#A SUMMER BABY ABOUT REBIRTH BUT NOT REALLY

[bandsanitizer]

how I feel about luke likely releasing his next album in late winter/early spring while running around dressed like a vampire:

[pileofmush]

blue raspberry, red sun ୧ ‧₊˚

ft. monkey d. luffy

hello! this is an entry for the lovely @threadbaresweater's summertime (and the livin' is easy) event! haven't written for luffy in a while but i missed him, so.

details ➸ tags: modern au, tooth-rotting fluff, no plot just vibes // cw: gn!reader, mc is implied to have cleavage // wc: 1.3k // ao3

“how can you fuck up eating a popsicle that bad?” you ask, eyes wide at the straight-up murder scene before you. your own ice cream cone sits pristine in your hands—vanilla with a waffle cone. cute, contained, simple. 

you’re sitting on a curb in the middle of who knows where. the sun is particularly vengeful today: bright, hot, loud. it chases away all the shadows and beams down on you like you called it’s mother a whore. sweat pools between your thighs; concrete digs into your ass. you’re afraid that when you stand up there’ll be a sweat-stained print on the sidewalk, free for everyone to see.

your boyfriend shrugs, messy raven hair falling over his tan, toned shoulders. “dunno,” luffy says blandly. he licks his hand in one long stripe like a heathen and hums. “it’s good—wanna taste?”

you balk at the suggestion. “no, don’t—!”

too late.

🍓 .・゜-: ✧ :-

you can catalogue the days spent with luffy during a week by the amount of damage done to your closet. 

the pretty pale pink blouse you thrifted a few months ago—the one with the lace trim that shows off the perfect amount of cleavage—tossed in the hamper with thoughts and prayers thanks to the gigantic-ass stain luffy blessed you with last wednesday. 

(you should’ve seen it coming, really, neon blue sludge dripping from his sun-speckled fingers with reckless abandon near moments before he grabbed you by the waist to bring you in for a sloppy, tart kiss. it was quick and bright, an explosion of blue raspberry, before he pulled away as quickly as he initiated the kiss. he wiped his mouth with a lazy flick of his hand, then grinned a proud, dopey grin, teeth glinting in the sunlight. 

you remember feeling dizzy and warm, baked in the sun and your love and the sheer aura your boyfriend possessed.

“tastes good, right?” he asked. 

your eyes caught his flash of tongue as he spoke, tongue stained blue. 

“yeah,” you agreed quietly, reverently. “tastes good.”)

then there was the trip to the beach a few days ago that luffy suggested, which… alright, maybe you can’t blame him for getting sand all over you at the beach.

(and really, it was a nice trip. you and the straw-hats all packed into franky’s van like a baby soccer team getting driven to their first game. windows down, luffy happily chewing on a sandwich you packed him, nami rattling off directions like it’s her day job, brook belting 2000’s pop. and then, the lot of you spilling out and ambling to the beach. sunscreen slathered on every inch of your skin. the feel of hot wind and sand in between your toes, the salty tang of the sea on your tongue, and your hand in luffy’s, always, as he drags you across the beach with glee.) 

but still. luffy brought home a slimy strand of seaweed to prank you with, and it somehow found its way into your underwear drawer. 'no, he did not put it there', let him tell it. you had to resist beating him with a slipper. gosh, he’s such a dork.

so, yeah. dating luffy definitely means more frequent loads of laundry, but it’s fine. it really is. s’not like you didn’t know what you were getting into. s’not like you mind any traces of luffy you can get. 

luffy seems the type to be born in the summer.

he’s not- he wasn’t. a spring baby through and through, to your initial surprise. and sure, there’s probably something poetic you could say about blossoms and rebirth and fresh starts, but really, luffy reminds you of the hot, everlasting summer. he’s practically the sun incarnate. could’ve been a sun god in another life, for all you know, because his touch is so hot, hot, hot, and his laugh is crude and bright, and he is the only person you know to not wilt under the full force of the sun. instead, he feeds off of it. it gives him life, vigor, sustenance. 

you used to dread the summertime. now, it’s your favorite season.

so when luffy pops over with a blanket and a basket, you don’t need to think too hard to throw in a couple of (okay, several) sandwiches and some leftover fruit.

you decide on a quaint spot at a nearby park. the two of you walk side by side underneath the orange light of the dying sun. it’s a cooler evening. the grass next to your feet bristle; trees dance in the gentle breeze. the endless drone of the cicadas meshes with luffy’s rambling about his latest outing with ace and sabo—apparently, it ended in a fire—and you sneak a few glances at him. luffy’s skin is a rich, warm gold. underneath the last few embers of day, the sky soaked in warm oranges, pinks, and a devastating purple, you find traces of its colors reflected on his skin. 

and luffy is loud, loud, loud, but he is also quiet. and underneath the weight of the sky, you feel incredibly lucky to be a part of his life. 

his hand, looped lazily around your free wrist, snakes down to intertwine with your fingers. 

“what is it?” he interrupts his spiel with a sudden question. 

your teeth sink into the plush of your bottom lip as you consider your response. “it’s nothing.” you pause. parse through your emotions and will them to become coherent thoughts. “i guess i just missed you.”

slowly, he drags the two of you to a stop. he tugs on your hand, a reminder, even as he blinks in confusion. 

“i’m right here,” he says, solemn.

“i know.”

a beat.

“you don’t have to miss me. i’m already yours.”

and, he’s right. like a sun rising above the horizon after a night plunged in the dark, he returns to you, again and again. 

“i know that.” in a stroke of luffy-branded honesty, you admit to him with a shrug, “but i don’t think i’ll ever stop missing you.”  

it is not a bad thing. not a bad thing at all. just another way to say i love you. perhaps the only way you can say it, right now.

luffy stares at you for a while and then releases an uncharacteristic sigh. he takes the picnic basket out of your hands and lets it drop in the grass, along with the blanket he was carrying. then, without warning, your boyfriend tackles you to the ground.

you barely even register it, he breaks your fall so gently, and then he’s clambering over you, long arms pressing you into the soil, long tendrils of grass tickling your skin, and you’re thinking about the dirt undoubtedly ruining yet another shirt of yours as he clumsily lowers his mouth to yours. he smells like grass and sunscreen and maybe a little bit of sweat, and tastes a bit like koolaid. but all you can register is him, the ever-present heat radiating off his body, the nimble fingers digging into your skin almost brutally, the clink of his teeth against yours. hot and sloppy and luffy, luffy, luffy.

you kiss until you can’t breathe, until you breathe fire, until your head is spinning and you can think no more.

then, he rolls off of you. the two of you pant: you, content to remain a puddle on the ground, him, leaning back on his arms. still close, though. still above you, dark eyes roaming over your form intently, tracking your every flutter. 

it’s quiet, save for the cicadas. soundtrack of the summer. 

you sit up and try to pat yourself off. it’s probably useless. you know there’ll be nasty grass stains on your back when you get back home. ah, well. can't be helped.

“i get it,” luffy says, eventually. after you’ve both caught your breath. he runs a finger down your leg, tracing inexplicable patterns into your skin. “i miss you too.” 

oh, how silly it is, to be in love.

