#fair trade golden berry

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

A Tale For A Mouse, part 2

Part 1

Now that I think of it, however did you find your way in here, mortal mayfly? Honestly, I could do a better job of guarding than some of these hari'nilo. Someone go tell Cefalin to give all of them a good whipping, please.

I've wandered off again, have I not? I am afraid I simply go off every which way when given half a chance. Did I use that phrase correctly? I did? Ah, wonderful! Now I can return to the tale at hand.

After a good afternoon's worth of pulling large blocks of wood off various food products, I was angry, fed up, and perfectly willing to blame the entire misadventure on a fool dryad who had accidentally launched a branch up in the air. Then I found the creature to blame for Killinoa's predicament. And would you believe it? It was a mere mortal girl! 

Oh, but what a beauty she was, with the massive splinters digging into her flesh like a mega-porcupine had ravaged her. Blood stained her fair hair like sunset on a painter's brush, pooling in a fountain of clotted glory. She thrusted her throat most daringly to the world, and it was twisted past the point of usability. Her ghost had begun to emerge out of its dead chrysalis, pale ectoplasm bared to thin air. It could well have been the start of a fable, one about the warrior-princess who died tragically and became a ghost of vengeance, setting off to spill the blood of those who had wronged her and her clan. So I, casting myself in the role of her sidekick, hauled her out of her old body and welcomed her to the world with a smattering of dust and the reel of rotting onions.

She was no violent heroine, of course, just as I was no sweet sidekick. In fact, it turned out to be the very opposite. Whence she came out of rippling flesh and crackling bone, flush with blood as a babe from the womb, the innocence on her face was such that even one such as I could not delude myself: This girl was an ingenue, true as the winter grey of her eyes.

The first words out of her mouth were to express her gratitude for the rescue. She spoke trade-tongue, rough with an eastern accent, and for once I was grateful that I learnt how to speak it too. We both stumbled over our words, excited and not all that fluent in kinali.

From what I gathered, however, her name, back when she was alive, had been Berry. It was… Quaint, I suppose. Sweet and tart, just like her. Damn, but I miss that girl. I will miss her until the very end of time. 

She knew neither how she had ended up in a shattered barnyard a hundred li from her hometown of Semetera, nor why she could not recall a scrap of her past. We both chalked it up to ghost things, neither of us having had enough experience. 

Those were the days, you know. Sitting in the musty old place, me offering her some squirrel jerky, her spitting it out in disgust. I was not a lonely child, but I suppose the other youths recognised what I was to become, and avoided me thusly. Berry, however, cared not for spirit politics or soon-to-be Emperors. All she wanted was to recover the missing gaps in her memory, and find a way to go home.

Taglist:

@coffeeangelinabox, @dorky-pals, @calliecwrites, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @shukei-jiwa

@thewingedbaron, @pluppsauthor, @cowboybrunch, @wylloblr, @possiblyeldritch @ramwritblr, @urnumber1star, @fortunatetragedy, @bigwipscholar, @ratedn

@vampirelover890, @possiblylisle, @illarian-rambling, @the-ellia-west

@finicky-felix, @evilgabe29, @glitched-dawn, @rivenantiqnerd, @dragonhoardesfandoms

@drchenquill, @everythingismadeofchaos, @owldwagitoutofyou, @dimitrakies, @beloveddawn-blog

@riveriafalll, @the-golden-comet, @rascaronii, @trippingpossum, @real-fragments

@xenascribbles,

(Anyone else who wants to get added can tell me in the comments, pm me, or send me an ask about it!)

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

(@darkvoid-sun) Vanta to Maria: "You've mentioned this region having an economy, a concept I'm aware of but admittedly rather foreign to. Is it based in trade, or do you have a currency?"

Prince stands on Maria's back as she speaks with the Darkrai and waves to Vanta. He smiles to them and squeaks out a little, "Hi." Meanwhile, Maria holds her paw out, bearing a small golden coin.

“Whether a market accepts coin or trade varies from seller to seller. For individuals or small families, either method of payment would likely be accepted; Using coin or trading an item of equal value can often mean the same! For example, a specially-cooked food item traded for numerous food goods such as berries or vegetables would be considered equal. Note, though, that the seller reserves the right to decide what trade is considered fair. Alternatively, simply using coin would often mean just the same for those families or individuals."

Maria: “As for larger markets or shops, much of what you see along the main streets of Mezagosa or Levincia, they will only accept coin. Maybe you’d get lucky to find a seller there that would be willing to trade, but finding something of value to trade with them would be a feat in itself!”

"If you are looking to purchase something from the region or if you are in need of supplies, I am certain you would be able to find something to trade if you do not already possess it. Many Pokémon help cultivate the land to keep a cycle of life running."

@darkvoid-sun

((For those with a keen eye, the coin looks a /lot/ like a Gimmighoul coin- this is intentional! These coins serve a different purpose in this Paldea, and look a little different. The square hole is designed to save on material used to create the coin. These aren't necessarily "Gimmighoul coins taken and repurposed", this is what the currency looks like! Gimmighouls collect what would be the equivalent of "loose change", and when hording enough, they would evolve into Goldhengo, as in the games.

Regarding the last part Maria mentioned- this is a nod to random items found on the ground in Scarlet & Violet. However, lore-speaking, things don't randomly fall on the ground- but rather nearby societies, whether towns or personal communities (Refer to this last post for more details on that!), work to keep the land fertile. That way, berries are always growing, trees are always present, and resources are natural to the lands.

Some personal communities would be upset at someone trying to take their resources, but some are willing to trade as well.

TLDR: The economy of this Paldea is very robust and flexible for what the people need!))

[infinitelyinfj]

Prologue

I have only seen the world through the tips of my fingers. Ritualistic, and without thought, as if the talent i have belongs to my hands alone. they say art is inspired by experience. Out of all of the available skills to be had, art is amongst the few. For it is not found to be as vital to the health and security of the community as other more laboring positions. Having your predetermined place, and yet still not knowing where you could end up-both physically and mentally-can have you looking at yourself and surroundings sideways. Why I have always been a recluse. Within my own little net of being, existing within the community, extending bare branches. Fortunately for me, these bare branches stumbled upon two great friends. There's Octavia Autumn, my sister by choice, not of blood. We are webbed together with our shared common surname. We are apart of the Autumns. In our community, our appointed officials determine the way things are. Down to our surnames. Family last names died out in the New Beginning. Our community adapted to a new system. Narrowing it down to the season of which you were born. The idea was to maintain a sense of individualism, while still sharing a common ground with other members of the community. Then theres Xavier Winter. Bold as he is driven, how I found myself within his corner still mystifies me to this day. I never take them for granted. I am able to catch a glimpse of myself through their eyes now and then. They believe in my art, they breath light into my ability to preserve my value, my part in the community.

I am Desiree Autumn. Only child of Winnofer Summer, and Landon Summer. The last names are coincidence, and the only similarity they share other than me, and being failed laborers. The only life I have known within the 17 years of my existence has been within my community of 3000, one community of the 50 that make up one block of the four that exist since the birth of the beginning. The names of the lands we reside on are unknown to me, and replaced simply with North, East, South, and West. We make up the East. Our community is called East-Berry, if that gives you a clue as to what we are known to favorably source. Each community establishes their own rules, and regulations. With a communal interest always a priority. Though their are more established officials, whom take on the brunt of the labor required to keep our well preserved community at bay. We all play a part, play a role. Our voices are heard, as well as encouraged. Our skills are molded and sculpted from childhood. Each person is able to contribute as much as they can, or want, for the community. Or even less, if they simply do not possess the skills or desire. In order to keep things orderly, we are split between two levels within the community. There are the uppers, and the lowers. Uppers are hard laborers. As the day to day necessities are sourced locally, with other more desirable and privileged goods being traded either with other communities, or even farther; as the golden rule requires good exchanges between the 4 blocks as a way to keep the peace, keep things fair. Only small shops exist within our community, bread bakeries, wood supplies, farms, name a need and there is a laborer whom possesses the skills. their work and desired skills contributes to the community as a whole. There is no coin, as it was before the beginning. Any dollar possessed is considered contraband, and you can be stripped of any privileges you may have. There is no dollar, but there is the promise of having first pickings of receiving the best goods, services, and of course, theres living within the uppers.

the lowers, where me and my family reside, its not so bad. We have less than the uppers, but still have enough. We also have the knowing that we can, at any point, have the opportunity to change that circumstance. Through dedicating ourselves to our skills. Committing to our labor. In the lowers, we have shared living spaces. long buildings we call halls, with lines of beds. Depending on whom resides in which building, the beds can be lined up singularly, or crammed together and separated with walls made of blankets. In my hall, my mother, father and I have the space towards the very end. We crammed our three beds closely together, loosely barring ourselves from our bed neighbors, perhaps as an unspoken promise of closeness. Not out of fear, as that is not our way within the community. There are no prisons here, as crimes are nearly non existent. We all have our roles to play. If for some reason, a crime is to be committed, your fate would be determined by lead officials, and then heard from members of the community. It is always for our greater good. More often than not, you would be judged based not only on your crime, but the contributions you make and have made to the community. If the contributions are not significant enough to justify you remaining, you would be requried to leave the community. Whether or not a neighboring community desires to accept you, has nothing to do with us. The most recent crime was committed years ago. Laborer, he owned one of the local bread shops. He was required to produce certain amount of goods, for the community, for a block trade. In order to mantain his lifestyle within the uppers. He also was recieving a fair share of privildged goods that no lower could ever dream to see. It was found that he had been tricking the system. The goods he gave to trade, were tampered with. A certain amount in weight was due to be shipped every month. He had slyly added things within his contributions to meet the weight requirements, while hoarding materials needed. What he did with those extra materials we do not know, as this was a long time ago. Before my birth. Word of hoarding for personal gain, as well as sharing within the lowers has been spread throughout different mouths, different times. Ultimately, he was found. The block-trading system was updated, any loose ends quickly cut. He was a necessary laborer, well known and desirable, it was determined by the officials, and of the community, he would be stripped of his privileges, live out the remainder of his days amongst the lowers, while still providing his labors. That is, of course, he would like to stay in the community. Taking the chance of leaving, risking being turned down by other communities, unknown to us, was far to great of a risk to take. Considering that though he was a favorable baker and laborer within our community, still does not erase the fact that bakers are a dime a dozen. If anything, it's one of the safest laboring positons to have. Skill is learned, Passion made, and well, then there are the materials needed to consider. That may set any lower back a few. considering we have only what is shared. And when a thousand hands have stretched, used and processed, theres only so much thats left behind.

And that is exactly why I learned to get creative with my art. My materials are molded by things that I have found. I learned to make my own paint, out of things like berries. Grass, even. Mud. I make sculptures out of any materials I can find, natural or not needed, discarded. Theres a lot of opportunity within the community, even as a lower you are permitted to visit the town, observe the uppers and laborers as they play out their roles. enjoying the fruition of their positions. It is not to say we have nothing. We just have less. We share the same, just perhaps the bottom of the barrels. More sharing for the lowers. But that also is understandable, engrained into the fact if you do not work to provide for the greater of the community, then it is only fair to accept what comes with that. And it is why we are motivated to work harder, to rise from this, to serve greater. be better.

Narrating my routine in my head, over and over again helps me in getting closer to that quieted aspiration i have of finding a place within the community. Hours can go by, dawn turns to dusk with every finished painting. as the days pass, my work gets better and better. Since there is no place for me to keep my work, and materials hard to come by, I do my part in assisting Xavier, an upper. His father does wood work. He and his father cut down trees, they have the materials and skills require to be able to source wood, turning it into the needed material to build, to create. I will pitch in now and then, aiding Xavier, aiding his father, to provide me the scraps I need to supply my art, that cannot be found in nature. Ironically, paper. A resource that is not within our community. A luxury good, we exchange with the west, as they favor the sweet tasting berries of our community. our block. With the good grace of Xavier, I am allowed a small shed to store my work. piles and piles of paintings stacked. Seasoned and piled, crisped and turning. A timeline of my existence, a physical scale of my progress.

Our communities are packed within our block, all belonging to each other. However, there is what is known as the Landing. It is where the founding of the Beginning began. Where the founders reside, and have expanded and grown within the 90 years of which the beginning took place. The location of the Landing is unknown, though we are aware of its existence, as every 10 to 15 years, a hand of the Landing comes, scouring each district for one Valuable. Every 10 to 15 years, one Valuable is selected from each block. A valuable is chosen by each community, hand picked by voting within its members. The 50 chosen's are then narrowed down by one thing. their skill. Their skills can range drastically. The Landings look for some one with skills that set them apart from the others. They are recruited and invited back to the Landing. They are inspirations to us all. There has not been a lower selected from any community in 50 years. Any member has the opportunity to submit their skills. The community members review, and choose. Then fate takes it course.

Chapter 1

I am sitting by the edge of the woods that separates our community from our closest neighbor, East-Wood. The crisp air of autumn sends a chill down my spine, as im hunching over a painting I have been working on for awhile now. With winter coming, demand slows. My access to materials dwindles, forcing me to preserve what I have. It is a bittersweet process. I give myself a chance to raise this piece, adding detail slowly, and gradually. mindfully painting, scraping, adding pieces here or there. Allowing myself designated times to paint, to lose myself within one of the few things that gives me the greatest sense of joy. The painting is of wood, a small cabin, similar to the small homes the uppers have to themselves. Coloring the trees different shades, as if representing all four seasons, intertwined as one. Im stumped on a minor detail, deciding between one shade of green, or another. One I want to use more, but have less of. I hear a crunch of twigs behind me, and I smell the cedar sweet scent, of Xavier.

"I knew I'd find you here." He says in his usual charmed way. I dont need to turn around to know that Octavia is at his hide, trailing behind him. Equally as exuberant, happy to find me in the same spot I am always lost in at this particular part of the day.

I give him a sly look, and quickly cover my painting. Octavia glances over Xaviers shoulder to sneak a peak. I playfully scorn her, smothering her with my almond-amber eyes. "Dont even try it."

