#Joren Falls

[yuko-a7]

静岡旅行④

2024.2.13

izooからkawazooに向かう途中、ちょうど河津桜まつりが開催されていたので、駐車場にとめ観に行くことに。

ソメイヨシノよりも濃いピンクで華やかですね。

いわゆるお花見の季節はスギ花粉症がひどくて、その気にならないので、ゆっくり桜並木を歩いたのは本当に久しぶりです。

河津桜の後はkawazoo、その後は演歌『天城越え』で有名な浄蓮の滝へ。勝手なイメージで、なんとなく東北地方にあるかと思っていました💦

滝の近くにはワサビが栽培されていました。お水がきれいなんでしょうね。

[vitamin-zeeth]

Wild they decided to hang joren jawbraker. Have you seen that man I think his neck can take it.

[thisisnotthenerd]

and we're up to a crown of candy.

quick episode descriptions:

ambush on the sucrosi road: you're dead and here's your mini. threatening lapin. lapin and theo are kind of cool? good nat 20s. amethar goes down and comes back up.

the grand tournament: theo unseats plumbeline in the joust. liam smokes everyone in archery. keradin tries to murder amethar. detect poison and disease. where is your bulb now.

chaos in the cathedral: candians are ambushed in the church. amethar throws jet. lapin's epiphany about the nature of the bulb. fly on theo. i send preston to lapin. keradin murders lapin.

deep bleu sea: peppermint batman is invisible in the darkness. primsy is attacked. jet send stilton to the bottom of the ocean. shenanigan time. cumulous appears. throwing the cheese marauders to induce a dexterity check. can i use swirlwarden to get back into the boat.

safe harbor: the twins and liam go to dulcington and are ambushed. amethar is ambushed by calroy, stabbed and thrown off the castle walls. jet goes down, liam rope tricks them out and ruby runs to find theo. the locket goes out as ruby runs back. theo casts knock. amethar rages for two rounds of falling and survives as he hits the ground

blood & bread: aftermath of safe harbor. fleeing from the palace as the banners are changed. stealthing through dulcington. quick encounter where ceresians are obliterated. amethar is good at what he does.

rescue at buzzybrook: liam becomes onionpatch to assassinate him. theo cuts the rope. max damage 4th level thunder step to get joren. quicken spell spare the dying. truly so much damage from liam to onionpatch and flashfry. lightning bolt through that whole 100 foot line.

encounter in the ice cream temple: saccharina's counterspells against the cones of cold. cumulous is impaled. ruby swings to the dragon platform. create bonfire on the egg. amethar swings with payment day for two big strikes. ruby gets the fairy with flickerish. liam gets yoinked.

for candia! part 1: leading troops with class features. stealthing back through dulcington. ruby nat 20s. saccharina lights up the castle candy with cinnamon and a lightning bolt. 40 foot shield from swirlwarden. plumbeline ambushed theo and is killed by liam.

for candia! part 2: liam and theo in the chariot. amethar and joren attack grissini. liam breaks keradin with the truth. saccharina levels the archers and paladins. freak-a-meep. theo takes the infantry hits. liam ices keradin as keradin and picks up the body. ruby slaughters ciabatta, liam shoots the pontifex, and amethar bisects calroy. ruby and saccharina try for peace. amethar is the emperor. liam quadruples candia with a wish.

[cricketnationrise]

Congratulations on another hundred!

Could I request hockey-AU Kel at the rink with her beloved Peachblossom? 🥰 Umm really early in the morning, maybe 5:08 am

Thanks love! you can ALWAYS request more hockey au Kel 💜 Enjoy my dear :D

want your own ficlet? rules here

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

corus university knights rink, 5:08am

Kel makes her way across campus to the rink with her face buried in her scarf. It’s earlier than she’s ever been to the rink, but Stefan doesn’t do more than raise an eyebrow as she drops her gear bag off, snags keys, and heads to the garage.

Gleaming in the half light is Peachblossom: Terror of the Rink – if you listen to Neal. Kel never has. From the first time she learned to drive him, she’s felt a connection to the zamboni, like the machine is alive somehow, like they’re a team.

“Morning,” she says, climbing nimbly aboard. "I know it's a little earlier than usual but let’s get going, boy.”

The roar of the engine when it turns over sounds resigned underneath the vroom and Kel laughs. “Rise and shine, we’ve got ice to smooth.”

Kel steers Peachblossom out onto the ice and feels her stress start to fall away. The jeers, the constant sneering, the cloud of hostility from Joren and his cronies is wearing. The never ending homework and practices drain her energy. But when she’s driving the zamboni, none of that matters. She and Peachblossom glide across the ice as one being, working together to fill the divots and scrapes left over from a full day of skating. With every turn, the insults recede, the bruises heal, and Kel basks in the stillness around her. Everything’s easier to deal with when she’s on the ice, whether she’s skating or putting Peachblossom through his paces.

When the ice is silky smooth, and shiny enough to see the reflection of the ceiling, Kel drives him back to the garage. She does her checks, refills the fluids and pulls loose bristles out of the brushes. It’s still early so she goes over the top with maintenance, even going so far as to vacuum out the seat cushion and polish the engraved horse over the engine.

“The other machines are going to get jealous that Peachblossom is getting so much of your attention,” Stefan comments from the doorway.

“The others aren’t as finicky as Peachblossom,” she shrugs. “Did you need help with anything?”

“Yeah, I’ve got some riff raff out front. C’mon.”

Kel pats Peachblossom’s side in parting and follows Stefan through the maze of tunnels to the lobby, rolling her eyes when she sees Neal and Merric making faces at her through the glass.

“I run a tight ship here, Mindelan, I can’t have this flotsam hanging around cluttering up the place,” he says, all mock sternness.

“On it, sir,” Kel says with a nod, biting down on her grin and heading out to meet her friends.

[wanou-dorm]

HSA Oc - Joren Tsuchigumo

HSA- @fumikomiyasaki

Deedee mention- @hey-its-cweepy Name: Joren Tsuchigumo

Based on: Arachnus

𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿:  Male

Species: Spider Fae/Tsuchigumo(Mix)

𝗔𝗴𝗲: 19 ( physical) / 200 year old 

𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆: January 5

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻: Capricorn 

𝗛𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁:  170 cm/5’6 … 8 feet tall ( True form )

𝗘𝘆𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿: Red

𝗛𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿: black with Blonde or Purple Streaks 

𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗦

𝗗𝗼𝗿𝗺: Kowainyan @silent-dragon

𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿: 2nd

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀: 2-D

𝗢𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Student

𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯: Cooking 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁: Botany and Herbals

Worst Subject :Flight (He can but like you know A spider)

Homeland: Onigashima 

Sexuality:  Bisexual ( Frog Avoidant)

.