“i know,” you say, cheekily. 

he relaxes. “good.” luffy reaches up to pat your head. 

you bat his hand away.

he tosses you a toothy smile.

you catch it.

this was v fun to write. hope u liked reading it <3

[audreyscribes]

Ω PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS:💀 PERSEPHONE: QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD, GODDESS OF SPRING, THE DEAD, THE UNDERWORLD, GRAIN, AND NATURE 💐 (PART 1)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is PART 1 of the Persephone Demigod Headcanons. Due to the size limit of Tumblr, I had to split the entire work into two. [LINK TO PART 2 HERE] Hi everyone! It took me a bit to figure it out but here's what everyone has been waiting for! Persephone is just 1 out of the 4 works I have planned and written for, and these works will be categorized as the MISCELLANEOUS GODS due to not the fact these gods are minor or anything, but because I did mention this in an ask before and it's easier to think about due to the canon PJO world building. These works will be a bit more loose since I'm taking a shot in the wild so hopefully you guys like it. Thanks for reading!!

*Disclaimer: mentions of unusual births, life and death*

People have been wondering if Persephone would have a demigod of her own, considering Hades has his own children, but also it’s slightly more believable if people know about the story of Adonis. However, there are very limited ways that the goddess would give birth to a demigod, since she’s very loyal and in love with Hades, and vise-versa.  

How you could’ve been born:

You really could’ve been born normally where Persephone’s eyes fell upon a mortal, when it was during Spring or Summer, or when the autumn and winter months have been delayed. 

Honestly, I can see this going for either gender of mortal: If your mortal parent is male, Hades couldn’t have done much because he knows Persephone’s preferences are strict and the last human she fell in love was Adonis, that Aphrodhite herself loved as well, so, Hades worrying about her being (repeatedly) unfaithful is very rare so your mortal male parent is the exception. So don’t expect any or more demigod siblings of Persephone. Not totally out of Hades’ ire, but given how many demigod children he has, he really doesn’t say anything. If your mortal parent is female, I can see it being this unusual birthing process where some sort of guidance is required: maybe Persephone offered a seed that your female mortal parent swallowed and boom, you were born. 

You’re a cabbage patch baby or a rose baby. or you’re born from a Peach. Turnip baby. Any plant based births. Quite literally. Don’t ask how this exactly works, but it involves the blood, sweat, and tears of your mortal parent planting the seed that Persephone gave/helped and raised you together. 

There’s a story where a woman ate a red and white rose to give birth, and I don't think that's not off the books for Persephone to do. Offering the flowers or something for your mortal parent to eat and boom, here you are-

You were either or an orphan, a completely child/baby that was near earth or had died, and you underwent the same process that (Zagreus)  Dionysus underwent with the weird death-rebirth thing; where you were (SOMEHOW) taken in by Persephone physically then reborn as a child of Perseophone when she gave birth to you. Since you technically died, you lost half of your mortal self because of the whole dying thing, but was replaced with Persephone’s godly portion.

That said, you’re not probably a double demigod if you went through the whole rebirth thing: where before you were a demigod child that died before Persephone gave you a new life. If you are however, oh boy, the Fates have something planned for you and it will not be an easy/happy life for you; doomed or tortured by the narrative. Your happy ending will have to be earned and fought with blood and tears. Afterall, the more powerful the demigod, the less easy it is for them.

 Either way, I don’t really see Hades targeting you on the level Hera does to the children of Zeus; though you still might want to refer to Hades (very) politely as Lord Hades or Godly Step Father. Just good manners, you know.

Regardless, everyone at camp is very confused and looking at you in a mixture of wonder, uncertainty, fear, amongst a few. When you get claimed, it’s like Spring has arrived, even when it’s Autumn or Winter. Nature blooms all around you with such vitality no one has seen before, with flowers, grains, and crops sprouting underneath your feet and all around you. Once the claim is over, if it’s Autumn/Winter, the world reverts back and everyone can see the rot that surrounds them except for you as you walk. 

Everyone expects you to be either a “Flower prince[ss]”, a soft person like Spring, or “A Prince[ss] of the Underworld”, terrifying like your mother. However, while you may lean one than the other, you can be both. Afterall, Persephone may be one to bring growth and fertility to the earth, and everything, she is also just as much as Kore that lends to herself being the Goddess of the Underworld and the dead where destruction follows. On the other hand, it’s a pretty cool thought where you’re wearing a crown of flowers and being all soft looking but switch to something darker with the flower petals falling off, to reveal a crown of thorns with the shadows curling around you to almost seem like your face is a skull, and vise-versa. You do you.

When you walk on the earth, you’ll sprout flowers and plants underneath your feet but as soon as you raise your foot to step away, the plants will wither and die, leaving rot behind. Sort of like the God of the Forest walking in Studio Ghibli’s “Princess Mononoke” .

[PART 2 TO PERSEPHONE DEMIGOD HEADCANONS HERE]

[marsprincess889]

Ketu placement and your most core self

So i want to talk about my personal experience about an artist I love, how she has been haunting me throughout my life and about how art imitates life.

I have ketu in jyeshta nakshatra,(and shoutout to all my 2002 babies with ketu in jyeshta, love u) and at age 10 i discovered an artist whose name i've heard of but never knew. I clicked on a song that youtube recommended called "Back to December" and i really do remember it so clearly, how natural it was and how i wasn't thinking as i branded Taylor Swift (sun in jyeshta) my favourite artist. I remember explaining passionately to my dad why I loved this song and how it differed from RED and how those songs were my safe space because while i had to try hard for anything else, this was natural and easy and just perfect.

Here i credit claire nakti, who you should know if you're interested in vedic astrology. She made a video about ketu and creativity and one's "daemon" that is really worth checking out.

Moving on, ketu is your creative, primal energy that is unaware. It's the headless body, the tail of the serpent, our past, where we come from, what is natural for us, past lives and untamed power. For example, as a ketu in jyeshta native I've always felt close to the hero archetype (I even wrote a song about that around that time), the poor orphan who rises into the world, the brave soldier who outsmarts everyone, the survivor, the winner against all odds, the grumpy independent individual, and even as a young girl, the archetype of the eldest daughter, which I actually am. I've always felt a little masculine at my core, and this explains why, as jyeshta is very masculine. All these archetypes I associate with jyeshta.

Jyeshta is known as "the best". You can only be the best if everyone else is worse, so we have the theme of competition. Jyeshta is located fully in Scorpio, and is very much about the occult side of life. It's shakti (power) is "to rise, conquer and gain courage in battle" (multiple sources). I know personally that jyeshta will never let you win an argument or back away from tension, the exception is only when there's no need to. My jyeshta moon cousin makes me so mad because he's always trying to lecture me to appear smart. That's definitely a more negative manifestation of its energy.

Anyways, in her video, claire nakti says that if you feel drawn to some art, it's been most likely created by someone with their primary placement in your ketu nakshatra. Now, this is not a rule, as I've definitely liked other artists, but Taylor's music felt too personal and custom-made for me, like she knew my taste and life from inside out.

Flash forward to summer 2019 and Taylor has released Lover, I'm sitting on a hill and cannot believe how Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince is so perfect, so me.

I went through my reputation era when she went through it, i went through a personal rebirth as she released Lover, I felt depressed and alone when I finished my school and she released folklore (tbh most of us did(SOLIDARITY TO CLASS OF 2020 MAKE SOME NOISE)) . Around that time I disovered Dickinson(a tv show) and here is my next point.(?)

Dickinson stars Hailee Steinfeld(jyeshta sun) as Emily Dickinson(also jyeshta sun), and it's about her life, yes, but mostly it's about Emily's creativity. There's a character called death that I believe relresents Emily's daemon(watch claire nakti's video for more clarity, but basically it's the opposite sex version of you, your creative self, and is represented by your ketu). Death appears whenever Emily feels different, like she needs time alone to herself and rides with him in his carriage, he also empowers her. Interestingly, Hailee Steinfeld's ketu is in Uttara Bhadrapada, which is Wiz Khalifa's(death) moon. That, in my eyes, solidifies the theory that he's representing her daemon.