She rolls her eyes at me, kicking a twig at me. "You know, you could do more than paint even, if you wanted. Building dolls or horses out of twigs like you do your sculptures. I am seeing a new labor opportunity here." Octavia is resides in the lower, alongside me. Natural born skills come harder for her, but it has never shown in our friendship. She has never offered me anything less than pure, genuine love and support and belief. They engrain into us that we all possess the ability and opportunity to fufill our duties for the community. But in reality, the reality I have seen, uppers like Xavier, who fumbles with an axe, has more of a chance to remain as an upper. considering he has the materials available. He has lived and breathed a laborers life since his first breath. He may scrape and fumble, but his chances remain higher. Octavia, on the other hand, her mother a failed-baker, same as my mother, what skills do we have other than what we have witnessed from afar, or now and then when resources made available? Octavia possesses a certain magic to her that could captivate any audience. I am probably the one and only person she has yet to sell. due to my own resistance.

I have no desire to contest my sweet soul-sister. I simply smile, fold up my paper, stand up to join my friends as the sun is setting, and the chill is dampening. "Only if I have you to represent me." I poke at her.

"and Xavier can supply the wood!" she beams, elbowing him.

"What shall we call our labor? Shall we share our home in the upper-lala land?" He jests. Something so natural to him, yet foreign for us, lowers. Whom share a hall of twenty beds, where uppers have the choice between one private cabin, or a slighly larger cabin shared with whom they desire. We link arms, and make our way to the center. Where we break away, casting Xavier away towards his side, With Octavia and my arm still linked, leading us back to ours.

She bumps her hip to mine, breathing a whisper my way, "I mean it, you know." she gives me a serious stare. "Your work. It's breathtaking. Nothing I have ever seen before. You really could even. You know. Present your skills. To be a valuable." she gets quieter at she says valuable. Its almost so unbelievable, unrealistically unachievable, its hard to stomach, impossible to digest. which is why i immediately retort the idea, smothering the flame before it could even become lit. The fire within me, that desires my art to be seen. But the way laboring positions are so scarce, so competitive. Why breathe light into something that could not possibly exist.

"Impossibly impratical." Is all I get out. No time for lose ends, one days, if onlys. We live in a predictable, mechanical world.

She sighs. Kisses me on the cheek, and sweetly says, "If only you could see your talent the way Xavier and I do." I look down at my feet, and by the time my eyes are looking up, Octavia and her raven-black hair is sweeping in the wind, making its way to her hall. She casts me a goodnight, see you tomorrow. Where we will break fast, meet again, and recreate the same day over again.

[melbournenewsvine]

Gunston a Lion as the clock ticks on other big-name deals

Adelaide In: Isaac Rankin (GC), 46th pick (GC), Fourth-round pick in the future (GC) Selection: 5th round (GC), third round future selection (GC), fourth round future selection (GC) Brisbane black In: Jack Gunston (Haw), Pick 21 (GWS), Pick 35 (AFL), Pick 36 (GC), Pick 38 (Geel), Pick 55 (Geel), Pick 56 (GC), future second-round pick ( Jill), future fourth-round pick (Jill) Directed by: Daniel McStay (Cole), Tom Perry (BL), Pick 15 (JWS), Pick 46 (GC), Future 2nd-round pick (GC), Future 4th-round pick (Howe) When trading: choose 25 (GC to Geel), choose 48 (Geel to Haw), pick the second round in the future (GWS to GC) Carlton In: Blake Acres (Fre), Pick 49 (AFL), Future 4th-round pick (Ess) Out: Liam Jones (WB), Will Setterfield (Ess), Pick 68 (Ess), future third-round pick (Fre) Collingwood In: Daniel McStay (BL), Bobby Hill (GWS), Pick 40 (GWS) Exit: choose 43 (GWS), choose the second round in the future (GWS) essendon In: Will Sitterfield (Karl), Beck 68 (Karl) Out: Choosing the future fourth floor (Karl) Fremantle In: Luke Jackson (MLB), Josh Corbett (GC), Beck 44 (MLB), Beck 67 (MLB), future second-round pick (New Mexico), future third-round pick (New Mexico), third-round pick Future (Carl), future fourth-round pick (New Mexico) Out: Blake Acres (Carl), Griffin Logue (NM), Darcy Tucker (New Mexico), Pick 13 (Melb), future first-round pick (Melb), future second-round pick (Melb), future third-round pick ( NM), future fourth round selection (GC) Geelong At: Tanner Bruhn (GWS), Pick 25 (BL) Choice 18 (GWS), Choice 38 (BL), Choice 48 (BL), Choice 55 (BL), Future second-round choice (BL), Future fourth-round choice (BL) The Golden coast In: Ben Long (StK), Tom Berry (BL), Pick 5 (Adel), Second-round future pick (BL), Third-round future pick (Adel), Fourth-round future pick (Adel), Fourth-round future pick ( StK) Outside: Isaac Rankin (fair), Josh Corbett (free), Pick 25 (BL), pick 32 (StK), pick 36 (BL), pick 56 (BL) When trading: Pick 46 (BL to Adel), Future pick for Round 4 (Fre to Adel) GWS In: Toby Bedford (MLB), Pick 1 (NM), Pick 15 (BL), Pick 18 (Gill), Pick 19 (Rich), Pick 53 (Pennsylvania), Pick 57 (Pennsylvania) Directed by: Tim Taranto (Rich), Bobby Hill (Cole), Tanner Bron (Gill), Pick 3 (New Mexico), Pick 21 (BL), Pick 40 (Coll), Future second-round pick (BL) When trading: Pick 12 (Rich to WC), Pick 44 (Coll to Melb), Round 2 future pick (Coll to PA) hawthorn In: Carl Amon (PA), 48th pick (BL), future fourth round pick (BL) Directed by: Jack Johnston (BL) Melbourne In: Pick 13 (Fre), Pick 27 (PA), Pick 52 (AFL), First-round pick in the future (Fre), Future second-round pick (Fre) Outside: Luke Jackson (Frei), Jayden Hunt (WC), Toby Bedford (GWS), Pick 33 (PA), Pick 43 (PA), Pick 53 (PA), Pick 67 (Fre) When trading: Choose 44 (from GWS to Fre) North Melbourne In: Griffin Logue (Fre), Darcy Tucker (Fre), Pick 2 (WC), Pick 3 (GWS), Pick 40 (WC), Pick 43 (PA), First-round receiver (PA), Future third-pick Round (Fre) Exit: Jason Horne Francis (PA), 1st round pick (GWS), future 2nd round pick (Fre), 3rd round future pick (Fre), 3rd round future pick (PA), 4th round future pick (Fre) ) Port Adelaide In: Jason Horn Francis (NM), Junior Rioli (WC), BIC 33 (MLB), future second-round pick (GWS), future third-round pick (New Mexico). Outside: Carl Amon (Howe), Pick 8 (WC), Pick 57 (GWS), Future 1st Round Choice (NM), Future 2nd Round Choice (WC), Future 3rd Round Choice (WC) ) When trading: choose 27 (AFL to Melb), choose 43 (Melb to NM), choose 53 (Melb to GWS) Richmond Entry: Tim Taranto (GWS) Outside: choose 12 (GWS), choose 19 (GWS) St Kilda At: Zain Kurdi (WB), choose 32 (GC) Out: Ben Long (GC), future fourth round pick (GC) Sydney In: N/A Outside: Not available West Coast In: Jayden Hunt (MLB), 8th pick (PA), 12th pick (GWS), future second-round pick (PA), future third-round pick (PA) Outside: Junior Ryoli (PA), pick 2 (nm), pick 40 (nm) West Bulldog In: Liam Jones (Carl) Outside: Zain Kurdi (StK) Source link Originally published at Melbourne News Vine

[earthnashes]

FINALLY! After a little while of work I’ve finally designed and drew each of the main races for Lorule! So that means, LORULE HEADCANONNNNNNNN!!!!! 8D aight ya’ll, let’s get right into it:

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Lorule is one of the Seven Kingdoms in the world of LoZ (not sure what to call the actual world itself), and the direct neighbor to Hyrule. Despite its harsh climates and highly varying regions, Lorule is prosperous and a staple realm among the Kingdoms. It’s ruled by the queen Hilda and inhabited by the following races (alongside some lore bits for the characters representing them):

-Lorians: A people who are of the same race as Hylians and thus share the trait of having pointed ears. Lorians, however, commonly have darker skin tones and lighter eyes, raging from copper brown to golden yellow in contrast to the common greens and blues of Hylians. While scattered all across Lorule, their capitol resides in the center of the vast drylands, smack-dab in the middle of an oasis.

Queen Hilda is the current ruler of Lorule and the youngest one to assume the crown (she became queen at the age of 16). She gained her position due to her father stepping down in light of ailing health, and has since earned a reputation of being a just and competent queen. She's strict and can be intimidating with how no-nonsense she is, but does whatever she can to do right by her subjects and allies. A bit of a big sister/mentor figure to Zelda.

Ravio is a young farm lad who has big aspirations to be a court mage. Thin as a rail with a timid, shy disposition to match, Ravio scares rather easily, but he works hard and dreams big for his future. He was taken in by Ooccoo when he was just a baby, having found him hidden under a blanket within a ransacked carriage. He idolizes the Queen and wishes to be as strong as her.

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-Yamatami: This race of humanoids are as tall as they are lean and thin, characterized by their unique masks they never take off and their ability to transform into giant snake-like creatures. The Yamatami inhabit the marshlands and mostly keep to themselves, though they are highly sought after trading-wise for their venom. They are lead by the somewhat oafish chief King.

Mamba is King’s daughter, and therefore the next-in-line to be chief once he steps down. As much as Mamba adores her tribe, she longs for a life of adventure, ever so curious about the world beyond their marshland boundaries. Part of her hesitation on being chief secretly banks on her fear of not being fit for the role. She’s a dreamer, very bubbly, friendly, and somewhat naive, but all she wants is to be able to make her own path.

Faux (pronounced “fawks”) is resourceful, fast, and cautious. They’re one of the best warriors the Yamatami have to offer, and through that they’ve become the trusted bodyguard to Mamba. Faux might seem indifferent to the overtly friendly princess but don’t let that fool you; they are ever watchful and ever so protective of their charge.

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-Oocca: Bird-like race with human-esque faces, they are a peaceful people who inhabit a great city hovering in the sky. The Oocca dislike conflict, though this is possibly because they themselves have no means of self-defense nor combat prowess, though they more than contribute their fair share to the Lorule alliance via their expertise in trade and commerce, as well as their advanced technology. Given their general lack of combative means, their city is inhabited by guards from the other native races, as per their negotiations. Anywhere you go, there’s almost certainly an Oocca merchant handling the finances of the city.

Ooccoo, sometimes known as Miss O, is the sweet, gentle single mother of Junior.  She makes her peaceful living running a homely inn and selling knick-knacks in the small farm village Ravio grew up in. She also doubles as the resident repair shop, using her skill in tinkering to keep the village's tech and tools in tip-top shape. Ooccoo has a knack of taking in any stragglers that she may run across, which has led her to taking in Ravio and raising him as if he were her own. She has an unusual assistant: an old battle-worn Lynel (to be designed later!) she calls Lyo.

Junior is Ooccoo's outgoing young son. Ever so eager to make friends and lend a hand whenever he can, Junior helps his mother run her inn and shop. He's high on energy and sometimes runs too fast for his legs to carry him (he has a penchant for tripping), and someitmes he talks a little too much, but all he wants to do is make sure you feel welcomed when under their care. He often uses berry branches as hair ties so he can have a small snack anywhere he goes!

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-Yook:  Otherwise known as Yetis, they are a race of huge, gorilla-like bipedal creatures who live on the peaks of the freezing, snowy mountains of Lorule. Despite their fearsome appearance and gargantuan strength, they're rather friendly, and have been known to guide lost hikers back on the trail to return home. Unfortunately, the Yook were once hunted to near genocide for their thick coats and tough hides before the practice was outlawed, and so they're cautious towards outsiders. It's only recently that they've begun to allow visitors to their humble village, but the current political climate among the Yook is a tremulous one.

Yeto was once the leader to the Yook before being beaten in a fight for the title against his younger adversary, Yuk. Now he and his beloved wife Yeta live out in the outskirts of the hidden village, living a quiet life while dedicating themselves to helping lost travelers and keeping them away from the village. This is mostly because, under Yuk's aggressive leadership, the Yook village is not safe for outsiders.

Yeta is Yeto's soft-spoken wife. Yeta is motherly to a fault, with barely a hostile bone in her body, but she isn't one to be pushed around. Upon her husband's defeat to Yuk in combat, she was outspoken on the harm he would cause their village by leading them down a violent path and was the only other one to stand up against the newly crowned chief, the others too afraid to say anything. She and Yeto were then forced to leave the village, living on the outskirts and dedicating themselves to keep outsiders away for their own safety.

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-Mogma: Andromorphic mole-like peoples who make their homes in the dry grasslands, the closest neighbors to the Lorian capitol. They generally grow to be large with huge, long claws for digging, and their villages and cities are known to mostly reside below ground. They are largely artisan by culture, focusing most of their energies in making, and collecting, knick-knacks and treasures. Their drive for all things shiny and pretty make them excellent treasure hunters, and many Mogma make lucrative careers out of being treasure-hunters-for-hire. They are a semi-nomadic people.

Guld was once the leader of the Mogma before he finally stepped down and gave the title to Ledd. One of the few Mogma to make his residence above ground, Guld has retired to a peaceful life of farming and selling pumpkins and other little trinkets he finds during his evening strolls. Despite long-since stepping down as leader, the Mogma often seek him out for guidance still, and he’s worried that it’s because they aren’t trusting their new leader as much as he’d hoped.

Ledd is the newfound leader of the Mogma, chosen by Guld for his courage and finesse in finding treasures. For all of his perceived confidence, Ledd is unsure of his newfound position, and his lack of action has led other Mogma to believe he is unfit for the role. His only supporter is Plats, his best buddy, and Guld. He’s determined to prove that he wants to be the leader the Mogma deserves, but is unsure how to do so.