𝗙𝗨𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗦:

𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱: Right 

𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱:  Custard Donuts,  Frogs, Bugs 

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱:  “ I don’t care What The Toad say  I AM NOT EATING CREAM FILLED DONUTS” 

Likes:  “ Dee Dee A Suitable Rival “ , sewing , gothic Aesthetics, Sweets ,”Kabuki

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀: “WHY IS THAT MUCUS RIDDEN TOAD HERE !!” , Cream Donuts ,  he hates everything Frog Related and Frog People, Pants, Spicy food( Will beat you), Laidback attitudes ,his abdomen being called a Butt

𝗛𝗼𝗯𝗯𝘆:  Programming, Sewing , Debating Hiroyuki  on Pointless stuff , Sweet Connoisseur, Poems

𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Spider Puns , Producing Silk,Accidentally Splitting the Dorm during Pointless Debates ,sewing , Baking Sweets, If only he knew sign Language

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬:

Unlike Hiroyuki ,  Joren is more Down to Earth and Serious which basically makes him Seem like a Stickler often, Jorenis actually a nice guy who is Relatively calm As long a Hiroyuki isn’t Involved .

Joren has a  huge Grudge on Hiroyuki , according to him , While Hiroyuki was still Pretty much Giant Toad in mind and Body but rather Close to When he became an Ogama,He Attacked the Tsuchigumo Clan and a Ate nearly half the Clan this included two of Joren’s older Siblings Who died trying to Protect him,His  Sister who had Just laid a clutch of eggs and His Older Brother whose Partner became a “Widow”  and Exiled herself , This not  counting the loses of  other people he knew. 

But Remember Hiro dosen’t  Remember anything about what He Did as a Toad, Hiro dosent Remember Killing and Destroying a clan. So Joren Aggroing him and Insulting him Constantly doesn’t  make any sense to him . 

Even when Hiroyuki was Told he Said that he was 

“ a Giant Toad with Toad Intelligence and Toad instincts , It’s not like I had a  Moral compass. Now that I know that Bug Fae are Actually Sentient being. I’m not gonna eat them ,chill out.”

Joren Still dosent Believe that Hiroyuki or any other frog person wouldn’t fall back into his. primal Instincts so he looks Down on  them as “ Slimy , Lazy, Wart ridden and Slow “and unlike Hiroyuki who would Drop his Dislike for Spider as soon one treated him Kindly. 

Joren is Stubborn and will not waver to the nice Frog boy(Kareu)  who helped  him carry flour . Okay maybe alittle  . Most his Dislike targets Hiroyuki specifically  due his Laidback and Somewhat  nonchalant Nature .

But he is a Huge Stickler for Sweets and cant stand them being done Wrong. 

Unique Magic :

Doton no Jutsu

Allows Joren to mold the Earth below how ever he  pleases. As long as he does the Proper Naruto hands sign.

Trivia 

It was Jiro but then I remembered Jibanyan is Jiro and Joro sounds to close

Joren  comes from ,The Jōren Falls of Izu a place were  a Jorogumo mistress is same to reside.

Many people Say he looks like his Mother… whom is a Giant Spider that can take human form   his Humaniod Appearance came from  his father. 

He Can’t wear Pants or Shorts the Chitin on his legs  prevents them for Fitting. Correctly  , he usally wears Kimonos and Hakama  so it wasn’t a problem until HSA.

It’s Suggested that Hiroyuki wasn’t Actually Blowing off The Attack of Joren’s Clan  but was Visibly shaken or Deeply hurt by the sudden Revelation.

Joren has a Bad Sweet Tooth so much That he Put on Weight . 

Joren Tends to call Hiroyuki a Glutton but He’s Equal just as Bad .

Joren and Hiroyuki once Split the Whole School  on one of thier many stupid Arguments,and by Whole School I mean some teachers were Split up and taking Sides. 

Apparently the Argument was about what Kind of Pizza they Should get for the Dorm and Joren suggested they put Pineapple one it.

Apparently he knows Kenmuri as thier clans are Rivals 

Joren is the only Person who calls Hiro a Toad instead of a Frog

Joren is also The only one who calls him Ogama

[wolvesandvibrancyrecords]

OUT NOW: ALDRIG DEBUT ALBUM & FAWN LIMBS / NADJA ALBUM

ALDRIG 'YAGMUR' (WVR 058)

Aldrig (BE) is a group that was formed by ex-Soul Grip members Gert Stals & Joren De Roeck. Musically unifying sounds from black metal, sludge & post metal; combined with visceral, layered vocals, Aldrig creates an avant-garde sonic landscape that reigns cathartic. Both anointing and abrasive, their first record “Yağmur” is a vessel for grief.

Lyrically the record encapsulates a character falling through time and space, awakening in different urban dimensions over and over again, chasing something it cannot ever find. Like a blinding light in the night sky, there is an unabsolved longing in Aldrig’s music, a lament for liberation, but there is no liberation, only further confinement.

⛓️ Vinyl facts: ⛓️ Limited to 300 copies: ⛓️ 200 copies white black marbled vinyl ⛓️ 100 copies gold black split vinyl ⛓️ 180 g vinyl ⛓️ 350 gsm outer sleeve ⛓️ incl. downloadcode ⛓️ mixed by Magnus Lindberg (Cult Of Luna) ⛓️ mastered by Jack Shirley ⛓️ Front cover artwork by Julio Camacho-Vicente ⛓️ Back cover images by Lore Horré

⛓️ Shirt facts: ⛓️ ⛓️ artwork by Julio Camacho-Vicente ⛓️ printed by Fabric in Gent on Stanley x Stella Blaster shirt (oversized)

FAWN LIMBS & NADJA 'VESTIGIAL SPECTRA' (WVR 057)

“Even though both bands have their own signature tones and pace, both have wandered off to the other end of the spectrum occasionally, and while the match up might seem strange upon first glance, the composition process was rather quick and smooth, maybe to everyone’s surprise. Done via file sharing in the middle of the plague, the results of these two worlds colliding are nothing short of lush and fluent; most of the time you can’t tell anymore where the other begins and where the other ends, thus the collaborational aspect clearly flourishes as it should. What started out as a few messages sent back and forth, resulted in a genreless, mind-bending monolith of an album that Vestigial Spectra is. Vestigial Spectra carries both Fawn Limbs and Nadja’s own signatures, but burns bright to exist as an entity completely of its own. The songs and the album as a whole ebbs and flows between unestablished parameters that are as surprising as they are anticipated. Taking influence from a variety of styles ranging from grindcore to doom and from noise to ambient, Vestigial Spectra blends its components seamlessly to produce an entirely novel aural field that simultaneously is both a dynamic and thought-out craft and a wall of noise-esque seemingly directionless leviathan. Whether slow, fast, or free of pulse and time, every single second on the album is as important as the ones preceding and following it, making Vestigial Spectra first and foremost a cohesive and consistent entirety.

Thematically, Vestigial Spectra studies astronomical spectroscopy – in which scientists use a spectograph to determine the make-up of stellar bodies and planets amongst other things – and its inherent relation to human nature. Mirroring these practices and standards from one another makes up for layered lyrical approach that can read as scientific pathos as easily as a metaphorically charged burst of emotion. There are three types of spectra – absorption, continuous, and emission – which corresponds to the album’s structure and sonic being.”

