#Potami

[puppetdaily]

Potami and Raindancer from Goldeneyes at Eurofurence's Pawpetshow

[elladastinkardiamou]

This week's newsletter from AthensLive is out: Is Greece's government privatizing water?

“Sacrificing” youngsters to make railways better?

Breaching the Constitution to Privatise Water

US-Greek citizen under ‘Greek surveillance’ radar

- are the main headlines to be found inside this highly informative weekly must-read from and about Greece. The country celebrates its National Day, the beginning of the Greek Revolution on 25 March 1821, under a thick cloud of anger and grief over the train tragedy. It’s no time to celebrate. The government's continuing efforts for “damage control” end up in lies, to be quickly debunked, and gaslighting. A bill that constitutes a decisive step toward water privatization was passed this week only with ND votes as the main opposition SYRIZA abstained. On the same day, a Top Administrative Court ruling was published. According to this, the government has to return water companies' stocks to the State. Giving these stocks away is against the constitution, the Court has ruled. Till this moment, not only has the government disobeyed the court, but they have also taken the next step towards water privatization. Meta manager Artemis Seaford was hacked with spyware and wiretapped in Greece, according to a breaking NYT report. The disclosure is the first known case of an American citizen being targeted in a European Union country by surveillance technology. Until these lines were written, the Greek government had made no statement on the issue. SYRIZA tabled a relevant Parliamentary question.

It cannot be recommended strongly enough to read and share this week's updates on the events and developments in Greece here:

https://steadyhq.com/en/athenslivegr/posts/19e442c1-c5cd-48e6-9ec2-da39995d401b

For anyone with a wish or need to follow and to gain an insight into recent events in Greece and to read and support independent and investigative journalism in English, the weekly newsletter from AthensLive should be a core element in the reading flow.

If you want the best overview of the events and developments in Greece right now, this is the place to go. Not the mainstream Greek news, but independent journalism with sharp analysis and links to interesting and important topics from a variety of sources.

Become a member and get the newsletter in your inbox every week here:

http://bit.ly/2GkVuYt

[fandomcreatorsguild]

Weekly Prompt Game

Activity: Community Prompt Share

1-25-24 Prompt Options:

Floral, Blood, Denial

Alt prompt(s):

"Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"

"I don't know whether to be angry or proud."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Submitted By: @dawnwynters

Prompt Used: “I don’t know whether to be angry or proud.”  

Fandom: Fairy Tail

=============================

“You have so many options, Lucky.” Laxus leaned back against the counter in the kitchen of their father’s lake house, a beer in his hand as he looked at Lucy who was sitting on the island counter with her own beer.

“I know.” Lucy nodded, letting out a sigh as she lifted the beer to her lips and took a swing before looking up at the ceiling. “But they’re all so far away. I’d rather just stay in Magnolia and go to the community college.”

“This have anything to do with Natsu and the fact that you’ve been in love with the idiot since you were twelve?” He arched a brow at her.

Lucy felt the smile spread across her face at the mention of her boyfriend of three years, her fingers tightening on the bottle in her hand as her heart stumbled in her chest. “I just,” She bit her lip, looking at the floor as the blush spread across her cheeks.

Laxus chuckled and moved forward, pressing his lips to her forehead. “I support whatever decision you make, Lucky. I’ll even make sure Jude shuts up about it.”

Natsu hovered outside of the doorway to the kitchen, his hand gripping the frame as he listened to their conversation about Lucy going to college. He had been in love with her since he was thirteen but didn’t have the courage to ask her out until three years ago, when he was fifteen. He loved everything about this girl; how smart she was, how kind she was, how she was just beautiful inside and out. He knew about the colleges she had been accepted into, knew that her father was pressuring her to finally pick one, knew that she was serious about staying here to go to community college to stay close to him.

He knew she deserved so much more than that, knew she wanted so much more than that but wanted to be close to him more. He refused to hold her back, so he took a deep breath as he stepped into the kitchen, his mind made up on how he was going to make her do what was best for herself.

“Laxus, can we have a minute?” He spoke quietly, refusing to meet Lucy’s questioning gaze.

“Sure.” Laxus frowned before kissing Lucy’s forehead again. “One more beer after that, Lucky, then you’re done.”

Lucy rolled her eyes as Laxus left the kitchen before smiling brightly at Natsu. “Where’ve you been hiding?”

“Just been thinking.” He leaned back against the counter across from her, his arms crossed as he refused to look at her face. “You pick a college yet?”

She frowned at his question, a sick feeling building in the pit of her stomach. “I told you, Natsu. I’m going to the Community College.”

“Why?” He scowled, still refusing to look at her because he knew if he did, he wouldn’t be able to do what needed to be done. “For me?”

“Well, duh,” She rolled her eyes fondly even though the sick feeling inside of her was growing. “I want to stay-“

“You’re a fucking idiot.” He scoffed, shaking his head and trying to ignore her sharp gasp. “Picking to go to a Community College for a guy? That’s fucking stupid, Lucy.”

Her knuckles turned white from how tightly she was holding the bottle in her hand, tears gathering in her eyes at his words. “It’s not stupid.” She whispered. “I’m doing it because I lo-“

“You’re doing it to control me!” He snapped, his heart breaking with his words, but he pushed himself to continue. “For fuck’s sake, Lucy! Did you really think this thing between us would actually last?” He forced himself to look at her, forced himself to glare and ignore the tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Wh-What are you-“ She pressed a hand to her stomach, unable to get the words out.

“I’m saying I’m way too fucking young to be tied down!” His eyes flicked over her shoulder, silently cursing himself for being too loud as he saw several of their friends hovering in the doorway. “I’m going to become a firefighter and I don’t need you around causing trouble when I want to get some action from the women who will want me! I don’t fucking want you around, Lucy! I don’t want to fucking be with you!”

The only sound after his outburst was the bottle shattering in her hands from how tight she had squeezed it and the soft sobs escaping her. “N-Natsu, h-how could-“

He forced himself to roll his eyes as he pushed away from the counter and headed for the door. “Get over it, Lucy. We’re done.” He shoved through their angry friends, ignoring Gray, Loke and Erza as they chased after him because he needed to get away before he ruined everything by telling her the truth.

He sped away on his motorcycle, amazed that he didn’t get into a wreck with how fast he had been going as he drove to his brother’s house, the only place he could stay where no one would find him.

“What did you do?” Zeref’s voice was filled with barely restrained rage as Natsu got off the motorcycle. “Laxus just called and said you broke up with Lucy by telling her you wanted the ‘attention’ you were going to get as a firefighter?”

Natsu pulled his helmet off and set it on his bike before looking at Zeref, watching the anger fade from his brother’s face at the sight of tears on his own. “I had to.” He whispered.

“Why?” Mavis, his sister-in-law, spoke up from slightly behind Zeref, her concerned eyes on Natsu.

“Because she deserves better!” He shouted, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “You know how fucking smart she is! She doesn’t deserve to be going to Community College! She deserves to go to a university! She deserves to have that experience and get the degree she wants! I was holding her back! She deserves better!”

Zeref studied him for a long moment before sighing heavily. “I don’t know whether to be angry or proud.”

“Proud?” Mavis looked at her husband in shock. “Why the hell would you be proud that he broke her heart like that?”

“Because he did it for her, Mavis.” Zeref shook his head. “The fucking idiot just ruined the best thing in his life just so she could have the life she deserves to have.”

Mavis frowned and crossed her arms. “She deserves to be happy, and Lucy is the only one who decides what makes her happy.” She looked at Natsu. “You should’ve talked with her instead of doing this.”

“She wouldn’t have listened.” He rubbed his hands down his face. “You know how stubborn she is. I know her, Mavis. She wants to go, but she wanted to stay here with me. She would’ve stayed.” He gave a weak shrug. “So, I forced her to go. She means more to me than anything. Even myself. I’ll gladly be miserable the rest of my life without her as long as she get to do the things she dreams of doing.”