Plats is the kindly and rather nervous buddy of Ledd, and the youngest brother of three. Unlike the rest of his kin, Plats is far more interested in simply trading items and hunting for food instead of shinies, which contributes to his round figure and his resident duty as town merchant. Given his rather cowardly disposition, Plats rarely ever tries to go treasure hunting, something his brothers often tease him about. He is the only one who has faith in Ledd’s leadership among their kin with the only other exception being Guld.

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WHEW!!! That got a bit long, but I’m glad to say that it’s out there for ya’ll to see! :3 I had a whole lot of fun working on this headcanon and if you have any questions please feel more than free to ask!! ;w;

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More LoZ headcanons | My Patreon |

[madhyanas]

the sweetest and most important sound

Part [TBD] of the Hospitality series

Pairing: Paz Vizsla x fem!Reader

Rating: T/PG-13 (Mainly due to verbal teasing and extremely mild language)

Word Count: 4.7k

Warnings: None, really. Some non-sexual intimacy, if you’d like to avoid that.

A/N: this is my first fic that’s staying posted, so feedback is welcome. i do have a series in mind with paz and this specific reader. check it out on ao3, too, if you want to see more detailed tags. title comes from a quote by dale carnegie. 

big inspirations for this were @no-droids​, @vercopaanir​ and @its-alltheway​​. also, i’m very new to tumblr, and @jangofctts​ has been lovely :)

Golden.

That’s what you see, what you feel. Stopped on some backwater, Outer Rim planet, your little travelling party finally has some time to relax. To tread on soft, grassy earth, and breathe in the sweet scent of flowers in the breeze. It’s a welcome change from recycled air and solid, mechanical floors.

The fresh, crisp forest atmosphere. You can taste it on your tongue, feel the chill of it as you inhale. You can detect the fragrance of berries, somewhere far off in the trees, and the earthy, waterlogged scent of silt closer by. A stream, perhaps.

You don’t know the name of the planet; you didn’t bother to ask Mando, excited as you were. You suspect it doesn’t have one; so untouched by war and Imperial rule that it just… remained. Literally, a land that time forgot. Someplace so out of the way that it soothes even Mando’s constant vigilance.

Two suns set over the horizon, and the sky is a dreamy blaze of orange and violet. Insects buzz faintly in the background, and you sigh.

The Hawk IV stands behind you, hatch down, as you rearrange some logs around Mando, who’s preparing firewood. Vosca’s giggles fill the air as she scampers through patches of tall grass. Keeping a close eye on her, you catch flashes of a crimson forehead as she stalks some kind of creature. A frog, you think.

The mild, familiar scent of her is comforting. You rub the white, geometric markings on your cheeks absent-mindedly, and will yourself to relax. She’s close, she’s safe, she’s happy.

It’s a nice thought to have.

“Give me a moment. I’ll be back,” Mando says suddenly, and you blink. The fireplace is lit, you notice, flames crackling. Your sturdy canvas satchel has been moved to sit upon one of the logs, noticeably dusted off. He stands, patiently waiting for you to respond before he goes. Helmet inclined towards you with a respect that manages to warm your cheeks every time.

“Ah, yeah. Of course.” You pause, and joke, “Just don’t run away with the ship, huh?”

There’s a burst of static through the vocoder, and you think it could be a snort, before he steps forward. His gloved hand falls on your shoulder, and you swallow thickly at the closeness. A scant few inches lie between the tip of your nose and his cuirass. “I would never.”

There’s a depth to his low voice that resonates within you. As if he’s taking an oath, kneeling at your altar. It’s… a lot more sincerity than you expect.

“Oh. Well, of course. I think Vosca would throw a fit.” You grin, attempting levity, but he shakes his head firmly. Leaving no room for debate.

“Even then, even if she were with me. I would— I would not leave you. I could not.”

The hand on your shoulder squeezes gently, and his helmet inclines down to your face, like he’s imploring you to understand. Staring up at him, your lips part as his meaning finally reaches you. His broad figure is backlit by the dusky glow around you, casting his silhouette over your smaller frame, and you like to think that behind the helm, those eyes are staring back with just as much wonder.

Your mouth is dry, as if you’ve crossed a desert for years. Only now finding the water to quench your thirst. His hand on your shoulder, as heavy and muscled as you know it to be, does not feel like a weight. It’s pulling you up, rising, and there are no words to describe the lightness in your heart.

He ducks his head then — the movement registers as shy, impossibly — and the palm slides off your shoulder, lingering down your arm, before ultimately leaving you at the hand. The cool kiss of leather on your skin makes your breathing hitch. A modulated sigh, before he repeats softly, “I’ll be back. Faster than you know.” He turns and begins the short walk to the ship.

There’s a bubbling urge to say something. “No need for dramatics,” you call after him, wiggling your toes in your boots. “But best hurry back, Mandalorian.”

He hesitates, a split-second pause that you would have missed, had you known him any less. You almost think you’ve imagined it, because when have you ever known Mando to hesitate? But then he continues without looking back, disappearing into the hull of the ship.

You slump down on a log bonelessly, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden. Your cheeks ache, and you realise you’re smiling.

“Ruusaan, Ruusaan!” A whirlwind of scarlet limbs tumbles in front of you. Startled, you blink at the little Zeltron girl. It’s rare that anyone manages to get the jump on you, but by now you know that Mando and his ward are exceptions to almost every rule in your book.

There are leaves and twigs stuck in the two brown braids running down the back of her head. She grins toothily at you, a smear of dirt on one cheek. Really, it’s more a bearing of teeth than anything else, feral thing that Vosca is. Her eyes are bright, shining with the thrill of a successful hunt, and she thrusts her little arms towards you. “Look what I caught!”

In Vosca’s grimy grasp, there’s a blue, particularly fat creature, rather like a toad. Held at the middle, its six limbs dangle loosely at the sides. Your nostrils flare minutely, but can’t pick up any scents of poisons or toxins, and you relax a fraction. It casts an unimpressed gaze over you once, and attempts a croak, but the child’s clutching grip digs in too deep to allow for the swell of its belly. Those lazy, golden eyes widen in panic, and you balk.

“Hey, bug, let’s just put it down for now, yeah?” Hastily, you extract the toad from Vosca’s hands, and she pouts at you. You still, and cradle your palms around the creature’s stomach, fingers resting gently on the front, in a caress rather than a pincer-grip.

“See here,” you explain, leaning in, as if you’re trading secrets. She ducks her head towards you in curiosity, and there’s a burst of tenderness in your chest. “We’ve got sharp, pointy fingers for animals like these. Gotta be careful. Be soft with it.”

Vosca’s eyes widen and she nods her head vigorously. A few dried leaves fall to the ground. A beat, then she asks shyly, “Can I try, please?”

Always so polite. While you don’t know for sure, you suspect it’s Mando’s influence. In any case, you don’t think you could deny her even if she’d demanded it. “Sure, bug.” Gently, you pass the toad back into her dusty, red palms. With a watchful eye, you see how quickly she takes to correction. Now holding the scared little thing with more care, less force. Precariously tilting it onto her chest, she frees one hand to stroke it tenderly across the back. The corner of your mouth ticks up fondly.

Then, carefully, she kneels down, and releases it. The toad immediately hops away into the tall grass with a vengeful ribbit, and your brows raise. Sensing the question on your face, she turns her face up to yours, doe eyes blinking up at you.

“It wasn’t prey,” Vosca says simply. “S’just for fun. Wouldn’t be fair to hurt it.” She shoots you another toothy smile, filling her whole face with innocent joy.

Huh. Always keeping you on your toes, this one. You return her grin as she sits next to you on the log. “Ah, that’s right, bug. Good girl.”

You lift your arm and she snuggles into your side, her scrawny body fitting into yours neatly. Lovingly, you press a kiss into her hair, eyes falling shut. You keep your head resting on hers, and she heaves a sigh as you idly stroke through the loose strands at the nape of her neck.

This is how Mando finds you, later. Half-asleep, curled around each other. Your eyes open at the fuzzy, tingling feeling on the back of your neck, and lo and behold: he’s watching you as he makes his way towards the makeshift campsite. His gait is familiar to you; the broad saunter of a man confident in his abilities, yet not foolish enough to be cocky. As if he couldn’t fill up a room already, his walk only amplifies his presence.

You blink lethargically, trying to focus. The sky is now a deep indigo, the bare beginnings of twinkling stars appearing across the heavens. It’ll be fully dark, soon.

The Mandalorian comes to stand over you. Once, you would have found his constant presence menacing. But now you smile at him, grateful for his company. It’s sweet, you think, how awkward he is. If you know what to look for. Most don’t have the chance to look beyond the beskar, and the assortment of weapons he lugs around.

He seems… duller, somehow. You shake your head lightly, dusting off the lingering fatigue, and you realise it’s true in the most literal sense. He’s not reflecting light as much as you would expect.

Aside from the helmet, he wears no beskar at all. Dressed in a dark, high-necked, shirt and canvas trousers, Mando seems comfortable. Relaxed. It’s a good look for him, you think.

“Did she fall asleep?” he asks you, nodding at Vosca, nuzzled in your arms. Her head emerges from where she’d buried it in your side, yawning blearily.

“I’m not… M’not sleepy,” she whines, squishing a chubby cheek against you. You and Mando both chuckle.

“Of course not, ad’ika.” You think he’ll hold his arms out to hold her, pick her up, but you’re pleasantly surprised when he just takes a seat next to you. The log creaks under his bulk, even without the added steel.

Vosca grumbles something under her breath, and you snort as she wriggles further into your warmth. She slumps bit by bit, falling asleep once more. You glance down at her, and the love you feel is all-encompassing.

Because you do love her. Your girl, just as much as she is Mando’s. You don’t know if she thinks of you as a mother, and the thought stings a little. An aunt, perhaps?

But without a doubt, you know she’s your child.

You’re startled out of your thoughts as a weight settles over your shoulders, and you look at the man next to you. Mando’s draping a cloak over you, tucking it around your frame and over the little girl in your arms. Out of the corner of your eye, you recognise the sturdy, brass-coloured clasp as his own.

“O-oh. You don’t have to…”

“You’ll get cold.”

He shuffles closer to fasten the clasp. As he raises his gloved hands and leans in, you wet your lips nervously.

His helmet shifts, ever so slightly, to follow the motion.

“But what about you?” you ask quietly, heart hammering in your chest. His long fingers meddle with the clasp at your clavicle; the weight of them on your person seems astronomical, for such a small, small thing. In the shining surface of the helmet, you can see the outline of your face, small and vaguely illuminated in the firelight, framed by those bold white strokes. But when you see them in Mando’s helmet, for once, you don’t think of your father’s matching stripes, of what you inherited from him. You think of how close you two are, in this moment.

He’s so close you can hear him breathe, too faint to be picked up by the modulator. There’s a small puff of air, escaping under the lip of his helm. Raw, unfiltered. You cling to it with all your heart.

“I will be fine, Ruusaan,” he rumbles. He’s leaning over Vosca’s snoozing body between you, arching carefully so he doesn’t disturb her. He’s… really quite close now.

Inhaling as subtly as you can, you catch the scent of him. Lingering on the thick wool, a clean blend of soap, blaster residue and freshly cut grass. Something smoky, too. It’s more soothing than you expect. Involuntarily, your nose twitches in delight, and his helmet tilts a fraction in response. You rush to distract him.

“But— But the armour.” Mando stares. “You’re not wearing any. Isn’t it cold? With— Without it, I mean.”

He dodges the question entirely. “Would you like me to put it on?” There’s a teasing lilt to his voice, sweetening his low baritone, and he quietens to a murmur as he sticks his head forward condescendingly. “I understand if this is too… scandalous."

You stifle an outraged squawk, and remove an arm from holding Vosca to swat his bicep. Your hand bounces harmlessly off corded muscle and you look away from him, cheeks burning. He just laughs at you, muffled for fear of waking the girl at your side.

You huff, resolutely averting your gaze, but it’s for naught. A large palm comes to cradle the side of your face, and your face feels tiny in its hold. He directs your eyes back to the visor with more care you’d ever expect, had you not known him so well. The smooth leather against your cheek is grounding, an anchor amongst the dizzying, overwhelming ocean of his presence. Surely, he can feel your flaming blush through the glove. In your embarrassment, a peculiar strike of courage grabs you by the throat.

With your free hand, you hold the glove cradling your face. Without taking your eyes off him, you lean into the touch, exhaling gently.

Mando stills. You can’t tell who’s predator or prey, here. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Deliberately, you squeeze your fingers around his own and an unfamiliar, choked noise comes out through the modulator.

You stare at him, and realise there’s hardly any distance between you. It’s nothing obscene, never could be with Vosca dozing in your arms, and yet you feel so giddy. There’s a type of intimacy here that you’ve never experienced before, never imagined before.You’re close enough that your breath fogs on the beskar.

“Mando…” you breathe.

Suddenly, the figure between you stretches awake with a yawn. You jump away from Mando as Vosca awakens with a long, languid yawn. The man beside her, a little subtler, leans back with the fluid, practiced grace of a warrior.

“Are you okay, Ruusaan?” she asks sleepily, oblivious to the moment now broken.  She pulls the cloak away from her to face you properly.

“W-what? Of course I am, hun, why…”

“S’just,” she starts, rubbing one eye. “I got woken up. Your heart’s beating really fast.”

Your eyes widen. Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit. You try to backtrack, “How about you go back to sleep, bug? It’s late.” You can feel Mando’s stare on you. Piercing, even through the steel.

Vosca frowns at you, scrunching her nose up endearingly. “But then you and alor’ad will be without me.”

After a moment of floundering, struggling to come up with an answer, Mando beats you to it. Planting a gentle, reassuring hand on her head from behind, he says simply, “We’ll never be without you, adi’ka. You know this.”

She leans her head completely backwards, and her braids dangle in the air. Arching her neck to look at him upside down, the vibrant red of her skin reflects in his helmet. There’s a flash of hesitation as she considers, and you jump at the opportunity.