This is the EU version - Limited to 300 copies:

⛓️ 200 copies ghost marbled teal vinyl ⛓️ 100 copies marine froth blue vinyl ⛓️ gatefold sleeve ⛓️ fully printed inner sleeve ⛓️ incl. downloadcode

⛓️ mixed & mastered by Samuel Vaney (Lead & Sulfur Studio)

⛓️ Front cover photography by Eeli Helin ⛓️ Painting by Aidan Baker ⛓️ Design by Paul Pavlovich

[timstolejasonscorpseagain]

A list of LU charas with some songs that I feel either fits them or makes me think of em when I listen to it. 

I was very surprised I had as many as I did with Legend tbh, but then I realised he’s an edgelord and so am I. 

Time: Sounds of someday - Radio Company  Family - Austin Wintory Eternity, served cold - Seth Peelle, Toby Fox, Malcolm brown and Joren de bruin Deja Vu - Crusher P, covered by Rachie and Jubyphonic

Twi:  Beast in Black - Beast in black  Separate ways - Journey Wolves - Marshmallow ft. Selena Gomez Wretched and Divine - Black Veil Brides Black & Moonlight - Machigerita Can't be tamed - Miley Cyrus Animals - Maroon 5 Flesh - Simon Curtis Black Moon - Ghost town Bête du Gevaudan - Powerwolf Tear you Up - A-ONE ft. T.stebbins Wind:  Nostos - Orion's reign ft Minniva Oceanlove - Anggun Thrilling one way - Aqours Way back home - SHAUN ft. Conor Maynard (Sam felt edit) Rain Dance - A-ONE ft. T.stebbins The Riddle - Gigi D'agostino Inner Child - BTS (Taehyung Solo) He's a pirate - Scotty remix Moonchild - RM Dark Link:  TROUBLE - Parov Stelar ft. Nikki Williams  Love Love Nightmare - Kiichi Bang! - AJR Devil's Manner - Tatsuya Kitani Diablo - Simon Curtis Play with fire - Sam Tinnesz ft. Yacht Money Demons are a girl's best friend - Powerwolf March of Mephisto - Kamelot ft. Shagrath Kamikazee - MISSIO Come with me to the other side - Orden Ogan. Ft. Liv Kristine FAITH - A-ONE ft. T.stebbins Every breath you take - Chase Holfelder Poison - Asking Alexandria  Monster - KIRA covered by Kuraiini/Nijigenki

Legend: The Last -Agust D 134340 - BTS If I killed someone for you - Alec Benjamin Hvorfor har du busker på? - Moster Moster Too Soon - Orden Ogan The things I deserve - Ghost Over and Over - Three days Grace Paradise Lost - Hollywood Undead Sleepless - Josh A The worst in me - Bad Omens I hate Everyone - Falling In Reverse Angel - Judas Priest Violet Prince - DJ Sai Tee Yobanashi Deceive - Jin ft. IA Sleep - My chemical romance Wild: Dead man walking - Smiley Circles - KIRA covered by Rachie Snowblind - STYX To hell And back - Sabaton The bards song - Blind guardian, covered by Van Canto Isabella's lullaby - Takahiro Obata Interlude:Shadow - BTS (Yoongi solo) Donut Hole - Kenshi Yonezu  Calendula Requiem - Kanon x Kanon Gekka Reijin - BUCK-TICK Mikazuki - Sayuri I don't wanna die - Hollywood Undead Mother Murder - Hollywood Undead 'Till I collapse - Eminem  Alive or Undead - Powerwolf Time Will Tell - A-ONE ft. T.Stebbins No Guardian Angel - A-ONE ft. T.Stebbins Karma - AJR Castle Walls - Styx Entomologists - Ghost It kills me - Lil pitchy Up there - Post Malone Maisou - Yasuharu Takanashi Chichi to Haha - Yasuharu Takanashi I don’t wanna know - SEDO Sounder Self-Inflicted Achromatic - Nekobolo

[thevalleyisjolly]

Despite all the (pretty funny) jokes about Cumulous committing war crimes and/or being violent in general, it actually makes a lot of sense when you consider the context his character is coming from.  As he says in Episode 9, the magic of Candia isn’t simply an innate power that exists in the world but must be tended to and curated, and this is a task that the Order of the Spinning Star is devoted to.  Which makes the past couple of decades and the current crisis all the more terrifying, because we’ve seen that the Bulbosi Church has been actively suppressing Candian magic.  Mostly through self-policing, convincing people that magic is witchcraft and bad and having them restrict themselves and the people around them, and we’ve also seen with Saccharina the abuse they inflict on magical children, but after the cathedral fight, we see this escalate into an all-out crusade, sanctioned murder and executions. 

So on one hand, we have a decades long Bulbian campaign to suppress Candian magic (which has evidently been successful enough that in mainstream Candia, outside of Joren Jawbreaker’s rebels and Saccharina’s band, magic has almost entirely disappeared from most people’s lives and any overt display is treated with fear), and on the other hand, we have religious crusaders ravaging the country, murdering people and destroying artifacts and sacred sites.  The Bulbosi Church is not just a foreign religious political player, it’s a ruthless power that has been actively undermining Candia for years, and if most Candia hadn’t realized it before, the Order of the Spinning Star, explicitly dedicated to the magic that the Church is trying to exterminate, has.

(A reminder that the crusaders made a choice to be there, made a choice to win glory or renown or papal pardon by murdering innocents.  Not all Bulbians approved of the crusades, there were Bulbians in Candia and beyond who begged the Church to stop, which means that these Bulbian crusaders made a conscious decision to be here and commit atrocities.  And as we’ve seen emphasized with Grissini, “just following orders” is never an excuse, not even for ordinary soldiers)

Of course someone like Cumulous is not going to hold back when he fights, is going to “go all out” not just this once but all the time.  He and the Order have been facing slow cultural genocide for years, and now there is active genocide going on in Candia.  If anything, Cumulous could go a lot more “all out” and it’s just as understandable and serious as other characters’ revenge plot lines.  Because he knows his enemy, has seen their ruthlessness and cunning and lack of mercy.  Does this make all his actions “right” or morally sound?  Certainly not, but they’re also not random acts of violence coming out of nowhere.  It’s about a lifetime of struggle and fighting and losing ground as you slowly slide backwards down a slick slope, and learning to dig your heels in and do whatever you have to not to fall all the way down.

[tropes-and-tales]

Poe Dameron:  Once Upon a Dream, Part Two

A re-post featuring one part of our blessed Space Latino Trio, Poe Dameron.

WC:  4147

Other Pieces:  This is part two.  Part one is here.

CW:  Angst.  Language.  Just a bit of remembered smut, but 18+ to be cautious.  

________________

Poe Dameron didn’t put much stock in any god, goddess, or greater power, but it felt oddly purposeful when he found himself in a rapidly deteriorating spacecraft in the Gordian Reach.  Of all the places, to end up so close to home.  Like he was being guided.