Mavis shook her head and turned to go inside. “Her biggest dream was being with you, Natsu, and you just shattered that.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Submitted By: @teleiapotami

Prompt Used: "Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"

Fandom: Fairy Tail

HYQ SPOILERS

=============================

Memories raged through his mind. Memories that didn’t belong to him. The power of Aquarius’ Stream of Memories was so potent that Natsu could smell the dust and blood in the air like he was back in the ruins of Tartaros. Except he hadn’t been there, not really. The Allegria spell had swallowed him, and Lucy had saved them all. He didn’t know how, or how he knew that, but he’d known it from the moment he regained consciousness.

In the aftermath of losing his father, the feeling slipped his mind, buried under his grief and self-loathing. A feeling which was now made worse by Lucy’s memories coursing through him. The sound of her scream, summoning the Celestial Spirit King…he’d never heard it, but he could feel it in his bones now, shaking loose guilt he thought he had let go of.

The sound of careful steps outside his room drew him out of his brooding, and he heard the hushed murmurs of Wendy and Lucy, then the door slid open, and Lucy knelt at his side. He turned his head to look at her slowly, searching her face silently. She smiled softly at him.

“Wendy says you’ll be okay. It was bad, and with Erza being just as wounded, she didn’t have the power to heal you all the way,” she said, reaching out and brushing his hair out of his eyes carefully. “You heal faster so….”

“Lucy,” he rasped out, catching her wrist. She gasped softly at the strength of his grip, and he relaxed a little with a frown. “Sorry…Lucy, I need to ask you—”

“You need to rest,” she insisted. “Suzaku’s attack—”

“I saw them, Lucy. I saw the memories Aquarius showed you…” he said quietly. Lucy fell silent, staring at him with wide eyes. “I wondered why you didn’t summon her when Ignia set the city on fire…there was plenty of water, but you didn’t…”

Lucy clenched her fist and pulled it away, placing it on her thighs. “You need to rest, Natsu,” she whispered. Her shoulders trembled slightly, making him sit up slowly, letting out a growl of pain when the wound on his abdomen pulled slightly.

“I can’t Lucy. I close my eyes and I see….you. I hear you screaming…crying. I wasn’t there but I can’t stop seeing it now! You never told me what you did,” he paused when she looked up at him sharply. “I-I never asked…” he corrected himself.

Lucy shook her head sharply, angrily wiping her eyes. “Are you kidding me? Are you actually bringing this up now? It doesn’t matter Natsu, it’s over. That was more than a year ago!”

The knot of guilt tightened in his stomach at her words. “A year that….you were alone. I didn’t….I would never have…Lucy, why didn’t you say something?”

“I didn’t exactly have the time…the fights were still going, and then Igneel, and Acnologia. There wasn’t time, and you were in enough pain. You didn’t need mine too,” she said, looking away again.

“Yeah, I lost my dad, but you lost your first friend! The closest thing you have to family, and you sacrificed her?! We could have comforted each other; we didn’t have to suffer alone!” he growled, pressing a hand against the pain in his stomach.

“You want me to believe you would have stayed? That you wouldn’t have gone off for your training if I had told you? Or maybe you would have taken me with you? Not left me behind?” she demanded, glaring at him. Natsu winced back at the heat in her voice and ground his teeth together in frustration.

Lucy sat back on her heels after a moment with a soft huff. “That’s what I thought. You had to go, and my pain wouldn’t have meant a thing. So you saw the moment I did what I had to do, so what?” She cut off for a moment and looked at the door when Gray shouted for her. “ It didn’t matter then, and it doesn’t matter now,” she argued, pushing to her feet.

“Lucy!” Natsu growled, reaching for her, but drawing back with a low groan of pain. “You know that’s not—”

“Lucy! They followed us here!” Gray shouted as he ran past the room.

“What I know, is that I have a fight to win, and you need to rest, Natsu. I’ll send Wendy to check on you later.”

“Lucy, we have to—”

“We don’t have to do anything but get through this Natsu,” she said softly, without looking back. She left him there, staring after her and listening to the sounds of her fight. The screams from her memories blended with those she was letting out as she fought, sending Natsu’s mind into a dizzying madness of rage and guilt.

“I’ll fix this,” he swore to himself, laying back reluctantly. “If it’s the last thing I do, I will make sure she gets that key.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Submitted By: @blazingorchid

Prompt Used: Floral, Blood, Denial

Fandom: One Piece

=============================

It should have been a time for victory… and for some it was.

Zoro watched as crowds of people swarmed the town square. Bright colors from festive clothing and lights blended together. Laughter and chatter became nothing more than a murmur to his ears. The smell coming from the large cooking pot that was in the center of the square made his stomach churn.

He brought his bottle of sake to his lips and gulped; downing half of it in one go.

“You should go talk to him.” Robin’s voice soft voice carried to him. Zoro didn’t even spare a glance back at her. “You’re the only one he-“

“I can’t help him.” Zoro stated bluntly. “Nothing I say is going to fix the problem.”

“So you aren’t going to offer him comfort?” Her tone turned sharped. Anger bubbled within his chest as his drunken mind detected something accusatory in her voice.

He took another drink until the bottle was empty. He chucked the bottle to the side. The strong glass didn’t break but bounced on the wooden flooring until it settled into a roll. He had his next bottle opened before he heard it clink against the wall.

“Zoro.”

He turned sharply on his heel.

Robin’s face was puffy around her eyes. The redness in them was a stark contrast to ice blue eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her nose was slightly runny.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Robin cry. He didn’t really care to at the moment anyways. He just wanted her gone; out of this room and far away from him.

“If you’re so worried, you go comfort him! Leave me the fuck alone!” He growled.

She glared back at him, before her eyes fell to his torso. It was only a matter of seconds before her face twisted in devastation.

Zoro followed her gaze and instantly regretted it.

He was covered in blood.

Her blood.

Just another fucking reminder that he failed.

He had every intention to rip his clothing off once he got to the room. To get rid of any remaining evidence that this night even happened… and yet he didn’t. He couldn’t. The thought of trying left him in a daze before he was consumed with the desire to drink.

“He has the sunflower she wore in her hair.” Robin stated softly. Her voice trembled, not able to bear the weight of her grief. “Her blood is staining the petals and yet he just keeps …” she was interrupted by her own sob.

Zoro could only stare.

“When Sanji tried to take it away… Luffy… he…”

Zoro didn’t need to hear the rest. He knew what his captain was capable of when pressed to his limits. He knew that Luffy did not handle loss well and had more than likely kicked the cook’s ass for even daring to take her flower away.

“She’s gone.”

Zoro felt his pain ripple down his spine. His hands clenched; one around the neck of the sake bottle, the other in a simple fist which led to his nails piercing his palm.

“And because you two can’t let her go, you’d rather comfort yourselves with her blood.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Submitted By: @notsofluffyunicorn

Prompt Used: "Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"

Fandom: Fairy Tail

=============================

Her eyes immediately sought out the voice that she knew better than her own, and she was confused to find Natsu curved over her with tears streaking a path down his cheeks.

She frowned, concern for him welling inside of her chest. She didn’t like it when Natsu cried. He didn’t ever really do it, not often, so when he did cry Lucy knew that something must’ve seriously rattled him.

“Natsu?”

Natsu’s eyes were locked on hers, wide and panicked.

“Stay still, Luce,” He pleaded. “W - we need to wait for Wendy. You’re bleeding.”

It took a minute for his words to register, but when they did she found that they didn’t make much sense. Because, she wasn’t bleeding but her nails were.