“Bedtime, bug,” you say, standing. Mando’s nearly your height, you notice, even as he sits. You stuff the thought down. Later. “Got a big day tomorrow.”

Vosca mutters something under her breath moodily — something about how everyday’s the same — but her eyelids are drooping, and you figure you can let it slide. Just this once.

Maker, you’re impatient.

You sigh. Again. You hate to undo Mando’s work, but… “C’mon, hun. Floor’s more comfortable.” You undo the clasp deftly, and some subconscious level, it occurs to you that Mando is dextrous. More so than anyone you’ve ever met, probably. Fastening the clasp would take seconds.

No reason for him to linger as long as he did.

You smile faintly to yourself, and the ever-present heat burning in your cheeks this evening unfurls through your face.

You bundle the girl in Mando’s cloak as she lays down in the shallow grass. Tugging your canvas bag towards you, and place it beneath her head.

Kneeling down next to her, you stroke her hair once, twice. “G’night, alor’ad, g’night, Ruusaan,” Vosca mumbles, eyes falling shut once more.

“Goodnight, bug.” You lean down to peck her forehead tenderly, and she snuggles into her covering.

“Goodnight,” Mando returns kindly. At last, when you’re convinced she’s really out for the count, you steel your courage and look back to him.

From this angle, he’s glowing. Your lips part in wonder as you marvel at the rolling flames reflecting in the helmet. The flickering bronze and gold and scarlet washing over his bulky frame, defining the hard lines of his arms and chest beneath the shirt like something out of a painting. A relic of another time. Beautiful in its detail. Regal, even when most relaxed.

Silently, he holds a gloved hand out to you. You blink at it for a moment, too overwhelmed by this man you know so little about but oh, would you like to learn.

You take his hand, and suddenly he’s pulling you up with him to stand. Stumbling a little, your other palm comes to steady yourself on his chest. The movement feels so natural, so instinctual, and you worry you’re being presumptuous.

But then Mando’s free hand comes to rest on your waist — “Oh.” — and all other thoughts leave your mind.

“She’s asleep,” he notes, and you can feel his deep voice rumbling. Through the shirt, vulnerable and unprotected, his chest lies beneath your fingers. Solid muscle, yes, but there’s the soft give of flesh just like anyone else. It’s… nice. Pleasant, in the way it reminds you how human he is. How he lets himself be, in these fleeting moments of peace.

You hum. “Finally.” The hand on his chest gradually makes its way up his pectoral, tracing the ridge of his clavicle, before coming to rest on his shoulder. Without the pauldron, you can feel just how taut he holds himself. “Relax, Mando,” you whisper, rubbing your thumb back and forth in an attempt to soothe whatever’s running through his mind.

“Could tell you the same,” he replies smoothly, but you feel the strain in his shoulders lessen slightly under your gentle ministrations. The helmet tilts forward to hover next to your ear; it’s somewhat awkward, with how much he needs to bend down to do it, but that’s alright, you think. “Careful, Ruusaan. Does your heart still beat so quickly?”

Your jaw clenches momentarily, if only out of sheer embarrassment, because you know he’s right. “That’s— that’s not— Come on, Mando.”

The man chuckles, and at this meagre distance, you can feel it in your soul. Straightening just a little, he rests the side of his helm against your head. Not leaning, per se, or applying weight. Just touching. Keeping contact. The cool surface of beskar feels chilling against your molten cheeks.

With the hand joined with his, you curl your fingers, embracing the gaps between his. You both linger like that, for a while. Basking in the haze of firelight and safety; frozen in a half-dance, holding each other contently.

Then you realise. In another, strange instance of boldness, you murmur, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed yours either, smooth talker.” The reassuring thud thud thud beneath your fingertips is steady, as always. But you feel it’s more insistent, more urgent than you’d expect.

He doesn’t stutter or fumble like you do, but there’s a bashful sort of groan through the vocoder. It really shouldn’t be endearing as it is. “Ah, well. Seems I’ve been caught.” He plays along in a plaintive, mournful tone, and you stifle a snort. “Can’t be helped, I suppose.”

You nudge the helmet with your cheek playfully. “Oh? What’s that?”

He breathes a particularly wounded sigh, and you feel rather than hear him sober as he murmurs, “This is what you do to me, Ruusaan.”

Your jaw falls slack. Oh.

Your head is reeling with the implications of it. Him affecting you was one thing, because how could he not? With the way he fills a room and laughs at your stupid jokes and tells Vosca bedtime stories and holds you so carefully it feels like a lover caressing glass, about to shatter any moment—

Kinda how he’s holding you now, actually.

Your hand on his shoulder brings his head up from where it rests to look at you properly, and holds the blue steel in the indent where his cheek would be. You’ve been struggling for words, wondering how to respond to the affections of someone you admire so much. How to do him justice.

“You are so much to me, Mando.”

Timidly, your tongue darts out to wet your lips, and once more, his helmet tilts to follow the movement. You feel a kind of longing in that little shift, an age-old yearning borne of dedication to the Creed, from a man who feels everything so strongly.

The knowledge that you two will always be separated by a layer of beskar is always floating over your head. To say that you’ve made your peace with it would be a bold-faced lie, but—

Well, it’s who he is. To disrespect his Creed would be to disrespect him, and that you cannot allow.

But for the first time, you wonder how he feels about it. If that perennial ache in your chest whenever you glance at the helm resides in his, too.

Mando’s hand, previously resting on the slope of your waist, comes to hold your cheek. As if there’s a mirror between you, paralleling your stance to each other like clockwork. Two halves of a whole, reflecting each other.

Gradually, he tilts your face up to his. Leaning in, he touches the forehead of the helmet to yours, and your eyelids flutter shut, lashes barely grazing the metal. This time, the cold metal against your skin feels like a reprieve, freeing you from the burning sensation.

Like a kiss, you think absently. Is that what this is?

You’ve seen him do this before, with Vosca. Never truly knowing what it meant, what it signified to him, you’d left it alone.

You try to ask him, to make sense of the maelstrom of affection and yearning and want. “Mando—”

But his shoulders tense suddenly. “No.”

You blink. “N-no?”

He draws away, then. His hand is still cradling your face, but the helmet retreats, and you panic. What happened? What did you do? What boundary did you overstep to ruin something so torturously good—

He says your name. The name your mother gave you, not the nickname he and your girl call you in their language. “May I give you something?”

You’re confused, to say the least. The emotional range he’s currently choosing to display could give you whiplash. He’s not a very materialistic man, you know, and what could he possibly be giving you now, in this moment?

“I— I don’t think you could give me anything greater than this.”

He deflates. “Oh, ner kar’ta,” he croaks, stroking his thumb over your flushed cheek. Even through the modulator, the foreign syllables drip from his mouth like liquid gold, tongue rolling over the consonants in a way that makes you shiver. “I would be honoured to try.”

Wordlessly, you nod, still not fully comprehending what he means.

He must sense your bemusement. The grip on your side tightens nervously, and you dig your heels in to swallow a squeak. “My name is not ‘Mando’, cyare.”

And the world collapses beneath your feet.

This is new territory, dangerous territory. This is uncharted land, and you feel like you’re trespassing on the tricky, treacherous land of his very being.

You must look ridiculous. Like a fish, mouth bobbing open and shut. He chuckles, a small, subdued thing, and you immediately think it doesn’t suit him. The urge to fix it, to help him, crawls up your spine and settles in your gut.

You bite down the nerves scrambling up your throat to accept what he’s giving you. To reassure this man in your arms, who you have come to care for so deeply, and for yourself. To satiate the niggling curiosity in that corner of your mind left forcefully ignored for so long.

“If you’re sure.” You pause, and add, “Only if you’re sure. This isn’t… an obligation.” It’s somewhere between a question and a statement. You can both hear the moniker you’re avoiding, the cavernous gap opened up by what he’s offering you.

“I know. This is what I wish to give.” And there’s the Mandalorian you know, steadfast and confident, unwavering in the face of adversity. Willing to cross the gap into the unknown with you.

You remain silent, and step closer to press yourself to him. Feeling his pounding heartbeat against yours. Allowing the words to come from him, at his own pace, the warmth of your combined body heat hopefully calming his nerves.

Just as your eyes drift shut, content to wait as long as he needs, you hear it. Quiet, rasped through the helmet.

“Paz. Paz Vizsla.”

You inhale sharply, and look up. Oh, stars. It feels surreal, having a name to the face. Or lack thereof. To think he’d really trust you with such a core part of his being. You’re not sure if this breaks his Creed, or if there are loopholes, but as of now, you don’t care.

It… suits him. Short, robust. Yet somewhat lyrical on the tongue.

“Can I say it?” you ask meekly. The last thing you need right now to is to overstep, not when you’ve come so far.

“Please,” he breathes.

And the floodgates open. A smile breaks over your face, soft and eager, and you swell with affection. “Paz.”

A beat passes, in which everything you love hangs in the balance, and then he laughs. A true, full-bodied, bark of laughter that would ring in your ears long after it stops, but it doesn’t — it spills out of him like water spluttering through the fissure of a dam, bursting forth with all the weight of its years of confinement. He keeps laughing and laughing and then he’s holding you tightly with both arms, swinging you around. With anyone else, the action would’ve scared you. Would’ve been interpreted as a wild, uncontrolled invasion of space.

But with Mando— No. With Paz, you feel like you’re flying. You’re reminded of your days piloting through hyperspace, and the pride of swimming amongst the stars.

You shriek as your feet leave the ground, but it soon dissolves into giggles as he holds you above him.

(The ease with which he can manhandle you, can wrap both of those large, large hands around your comparatively diminutive hips, brings a blush to your face. But that’s a thought for another time.)

Eventually, he places you back on solid ground, and you beam up at him. He’s panting lightly, though you know lifting you was an easy task for someone of his strength. It’s okay. You feel breathless, too.

“Only with me,” he says. “And Vosca.”

You nod gravely. Maker, you’d never use it with anyone, just for the pleasure of knowing he trusts you. “I give you my word.” Out of the corner of your eye, you see the girl in question snoring lightly, still bundled up in Paz’s cloak. Somehow still asleep; you’re immensely grateful.

He returns the nod, and it’s funny how formal it seems compared to the little display you just put on. Paz stares for a moment longer, then huffs. “You sound like a Mandalorian.”

“Is that… good?”

He’s quiet, like he’s trying to find the words. “We may rubbing off on you— I may be rubbing off on you.”

You take a moment to look at him. Beskar gleaming in the moonlight, softly reflecting the fire behind you. He’s bared before you in a way that makes you feel safe. Maybe even loved.

“That might not be too bad.”

And so it goes. You and Paz stand under the stars, flames crackling at your feet, bending towards each other like flowers to the sun.

———

[siren07tucker]

So another kid for my collection! Just a warning this post does contain gore you know zombie shit!

The big brother AU it’s made by @petrichormeraki



This is Jackie Z hills! Either Cleo or Joe accidentally lost a singular page from the Necronomicon and the page managed to touch the remains of a little puppy hybrid.  for a while Jackie just sneaking around Joe’s vineyard and dog area. The first time they met another sentient being was a wandering trader who was absolutely terrified of his face the little puppy was so heartbroken he just started wearing masks made out of anything he can use at some point even wearing a pumpkin mask for the majority of his life.  Jackie does not like using violence of course when he was a puppy he did attack people when he was scared but now he rather  go on the defense and try to reason with the person sometimes when he was still little, Cleo or Joe would find him trying to convince a zombie not to kill him reading poetry Joe was semi-proud!  Jackie cannot have meat or rotten flesh which to him is not fair but since he is half human it’s not as bad to be on a mostly fruits and vegetable diet he can have fish though and he does really like berries! He also eats a lot of golden carrots like a unhealthy amount of them!  but it does help with the urges he has four pray... he has toe beans! for some reason he just carries unnecessary amounts of bookshelves like how in the sweet hell did he get so many!  he’s good at armor stands and sometimes will trade out his pumpkin mask for a different one which is always fun!  it’s very hard for him to use a skeleton hand it’s very stiff.  he does not like sand or water! Eventually Cleo found out what happened in Jackie’s previous life, he manage to escape some hunters that burn down his village when he finally escaped them he was somehow taken to hermit craft where in the dead of the night he was attacked buy a horde of zombies... OK now cute things

Joe just always carries him like this even when he got older which is really embarrassing but Jackie secretly loves it! It made him kind a remember a time when he was surrounded by he doesn’t really remember but it makes him feel safe! 

Sometimes if he was very naughty cleo would go get one of her old kid harnesses and Joe would get one of his reinforced dog leashes it always ended up with Jackie pouting on the ground.

[candychronicles]

I will never take you for granted

A/N: A trade fic I wrote for the amazing @sleepy-soup-blr​ ! ☺️

CHARACTER PAIRING: Denki Kaminari X Gender Neutral Reader

WORD COUNT: 1,047

WARNINGS: tooth rotting fluff, dumb denki

SYNOPSIS: A soft, sweet picnic date filled with love.

TAGS: @togasknifes​ 

blinding sun poured from the crystal blue skies, wisps of fluffy white clouds lazily swimming in the breeze. the air smelled of fresh cut grass and lilac, bringing a happy yet calm feeling to your body. the heat caressed your bare arms and the soft grasses tickled your feet. it truly was the epitome of a perfect summer day: not too hot, a slight breeze, fresh air and the soft humming of the insects. 

you took your time setting up the stereotypical red and white checkered blanket under the partial shade of a sturdy tree, smoothing out any wrinkles. a few throw pillows were added to the mix as well. next came the brown wicker basket full of goodies: sweet drinks, water to stay hydrated, various fruits both plain and covered in chocolate, little sandwiches and bags of chips. everything was laid out meticulously, a picture perfect picnic… well, almost.

it became perfect as soon as your boyfriend, Denki Kaminari, emerged, arms full of candy and a slightly crumpled bouquet of sunflowers. he seemed out of breath as he crossed the grass towards the picnic area. you assumed it was because he was struggling to carry all of those extra items, and while there was some truth to that, Denki was really breathless because he saw you.

your hair wispy in the slight summer breeze, cheeks flushed from excitement, a slight red hue to your body from the effects of the sun but what caught his eye first was the absolutely wide smile that split your face. you were always happy to see him, to spend time with him and enjoy his presence and he would never take that for granted.