It had been a routine operation:  meet with a spy embedded in the First Order, get the intel, return the intel to Leia and her team of lieutenants and data analysts.  It was Poe and Finn and BB-8 on a junky old pre-Empire freighter that aided in their cover story of being salvagers.

It may have fooled the First Order as Poe navigated between a pair of sentries patrolling the Outer Rim, but it didn’t stop the pirates who saw the creaky old ship and decided to try and overtake it.  Poe was a slick pilot, and Finn was able to shoot the pirate-ship out of the sky, but not before they managed to land a few disabling shots.  They took out the hyperdrive and the navigation system, and it was all BB-8 could do to keep the entire ship from going up in a haze of sparks.

No nav system, no shields.  Just enough fuel to land somewhere.  Poe took a steadying breath and set the ship towards Yavin-4.  He could just make out the moon against the backdrop of Yavin Prime, and even without a navigation system, he could find his way home.

Home.  Where his beloved mother was buried, where his father still kicked around on the Dameron homestead.

Where you were.

He never felt fear, and he rarely felt nervous, but the thought of seeing you again made his stomach twist in anxiety.  He felt that usual guilt, the sting of shame at how he had left you – a quickly dashed-off note because he couldn’t put his feelings down on paper properly.  Because he couldn’t face you and tell you goodbye – he would have never been able to leave you if he had to face you.  

In his defense, he thought he’d only be gone a few months.  A year, at most.  The First Order had been a tiny little pest then, and Poe thought it would be easily snuffed out.  He thought he’d be able to return to you, a hero and finally worthy – worthy of you, worthy to be called Shara Bey’s son.  Poe Dameron, champion of the Resistance.  Not Poe Dameron, former spice runner.

But a few months turned into a year, and then two and three.  There was no way you waited for him.  You may not even be on Yavin-4 anymore – your parents had been Rebel fighters like his own, and you had gotten that same gleam in your eye when you sat in your father’s decommissioned X-Wing as a child.  Poe could just picture you off in the universe.  Maybe you were in the Resistance too.  He had asked around here and there as the years passed, imagined some chance meeting where the two of you were reunited.

Well, he may not see you now, but he’d see your father.  Joren had the best (and only) repair shop in the settlement.  Poe left Finn with the ship in the outskirts of town, and he and BB-8 hacked their way through the jungle undergrowth towards the settlement.

-----

Joren’s shop was completely transformed.  As a child, Poe used to spend entire days there with you, lost in the jumble of spare parts and tools.  Your father always gave you small chores to do – degreasing parts, sorting screws and bolts – and he always paid each of you at the end of the day, counting out and pressing the credits into your small hands as if you were all equals.  Poe loved his own father, of course, but your dad had a special place in his heart.

Now, the shop was impressively clean, impossibly neat.  It still smelled of spilt fuel and smoke, and the rich aroma of the shop hit Poe in the gut like a punch.  He could just imagine sitting with you on the floor, cross-legged and sorting gaskets by size.  That’s probably where it started, falling in love with you.  Just a couple of kids messing around in a child wonderland of spaceship parts.

The droid was new too.  An old protocol droid, an early version of the TC series, and reprogrammed by the looks of it.  It marched over with its jerky, mechanical gait and asked if it could help Poe.

“I’m looking for Joren,” he replied, and BB-8 gave an appraising string of beeps as both watched the droid nod and march to the back of the shop.

Poe swiped his sweaty palms along the sides of his pants, and he gave his hair a cursory swipe.  He looked like hell, probably – sweaty, dirty from his trek through the jungle.  Your father probably had some choice words for him.  You and your dad were close, after all, and if Poe had hurt you when he fled years ago….

The droid returned, and for a moment, Poe thought he was alone.  But then the droid swept its hand in a jerky sort of “ta-da” motion, and Poe’s eyes were drawn lower.  To the small boy that stood beside the droid and gazed up at him curiously.

“Uh, hi,” Poe said, uncertain.  

“Hello.”  The child was the picture of politeness, and he held his tiny hand out to shake, like the world’s smallest gentleman.  Poe took it gingerly, shook it.  He looked at the droid a little apologetically.

“I was looking for Joren,” Poe reiterated, but the droid only repeated that motion, gesturing to the boy.  The boy responded by climbing onto a stool behind the counter and staring at Poe.  There was something about the kid…Poe wasn’t usually around children, and there was something off-putting about him, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on….

“My name is Joren,” the kid offered finally, and Poe couldn’t help but smile.

“Well, I was looking for a different Joren then,” he replied.  “An older man.”

The kid nodded as if this was a common issue.  “My grandpa was named Joren too.”  A beat.  “He died.”

If Poe’s mind moved this slowly in battle, he would have died a long time ago.  Now, every little piece fell into place impossibly slow.  This boy was Joren’s grandson.  You were an only child.  The first conclusion Poe settled on was that you had moved on without him.  This was your son, yours with some man who hadn’t left you behind, who had found you and cherished you the way you deserved.

But there was something.  The boy’s eyes looked too familiar, and that curly brown hair was too much like his own, and Poe didn’t know what a five-year old looked like versus a ten-year old but something wasn’t adding up.

“How old are you?” he asked the boy, and he had wanted to sound curious and friendly but his voice came out strangled because he already knew, his heart had already figured it out the moment the kid had shook his hand, his brain was just too slow to catch up.  Before this small Joren could answer, there was movement in the back of the shop and Poe’s breath caught in his throat as you walked towards him.  Your face was open and friendly, the face of a proprietor greeting a customer, but when you saw that it was him, Poe saw the horror that washed over your face, the apprehension.  The fear.  Your eyes darted immediately to the boy – your son, his son – and back to him, and that was really all the verification Poe needed.

*****

It had been such a mundane day:  you at the shop, working on a pair of well pumps.  Child’s work, really, which is why you had Jo with you.  He was still so small, but you hadn’t been much older when your own father had started teaching you the basics.  Besides, he had half-disassembled TC-20 one evening (hadn’t torn him apart, as many children might, but had thoughtfully disassembled the droid’s arm as it patiently sat and allowed him to do it).  You figured it was time to teach him.

When TC-20 came to the back to announce that someone was asking for Joren, you didn’t even think of it.  It happened every so often, people passing by who were looking for your father.  The grief of his death had faded into a sadness that lay lightly on you, and while you missed him every day, you still had his namesake.  So you let Jo go out into the front.  He was cute, charming the customers with his proper little shopkeeper routine, and he usually came and got you after a moment anyway.

Today, when neither he nor TC-20 came back, you just stood up and went out on your own.  You heard the voice, felt a stirring memory, but pushed it aside.  Poe was gone, probably dead…

No.  Poe was not dead.  Poe was…standing in your shop.  Talking to your son.  His son.  Shit.

“Shit,” you said, and Jo swiveled his head to look at you with that officious look he had cultivated in recent months.  It’d be cute on any other kid.  It was annoying on your own.

“You swore,” he pointed out reasonably.  “That’s not allowed.”