“Natsu, my nails.” She held a shaky hand up in front of her face again, not bothering to mention that her body was starting to feel cold. Natsu was with her, and he always warmed her up anyway. “Look.”

“Are you kidding me?” He growled, using his forehead to nudge her palm back down. “You’re bringing this up now? You’re fucking bleeding from a hole in your stomach, Lucy. I don’t care for your nails right now.”

She found that she didn’t really have the energy to reply, and instead she just watched him.

He was crying, but he still looked as beautiful as ever. Natsu had always been beautiful to her, in all the loud ways a person could be beautiful, but in the little ways too. He was kind and sweet to her, considerate of her feelings.

She blinked up at him tiredly, finding that she just genuinely wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right there on the dirty ground. Nails and Natsu be damned.

“No. No, Lucy! Luce! Don’t close your eyes, baby, please.”

She tried to tell Natsu that she couldn’t help it, but everything faded into the background as soon as Natsu let out a gut-wrenching sob and a searing, blistering heat slammed directly into her abdomen.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Submitted By: @xfangheartx

Prompt Used: “I don’t know whether to be angry or proud.”

Fandom: Genshin Impact

=============================

The Conqueror's Promise

  “I don’t know whether to be angry or proud…”

  Xiao stood quietly as he stared at Lumine’s back. The sun was setting beyond the rocky outcrops that surrounded the Chasm and the wind blew gently, rustling her hair and making the ornaments at the end of her scarf tingle like two little bells. The Yaksha’s face was one of rare nervousness as they stood there at the cliff’s edge.

They had just escaped from that strange dimension they were trapped in. He remembered the frightened look on Lumine’s face as she reached out to stop him from sending her and the others back up to the surface. He knew that she didn’t want him to do it… but he couldn’t tell her his plan. He knew she’d try and stop him, regardless if he told her or not.

  It was the only way. He just hoped that she had understood.

  As he fell back toward the darkness, all he could think of was that face. The face of the girl that he became so attached to. He was usually so closed-off to others, but with her… he felt different. He felt safe.

  To know that she would live was enough for him… or so he thought.

  The next thing he knew, he was back up on the surface with the otherworldly traveler and the others. As he looked up toward the clifftops, he could see the retreating figure of the Archon that he served. Deep in his heart, he was thankful to Lord of Geo… but now, he knew that he had something to answer for.

  He knew the moment he saw Lumine’s frowning face and then told Paimon and the others to give her and Xiao a moment alone. They walked here, toward this cliff, both of them standing in tense silence before the traveler finally spoke to him in the present moment.

“…I know you must be upset,” Xiao replied.

  “I’m not just upset, Xiao!” Lumine spat as she turned to face him. “Why would you ever do such an insane thing?!”

  “It was all I could think of doing at that moment!” Xiao argued, his voice momentarily rising. “I-I had no choice!”

  “We could have figured something else out together!” Lumine countered.

  “There was no time!” Xiao snapped back. “I had to do something! We were about to fall back down and… and…” He sighed as his shoulders sagged and he glanced off to his left. “I… I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.”

  Lumine’s eyes softened and her shoulders dropped. “Xiao… no sacrifice is ever worth it. Did you even think about how much it would hurt everyone if you lost your life, no matter how immortal you are? Don’t you have any idea how much you mean to the people who care about you?” She paused as she cast her eyes to the ground. “Or… how much you mean to me?”

  Xiao’s eyes widened slightly as he looked up at her, his golden amber eyes meeting her honey gaze. The wind blew again, carrying the golden yellow ginkgo leaves and rustling the orange and brown grass. That’s when Lumine approached him.

  “Xiao…” she said. “I want you to make a contract with me.”

  “A… contract?” Xiao asked.

  “Yes,” Lumine nodded. “I want you to swear that you will never take your life so lightly again… do you understand me?”

  Xiao stood there, unsure of what to say… but then his expression hardened with that steely gaze of seriousness before, with some hesitation, he reached out and gently took the traveler’s hand in his own, then slowly fell to one knee as he bowed his head and closed his eyes.

  “I, Adeptus Xiao, Conqueror of Demons… hereby swear that I will never treat my life lightly again.”

Lumine nodded her head. “Good.”

  “Hey, Traveler!”

  Upon hearing that squeaky voice of her companion, Lumine turned to see Paimon waving to her, as well Yanfei, Yelan, Itto, Shinobu, and Razor.

  “Yo, compadre!” Itto called. “We’re off to get some grub! Wanna join us?”

  “Come on! Let’s eat, already!” Paimon added.

  Lumine smiled, a sudden sense of relief washing over her before she turned to face Xiao, who was back on his feet once again.

  “How about the others go eat in town,” Lumine began, “and I’ll meet up with you at Wangshu Inn for some Almond Tofu. What do you say?”

  “…Sounds good,” Xiao nodded.

  Lumine smiled warmly at the Yaksha, who felt his cheeks grow warm as they were dusted a light pink, and he could feel his heart skip a beat or two. As they went to join the others, Xiao didn’t even realize that he had reached over… and had taken the traveler’s hand in a firm yet tender grip. Lumine didn’t look at him… but instead, she just silently locked her fingers with his.

  ‘Thank you, Lumine…’

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Submitted By: @Miskii

Prompt Used: Floral, Blood, Denial

Fandom: Fairy Tail

=============================

She was crying so hard that she feared that she might run out of tears.Her best friend had died trying to protect her and she couldn't help but feel guilty.

If only I was strong enough to protect myself, then she wouldn't have died such a gruesome way.

Earlier

“Zera, stop running, you're going to trip and fall!” Yelled Mavis at the short brown haired girl.

“It's fine.” She yelled back before she fell on the ground.

“I told you so.” Mavis said after she caught up to the girl.

“It's fine really, I'm not hurt.”replied Zera.

“Let's just go back to the tree.” She added.

“Fine,”Mavis replied.

After they reached the tree they were surprised to see that most of the animals had been killed.

They were looking around when they saw a man with short black hair and decided to question him.

“Do you know what happened here?”asked Mavis to the boy.

“I do.” He replied,not happy that he was being questioned but obviously taking interest in the long haired blonde.

“Then what happened?” Zera asked.

“I killed them.Just like I'll kill you two.” He answered.

“W-why would you do that?”questioned Mavis.

“Because I was cursed this way, for every thing that I care about to die.” He replied nonchalantly.

“I won't allow you to kill Mavis, kill me instead if you have to.”Zera said sternly.

“My,My.What fascinating friendship you have.To go as far as to risk your lives for each other.”He said.

“NO!” Yelled Mavis. “Don't kill her, kill me.”she said.

“What are you talking about!?” Zera screamed.

“Well, I suppose I'll kill the white-haired girl,”He said.

As he prepared to kill Mavis, Zera jumped in front of the attack and took the hit for her.She fell to the ground with a thump,blood spilling out of her chest where a hole laid in her body.

“No,No,No,No.”Mavis said. “You can't die, you promised to stay with me.You promised dammit!”she cried out,falling to her knees to cradle the body of her friend.

“You can survive.I promise you will find more friends and family.Just promise me that you will leave this island and travel with the people that you meet.”said Zera

“I-I can't leave you!” Mavis replied. “You're my friend, my family and my sister.”

“Just this once, promise me.” Zera said,choosing to ignore her refusal.

“No!”she cried, still hugging the broken body of her friend.

“Please.” Zera begged.

“Fine!” Mavis said.

“Thank you.” Zera said before taking Her last breath.

Present

“No!!” Mavis cried, feeling her friend's heartbeat stutter till it stopped completely.

She cried and cried and cried, never once letting go of the body or looking at the boy in front of her.

Finally after hours of crying she got up to go bury the body of her friend. She made sure to put flowers on the burial.

