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#their father invented birds
chalkbird · 2 years
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what acofaf taught me so far:
❌ friendship
❌ loyalty
❌ honesty
✔️ african greys have a vocabulary of 800 to 1000 words
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daiguit91 · 4 months
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Top 50 discos favoritos del 2023: 30 - 21
Tercera parte de la lista.
30.- Full of Hell & Nothing - When No Birds Sang
Atmospheric Sludge Metal, Shoegaze, Post-Metal Dream Pop, Post-Rock 
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29.- Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
Art Rock, Electronic Progressive Electronic, Progressive Rock, Ambient, Art Pop, Post-Industrial, Glitch Pop
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28.- TWICE - Ready to Be
K-Pop, Dance-Pop Nu-Disco, Pop Rock
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27.- XG - NEW DNA
Dance-Pop, Pop Rap, K-Pop Trap, Contemporary R&B, Hip House, Future Bass
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26.- Dreamwell - In My Saddest Dreams, I Am Beside You
Screamo, Post-Hardcore Metalcore, Post-Rock, Post-Metal, Blackgaze
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25.- Invent Animate - Heavener 
Djent, Metalcore Post-Hardcore, Alternative Metal
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24.- Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy
Neo-Psychedelia, Art Pop Gospel, Spirituals, Post-Industrial, West African Music
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23.- Yves Tumor - Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
Neo-Psychedelia, Post-Punk Art Rock, Noise Pop, Post-Punk Revival, Dance-Punk, Glam Rock
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22.- Jeff Rosenstock - HELLMODE
Indie Rock, Power Pop, Pop Punk Singer-Songwriter, Skate Punk
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21.- Wednesday - Rat Saw God
Indie Rock, Noise Rock, Alt-Country Slacker Rock, Noise Pop, Shoegaze, Alt-Country
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astrolovecosmos · 3 months
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The Planets & Random or Obscure Associations
~Sun~
Creativity, vitality, head of state, the father, games, yellow and orange clothing, articles of value, jewelry, gold, brass, power, diamonds, citrine, topaz, jasper, amber, rhodochrosite, mistletoe, almonds, citrus, succulents, sunflowers, fevers, heart, back, spine, grapes, walnuts, rice, chamomile, frankincense, juniper, saffron, marigold, rosemary, rue, palaces, towers, luxury.
~Moon~
Eternal, cycles, silver, aluminum, pearls, moonstone, opal, selenite, chest, glands, lymphatic system, nervous system, emotions, mother, ancestors, nurture, rebirth, tides, baths, ocean, brew, boat, sap, willow trees, succulents, pale color plants, white flowers, cucumber, cabbage, lettuce, melons, shellfish, pumpkins, lakes, fountains, ports, fishponds, pools, springs, sewers, dairies, toys, reflection, blankets, objects of comfort.
~Mercury~
Communication, journal, pen/pencil, any writing tools, wings, phosphorous, mercury, agate, tiger's eye, brain, nervous system, eyes, respiration, thyroid, speech, hearing, intellect, vehicles, money, bills, paper, books, pictures, parties or social gatherings, scientific instruments, butterflies, messages, mail, hazel, mulberry, myrtle, seeds, aniseed, dill, fennel, lavender, liquorice, marjoram, parsley, valerian, hazelnuts, beans, mushrooms, pomegranates, carrots, celery, libraries, schools, markets, fairs, public spaces, tennis or badminton court, studies, banks, bowling greens, offices, blue, white, or light colored flowers.
~Venus~
Love, relating, lust, high-quality fabrics, copper, bronze, sodium, malachite, tourmaline, emerald, rose quartz, kunzite, sapphire, pastels, throat, kidneys, lumber region, art, music, aesthetics, social life, fashion, jewelry, wine, pleasure, alder tree, fruit trees, paint, ash tree, birch, pomegranates, early flowering, daisy, mint, marshmallow, meadowsweet, mugwort, plantain, tansy, roses, thyme, vervain, yarrow, potatoes, strawberries, wheat, sugar, nectarines, ballrooms, bedrooms, dining room, gardens, fountains, wardrobes, theaters, looking and feeling good.
~Mars~
Lust, conquest, desire, flaming sword, red things, fights, iron, brass, bloodstone, carnelian, cinnabar, pyrite, magnetite, ruby, garnet, hematite, muscles, reproductive organs, blood, kidneys, immunity, heat, action, arms, pepper, sharp instruments, cutlery, attacks, scissors, weapons, physical intimacy, bites, stings, scalds, burns, accidents, hawthorn, pine, thorns, cactus, aloes, anemone, arnica, belladonna, garlic, ginger, hops, mustard seed, nettles, wormwood, chives, onions, leeks, radish, rhubarb, tobacco, labs, furnaces, distilleries, bakehouses, ovens, smiths, butchers, fields, anger, passion, self-focus.
~Jupiter~
Expansion, optimism, religion, religious sites, tin, seduction, turquoise, chrysocolla, topaz, citrine, jasper, liver, pancreas, pituitary gland, sciatic nerve, excess, abundance, prophecy, philosophy, knowledge, universities, foreign travel, luggage, honey, oil, silk, fruit, distinct clothing, merchandise, horses, domestic birds, gambling, indulgence, entertainment, oak, dandelion, sage, endive, chervil, asparagus, figs, churches, temples, palaces, altars, courts, mansions, woods, orchards, winery, cornucopia, connecting with the soul.
~Saturn~
Limits, boundaries, father time, lord of death, shadows, lead, iron, steel, calcium, asbestos, sulphur, diamond, onyx, calcite, skeleton, spleen, skin, teeth, nails, joints, structure, crystallization, old age, blockage, anything dark, wool, heavy materials, agriculture, wheelbarrows, spades, farm houses and buildings, cold, laws, aspen, blackthorn, buckthorn, cypress, elm, toxic plants, hemlock, henbane, belladonna, hellebore, barley, beetroot, safflower, parsnips, spinach, deserts, woods, valleys, caves, church yards, ruins, coalpits, sinks, wells, mud, institutions.
~Uranus~
Eccentrics, mavericks, invention, genius, revolution, change, trends, disruptive science or tech, uranium, magnesium, lapis lazuli, sapphire, aquamarine, azurite, chalcedony, electricity, neon lights, plaid, nervous and circulatory system, pineal gland, chaos, violence, upheaval, astrology, steam engines, coal, machinery, coins, baths, fishponds, dangerous places, computers, magnets, quantum physics, research, welfare, humanity, hypnotherapy, railways, banks, gas, psychiatric hospitals, offices, hospitals, dispensaries, fortified places, chemicals, mingled/mingling, spirit and matter.
~Neptune~
Illusions, veils, diffuse, deception, water, oceans, mysticism, enlightenment, artistic pursuit and understanding, zinc, potassium, amethyst, fluorite, jade, sugilite, coral, aquamarine, pineal gland, lymphatic and nervous system, spine, mental processes, addiction, psychoses, disease, photography, music, substances, gas, religion, poetry, mimicry, chameleon, anesthetic, telepathy, empathy, dancing, psychic gifts, places near water, hospitals, places of healing, jeweler, painters, brewers, musicians, visionary.
~Pluto~
Power, influence, darkness, new life, what's hidden underneath, seeds, volcanoes, deep earth or ocean, bury, explosions, eruptions, abduction, plutonium, smoky quartz, obsidian, jet, pearl, deep reds, reproductive organs, the unconscious, nuclear, transformation, death, birth, rebirth, underworld, riches, earthquakes, big business, murder, detection, detective, invisibility, sneak, enforced change, hidden places, underground, drains, sewers, radioactive places, the occult, black magic, sacrifice, renew.
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hi coveyyy !! i hope you’re doing good and i was wondering if you could maybe do a hc for leo valdez x daughter of zeus if you havent already ?
⋆⭒˚.⋆ leo valdez x daughter of zeus! reader hcs
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content: leo valdez x daughter of zeus! reader hcs warning: language bc i can't be stop lmao author's note: trying something new...idk if i like or not, you guys tell me!! really...tell me. bc ill go back and change them all to match (bc id rather DIE A TERRIBLE AND ATROCIOUS DEATH than have them all be different) or i can change this one back to normal bullet points. also i realized i hadn't written for my manz in so long, which is CRIMINAL. get ready for the leo flood to come your way (hopefully. please stay away writers block im begging rn)
✧ there is nothing on this planet that leo loves more than a woman that could actually kill him lmao-
✧ so no one was all that surprised when he fell for you
✧ im mean, jason and thalia weren't exactly happy...but they also weren't surprised
✧ leo likes asking you to help him weld things
✧ he thinks it's funny when you use your finger with some electricity to weld whatever he wants together
✧ avid debates are held over who get's the nickname 'sparky'
✧ "MY DAD LITTERALY INVENT STATIC ELECTRCITY???"
✧ "YEAH? AND WHAT TO DO USE TO START A FIRE? A SPARK. TRY AGAIN BITCH."
✧ "what did you just call me?"
✧ "mi novia, mi amor, mi princessa, mi media naranja-"
✧ "andddddddd?"
✧ cue huge sigh
✧ "and sparky. juST FOR TODAY THO DON'T GET TOO EXCITED-"
✧ you like to ensure that leo doesn't overheat by sending soft breezes through bunker nine while he works
✧ and while it's very unlikely that the boy who can light himself on fire will overheat, he appreciate the gesture more than you know
✧ being the good country boy he is, he's a big carrie underwood fan
✧ like, unironically (he just like me fr)
✧ thinks its the funniest thing to serenade you with 'blown away'
✧ OH and 'hurricane' by bridgit mendler
✧ in turn, you never let him go a day without hearing 'girl on fire' by alicia keys
✧ or 'fireball' from mr. 305 himself
✧ likes to throw himself from high distances, knowing you'll aways catch him with a breeze or fly up and save him all supergirl sytle
✧ "ladder? nah, i've got my girl, we're good!"
✧ "climb down? i've got a short cut. and her names yn."
✧ you get stressed out and also reprimand him for this
✧ but he thinks you look hotter when you're yelling at him so he doesn't mind much (or really hear your words as his eyes slowly drift away from yours and downwards)
✧ loves you nearly as much as birds love yo ass
✧ key word is nearly - there is no competition, those little shits are winning
✧ it's giving disney princess the way the crowd you, you sometimes gasping at the rapid pace in which hummingbirds tell you gossip
✧ which you then repeat back to leo, who is gasping right along side you
✧ leo even built you a bird feeder, putting it up outside cabin one while you stood there, arms crossed and totally watching him work and not just starting at the way his muscles clenched or how good his lips look tugged between his teeth-
✧ what were we talking about?? i think i got distracted by something
✧ jason loves it to, the both of you sitting criss cross outside the cabin early in the morning, listen to the birds as they spill the tea while you and jason drink coffee and eat donuts, jason's book long forgotten
✧ ALSO leo easily won thalia over, presenting the daughter of zeus with all the silver jewelry that turns into weapons she could want
✧ that girl was instantly switching sides, happy to rave with you about how sweet leo was and how well he treats her- er, you! how well he treats you!
✧ jason was a little harder but after an in depth talk and totally zero threats against leo's life, they came to a peaceful agreement
✧ bro gave up on appeasing your father and instead prays to hera for a long and happy marriage with you and that zeus never finds peace again
✧ which instantly made him a fan favorite from hera
✧ he knows when you really want a kiss or when your mad at him because you legit just get super staticky
✧ like his hair starts stand on end and he's like 'either i pissed her off or she needs a kiss. either way, i got to seek my girl out.'
✧ both end with you kiss leo, so it doesn't really matter lmao
✧ in fact, most interactions with leo devolve into make out sessions
✧ and, really, who are you to complain??
✧ sparky + (other kind of) sparky = true love
✧ yall that's math you can't argue with it i dunno what to tell you
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watercloud7 · 2 months
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BATFAM PROMPT:
Feral Talon Dad Bruce Wayne AU
The bat kids are raised by a Cryptid zombie horror murder man who loves them very very much❤️
Bruce is sent to kill the Graysons by the court of Owls and kidnap their child to make him a Talon.
Dick witnesses the whole thing but because he’s so young in this AU like basically a toddler he’s terrified and when Bruce picks him up to take him back to the Owls Dick snuggles into him and sobs and screeches and he’s angry and confused and scared and tiny but This massive murder monster who killed his parents is the only comfort he has.
Dick is alone and he has no one. No one is coming to save him, no one is coming for him , his mama and daddy are gone and the only thing left is …. Whatever the hell this cryptid horror zombie is.
So Dick, takes his comfort where he can, which today comes in form of zombi does Bruce Wayne and that’s what it takes i guess.
