as the man thing, the only reason you should be with any man is because you love him. Men are a luxury, not a necessity, and you don’t need them in order to live your life.” Charlie shoved her hands in her pockets. 

“I don’t know I’ve given myself up to a few soc boys who pamper like no tomorrow,” she laughed as they took a seat beside each other.  “But it’s not easy, is it? Running all of that?” 

“No, it isn’t,” Ruth shook her head. “It’s the opposite actually. You have to consider every possible thing that could happen to anyone or anything.” 

“Do you ever feel bad about things? Like firing people- or cutting salaries?”

“Oh definitely,” she sighed softly, hating the mere thought. “It’s the worst thing I can think of because at least half of my employees are greasers who rely on their paychecks. They’re all hard workers, and they’re all real sweet.” 

“I’ll bet,” Charlie nodded. “So how do you get over that?” Ruth shrugged. 

“I try to compensate as much as I can. Pay them at least a little until I know they have a new job. And if I ever need extra help they’re the ones I call. There’s not much else I can do.” The younger girl hummed thoughtfully before nodding. 

“You’re pretty nice. I know business owners that just drop people off the face of the business with no last paycheck, no sorry, nothing.” 

“I learned from my dad,” the older girl smiled, somewhat sadly.  “He was one of the nicest men I’ve ever known, always willing to give people second and third chances. He taught me everything I know, and not just for the business.” 

It felt odd for her to talk about her dad in past tense. He hadn’t been dead for that long, so the wound was still semi fresh. But she was still always happy to talk about him because he was the best man she’d ever known (even without her bias). Charlie smiled softly at her. 

“That’s sweet,” she responded. “Not everyone has someone like that. He must’ve been a phenomenal man.”

“He was,” Ruth sighed, then shook her head. “But I’m not here to talk about dead relatives. Tell me about your family, you live with your dad, right?” Charlie smiled and nodded eagerly. 

“Oh, my dad! Yeah, I live with my dad, he’s fine. It’s definitely interesting growing up with him,” she trailed off, becoming distant before snapping out of it less than a second later and nodding affirmingly. “He does his best.” Ruth got the feeling that Charlie wasn’t quite in the mood to discuss her father, so she moved on. 

“Do you have any siblings?” Charlie shook her head. 

“Nope, just me. Just me and my dad. I wish I had siblings though. It gets a little lonely at my house. It’s cold and lonely” she answered with a laugh, though the older girl frowned.

“Aw, I’m sorry Charlie.” 

“Oh it’s fine, I’m not unhappy. I get fed well, I have a roof, my father is supportive of me - although he was very disappointed when he found out I was dating Soda,” she half joked. “But it’s a quaint life. A quaint house.”

“If it makes you feel better, my mom wasn’t too thrilled about me dating Darry,” Ruth responded with a small smile, earning a laugh from the younger girl. 

“We’re on the same boat. My poor dad just shook his head, took off his glasses and said I should give him some time to think.”

“That was my mom!” She laughed. “Only she doesn’t have glasses so she just closed her book.” Charlie just laughed and shook her head as her nail artist finished. After looking at her nails she hummed. 

“Wow, this is different.” The older girl looked at her nails then nodded approvingly. 

“Is it a good different?” 

“I think so,” she nodded with a smile. Ruth smiled then nodded as her own nail artist finished their work. 

“I think they look great.” Charlie took a moment to glance at Ruth’s nails, which had been fashioned into a French manicure. 

“Yours look phenomenal, look at you!” Ruth giggled as she stood up. 

“Lots of big changes today. How are you feeling?” 

“I feel,” she paused, taking a second to look for the right word. “Confident.” Her answer made the older girl smile. 

“Good. I’m glad,” she said as she headed to the front counter to pay, Charlie following.

“I admire you a lot,” Charlie admitted, surprising Ruth for the second time that day.

“Why’s that?”

“You’re just inspiring. You’re running a business, you’re chasing after true love, you treat yourself, you’re level headed,” she took a second to think. “That’s everything I want to be.” The older girl couldn’t hide her blush as she smiled at her. 

“Well I have to say that is a tremendous compliment.”

“And I hope to get to know you better,” Charlie added as Ruth led her out of the salon with Tuesday and Ruth following. 

“I can’t wait for that. Maybe we can hang out more,” she concluded before facing all three of the younger girls.

“Alright girls, pick a shop and go.” Piper wasted no time in running for a cute little shop next door, pulling Tuesday with her. 

“I don’t even know what I would look good in, I buy my clothes at the discount bin,” Charlie muttered with a laugh.

“Guess we’ll have to find your style then,” Ruth laughed as well as she followed Piper and Tuesday. Once they were all  inside the youngest girl grinned. 

“Wow, this is so chic!”

“Oh yeah, I come to this place all the time,” Ruth nodded with a giggle. 

“Well gee, how do you guys even pick from all of these clothes?” The blonde asked as Tuesday and Piper walked off together. 

“Just look around and see what calls to you,” Ruth shrugged as she began sifting through clothes on a nearby rack. After a few minutes of browsing Ruth looked at Charlie to check on her, and she immediately noticed how overwhelmed the girl looked. A small smile formed on her face as she moved to stand beside her. 