That night she cried and cried. She cried the next day and the day after that until two weeks passed since the death of Zera. She was an emotional wreck but decided to push past it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Submitted by: @blazingorchid

Prompt Used: “Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"

Fandom: Teen Titans

=============================

“That was … something.”

His ears perked at the sound. Her voice wrapping around him like a velvet curtain. The soft growl that was natural in her voice never failed to send a shiver down his spine.

And as much as he always loved being near her… right now was a bad time.

“If you came out here to scold me-“

“No.” She cut him off.

He couldn’t help but look back at her. Her hood was down giving him a clear view of her face. Although always stoic- since her powers were sensitive to emotion, he had become a master at reading her by her eyes. Deep and dark in contrast of her pale skin and yet he found that nothing shined brighter.

“Good.” He sighed. He didn’t elaborate. He didn’t need to. Unlike her, all he ever did was feel. Too much and all the time. His heart constantly on his sleeve as if it was etched there.

“You’re not that easy to read.” She spoke, sitting next to him.

“You read minds now?” His lips lifted just slightly. He could feel one of his fangs scrap against his bottom lip.

“No. I mean to anyone but me. Even then, it took me a while. You’re actually confusing to empathic powers considering you’re always so optimistic. When we first met, I thought you were a brainless twit.”

He raised an eyebrow. He watched as a bit of humor glimmered in her eyes.

“Now I know you’re a brainless twit with a dark side.”

“Ha ha ha. Saw that coming a mile away.” He grumbled. His ears drooped. And he was all of sudden stricken with guilt.

He had exploded moments ago with Lin the tower. He had said some pretty unfair things to everyone before storming outside to where he sat… and even though he didn’t think anything he said was wrong, it was definitely hurtful.

“I’m so-“

“Don’t.” She raised a hand. “Nothing you said was a lie.”

“But-“

“Garfield.”

He felt his mouth shut upon hearing his name from her lips. A pretty normal reaction since it never failed to shock him with how fucking great it sounded to him.

“Everyone has limits. Robin pushed you to yours.  You reacted just as anyone else would have. Were your words hurtful? Yes… but true. Sometimes the truth just hurts.”

“I never want to hurt you.”

“That is an impossible task.” She countered gently. “Pain is … inevitable. Especially when the heart is involved.”

“Oh yeah!” He perked up instantly. He leaned back into both hands and smirked in her direction. He grinned, his canines poking out from his top lip. “You love me. That’s what you said last night”

“You’re bringing that up now?” She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t I supposed to be comforting you in your time of need.”

“This is comforting me. The girl I’ve been crazy about for years finally confessed to me last night and I haven’t been able to bask in its glory.” He suddenly felt agitated again.

He flinched when the light above them popped; glass shattering and falling to the concrete. He then eyed the empath to his side and smirked.

“The way you can shift emotions like that is actually impressive.” She let out a breathy chuckle. Her eyes lifted to the now busted light. Then she sighed falling back to her resting features. “I hope they don’t ask.”

“Just say I did it. Robin thinks I mess everything up anyways.”

“Hey.” She rested a hand on his shoulder. He leaned into her touch, a purr rolling out from his chest. “Don’t let him get to you. Just cool down and as for a sit down where it’s just the two of you. Then apologize to Cyborg and Star.”

“So I should apologize?” He asked her.

“To them. Star is very sensitive to how people feel about her. She probably thinks you hate her right now. And Cyborg is the closest thing you to a brother so he’s probably crying on the inside despite trying to act tough.”

“Can’t you … tell?” He asked.

“All my focus is on you at the moment.”

He beamed at the confession.

“I’ll do that, but first… wanna fly with me?”

Her reply was the dark shadow disc that was conjured with a flick of her wrist.

=============================

Thank you to everyone who participated this week! We are going to get some monthly prompts moving in February, and keep the weekly ones going for those who like them!! We'd love to see you in our discord!!

[gemsofgreece]

Have you watched Κόκκινο Ποτάμι? And if yes, what did you think about it?

I haven’t. This series somehow totally passed under my radar when it was airing but I plan to watch it someday because it apparently is really good based on the imdb ratings.

Context for followers: Κόκκινο Ποτάμι (Red River) is a 2-season historical TV drama about the genocide of Pontic Greeks.

[aposperiitis]

Μ' έβαλαν να ορκιστώ

με το χέρι στην καρδιά.

«Ορκίσου!» μου είπαν. «Ορκίσου στην Αγάπη!»

Και ορκίστηκα στην Αγάπη.

Και μου ξανάβαλαν το χέρι στην καρδιά.

«Ορκίσου!» μου ξανάπαν. «Ορκίσου στον Άνθρωπο».

Και ορκίστηκα και στον άνθρωπο.

Μα είχα για τόσα πολλά να ορκιστώ,

τόσους πολλούς όρκους να δώσω

στη Φιλία, στο Κάλλος, στην Τιμή...

Σε ποιο να πρωτοορκιστώ;

«Ορκίσου σ' όλα!», μου είπαν.

«Τότε» είπα κι έσκυψα

«τότε ορκίζομαι σ' όλα».

Και γονάτισα μπρος στην Αγάπη.

«Όρκος», Μενέλαος Λουντέμης

[milomeri]

Potamiou Village

[liquidstar]

Another language thing in Greek is that the technical term for horse is ippos, usually written as hippos in English (always adding H's). And you may be thinking "oh like hippopotamus:)" correct! Exactly like that. "Potamus" (Potami) means "river," so hippopotamus means River Horse. Because it lives in rivers and might vaguely resemble a fat horse if you squint. It's also in the name Phillipus. "Phil" coming from "Philo/philia" which means friend. So Philipus (or Philip) is a name that means Friend Of Horses.

Almost none of this information will do you much good in casual conversation though, because the word we ACTUALLY use for horses is... "Alogo." Which literally means "one without logic." That's right, much like babies, we decided horses are dumb pieces of shit and we should call them idiots instead of horses

[duckyhowls]

Daenerys Targaryen x Fem!Baratheon(Lannister) OC - 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 (P2)

DuckPanda Original - PART 1 Daenerys Targaryen x Lannister!OC (Mercia Baratheon)

SUMMARY: The young queen, Mercia Baratheon, is the last living heir to King Robert after all three of her siblings die horrible deaths. As the Seven Kingdoms are on the brink of collapse, Mercia does all she can to hold it all together - though struggles arrive when the Long Night draws near, and The Dragon Queen comes for her throne. But perhaps there is a compromise they can arrange?

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Mercia stroked the soft neck of her loyal lioness, Potami, who sat committedly at her legs as the Queen rested upon the Iron Throne. 

Once again, the young queen was holding court with at least a hundred guards rowed on either side of the room, something that Mercia did just to ease her mother's paranoia. For all of Mercia's siblings had been killed, two out of three were assassinated – so she didn't blame her mother for becoming desperate to have a ridiculous number of guards positioned to protect her last remaining child.

Near Mercia's lioness stood The Mountain, only two paces left of the throne with Maester Qyburn. On Mercia's right was her uncle and her mother, staring down stoically at all of the lords that Mercia had summoned to Kings Landing to speak with.

"If the last Targaryen takes the Iron Throne, she'll destroy the realm as we know it," Mercia spoke, not taking her eyes away from her lioness whose piercing, blue gaze scanned the lords below. "Some of you are bannermen of House Tyrell, but House Tyrell is in open rebellion against the crown. With their help, the Dragon Queen has ferried an army of Dothraki to our shores. Unsullied soldiers who will destroy your castles and your holdfasts for their queen without a second thought. Her armies will burn your villages to the ground, rape and enslave your women and butcher your children."

Mercia lifted her green gaze to the many lords standing before her, all of them listening intently, hanging on to every single word that came out of her lips. "This is how Olenna Tyrell rewards centuries of service and loyalty?"