I had discovered claire nakti recently at that time and also discovering this art that felt very personal to me was a little overwhelming, not to mention that i was going through a VERY stressful time in my life. As i grew so did my creative energy and I reached a certain block, but now I look at my art from that time and it's so... raw and pure and true. Tbh that time was extremely traumatic for me and it's traumatic to remember it but hey, I'm so much better now. I started my ketu antardasha at that time and it ended in february 2021. Still hard to remember yes, but I heard ketu dashas always are, you always come out more beautiful and true out of it tho 🙂.

So, be careful with ketu energies, they're not for us to misuse. There's always Venus after ketu so it's another reason to smile.

Please interact with me if any of this was interesting or felt familiar. Not all posts are going to be like this, in fact, I think they're gonna be more rare. This was a really serious post and brought up some stuff in me ngl. I really didn't deserve to go through the trauma, nobody does. But it's not all consuming, it was nothing really, it was just traumatic at the time. Anyways this is becoming a lot so wait for more aesthetic posts, I'm venusian after all 💖💖💖 love u guys, take care. 🤍

[districtunrest]

What's your headcanon for Katniss and Peeta's children?

How old was Katniss when give birth to their daughter?

How many years apart between them in age?

Your headcanon for their name?

Who gets the singing and art skill from their parent?

Bonus question : please give recs of your fav everlark post-Mockingjay fanfic.

Thank you :)

@curiousthg

I'll be honest, I rely a lot on other people's fic to fill in what I think about Katniss and Peeta's kids. I trust that they are loved by their parents, and that they both know this in the thoughtless way any safe and secure child does, and that their family is an overall happy one, despite its past pain and ghosts.

Katniss says it took 15 years for her and Peeta to have children*. assuming the timeline starts at "so after," where they're like 19 (I give them a year after Peeta gets back), she gets pregnant with her daughter at 34.

headcanon their names as Willow and Fletcher but I'm not super attached to them. they're 5 years apart - Willow is 6 and Fletcher 1-ish at the time of the epilogue. they're both winter babies, conceived in the spring. summers are hard for KP mentally and so I don't think they'd try to conceive then, just to have spring babies for the 'rebirth' of it all. I really like the idea that Katniss is pregnant with a third by then but it's not necessary; it's important that she and Peeta have at least a girl and a boy, to symbolize their having 2 tributes that will never be taken.

neither child is the spitting image of either parent. they're obviously a mix of Seam and merchant coloring, with the girl having blue eyes & dark hair and the boy having gray eyes & blond hair. thanks to The Grandmentor, I imagine their daughter as fair ("moon baby!") and their son more olive-skinned. I see both of them taking to art and music in a mix of ways: their daughter likes to dance and sing and paint; their son likes to play the guitar and write lyrics and sketch. they both know how to bake and hunt; their son prefers to bake bread, garden, can foods, and bow hunt whereas their daughter prefers to bake pastries, forage, trap, and smoke meat.

as for toastbaby fic recs, there's The Grandmentor, as you can tell lol, as well as give you my wild by @jenniferiawrence and Here is the place! it's an AU but The Light & The Red by @rosegardeninwinter also has great toastbaby representation!

*Five by @msdisdain explores the idea that Katniss meant there was a pregnancy at 5, 10, and 15 years, which has stuck with me and is the reason why I see the toastbabies as having a 5-year age gap.

[lanaevyssmoved]

OC questions tag meme!

THANK YOU FOR TAGGING ME @hibernationsuit mwah mwah

i'm doing it for afhiri, candor and cirok!! it's undercut because its long ^_^

Name:

afhiri, but if performing will tell people their name is gift ^_^ afhiri does have a surname i just haven't decided what it is yet because it's almost better to me if no one ever finds out. even me candor's actual name is raguel, but chose the virtue name candor for itself! this was with intent for when it introduced itself to afhiri, but it completely failed when he realised afhiri doesn't know what candour means :D cirok is a name that they picked themselves after his failed transformation into a kaorti and became a rivener! it's actual name is long lost, and no one will ever learn it

Nickname(s):

afhiri has the nicknames hiri and iri, and various pet names from their various partners. "sweet clown" and "my favourite bard" are used often by gale! a fun fact is gale will give afhiri moon and star related names, and candor will give afhiri sun related names! candor is called candy by afhiri, and they'll tease it with lots of "you're so sweet! like candy!" hehehe... the torment melts the heart of even the most honourable of angels cirok is called cir by afhiri but other than that their name doesn't actually get used often, since it only really interacts with afhiri and gale. gale calls cirok "it" a lot, and "phantom", using cirok mostly when afhiri pouts at him. it sounds mean but cirok doesn't mind and sometimes prefers the depersonalisation of it

Gender:

afhiri is intersex and was raised to be a boy from birth, however they developed to look more like a girl, causing a lot of inner turmoil and conflict. afhiri is transfem and nonbinary. they also take testosterone to feel closer to their masculinity. she/they pronouns! candor is quite literally a sexless solar angel, but is maculine in appearence and presentation. calling candor a man in any form would be incorrect. he/it/they pronouns! cirok is nonbinary. don't ask whats under its clothes... vaguely gestures to the fact it's a failed kaorti transformation. it/they with heavy preference for it/its.

Star sign:

this is a little difficult because realms lore has changed on this a lot, if i'm correct in my information. from people being blessed by stars or entire consellations to each month actually having a sign in more recent lore. here is a link anyone doing this for realms ocs (like bg3 ocs) can use to figure this out! the lore on stars and consellations in the realms is spotty at best, but this could be helpful if you wanna go that route!

afhiri was born in the month of kythorn, at the height of summer. her sign is the moth! uh.. candor wasn't born like that and cirok experienced literal rebirth so like. i can only answer this for afhiri LSKDJFDSF

Height:

i added gale because gale kisses afhiri and cirok hehehe

Orientation:

afhiri is polyam and bisexual ^_^ candor is yknow an angel so doesn't really subscribe to this but would be polyam and pansexual if. it did subscribe to labels at all cirok is [waves hands about] queer

Nationality/Ethnicity:

afhiri is baldurian and from the lower city in a poor district. baby is a tiefling! candor is a solar from the upper planes! candor originally called the chronias layer of mount celestia its home but upon agreeing to serve lathander moved to the realm morninglory in elysium. candor spends a few decades on toril, but eventually returns to morninglory where they stay for eternity cirok is a rivener, and what it was before this is lost to time, and you're not going to get an answer out of them. but if you were able to get a good look, you'd assume cirok is maybe a human or a half elf. cirok stays in waterdeep with afhiri and gale post-game but where cirok was before is anyones guess!

Favourite fruit:

afhiri likes sweet fruits best of all, like berries, melons and mangoes! candor doesn't eat.......... cirok doesn't eat either...............

Favourite season:

afhiri likes it warm and loves nature, flowers, greenery, so late spring and summer are the best! candor likes the summer because of the long days and warm sun ^_^ cirok uh. is not gonna answer this question if you ask and it doesn't have one.......