“Yes, thank you,” you said.  You reached out and ruffled his hair, but you kept your eyes on Poe.  Standing here, in front of you.  It felt unreal, like the world was tilted on its axis, like everything might start sliding away from you.  He’d been gone so long, you had just assumed he was dead.  But he wasn’t.  He was here.

If you felt sick, Poe obviously felt something similar.  He looked pale under his tan skin, almost grey, like his might puke or pass out or both.  He was still as handsome as ever, the bastard.  He’d put on some weight but wore it well, and his dark hair was shot through with silver.  His eyes darted between your face and Jo’s, and you knew that he had put some of the missing pieces together in the long moment before you got there.

“Poe,” you finally said, curt.  You hoped you sounded nonchalant.  Like it didn’t matter that he was here.  Like you’d done just fine without him which, honestly, you had.  You cupped your hand around your son’s head, protective, and Poe caught the movement.

“Hey,” he replied.  His voice was hoarse, and his hands spasmed at his sides, clenching and unclenching into restless fists.  

“It’s been a while.”

He nodded, and he swallowed so hard you could hear the gulp from across the counter.  

You had so many questions:  where the fuck had he been for so long?  Why the fuck hadn’t he reached out?  Why the fuck was he here now?  You didn’t ask him, of course, because your charmingly overbearing young son would point out that half of the words you wanted to use were swear words.

Anyway, the small round droid whizzing around Poe’s feet let out a string of annoyed sounded beeps, and you got half of your questions answered by its little droid-ranting – something about a downed ship in the jungle, and needing help with repairs.

Well, that stung.  Poe wasn’t here because he missed you.  He was here because he crashed and needed help fixing his ship.

You bit back the torrent of words you wanted to yell at him.  Instead, you reached out and grabbed your son around his waist, making him squeal in delight, as you spun him around off of the stool and onto the floor.  You laid a smacking kiss on his cheek and ruffled his hair again.

“Go run and see Lorna,” you told him.  The neighbor woman watched Jo for you often when you had to go off-world for supply runs and other errands.  “Tell her it may be a while.”

Jo turned to run out of the shop, but Poe called out and stopped him.  

“Hey, wait,” he said, and he took a few steps behind the counter and towards your son.  “It was…was good to meet you.”  Poe  knelt down so that he was at eye level with Jo, and he held out his hand to shake it.  When Jo came skipping back over – the kid loved to shake hands with adults, like some sort of high-stakes dealing Coruscant politician – Poe folded him into a gentle hug.  Hesitant, but Jo liked hugging too, and he threw his small arms around Poe’s neck.  It twisted your heart to see it.  As much as you may hate Poe (but did you really?  Or were you just hurt and angry?), you never wanted your son to be without his father.

It was Jo who let go first, unaware of the larger drama playing out.  He skipped out of the shop with a careless “bye” tossed over his shoulder, and he missed the tears that were forming in Poe’s eyes.  You saw them, though.

You sighed and turned to the small droid, and you asked it what repairs the ship needed.  It chittered out a list so long that you held a hand up to stop it, and then gestured for it to follow you into the back of the shop.

*****

He had a son.  A son.  He was a father, had been a father but had just found out.  He had missed so much – your pregnancy, the birth, the chance to hold his son as an infant.  The kid who stood before him was a little person, not a baby.  The kid – his son – had an entire personality, likes and dislikes, a history without him.  Poe felt a painful twist in his chest.  What did little Joren know of him?  

Suffering gods, when he folded that small, sturdy body in his arms and hugged his son, Poe wanted to run back to the ship and set it on fire.  Get Finn to hitch a ride back alone.  Poe wanted nothing more than to stay on Yavin-4, live near you, just to be a part of it all.  He didn’t even care if you never said another word to him.  He’d be happy just being near you, near his son, an observer to the life he could have had if he had been a better man years ago.

Now he only sat, mute, as you and BB-8 worked out what parts the ship needed.  You loaded them onto a sled that you could attach to a landspeeder, and you glanced at him from time to time.  Poe swore your eyes looked a little brighter, like they were filmed over in their own tears.

“I didn’t try to hide it from you,” you finally said.  “I only found out after you left.  I…asked around.  Tried to find you.  But that’s the thing about the Resistance.  It’s hard to find you.”

“I know.”  His voice was low, mirroring his spirits.  If he thought leaving you behind with just a note of explanation before was bad…this wasn’t just bad.  It was a disaster.  A calamity.

“After a while….” You started, but trailed off.  Poe raised his head to see you give a shrug, and he studied you closer as you went back to loading up spare parts and tools.  You looked much the same.  The years had been kinder to you.  You had been a little awkward as a teenager, too tall and skinny to feel comfortable, always ducking your head as you shot up past others your age.  Now, you moved with assurance. Comfortable.  You’d grown into yourself, it seemed.  Motherhood, adulthood suited you.  You were as beautiful as you’d ever been.

“I’m sorry,” he said.  He wanted to add more, but the words were caught in his throat.  How could he make this seem okay with just words?

You turned to look at him.  Your eyes were studying him, and he couldn’t quite read what was in them.  Anger, certainly.  Pity, maybe.

“He’s a good kid,” you told him.  “Smart, curious.  He has a good heart.  He’s always bringing some injured creature back to the house for us to nurse back to health.”

“He gets all that from you.”

That made you smile, that same slanted grin you had always gave him.  When you were kids and exploring the old ruins.  When you were teenagers and getting into the innocent trouble that teenagers do.  When you were just a bit older than that, and he had returned from his abortive career as a spice runner.  

For that moment, it felt like everything might be salvageable, but your smile faded, and you turned to the loaded sled.

“Let’s get you fixed up,” you murmured, your back to him, as you secured the load.  “So you can leave again.”

-----

If Poe thought that Joren (the elder, not his son, the younger) was a mechanical genius, you blew him away.  

The old freighter was in bad shape, but you only sized it up and nodded.  And got to work.  

Poe introduced you to Finn, and Finn got a wide smile and warm handshake.  Finn got friendly small-talk about the weather, the ship, the ongoing war.  Finn got a friendly chuck on the shoulder when he carried your tools into the cockpit to fix the navigation system.  Poe felt an alien jealousy creep over him, and what made it worse was that you weren’t purposely trying to make him jealous.  You were just being your normal, friendly self – to Finn.  

Finn hadn’t broken your heart and left you alone and pregnant.

The more the three of you worked on the ship, the more the horror of the situation washed over Poe.  You were still on Yavin-4.  You likely had never left.  You had always wanted to travel the galaxy, explore, settle someplace with more variety.  Instead, you had been trapped there with the child he left you with.  Trapped on a tiny rural planet in a tiny repair shop.  He hadn’t just left you behind.  He had condemned you to a tiny life, far too small for your smarts or curiosity.

It took half a day to fix the ship.  At one point, you sent BB-8 back with the landspeeder and sled with instructions for your protocol droid.  When BB-8 returned, he brought food and drink, and the three of you took a break to eat.

“So you two grew up together?” Finn asked around a mouthful of bread.  His eyes darted between you and Poe; the man was Force-sensitive, but even the thickest idiot in the galaxy could sense the weird tension that existed between the two of you.