Denki finally reached the soft blanket and, with a huff, flopped down, emptying the contents of his arms dramatically onto the ground, squishing the flowers even more in the process.

“oh, shoot, babe, i’m so so sorry…” he gushed, pushing everything off the flowers to gingerly pick them up and handing them sheepishly to you, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

all you could do is laugh at the antics of your boyfriend as you admired the flowers despite their appearance. 

“thank you love. they’re beautiful,” you said earnestly, sending another soft smile his way.

Denki was absolutely mesmerized by your beauty. he was used to being scatterbrained; after all, his quirk really did fry his brain at times. the feeling he had looking at you though put any of his quirk brain to shame. he turned into absolute mush at the mere sight of you and here you were, a golden child, an angel with a halo of light, spending time with a dork like him. he was dumbfounded.

“what are you thinking about?” you asked, tilting your head at him quizzically.

Denki was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of your voice, and without really thinking, replied, “you. you’re absolutely breathtaking. i don’t know how lucky i got but i will never take this for granted, never take you for granted.”

you sat there, mouth agape and the red flush on your face only increasing, now not only from the sun but from the pure love you felt towards the man who looked at you like you were the sun itself. you were unsure of how to respond and so instead leaned forward to press a sweet kiss to him, lips locked in a gentle embrace.

“babe, as much as i love kissing you, i’m really, really hungry,” Denki whined, pulling away with a pout on his lips.

you only smirked at his response and reached down to pluck a chocolate covered strawberry from the delicious array of food. slowly, you brought the juicy berry up to his lips. as he closed his eyes and leaned forward to take a bite, you snatched the sweet away and bit down into it yourself, a soft giggle emanating from your lips. 

“hey! no fair!”

without warning, Denki lurched forward and kissed you again, swiping your lips with his tongue before pulling away.

“had to get back at you somehow!”

you sent another giggle his way and picked up another strawberry, this time successfully delivering the fruit to his mouth. the two of you sat there under the shade of the tree for hours, feeding each other food, laughing and giggling the whole way.

after awhile, with bellies full of good food and drink, laziness got the best of you both. throw pillows were arranged in a comfortable pile and you both plopped down, snuggling into each other’s arms. the next few hours were spent cloud watching, calling out silly objects, moving your heads in weird angles to try and spot new cloud formations. 

eventually, as the sky started to darken, you dozed off, warm and happy in your boyfriends arms. he softly stroked your hair and almost fell into his own deep sleep when a streak of light caught his eye. quickly, he sat up, throwing you to the side accidentally in the process, not even realizing what he was doing.

“(y/n)! wake up!” he hissed, blindly reaching for your body to shake you awake, eyes never leaving the sky as more and more streaks of light made its way across the night sky.

you bolted up, afraid something was happening, but immediately understood as your eyes also turned to the sky.

“a meteor shower,” you whispered in awe, laying back down and making yourself comfortable.

“hey Denki, you know what this means, right?”

“what? the world isn’t going to end, is it?”

“no you doofus, the light is coming from the meteors burning up in the atmosphere.”

“oh, then what is it?”

“these are all shooting stars almost. you can make any wish you want and it’s supposed to come true. so, what are you wishing for?”

Denki thought about what he would want out of life: becoming a pro hero, making more friends, staying cool forever. nothing compared to what he had next to him and so, with a gentle sigh, he moved back to lay down next to you again, wrapping his arms around your body and pulling you close.

“i don’t need to wish for anything because everything i would ever really want is in my arms.”

[loz-and-lu-fan-blog]

LU hunger games the 50th game

Based on a hunger games linked universe au we’re working on, enjoy Time’s game

-

District 10, the district of livestock as the capital saw us. Honestly the capital couldn’t tell their elbow from their knee when it came to the districts. Sure they would always tell the difference between districts 1 and 2 but all the others failed through the cracks. Yet they act like they know everything about the districts.

‘What a bunch of horse crap’

Each district has it’s own unique culture due to their environment especially the poorer away from the capital.

Like District 10 for example, Navi’s home. The district of livestock, you would think that they were a bunch of tan farmers constant getting good food. ‘Nope, life was never fair to them’

The District was that of a giant community with slight differences between the people based on their jobs. Like where Navi starts most of her mornings, the food hall.

The food hall was a big building where most of the ‘famers’ were. Ironically these people never interacted with the animals, their main job was the crops. These crops that were either fed to the animals or their community, as they couldn’t have a taste of any of the meat, all of that went to the capital. So they mostly worked outside, sunkissed for all to see as they harvested grains and other veggies sorting them between ones for the animals and one for the people. However just because they grew food it didn’t always mean there was enough, it was common to see skinny adults or even children from their meals of veggies.

Navi had decided to grab some rice egg rolls to take back to their barn, seeing how each family or two lives in a barn with whatever animals they were assigned to take care of.

Their were many bright and odd hair colors that you would think they were part of the capital, but they were used for anything but fashion. When it child came to the age of 15 they would dye their hair with berries and other natural materials. It was a sign that they had met the age where they would volunteer for the hunger games. 

Not that they enjoy the games, in fact they hated the games with a passion. However it took years of seeing children between the age from 11-14 being sent to their death that the district decided it was enough. By then it was an unspoken rule that if you were 15-17 and someone younger got selected for the games you would volunteer in their place.

Navi looked down as she walked, looking at the food, seeing her blue tinted hair making her sign. She had just turned 15, which means she had to dye her hair and chose a blue color. It sucked but being 15 came with it’s problems. Like when a child turned 11. Like her baby brother Link, the one she would do anything to protect.

‘The one she ended up going to the hunger games with.’

When she got back to her house, well really a barn, she was greeted by her two mothers Tatl and Tael. One fact is she had really no idea the relationship of her mothers, were they friends? Sisters? Roommates? Lovers? Either way they had took her and Link in so she didn’t question it.

Her mother Tatl was very obviously from the gardening part of her district, her had golden skin that was only match by her golden locks, however her blue eyes held the iceis glare to them.

Her other mother Tael was the opposite of Tatl and if Navi had a guess her birth mother. Tael skin was overall pale like Navi, proof of them being assigned to the barns to look after the livestock. Despite her being way past the age of the hunger games reaping, her hair was still dyed. Her hair matched her rare purple eyes, likely dyed with poisonous nightblood berries. However despite all of that she was still the soft spoke of the two.

“Your back sweetie” Tael said with a smile bringing Navi in for a kiss. Navi smiled and handed over the food, however Tatl face had a very clear frown, which wasn’t a surprise considering today was the day of the reaping.

“Go check up on Link” Tatl ordered, however her voice has a soft tone making it known something was wrong.

Navi nodded in agreement and ran up the loft to where their beds were and likely where Link should have been sleeping. However instead of the peaceful quiet of clucking hens and the occasional cow moo her ears heard quiet sobs and whimpers.

“Link” Navi said as she rushed to the boy’s side, the young child moved to look at his older sister, his eyes were red with tears. He quickly shifted to hug the other sibling. A Link whimpered in her arms she realized why Tatl order her up here, she was always the best at comforting Link.

“It was the woods again” Link whimpered out as he tightened his grip on Navi. “It was watching me again..Dragging me back”

Navi just signed, as she tried to comfort her younger adopted brother. She never knew why the young child was so scared of the lost woods which she had found him in. It always had concerns her that he had such an irrational fear of that and not anything else, not the capital, not the hunger games or the peacekeepers, hell not even death scared the child, only the woods.

Navi just comforts the boy before they got ready for Links first ever reaping. However she never knew what would really happen during that reaping.

--

So they had gotten ready for the reaping, well as ready as they could be for it. Everyone who was of age put on their best clothes and got washed up the best they could, kind of hard to scrub away a year worth of dirt.

As they got to the town square and were all pricked to add their names to the lotto. Soon they were all separated to be sorted by ages, their ambassador from the capital saw the reaping year after year and had decided separating them wasn’t worth the effort anymore. The bowl which held all their names got changed as well, seeing how it never mattered if it was a boy or girl, the district had just put all the ballets into a giant single bowl.

As Navi stood in the back she could seen the past ‘winners’ of the game. Truth was their were never enough winners to trade the ‘next’ victors, the capital had assigned trainers to pose as past victors, maybe to give the an fair advantage? Navi wouldn’t bet on it.

Of all their victors Impa, the winner of the 26 hunger games was the only one sober enough to train. Rhoam and Deku both had a disgusted look whenever they came to the reaping and if you got close enough to the stage you could smell the alcohol and berries coming off of them. Navi hoped that Impa could help make a winner this year, it was the quarter quell after all which meant something new was going to happen.

Navi just started to tune out the whole speech, what was the point? Everyone just wanted to go home to help the two families mourn.

“The first tribute for this year's Hunger game is…….Link Forester” The lady announced.

‘What? Wait what?’ Navi thoughts screamed as she looked around. She saw many shocked faces as it was rare for someone to be picked their first year. She looked at her mothers shocked faces.

“Come on sweetie, don’t be shy” the ambassador said snapping Navi out of her shock. Navi looked over the crown to see Link slowly walk to the opening pathway, walking to his death.

“Link, NO!” Navi screamed out as she ran out of her spot. Peacekeepers had grabbed her brother to drag him to the stage, while the peacekeepers kept Navi away from her brother. “No! I volunteer! I’ll Volunteer!” Navi shoved away the peacekeepers away standing tall to look the ambassador in the eyes “I volunteer as tribute”

“It seems that we have a volunteer” The ambassador states as the peacekeeper let go of both of them. Navi ran up to Link who was now crying, muttering out no’s.

“Link go find our moms, I’m so sorry” Navi ordered the crying child that had his hands hooked into her skirt. Mido, another 15 year old, broke out of line to grab the child. Link screamed out for Navi as Mido hauled him to Tatl and Tael.

Navi just walked numbly to the front, to climb up to her death. The ambassador just smiled at her, Impa just looked neutral while Rhoam and Deku just sneered at her, proving to her that they definitely weren't from the district.

“What’s your name sweetheart?” The ambassador asked.

“Navi Forester,” Navi said softly as she stared out into the crowd. She could see her brother crying into her mother’s skirt. She could see the other older kids with the weird hair colors look at her with nodding. It was more common for elder siblings to volunteer for the younger ones. 

Navi went numb as the lady began to ramble on and on again. Finally the lady went over to pull the next name who would follow her to death.

“The next tribute is…..that can’t be right” The ambassador muttered before turning back to the crowd “The next tribute will be...Link Forester”

Navi turned to the ambassador in shock as the others in the crowd erupted in protest. The peacekeepers went to grab Link as Tatl and Tael were trying to fight back not wanting to lose both kids. The elder kids looked on in horror as the young child was dragged from his mothers.

“That can’t be right!!” Navi yelled from the stage making the ambassador jump “It’s his first year, his name should have only been in there once!”

As Link was pulled away from his mothers and forced to walk down the path, the other kids started to get angry.

“I volunteer!” Mido screamed out. “No me! I want to fight!” Another boy screamed out.

Link finally got to the front stage, each step made Navi’s heart sank more. She tried to bite back the bile from the older victors snickering, but seeing how there were so many volunteers she knew her brother would be safe.

As Link walked up to the stage, his tears had stopped but his eyes were still red. The ambassador raised her hand to quit down the group. 

“Due to a recent change, no district will be allowed two volunteers” The lady said as more screams and yelled erupted from the crowd. The peacekeepers rushed Link and Navi inside as they went to handle the violence outside.

Navi wrapped her arms about Link and buried her face into his hair and cried. 

Link just stood there silently, vowing to make sure his sister left the games alive.

[blackkudos]

Diana Ross

Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Ross rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes, who during the 1960s became Motown's most successful act, and are the best-charting female group in US history, as well as one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. The group released a record-setting twelve number one hit singles on the US Billboard Hot 100, including "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Come See About Me", "Stop! In the Name of Love", "You Can't Hurry Love", "You Keep Me Hangin' On", "Love Child", and "Someday We'll Be Together".

Following her departure from the Supremes in 1970, Ross released her eponymous debut solo album that same year, featuring the No. 1 Pop hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". She later released the album Touch Me in the Morning in 1973; its title track was her second solo No. 1 hit. She continued a successful solo career through the 1970s, which included hit albums like Mahogany and Diana Ross and their No. 1 hit singles, "Theme from Mahogany" and "Love Hangover", respectively. Her 1980 album Diana produced another No. 1 single, "Upside Down", as well as the international hit "I'm Coming Out". Her final single with Motown during her initial run with the company achieved her sixth and final US number one Pop hit, the duet "Endless Love" featuring Lionel Richie, whose solo career was launched with its success.

Ross has also ventured into acting, with a Golden Globe Award-winning and Academy Award–nominated performance in the film Lady Sings the Blues (1972); she recorded its soundtrack, which became a number one hit. She also starred in two other feature films, Mahogany (1975) and The Wiz (1978), later acting in the television films Out of Darkness (1994), for which she also was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and Double Platinum (1999).

She is the only female artist to have number one singles as a solo artist; as the other half of a duet (Lionel Richie); as a member of a trio; and as an ensemble member (We are the World-USA for Africa). In 1976, Ross was named the "Female Entertainer of the Century" by Billboard magazine. In 1993, the Guinness Book of World Records declared her the most successful female music artist in history, due to her success in the United States and United Kingdom for having more hits than any female artist in the charts, with a career total of 70 hit singles with her work with the Supremes and as a solo artist. She had a top 10 UK hit in every one of the last five decades, and sang lead on a top 75 hit single at least once every year from 1964 to 1996 in the UK, a period of 33 consecutive years and a record for any performer.