Bruce breaks out of conditioning and vanishes into thin air with the kid. Only he doesn’t go back to the court.
Maybe this Bruce takes baby Grayson away and raises him as a feral murder baby.
They live secluded and away from anyone and anything. Maybe the mountains in Nanda parbat. They’re so discreet and good the league of assassins doesn’t even know their mountains are technically compromised.
Bruce raises Dick in complete secrecy. Literally like a wild child, Bruce occasionally travels to the town over to bring back toys and books and whatever he finds that he thinks would make Dick happy.
Dick sees and longs for peoples and connections and more. He loves Bruce but Bruce is basically like Ariel’s dad WORSE he’s basically mother gothel, he’s seen so many horrors and he’s so paranoid. He just wants his son to stay alive and away from any harm.
keeping Dixk locked away and safe from the Owls that mean him horrific torture and agony. Safe from the world, Safe with Daddy😭❤️.
SIGN LANGUAGE ENTHUSIAST BATFAM HEADCANON.
Bruce’s voice is … zombified and uncomfortable to use, so he teaches himself sign language and then teaches Dick. They invent their own dialect. Just for them😭
Dick gets big enough to want to see the world, to understand what happened, to find himself outside of his adopted eldritch Dad, and MAYBE! Make a damn friend like he’s been seeing in those picture books Bruce brings for him every week.
He “runs away” in a fit of teenage rebellion or whatever you wanna call it, after Dick gets caught sneaking into a village a couple kilometres from their Cosy little cave they like to call home.
Bruce is furious and terrified and he’s everything a scared father is after finding your kid missing from their room when they were supposed to be home hours ago.
Dick explodes in frustration and tears and off he goes.
He goes back to the beginning. To Gotham.
A half deadly Half sunshine all Feral Dick Grayson is roaming the world all alone when he stumbles across a considerably less feral
Less deadly Jason Todd.
Jay is an orphan and this weirdly affectionate clueless terror of a guy just imprinted on him
and won’t leave him alone.
I mean Scary bird boy is a stage 5 dumbass, zero bark, Zero bite 100% cuddles kinda guy.
(Seriously this dude has no concept of personal space and it’s bordering on infuriating) but Jason is like 99.9% sure he just saw him down crime alley snapping the resident rapists necks.
The men that call girls avoided and the police did isn’t care to arrest, so clearly bird boy is not a bad guy but he’s definitely not Harmless either.
Jason likes his style though.
Maybe the court of owls tries going after Jason or tries to kidnap Dick again.
Bruce finds them in the nick of time and slaughters every single one of the Owls once and for all.
Shenanigans ensue and they all bond.
Love love love. Bruce literally adopts him the minute he sees him.
Bruce and Dick teach Jay sign language.
Jason teaches Bruce and Dick how to read.
Jason loves his feral dad and brother.
MAYBE! Tim parents were Owls.
The rich wealthy elites of Gotham succumb to their nefarious ways in an ironic and cathartic end, survived by their heir Timothy Jackson Drake. Who up until now they had been grooming into becoming the next Owl man, he’s been trained to kill and torture and every other bad guy skills he needs to be their evil little successor.🫡
Bruce gets rid of them though.
WOMP WOMP.
Maybe after killing Timmy’s parents Bruce is just like…
Bruce: awwwwww this reminds me of how Dick’s surprise adoption went!
Tim:…. Bro you can’t just murder my parents and call this a surprise adoption.
Bruce: we can call this a kidnapping if you wanna keep it 💯 but either way you’re coming home with me
Tim: …. I ain’t even like em like that fr. Let me just pack a bag real quick.
The Drakes parenting was abhorrent so after Bruce kidnaps him ,Tim is viciously violent at first but after Bruce shows Tim patience and kindness.
Tim develops Stockholm syndrome like instantly and just latches onto Bruce like it’s the first instance of true love and care he’s ever felt.
Jason is actually the most normal and well
adjusted out of his Psychotic family. Ironically he’s the only one out of all of them that hasn’t killed someone lol.
Tim latches on violently to Dick & Jason, it’s adorable and scary and very creepy in a wholesome way. Tim absorbs any kind of attention like a sponge and has separation anxiety. He likes to watch them sleep and follow them every where they go like a puppy, only he does it in the shadows and takes candid pictures of them he collects religiously.
He’s a complete weirdo.
Dick finds him Absolutely delightful, he wants to gobble him all up and cuddle at every opportunity, he enables all Of his bad habits and Jason does his best to damage control and encourage Tim to dabble in more healthy hobbies and ways of showing affection but ultimately Dick Grayson remains undefeated as a bad influence.
Dick is a good big brother, so obviously he’s gotta participate in his baby brothers love language so Timmy can feel seen and appreciated.
So now Jason has TWO stalkers shadowing him everywhere he goes. 3 when Bruce is feeling sentimental.
Jason tolerates his families psychotic and feral behaviour because he loves them more then life itself and if anyone else said anything like that about them he’d snap their necks.
Jason shows his affection in normal ways like beating up peoples trying to start a fight with his brothers and cooking for them because they can’t cook to save their lives.
Sometimes Jason will wonder on how exactly Dixk survived all those years in that cave with an immortal Bruce who doesn’t need to eat.
(Bruce would catch wild animals and Dixk
Would eat the meat raw, sometimes he’d hold his blood soaked hand full of flesh out wanting to share with dad, but Bruce would just drag Dick closer to him and nudge him to keep eating his dinner)
Jason feels bad and bakes him sugary monstrosities included but not limited too:
Oreo chocolate chip maple soaked marshmallow pancakes.
Sour candy lucky charm jam filled donuts.
Triple Chocolate Nutella and peanut butter Reese cookies.
Jason is appropriately horrified at what he’s created every time.
But Dick tasted sugar for the first time and doesn’t know how to act.
The kids are living their best lives but Bruce Is SPIRALLING.
The more kids Bruce acquires the more stressed he gets.
There’s a really angsty scene where Bruce breaks down holding onto his kids and crying. He’s not a monster, he just wants these kids to be safe. He doesn’t wanna kill anymore, he doesn’t wanna hurt things anymore.
He wants to go home with his babies.
He wants to take all of them back to their busted creepy cave in nanda parbat.
But Dickie Isn’t a baby anymore, he wants his family close but he also wants MORE, he wants to be around people he wants to discover the world. Jason was born and raised in Gotham and Bruce can’t in good conscience rip his life apart like that.
And then there’s Timmy. Honestly the Tim is this AU is an unhinged obsessive gremlin, he just goes wherever his family wants to go, nothing else really matters to him but them.
And so Bruce decides to stay in Gotham and hides them all in an abandoned building. It’s kind of like a nest.
Bruce stashes his babies in a Makeshift safe house until he can figure out a way to make all this work.
Maybe Alfred finds their weird little makeshift Family when he stumbles into their safe house and manages not to get immediately killed.
Alfred is VERY worried about the state in which these kids are living.
He vows to lure them and their Dad to a safer better living arrangement.
Maybe Bruce gets severely hurt and the kids kidnap Alfred to patch Bruce up.
Alfred is appropriately horrified at the undead creature growling and hissing while he treats their mortally terminal wounds, but keeps as much composure as an ex-military general would about it.
Bruce like totally imprints on Alfred And like a cat, he drags each and every one of his kids into Alfred life for him to babysit and look after while Bruce goes out to do whatever zombie dads do.
Alfred has no choice in the matter and has effectively acquired spontaneous grandkids and a son.
Bruce: daddy?
Alfred: …. Boy do I look like-⁉️
They move in with Alfred basically over night.
Damian is either created Through the league of assassins who stole the courts strongest talon’s DNA (Bruce’s DNA) to recreate it. Or any other way I guess I donno? Maybe Talia and Bruce got jiggy with It at one point when they were in those mountains. PFFFF LOL GIVE ME IDEAS.
Gonna run with the first idea ?
Damian is created in a lab, Maybe the Drakes latest project was too recreate their greatest success which had been Talon!Bruce.
Tim revisits his parents lab randomly and discovers this. An abandoned lab and abandoned cryogenic chamber containing a baby.
Tim grabs the kids and runs back home.
Jason is exasperated and Alfred panics a bit cause…. Huh?!?!
Jason: Seriously guys? We can’t afford Another surprise adoption right now.
Alfred: do you mean a “kidnapping”
Jason: don’t be mean! It’s their love language 😡
Alfred: wonderful… is it safe to assume I’ll be raising yet another grandchild?
Jason: that’s the spirit, anyway we gotta find a much bigger apartment than this, it’s getting crowded.
Alfred: Ah, my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience caused by my oversight. It seems I should have anticipated my being abducted by a feral street urchin and his entourage of lethal pets. Quite the oversight on my part, I’ll begin apartment hunting right away sir.
Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian: *living their best life while Alfred tries to wrangle them out of shenanigans*
Anyways They take Damian in and he’s just as feral and eldritch horror as his daddy. He’s got his big brother’s trademark behaviours too!
Tim’s severely anti social mess , Dick’s creepy uncanny valley nature and Jason’s love for baking!
It’s so sweet how much he takes after his sibling and Bruce couldn’t be more proud of his litter of horror.
Alfred is honestly such a trooper through all this, salute the GOAT.
I wrote this on a whim! If y’all wanna hear more about this AU, if you want it written, let me know!
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ryutaria · 10 months
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Tears and Hearts
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Synopsis: With Al Haitham by (Y/N)'s side, she would never have to navigate parenthood all alone...Not when his daughter loved his comfort...
Word Count: 3.5k+
Tags: alhaitham x f! reader, comfort, postpartum depression, sfw, Acting Grand Sage Al Haitham, married life, domestic comfort, a teeny tiny CyoNari, father! Al Haitham, parenthood.
A/N: Comfort because we need it.
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A prevalent serenity prevailed over the city as the stars twinkled in the distant skies, faint balls of luminance enchanting to the onlookers' eyes. Darkness had engulfed the world just a few hours ago: rendering the mortal beings to seek solace in the street lamps and artificial mechanisms of luminance invented by the research scholars a long time ago. However, as the sands of the hourglass trickled down the ampule, the city dwellers began to retire to their own residences rendering the streets isolated albeit a few birds who could only hoot freely when the world was at peace yet again.
This was only a natural routine for the world, the moon chased the sun yet they never met unless the eclipse aligned them. However, (Y/N) found her calmness in these small things. The little things in everyday life that are taken for granted by so many... and appreciated by only a few. These things seldom mattered for researchers and scholars of the Akademiya, but as a decorated Professor of Rtawahist Darshan, (Y/N) understood the difference between living and surviving... existence. Moving away from the windowsill of her husband's study, her eyes trailed towards the clock on the mantelpiece: a pretty little vintage clock in the form of an hourglass.
12:17 - read the clock.
(Y/N) smiled as she remembered Kaveh who had gifted it on her second anniversary
"It's so pretty Kaveh!" (Y/N0 exclaimed as she hugged the piece closer to her heart much to the dismay of her husband.
"I got it from one of my expeditions in the desert you know. It -"
"It's just a time tracker (Y/N)." And there goes her husband, the ever logical and very rational Al Haitham as he huffed at Kaveh.
And that was the beginning of another teenage quarrel between the two and she couldn't help but giggle. Time sure flied... Here she was now: Married to Al Haitham for five years as she wore the Nagadus emerald studded platinum loop proudly on her ring finger. Recently there had been another addition to their household, a miniature Al Haitham although a girl child who had turned two months old just a week ago. Another reason why she couldn't resume her scholarly duties yet for the newborn needed attention and care and even when Al Haitham had insisted to help she had told him not to worry for (Y/N) was confident she could handle their little one alone.
"But aşkım I could help" Al Haitham said as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear tracing her cheek.
"I'll be fine 'Haitham..." (Y/N) called endearingly as she slowly engulfed his larger hands in her much smaller ones.
However, little by little, all the chores were making her stressed and anxious, the post partum depression in full effect. (Y/N) had been a good mother of course but all the tiredness of household chores and looking after the newborn who wouldn't calm down unless Al Haitham held her was making her all the more agitated. If he was busy or not available she would have to resort to talking to her about Al Haitham's adventures and past shenanigans. Another reason why she was awake in the dead of the night when all the citizens of Sumeru had hit the hay for the day...
The postpartum depression only further added onto her stress for her hormones wouldn't remain stable no matter how much she tried. (Y/N) had asked Tighnari for the medicinal herbs to control them of course but...
"Only if it's very urgent okay, or I am telling Al Haitham what you've been doing" Tighnari scolded, his ears twitching in frustration as he thrusted the herbs in her hand. "They're harmful in the long run you know" he added, concern clear in his eyes.