Her mother then spoke up, stone-faced. "You all remember the Mad King," she called out. "Do you remember the horrors he inflicted upon his people? His daughter is nothing less."

Mercia glanced at her mother for a moment. She hated it whenever her mother sounded so sure. Mercia, despite being the Dragon Queen's enemy, knew from the accounts of spies that Daenerys was nothing like the Mad King. From all that Mercia has witnessed through reports, Daenerys Targaryen was an anti-slavery monarch whose only goals are to free the people of the world and take back her ancestral throne. That, in itself, was different, but not mad in the slightest. Nonetheless, they had to convince the lords to join their forces with the crown. For the sake of Mercia and her family’s lives at least.

"In Essos, her brutality is already legendary." The words tasted bitter in Mercia's mouth, as she forced herself to twist these stories to make the Targaryen Queen sound like a mad tyrant. "She has crucified hundreds of noblemen in Slaver's Bay. When she grew bored of that, she fed everyone that opposed her to her dragons. It is my sworn duty before the faith to protect the people, and I will, but I need your help, my Lords."

"We must stand together," Cersei interjected once again, sounding confident and determined to convince these men to side with them. "All of us. If we hope to stop her."

The lords whispered amongst themselves for a moment before Lord Tarly stepped forward, stoic and tall as he addressed the young queen. "Your Grace, forgive me but she has three full-grown dragons. The same as Aegon when he conquered the Seven Kingdoms. How do you propose to stop them? With your lions?" Some men in the room laughed.

Mercia's hand that was stroking Potami's fur went still, and her eyes met the old Lord's. Then, she turned her head to Maester Qyburn and nodded to him.

The thin, frail man looked over at the lord, blank-faced as usual. "We are currently at work on a solution, my Lord."

Mercia stood then, clasping her hands together and giving the lords a small smile. "Please, discuss this together. Take your time, we have all day. For now, I must insist that I get off this damned, uncomfortable chair. I will call for the court again in a few hours."

Turning to her lion, she lightly tapped her hand on her thigh once. "Come, Potami."

The lords all watched the young Queen leave the throne room with the huge tawny lioness loyally trotting at her heels.

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"I am Eddard Stark," said the man that had been forced to kneel before the enraged common people of Kings Landing. "Lord of Winterfell and Hand of the King." 

The man glanced towards his right, where, nearby, his eldest daughter, the Lady Sansa Stark, nodded to him in encouragement. On her left was the newly titled queen regent, Cersei Lannister, her golden hair long and ever so beautiful. She was smiling proudly at her eldest son, the newly crowned King of Westeros, Joffrey Baratheon, who stood near Eddard Stark, smirking satisfyingly at the discord before him.

Mercia watched with a frown from Sansa Stark's right as the man, her late father’s closest friend, who had been in the dungeons for days, was now being publicly humiliated. Mercia had never felt this ashamed of her brother as she did now, watching Joffrey seem so pleased at this poor man's suffering. Despite being a traitor to the crown, Mercia only had heard such kind things about Eddard Stark, that he was the most honourable and one of the most prominent lords in the country. And with every spoken word they have exchanged, even if there wasn’t much to be said, he always treated her with kindness and the upmost respect. This lord did not deserve this shame.

Looking away, down to the ground now, Eddard Stark continued. "I come before you to confess my treason in the sight of the Gods and men. I betrayed the faith of my king and the trust of my friend Robert. I swore to protect and defend his children, but before his blood was cold, I plotted to murder his son... and seize the throne for myself."

What? Mercia whipped her head to look at her mother, Cersei, who turned to look at her with a small smile, though the young girl could see the harsh warning behind the older one's green gaze. ‘Do not say a word’.  

Meanwhile, the crowd had erupted in an outroar, one peasant in the sea of people even throwing a small stone at Lord Stark's head, causing the man to gasp in pain as blood seeped through the wound and drip from his brow. Beside Mercia, Sansa gasped and grasped the princess’ hand. Mercia turned her head away from the sight, squeezing Sansa’s hand back.

"L-let the High Septon and Baelor the Blessed bear witness to what I say: Joffrey Baratheon is the one true heir to the Iron Throne, by the grace of all the Gods, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm." Through every word, Eddard Stark's face contorted, as if he were in pain of speaking falsehoods. Mercia knew of the letter and will her father had left behind, asking his friend to rule until Joffrey came of age.

The crowd murmured amongst themselves angrily, but Maester Pycelle stepped forward. "As in sin, this man has confessed to his crimes in sight of Gods and men. The Gods are just, but beloved Baelor taught us they can also be merciful." Maester Pycelle then turned to Joffrey and bowed his head. "What is to be done with this traitor, Your Grace?" he asked, spitting the words as if the man accused was some worthless demon.

The crowd jeered and called out angrily, but Joffrey raised his hand with a pleased smile, as if all this chaos excited him. Mercia knew that it did. 

The crowd went silent, and Joffrey spoke, "My mother wishes me to let Lord Eddard join the Night's Watch. Stripped of all titles and powers, he would serve the realm in permanent exile," he continued, looking to his betrothed, the Lady Sansa. "And my Lady Sansa has begged mercy for her father."

The Lady Sansa smiled softly at the King and Mercia frowned. She knew her brother better than to be someone of mercy. 

She was right when he announced his next words, and Eddard Stark's head was put to the sword and placed on a spike on the city walls for months.

Mercia never forgot the Lady Sansa's screams that dreadful day.

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Part 3 Coming Soon!

[anekplirwtoi-erwtes]

❤️‍🩹

[myslodsiewniav]

Było - i jest nadal - ze mną wczoraj źle. Wydaje mi się, że dopiero dzisiejsza perspektywa pozwala mi na to spojrzeć bardziej realnie. Bardzo mną ten opóźniony o miesiąc okres wstrząsnął.

Poprzedniej nocy nie mogłam spać, a dziś spałam tak słaba i tak spowolniona jakbym w letarg zapadła. Dopiero po śniadaniu, w pracy, zaczęły do mnie wracać fragmenty snów i fakt, że od 5:30 do 7:40 próbowałam się obudzić przesuwanym o 10 min alarmem i chociaż byłam przebudzona, to w jakimś takim stanie nieprzytomności nie miałam siły wstać. Wszystko docierało do mnie jak spod wody. Byłam nieprzytomna i czułam się winna, że to "tylko okres", a ja przeżywam go jak chorobę.

Tym czasem chyba miałam serio-serio poważny krwotok i sprawiłam masę krwi.

Dopiero około 10 rano, sklejając kolejne fragmenty snów i rozumiejąc co moja świadomość prawdopodobnie analizowała załapałam, że takie szalone, intensywne, barwne, bogate w wydarzenia powodujące strach, skoki emocji, przebudzenia z zaskoczenia, ale też męczące, bolesne i połączone z dreszczami, z zimnymi potami sny są bardziej charakterystyczne dla objawów wysokiej gorączki - przynajmniej u mnie tak to się objawia: organizm jednocześnie potrzebuje snu tak rozpaczliwie, że nie pozwala w pełni na wybudzenie, a zarazem produkuje we śnie obrazy tak niepokojące, że trudno pozostać w śnie i wypocząć.

Śniło mi się, że okradziono mnie. Dwa razy. Podczas jednej nocy. Raz na 1000zł, a potem na 780zł. I Bałam się jak ja teraz mam żyć?! Za co!?

Śniło mi się, że jestem z moim chłopakiem na jakiejś wycieczce, w pałacach o architekturze typowej dla klasycyzmu, romantyzującej styl Imperium Rzymskiego, a jednocześnie już ufikuśnionym gzymsami, arrasami i absurdalną ilością upiększeń (noszącą po prostu znamiona poprzedniej epoki baroku). Całowaliśmy pod pergolą z białymi różami. Rozmawiałam z nim o tym, że ma fryzurę jak David Beckham (wczoraj oglądałam w chorobie z pieskiem ten dokument o Beckhamach na Netflix).