In 1988, Ross was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Supremes, alongside Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. She was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. Ross is also one of the few recording artists to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—one as a solo artist and the other as a member of the Supremes. In Billboard magazine's Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists chart, she ranked 16th as the lead singer of the Supremes and 26th as a solo artist. Diana Ross ranks among the Top 5 artists of the rock era (1955 to date) on the Billboard Hot 100 when combining her solo and Supremes' hits.

Early life

Diana Ross was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 26, 1944. She was the second-eldest child of Ernestine (née Moten; January 27, 1916 – October 9, 1984) and Fred Ross, Sr. (July 4, 1920 – November 21, 2007). Ross's elder sister is American physician Barbara Ross-Lee.

According to Ross, her mother actually named her "Diane", but, a clerical error resulted in her name being recorded as "Diana" on her birth certificate. She was listed as "Diane" during the first Supremes records, and she introduced herself as "Diane" until early in the group's heyday. Her friends and family still call her "Diane".

Ross's grandfather John E. Ross, a native of Gloucester County, Virginia, was born to Washington Ross and Virginia Baytop. Virginia Baytop's mother Francis "Frankey" Baytop was a former slave who had become a midwife after the Civil War.

Ross and her family originally lived on Belmont Road in the North End section of Detroit, near Highland Park, Michigan, where her neighbor was Smokey Robinson. When Ross was seven, her mother contracted tuberculosis, causing her to become seriously ill. Ross's father moved with his children to live with relatives in Bessemer, Alabama. After her mother recovered, her family moved back to Detroit.

On her 14th birthday in 1958, her family relocated to the working-class Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects settling at St. Antoine Street. Attending Cass Technical High School, a four-year college and preparatory magnet school, in downtown Detroit, Ross began taking classes including clothing design, millinery, pattern making, and tailoring, as she had aspired to become a fashion designer. She also took modeling and cosmetology classes at the school and participated in three or four other extracurricular activities while being there.

Ross also worked at Hudson's Department Store where it has been claimed in biographies, she was the first black employee "allowed outside the kitchen". For extra income, she provided hairdressing services for her neighbors. Ross graduated from Cass Tech in January 1962.

Career

The Supremes: 1959–1970

At fifteen, Ross joined the Primettes, a sister group of a male vocal group called the Primes, after being brought to the attention of music manager Milton Jenkins by Primes member Paul Williams. Along with Ross, the other members included Florence Ballard, the first group member hired by Jenkins, Mary Wilson, and Betty McGlown. Following a talent competition win in Windsor, Ontario, in 1960, the Primettes were invited to audition for Motown records.

Later, following local success via live performances at sock hops, etc., Ross approached former neighbor (and rumored childhood former boyfriend), William "Smokey" Robinson, who insisted that the group audition for him first. Robinson agreed to bring the Primettes to Motown, in exchange for letting him and the Miracles hire the Primettes' guitarist, Marv Tarplin, for an upcoming tour. Tarplin played in Robinson's band(s) for the next 30-plus years.

In her autobiography, "Secrets of a Sparrow", Ross wrote that she felt that deal was "a fair trade". The Primettes later auditioned for Motown Records, before various Motown executives. In Berry Gordy's autobiography, To Be Loved, Gordy recalled he was heading to a business meeting when he heard Ross singing "There Goes My Baby" and Ross's voice "stopped me in my tracks". He approached the group and asked them to perform it again but, learning of their ages, Gordy advised them to come back after graduating from high school.

Undeterred, the group went to Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. headquarters regularly, offering to provide extra help for Motown's recordings, often including hand claps and background vocals. That year, the group recorded two tracks for Lu Pine Records, with Ross singing lead on one of the tracks. During the group's early years, Ross served as hair stylist, make-up artist, seamstress, and costume designer. In late 1960, having replaced McGlown with Barbara Martin, the Primettes were allowed to record their own songs at Hitsville's studio, many written by "Smokey" Robinson, who, by then, was vice president of Motown ("Your Heart Belongs to Me" and "A Breathtaking Guy"). Gordy, too, composed songs for the trio, including "Buttered Popcorn" (featuring Ballard on lead) and "Let Me Go the Right Way". While these songs were regional hits, they were not nationwide successes.

In January 1961, Gordy agreed to sign the group on the condition they change their name. Eventually, Janie Bradford approached Florence Ballard, the only group member at the studio at the time, to pick out a new name for the group. Ballard chose "Supremes", reportedly, because it was the only name on the list that did not end with "ette". Upon hearing the new name, the other members weren't impressed, with Ross telling Ballard she feared the group would be mistaken for a male vocal group (a male vocal group was, indeed, named the Supremes). Gordy signed the group under their name on January 15, 1961.

A year later, Barbara Martin left the group, reducing the quartet to a trio. In late 1963, the group had their first hit with "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes", peaking at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. At the end of the year, Gordy assigned Ross as the group's lead singer, even though Ballard was usually the lead vocalist.

The group scored their first number-one hit with "Where Did Our Love Go", paving the way for unprecedented success: between August 1964 and May 1967, Ross, Wilson, and Ballard sang on ten number-one hit singles, all of which also made the UK top 40. The group had also become a hit with audiences both domestically and abroad, going on to become Motown's most successful vocal act throughout the sixties. Following significant issues with her comportment, weight, and alcoholism, Florence Ballard was fired from the Supremes by Gordy in July 1967, hiring Cindy Birdsong from Patti LaBelle and the Blue-Bells as Ballard's replacement.

Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the Supremes, making it easier to charge a larger performance fee for a solo star and a backing group, as it did for other renamed Motown groups. Gordy initially considered Ross leaving the Supremes for a solo career in 1966 but changed his mind because the group's success was still too significant for Ross to pursue solo obligations. Ross remained with the Supremes until early 1970.

The group appeared as a trio of singing nuns in a 1968 episode of the popular NBC TV series Tarzan. Between their early 1968 single "Forever Came Today" and their final single with Ross, "Someday We'll Be Together", Ross would be the only Supremes member to be featured on many of their recordings, often accompanied by session singers the Andantes or, as in the case of "Someday, We'll Be Together", Julia and Maxine Waters and Johnny Bristol. Still, Wilson and Birdsong continued to sing on recordings.

Gordy, drove Ross diligently throughout this period and Ross, due to anxiety arising from Gordy's demands of her, began suffering from anorexia nervosa, according to her autobiography, Secrets of a Sparrow. During a 1967 performance in Boston, Massachusetts, Ross collapsed onstage, and had to be hospitalized for exhaustion.

In 1968, Ross began to perform as a solo artist on television specials, including the Supremes' own specials such as TCB and G.I.T. on Broadway, The Dinah Shore Show, and a Bob Hope special, among others. In mid-1969, Gordy decided that Ross would depart the group by the end of that year, and Ross began recording her initial solo work that July. One of the first plans for Ross to establish her own solo career was to publicly introduce a new Motown recording act.

Though she herself did not claim their discovery, Motown's publicity department credited Ross with having discovered the Jackson 5. Ross would introduce the group during several public events, including The Hollywood Palace. In November, Ross confirmed a split from the Supremes in Billboard. Ross' presumed first solo recording, "Someday We'll Be Together", was eventually released as a Supremes recording and became the group's final number-one hit on the Hot 100. It was also the final number-one Billboard Hot 100 single of the 1960s. Ross made her final appearance with the Supremes at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 14, 1970.

Solo career,Touch Me in the Morning, Duets album, Lady Sings the Blues soundtrack and diana: 1970–1981

In May 1970, Ross released her eponymous solo debut, which included her signature songs, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", the latter becoming Ross' first number-one solo single. Follow-up albums, Everything Is Everything and Surrender came out shortly afterwards. In 1971, the ballad "I'm Still Waiting" became her first number-one single in the UK. Later in 1971, Ross starred in her first solo television special, Diana!, which included the Jackson 5.

In 1972, the soundtrack to her film debut, Lady Sings the Blues, reached number one on the Billboard 200, selling two million units. In 1973, Ross had her second number-one hit with the ballad "Touch Me in the Morning". Later in the year, Motown issued Diana & Marvin, a duet album with fellow Motown artist Marvin Gaye. The album became an international hit. Touring throughout 1973, Ross became the first entertainer in Japan's history to receive an invitation to the Imperial Palace for a private audience with the Empress Nagako, wife of Emperor Hirohito.

In April 1974, Ross became the first African-American woman to co-host the 46th Academy Awards, with John Huston, Burt Reynolds, and David Niven.

After the release of a modestly successful LP, Last Time I Saw Him, Ross had a third number-one hit with "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", from her second feature film, Mahogany. A year later, in 1976, Ross released her fourth solo number-one hit, "Love Hangover", a sensual, dramatic mid-tempo song that bursts into an uptempo disco tune. Later that year, Ross launched her "An Evening with Diana Ross" tour. The tour's success led to a two-week stint at Broadway's Palace Theatre and a 90-minute, Emmy-nominated television special of the same name, featuring special make-up effects by Stan Winston, for a scene in which Ross portrayed legendary cabaret artist Josephine Baker and blues singers Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters, and a Special Tony Award.

The albums Baby It's Me and Ross sold modestly. In 1979, Ross released The Boss, continuing her popularity with dance audiences, as the title song became a number-one dance single. On July 16, 1979, Ross guest-hosted an episode of Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, featuring Lynda Carter, George Carlin, and Muhammad Ali as guests. Later that year, Ross hosted the HBO special, Standing Room Only, filmed at Caesar's Palace's Circus Maximus Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada, during her "Tour '79" concert tour. This concert special is noted for its opening, during which Ross literally makes her entrance through a movie screen. In November of that year, Ross performed The Boss album's title track as a featured artist during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, in New York City.

In 1980, Ross released her most successful album to date, Diana. Composed by Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, the album included the hits "I'm Coming Out" and "Upside Down", the latter becoming her fifth chart-topping single. Prior to leaving Motown, Ross recorded the duet ballad "Endless Love", with Lionel Richie. The song would become her sixth and final single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Ross began negotiations to leave Motown at the end of 1980. After over 20 years with the label, Ross received US$250,000 as severance. RCA Records offered Ross a $20 million, seven-year recording contract, which gave her complete production control of her albums. Allegedly, before signing onto the label, Ross asked Berry Gordy if he could match RCA's offer. Gordy stated that doing so was "impossible". Ross then signed with RCA on May 20, 1981. At the time, Ross's was music history's most expensive recording deal.

Film career: 1972–1999

In 1971, Diana Ross began working on her first film, Lady Sings the Blues, which was a loosely based biography on singer Billie Holiday. Despite some criticism of her for taking the role, once the film opened in October 1972, Ross won critical acclaim for her performance in the film. Jazz critic Leonard Feather, a friend of Holiday's, praised Ross for "expertly capturing the essence of Lady Day". Ross's role in the film won her Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. The soundtrack to Lady Sings the Blues became just as successful, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 staying there for two weeks.

Ross's second film, Mahogany, was released in 1975. The film reunited her with Billy Dee Williams, her co-star in Lady Sings the Blues and featured costumes designed by Ross herself. The story of an aspiring fashion designer who becomes a runway model and the toast of the industry, Mahogany was a troubled production from its inception. The film's original director, Tony Richardson, was fired during production, and Berry Gordy assumed the director's chair himself.

In addition, Gordy and Ross clashed during filming, with Ross leaving the production before shooting was completed, forcing Gordy to use secretary Edna Anderson as a body double for Ross. While a box-office success, the film was not well received by the critics: Time magazine's review of the film chastised Gordy for "squandering one of America's most natural resources: Diana Ross."

In 1977, Motown acquired the film rights to the Broadway play The Wiz, an African-American reinterpretation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The film initially was to include the stage actors who had performed on the play, but, producer Rob Cohen could not garner the interest of any major Hollywood film studios. It was not until Ross convinced Cohen to cast her, (instead of Stephanie Mills, who portrayed Dorothy on Broadway) as Dorothy that Universal Pictures agreed to finance the production. This casting decision led to a change in the film's script, in which Dorothy went from a schoolgirl to a schoolteacher. The role of the Scarecrow, also performed by someone else onstage, was eventually given to Ross's former Motown labelmate, Michael Jackson.

The film adaptation of The Wiz had been a $24 million production, but upon its October 1978 release, it earned only $21,049,053 at the box office. Though pre-release television broadcast rights had been sold to CBS for over $10 million, the film produced a net loss of $10.4 million for Motown and Universal. At the time, it was the most expensive film musical ever made. The film's failure ended Ross's short career on the big screen and contributed to the Hollywood studios' reluctance to produce the all-black film projects which had become popular during the blaxploitation era of the early to mid-1970s for several years. The Wiz was Ross's final film for Motown.

Ross had success with movie-themed songs. The soundtrack for Lady Sings the Blues peaked at number one on Billboard's Pop chart, selling over 300,000 copies in its first eight days of release. While her version of Holiday's "Good Morning Heartache" only performed modestly well in early 1973, her recording of "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" gave Ross her third number-one hit, in late 1975.

Three years later, Ross and Michael Jackson had a modest dance hit with their recording of "Ease on Down the Road". Their second duet, actually as part of the ensemble of The Wiz, "Brand New Day", found some success overseas. Ross scored a Top 10 hit in late 1980 with the theme song to the 1980 film It's My Turn. The following year, she collaborated with former Commodores singer-songwriter Lionel Richie on the theme song for the film Endless Love. The Academy Award-nominated title single became her final hit on Motown Records and the number-two record of the year.

Several years later, in 1988, Ross recorded the theme song to The Land Before Time. "If We Hold on Together" became an international hit, reaching number one in Japan.

In 1993, Ross returned to acting with a dramatic role in the television film, Out of Darkness. Ross won acclaim for her role in the TV movie and earned her third Golden Globe nomination, although she did not win. In 1999, she and Brandy Norwood co-starred in the television movie, Double Platinum, which was aired prior to the release of Ross's album, Every Day Is a New Day.

Continued solo career and development: 1981–1999

In October 1981, Ross released her first RCA album, Why Do Fools Fall in Love. The album sold over a million copies and featured hit singles such as her remake of the classic hit of the same name and "Mirror Mirror". Shortly thereafter, Ross established her production company, named Anaid Productions ("Diana" spelled backwards), and also began investing in real estate and touring extensively in the United States and abroad.