"Thank you 'Nari... I'll tell him eventually..."
"You said that last time too" Cyno peeked up behind Tighnari, bed hair and a cup of coffee in his hand. This made (Y/N)'s and Tighnari's eyes widen as he quickly turned away from his lover to glare at (Y/N).
"You were WHAT?!" And (Y/N) giggled awkwardly as she sighed.
"That's it! I'm telling the sage what his wife has been doing behind his back!" Tighnari said marching towards his home before (Y/N) grabbed his arm.
With empty promises and white lies she still managed to convince the Chief Forest Ranger to keep his lips sealed, glaring at Cyno when he wasn't looking. The Mahamatra who had been quietly observing the exchange from behind lover slowly giggled as he started to move inside before-
"Only THIS time! You hear me? And WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING HUH? YOU DARE GIVE OFF HERBS JUST BECAUSE I TAUGHT YOU ?!" and Cyno was quick to retreat inside the house with Tighnari hot on his heels.
And (Y/N) was sighed in relief as she made her way towards her home praying to the Archons that her daughter would still be asleep at Nilou's.
However, she wouldn't tell this to Al Haitham for (Y/N) knew how taxing his life had recently become. What with the overthrowing of Azar, the restoration of Lesser Lord Kusanali and Al Haitham being promoted to the rank of Acting Grand Sage was already hectic enough for him. Nilou was only aware how many evenings, (Y/N) had broken down and cried on her visits to the Haitham household.
"Just tell him (Y/N), it would be much better that way " the red-head consoled (Y/N) as she stroked her hair to comfort her.
(Y/N) pulled away a little as she shook her head in the negative, wiping away her tears as she hiccupped a little.
"Can't" she chocked. "Can't add onto his stress Nilou" and she broke down again as her friend hugged her again - closely as her shoulders shook with her hiccups. "Don't...wanna...be...burdensome"
And Nilou felt defeated. Only then she wished that her dearest friend would break down in front Al Haitham just so he could know what she was going through. Al Haitham needed to know this no matter how carefully (Y/N) hid the stress behind her eyes.
She slowly made her way to the nursery to find her daughter asleep and she sighed in relief. Maybe she wouldn't need the herbs anymore, after all she had run out of supplies just a day ago. The little emerald on her daughter's chest glimmered in the moonlight as she breathed in peace and that was enough solace for (Y/N), unaware of the turmoil that was waiting to erupt again.
Al Haitham had come home just two hours ago, his voice devoid of any life as he greeted her and she knew that the Acting Grand Sage was tired. She took the off-coat off his tired shoulders as he slowly entered the kitchen for she insisted him not to go to bed on an empty stomach.
"It's not healthy 'Haitham..." she had called as she kissed his cheek lovingly. Nevertheless, she felt a little guilty on the inside, for what she was doing wasn't healthy either..."Just a little, yeah?" and he had leaned further into her touch as he nuzzled his nose in her palm.
"Only if you feed me, aşkım..." and she smiled as he told her how tiring it was to be the Grand Sage.
"Acting Grand Sage" he had corrected (Y/N) and she laughed as she fed him another bite of the meat stew. And then he had retired to bed, too tired to turn off the lamps and she had sighed before kissing him 'Good Night' as she put out the light.
(Y/N) had just gotten done with all the chores: the laundry, the dishes - a little crying as she hurried off to feed their daughter- putting out clothes in the backyard for she had faith they would be dry by the morning (It had been a little windy all day),dusting through Al Haitham's study: a weekend ritual for it was Friday. After admiring the night view from the window in her husband's study she had walked to the nursery to make sure her daughter was still asleep, sighing in relief for she still was... breathing in calmness with her (E/C) eyes closed and her ashen-hair splayed across the cot.
And now that (Y/N) was thinking of a warm bath to wash off the sweat and dust from her body, her eyes widened as they darted to the cot. Her daughter had stirred awake, throwing another teary tantrum as she quickly reached for her daughter in the cot for she knew Al Haitham was a light sleeper and she wouldn't wish to disturb his peace.
Taking the child in her arms, (Y/N) gently cooed at her, cradling her by the window as she pointed at the stars and moons and little trinkets in the nursery. And slowly (Y/N) started narrating the incident when Al Haitham had forgotten his keys at her home.
"Uncle Kaveh hadn't come home and your father had to sit at the - Aww sweetie, no~~"
The wailing started again as the child's eyes teared up and (Y/N) rocked her a little in her arms praying to the Archons for her to quieten down. And before she knew tears started pricking her own eyes...
Al Haitham could hear the little noises in his household, washing away his sleep as he yawned. Turning to his left he frowned when he was greeted by the cold pillows. "(Y/N)?" he called getting up to sit as he yawned and stretched his arms. Turquoise eyes followed the window and he realized that it was the middle of the night. He could see a faint glow in their bedroom and he realized that (Y/N) must be in the nursery.
The ashen-haired male sighed yet again as he got down from the bed. It had now become a nightly routine for him to wake up in the middle of the night to find (Y/N) in the nursery and when he had asked why she hadn't been sleeping early enough she would lie through her teeth and he frowned again for he didn't know why.
"What do you mean? I just woke up 'Haitham" she had told him a few days ago and Al Haitham could clearly see her lying. When on further coaxing (Y/N) repeated the same thing, he left the topic for he didn't want to agitate the young mother any further, their daughter asleep in his arms. He could see how tired she looked and he wondered if (Y/N) had been taking care of her basic needs. Dark circles decorated (Y/N)'s face as she leaned on the windowsill, her body looking frail and he knew she had lost weight, the stress piling up on her. Skipped lunches and late night dinners proof enough for him.
Al Haitham didn't want to coax out a confession for he had already been warned about postpartum depression and thought that she would eventually talk to him...at her own pace...
Nevertheless, here he was yet again awake by the small noises of his crying daughter and he followed into the nursery. However the sight that greeted him was all the confession he needed.
Tears streamed down (Y/N)'s face as she sobbed and hiccupped while cradling the newborn, occasionally wiping her eyes as she cradled and pleaded to their daughter.
"Please sweetie...j-just th-this time please..." she begged as she rocked the infant further, a choked sob flying past her lips.
Al Haitham's eyes widened as he hurried towards his family, taking his daughter in his right arm as he held (Y/N) close to his chest with his left, a zephyr passing by as his daughter and wife cried into his arms and chest. Slowly he rocked their daughter in the stillness of the night, (Y/N)'s chocked sobs echoing through the household as his stroked her hair gently.
Soon enough, the baby was asleep in her father's arms and gently Al Haitham placed her in the cot before taking (Y/N) in his arms as fresh tears flooded her vision yet again
"H-'Haitham..." she whispered as she cried into his arms, pushing her face further into his chest.
"I know aşkım... I know" he placed a kiss on her forehead as his fingers stroked through her (H/C) tresses. Sighing and thanking the Archons that his wife had finally broken down or else she would have never let him know how stressful this was becoming for her.
(Y/N) sobbed quietly all the while Al Haitham held her and when she whispered a small 'I'm sorry', the male frowned as he slowly coaxed her to him.
"I-I couldn't calm h-her and...you wok-"
"No (Y/N)..." He cooed as he held her cheeks, kissing her forehead in reassurance yet again. (Y/N) still sobbed feeling guilty, regret clear in her (E/C) orbs and he hated seeing her tears.
"I knew all along..." and when her eyes widened he told her all about the small nursery he had custom made near his office just so they could be together while he worked at the Akademiya.
"I was the 'Gem of Haravatat' (Y/N), didn't you think I'd notice?" he said as he wiped her tears away with gentle touches. "Semiotics has a lingering psychology to it too... I was just waiting for you to come in terms with your emotions..." and she sighed into his arms yet again, leaning onto his chest as he continued to tell her how he would be on leave for the next few days and when he resumed his duties he would be taking them along to the Akademiya, the arrangements for them customized by Faruzan herself for she was too tired of Nilou complaining to her about his wife's trauma and stubbornness all the time she went to the Grand Bazaar.
And (Y/N) wondered how all the love in her heart was never enough for her husband.
Kissing his daughter for the last time that night, he walked out of the nursery, (Y/N) fast asleep against his chest as he carried her to their room for a good night's rest.
He smiled as he tucked her in before slipping under sheets as he held (Y/N) in his arms that night after a long time. And Al Haitham's world was at peace yet again... The whispers of the winds were the last things he heard before he drifted to a peaceful sleep, his aşkım in his arms.
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@teapartyspilled
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welcomingdisaster · 7 months
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Things to do When You’re Bored on Thangorodrim
Cry 
Hit the rocks a little 
Regret things 
Cry some more 
Look at the stars and feel inspired 
Hit the rocks some more 
Feel stupid about smashing up your good hand on the rocks 
Try to count the orcs passing underneath 
Give up 
Take a nap 
Feel distantly impressed the orcs are still marching 
Try to count the orcs again 
Do a lot of orc-multiplication in your head 
Realize they’re marching in a circle 
Feel kind of gaslit 
Look up at the stars 
Sing a little ditty (to the stars) 
Watch the orcs leave 
Take a nap 
Nothing, for an unknown amount of time
Try some bird calls
Feel kind of embarrassed about the quality of your bird calls 
Take a nap 
Watch the bats 
Chip off a bit of the rock and toss it in general direction of the bats to trick them into thinking it’s an insect 
Feel kind of satisfied about tricking the bats 
Feel kind of guilty about tricking the bats 
Miss your father
Get pissed at your father. What the fuck, right? 
Take shelter from the rain against the rock wall 
Get wet 
Think about how pretty lightning is 
Regret things 
Cry 
Kick the rock wall 
Chew your nails 
Scold yourself for falling back into bad habits 
Do long division in your head 
Scream 
Nothing, for an unknown amount of time 
Wake up
Look down at the marching orcs 
Think about that one time four hundred years ago you came to court with your robes undone in the back 
Miss your brothers 
Miss your mother 
Miss your father 
Think about how your father’s dead 
Regret things
Wonder what they’re doing back home 
Imagine a lot of lamps, probably 
Think about the making of lamps 
Cry 
Feel kind of stupid about crying re: lamps 
Hope the bats didn’t actually eat the rock you tossed 
Apologize to the bats for tricking them with the rock
Sing a little ditty (to the bats) 
Chew your nails 
Scream 
Kick the rock wall 
More long division 
Invent a new kind of pull-up which involves being chained to a sheer rock face by your right hand and crying a lot 
Watch eagles 
Sing a little ditty (to the eagles) 
Come up with an elaborate story in your head about how the eagles are in love 
Realize the eagles are brothers 
Feel guilty about the story you made up in your head 
Take a nap 
Look up at the stars 
Do your pull up a whole bunch of times 
Lick the rock wall 
Try to remember how to write a villanelle  
Eat a piece of your own skin that peeled off your hand after you hit the rock wall 
Feel gross 
Hope your brothers are coming to get you 
Hope your bothers aren’t coming to get you 
Cry
Swing back and forth on the chain a little 
Sing a little ditty (just in general) 
Wave to the eagles as they return 
Watch eagles 
Try to think of good and pure things while watching the eagles 
Fuck it, incest eagles 
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Text
Pixar did not have to go as hard as they did with the Kronos Unveiled scene in The Incredibles (2004), yet they did anyway and gave us one of the best scenes in modern cinema. Literally cannot stop thinking about how good this scene is, from the animation to the build up to the soundtrack.
I don’t think I truly understood how dark this scene - and this film - was a child: Syndrome is systematically and strategically luring in superheroes and killing them off in order to test and improve his Omnidroid design… these people were not only supers but they also had family and loved ones too, just like Bob, and one day they would have just disappeared because chances are they weren’t telling people where they were going because it was "top secret" and against the law. They thought they were doing something good, like helping the people in the island, while also getting to relive their glory days, perhaps even paving the way for superheroes to make a proper comeback… only for Syndrome to kill them in cold blood.
Most of these people can actually be seen at Bob and Helen’s wedding in the beginning of the film - they weren’t just random supers, they were their friends, people they worked alongside and cared about. It’s even worse when you realise that Bob probably blames himself because, after all, Buddy/Syndrome was his biggest fan and he dismissed him by not letting him help.
The relief on Bob’s face when he realises Syndrome doesn’t know where Helen is - meaning he also doesn’t know where their children are because he didn’t realise they were married at this point - is so realistic and gut wrenching to see. The relief contrasting with the anguish of knowing how much danger they and their entire family could have been in the entire time without even knowing...it's so well-done, you can literally feel it.