Potem coś było, coś z szyciem, albo z uczestniczeniem w jakimś głośnym wydarzeniu i mam wrażenie, że to jakoś było związane z wycinaniem wykrojów garsonek. W grupie kobiet, przy wielkich stołach. Śledziłam kontury wykrojów tak, jak w dzieciństwie widywałam, że robiła to moja babcia: wąską, woskową kostką wiodłam po materiale, a potem cięłam grubą wełnę wzdłuż jasnej, woskowej (a może mydlanej?) linii. Obok mnie to samo robiła bardzo szczupła kobieta, z brązowymi włosami ułożonymi w fale typowymi dla lat 30, ubrana w gustowną garsonkę, z papierosem w ustach - to była moja babcia, Gertruda, ale młodsza niż mogłabym ją pamiętać. Taką ją znam tylko ze zdjęć. Młodszą. Ale ruchy, ich pewność i delikatność, milczenie i elegancja wpisaną w jej sylwetkę poznaję wszędzie. Tak różna od mojej mamy, a tak podobna. Zastygłam: w skupieniu obserwowałam ją. Nie rozmawiała z nikim, nie uczestniczyła w gwarnej rozmowie. W milczeniu i skupieniu pochylała się nad stołem, łączyła wycięte materiały, oceniała czy których element nie wymaga docięcia. Była fascynująca w pracy. Specjalistka skupiona na robocie... Miałam dreszcze i czułam się onieśmielona jej pewnością siebie, jej autorytetem. Wracały do mnie słowa kuzyna "babcię zawsze rozpoznałem z daleka - NIKT nie wyglądał jak ona, zawsze najlepiej ubrana i zawsze wyprostowana". Czułam się onieśmielona respektem jaki czułam wobec tej młodej kobiety, której życie się potoczyło tak bardzo inaczej niż by na to wskazywało jej urodzenie...

A potem okazało się, że ktoś ukradł moją torebkę. I szukałam tej torebki po ogrodach pałacowych, między tłumami ludzi i budkami z jedzeniem, pośród wrzawy i hałasu, w końcu ktoś mi ją zwrócił, jakiś ochroniarz eventu, prosił, abym zajrzała do środka i sprawdziła czy wszystko jest: nagle moja torebka była moim plecaczkiem (!), a w środku był kalendarz (który dopiero zamierzam kupić) oraz moja lustrzanka (która fizycznie nie mogłaby się zmieścić w środku, ale to był sen, więc się zmieściła, ach well, pieprzyć logikę), ale brakowało portfela - co jest o tyle dziwne, że TEGO portfela, który byłam przekonana, że brakuje nie używam od jakiś 25 lat i nie mam pojęcia czy on nadal w ogóle istnieje! Dostałam go na gwiazdkę jako dziecko, w podstawówce od cioci. Malutki, aksamitny, zielony portfel z haftowanym smokiem. Ale śnie WIEDZIAŁAM, że miałam w nim 1000zł. I że zaginął!

I wpadłam w panikę. Serce biło mi jak głupie. Bałam się jak ja mam wrócić do domu!? Za co!? Ten event mnie przytłaczał, zapomiałam o babci, o moim chłopaku, czułam się taka zagubiona i bezbronna.

Potem jeszcze robiłam coś ceramicznego. Nie pamiętam. Tylko urywki wracają: jak wkładam ceramikę do pieca i jestem dzięki temu spokojna i szczęśliwa. Od pieca bije ciepło. Ja oglądam pod światło gotowe odlewy z porcelany - są tak piękne i delikatne, napawają mnie dumą i spokojem...

Potem chyba był fragment w którym było mi bardzo mrocznie, bezradnie, bardzo beznadziejnie i czułam olbrzymie poczucie winy, bezsilność, ból, samotność i przygniecenie: siostra mi wyrzucała przez telefon, że miałam robić grafiki na tablecie, a zamiast uczyć się tabletu choruję i martwię się brakiem pracy, stabilnością finansową i jeszcze do cholery chorym psem! Że ona przecież ma synka małego i zasiłek śmiesznej wysokości (wciąż to więcej niż ja dostaję), a znajduje czas na naukę! A ja zamiast tego wpadam w doła, wymyślam sobie ADHD i do tego depresję. Że muszę się wziąć w garść! A ja nie mam siły i czuję się jak najgorszy, nieporadny i nic nie warty człowiek na świecie...

Potem śniła mi się karta "Głupiec" z Wielkich Arkanów- tylko, że karta przedstawiała mnie. Myślałam o tym przed snem, by to narysować. A w nocy mi się to śniło - że ten rysunek, który wieczorem miałam przed oczami ożywa i że spadam w przepaść. Kilka razy pod rząd. I się oczywiście w tych momentach budziłam z tego snu. I zaczynałam w połowie kolejnego snu. I wracał ten "Głupiec" i wracał. A ja raz za razem spadałam... Budziłam się w swoim łóżku i nie miałam sił na wstanie, na strach, bo tak mnie bolało, bo docierało do mnie, że jest ciemna noc i że potrzebuję się wyspać.

Potem śniło mi się, że mam na sobie renesansową suknię. Tę, którą kiedyś nosiłam w ramach przedstawień szkolnych. Zrobiła ją ciocia dla swoich starszych córek - kiedyś one je nosiły, a ja je podziwiałam. To była piękna, bufiasta, pełna szczegółów, łososiowo-różowa suknia z aksamitu lub atłasu. Z wełnianą suknią pod spodem, którą ciocia przecudownie przetkała złotą (imitującą złoto) nicią w piękny wzór. Piękna rzecz. Czułam się w niej tak w tym śnie, jak się czułam mając 9 lat i pierwszy raz tę suknię na sobie: piękna i pewna siebie.

A potem tańczyłam w tej sukni... I to było przyjemne... a potem usiadłam we wnęce przy zamku, w moim rodzinnym mieście, odpaliłam na komórce kamerkę i rozmawiałam z moją młodszą siostrą: pokazywała mi do telefonu (tj. rozmawiałyśmy z wizją) swojego synka, mojego pieknęgo siostrzeńca. A ja się głaskałam po brzuchu wyznając jej, że ja też jestem w ciąży, tyle, że spożywczej i własnie rodzę - że wypływa ze mnie teraz potok krwi i nie mogę się doczekać kiedy to się skończy... I czułam jak w tym śnie nazwanie tego przynosi mnie spokój, ale jednocześnie nie mam siły dalej na rozmowę i zasypiam. Tak: śniło mi się, że jestem tak zmęczona i wykończona utratą krwi, że zasypiam we śnie. Śniło mi się, że jest mi przyjemnie zasypiać w środku dnia, czując na twarzy promienie gorącego słońca w ogrodach zamku w rodzinnym mieście. W tym śnie, jak zasnęłam, śniła mi się karta "Głupiec", jak dotychczas: spadałam i obudziłam się. Odkryłam, że mój chłopak w tym ogrodzie siedzi za mną, też w przebraniu, ale rycerza. Że mówi, żebym spała, że przecież tak źle się czuję i źle wyglądam, że muszę spać, że nie muszę się o nic martwić, że on bedzie czuwał jak śpię...

Nie wiem co było dalej.

Śniło mi się coś z yuoutuberami... że uczesnicze w ich publicznym linczu i szuję się zniesmaczona tym wszystkim.

Śniło mi się, że czuję się chujowo z wiedzą, że nie mam swojego mieszkania...

Śniło mi się, że ktoś próbuje otruć mojego pieska i pędzę z nią na pogotowie (nie pisałam o tym tutaj, ale w weekend dostaliśmy anonimowe pogróżki w stronę pieska i naszą. Jesteśmy tym bardzo przejęci).