Favourite flower:

afhiri loves all flowers but most especially simple flowers like daisies! if afhiri sees a field of daisies you have LOST her candor likes sunflowers and roses.. obviously cirok doesn't like flowers dlfkgfdglkdfgdfg

Favourite scent:

afhiri likes natural smells over perfumey ones that usually make them sneeze dfklgjdfgd so you're gonna see afhiri sniffing flowers and the fresh air and avoiding people wearing scents candor probably got some. angel advanced sniffer shit going on. so i assume candor can smell the universe and stuff. so lets just say whatever the sun smells like and leave it there so i don't have to unpack this cirok doesn't have a favourite scent are you seeing a pattern here :)

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate:

HOT CHOCOLATE FOR AFHIRI PLEASE. sometimes gale makes them mochas. ^_^ candor doesn't drink! :) but would like tea fdl;kgdf cirok doesn't drink either..!! ahh!!! but would drink coffee. gods

Average hours of sleep:

afhiri doesn't actually sleep for very long, always jolting themselves awake in the early hours, likely due to having to always be up early before leaving their family home. candor doesn't sleep!!! cirok doesn't sleep!!!!!!!!

Dog or cat person:

afhiri is a both person and has the matched energies of a hyper dog and a zoomies cat candor loves all things on toril equally :) except the evil things :) cirok actually likes tara!!! cat person!!!!

Dream trip:

you're not gonna get a proper answer out of afhiri here it would just be "ANYWHERE! EVERYWHERE! LETS GO!" afhiri just wants to adventure and explore and see shit man. easy to please ultimately candor....... god ok i have to be honest candors dream trip would be leading afhiri to morninglory to spend the rest of eternity there with it. which means afhiri is dead cirok doesnt have one....... for gods sake cirok

Favourite fictional character:

afhiri has never read a book. we don't have television here. afhiri doesn't KNOW any fictional characters. but afhiri also has issues with knowing what is and isn't real and would answer this question in a completely incorrect way. afhiri would say the emperor is their favourite fictional character :) because the emperor lives in the prism :) for fuck sake afhiri candor.. doesn't have one..... candor is not one for whimsy like this... DO I HAVE TO SAY IT

Number of blankets they sleep with:

afhiri has one blanket and it's whoever is sleeping in bed with them..... other than that afhiri is going to kick that shit off in their sleep because they fidget like hell unless there's the weight of someone else holding them down. weight blanket person candor DOESN'T SLEEEPPP CIROK DOESN'T SL PEPEEPEP

Random fact:

afhiri has 6 fingers on each hand :)

candor spent so long flying around and simply floating that when entering self imposed exile and disguising itself as a tiefling it had to figure out how to walk :D

cirok has to spend many hours a day caring for its resin. its a super delicate task that cannot be interrupted. without this resin cirok will die in torils atmosphere :).........

TAGS!!!!!!!!!!

@ancientsigil @gwynbleidd @grymforge @euryalex @courierseis @kelemvorr @dandeyrain @dekarios @enverflymm @lord-woolsley @bootheminiaturegiantspacehamster @captaintiny @dameaylin @masckarlach @haarlep @sovereign-spaw @johnnystorm @maxthetruman @princeofhags and anyone else who wants to do it consider urself tagged by me ^_^!!

[hexblooddruid]

name: Bryn Acevedo

nickname: Doc (Karlach), Faithwarden (Wyll, affectionate), Faithwarden (Astarion, derogatory).

gender: cis woman (she/her)

star sign: Bryn was born under The Centaur! Summer baby.

height: 4'5"

orientation: Bi and poly

race: Gold Dwarf

romancing: My first playthrough with her she romanced Wyll (and was able to romance Gale for most of the game until they fixed that glitch). I did a second one where she and Astarion ended up falling for each other when she got locked out of Wyll's romance at the Tiefling Party. It's too early on in this playthrough to have committed to someone but she's definitely got a huge crush on on Wyll and has feelings for Astarion (though she is very much in denial about that).

fave fruit: Pears and blackberries

fave season: She will say that she doesn't play favorites, that all parts of the cycle are important for the nature of rebirth but it's spring and autumn for sure (the transitional seasons).

fave flower: Sunflowers, apple blossoms

fave scent: Pine, salty sea spray, mossy dirt

coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: Tea, definitely. She's an alchemist and druid. Collecting, drying, and brewing tea is her specialty.

average sleep hours: She attempts 8 but usually just get six.

dogs or cats: As a future cleric of Mielikki, she's a friend of all small creatures but she has a soft spot for cats. As a Land Druid, she doesn't use her Wild Shape in battle often so at camp it's Kitty Bryn time.

dream trip: Ahh this is so hard, Bryn wants to see so much. She was on her way to stowaway on a ship to the Moonshae Isles when she got abducted by the mind flayer ship. In this playthrough she just read the note about the Sussur and passed the nature check to know it's found in the Underdark, so she's really excited to go there.

amount of blankets: One at the most. Bryn runs hot, especially in the summer (having a magic tattoo attuned to the seasons will do that to ya).

random fact(s):

She was originally initiated into the Circle of the Forgotten Vale, a fairly insular circle who's main responsibilities is warning travelers away from the Forgotten Forest. She was Sage of her Circle, responsible for collecting, archiving, and managing their collection of Druidic Lore. This caused her to take lots of trips to Baldur's Gate to explore the libraries there. She ran away once she was named successor to the ArchDruid.

She's 50 years old, the youngest of young adults for a dwarf.

Has deep bone shattering fear of Timeless Body. Would rather die than live another 1000 plus years as a half tree person.

Doesn't imbibe often BUT definitely lights up some fantasy weed before bed while stargazing.

I thought initially I got locked out of Wyll's romance for sleeping with Astarion but I found it was that plus flirting with Gale and Karlach during their romance scenes that triggered before the party. To prevent that from happening in this playthrough I've created a spreadsheet and timeline to track Bryn's romantic feelings toward her companions. She will not get locked out of a romance with the person she's actually interested in for being a relentless flirt again.

Thank you @thedragonagelesbian (muah) for tagging me! If anyone sees this and wants to do it, consider yourself tagged. It was a lot of fun and I want to see other tavs/durges/ocs what have you.

[four-bastard-bustle]

Birthday headcanons for the boys

Edd's a late summer/beginning of autumn baby to me. The first of many green leaves turning brown matches his earthy colour palette. September 16th

Matt is a middle-of-winter kind of baby. Guy who was probably born in the midst of a snowstorm. Just a walking bad omen. The type of guy to be born really close to a holiday and feel slightly bitter about it "getting more attention" than him. December 28th

Tom is also a winter baby but moreso in a beautiful clear starry night way, not in a scary snowstorm way. February 5th

Tord's got a spring birthday which means nothing until she transitions and the rebirthing and renewing of nature symbolism hits <3 may 8th (also sounds like m8 and is a funny mlg meme reference)

If you're into astrology and want to overanalyse these from that angle, don't <3 this is about the symbolism of seasons

[camillabanilla]

The "death"/rebirth cycle of the Ever After; it's chekhov's plot device now. Like it HAS to come into play, somehow. To that end, we have three characters that have forgotten their "purpose" aka identity crisis island.

Ruby: does NOT have it in her to fight. If she does, her heart won't be in it, and I can't see her fighting since she can barely look at crescent rose without a panic attack. She no longer considers herself a hunter. Her identity is eroding, and no one is any wiser. Honestly this is kinda scary, like this kiddo is keeping this depression to herself and she needs to ask for help, but she won't and everything comes out all at once in a Very Bad Way. Too close to real life.