It’s also worth noting that originally the next target wasn’t Mr Incredible but Frozone - that was who Mirage was trailing, hence why his location is “known”. Imagine if she/Syndrome hadn’t realised that Mr Incredible was with him and they’d lured Frozone in instead as planned; he would have gone to the island to fight the Omnidroid 8 in a volcano setting. We saw how being in the burning building dehydrated Frozone and made it impossible to use his ice powers - presumably it would have been the same in the middle of a lava filled volcano, and he’d have been slaughtered just like the other superheroes before him.
This scene shows an entire generation of superheroes - Bob, Helen and Lucius’ generation - wiped out all because Syndrome felt slighted by his hero as a child, because he internalised that slight and let it drive him to revenge. And, if we take into account the deleted alternate opening scene, it’s mentioned that superheroes "aren't supposed to breed” - meaning there’s a likelihood that Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack are among the very few supers of the next generation. I know that it's deleted and so not really canon, but it's definitely a concept to consider, I think.
Then there's the fact Syndrome named the project "Kronos" - Kronos was a God who overthrew his own father in order to take over his rule, and then he ate his own children to prevent them doing the same thing to him. It feels like it reflects Syndrome once looking up to Mr Incredible and even saying "I could be your ward!", meaning Mr Incredible adopting or fostering him - the project name is a metaphor for Syndrome destroying the Supers, especially Mr Incredible, who he viewed as a father figure. The Omnidroids he built killed two birds with one stone: not only was he able to acquire the data to upgrade the robot to its final design, but it also eliminated the real super heroes and so left him as the last remaining "superhero", even though his powers are man-made, not something he was born with.
Not only did he want to become the only remaining superhero by killing the real ones in revenge, he also planned to sell his inventions at some point so everyone can be super - because "when everyone is super, nobody is". It's like a final blow to the memory of the superheroes he had killed.
I've talked too much about this scene but God... I love it so much more as an adult because it's just so chilling to think about. I'm sure other people can put it much more articulately than I just tried to, but I just really wanted to appreciate this scene.
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inhaledpie4 · 3 months
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Is there any way to cope with the fact that women's natural skill set and role in society is so.....boring? We don't have men's strong will, courage, intellect, or creativity. It seems like all we will ever be good at is doing chores but there's no room for any creativity in women's work.
Whatt?????
This sound like someone who hasn't had the opportunity to joyfully run their own home for their own family. Or the chance to explore how wonderful it is to be a woman in general. The woman's natural skillset is amazing.
Don't get me wrong, cleaning is not necessarily fun, especially the daily chores like dishes. But ALL jobs have some sort of catch-22. Even if you get your dream job, there's at least one thing you don't like about it, whether it's the pay or the people, or a specific task. As someone who worked my dream job before becoming a homemaker, I know I'm not the only one with this issue.
Next, I get to use my creativity all the time! Women are blessed with the ability to make a home. Without a home, nobody can thrive. I get to design and decorate my house. I make my household reflect who I am, both in look and feel. And I get to turn this building into a sanctuary for my husband and children and anyone else who walks through my door.
Next is children. The children are first influenced the mother, THEN by the father. Because we are most often the first point of contact. We deal with the mess and the ruckus but we have a choice to make about that daily. You can either relish in the world of children or let it destroy you. You choose how you interpret it. Is their mess curiosity or chaos? I believe I have the most fun job because I get to stay home and play with my little ones. Not to mention, my oldest loves to help me clean so I'm not doing everything by myself all the time. And I get to teach my kids the way I want to. I know that the most important thing I can teach them is to love work. That is a skill most people lack nowadays.
I get to control almost every aspect of my world. I get to invent my own recipes and learn how to knit cute things and turn my backyard into a beautiful place that the birds love. I love watching the birds from the window on cold days. I get to have a husband who recognizes all the effort I put in to make the house beautiful.
Women are the best at creating things. That's why women were historically foragers and crafters. We make food and medicine and breathtaking artwork of all mediums including the written word. We are musicians and dancers and community-formers. These things (and the joy of them) have been stripped from us over time via the feminist movement but we can return to the full joy in our role when we see the fullness of what we were made to do. We were NOT made -just- to watch children and clean. We were made for so much more.
YHWH bless you.
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regulusrules · 17 days
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Yo, I saw your post about orientalism in relation to the "hollywood middle-east" tiktok!
How can a rando and university dropout get into and learn more about? Any literature or other content to recommend?
Hi!! Wow, you have no idea how you just pressed a button. I'll unleash 5+ years on you. And I'll even add for you open-sourced works that you can access as much as I can!
1. Videos
I often find this is the best medium nowadays to learn anything! I'll share with you some of the best that deal with the topic in different frames
• This is a video of Edward Said talking about his book, Orientalism. Said is the Palestinian- American critic who first introduced the term Orientalism, and is the father of postcolonial studies as a critical literary theory. In this book, you’ll find an in-depth analysis of the concept and a deconstruction of western stereotypes. It’s very simple and he explains everything in a very easy manner.
• How Islam Saved Western Civilization. A more than brilliant lecture by Professor Roy Casagranda. This, in my opinion, is one of the best lectures that gives credit to this great civilization, and takes you on a journey to understand where did it all start from.
• What’s better than a well-researched, general overview Crash Course about Islam by John Green? This is not necessarily on orientalism but for people to know more about the fundamental basis of Islam and its pillars. I love the whole playlist that they have done about the religion, so definitely refer to it if you're looking to understand more about the historical background! Also, I can’t possibly mention this Crash Course series without mentioning ... ↓
• The Medieval Islamicate World. Arguably my favourite CC video of all times. Hank Green gives you a great thorough depiction of the Islamic civilization when it rose. He also discusses the scientific and literary advancements that happened in that age, which most people have no clue about! And honestly, just his excitement while explaining the astrolabe. These two truly enlightened so many people with the videos they've made. Thanks, @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog
2. Documentaries
• This is an AMAZING documentary called Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Villifies A People by the genius American media critic Jack Shaheen. He literally analysed more than 1000 movies and handpicked some to showcase the terribly false stereotypes in western depiction of Arab/Muslim cultures. It's the best way to go into the subject, because you'll find him analysing works you're familiar with like Aladdin and all sorts.
• Spain’s Islamic Legacy. I cannot let this opportunity go to waste since one of my main scopes is studying feminist Andalusian history. There are literal gems to be known about this period of time, when religious coexistence is documented to have actually existed. This documentary offers a needed break from eurocentric perspectives, a great bird-view of the Islamic civilization in Europe and its remaining legacy (that western history tries so hard to erase).
• When the Moors Ruled in Europe. This is one of the richest documentaries that covers most of the veiled history of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Bettany Hughes discusses some of the prominent rulers, the brilliance of architecture in the Arab Muslim world, their originality and contributions to poetry and music, their innovative inventions and scientific development, and lastly, La Reconquista; the eventual fall and erasure of this grand civilization by western rulers.
3. Books
• Rethinking Orientalism by Reina Lewis. Lewis brilliantly breaks the prevailing stereotype of the “Harem”, yk, this stupid thought westerns projected about arab women being shut inside one room, not allowed to go anywhere from it, enslaved and without liberty, just left there for the sexual desires of the male figures, subjugated and silenced. It's a great read because it also takes the account of five different women living in the middle east.
• Nocturnal Poetics by Ferial Ghazoul. A great comparative text to understand the influence and outreach of The Thousand and One Nights. She applies a modern critical methodology to explore this classic literary masterpiece.
• The Question of Palestine by Edward Said. Since it's absolutely relevant, this is a great book if you're looking to understand more about the Palestinian situation and a great way to actually see the perspective of Palestinians themselves, not what we think they think.
• Arab-American Women's Writing and Performance by S.S. Sabry. One of my favourite feminist dealings with the idea of the orient and how western depictions demeaned arab women by objectifying them and degrading them to objects of sexual desire, like Scheherazade's characterization: how she was made into a sensual seducer, but not the literate, brilliantly smart woman of wisdom she was in the eastern retellings. The book also discusses the idea of identity and people who live on the hyphen (between two cultures), which is a very crucial aspect to understand arabs who are born/living in western countries.
• The Story of the Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole. This is a great book if you're trying to understand the influence of Islamic culture on Europe. It debunks this idea that Muslims are senseless, barbaric people who needed "civilizing" and instead showcases their brilliant civilization that was much advanced than any of Europe in the time Europe was labelled by the Dark Ages. (btw, did you know that arabic was the language of knowledge at that time? Because anyone who was looking to study advanced sciences, maths, philosophy, astronomy etc, had to know arabic because arabic-speaking countries were the center of knowledge and scientific advancements. Insane, right!)
• Convivencia and Medieval Spain. This is a collection of essays that delve further into the idea of “Convivencia”, which is what we call for religious coexistence. There's one essay in particular that's great called Were Women Part of Convivencia? which debunks all false western stereotypical images of women being less in Islamic belief. It also highlights how arab women have always been extremely cultured and literate. (They practiced medicine, studied their desired subjects, were writers of poetry and prose when women in Europe couldn't even keep their surnames when they married.)
4. Novels / Epistolaries
• Granada by Radwa Ashour. This is one of my favourite novels of all time, because Ashour brilliantly showcases Andalusian history and documents the injustices and massacres that happened to Muslims then. It covers the cultural erasure of Granada, and is also a story of human connection and beautiful family dynamics that utterly touches your soul.
• Dreams of Trespass by Fatema Mernissi. This is wonderful short read written in autobiographical form. It deconstructs the idea of the Harem in a postcolonial feminist lens of the French colonization of Morocco.
• Scheherazade Goes West by Mernissi. Mernissi brilliantly showcases the sexualisation of female figures by western depictions. It's very telling, really, and a very important reference to understand how the west often depicts middle-eastern women by boxing them into either the erotic, sensual beings or the oppressed, black-veiled beings. It helps you understand the actual real image of arab women out there (who are not just muslims btw; christian, jew, atheist, etc women do exist, and they do count).
• Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is a feminist travel epistolary of a British woman which covers the misconceptions that western people, (specifically male travelers) had recorded and transmitted about the religion, traditions and treatment of women in Constantinople, Turkey. It is also a very insightful sapphic text that explores her own engagement with women there, which debunks the idea that there are no queer people in the middle east.
---------------------
With all of these, you'll get an insight about the real arab / islamic world. Not the one of fanaticism and barbarity that is often mediated, but the actual one that is based on the fundamental essences of peace, love, and acceptance.
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icarusvshozier · 3 months
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Luke Castellan x Hephaestus!Reader who crafted Backbiter
a/n: this started off as general luke x hephaestus!reader hcs but quickly spiraled into just luke x hephaestus!reader who made Backbiter with no hesitation but with no knowledge of what they were making it for + luke's betrayal. so, here's that. reblog if you like it, and come talk to me abt luke!!
warnings: not edited SORRY. lots of plot, spoilers for tlt duh, might not be totally canon compliant but fuck it we ball, swearing?, inconsistent grammar?, angst, a little bit of thirst, implied established romantic relationship between luke & reader, vague sword fighting, at one point reader literally turns into a bird and flys away like Superman so dont say I didn't warn you, I'm pretty sure this is GN!reader but let me know if it's not
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— You could have never imagined having Backbiter being pointed at you in this way. When Luke told you to follow him during the firework show, you hesitated but only because you and your siblings worked hard on the display all year and you would be lying if you said you didn't care about seeing it play out. But he said it was important, you smiled and left with him thinking he was only playing, not wanting the ample makeout time to go to waste.
— But then he took you into the woods and started talking about the Gods faulty parenting, which wasn't terribly out of the ordinary but you hadn't been expecting a vent session. You just ran your hand through his curls and stared into his eyes, waiting for him to kiss you but he kept talking.
— All about Clarisse and Percy's quest and the master bolt. You guessed any camper would have a lot on their mind right now but you kind of wanted him to shut up and kiss you.
— "But it isn't over. Clarisse didn't steal the master bolt." You had been staring at his lips, but you snapped out of your haze, "What? What do you mean?"
— He confessed to you that he stole the bolt over the winter solstice. You gave a soft but slightly nervous chuckle as he held you close. You repeated your last question again with an added, "Why?" like a fool.
— He only held you tighter and poured his soul out to you, everything he had been hiding. The tricky son of the God of Thieves, how Kronos came to him in his dreams, how he played perfectly into his despise for the Gods, how he gave his shoes to Percy so he would either give the Master Bolt to Kronos or die getting there, and how he needs you by his side
— You realize much too late into his ramblings that you have already helped him in his mission, you gave him Backbiter with no questions asked.