Śniło mi się, że wymiotuje - jakbym odtwarzała w pamięci wydarzenia poprzedniej nocy.

Śniło mi się, że obozuję w górach, na innym kontynencie i jestem tym podekscytowana.

Śniło mi się, że wykłócam się z komisją wyborczą, że nie odnotowali, że nie chcę brać udziału w referendum.

Śniło mi się, że mój chłopak miał wypadek samochodowy i serce mi pękło... Płakałam... ale całe szczęście obudziłam się, bo akurat mnie przytulał przez sen. Sam - bezwiednie - mnie obudził i byłam taka za to wdzięczna.

Śniło mi się, że sprzedaję wszystkie rzeczy na Vinted - tj. że to co wystawiłam sprzedało się. Zupełnie wszystko! I dzięki temu nie muszę się martwić już kradzieżą tych 1000 i 780 zł.

Śniło mi się, że jestem eksmitowana na ulicę, bo nie stać mnie na kret na kupno mieszkania...

Śniło mi się, że mama mówi, że mnie nie kocha i to BOLI.

Śniło mi się, że uprawiam namiętny seks i czuję się tak, jakby dzięki temu moje poczucie winy (bo ostatnio w ogóle nie mam ochoty na seks) zelżało, jakbym tym jakoś "zadośćuczyniła" za wszystko co mam sobie do zarzucenia...

Śniło mi się, że urządzam mieszkanie na wynajem i czuję się tym zainspirowana tak zawodowo - czuję to jako wyzwanie, jako kreatywną, pochłaniającą mnie pracę, a zarazem czuję lęk: czy to mieszkanie na wynajem w ogóle przyniesie mi jakiś zysk? Czy nie powinnam uciekać stąd?

Śniło mi się, że jestem na jakichś warsztatach jogi w ciepłych krajach, że z grupą ćwiczę na macie nad morzem, w zieleni. I jestem taka... pełna ulgi...

[ignacionovo]

¡Hola, buenos días, humanidad! 🌍 ¡Feliz miércoles! 💪🌟🚀🏆🌈📈🌱🌞🎯🌺Hoy os dejo la imagen de Icaria, una isla griega que se encuentra a 19 km al suroeste de Samos, en el mar Egeo. Tiene una superficie de 255 km² y una población de unos 8.400 habitantes. Su nombre se debe a la mitología griega, ya que se cree que fue el lugar donde cayó Ícaro, el hijo de Dédalo, al volar demasiado cerca del sol. Icaria es famosa por su tranquilidad y su longevidad, ya que tiene una alta proporción de personas centenarias. Algunos de sus atractivos turísticos son el Monasterio de San Juan, las cascadas de Potami y la playa de Seychelles.

Para tener en cuenta...

Cada instante de tu vida tiene un papel especial en tu viaje. A veces, nos frustramos cuando las cosas no van como queremos, pero al mirar hacia atrás, esos momentos difíciles nos ayudan a crecer y cambian nuestra perspectiva. Lo que estás viviendo ahora puede parecer confuso, pero con el tiempo, todo se conecta y cobra sentido. En lugar de juzgar el momento, aprende a abrazarlo. La vida tiene un plan que quizás no entendemos ahora, pero cada experiencia tiene un propósito. Confía en el orden divino y en que todo tiene un significado, aunque no lo veamos claramente hoy. Así que, en lugar de preguntarte "¿por qué a mí?", ábrete a la posibilidad de que todo está en su lugar por alguna razón.

[transcyprus]

Potami (Marlita) Beach, Protaras 🌊🏝️#кипр #твойневероятныйкипр #cyprus #...

[fandomcreatorsguild]

Prompt Activity

Since one of the big things I have always wanted to do with a space like this is help creators to learn and grow together, we are getting started on testing out some of the community activity ideas we have been given and/or have come up with.

We asked out creators to choose a fandom, and pick one of the prompts offered! We will have different length of creation times base on interest and requests later.

Activity: Community Prompt Share 1-19-24 Prompt Options:

"Since when did you hate to interfere?"

Alt prompt: “I’m sorry I’m so much trouble, really.” “Shhh, stop it. Your no trouble at all, zero.”

Due by: 1-21-24, 11 pm Central Time. For this prompt, the only length limit is what you can get done by Sunday!

==================

Creator: @teleiapotami

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Prompt: "Since when do you hate to interfere?"

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Natsu had never seen his brother look more flustered in his life. He stifled a snicker, watching Zeref rub the back of his head nervously, while his other hand fiddled with the pin on his tie nervously. Before him stood a petite girl with a mass of blonde hair that nearly brushed the floor.

Zeref looked around suddenly, and Natsu ducked back around the corner of the bookshelf he was hiding behind, holding his breath. There was no way he was interrupting this! Not when his big brother was practically blushing! He poked his head back out after a slow ten count and scanned the area, frowning.

“Looking for something?”

Natsu bit back a yelp, scrambling to catch the books he'd knocked off the shelf in his startled reaction. “Wha— Hey Zeref! I thought you were…uh…busy with…” he trailed off, swallowing at the irritated glint in his brother's dark eyes.

“Busy with Mavis? Yes, I was. No thanks to you. She said that YOU told her sister she should ask me out?” he demanded, his hands automatically moving to reorganize the upset shelf properly. Natsu shrugged slightly. “I….might have mentioned it to Lucy, yeah. But so what? Why are you mad about it? You TOLD me you liked her, remember?” He poked one of the books further back into the shelf, grinning mischievously. Zeref instantly tugged it back into line with an annoyed huff.

“I also said I wasn't ready to do anything about it, and that I wanted to talk to her on my own terms and timing. And you promised you would make sure I got to do that,“ he said, pushing Natsu out of the library.

Natsu grinned sheepishly. ”O-Oh yeah…I did say that, huh?” “Yes. You did Natsu. So why didn't you come interrupt when you saw her waylay me?”

“W-Well, y'know….I would have hated to interfere in your—”

Zeref let out a rare snort, stopping their walk to give his brother a disbelieving look. “Since when do you hate to interfere? You are the KING of interfering!”

“Prince,” Natsu grinned. “You hold that crown, big brother.”

Zeref opened his mouth to argue, but his eyes fell on the scar on Natsu's neck, and he looked away. “Fair enough,” he grunted.

The pair walked in silence for a few minutes again before Natsu stretched his arms out behind his head. “So…did you get a date?”

The bright blush on his brother's cheeks was the only confirmation Natsu needed.

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Creator: @dawnwynters

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Prompt: “I’m sorry I’m so much trouble, really.” “Shhh, stop it. Your no trouble at all, none.”

TW: Mention of Attempted Assault

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Natsu groaned as he rolled over, his hand searching blindly for his phone as the loud ringing pulled him further out of sleep. He had no idea what time it was, but he knew that it was nowhere near time for him to wake up. Cracking open a green eye as he grasped his phone, he pressed the green circle to answer before holding it to his ear, not bothering to check the name or number. “What?” He growled, irritated at being woken up.

There was an odd silence for a moment, the person on the other end sniffling as if they were crying. “Natsu?”

He sat upright, his eyes wide as he fully woke up at the sound of that broken voice, a voice he hadn’t heard in years but knew better than his own. “Lucy?” He shoved the blankets off him as he shifted to sit on the edge of his bed. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m s-sorry,” Her voice was dazed and thick with tears. “I-I didn’t know who-“ She trailed off, another sob escaping her. “I-I’m lost?”

He was up, his phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear as he yanked on his pants. “What do you mean you’re lost? Lucy, what’s wrong?” “Th-There was a p-party?” There was another choked sob. “Dan t-tried-“

“Where are you, Lucy?” He interrupted her as he tugged a shirt on. “Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.”