“Yup,” you replied, and you popped the ‘p’ hard, in a way that forestalled any follow-up questions.  Finn, thankfully, got the hint, and after a few long moments of silence, he stood up and made a lame excuse to leave the two of you alone.

But neither of you talked.  You only chewed your food and drank in the quiet that fell in Finn’s absence.  Poe had so much to say – mainly, that he was sorry, over and over until the end of the world – but he couldn’t make his mouth form the words.  He wanted to know everything too – about you, about Joren, about your father’s death.  If you had someone in your life.  If there was a chance for him….no, you’d never give him a chance.  He was certain of it.

You finished your food first, and you stood up and brushed the crumbs from your lap.  You went to step past him, to climb back into the ship and keep working, but Poe’s hand shot out and grabbed your wrist to stop you.  

“Hey,” he said.  “Please.  I’m sorry.  I can’t…I know…”  He took a deep breath and tried again, but nothing came out.

“I know you are,” you replied softly.  You didn’t pull your wrist from him, and Poe could feel your pulse under his thumb.  Steady as always.  

“I’ll come back.”  He tilted his head up to look at you, and you only gazed back at him with an imperceptible expression.  “I want to be in his life.  I want to be a father.”

That brought emotion to your face, but Poe couldn’t read it in the dying light.  

“Sure,” you replied, and you sounded mad.  You jerked your wrist from him and spun on your heel to climb into the freighter.  

-----

Saying goodbye this time was awkward, but Poe couldn’t avoid facing you.  He and then Finn both tried to press credits onto you for the work and the parts, but you waved them off and said it was your own ongoing contribution to the Resistance.  Then Finn swept you into a friendly hug, which set a jealous churn to Poe’s gut, but you clapped the man’s back and wished him good luck and good health.

For Poe?  You only had a curt nod, and then you were turning away to load your tools and the broken parts onto the sled.

Finn and Poe settled into the cockpit and started up the old ship, and unbelievably, it started.  The engines didn’t sputter as they had, and all of the buttons on the console lit up for the first time since the Empire rose and fell, probably.  They both sat in awkward silence as they ran the usual pre-flight tests, until Finn cleared his throat.

“She needs to know that you’d come back for her too,” he mumbled, a little embarrassed sounding.

“It’s not your concern, Finn.”  

“Well, no,” the man agreed.  “But I couldn’t help but hear the two of you, and I can feel her pain besides.”  He paused and turned to look at Poe.  “She’s hurting, and she’s only hiding it to seem strong.”

Poe gritted his teeth.  “It’s over.”

Finn shook his head.  “It’s not.  That door is closing, Poe, but it’s not shut yet.”  He powered the craft down and pointed through the thick glass of the cockpit.  “She’s still there.  Go talk to her before it’s too late.”

Poe peered through the glass and saw that Finn was right:  you were still loading the sled with all the charred and broken pieces you had replaced.  Your back was to them, but he swore, even in the dying light, that he could see your shoulders shaking.  Like you were crying.

He was out of his seat before he realized, his feet and heart leading where his brain only followed.  He heard Finn give a huff of laughter, and heard him hit the lever to open the hatch, and Poe was down the ladder and running to you before he even had the thought to stop himself.

“Wait,” he said, and you turned in surprise.  You were crying, your eyes brilliant with tears, and this was exactly why he had written that cursed fucking note years ago.  Because he couldn’t face hurting you, so he’d ran like a coward.  Like he almost did now.  Thank the gods for Finn.

Poe reached for you, pulled you into a hug, pulled you hard enough to nearly hurt you and crush you against himself.  You didn’t fight him – in fact, he felt you wrap your own arms around his middle, squeezing him so hard he couldn’t breathe.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered against your head, over and over, and you only responded by sobbing against him – years’ and years’ worth of pain, and only a cupful of tears against the ocean he was owed.  He only held you and let you cry, and he breathed in the scent of you, felt the solid heat of your body pressed against his, and it all slammed back into him, the memory of you – dancing with you, sitting beside you, making love and kissing and holding you.  The memory of a love that burned so bright it had created a whole other life.

“Hey,” he said, and he pushed you away enough to look at you.  He reached up and cupped your face, hot with tears, and tilted your face to his.  “I’m going to come back for you.”  He saw how your reddened eyes widened at that, and he knew that Finn had been right.  

“I was always going to come back for you,” he admitted.  “It took me too long.  I wasted so many years and never meant to.  But I’ll come back. I promise.”

You gave him a nod, skeptical.  