— So many questions flooded your brain, how long has been planning this? How long have you been part of this scheme? Has he only ever gotten close to you for this reason, just to get something out of you? Are you even part of this scheme? Or would you join him and find out Kronos doesn't think you're worth jackshit and kill you the second you step out of line. You know how the world was before the Gods, when the Titans ruled, and you wouldn't live like that.
— You push him away and tell him such. Tell him that he's crazy for thinking Kronos is a better overseer than the Olympians.
— He asks you if you're really gonna die on the sides of the Gods just because your father has given you two acknowledgements in your whole 19 years of life.
— You almost sass him and tell him that you've actually had three interactions with your Godly father. But then you realize one of the three was being claimed as a child of Hephaestus, and he probably wouldn't count that right now.
— Though, Annabeth did just tell you all about her meeting with Hephaestus on her quest.
— You had thought of your godly father fondly enough before she told of meeting him. The second time you interacted with your father was when you prayed to him to help you figure out a way to make one of your latest inventions work, and he actually responded with input. The third being him gifting you a necklace of shapeshifting when you took his advice and successfully made a first of its kind invention. You thought responding to a call for help and then rewarding a child for pulling through something complicated was more positive enforcement than most demigods got from their parents in Olympus. But now, you really thought that he might be different from the other Olympian Gods. But it reminded you of when you first received your necklace.
It made your relationship with Luke a little weird for a while after, like walking on eggshells, just the visible reminders and contrast of your parents' behaviors. Him with his scar, you with your necklace.
Eventually you talked to him about it. Or, he told you how he felt about it, rather.
He warned you that your father was only doing this so you would do something in return for him. Warned you that someday, be it next week or 10 years from now, he will be cashing in that favor.
But its been years since you got that necklace, and you haven't heard from your father since.
With Luke's warning, you considered it a good thing.
You joke about it offhandedly how you haven't heard from Hephaestus in years on the anniversary of when you got your magic necklace, "Guess he doesn't need that favor yet." And Luke twitches.
"You say that like it's a good thing." "Isn't it?" "What? That he disappeared on you right after giving you a gift? Have any of your siblings even heard from him in the last couple of years?" He spewed it out like a cough he could no longer keep in.
As much as you liked the occasional structured debate for fun, you got choked up when Luke said this. You weren't sure if it was the words, or his tone or how fast he spilled his thoughts that got to you, but you wondered, was he mad at you?
"I mean," you could no longer look him directly in the eyes, so you flicked your gaze to the ground, to the stables behind him, his nose, his shoes, anything. "I dont kn-I guess, well- I mean, I don't know about everything that goes on with my siblings so..." you stammered out.
"As far as you know?" Tears welled in your eyes from the confrontation, you looked straight up and blinked as light and as fast as you could. "No, I don't think so, Luke." You paused and faced him, "Why even? Why do you care?"
"Why don't you care?! Your dad does one thing for you and you're loyal as a dog to him! He doesn't deserve that! He doesn't care about you! Or your siblings!" Or your siblings felt like an afterthought.
You didn't know where to start with him. Did he call you a dog?! Or how about him projecting and taking out his own daddy issues on you. You didn't know where to start so you didn't, you used the power in your necklace to shapeshift into a bird and fly away from the boy to find a nice tree to stalk observe him from.
He yelled after your disappearing form, "Y/N! No, wait! Come back here!"
He looked around, but couldn't find your form camouflaged in the branches behind him. He sighed defeated, and ran his hand through his curly hair.
He found you the next day at your workstation, back to regular, and apologized for saying what he did. You considered ignoring him but turned to face him.
"You hurt and confused me." You pout bluntly. "Do you believe what you said or did you just want to hurt my feelings?"
Luke pulls the work gloves off your hands, then takes one and leads you into the forest. Some of your siblings were starting to stare and he knows that you both would rather not be so emotionally vulnerable in front of so many people.
"I didn't mean what I said about your dad not caring about you.. I never want to hurt you, I just don't want to see you get hurt by someone that's supposed to protect you. And I guess I thought that if I could tell you what the Gods are like before they get to you, then they couldn't harm you."
— Which takes you to now, with shaking hands holding out your finely crafted medium sized blade a few feet from where Luke stands with his hand resting on another piece you created. A blade you created with only love in your heart, a blade you handed Luke while thinking about Viking weddings; how they exchanged swords instead of rings like today - a blade now used against you.
— You fight, gnashing teeth and spitting salvia and blood at each other's feet. The sound of blades clashing is silenced by fireworks overhead, you're yelling at each other, how could you be so stupid, why cant you see what's best for you? I thought you loved me & I'm doing this because I love you.
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nexility-sims · 3 months
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𝐍𝐎. 𝟐   ❛ 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 ❜   |   NAKAWE, EARLY MARCH 1991
❧  𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠  /  𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬  /  𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭.
❛ News about the royal family filled broadcasts throughout the day as cheerful early birds, irreverent talk show hosts, and straight journalists alike seized on recent developments. Nothing was too trivial or unremarkable. With the quiet of death and mourning over, the messy aftermath presented opportunity—for ratings, among other things.
❧ ahhh !!! ngl, i'm very proud of this, and i think that it's an improvement on the last television montage. happy to report that there will be more :^) big grateful shoutout to @madebysimblr for the two hosts i lightly edited and renamed ! also shoutout to tom noguchi’s book for the direct inspiration djdhjf
𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭 ↓
TRANSCRIPT:
morning news
[J] That bird risked everything to put out the fire! Inspiring.
[E] It’s the Morning in Nakawe promise—wholesome coverage to start your day, every day.
[E] Now, as you know, it’s been several weeks since Princess Safya’s tragic death. It looks like her family is finally getting back to normal. We got a glimpse of some beach outings this week.
[E] Safe to say Abelina has quickly stolen hearts nationwide.
[J] Everything we’ve seen suggests she’s a sweetheart.
[E] And there she is enjoying some fun in the sun with her father. I think we’re all excited to see more of this little family—especially with two new members on the way.
[J] First Reyes twins in recent memory!
[J] Princess Leonor also took to the beach in Nakawe, although she spent her time reading instead of swimming. I bet booksellers are going to see that one flying off the shelves this week.
[E] I’ll admit that I already bought my copy! That’s Ogechi Suzu’s 1987 magical realism bestseller Learning to Fly. No spoilers, but it’s about a woman who can suddenly transform into a parrot.
[J] That’s a classic story, isn’t it? What’s Suzu’s take?
[E] A Nakawe city girl has to crisscross all of Uspana to find herself. There’s love and computers. It’s a modern update.
daytime talk
[F] Okay, we’re back! We couldn’t get a Reyes on our little broadcast, so Mencia Cipac’s here to discuss where we are post-Princess Safya. Mencia was a palace correspondent for years, and she published a fabulous book on royal childhood last fall. Today’s person of interest is a big girl now, but—well, is she really?
[F] Safya’s baby. That’s how we know her. Who is she now?
[M] That’s the question. In my book, I thought I had an answer. We’re going to watch a young person invent herself in real time—all while dealing with such extraordinary events. The premature death of a parent. Losing a role that was, by all accounts, her nascent identity.
[F] In public! Publicly.
[M] That’s right. The scrutiny and attention ... We know how hard it is. Going from a little girl to a young woman is always hard. In the public eye, even under normal circumstances, it’s absurd. In our modern history, this turn of events is unprecedented.
[F] To think, we really haven’t even known who she is.
[M] We never really know, but we make great educated guesses. We’ve see her through the prism of her role, particularly this past year. That isn’t unusual for royalty, here or elsewhere. A hard worker. Our queen’s “little shadow.” That just won’t be true anymore. I mean, we know—we’ve guessed—how Queen Beatriz is.
{Audience murmurs}
[M] So, where does that leave her? It is hard to predict. I wonder if she’ll continue to work in a similar fashion—become a loyal worker for the institution like Martin, perhaps.
[F] Oh, I hope not! Can you imagine? How dull! A beautiful girl. She’s so young. She should do something interesting—for me, because I want to see it. Someone get her on the line!
{Audience laughs}
[M] The recent surveys suggest that’s how many Uspanians feel. They sympathize, but they crave newness and excitement. Our public figures let us live vicariously, don’t they? Leonor’s generation is lagging—all children, of course, all off-limits. That means she’s the lighting rod for that collective anticipation.
[F] She was at the beach here in Nakawe the other day. The gossip is some surfers out there were chatting her up. You’ve seen those boys! She deserves the attention but, oh, so do I—!
{Crowd cheers}
[M] The talk has shifted immensely, hasn’t it? We thought there would be a wedding in a year or two, and now it’s all up in the air.
[F] Who cares about that nobody, really? The whole thing was so sweet it made my teeth hurt. Give us someone new. Someones, even.
[M] To people in my profession, the coming weeks are going to be significant. Whether she’s working as we expect or occupied some other way, her public life will be different. Romance is part of that, sure.
[F] A young girl needs it. Us old ones, too. Maybe a self esteem boost will help her out of this funk. It’s depressing, frankly, how bad she looks in those photos we’ve seen lately.
{Audience murmurs}
[F] Hey! She looks great, though! The baby fat is melting away. That mourning diet did wonders, wow. She always looked like her mother—the body, too, you know. Blessing and a curse.
[M] There’s some resemblance to her father, too.
{Audience grumbles}
[F] Jail! Legal won’t let me talk, but: right, ladies?
{Audience murmuring, interspersed clapping}
[F] Anyway, she has his coloring, yes. The darker skin—which, you know, is a shame since her mother had a very pretty complexion. Brighteners? Sunscreen? Maybe we could have a segment on good products. Bring in a dermatologist or two?
{Audience applauds}
evening news
[B] Alright, last update before the hour ends.
[R] That’s right. The Office of the Crown has given a timeline and some details on the transition. First, Princess Safya’s three children will be retaining their titles—that’s “princes” and “princess.”
[B] Courtesy, most likely.
[R] There was no explanation, but our colleagues over at Palace Affairs seem to believe so. Arnaut, meanwhile, is officially the Crown Prince of Uspana, per the same memorandum released today.
[B] That’s a big deal. I mean, we are looking at the future head of state. People my age associate him with, well, velvet and gambling. He’ll lead the nation in time. In your lifetime, if not mine.
[R] Well, Bernardo, the reality is that does concern some.
[B] It remains to be seen whether that’s fair. The coming months are going to be quite the test for him.
[R] You’ll recall better than me that he was tested in the 1970s and still hasn’t recovered—according to this month’s polls, anyway.
[B] Uspanians may not want to give him a chance, but he’ll be addressing the Assembly to formally accept the role all the same.
[R] And we’ll be reporting as it happens later this week. For now, that’s it for us. UBC Nightly News with Inti Rivera starts now.
nightly news
[R] Yesterday afternoon, Crown aides joined the chief medical examiner involved in the investigation of Princess Safya’s death for a press conference. Some reporters’ questions revealed the influence of rumor on what Uspana’s public now wants to know.
[R1] My understanding is that the Crown has not accepted the investigation’s conclusions. Can you confirm?
[A1] Incorrect. The Crown is uninvolved. Dr. Siodina issued a ruling, and the family asked questions strictly as surviving loved ones.
[R2] Did intoxication play a role in what happened?
[S] It isn’t my opinion that it led to her being in the water. It did contribute to the drowning itself.
[R3] Why did she leave the yacht?
[S] That’s a question with a psychological answer rather than a forensic one, I think.
{Reporters murmur}
[R4] Did an altercation with her husband, Lord Rodrigo, occur that night that would have caused her to leave?
[S] Um .... A moment, please.
{Reporters resume murmuring}
[A2] {whispering} Officially, yes, they argued.
[S] There was a disagreement, yes.
[A2] {whispering} No violence.
[S] It was, however, entirely civil.
{Reporters, clamoring}
[R] Following what some are now calling a, quote, “unmitigated disaster,” the Crown announced that it plans to conduct its own formal but unofficial inquiry into the accident as well as the investigation itself. In a twist, sources suggest this plan could have been in the works prior to the conference. This is a developing story.
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childhood interests
Cole
Cole has immense knowledge of dance moves, techniques, and history because of his dad. He personally was very interested in mountain climbers and researched the history of first and best climbers and knowledge of different mountains.
Jay
Jay is kinda like a car kid, but with home appliances, like he knows who invented the toaster and can tell what model fridge you have just by looking at it. He will judge you for using the wrong type of lightbulb in a lamp. He also liked Fritz Donnegan, read comics and watched movies, all that jazz.
Kai
Kai knows about smithing, really, he just sucks at it. He knows how to work different materials and how to make different weapons, he just can't.
Nya
Nya on the other hand doesn't know as much about the histories of smithing, but is better at it than Kai is. She learned how machines worked by dumpster diving for broken or thrown out tech and reverse engineering everything she could get her hands on.