That being said, ideally Ruby discovers that it's okay for her to have bad days, to ask people for help, and feel her emotions. Honestly she reminds me of Riley from Inside Out. She takes the "bad" parts, and makes them a proper part of her self. The spectre of Summer no longer haunts her and Salem's taunts lose their effectiveness. You can even say, her painful memories and emotions "temper" her resolve. 👀

Jaune: my baby boi is a mess right now I don't even know where to begin. Yeah he was doing so great for volume 7-8 but maybe that just means he had the furthest to fall (get it lol)? Like he finally feels okay with himself, he's the team healer. He's not the type of guy to think of a mercy kill as heroics and it's literally the opposite of a heal so that entire cornerstone of his personality has been smashed. He's regressed to a place of self doubt. Except this time the stakes have risen and it's not that he can't become a hero, it's that he briefly was a hero and failed miserably (in his eyes). God even his angst is mature.

I feel like his trauma is different from Ruby's trauma in the way that hers is very psychological and deals with things that have happened to her, and Jaune's trauma deals with the things he's DONE or not done.

Shout out to the weirdness of him being super old now, but aside from becoming grumpy has moved on/changed on the least of all the characters. Like just look at the guy, he's literally rusting, even his new armor! His hair is long and unkempt compared to his previous fresh cut, and his broken ass sword is still....a broken ass sword.

He needs to forgive himself. Accept that all he can do is his best and it might not always be enough, but the world would be worse off without him. Sometimes being a hero involves doing the really hard thing, so that other people won't have to suffer. Like, reminiscent of Ironwood minus the paranoia and bullheadedness. Maybe he learns that he truly did help Louis and Alyx. Perhaps even, the tree requires Jaune and Ruby's help in resetting itself and he learns the benefit of a figurative rebirth. That sometimes death is necessary. That last one is icky.

Neo: our little murder goblin. Her sense of self is harder to pinpoint since we know her less well, and it seems like most of her motivation is "do crimes" and "do crimes with Roman". So I'm going to treat her like a villain for the most part. I do think she'll get some kind of closure on how Roman died: that if you fuck around, you find out/get eaten by a Grimm. I do find it interesting that we haven't seen diddly of her since she landed, like she's almost disappeared. Her semblance is wack and even though semblance evolution is a thing, I get the feeling that something about the Ever After is doin it for her. I don't think she has a good shot at coming out of this alive tbh.

But back to her "losing herself", she doesn't seem well. Maybe she thought Cinder would be her new partner in crime and she's super not taking that well? That could solidify that Roman was her one and only person, and she'll never experience that again

She won't go out in a blaze of glory without her either becoming a cautionary tale for not letting go of someone, or realizing for herself that she and Roman only have themselves to thank for their fate. Either way, I think she goes down with the tree. As much as I ship her and Fox, she's way too Chaotic Evil. I feel like there should be more to her story, but I can't pin it down.

[adrianicsea]

1, 12, 25, 38 :)

1. three things that shaped me into who i am— the pokemon franchise (if we’re getting into specifics, james from team rocket in the anime and the mystery dungeon games were the MOST impactful), growing up in the woods, and (loath as i am to admit it) getting into fall out boy when i did.

12. some good advice you want to share— damn i think every person who’s sent me one of these has included this question LMAO…. i still consider myself somewhat new to cooking, as i didn’t really have the environment or opportunity to learn how to cook for myself until college and moving out. something that was a HUGE game changer for me when i was just starting out was getting a small spice & herb cabinet going! when you’re just learning and making pre-packaged or boxed meals like rice-a-roni, being able to add some extra spices is a great way to learn more about different flavor profiles and add some extra taste without any real effort on your part, and it also gets you started thinking about making your own decisions in how your food is prepared :)

25. favorite season and why— either spring or summer!!! i’m an aries baby so i LOVE the collective sense of rebirth and new beginnings that come in the springtime; i think we were dead wrong to decide that the calendar year rolls over in the dead of winter, we SHOULD be starting our new years in march. but i also love the sunshine and the bursting life and the sense of endless leisure and possibility that comes with summer….. although i’m not always such a fan of the heat.

38. favorite song at the moment— i’ve really been grooving on hall & oates’ Family Man lately!! i’ve been making more of an effort to check out some of their full albums, bc i like their singles but haven’t heard much of their deeper catalogue yet.

[malottie]

15 19 20 24 25 26 29 30 38

❤️

that is a long ask! <3

15: what do you think when you see "home"?

honestly, i don't really know. maybe it's because my first language, french, doesn't have the concept of "home" itself, having that meaning ascribed to "house" or "one's place", things like that. maybe it's because i don't feel at home in my own body, and so cannot think about home. i know how important of a concept it is, the idea of home, but it feels sort of. empty to me. don't know why

19: favorite thing about the day

i'd say the bright sky. be it the color of ash, of peach, of sapphire, it is always lovely. do you like the color of the sky? opalescent, cerulean, violet; from summer-dawn orange to winter-dusk marine blue.

20: favorite thing about the night

the peace and rest. the dark, and the stars it invites; the quasi-silence, and the serenity it brings; the slow veil of the gods of sleep and dream.

which is why i hate big cities. to quote myself, " ... the city that humms the eerie tune of 'sleep is for the weak and the world shall never stop', blinded by the concrete and the cars and the streetlights that scream of 'the dark is to be conquered, and we shall kill the night itself too'."

24: one thing you're proud of about yourself

giving myself time. i don't have much to be proud of yet, and it's fine. i'm giving myself the time to heal and to grow properly, not rushing, not pushing myself, not being ashamed or angry at the fact i'm getting better very slowly. beside, i'm only 18. i'm just a baby

25: favorite season and why

i'm spring/fall team. summer is always way too hot, but the barrenness of winter isn't very fun, nor good for the spirit. spring is the best because we have flowers and trees springing to life, we have the sun but with fresh, moving air. it is the rebirth of the cycle of life. not that autumn isn't nice too

26: favorite color and why

that's the good stuff!! #9153ff. this

not purple. not violet. not perrywinkle or whatever. this. to the tee. changing the rgb values just a bit makes it worse, in every case.

i discovered it with the game "tomorrow won't come for those without ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️", made by etherane, the person who also made Hello Charlotte, which lives rent free in my head. it is the most perfect, most beautiful shade of purple. hue of the gods, truly.

29: what do you do when you're sad?

honestly, i kinda just crumble. my coping mechanisms are centered around NOT feeling the sadness (i know it's not healthy, i'm trying okay? T-T) so when i DO feel the bad emotions it's closer to a dam breaking over your head than being rained on. i just sort of get splattered on the ground for a while and then i get back to business as usual. in these moments i have zero energy and zero wants so i don't. really DO anything

30: one thing that never fails to make you happier

talking to people. it came as a surprise at first; i'm not really a people person, whole neuridivergent stuff and all. but when i talk with people with whom the communication struggles can be overcome, or people in the same situation as me, social interaction can feel nice. if i enjoy someone's presence, just exchanging a few words can turn my "everything is bad and everything hurts and i don't want anything or anyone, not even myself"s into "actually i love people and all of it is worth it and the whole world is scripture"s

38: favorite song at the moment

i don't really have any one song i listen to on repeat rn. i could say Sdorica-The Story Unfolds. less recently it's been Zoltraak, from the anime Frieren

[tvstarkuma]

🍉🍓🥝

𝐅𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 ♡ 𝐒𝐘𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐋 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄

🍉 : which of the four seasons suits my muse best, and why?

I say Spring or Summer, which is ironic considering his ice element. Teddie’s sweetness and energy makes me think of the warmer months.

For now, I’m going to say Spring since it’s the month of renewal and rebirth. Everything Teddie experiences feels brand new and fun. He is also young and innocent which fits the first season of the year. His life is only beginning and has a lot to learn from here.