Before the release of Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Ross hosted her first TV special in four years, Diana. Directed by Steve Binder, the concert portions of the special were filmed at Inglewood, California's 17,500-seat The Forum indoor stadium and featured performances by Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Dallas actor Larry Hagman, music impresario Quincy Jones and members of The Joffrey Ballet.

In early 1982, Ross sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XVI and appeared on the dance show Soul Train. The program devoted a full episode to her and Ross performed several songs from the Why Do Fools Fall in Love album.

On May 6, 1982, Ross was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1982, she followed up the success of Why Do Fools Fall in Love with Silk Electric, which featured the Michael Jackson-written and -produced "Muscles", resulting in another top-ten success for Ross. The album eventually went gold on the strength of that song. In 1983, Ross ventured further out of her earlier soul-based sound for a more pop rock-oriented sound following the release of the Ross album. Though the album featured the top 40 hit single, "Pieces of Ice", the Ross album did not generate any more hits or achieve gold status.

On July 21, 1983, Ross performed a free concert on Central Park's Great Lawn, aired live worldwide by Showtime. Proceeds of the concert would be donated to build a playground in the singer's name. Midway through the beginning of the show, a torrential downpour began. Ross tried to continue performing, but, the severe weather required that the show be stopped after 45 minutes. Ross urged the large crowd to exit the venue safely, promising to perform the next day.

The second concert held the very next day was without rain. The funds for the playground were to be derived from sales of various memorabilia. However, they were destroyed by the storm. When the mainstream media discovered the exorbitant costs of the two concerts, Ross faced criticism from New York City's then-mayor Ed Koch and the city's Parks Department commissioner and poor publicity. During a subsequent mayoral press conference, Ross handed Koch a check for US$250,000 for the project. The Diana Ross Playground was built three years later.

In 1984, Ross released Swept Away. The album featured All of You, a duet with friend Julio Iglesias. The single was featured on both Ross' album and Iglesias' 1100 Bel Air Place, his first English-language album. It became an international hit, as did the Lionel Richie-penned ballad "Missing You", composed as a tribute to Marvin Gaye, who had died earlier that year. Swept Away garnered gold record sales status.

Her 1985 album, Eaten Alive, found major success overseas. "Chain Reaction" reached number one on the UK charts as well as in Australia and Ireland and the title track also performed well. Both songs had strong music videos that propelled the tracks to success. The Eaten Alive video was patterned after the 1960s horror film, The Island of Dr. Moreau while the "Chain Reaction" music video saluted the 1960s American Bandstand-style music shows. "Experience", the third international single's video reignited the "Eaten Alive" romantic storyline with Diana and actor Joseph Gian. The track, Eaten Alive, a collaboration with Barry Gibb and Michael Jackson, became a top 20 hit internationally.

The Barry Gibb-produced album garnered an international number one in "Chain Reaction" and a Top 20 selling album. It is believed Michael Finbarr Murphy, a distant cousin of Alan Murphy, guitarist for singer Kate Bush, Level 42 and others, played the guitar parts on "Chain Reaction". Michael was the producer for Unknown Quantity, the backing vocalists featured on the "Chain Reaction" track, are also featured as Ross' backing singers in the track's video. There were four members of Unknown Quantity, however, only 3 were needed for the video.

Earlier in 1985, Ross appeared as part of USA for Africa's '"We Are the World"' charity single, which sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Ross's 1987 follow-up to Eaten Alive, Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (No. 39 Billboard Top R&B Albums chart; No. 12 Sweden), found less success than the prior album. The accompanying acclaimed television special was nominated for three Emmy Awards, winning two (Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program - Ray Aghayan and Ret Turner; Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Miniseries or a Special - Greg Brunton).

On January 27, 1986, Ross hosted the 13th annual American Music Awards. Ross returned the next year to host the 14th annual telecast.

In 1988, Ross chose to not renew her RCA contract, and had been in talks with her former mentor Berry Gordy to return to Motown. When she learned of Gordy's plans to sell Motown, Ross tried advising him against the decision though he sold it to MCA Records in 1988. Following the sale of the company, Ross was asked to return to the Motown label with the condition that she have shares in the company as a part-owner. Ross accepted the offer.

Ross' next album, 1989's Workin' Overtime was not a commercial success, despite the title track reaching the top three of the Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot R&B Albums chart, and achieved top 25 placings in Japan and the UK, attaining a silver certification in the latter country. Subsequent releases, such as The Force Behind the Power (1991), Take Me Higher (1995), and Every Day Is a New Day (1999) produced similar results. Ross's albums achieved more international than domestic success.

In 1991, Ross became one of the few American artists to have headlined the annual Royal Variety Performance, performing a selection of her UK hits before Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London.

"The Force Behind the Power" sparked an international comeback of sorts when the album went double platinum in the UK. led by the No. 2 UK hit single "When You Tell Me That You Love Me". The single's duet version with Irish group, Westlife, also hit No. 2 in the UK in 2005. The album performed well across Europe and into Japan as "The Force Behind the Power" achieved Gold record status in the nation. The album produced an astounding 9 singles across international territories, including another Top 10 hit, "One Shining Moment".

In 1994, One Woman: The Ultimate Collection, a career retrospective compilation, became a number one hit in the UK, selling quadruple platinum, and selling well across Europe and in the English-speaking world. The retrospective was EMI's alternative to Motown's box set Forever Diana: Musical Memoirs.

Ross performed during the Opening Ceremony of the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in Chicago, where she infamously missed a penalty kick that was part of her act, and during the pre-match entertainment of the 1995 Rugby League World Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

On January 28, 1996, Ross performed the halftime show at Super Bowl XXX. Earlier that month, Ross' Tokyo concert, "Diana Ross: Live In Japan" filmed live at the city's Nippon Bodukan Stadium, was released.

In May, 1996, Ross received the World Music Awards' Lifelong Contribution to the Music Industry Award.

On November 29, 1996, EMI released the compilation album, Voice of Love, featuring the singles "In the Ones You Love", "You Are Not Alone" and "I Hear (The Voice of Love)".

On February 8, 1997, EMI released the Japanese edition of Ross' album, A Gift of Love, featuring the single, "Promise Me You'll Try".

In May, 1997, Ross performed with operatic tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras again at the Superconcert of the Century concert, held in Taipei, Taiwan.

On May 6, 1997, Ross inducted The Jackson 5 into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

On February 19, 1998, Ross hosted the Motown 40 telecast on ABC.

In 1999, Ross was named the most successful female singer in the history of the United Kingdom charts, based upon a tally of her career hits. Madonna would soon succeed Ross as the most successful female artist in the UK. Later that year, Ross presented at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards in September of the year and shocked the audience by touching rapper Lil' Kim's exposed breast, pasty-covered nipple, amazed at the young rapper's brashness.

Supremes reunions, Return to Love and 2002 solo tour

Ross reunited with Mary Wilson first in 1976 to attend the funeral service of Florence Ballard, who had died in February of that year. In March 1983, Ross agreed to reunite with Wilson and Cindy Birdsong for the television special "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever". The Supremes did not rehearse their performance for that evening, due to time constraints. A scheduled medley of hits was cancelled.

Instead of following producer Suzanne dePasse's instructions to recreate their choreography from their final Ed Sullivan Show appearance, Wilson (according to her autobiography) planned with Birdsong to take a step forward every time Ross did the same, then began to sing lead on the group's final number-one hit song, "Someday We'll Be Together", on which Wilson did not perform.

Later, Wilson introduced Berry Gordy from the stage (unaware that the program's script called for Ross to introduce Gordy), at which point Ross subtly pushed down Wilson's hand-held microphone, stating, "It's been taken care of." Ross then re-introduced Gordy. These moments were excised from the final edit of the taped special, but still made their way into the news media; People magazine reported that "Ross [did] some elbowing to get Wilson out of the spotlight."

In 1999, Ross and mega-tour promoter SFX (which later became LiveNation) began negotiations regarding a Diana Ross tour which would include a Supremes segment. During negotiations with Ross, the promoters considered the creation of a Supremes tour, instead. Ross agreed. As the tour's co-producer, Ross invited all living former Supremes to participate. Neither Jean Terrell nor late 1970s member Susaye Greene chose to participate. 70s Supremes Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne were then touring as Former Ladies of the Supremes.

Ross contacted Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, who then began negotiations with SFX. Negotiations with Wilson and Birdsong (who allowed Wilson to negotiate on her behalf) failed when Wilson refused SFX's and Ross' offer of $4 Million for 30 performances. Following the passage of SFX's final deadline for Wilson to accept their offer. Payne and Laurence, already negotiating with SFX, signed on to perform with Ross on the tour.

Laurence and Payne would later say that they got along well with Ross. The newly formed group performed together on The Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as VH1's Divas 2000: A tribute To Diana Ross. The Return to Love tour launched in June 2000, to a capacity audience in Philadelphia. The tour's final performance was at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The tour was cancelled by SFX shortly thereafter, due to mediocre ticket sales, despite glowing reviews from media as varied as Billboard magazine, The Detroit Free Press, the Los Angeles Times and The Village Voice newspapers.

On December 5, 2000, Ross received a Heroes Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS). The Heroes Award is the highest distinction bestowed by the New York Chapter.

Diana Ross' first public post-RTL appearance was at a fundraiser for former President Bill Clinton. In January 2001, "Love & Life: The Very Best of Diana Ross" was released in the United Kingdom, becoming Ross' 17th gold album in that country. In June, Ross presented costume designer Bob Mackie with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Fashion Awards.

Two days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Ross performed "God Bless America" at the U.S. Open tennis championships before the tournament's women's final, between Venus and Serena Williams. Immediately following the attacks, Ross performed the song again at Shea Stadium, before the Mets first game, after driving cross-country to be with her children(In the wake of the attacks, flying in the U.S. was temporarily restricted.). Ross teamed with legendary singers Patti LaBelle, Eartha Kitt among others for a Nile Rodgers-produced recording of Sister Sledge's classic disco hit, "We Are Family", recorded to benefit the families of 9/11 victims.

In May 2002, Ross and all five of her children appeared on Barbara Walters' Mother's Day television special. Shortly thereafter, Ross admitted herself into the 30-day substance abuse program at the Promises Institute in Malibu, California, after friends and family began to notice a burgeoning alcohol problem. Ross left the program three weeks later, and began to fulfill previously scheduled concert dates, beginning with a performance before a 60,000-strong crowd at London's Hyde Park, for Prince Charles' Prince's Trust charity.

U.S. ticket sales for the new tour were brisk, from coast to coast. Venues such as Long Island, New York's Westbury Music Fair and California's Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay attempted to add extra shows, due to public demand. Sold-out performances in Boston and Ontario, Canada, followed. In August, shortly after the tour began, however, Ross re-entered the Promises Institute's substance abuse rehabilitation program. That December, during her stay at Arizona's Canyon ranch Health Resort, Ross was pulled over by Tucson police for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. She failed a breathalizer test and was arrested for a DUI. Ross was later sentenced to 48 hours in jail, which she served near her home in Greenwich, Connecticut.

In January 2003, Ross was honored as Humanitarian of the Year by Nile Rodgers' We Are Family Foundation. Shortly thereafter, Ross was feted as an honored guest at the National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters Awards. Later that year, Ross was the guest performer at that year's Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute's annual gala, in an ensemble custom-designed by designer Tom Ford, followed by an appearance as the surprise celebrity model for American couturier Dennis Basso's runway show.

In February, 2003, The Supremes were honored by The Rhythm & Blues Foundation honored The Supremes with its Pioneer Award.

Later career: 2004–present

In May 2004, Ross and daughter Tracee Ellis Ross appeared on the cover of Essence Magazine, in celebration of its 50th anniversary. On December 8, 2004, Ross was the featured performer for Stevie Wonder's Billboard Awards' Billboard Century Award tribute.

On January 14, 2005, Ross performed at the Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope TV concert to help raise money for Indonesian tsunami victims. On January 20, 2005, Ross launched her M.A.C. Icon makeup collection, as part of the beauty corporation's Icon Series. In 2005, Ross participated in Rod Stewart's Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV recording a duet version of the Gershwin standard, "I've Got a Crush on You". The song was released as promotion for the album and later reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart, marking her first Billboard chart entry since 2000. Ross was featured in another hit duet, this time with Westlife, on a cover of Ross's 1991 hit "When You Tell Me You Love Me", repeating the original recording's chart success, garnering a number 2 UK Singles Chart hit (number 1 in Ireland).

Also in 2005, Ross was featured as an honored guest at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball Weekend, a three-day celebration honoring 25 African-American women in art, entertainment and civil rights. On May 22, 2006, a year after the celebration, a one-hour program about the weekend aired on ABC, including celebrity interviews and behind-the-scenes moments. On March 22, 2006, Ross' televised Central Park concerts, entitled "For One & for All", are named TV Land Awards' Viewer's Choice for Television's Greatest Music Moment.

In June 2006, Universal released Ross's shelved 1972 Blue album. It peaked at number two on Billboard's jazz albums chart. Later in 2006, Ross released her first studio album in seven years with I Love You. It would be released on EMI/Manhattan Records in the United States in January 2007. EMI Inside later reported the album had sold more than 622,000 copies worldwide. "I Love You" peaked at No. 32 on Billboard's Hot 200 albums chart and No. 16 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart. Ross later ventured on a world tour to promote I Love You. In 2007, Ross was honored with the BET Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award and, later, as one of the honorees at the Kennedy Center Honors.

On August 28, 2008, Ross performed at the opening of the US Open tennis tournament, as part of a tribute to Billie Jean King. Ross headlined the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway.

In October 2009, Ross was the featured performer at the annual "Symphonica in Rosso" concert series, held at the GelreDome Stadium in Arnhem, Netherlands.

In 2010, Ross embarked on her first headlining tour in three years titled the More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour. Dedicated to the memory of her late friend Michael Jackson, the concert tour garnered positive reviews, nationwide.

In 2011, Diana Ross was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.