“I promise,” he repeated, and he leaned down to kiss you.  You froze only for a second, and then you melted into it, kissing him back with an ardor that surprised him.  You should hate him, but he didn’t feel that at all.  He only felt love, and he hoped you could feel his love for you too.

~~~Tag List~~~ @bananas-pajamas  @rachelxwayne​   @stardust-fray   @massivecolorspygiant​   @imspillingcoffee​   @amneris21​  @paintballkid711​   @bowieisawizard​   @crowleysqueenofhell​   @evee87​   @differentshadesofgray​   @glimmerglittergirl​   @greyfairie​  @inlovewith3​   @madpanda75​   @mommakat32​   @mrs-endless​   @redlipstickandplaid​   @southern-magnolia​   @thatesqcrush​   @whyissvuruiningmylovelife​   @ataraxydreams​   @blunt-cake-yes​  @castiellover77​   @shesbiochem4​  @isvvc-pvscvl​   @blacksquadron-roguetwo   @zizzlekwum​   @general-latino​

[myhaikyuuthings]

Road Trips

request:  Omg can you please do a hc of what it would feel like going on a road trip with kuroo, akaashi, bokuto, and oikawa (separately) + their close friends? Like who would ride in the same car as them and their s/o? Who’s driving? What type of music are they listening to (can one of them be IFLY by Bazzi where they sing/scream w their s/o and it’s all fluffy) Are they going to playfully race the other car with the rest of the group? Hand on thigh? Playing with their hands? Night at a hotel? Thank you!

a/n: i love road trips omg this is such a cute request. i looked up real locations for this as well! i highly recommend looking them up they’re all gorgeous

Pairings: kuroo x reader, akaashi x reader, bokuto x reader and oikawa x reader ( separate )

warnings: suggestive themes mentioned, very very minimal

Kuroo: 

okay so in this car is Kuroo, Kenma, Tsukishima and you

you sat up front beside Kuroo for most of the ride, his hand holding yours over the gear shift

yes he drives a stick shift and Will use your hand to switch gears instead of just letting go of your hand because hes clingy and yes tsukki teases the both of you for it

the four of you were on your way to Mount Iwaki in Hirosaki, you picked Tsukishima up along the way

so the first good bit of the drive was just you, your boyfriend and his best friend

Kenma laid in the back playing on his switch with headphones in while you and Kuroo... well belted out lyrics of love songs to each other

kenma had endured it for two songs before finally snapping and getting his headphones out

“i was a player that was the old me” kuroo sang out, giving your hand a squeeze when you started laughing

“at first, i was hesitant” you sang back in between giggles, dancing in your seat 

“now all them other bitches is irrelevant.... i guess what i’m saying is i fucking love you” he brought his face close to yours as he sang, taking advantage of the stop light to kiss you gently

“lights green romeo,” kenma spoke up, shaking his head as the two of you pulled back with a deep blush

you and Kuroo moved to the back seat after getting Tsukki, letting Kenma drive for a bit while Kuroo slept on your chest

“is he trying to push your boobs against his head like he does his pillows” tsukishima groaned from the front seat, having turned around to give you your snacks

“...yes yes he is” 

Akaashi:

the only other person in your car was bokuto tbh

no one else could handle his energy Or his emo mode without Akaashi 

he was in control of the aux for your short roadtrip, only heading to Joren Falls in Izu

Akaashi isn’t big on PDA even if it’s just Bokuto around , so it wasn’t often he held your hand while driving

you Did feed him while he drove though, and he always made sure to press a kiss to your hand in thanks

Bokuto sulked because he didn’t get any kisses, literally only stopped sulking when Akaashi kissed his hand too

Bo played a lot of “bubblegum pop” 

specifically, ‘baby one more time’ by britney spears on repeat for well over half an hour

by the fourth play, Akaashi looked Done with life... until you started singing along

“ Boy, you got me blinded” you and bokuto sang out together, holding your snacks as microphones

“Oh, pretty baby, there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you” you sang, adding on to it as you looked at Akaashi, giggling at the deep blush that covered his cheeks

bokuto took over driving half way through, completely content with you sitting in the back with Akaashi as long as you still passed him snacks

the two of you sat in the back, your thigh pressed against his with your head resting on his shoulder

honestly a road trip with him is just a lot of subtle touches, blushy Akaashi, and many many snacks

Bokuto:

in his car we have akaashi, kuroo, bokuto and you

the four of you were going pretty far out, planning to visit Ogawa Waterfall in the Kimotsuki district

the four of you routinely threw darts at a map to find the next roadtrip location and Bokuto had spun around so much that you ended up farther than ever

he had driven for the first few hours and was now in the back with you, laying with his head on your lap in the admittedly large backseat

kuroo had mac miller playing in the background, bokuto mumbling along to the lyrics as you ran your fingers through his hair

“ I never thought life would be this sweet” his words were so low you almost didn’t hear him as he sang along, a smile tugging at your lips as he was only singing the positive parts of the song

“Life couldn't get better” he sang, looking up at you as you passed Kuroo the chips “This 'gon be the best day ever “

you smiled to yourself, leaning back in your seat and returning your fingers to his hair

he winked at you, moving gently to the music

you leaned down, pressing your lips to his

“hey at least wait until we get to the hotel, making us single guys watch is so unfair,” kuroo groaned playfully, laughing as you chucked a pack of gummies at him in embarrassment

it took another five hours for you all to reach the hotel, you all needed to sleep before continuing the long trip. you stopped in a little town in Hyogo

the night was spent with soft praises and love confessions while you two cuddled

Oikawa: 

you two didn’t go far, but Iwaizumi tagged along ofc

you were on your way to  Kitaibaraki beach in Ibaraki

with only seven hours left of your trip, Iwaizumi had moved to the back seat and you sat in the front with your boyfriend

his hand Stayed on your thigh the entire drive, his thumb rubbing circles into the exposed skin

“Stop being clingy Shittykawa,” iwaizumi groaned from the back, just teasing

“he’s baby it’s okay!” you pouted, poking your tongue out at your friend

in your defense, you were very sleepy and wanted as much of Oikawa’s attention as possible, usually you’d tease him with Iwaizumi

Oikawa literally almost wrecked the car because he was so happy “I’M BABY EAT THAT IWA-CHAN” 

you’re 90% sure his hand left a mark from how hard he grabbed your thigh & if he hadn’t been driving Iwaizumi would’ve hit him for sure

You were in charge of the aux, but on Oikawa’s phone

you scrolled a lot before finally deciding on a song

oikawa laughed a little at your song choice, Iwaizumi already passed out in the backseat as you sang along

“ I feel so comfortable with you” you removed his hand from your thigh, lacing your fingers with his with a smile 

“You make me comfortable with you” he sings along, bringing your linked hands to his face to press kisses to your knuckles

“ wanna go deep Into me,” you sang, trying to hold back your laughter when his eyes widened “let you in me, inside you deserve it”

thankfully Iwaizumi stayed asleep through the song, and the... help you gave Oikawa after how the song made him feel

[chillinglikeashilling]

I want to say Joren Jawbreaker and Caramelinda Meringue  fall on opposite sides of the spectrum in regards to how trauma and violence in one’s life plays into relationships with people’s loved ones and children but they actually feel very similar, maybe like parallels.

Joren Jawbreaker looked at his partner Spearia and his seed hunting son and said ‘There is a softness here that must be protected, and to provide that protection I must therefore make myself so hard that I am unable to nurture that softness’

Caramelinda grew up constantly scolded by her mother and escape into the arms of a woman she loved who always placed her second to a greater cause and she looked at her daughters and said ‘It is safer to live in the cage that I was raised in than it is to fly free and I want my children to be safe so much I am willing to limit that freedom.’

[timidloner]

After reading about Joren's physique I have to respectfully ask him to carry my small MC like a bag of potatoes. Not the most romantic thing but I think it's hot 🔥. Ugh long hair in men is my weakness

No, because same. I think if someone picked me up like I weighted nothing I'd fall in love on the spot. And yes! Why are men with long hair so hot? Like, whyyy?? Who gave them the right??

[luxmaeastra]

"You know for all the times you teased me of trying too hard to get you in bed Clythia - you were the one to jump me."

She snorted throwing an arm over her eyes as the sun hit her.

"Shut the blinds Eochaid."

Eochaid ignored her leaning against the wall as he sipped some chardonnay. He looked her over, the scars from battles they'd fought together and apart in. Some scars he'd seen others were new. But they joined now with his own marks, his own pieces of him she'd always take with her.

She let her arm fall away and turned her head to look at him. Her eyes slowly adjusted. She frowned somewhat unable to see him properly with the glare and the fact he stood in shadow. But she could feel his stare heavy and heady in a way that would have had her deck any other male.