🍓 : how is my muse typically seen by others? does it ring true to who they really are? does their reputation matter to them?

Teddie is either loved or avoided by the general population. His high energy and lack of understanding of social norms and personal space can easily make him an annoyance to those around him that’s almost impossible to ignore. Some people might be willing to turn a blind eye to this since he’s physically attractive but that’s rare. At worst, some people may see it akin to babysitting a hyperactive child. Sometimes Yosuke has to physically remove him from situations before they become worse.

Other people love Teddie and see him as a kind and innocent sweetheart. Pure little brother energy. Some of the older adults like the housewives working at Junes might mother him a little. The bear emanates a pure joy that must be protected. Baby boy, baby.

Teddie is mostly blissfully unaware of the people in the former group since he never has any ill intentions. Of course he knows that there are bad people in the world and that it’s impossible for him to be liked by every single person but he can’t help but be optimistic. He lives under the assumption that most people are nice and that most people like him at least a little. Reputation isn’t a serious concern for him but he’d feel hurt if anyone tells him that they don’t like him.

🥝 : does my muse have any ‘ unusual ’ habits, interests, and / or talents? do they hide it, or are they proud of it?

Sweetie, everything about him is unusual.

Some of his unique talents are related to crafting little accessories and glasses. He has a bit of an interest in animals and insects that he doesn’t bring up too often with the exception of his bear facts. Teddie is happy and proud to be Teddie so he is very open about all his talents even if others don’t always find them as interesting as he does.

[shinixgami]

Babyyyy!!!!! :DDDDD

Hello :3 💋💋💋

I hope you are well, beloved! I am sending you so many cuddles and kisses and good wishes 💛✨️. I hope life has been kind to you and I hope you've been able to keep cool this summer! Also wishing you strength amongst all that is happening 🍉🇵🇸.

The new bleach trailer and message from the series leads on Twitter have me so so excited!! October is going to be so so very special 🥰.

I was wondering if you also saw the trailer for the new console game they're working on that came out earlier the same day? 👀

IT LOOKS SO GOOD‼️

Other animes in the big three, dbz, and new gen have gotten so many console games over the years. While Bleach has only really gotten mobile games. (The way I'm still mad they put goku in Ichigo's place on the cover of Jump Force hekdjdkhdjdj).

Apparently the last console game to come out for bleach was in 2011? And that was even before I became a bleach fan.

but AUGH I WANNA PLAY REBIRTH OF SOULS SO BAD IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL AND HIGH QUALITY I KNOW IT WOULD MAKE ME SO HAPPY.

I am so EXCITED that it is going to exist but so SAD bc I won't have a way to play it upon release 😭😭😭. It's for Playstation, Xbox, and PC. I don't have either of those consoles and my laptop cant handle gaming 😔. So my hope is that it is eventually ported to Nintendo Switch.

If I could I WOULD BUY IT ON RELEASE. or pre-order even. Le sigh 🧎🏾‍♀️.

Yapping aside, I love you very much Nada, my dear. May health and good fortune be upon you forevermore <33333. I hope your day is nothing short of lovely, just like u :3 🫶🏾.

HIIIII LOVELY!!!!!!! 💋💋💋

Im doing good especially after I watched the trailer im the happiest person rn

I hope you’re doing great how have you been??

may Allah protect them our hearts with 🇵🇸🫒🍉

ommmmg the trailer IM SCREAMING BC IM SO EXCITED FOR COUR THREE KYORAKU’S BANKAI AND ICHIHIME BABIES I CANNOT WAIT FOR IT AND THE NEW OPENING/ENDING LOOKS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!! October will be always my favorite month haha

The game looks amazing!!!! like I want to play it NOW im glad it’s not just for PS5 but also for PS4 i mean most the new games don’t support the ps4 version and I just have ps4 :(

tbh I don’t like mobile games I didn’t even play bleach brave souls im not a fake fan lol but I hate mobile games it’s not for me but I’m rly rly glad they make a PlayStation game for us

I hope we play the new game lovely don’t worry we will!!!!!!!! I have only ps4 but I don’t know if I can play it but i hope so bc the quality and everything is just AMAZING!!!!

AAAAAAAAA I LOVE YOU SO SO SO MUCH I HOPE YOU ALL THE HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD YOU DESERVE ALL THE GOOD THINGS 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 I CANNOT WAIT FOR COUR 3 TO JUST TALK WITH YOU ABOUT IT IM SO EXCITED 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

[kaleihasmo]

Rebirth Of The Empress

Something's in the works, and getting ready for takeoff; But it all relies on me to get out of my own way. Y'know, like that certain feeling you get when you’re about to go over the first drop of a rollercoaster. A cool breeze gently passing by rustling your hair, that light feeling and butterfly excitement.

Just ever quieting the mind, and transitioning into the body. But also, driving myself into non-desire has been a bit of a double-edged sword because now I don’t want anything; I push away. I’ve come across something recently that’s kind of reconciled that thought though—or rather a particular way of interpreting “as above, so below” for lack of a better vernacular.

It exists for a reason, so use it with careful intent. Really it’s become a game of “check yourself before moving your piece.” But also, what in the hell am I looking at? lol

Like… seeing without directly looking. The mind wants to ascribe ideas, thoughts, connections. But that’s also the blind point. Just don’t operate within that realm solely, I reckon?

Ah, the quantum realm lmao. A true spectacle to behold.

Don’t reject unanimous reality for individual reality as well; that’s another one. There are certain things that are the ground rules for how the whole thing works. I feel like that’s a basic rule but like. It’s crazy out here with how hyper-individualized society has become.

If operating under the principle that existence is pure love, no matter the form, then there is nothing to fear.

So then anything is possible. I can recreate my universe as many times, however complex or benign. That is that, for me. Just as I am that too.

I was really caught up in my crown chakra for a while there, and it drove me up the walls because it was all this newfound info and perspective shifts without being grounded properly. But that’s the thing about those moments—it takes time to come back to earth and properly process all the new DLC lol.

And coming back down hurts too. It’s like the mother taking the baby away from her tit for biting her.

The lows are more interesting than the highs at this point. Like when I first got into all this, I was chasing the dragon to the point of self-destruction to keep milking every drop. Then you realize how far you’ve dragged yourself down in your own holy conquest, and it’s like, far out, man.

Arguably the best part about it is no roadmap or contexts. I may use certain words or phrases, but it’s mostly for that sake. I don’t convene with anyone anymore. I don’t go looking through stuff like catalogues for my next extensive study. I just let everything approach me, and base my judgments off the intuition garnered in those moments to navigate further.

And to reach such a level of process at 25, and this is just the tip of my iceberg? Shit man lmfao

I feel ageless, like this body is just a rental vehicle. Still treat it nice ofc, or else you incur some hefty fees and fines. But like, I don’t feel any particular age, gender, etc etc. Sitting within the awareness behind the eyes.

I started out with Ouija boards and burning candles in the woods lmfao. And now we’re here. I still do rituals every so often. But the deities pertained to have changed drastically. Like Ma Kali is a matron goddess in my book, alongside Lilith and Ishtar.

But it’s all the same energy ultimately. The stories that unfold though...

[twistednuns]

May 2023

An unexpected pizza party! I briefly thought it smelled like a pizzeria when I walked down the stairs and when I arrived at the dining hall two huge tables with many different pizzas were set up for us. We ate ate all together at a huge table like a family.

The first self-guided yoga practice I actually enjoyed. An asana plan and pre-programmed bells wth Insight Timer really help a lot.