“I-I don’t kn-know.” She took a shuddering breath. “D-Dan d-drove us there and I-I r-ran.”

“Are you hurt?” He pulled his boots on before grabbing his car keys and heading out the door, his heart racing as he waited for her answer and cursing the current downpour of rain. “I f-fell a few times. H-Hit my head.” She sniffled again. “It’s raining and it’s s-slippery.”

“I know.” He kept his voice soft to try and soothe her. “Can you focus enough to share your location with me so I can find you?” He started his car, his phone automatically connecting to the Bluetooth as he waited, relief flooding him when her location popped up. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

He kept her talking as he sped through the streets, ignoring almost every traffic law there was until he was pulling up to a curb, his heart breaking at the sight of her huddled up under the awning of a store. “Lucy,” He spoke her name softly as he picked her up and carried her to his car, carefully buckling her in.

She didn’t speak, her face turned away from him to stare at the passing scenery as he drove, her hands clutching the edge of her short dress tightly. “I-I’m sorry.” She finally whispered. “I know I’m the l-last person you w-want to-“

“Shut up, Lucy.” He made sure to keep the frustration out of his voice as he parked outside of his apartment building. “Sit still for a moment.”

She nodded, listening to him getting out of the car and waiting silently until the door opened and he was getting her out of the car and carrying her inside, her body shuddering at the warmth of him and his apartment. “I-I’m-“

“Cold. I know.” He carried her to the bathroom and set her down on the toilet. “Don’t move.” He watched her nod in agreement before he left her alone for a moment to retrieve a pair of his sweatpants, a t-shirt, and the first-aid kit he kept. “Okay,” He knelt in front of her, his eyes moving over her body to assess where she was hurt. The gash on her forehead looked superficial, as did the cuts scrapes on her hands, knees, and bare feet, but it was the finger print bruises on her upper arms and thighs that had him biting back his rage. “Tell me what happened.” He kept his voice calm as he started treating the cuts and scrapes on her feet and knees.

She watched him as he treated her cuts, her eyes finally dry as she took a deep breath. “Dan took us to a party at one of his old Fraternity brother’s house and he got stupid drunk. He-“ She swallowed and looked away, closing her eyes tightly. “He told his friends to ‘go for it’ and they grabbed me-“

His hands stilled, the fingers that were gently curled around her leg tightened as his eyes flew up to her face. “Lucy, how far did they get?”

“Not very. I struggled and managed to get away. I just ran.” She let out a shaky breath and opened her eyes to look at him. “I didn’t know who else to call, Natsu, I’m sorry.”

He pulled out more supplies from the kit and started to clean the gash on her forehead. “What happened to your shoes?”

“I kicked them off the second time I fell.” She whispered, her eyes closing as she let him treat her wound. “Natsu, I’m sorry I’m so much trouble, really.”

He gently gripped her chin, his eyes locking on hers when she opened them in surprise. “Shh, stop it. You're no trouble at all, Luce, none.” He held her gaze until she nodded before he released her chin and finished cleaning the cut. “Okay, take a shower and I’ll put a bandage on that. You can wear these.” He gestured to the clothes he had brought in for her.

“Okay.” She whispered. “Thank you.” He nodded and left the bathroom, moving to put the first aid kit away before pulling out his phone and scrolling through until he found the number he was looking for and clicked on it. “Hey,” He sighed when the man on the other end answered. “Sorry to wake you, Laxus, but there’s something you need to know.” He quickly filled him in on what had happened and what Lucy told him. “I’ll keep her here tonight, but she might feel better if you come get her in the morning.”

“But she’s safe? She wasn’t hurt too badly?” Laxus’s voice was filled with anger.

“She’s perfectly safe with me, I promise.” Natsu listened to the shower shut off and sighed. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Take care of my sister this time, Natsu or I’ll fucking kill you.”

Natsu rolled his eyes as Laxus hung up, his head turning towards the bathroom door when it opened and Lucy stepped out. He noticed how red her skin was and held back a growl, knowing she probably tried to scrub herself raw. “Lay down.” He gestured towards the bed.

“I can lay on the couch, Natsu.” She bit her lip. “I don’t want to kick you out of your-Hey!” She gasped in surprise when he picked her up and laid her down on the bed. “Really! I can take the-“

“Shut up, Luce.” He rolled his eyes and grabbed the bandage he left out of the kit to put it over the cut on her head. “Get some rest.” He waited for her to nod before he stood up and headed for his bedroom door so he could take the couch.

“Natsu?” She whispered, her eyes on him. “Thank you.”

“Always, Luce.” He gave her a weak smile before leaving her alone to sleep.

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Thank you to those who participated in this weeks prompt, and to those who couldn't but expressed an interest! We are so excited to continue this activity and see where it goes!!

If you are interested in joining our discord, we would LOVE to have you!

[gemsofgreece]

On "kokkino potami": it's an adaptation of a book, there's been some changes (according to people who read it) but for the better. I really liked the costumes and music (very good music by christos papadopoulos), and Vasiliki with Themis have such chemistry that they (nearly) overshadow the main pair. The opening and ending is very emotional, the titles song is good too but there's also a version in dialect (find it in YouTube). They occasionally speak dialect as well. But most importantly,

it brought the subject to the attention of many people, especially young people I was surprised to see how many young people said they'd never been taught about this in school, this sounds unreal to me I am young too but I guess our teacher was more interested? Or had more time? Or something. You'd think that it'd be an important subject though? The weak parts were the "fight scenes" from the "war", and a couple of slower episodes BUT it picks up quickly, the best parts were Themis &Vasiliki, the friendship between Kerem and Miltos, the ending in the cave (I won't say more as to not spoil it), Miltos's dance (opening scene). It also has Tatiana Papamosxou and Konstantinos Kazakos, who I was surprised to find out is the son of Jenny Karezi! All in all a very interesting series with some negatives that unfortunately would cost it a few stars/points in a rating.

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You're building it up to me and now I have added it to the already long list of TV shows to watch asap XD

Now that you mention it, I don't remember my teachers lingering all too much on this either. They were focusing more on Smyrna in specific and the population exchange that followed.

I checked the series' plot and information and now I remembered why it had passed under my radar. It is directed by Manousos Manousakis, a director I typically do not like. Clearly this must be his best work. Actually IMDb gives it the very solid 8.8 which I believe is only after the Island and Eteros Ego of course. Also another cool info is that To Kokkino Potami has about the same budget as The Island, that's quite something. How on earth did it escape me so much???

Yes, Kazakos is Karezi's son and the newcomer Jenny Kazakou is his daughter and Jenny Karezi's granddaughter :)

I don't know if you 've watched GoT but this reminds me Olenna Tyrell saying to her granddaughter Margaery that she was "very good" when she was young.

[spiraling-even-further-beyond]

----------- River Mer -----------

EVOLUTION

species name;

apothalassa Potami // αποθαλασσα ποταμι

common name(s);

river mer, mer

place of origin;

greece, italy, europe

when did it evolve;

~140,000ya

ancestors;

apodiavolo

descendants;

coastal mers gigantic mers, colossal mers.

BIOLOGY

lifespan;

1,000 years

life expectancy;

~550 years

common causes of death;

illness, climate changes, injury

life stages;

toddler, child, teen, young adult, adult, mature adult, elder.

av. height;

5'1-5'6

av. weight;

120-180lbs

external anatomy;

two arms, two legs, ten fingers and toes. long tail with narrow paddled fin, slit pupils with film for protection. external genitalia

internal anatomy;

n/a

gestation period;

9 months

mating cycle?;

yes, summer only.

color composition;

melanin; blue, gray, green, white, black

pattern composition;

countershading, speckles, stripes, solids.

[milomeri]

Potamiou Village