“Need some help?” She offered kindly. 

“Please,” Charlie answered without hesitation, laughing afterwards.

“Well, how do you feel about button downs?” She asked, grabbing a few slightly oversized shirts and holding them out to her. Charlie just grabbed them, not quite caring what any of them looked like. 

“Alright then,” Ruth laughed, grabbing a few pairs of shorts and jeans and handing them to her. “Take these, too.” Charlie nodded and walked to the dressing room without another word. Ruth followed her, though she stopped outside of the dressing room, waiting to see how Charlie liked the clothes she picked out. 

As Ruth waited she ended up trying on everything she’d found for herself. It was a lot of her usual style, but there were a few things she had grabbed that she wouldn’t normally reach for. She ended up walking out of the dressing room wearing a burnt orange cropped long sleeve shirt that tied in the front as well as some flared jeans. It seemed like she was just in time too because Charlie finally stepped out in a black floral print shirt that had been tucked into some high waisted shorts. After just one glance Ruth could tell Charlie was in love with the outfit based on the confident expression that adorned the younger girl’s face. A wide smile appeared on the woman’s face and she nodded approvingly. 

“It looks like you’ve found your style,” she comments, making the girl nod. 

“I think so too,” Charlie admitted softly. 

“Good. Did you see anything else you liked?” Charlie thought for a moment before ultimately shaking her head. 

“No, this is good.”

“Okay. Well I’m gonna go pay for all this then we can go. It’s starting to get late,” she informed her before heading to the front. Tuesday and Piper joined them a moment later, also sporting different outfits of their own. Once she finished paying Ruth led the girls out. 

“Did you guys have fun today?” She asked, earning an enthusiastic nod from Tuesday. 

“Mhm!” Charlie and Piper agreed as they all made their way to Ruth’s car.

“Maybe we could all do this again sometime,” Ruth suggested as they climbed in. 

“But you can’t pay next time, we’re treating you,” Charlie answered. 

“I already said I had more than enough to pay for all this,” the woman pointed out with a small laugh. 

“But next time it’s on us,” Charlie repeated, this time more demanding. Ruth huffed as she started the car, pulling out of the shopping strip. 

“Alright, alright, I hear you.”

The ride home was uneventful. It seemed that the last two hectic days had finally caught up to the girls because the car ride was mostly silent. When they reached the Curtis house Ruth got out and stretched, tired from all the driving that day. She then followed Tuesday’s lead in grabbing her shopping bags before following her inside along with Piper and Charlie. Darry, Dally, Soda and Ponyboy were all sitting around the living room either reading the paper, watching tv or reading a book respectively. 

“We’re home,” Tuesday announced as she stepped inside, Ruth close behind her. Darry, who had been the one reading the newspaper, greeted her. 

“Welcome ba-” he paused mid sentence when he finally got a look at her. He just sat there for a moment staring at her. Ruth couldn’t help but smile as she walked over to him, kissing his cheek. 

“Hi honey.” 

“H-Hi,” the man just barely managed to get out as he stood up, having been rendered speechless by his girlfriend’s new look. “Gee, this was a surprise.” A small laugh escaped the girl’s lips. 

“Do you like it?” 

“Ruth you look gorgeous” he responded sincerely before kissing her forehead, admiring her for a moment. “You’re just unbelievably stunning.” Ruth couldn’t help but blush at his compliment, and she found herself giggling like a schoolgirl. 

“Well thank you.” 

“How did I get so lucky?” Darry asked more to himself than her, but she still answered anyway. 

“I ask myself the same thing every day,” she responded simply, kissing his cheek again before sitting in his big arm chair. 

“You look so small in my chair,” he commented with a laugh. 

“Which means there’s more than enough room to sit with me,” she responded cheekily. Darry laughed and picked her up, placing her on his lap once he sat down. 

“That’s better.” 

“Much,” Ruth agreed, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling when he kissed her temple. 

“I’m sure the girls appreciated today so much,” he said softly.

“If they didn’t say it a million times their smiles gave it away,” Ruth laughed, Darry joining in. 

“Well thank you for doing that. It means the world to me that they're happy.”

“Me too,” she admitted. “They all needed this.” Darry nodded in agreement before looking down at her. 

“Are you and your mom doing okay? I wanted to bring over a home cooked meal and have dinner with you guys,” he mentioned, earning a nod from the girl. 

“She’s been fine. And I think she’d appreciate something that I haven’t made,” she laughed. 

“Whenever you’d like that I'll be there. I miss your mom, and I haven’t seen her since we started- you know.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Ruth nodded followed by a yawn. 

“Tired?”

“A little,” she admitted. “Today was fun but very tiring.” 

“Let’s get you to bed then” he muttered, picking her up. 

“I can walk, you know,” the woman mentioned amusedly. 

“And I can carry you,” he shot back as he carried her up to his room, laying her on the bed. Once she was comfortable Ruth held out her arms for him expectantly. Darry couldn’t help but laugh as he climbed in beside her. 

“Well, aren't you a princess?” He teased. 

“Duh,” she responded as if it were obvious. The man laughed then yawned as the girl’s eyes fell closed, and they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

#the outsiders #the outsiders imagine #darry curtis #darry curtis imagine #darry curtis x oc