Stepping outside after my yoga session, seeing a double rainbow in the sky.

Deep talk with Robert. Hard hugs.

The story about Kali appearing as a black cat.

Seva Day. Getting to sit in the Karma Yogi common room (sitting behind Ashley, giving her a back massage). Tarot and oracle cards everywhere (drawing a card suggesting to "bring joy to what you're doing"). Sanding and oiling two wooden benches in the workshop (a place where I felt at ease right away). Alexius gave me his scarf. Then I removed some masking tape from the floors on Clair Joie. I love practical work.

Picking flowers for the library.

Feta cheese, green olives, pink sauerkraut and leftover pizza for lunch.

Helping Judith set up and clean my room. Having a nice and easy conversation. Relating.

Another dream after which I woke up crying - sobbing, really. Ringing in my ears, seeing a bright white and purple light behind my forehead. So real I had to open my eyes and check if the light was coming from outside. Spooky. Happened twice now, Almost as if a portal has been opened and now all the stored sadness is just flowing out freely.

Conversations with Nana over lunch and nestled into a dark corner one night. About finding balance. Making decisions. Astrology and energies.

Turning the Karma Yogi lounge into a Berlin night club ca. 1998. Light effects, group hopping, Hadi DJ-ing.

A magical night with a bright waxing moon. Clear sky. The stars and the moonlight shining through the leaves, sitting in a swing. Listening to the sounds of the forest. Owls, toads, rustling leaves. Everything in full bloom. The smell of the lilac in the air.

A long talk with Maya. About everything and nothing. Meditation. The mind. My Vishudda chakra. Our families. It's so much easier to bond when there's not a ton of people around!

Spontaneous back massage for Ashley when I sat behind her at the Seva meeting.

A rebirthing breathwork session with Maya. I had a mainly physical reaction, feeling my whole body vibrating and pulsating - especially the hands and solar plexus. My channeled my inner child and all her sadness, hurt feelings, fear of connection. Afterwards I felt really good and had a long nap.

Sitting under a tree after lunch. Sunshine. Verima playing the guitar, singing for us in her beautiful voice. Robert, Lucie and Verima's friend from Berlin were there, Maya, Caroline and Alexius joined later. I made daisy crowns for every one and a few daisy rings as well. The hippie alternative for knuckle tattoos. It was a beautiful image, everyone singing, decorated with flowers. And it was so sunny. I was only wearing a short dress and had to be careful not to get sunburnt. Felt like the first summer day. A big ant ran over my arm and I decided to let it tickle me and play a little.

Stephen brought me sea salt chocolate from the bio shop and didn't even want money. I paid him with a big hug. What a cutie.

Blessing our food together (at dinner with Robert and a Dutch couple). Holding hands, singing Amour, Shanti, Sagesse.

My roommate during the three day retreat smelled extremely lovely. Probably her laundry detergent? Her clothes made the whole room smell fantastic.

Big buzzing bumblebees. Eating all my meals in the hammock or the swing. Watching the birds come and go, feeding their babies, whizzing from branch to branch. I even saw a robin a few times. Porridge and fresh bread for breakfast.

A blissful meditation on the second retreat day. Merging, blending, expansion. The eternal now.

Being fascinated with Thando's hair. My mat was right behind hers in Shiva Hall so I had plenty of time to admire her gradient dreads adorned with little seashells, coloured thread and metal cuffs.

Writing little goodbye notes for everyone. Closure.

The bright full moon reminded me of the little rituals I'd sometimes do during lockdown. So I felt the need to write down what I wanted to let go of and burn the note under a chestnut tree in the middle of the night.

Leaving Hridaya. Nice conversations with Paul from Colorado on the way to Lyon (he's a nerd, HSP, possibly on the autism spectrum... We found a lot of ways to relate to each other) Buying a bunch of local cheeses and lovely soft chocolate-walnut biscuits. Making my way to the airport, sitting down in "my" corner at gate 01. Meditating to the sound of crackling winter fire, tuning out as much of the noise and busyness as possible. It turned out to be an absolutely fantastic meditation. Feeling kundalini energy, realising which steps I have to take to work on my self-love. Crying quietly.

Getting fresh bread and orange juice, some tomatoes and the traditional "butterbreeze-upon-arrival". Hugging Frank for a very long time. Kissies. He told me everything about Marie. His problems with motivation, and finding a therapist. It's good to be here with him. I hope I'm not overstaying my welcome.

Meeting so many friends. Pub quiz with Margit, Raphael, Dennis and Frank. Lunch with Helga and Marlies, eating strawberries on the rooftop. Drinks with Peter. Snuggling with Manu, learning about his "dream guardian", an animal he sees whenever he realises that he's dreaming, basically preventing him from enjoying a lucid dream.

My energy seems to have changed. A woman asked me for advice on which pair of sunglasses to buy. Others were asking for the way. Perhaps I'm more open and approachable? More examples: racing a guy down the escalator. We both had fun! And discussing the strawberries on display with a random lady to find out which ones were the most beautiful.

60min Thai massage. So good.

A guest appearance as Sphinx in Frank's DnD group. I prepared riddles and anagrams. Pretty cool! And I just love Carolina and Kevin. Visited them the next day for lunch and a Kundalini yoga session. Caro and me have so many shared interests! We need to become friends.

Checking out the dice collection in the board game store. The cashier specifically showed me the cat edition. Good intuition.

Kinder Happy Hippo is back! Creamy hazelnut filling. Fantastic.

Colour-coded thrift shopping. I only bought orange items.

A variety of Indian food to share, watching Hunger Games movies together. Yanch being vulnerable, talking about his weight gain. Sash's mum sending me a big box of beautiful, homemade macarons.

Meeting Valeria and Mark (and their little son Misha) at a café. Talking about equanimity, my studio/Heilanstalt idea. Buddhism, our jobs, finding the right community.

Meeting Marie for the first time. She seems lovely!

Spending more time with Raphael. Letting him write down the quiz answers. Asking for advice about Peru. I think he thrives when he feels useful.

Brand New Cherry Flavour - a random Netflix find. It has everything I want from a TV program: magic, kittens, lesbians, an amazing title, 90s vibes.

Building the little Lego forklift with Frank. It actually works! It was in the Schultüte I made for him when he went to work for the first time in months.

Spending exactly €22.22 at the store on my birthday. Of course I'll take it as a sign!

More birthday treats: going swimming, but I didn't force myself to swim for a very long time (a bit uncomfortable without goggles). Getting a Baba Ganoush wrap at Beirut Beirut. Instead of birthday cake: a pot of strawberries with whipped cream and a few Raffaellos on top. Ordering a few new piercings and earrings on Etsy.

Playing Kicker and pool with "my men". Frank, Manu, Raphael. It's a little pathetic but it made me feel special. I don't know what it is - a mix between the princess position and being one of the dudes. But I could definitely feel the love.

Spending more time with Raphael. I've missed him.

Realising how many amazing friends I have (and that I know most of them from school or met them on OkCupid). I feel very grateful. My Goldmarie/FLEX birthday was lovely.

Frank stepping up his game: he got me three big pink roses and strawberry cake with a box of Raffaellos for my birthday! Manu also told me that he'd almost organised an airport pickup for me. Maybe he actually meant when he told me that I was really important to him when we were in Amsterdam. Also, I'm so glad he's doing better. I really like his new girl Marie and watching him play his saxophone solo at the Jazz Night made me feel like a proud mum. We make very good flatmates, too! Feels like home.