Zane
Zane is a bird nerd, obviously. When he was younger he had a bird watching journal, but no bird books and so he didn't know what bird species there were. His dad knew what a falcon was, robins, and owls but that was it. So every bird Zane saw he put down as a variation of those species, he knew each singular bird personally and each has its own name, however their names were more or less "brown falcon" "white owl with black spots" and so on.
Lloyd
Lloyd is a fan of his father, he only paid attention to history that includes his father, even though the way Darklys taught it was pretty far off from what actually happened. He also loved Fritz Donnegan, but he couldn't get comics or movie tickets, so he would just stay in the comic book store for a couple of hours reading. He would sneak into movie theaters as well. Most of the books he could get were biographies from actors or authors so he knows a lot about the making of the comics and has trivia levels of strange knowledge.
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fountainpenguin · 3 months
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"You're on your own- So what? Have you gone blind? Have you forgotten what you have and what is yours?" (x)
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For Sale: Bird Wings (Never Worn)
❤️ Read on AO3
💛 Complete! - 7/7 chapters - 37k words
💚 More Neighborhood Watch AU
I just finished a chill, T-rated found family 'fic from my "Life Series but it's a single timeline" AU project. Check it out!
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Synopsis: When Grian Ties’g was 16, the last Totem of Undying in the known world swapped his soul with the Grian one universe to the left… sparing him a perma-death, but at what cost?
An overwhelmed Grian Xelqua - who did not sign up for this, thank you very much - jolts awake in a world where Red Names are no joke and stealing someone’s life is fair play.
And a very Red Tango now has a sword at his throat. ❤️
(First 1,300 words under the cut)
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For Sale: Bird Wings (Never Worn)
Those Who Came Before
🖤  🖤  ❤️
The first Totem of Undying in the Four Lands passed through the wrinkled hands of many wealthy folks in Crimson City before falling into possession of a princess who went Red young and fled her home. She kept it all her life, but when the time came to breathe her last, she unwound it from its place at her bosom and clasped it around the neck of her only son.
"I've lived enough," she simply said. "I've led so long and you've been faithful. Go now and do as you see fit with your given lives."
Steve Wandering watched his mother die as he had watched his father, burying the memories of both with shovel and silence. He'd always been a silent man. He took up his sword and from then on traveled decade after decade, sharing food with the needy and braving the hissing creatures of the night. He invented many things, discovered many treasures, and died glorious in a fight against the Dragon That Ends All.
And lived.
And lost those memories like the wind.
The second Totem of Undying in the Four Lands belonged to Alex Wolftamer in the east, who claimed to care not for the treasure passed down through her ancestral line of Wolf Kings and Queens. They had no palace, but called themselves such titles in their stand against Kingdom Crimson. Rather than flaunt that totem around her own neck, she wrapped it like a collar at the throat of her dog. Across the years, far too many people of sinister desire fought sword and pick to win her hand or win the hunting hound. It's with a shout and diamond axe that she lunged at the cloaked stranger who ventured through the valley forest. With cheery, bellyaching laugh, Herobrine caught her hand and spun her dangerously near the mountain drop.
"Why should I take from your beloved she-wolf?" he asked, and dangled a totem from his own wrist where she could see. "I've already got one. I did not come to take what loved ones gave unto you, but to inquire of your wisdom… for I have no one I love as much as you care for your dear wolf. I am but a cowardly man who's worn the totem for himself for security and peace. I cannot imagine surrendering it. Tell me, warrior… How did you find such inner peace?"
"Who says I have?"
"What ails you, then?"
"I fear the encroach of the Red Army. Their farms extend ever nearer to our forests. Their high-ranking officers, bearing the Hand mark upon their chests, come demanding tribute and insist we raise their banner. So many from our village have sought the safety of their walls. I wish for nothing but food for my dogs, repairs for my roof, and safe passage through the land."
"Ah… What have you done to incite their displeasure?"
"I haven't raised hand against them unless they've come directly in conflict with me."
"How frequent are their conflicts?"
"They've claimed our cows. They flood the roads to market with lava and have taken two lives- nearly three. They harass the trades I make with my own neighbors of my own free will."
"Let us go secretly, then, and burn the walls that have reached your valley's edge."
They married two years later, and it was four after that that Alex fell from a great height, one arm wrapped around her canine companion and the other reaching for a husband who lunged and missed her hand vanishing from the cliff. Alex hit the ground a block away from the rushing river that saved her dog.
And lived.
And lost those memories like rain. Not even the dog recognized her then, growling and nipping when Alex rose to her feet, and Snowflake followed Herobrine when they parted ways. They say he never took Snowflake's totem from her collar, but that Snowflake wriggled out of it the day after Alex died, took the chain in her teeth, and presented it to him with grief in her dark eyes. It may be just a story - a personification of a ragged beast - but it's a prettier tale than the alternative way this tale could end.
That third Totem of Undying, the one that Herobrine Mapcrafter wore on his wrist for much of his life, originated from the North. It tumbled through the hands of wizards and they say Herobrine was gifted it for his proven mastery in breaching the Nether dimension- the secrets of which had only been held by the Westlands until now.
Prior his apprenticeship beneath the wizards' eyes, he'd been raised a cartographer. Following the death of Alex, he took up mapmaking again with Snowflake by his side. He entered the Nether dimension for what he knew would be his final time. They never came out again and no record survives depicting full details. People speak often that he perhaps saved a community of Netherborn folks from a hissing, snarling Wither Boss that clawed its way out of the ground. Others whisper he released that Wither himself out of grief and wished for death. Witnesses claim he leapt before the beast, taking the hit on Snowflake's behalf.
And lived.
And lost those memories like they'd been scorched alive. They say he went mad, never the same again. Some claim they've seen Snowflake's white fur dashing through the Nether even now, her howl weeping for her masters and the moon and the feel of grass beneath her paws.
The last Totem of Undying in the Four Lands (rumor claimed) lay hidden in the Southlands. For three decades since the rise of the Dragon That Ends All, the unremarkable little thing drifted and tumbled and snagged or… something of the sort. Details unknown. It passed into the sewers at some undefinable point, where it floated until it didn't. It caught and clung to the sewer's edge year after year after year.
There it stayed until a ragtag tangle of friends - a trio - sought shelter in the tunnels after their brotherhood of Bad Boys split and turned against each other. They trekked without hesitation into the grime, for they were Red of name and disgust could graze them not. The youngest, with his gray and yellow wings, sat down near the entrance to clean an open wound. The eldest began to organize their meager food supply. The middle child, aged only 16, waded deeper through the passageway, wandering with little purpose but to scout for things to have; things to take. Red Lives, as a rule, are very, very greedy.
The totem lasted exactly 4 minutes and 36 seconds in Grian Ties'g's possession. He found it tangled among the filth and wasted no time taking it for himself. To prevent his fellow Bad Boys from sniping it away, he scrambled up a dirty shaft to the surface like an eel gifted flight. His wings were soaked from sewage water, so he did not fly. He bolted across the open field, laughing like a madman.
"Yes! YESSSS!"
His foot crossed a boundary line he never could have seen. Grian charged straight into a shrieker trap laced with TNT. Set them all off. He died to the gasping cheers of a Red who'd only just finished all the set-up. The last thing he ever heard was the "OH-hoh-hoh-ohhh!" of a shrieking onlooker. He blew up instantly, scarlet feathers and blobs of purple soul energy scattered in all directions. The central core melted free from flesh and dribbled to the ground in a gooey heap.
In a word? Perma-killed. The totem vaporized before anyone ever confirmed he had it, so people seek it in the Southlands even now (It might be right here; it's been hiding right here).
This story is not about that Grian. Not anymore. It's about the one who lived… whose memories do not match this world at all.
[ Full 'fic up on AO3 ]
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baki-tiene-un-simp · 6 months
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Hey Hey hey! Yujiro, Jack, Baki and Hanayama, BUT. . . They are traditional Onis from the Japanese folklore 👀
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En lo profundo de la montaña / Deep in the mountain.
~Palabras / Words~ 1k
It is often whispered that in the high mountains of Japan there are monstrous creatures, mischievous entities that enjoy tormenting people who are unlucky enough to get lost on mountain trails. Demons similar to enormous beasts with fangs like daggers, mountains for muscles and horns majestic like a crown, but terrifying like enormous spears.
It may sound like a legend invented to keep people away from the mountains, to prevent hikers from getting lost or having fatal accidents, but there is simply something that can disturb you about the religiosity with which this legend is maintained; as if it were not a story, if not, a warning.
They warned you a lot, all those kind old people who seemed so concerned when you expressed that your destiny was in the mountains. The worried look on their faces made you endeared, but it was also disturbing how they believed, so fervently, that if you weren't careful you would end up running into those terrifying creatures. However, you couldn't turn back now. Your grandfather, a self-proclaimed hermit in his eighties, lived at the top of the mountain, and it was your responsibility as the eldest grandson/granddaughter to take care of his health now that your father is gone, as well as supplying him with provisions for up to a month.
You belong to a very close-knit and somewhat traditional family, you couldn't even think of turning your back on your grandfather, even if he wants that. Your father went up the mountain every month, cleaned your grandfather's house, showed him respect and came back down, every month without fail. Now it was your turn.
You carried the provisions on your back, duly packed and sealed, setting off towards the mountain when the birds were still waking up and singing in the morning. The paths were lonely, but full of vegetation, an unmistakable sign of the little traffic that there was in that area, the view was simply beautiful; You don't remember the last time you saw a green as bright as the color of the trees that stood and covered the ground.
You kept up the pace of your walk as you reflected, remembering all the warnings and good wishes from the people who lived at the base of the mountain. They talked about the oni and how aggressive they were, that you shouldn't leave the trail for anything and that you shouldn't stop at anything. They mentioned that there were some who walked around these parts more frequently, their names and how you could identify them.
When they told you about Baki they told you to be careful, although he was the calmest among the four oni in the area, the reddish color of his skin still betrayed his greedy nature. Despite his otherworldly and monstrous appearance, it was comforting to look at him, his smooth features a little more striking than his rough fangs and horns that stood out from his short tangle of hair. It would be lucky to run into him when you are lost, he is usually in a good mood, so if you can give him some interest, he will be willing to help you get off the mountain unscathed.
Both Jack and Kaoru can be unpredictable, although they are not very problematic, but they are not completely neutral either.
Jack is a tall oni, you could mistake him for a building if you forgot that you were in the forest, the reddish tone of his skin also denotes a certain greed, but he does not seem to follow these instincts unless he is in the presence of the blue oni. Jack shows very little interest in the travelers, almost ignoring their insignificant presence if he is in a good mood; If he's upset, well, it's easy to imagine what such a large, powerful creature could do to a tiny human who scream and struggles in vain against him.
Kaoru is not very different from Jack, his reddish skin marked by multiple wounds shows that he is a creature to be feared, that he is no stranger to battles and that he is capable of resisting a lot. No one wants to be a prisoner of his enormous hands, gigantic prisons that would end the life of anyone. Not many incidents have been heard involving Kaoru, but everyone who has gone on his hunt never returns. He is more selfless than Jack when it comes to human presence, but his calmness does not guarantee safety.
And finally, the blue oni, Yujiro. He is angry and confrontational in nature, the presence of people is repulsive to him and there is no chance of turning out well if you end up in front of him. Many of the incidents on the mountain are his work. They say that his eyes shine a crimson red in the middle of the darkness of the night, you won't be able to confuse them with anything, because once you notice them it will be too late. There is no way to reason with him, there is only one way to go with him; run away, the problem is that nothing guarantees your survival. No matter how fast you run or how much advantage you think you have, he will catch you.
You didn't quite believe in that, but inside you… Deep inside you, there was a little voice that begged heaven for your path to be safe and away from any problematic entity that would disturb the rhythm of your walk.
The sound of footsteps caught your attention, you would swear they were footsteps. You were sure. The birds moved and took flight, fleeing, small, harmless animals ran a few meters away from you, fleeing, and if it weren't something intangible you would assume that the breeze blowing against your face was also fleeing.
You froze when you noticed a large silhouette among the trees, from your place, you were unable to make out anything other than its large size and unusual height, it was certain that it was not a human. Your mind thought of every possibility; A bear… A oni. Bear or Oni, you couldn't face them, you had to get away before they noticed you, but it was difficult to look away thanks to the fear you felt at the thought of losing them from your field of vision.
You backed away slowly without looking away, which made you not notice the unevenness in the path, you fell with a scream of surprise and when you recovered you could notice that the great shadow was looking at you with luminescent eyes. You froze in place as a clawed hand emerged from the darkness to make its way through the trees that blocked its path, your mind hazy and your throat dry from the long gasps of fear…
… You really would have preferred a bear.