"What are you doing skulking in the corner?"

"I'm not skulking, I'm savoring."

She rolled eyes sitting up.

"My apologies Your Highness. What's the difference exactly? And what exactly are you savoring? If you think after a few times I'm done with you —"

His laugh cut her off, warm, rich - easy. The laugh that had drawn her to him in the first place. It reminded her of her father of how Joren had laughed and told them stories of palaces under the sea and the court their mother ruled.

"I'm savoring what I will be waking to for the rest of days."

He stepped slowly toward her setting the glass down as he leaned over her. His beard scraping her skin as he nosing along her shoulder and then her arm.

"I'm savoring the marks I've given you and all the ones to come. I'm savoring all the things I get to show - thst you will hopefully come to love my home as much as I do."

He looked back at her, cupping her face.

"I'm savoring the fact that my mate is the fiercest female that I know - and that I am honored she let me as much as she had."

His lips were a breath away now. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"I am savoring the fact that I finally feel safe with someone else holding my heart, and my trust."

//LOOK WHOSE AWAKEE!!! FOR THIA!!!//

It wouldn’t be the first time a male was done once they had gotten what they wanted, the thrill of the chase was gone, and they saw no interest within the female they had laid with. The chase between them had been the most thrilling she had known in a long time, to catch his eyes upon her and feel him try to sway her to his bed. She didn’t know when it went from just the chase to mor, of when he finally started to think maybe they could have more.

She was thankful it did though, she was glad that they were finally on equal footing and there was understanding. Their bond was more than just that, the things she felt were more than just fun in their bed. Their bed, the idea was still off to her, but she forgot it all for him, especially now he moved towards her. Her heart sang for him, her body craved him.

Clythia shivered as she felt him against her skin, her smile turning more into an amused grin as she listened to his words. His marks, the ones he gave her. She was sure there were many of her own upon his own skin, small signs that he was hers. Her mate, her beloved. She leaned into his touch when he cupped her face, her eyes never leaving his own.

“I already love our home.” She responded to him. Their home, the one they would make as they saw fit. She would do everything to make sure it was so. She cleaned closer towards him when he was only a breath away, her nose brushed against his.

“I will keep and protect that heart and trust with my life.”

[petite-ursus]

Real fucked up that the burden of the fine Joren had to pay for kidnapping Lalasa ultimately falls on the common people who are from his home.

Like. The book covers multiple reasons his having to pay a fine and not actually being punished is messed up but... yeah. There’s another.

[everlasting-jobstopper]

I've finally rewatched sophomore year after finishing a crown of candy and I have thoughts. Theres so many jokes and parallels I missed

- Fabian falling off of the crows keep vs amethar falling off the castle

- Hangvan vs spearia's chill vibes

- "I pretend to be him" vs liams questionable murder methods

- Elven sheets of cream silk vs milk silk

- Green plant creatures at Calethriel Tower vs all of vegetania

- Kristen trying to fly down multiple flights of stairs with a ribbon vs liam wanting to jump off the ice cream temple after eating a seed

- Sylvarian Heresy vs the Prophidian Heresy

- Lil beans

- Secret conversations through messages

- Fabian drinking Figs wrist blood vs joren drinking spearia's wrist milk

- Wretchrot and swifty in their creepiness

- Fig coups gortholax vs "can a king" coup?

- Killed hangman and preston :(

- Kristen icing a security imp in the interrogation room vs liam icing every enemy he comes across

- Fig makes adaine a little illusion/nightmare forest unicorn that was never talked about again vs primsys unicorn

- Gilears big day (pride armour) vs lapins big day (then subsequent death)

Probably missed a whole lot more but this is all I remember

[annikasafternoonread]

So. Lady Knight. Protector of the Small. Where to begin?

I think of Lady Knight as my second favourite of this series, but I can’t actually decide if it might be tied with Page -- not that I didn’t love this book, I just loved Page more than I remembered. Lady Knight might still squeak it out, but only by a hair.

This book is the culmination of a lot of aspects of Kel’s character. We’ve seen her care for children and animals and commoners and anyone in need, time and time again, but usually on a smaller and more personal scale -- now it’s hundreds of people, and yet it still is so personal for her, like when she goes through the ruins of Haven and knows every person’s name and what they were like. We’ve seen her leadership skills, her quick thinking, her creativity --with the hill bandits or the first killing device, her strength and weapon exercises -- now she uses that to run an entire settlement, deal with chores and complaints and then also handle combat and defense (and eventually offense). We’ve seen her unflinching determination and dedication to her goals and to her ideals, be it in pursuing her knighthood or in facing down Joren and his bullies or in teaching Lalasa self-defence and changing the laws that failed her -- now that comes in standing up for her people and fighting for them at whatever risk. 

It’s a culmination built on so much previous development, but it’s also a fantastic standalone story. The previous books didn’t really have an overarching plot, just a time-frame. There are themes or payoffs, but the only real book-length goal is “finish this period of training and move on to the next step.” The final climaxes do build on prior challenges, but they aren’t exactly a culmination of the whole. Lady Knight, on the other hand, isn’t built on a time frame -- the war could last as long as it lasts, the camp could last as long as it lasts, the book could last as long as it lasts. And the plot is all very tightly linked, from beginning with Blayce and the killing devices to building the rapport and community with the refugees to going after the refugees and defeating Blayce. Everything builds on everything before it, and it all holds together as a solid whole. I could imagine someone reading this book and never even realizing it was part of a series, much less that it was the fourth in that series. It builds so well on everything before it, but it also stands amazingly well on its own.

And of course, as we’ve discussed before, I’m a sucker for a lot of the themes and ideas in this book. I absolutely love seeing Kel in her leadership element, even when she feels inadequate. She’s amazing at it -- gentle but firm, hard when it’s called for but kind all the rest of the time, and polite even when she’s being a hardass. She sees people’s strengths and helps nurture them, helps them see them too. She knows when to order and when to nudge or cajole, when to be hard and when to be gentle, when to take the lead and when to ask for help and advice. She inspires respect, admiration, loyalty, trust. 

And then when she goes off to Scanra (all by herself) -- well, that’s just poetry. She was told to protect these people, and she will. She’d die for them, willingly. She expects to, whether at the hands of Scanran fighters or Tortallan courts when she returns. She knows the risks. She knows the odds. But she also knows she has to do it, no matter what, because it’s the right thing to do. And as it turns out, she’s not the only one to realize that. Just... people being good people makes me so freaking happy. She’s not doing it for glory or reward or praise. She’s doing it because it needs to be done. She’s doing it because these people deserve to be protected. She’s doing it because she is the Protector of the Small. 

I gotta talk about the aro/ace stuff because SAME HAT and so I always want to talk about it. I believe Word Of God is that Kel is aro/ace -- doesn’t necessarily know it in the books, but might fall into that camp ultimately. The post I read, it sounded like Tamora wasn’t entirely clear on the terminology or definitions, and it was almost certainly an afterthought not written into the books, but it does fit. Kel definitely has a lot of traits or thoughts or moments that I can relate to strongly. Missing romantic cues, not really understanding why people are so dramatic about love but also jump from fascination to fascination, sometimes breaking romantic relationships or partners down to very practical essentials (see George Cooper and his “nice eyes”)... I vibe with a lot of that. I still see Kel as more arospec than fully aromantic, since her crushes seemed genuine enough, but maybe that’s just cause that’s what I am. Or maybe it’s because I too am in love with Dom and if I can’t have him then I think Kel should. 

Overall, this series is 12/10 would recommend to everyone would read again next week. Except that I won’t be -- I’ll be reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Given that it’s super late, I will be starting that tomorrow, but I hope you’re looking forward to it as much as I am. I don’t know a ton about the book, but it sounds interesting as heck. 

I’ll see you tomorrow to start that!