Speaking of which: the Independent Women vocal ensemble was fantastic. Great voices and they chose pretty cool songs, too! Some of the girls wore great outfits as well (even though it was all black some of them really managed to put together something special and unique).

Seeing Bordeaux through fresh eyes. Jasmine growing up the walls in the alleys. So pretty in the evening light against the blue doors. Ramen noodle soup. Waking up in my little coffin, overlooking the sunlit rooftops. Meditation. Journalling, enjoying a coffee and a croissant on the rooftop terrace.

Orangina gummy candy.

My Ajna Chakra started tingling like crazy during my first meditation at Plum Village.

There is a cat house at Plum Village. I definitely came to the right place. The curious young kitten that regularly joins the walking meditations and makes somersaults whenever it's trying to catch a flying bug brings my a lot of joy. And I befriended Tiéu Nhi, a 17-year old senior cat. Super gentle, shy, plays like a young kitten. I gained her trust with sweet talk and good scratchies. She purrs when I pet her, even lets me hold her sometimes and accepts head boops. I'm honoured.

Very nice Vietnamese food every day. I especially love the half moon-shaped soup tofu and the amazing fresh baguette we eat with margarine and plum jam every morning. Fruit with tahini. Vegan spring rolls. Sweet bean soup with coconut milk. Even the soup broth is always delicious.

Sharing circles. I often relate to everyone so much more afterwards and I realise that I'm not alone with my feelings (something I just naturally assume). The sharings about ancestral trauma and the practice of "touching the earth" were super interesting. And when the sister talked about running away from home during her Dharma sharing I really felt her pain. Emotional contagion, compassion, a trigger?

Looking out the windows of the big hall, seeing the bamboo forest and the reflection of the lights in the glass. It looked like a fairy meadow with glowing lanterns between the leaves.

Getting to know Nora, Jade's friend. Talking about our experiences at Hridaya. The girl who handed me a tissue at the sharing circle (which means she noticed I was crying... ugh, why is vulnerability still so hard) Learning about languages in Madagascar from Sandia. So many lovely people around here.

Sweetened English Breakfast Tea as a regular substitute for dessert.

Practicing mindful eating. Eating slowly, stopping between bites, chewing really well. Giving thanks for the food. Waiting for the table to fill up before starting to eat. Bowing to each other. At one point during breakfast, I had this very clear feeling that I was full. It was amazing to see that my body is sending me signals all the time, I just have to be still enough to notice them. Tuning in. I'm going to experiment with smaller portions from now on to see if they'll already satiate me. Perhaps my way to stop overeating?

Walking meditation with all the monks and sisters, volunteers and short-term visitors. Quite the procession.

My little corner in Dharma Nectar Hall. Writing nook. Yoga mat. Cat nearby. All I need. Performing Ardha Chandrasana (half-moon pose) under the skylight which looked very much like lunar surface with the moos and dirt resembling craters.

A lovely Lazy Day. Talking to Lanting (she's got a master's degree in Buddhist studies, I love people who allow me to pick their brain) and Adele. Yoga in front of the Buddha statue. Dinner outside by the lotos pond. Painting while listening to podcasts. A walk to Happy Farm in the afternoon sun. Imagining holding hands with my parents. The orange poppy-like flowers. Daisies. Language tandem with a Sister. Partnering with Yara from Basel during the "Beginning anew" presentation (I really feel like I should visit Basel now, I keep meeting amazing people from there), relating to her sharing. Anne talking about an interesting educational program. Standing with Julie in the dark kitchen, listening to her stories about finding her practice.

The tiny snail attached to the glass door at eye level before morning meditation.

Tiéu Nhi walked up to me in the morning when I was sitting in my usual spot meditating. "I'm here now! Come cuddle!" So I followed her to her sofa to cuddle. I left for breakfast and returned with a cup of water to paint. On a whim, I offered her the water and she drank out of my hand! I'm in love. / The next day she meowed again in the morning and I picked her up, lying down on my sofa with her. She sat on my belly and seemed super content. Peaceful moment.

Vegan Pho with gluten/"vegan ham". A lime wedge. Tasty mushrooms and fresh herbs.

The Queer Sangha Dharma sharings, offline as well as online. Confirmation that my gaydar is on point. Gentle, open and aware people. So much love and respect. Feels very special.

I googled Jula and Frieda (yeah, I've definitely got a crush) and their CVs kinda confirmed my intuition that I really need to quit my job. One look and I was like... I am so much more. I want that for myself as well. Cried a tear into my porridge bowl upon this realisation.

Sister Spring sharing the Touching the Earth practice with us. Powerful.

Meeting Kati from Austria. Interviewing her about what's it like to have a psychiatrist and psychotherapist as a mum (apparently good).

Finding a cool "Breathe/Aloha" sticker for my water bottle.

Mark still sending me long voice messages (and a selfie of him and Tom, I think they met up in Berlin or Vienna!)

Jade. Her hugs, generosity, way of speaking. Learning from her, being more mindful, trying to speak in a more respectful and considerate way. I appreciate her a lot.

I'm really happy with the Caring Cacti family here at New Hamlet. Lots of lovely people. We've got a lot in common and the Sisters are lovely, too.

The moment I noticed I could actually listen to the Dharma talk in French and take down the headphones with the English translation. Practising French with my roommates (also I'm grateful that our room has been drama-free so far and we're getting along very well).

Bamboo stick exercise does wonders for my back. It feels SO good.

[wolfvirago]

meta + the passing of seasons and how they affect robin

send me a topic to write a meta about my muse on [accepting]

@vulpesse

;; Let's go season by season.

Spring: Springtime is a time of rebirth and growth. The forest is in full bloom, green returning to the land. Warmth begins to return as well, but the nights are still cold and chilly. For Robin, it's a relief from the winter blues that often plague her (as we'll discuss later). Not only are the plants returning, but many of the normal fauna are too. Birds, deer, rabbits, rodents. This is usually when Robin pauses her hunting of game and focuses on greens and whatever produce begin to come out. Her lupine coat is shedding away in large clumps for a summer pelt.

Summer: The forest gets hotter. The humidity changes. Animals have begun having babies, or their babies are adolescents by now. Robin begins hunting game again, mostly picking off older creatures rather than young or females. Robin's garden is in its most bountiful state, so she begins harvesting and storing goods. The yokai are in full swing as well- enjoying the summer and coming around later in the evening, as the sun sets later. Robin will make her way into town for summer festivals, but mostly wanders the woods to patrol the area since hikers are more present.

Autumn: The trees have begun changing color. Most game and produce are converted into more sustainable forms, such as jerky, pickles, or simply frozen in cut up pieces. She starts jarring maple syrup and storing wood. The coming of Halloween means the barrier between the mortal and spirit world is at its thinnest. Yokai are in MUCH larger numbers and higher strength. Robin spends most nights hunting and awake, while days are half slept, half worked. Her wolf form's coat has begun to get thicker.

Winter: Robin's birth season. She was born in December. Her mother passed away then, and her father not long after. On top of the usual grief of spending holidays and cold nights alone, this is also when she starts a heat- usually in the January-March zone for about a week. (Yes, she gets a heat AND period. Which sucks) She's alone and can't really relieve the symptoms, which leads to illness and discomfort for a week or two after. The yokai aren't as active as they are in autumn, but their strength remains due to the shorter days and cruelness of nature. It's the most difficult time of year for Robin.

So yeah. There's only small reprieves here and there, but for the most part, she's able to keep occupied and have a purpose to avoid the Dark Thoughts lol.