[Open ending to let you choose the ending you prefer, and I don't know, maybe I can write continuations with each character (Baki, Jack, Kaoru or Yujiro)]
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Versión es español.
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Se suele murmurar que en las altas montañas de Japón existe criaturas monstruosas, traviesas entidades que disfrutan al atormentar a las personas que tienen la mala suerte de perderse en los senderos montañosos. Demonios similares a enormes bestias con colmillos como dagas, montañas por músculos y cuernos majestuosos como una corona, pero atemorizantes como enormes lanzas.
Puede sonar como una leyenda inventada para mantener a las personas lejos de las montañas, para evitar que los senderistas sigan perdiéndose o teniendo accidentes fatales, pero simplemente hay algo que puede perturbarte por la religiosidad con la que se mantiene esta leyenda; como si no fuera un cuento, si no, una advertencia.
Te lo advirtieron mucho, todos esos amables ancianos que se mostraban tan preocupados cuando expresabas que tu destino estaba en las montañas. La mirada preocupada en sus rostros te daba ternura, pero también era inquietante la forma en que creían, tan fervientemente que si no tenías cuidado terminarías topándote con esas aterradoras criaturas. Sin embargo, no podías retroceder ahora. Tu abuelo, un autoproclamado ermitaño de unos ochenta y tantos años, vivía en la cima de la montaña y era tu responsabilidad como hijo mayor el cuidar de su salud ahora que tu padre se ha ido, además de abastecerlo de provisiones hasta el mes siguiente.
Perteneces a una familia muy unida y algo tradicional, ni siquiera podrías pensar en darle la espalda a tu abuelo, aunque él quiera eso. Tu padre subía cada mes a la montaña, limpiaba la casa de tu abuelo, le mostraba respeto y volvía a bajar, cada mes sin falta. Ahora era tu turno.
Cargaste las provisiones a la espalda, debidamente empacadas y selladas, emprendiendo camino hacia la montaña cuando todavía las aves se despertaban y cantaban por la mañana. Los senderos eran solitarios, pero repletos de vegetación, una señal inconfundible del poco tránsito que había en esa zona, la vista era simplemente hermosa; no recuerdas la última vez en que viste un verde tan brillante como lo era el color de los árboles que se alzaban y arropaban el suelo.
Mantuviste el ritmo de tu caminata mientras reflexionabas, recordando todas las advertencias y buenos deseos de las personas que vivían en la base de la montaña. Hablaban sobre los onis y sobre lo agresivos que eran, que no debías salir del sendero por nada y que no te detuvieras ante nada. Mencionaron que había algunos que se paseaban con mayor frecuencia por estos lares, sus nombres y como podrías identificarlos.
Cuando te hablaron de Baki te dijeron que tuvieras cuidado, si bien era el más tranquilo entre los cuatro onis de la zona, el color rojizo de su piel seguía delatando su codiciosa naturaleza. A pesar de su apariencia sobrenatural y monstruosa, era reconfortante mirarlo, sus facciones suaves eran un poco más llamativas que sus toscos colmillos y los cuernos que resaltaban por su corta maraña de pelo. Sería una suerte el toparse con él cuando estás perdido, usualmente está de buen humor, así que, si puedes darle algo de interés, estará dispuesto a ayudarte a salir de la montaña ileso.
Tanto Jack como Kaoru pueden ser impredecibles, si bien, no son muy problemáticos, pero tampoco son completamente neutrales.
Jack es un oni de gran altura, podrías confundirlo con un edificio si olvidaras que te encuentras en el bosque, el tono rojizo de su piel también denota cierta avaricia, pero no parece seguir dichos instintos a menos que se encuentre en presencia del oni azul. Jack muestra muy poco interés en los viajeros, casi ignorando su insignificante presencia si está de buen humor; Si está molesto, bueno, es fácil intuir lo que una criatura tan grande y poderosa podría hacerle a un pequeño humano que grita y lucha en vano contra él.
Kaoru no es muy diferente a Jack, su piel rojiza marcada por múltiples heridas muestran que es una criatura de temer, que no es ajeno a las batallas y que es capaz de resistir mucho. Nadie quiera ser presa de sus enormes manos, gigantescas prisiones que acabarían con la vida de quien sea. No se ha escuchado muchos incidentes que involucren a Kaoru, pero toda persona que ha ido en su casería jamás regresan. Es más desinteresado que Jack cuando se trata de la presencia humana, pero su tranquilidad no garantiza seguridad.
Y por último, el oni de color azul, Yujiro. Es de naturaleza iracunda y conflictiva, la presencia de la gente es repulsiva para él y no hay oportunidad de salir bien si terminas frente a él. Muchos de los incidentes de la montaña son obra suya. Dicen que sus ojos brillan en un rojo carmesí en medio de la oscuridad de la noche, no podrás confundirlos con nada, porque una vez que los notas ya será demasiado tarde. No hay forma de razonar con él, solo hay un camino a seguir con él; huir, el problema radica en que nada te garantiza sobrevivir. Sin importar que tan rápido corras o cuanta ventaja creas tener, él te atrapara.
No terminaste de creer en eso, pero dentro de ti… Muy dentro de ti, había una vocecita que rogaba al cielo porque tu camino sea seguro y alejado de cualquier entidad problemática que perturbe el ritmo de tu andar.
El ruido de pasos llamo tu atención, jurarías que fueron pasos. Estabas seguro. Las aves se movieron y emprendieron vuelo, huyendo, pequeños e inofensivos animales corrían a unos metros lejos de ti, huyendo, y si no se tratase de algo intangible darías por hecho que la brisa que soplaba contra tu rostro también estaba huyendo.
Te congelaste cuando notaste una silueta grande entre los árboles, desde tu lugar eras incapaz de distinguir algo más que su gran tamaño e inusual altura, era seguro que no era un humano. Tu mente pensó en cada posibilidad; un oso… Un oni. Oso u Oni, no podrías hacerle frente, debías alejarte antes de que te notara, pero era difícil apartar la mirada gracias al miedo que sentías al pensar en perderlo de tu campo de visión.
Retrocediste lentamente sin apartar la mirada, lo que hizo que no notaras el desnivel en el sendero, caíste con un grito de sorpresa y cuando te recuperaste pudiste notar que la gran sombre te miraba con ojos luminiscentes. Te congelaste en tu sitio cuando una mano con garras salió de la oscuridad para abrirse camino entre los árboles que bloqueaban su paso, tu mente estaba confusa y tu garganta se secó por los largos jadeos que te provocaba el miedo…
… Realmente hubieras preferido un oso.
[Final abierto para dejar que escojas el final que prefieras, y no sé, quizá pueda escribir continuaciones con cada personaje (Baki, Jack, Kaoru o Yujiro)]
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rallentando1011 · 2 months
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Somnambulant Soulmates (rise Donnie x gn reader)
Prologue, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Word Count: 3676
(alright, we’re getting into some good stuff now ;) hope you enjoy!)
Three weeks.
Three weeks had passed since you first encountered that purple clad turtle, give or take.
And they were a blur of fighting and parties and studies and a library and coffee and him.
Donnie, the centrifuge that had been the catalyst of the whirlwind that had become your life. Well, technically his brothers, April, and the rest of the gang were also at fault, but he was the main culprit. The superfluous amount of meetings you’d had with him in your short time knowing him, his intriguing disposition, the whole situation had made it quite easy for him to work his way up to being one of your favorite people.
It had been a few days since you’d seen him. It had also been a few days since you’d left the fortress of your home. Following the hectic event and subsequently less wild ones of last week, you deserved a few days’ break.
But it was time to get back into the fray.
You forced yourself up from where you had been lounging on your bed, prying your eyes away from the ceaseless social media scrolling you had subjected yourself to.
Blinking your sleepiness away, you thought about what you had to do: eat something, first of all, get some water and whatever prescriptions you needed, then message that confounded turtle about his progress on that invention.
Call yourself curious, but you just had to see it in its completion. Also, you were desperately bored. Why not get your social interaction and entertainment in one stop, kill two birds with one stone?
You pulled up the chat you currently had with him but paused before you typed a word.
Sure, texting got the point across, but you were looking for a quick answer, not a typical, joining-the-conversation-hours-later Donnie answer.
Would a call work better in this scenario?
Of course, calls kind of sucked to do, solely because of the whole talking aspect, but it could be quicker. And if he didn’t respond, then you could just send a text.
You clicked his contact and the button to call him, holding your breath momentarily afterward. Hopefully it wasn’t too weird. You meant, you’d never called him before, so maybe you would look like an absolute maniac for calling him now over something so trivial. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea-
“Hello?”
You startled at the sound of a voice over the phone. He’d already answered. No going back now.
“Hey, how’s it going?” you responded as smoothly as possible.
“... Fine? You called?”
“Yeah.”
The conversation fell silent until he spoke up.
“May I know what for?”
“Right! Yeah, sorry, I was just curious about that whole mystic gem-finding situation. Did you find one yet?”
“I have yet to locate and secure any that aren’t currently in use. The project’s also been on the backburner with lair repairs; segue, do you know how many microwaves Leo can break in a week?”
You snickered, though you quickly worked back out of that tangent. “Dude, isn’t your dad- er, wait, your father some kind of alchemist? He probably has something you could use.”
“He likely does.  However, we have what one might call a strained relationship.”
“Oh, you don’t have to tell me about that if you don’t want to-’
“Me and my brothers destroyed his lab and he threw Leo off of a roof.”
“Oh.”
You two went quiet once more. He also broke the silence once more.
“Never mind that, let’s focus on the task at hand: how to obtain a sought-after gem.”
“By destroyed, do you mean made a mess of or..?”
“Absolutely decimated it.”
“Right,” you nodded slowly. “So is it abandoned, and, follow up, would it still have any resources left?”
“Not likely. Scavengers, and Draxum himself, probably made certain that anything valuable was taken care of. But, we could potentially check it out.”
“Hmm, ‘we’?” you asked innocently enough, save for a teasing inflection in your hum.
“Yeah, ‘we’. Unless you’re not interested, which is totally within bounds-”
“I’m free Thursday and Friday, either before noon or at, like, ten,” you cut him off. His surprise was discernible by how quiet he went for a solid ten seconds.
“Right, yeah, Friday works,” he finally conceded. “Would Friday at 23:00 work for you?”
Seriously? Military time? What a punk. “Translate into normal time talk and then you’ll get an answer,” you quipped.
“No need to be rude. Does eleven sound better to your inconsiderate self?”
“Much. And eleven works. Where’re we meeting?”
“Fret not. I’ll send the location.”
Come Friday, following the address brought you to the shadiest place you’d been since April took you into the sewers last week.
Man, your friend group was a whole situation.
The area itself was fine. Domestic, contemporary homes and apartments in a congested neighborhood, standard New York living arrangement. Your dubiousness, however, stemmed from the particular location: a horribly lit, uninhabited, possibly abandoned construction site.
Actually, it would probably be weirder for him to ask to meet you in a normal location with street lights.
You sent a quick text to Donnie, informing him that you were there and possibly telling him to hurry his shell up before stepping into the.dirt-coated lot. As you moved deeper into the area, you noticed a silhouette propped against the side of a big metal container. You squinted at the turned away figure, trying to make out any features.
Typing vigorously, wearing an oversized purple hoodie, hunched over their phone- okay, yeah, that was Donnie.
You quickly made your way over to him, leaning next to him on the container with a loud, metallic thud.
“Hey there, pal,” you grinned, a visible puff of air exiting your lips. Boy, was it cold.
He lackadaisically lifted an eyebrow at you as he finished typing something up on his phone. “Salutations. And refrain from calling me pal; we’re not pals.”
Donnie placed his phone and hands into his hoodie pocket and started making his way further into the shadows underneath the structure of steel beams and bars. You followed suit.
“What are we then?” you prompted playfully.
“Acquaintances.”
“Really? I don’t think people who are just acquaintances travel to literal mystic cities or even the sewers with each other.”
“Well, if you are so well versed on the classifications of relationship statuses, what do you consider us to be?”
“Friends, probably,” you shrugged.
“Probably?” he asked as he started to use a pin from his pocket to draw an unfamiliar insignia on an oddly placed brick wall.
You rested your hands on your hips. “I mean, thinking statistically about it, we’re probably friends.”
“In what universe does statistics have anything to do with this situation?”
“Ion’ know. You’re supposed to know about the science-and-math-y stuff. I’m just moral support.”
“No, you’re just throwing mathematical terms around haphazardly!” he exclaimed, gesticulating with his free hand.
“I probably am.”
His eye twitched. Before he could iterate his disdain for your insolence, the design he traced on the wall began to emit an electric blue shade. A static buzz entered the air, creating a warm, fuzzy feeling around you. Not comforting, though. It was reminiscent of the portals you’d encountered just last week.
Abruptly, a swirling amalgamation of light and energy came forth before you, small bursts of lightning zapping periodically.
Huh. You were right. Portals.
“Does this lead to that lab?” you asked, peering at it curiously.
“What do you say we find out?” Donnie gave a lazy grin before coolly stepping backwards into the portal.
You gawked. The audacity of this man to invite you adventuring and then leave you high and dry was astronomical.
That left you with two options: get out of there and have a cozy night in or follow him into a suspicious portal. Which, come on, you already knew what you were going to do: tail that turtle and make him rue leaving you behind like that.
With a roll of your eyes, you stepped, or fell, more so, into the portal, and that’s when things went loopy.
Your surroundings melted into a zero gravity tunnel of blue, insides churning in a manner akin to the swarm of colors around you. Everything looked distorted, warped into only sensations, and after moments of free fall and whiplash and weightlessness you plopped rather unceremoniously onto a brick path. 
Somehow, the area you ended up in was even loopier than that.
For starters, the sky was a washy mix of apricot and slate and a golden color. Next up, and quite likely most pressingly, was the gigantic structure sitting before you. A short, rocky path trailed up to a floating cylindrical building, the size of which rivaled every building you’d ever seen in New York. The building was bathed in green light, had a balcony- and did you mention FLOATING?
“Holy-” You couldn’t help but go slack-jawed, earning a smug expression from the turtle.
“Mmhm.”
“Where are we?” You looked at the vast area behind you, the fiery orange sky littered with floating edifices and vessels and creatures of all varieties.
“Welcome to the Hidden City, my associate-”
You interjected, “-friend-”
“-entourage,” he corrected with the raise of an eyebrow.
You let it slide, not looking to lower your status any more. “Touché. Continue.”
“The Hidden City, a subterranean city-state far beneath New York City and home to the laboratory of former warrior-alchemist Barron Draxum,” Donnie introduced with a flourish of his hands.
You released an amused puff of air. “You feel good about letting out your inner theater kid?”
“I feel great, actually. But there’s no time to dwell on that. Onward, to exploration!”
He was really in full theatrics tonight, but you didn’t mind indulging. Lightly shaking your head at him, you joined him in moving up the path to the towering golden archway at the front of the building.
The door opened creakily, unsturdy on its hinges, shedding light on a decrepit, dust-ridden foyer. Large tapestries and artworks strewn about the halls were coated so thickly in dirt they almost couldn’t be made out. You shot him an uncertain look.
“Like I said, don’t keep your hopes up,” was all Donnie said in response before continuing down the dim corridor. You stalled, still weary about the condition of the building, before swiftly catching back up with him.
As you worked your way into the dark, desolate lab, Donnie lectured you on safety precautions. “Don’t touch anything unless it seems nonlethal and productive. Actually, just don’t touch anything.”
“So, I can’t open any drawers or anything?” you sassed.
He deadpanned. “You know what I mean.”
“Semantics matter, D.”
“Not really- fine, whatever. Let’s get to exploring,” Donnie conceded, excitedly flicking his goggles down with a smirk.
It was an instinct, really, that you clasped a hand over your mouth and terribly concealed a laugh upon seeing his goggle-covered eyes.
He stared at you blankly. “What?”
You waved your hand in front of you to dismiss yourself. “I’m sorry- I’ve just never seen you in the goggles.”
“I’ve worn them during every interaction of ours.”
“No, I mean like on your eyes. It makes them look all beady.”
“Wow. I appreciate that.”
You quickly defended yourself. “In a good way! It’s not bad, just different.”
“Ah yes, ‘beady in a good way’. I’ll log that one in the books.”
“Seriously, I thought they looked cute.”
He looked taken aback, lips pursed and face warm at that assertion.
“Not like that. Like an objective kind of cute.” You shook your head in disbelief at the words you were spewing. “Actually, nevermind. Forget I said any of that.”
“Agreed.” He rolled his eyes and set to work scanning shelves and drawers for any traces of the mysticism you were pursuing. For his sake, you didn’t mention how the pink tint on his face didn’t disappear until minutes into your guys’ search.
The search ended up unsuccessful. Sure, while scouring shelves and cabinets and odd cages around the spacious laboratory you found a whole lot more than you would expect in an abandoned building - elements in sealed jars, flasks of what seemed to be potions or ingredients - but nothing close to a crystal or gem.
After working your way around the room, you looked up at Donnie.
He shook his head and walked over to you. “It appears the lab’s a bust for any type of crystal. Not a total loss, though.” He held up a container labeled ‘emp.’ before one of the mechanical hands from his battle shell stored it for him. Another of the hands gave your shoulder a reassuring pat.
You shook your head. “No, we’re getting you a crystal, man.” You paused, thought of an alternative. “Are there any stores or markets nearby that might have them?”
“Ohmigosh, you are just full of great ideas.” You and Donnie began moving back toward the front.
He sounded like he might have meant that, but his voice was still startlingly monotonous. You narrowed your eyes, put your head askew. “For real?”
“Yes, this time,” the turtle nodded before excitedly gliding back down the entrance’s stairs.
You laughed, following along. “This time?”
“Surprisingly enough, yes.”
You caught up to him and landed a firm, still playful jab to his side.
“Just stop yapping and take us there.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After what felt like eons of continuous motion, you two made it onto the streets of the Hidden City.
Brightly colored banners, advertisements, decorations, adorned lampposts all up and down the streets, though you avoided certain battle-themed ones. Multitudes of languages and dialects could be heard all around. The smells of delectable foods wafted through the air, sweet, savory, spicy, but you couldn’t pay them any mind. You were on a gem-hunting mission. Even if it wasn’t going very well currently.
The merchant running a crystal stand was slumped over on their counter, boredly staring at the customers that had been occupying their business for minutes on end without making a choice i.e. you and Donnie.
You raised an index finger at a particular pretty purple gem sitting in a pile of other ones on the counter of the stand.
Donnie flicked on his goggles and shook his head. “Uh, no. Not remotely. We’re looking to avoid overcurrent; that thing has enough mystic mojo to wipe out half the city.”
You slowly placed it down. “Oookay then. Glad to be of service,” you muttered.
He pursed his lips at your interesting body language. Slumped shoulders, hints of dejection in your voice - you weren’t having fun. Maybe it was because he immediately turned down the last five of your suggestions, but who could definitively say why?
“The issue is that you keep grabbing crystals that emit cool colors, which, as you know from the electromagnetic spectrum, correlate to a higher frequency. We don’t want that. So, as much as I would enjoy a violet crystal to match my ambience, something with a less vibrant, warmer hue works best.”
You slowly digested what he just said. Cautiously, your hand crept back to the merchant’s display and selected an auburn gem. 
“That one’s frequency is too low-”
“Of course it is.”
“-but you’re on the right track! Try a little further down the electromagnetic spectrum-”
“What, something like this?” You gestured toward an amber gem that was near the bottom of the pile, exasperated.
Donnie hummed. “Actually, yeah. That’s just fine.”
“Really?”
“Shhh,” Donnie waved a hand telling you to calm down before pulling you aside. “There’s no fixed price on the signs here. If we seem too excited or gullible-”
“We get duped?” you guessed.
“We get duped. So stay cool, and let me handle this.”
Donnie cracked his knuckles and turned back to the stand, professionally ready to bargain and deal with the price.
He still ended up paying a ridiculous price for the small gem’s size, but you didn’t know if you’d ever seen him grin so proudly, so you didn’t say a word about it.
The first time you spoke up after the deal was made was after passing by a food cart and hearing your stomach rumble.
Donnie almost kept walking without you before you loosely clasped onto his wrist.
Puzzled, he turned back to you.
“Would you want to get something to eat? Like, while we’re down here,” you asked.
He pursed his lips. Just as he opened his mouth to retort or deny the requests, you were both hit with a wave of the most scrumptious food you’d smelled probably in your entire life.
“Okay, you have to admit that smell is heavenly,” you looked at him knowingly.
“I don’t have to do anything, but those do look fire.”
You gave him the best pleading look you had, and you could pinpoint the exact moment he caved in.
“Alright, we can take a quick detour from the exit.”
“Heck yeah! You rock, no correlation to geology,” you winked, adjusting your grip from his wrist to his hand so that you two wouldn’t get separated from you charging through the crowd.
And charge through that crowd you did.
Donnie in tow behind you, you bounded through the crowd excitedly, scarcely avoiding collisions all over.
However, the complaining Donatello in hand and sweating were inconsequential compared to being in line for a brand new type of culinary experience.
You were practically buzzing with joy, so excited that you momentarily forgot to relinquish Donnie’s hand. You still did though, just a moment shy of awkwardness.
You had made a good deal, had good company, and were about to have good food. What more could you want?
Still beaming, you felt your phone buzzing in your pocket and pulled it out.
The smile on your face quickly receded as you checked who was calling.
“Just a moment, I need to take this,” you muttered before slipping out of line and off through the crowd.
Donnie froze. He didn’t like the fact that whoever called seemed to ruin your mood, nor the idea of you being alone in an entirely unfamiliar city.
Reluctantly, he relinquished his spot in line - which was painfully close to the front, might he add - to find you.
It took a moment of weaving left and right, dodging up and down through a flurry of wings and tails for him to find the space between two buildings that you had moved yourself into.
Not wanting to intrude, he stood right outside the small alley, listening in by a complete coincidence. Certainly not out of nosiness in the slightest. Nope.
Anyway, he only got close enough to hear you mid-sentence.
“-you serious? Now, I don’t know if your section of New York is in a different time zone, but for me right now it is way too dark and way too late to be calling for conferences.”
A pause. Scraggly sounds faintly sounded from the other side of the call, not that he could make out an inkling of it. You, on the other hand, understood it all too well.
“Obligatory? Yes, I know what obligatory means, I just find the notion of a required meeting kinda dumb- Sorry, I mean extremely dumb.”
Another pause of you presumably getting chewed out passed before you, begrudgingly, grumbled, “Ugh, if you insist. Be there later.”
The phone call ended after that, and Donnie had no clue what to do.
Walking in normally could make it seem like he was eavesdropping, which he was but he didn’t want you to know that, but he couldn’t just stand still either.
After some careful contemplation, Donnie looked around and stumbled (definitely not purposefully) into the alley you were in. He seemed somewhat concerned; he hadn’t seen you that perturbed before.“Is everything alright?” he muttered vaguely, not wanting to overstep.
“Just yelling at my… mother’s urn- Anyway, once again, I have really got to go, this has been really fun, we should do this again sometime, am I missing anything else?” you joked lightheartedly. Thankfully the mood, along with Donnie, followed your attitude shift.
“I feel like a ‘thanks, you’re the best’ may be due,” your companion urged jokingly.
“Thanks Donnie, you’re the best.”
He huffed. “Kidding. I was kidding.”
“I wasn’t.”
For a probably too long moment, he made eye contact with you and your startlingly genuine eyes. Eventually, he tore his gaze away and cleared his throat. “... Let’s get you back to the surface.”
The trip back to the site of the portal was mostly silent, just the two of you trekking shoulder to shoulder through crowds of characters, before you entered the vertigo-inducing light once again.
The wind bit harshly at you as soon as you landed back on New Yorkian ground, an unkind reminder of the end of your adventure.
You blew a puff of warm air onto your hands and almost started walking on instinct before Donnie spoke, reminding you of his presence.
“Are you alright going back on your own?” he questioned quietly, almost coyly.
“I mean, I made it here on my own. I think I’ve got it covered.”
“Oh. Okay,” he concurred with a nod before giving you a pair of thumbs up. “In that case, make it home safely. Text you later?”
“Later,” you agreed emphatically. With one more nudge of his arm and a pivot in the other direction, you were off, out of the construction zone, on the sidewalk, down the street.
As you moved toward your destination, the skyscrapers and towering structures lining your path grew taller, more opulent, more lavish. Insignificant residentials morphed into substantial, old money commercials. Your heart rate climbed.
You paused in front of the grand doors of your location and took a deep, steadying breath. It was just some quick business you had to take care of. Brief. Inconsequential. Everything would be fine.
With some renewed confidence, or at least some semblance of it, you pulled on the handle and swiftly entered the hotel’s lobby.
The door closed thickly behind you with a thud.
Resonate. Absolute. Irrevocable.
(Artwork for part 5)
Taglist ~
@rottmntsimp
@envyjmoney
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