In February 2012, Ross received her first Grammy Award, for Lifetime Achievement, and announced the nominees for the Album of the Year. In May, a DVD of her Central Park concert performances, For One & For All, was released and featured commentary from Steve Binder, who directed the special. A month later, on December 9, she performed as the marquee and headlining performer at the White House-hosted Christmas in Washington concert, where she performed before President Barack Obama. The event was later broadcast as an annual special on TNT. In 2013, Ross completed a tour in South America and a tour in the United States. On July 3, 2014, Ross was awarded the Ella Fitzgerald Award for "her extraordinary contribution to contemporary jazz vocals", at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. On November 20, 2014, Ross presented the Dick Clark Award for Excellence to Taylor Swift at the American Music Awards.

In 2015, Ross appeared in the video for the song "How to Live Alone" performed by her son Evan Ross. On April 1, 2015, Ross began the first of nine performances as a part of her mini-residency, The Essential Diana Ross: Some Memories Never Fade at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada. On November 27, 2015, Motown Records/Universal released the album Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz, recorded in 1978. The album features Ross' versions of songs from the film version of the musical The Wiz, in which she starred along with Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Richard Pryor and Lena Horn.

In February 2016, Ross resumed her In the Name of Love Tour, which began in 2013. On November 22, 2016, Ross was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.

In December 2016, Billboard magazine named her the 50th most successful dance artist of all time.

On June 30, 2017, Ross headlined the Essence Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana, with her daughter Rhonda Ross-Kendrick performing as the opening act. On November 19, 2017, Ross received the American Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. Ross performed several of her hits, ending with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", during which she brought all of her grandchildren onstage. Her eldest grandson, eight-year-old Raif-Henok Emmanuel Kendrick, son of Rhonda Ross-Kendrick and husband, Rodney, performed an impromptu dance behind Ross, which gained attention. Ross was then joined onstage by all of her children, their spouses, first ex-husband Robert Ellis, Smokey Robinson (who brought Ross to Motown) and Motown founder, Berry Gordy.

In December 2017, Ross appeared on the Home Shopping Network to promote her first fragrance, Diamond Diana. The fragrance sold out within hours. Ross made several hour-long appearances on the network, and also released a tie-in CD retrospective collection of her music entitled Diamond Diana. Diamond Diana peaked at number six on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and number five on its Top Album Sales chart. The CD's first single release, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough 2017", remixed by Eric Kupper, reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.

On February 8, 2018, Ross began a new mini-residency at The Wynn Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. On August 4, 2018, Ross scored another No. 1 hit on Billboard's Top Dance Chart with "I'm Coming Out/Upside Down 2018" She performed a song from a to-be-released compilation Christmas album at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22, 2018.

In December 2018, Diana Ross consolidated her status as a dance diva by ranking #3 in the Billboard Dance Club Songs Artists year-end chart.

On February 10, 2019, the Recording Academy honored Ross at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Ross performed "The Best Years of My Life" and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". In 2019 her song "The Boss" was remixed by Eric Kupper as "The Boss 2019", and reached number one on Billboard's Top Dance Chart on April 13.

On October 10, 2019, it was announced that Diana Ross would play the Sunday legends slot on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival for the festival's 50th anniversary.

Personal life

Relationships and family

Ross has been married twice and has five children.

In 1965, Ross became romantically involved with Motown CEO Berry Gordy. The relationship lasted several years, resulting in the birth of Ross's eldest child, Rhonda Suzanne Silberstein, in August 1971. Two months into her pregnancy with Rhonda, in January 1971, Ross married music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein, who raised Rhonda as his own daughter, despite knowing her true paternity. Ross told Rhonda that Gordy was her biological father when Rhonda was 13 years old. Beforehand, Rhonda referred to Gordy as "Uncle B.B."

Ross has two daughters with Silberstein, Tracee Joy and Chudney Lane Silberstein, born in 1972 and 1975, respectively. Ross and Silberstein divorced in 1977, and Ross moved to New York City in the early 1980s, after living in Los Angeles since Motown relocated to the area in the early 1970s.

Ross dated Gene Simmons, bass guitarist and singer for the band Kiss, from 1980 to 1983. They began dating after Cher, who had remained friends with Simmons following their break-up, suggested he ask Ross to help him choose her Christmas present. Simmons, in his autobiography, contends that he was not dating Cher when he met Ross. Ross ended her relationship with Simmons when he gave Ross the erroneous impression that he had resumed his relationship with Cher. Simmons' story differed in 2015 when he revealed that he fell in love with Ross while dating Cher, which ended Ross and Cher's friendship.

Ross met her second husband, Norwegian shipping magnate Arne Næss Jr., in 1985, and married him the following year. She became stepmother to his three elder children; Katinka, Christoffer, and folk singer Leona Naess. They have two sons together: Ross Arne (born in 1987) and Evan Olav (born in 1988). Ross and Næss divorced in 2000, after press reports revealed that Naess had fathered a child with another woman in Norway. Ross considers Næss the love of her life. Næss fell to his death in a South African mountain climbing accident in 2004. Ross remains close with her three ex-stepchildren.

Ross has six grandchildren: grandson Raif-Henok (born in 2009 to her daughter Rhonda); grandsons Leif (born on June 5, 2016) and Idingo (born 2017), born to her son Ross Næss; granddaughters Callaway Lane (born in 2012) and Everlee (born October 2019) born to Ross's daughter Chudney; and granddaughter Jagger Snow (born in 2015 to Ross's son Evan).

Religious views

Diana Ross considers herself a Baptist. She used to sing in a church, where she gained her initial musical experience. Her mother Ernestine's father, Reverend William Moten, served as a pastor in the Bessemer Baptist Church in Bessemer, Alabama. The Ross children spent considerable time with their maternal grandparents during their mother's bouts with tuberculosis.

2002 arrest

Diana Ross was arrested for DUI on December 30, 2002, in Tucson, Arizona, while undergoing substance abuse treatment at a local rehabilitation facility. She later served a two-day sentence near her Connecticut estate.

Legacy

Ross has influenced many artists including Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Madonna, Jade Thirlwall, Questlove, Ledisi and the Ting Tings.

Various works have been inspired by Ross's career and life. The character of Deena Jones in Dreamgirls was inspired by Ross.

Several of Ross's songs have been covered and sampled. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" has been featured in the film Chicken Little. The song has also been covered live and on albums by Jennifer Lopez, Amy Winehouse. Janet Jackson sampled "Love Hangover" on her 1997 song "My Need" (featured on the album The Velvet Rope), having already sampled "Love Child" and "Someday We'll Be Together" by Ross & the Supremes on her 1993 tracks "You Want This" and "If" (both released as singles from the janet. album). "Love Hangover" was also sampled in Monica's 1998 number 1 "The First Night" as well as being sampled by Will Smith, Master P (who also sampled "Missing You"), Heavy D and Bone Thugs N Harmony, "It's Your Move" was sampled in 2011 by Vektroid for her song "Lisa Frank 420 / Modern Computing", which appeared in her ninth album Floral Shoppe under her one-time alias Macintosh Plus.

Motown: The Musical is a Broadway musical that launched on April 14, 2013. It is the story of Berry Gordy's creation of Motown Records and his romance with Diana Ross.

As a member of the Supremes, her songs "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love" are among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994, and entered into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed the group at number 96 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".

As lead singer of the Supremes and as a solo artist, Ross has earned 18 number-one singles (12 as lead singer of the Supremes and 6 as a solo artist). While Mariah Carey is the only solo female artist to have 18 number-one U.S. singles, Ms. Ross is the only female artist to have number one singles as a solo artist; as the other half of a duet (Lionel Richie); as a member of a trio (the Supremes); and, as an ensemble member (We are the World-USA for Africa). Ross was featured on the Notorious B.I.G.'s 1997 number-one hit, "Mo Money Mo Problems" as her voice from her 1980 hit, "I'm Coming Out", was sampled for the song.

Billboard magazine named Ross the "female entertainer of the century" in 1976. In 1993, she earned a Guinness World Record, due to her success in the United States and United Kingdom for having more hits than any other female artist in the charts with a career total of 70 hit singles. Ross is also one of the few recording artists to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—one as a solo artist and the other as a member of the Supremes. After her 1983 concert in Central Park, Diana Ross Playground was named in her honor with a groundbreaking opening ceremony in 1986.

Ross was given credit for the discovery of the Jackson 5. Her "discovery" was simply part of Motown's marketing and promotions plan for the Jackson 5. Consequently, their debut album was titled Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5. It was actually Motown producer Bobby Taylor who discovered the Jacksons. Even so, Ross embraced the role and became a good friend of Michael Jackson, serving as a mother figure to him.

In 2006, Diana was one of 25 African-American women saluted at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball, a three-day celebration, honoring their contributions to art, entertainment, and civil rights.

Diana Ross was named one of the Five Mighty Pop Divas of the Sixties along with Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, Martha Reeves, and Dionne Warwick.

Awards and nominations

On November 16, 2016, Ross was announced as one of the 21 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Discography

Studio albums

Diana Ross (1970)

Everything Is Everything (1970)

Surrender (1971)

Touch Me in the Morning (1973)

Diana & Marvin (with Marvin Gaye) (1973)

Last Time I Saw Him (1973)

Diana Ross (1976)

Baby It's Me (1977)

Ross (1978)

The Boss (1979)

Diana (1980)

Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1981)

Silk Electric (1982)

Ross (1983)

Swept Away (1984)

Eaten Alive (1985)

Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (1987)

Workin' Overtime (1989)

The Force Behind the Power (1991)

A Very Special Season (1994)

Take Me Higher (1995)

Every Day Is a New Day (1999)

Blue (2006)

I Love You (2006)

Soundtrack albums

Diana! (1971)

Lady Sings the Blues (1972)

Mahogany (1975)

The Wiz (1978)

Endless Love: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1981)

Live albums

Live at Caesars Palace (1974)

An Evening with Diana Ross (1977)

Greatest Hits Live (1989)

Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings... Jazz and Blues (1993)

Christmas in Vienna (with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras) (1993)

Filmography

Lady Sings the Blues (1972)

Mahogany (1975)

The Wiz (1978)

Out of Darkness * (1994)

Double Platinum * (1999)

(* = made directly for television)

Television

T.A.M.I. Show (with the Supremes) (1964)

Tarzan (with the Supremes) (1968)

TCB (with the Supremes) (1968)

The Dinah Shore Special: Like Hep (with Dinah Shore and Lucille Ball) (1969)

G.I.T. on Broadway (with the Supremes and the Temptations) (1969)

Diana! (1971)

The Jackson 5ive (1971)

Make Room for Granddaddy (1971)

Here I Am: An Evening with Diana Ross (1977)

The Muppet Show (1977)

Standing Room Only (HBO) (1980)

Diana! (TV Special) (1981)

Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (1983)

Diana Ross: Live in Central Park/For One and For All (Showtime) (1983)

Diana Ross: Red Hot Rhythm and Blues (1987)

Diana Ross: Workin' Overtime HBO: World Stage (1989)

Diana Ross Live! The Lady Sings... Jazz & Blues: Stolen Moments (1992)

Christmas in Vienna (1992)

BET Walk of Fame (1993)

Always is Forever: 30th Anniversary (1993)

1994 FIFA World Cup (1994)

Super Bowl XXX (1996)

Super Concert of the Century (1997)

An Audience with Diana Ross (1999)

VH1 Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross (2000)

The Making and Meaning of We Are Family (documentary) (2002)

Tsunami Aid (2005)

BET Awards 2007 (2007)

Kennedy Center Honors (2007)

Nobel Peace Prize Concert (2008)

The Oprah Winfrey Show: Farewell and Salute (2011)

Christmas in Washington (2012)

The Voice (2014)

HSN (2017)

Ashlee+Evan (2018)

Stage

An Evening with Diana Ross (1976)

Tours

Headlining

Co-headlining tours

Superconcert of the Century (with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras) (1997)

Return to Love Tour (with former members of the Supremes) (2000)

[just-castlevania-imagines]

like the lights of our home in the night, my love for you

You feel marble clicking against your soles, and hear the sound of your steps bouncing off the walls in the comfortable silence that's settled between you and Adrian as you walk together through the castle halls. It'd feel normal, if not for the fact that the dhampir had you blindfolded. (Honestly you figured this might possibly come up at some point, but not outside the bedroom.)

"Can I *see* yet, Adrian?" you ask, free hand tugging at the knot tied 'round the back of your head for purchase.

"I'll have you know that I worked very hard on this," he chides through his quiet laughter. "I would very much like for you to actually be surprised by it. Be patient for me, please?" Despite his words sounding like he's teasing, you know he's genuinely looking forward to this surprise--this little game of his began as soon as you came home, after all.

You give his hand a little squeeze. "All right, then. I'll be patient."

Adrian squeezes your hand back. "Thank you," he sighs, sounding placated. "By the way, there are stairs here."

"Huh?" You don't heed his warning fast enough, and when you trip, you stumble forward into a pair of firm, warm arms, to which you cling as you find your footing on the carpeted steps. At least now you know you're still in the castle.

"Watch your step.”

You ball your free hand into a fist and very gently bump his chest, not knowing your vision to know exactly what sort of slightly-smug, very-fond expression he’s making right now. You can’t find it in you to be mad when you hear the sound of affectionate laughter under his breath, so you decide to continue letting him lead you around, righting yourself on the stairs and grasping at air until your palm finds the railing.

After a bit more walking (without any falling over this time), he lets go of you and you bump into his back in the same breath as a door clicks and creaks open. Now you hear the wind gently rustling the trees somewhere in the distance. A little farther off, you think you hear the sound of birds chirping, flapping their wings; the sound of it carried on the breeze that chills your neck.

A shiver runs up your spine, not having prepared for the cold. You note that your footfalls still resound in your ears--though the echo is gone now that you’re outside. Adrian laughs a little more. "Hmm... right here will do."

"Here?" Your eyes widen under the blindfold.

His hum is contemplative as he places his hands on your shoulders, moving you just a step or two to the left. “Okay, yes. Here.”

You pull at the knot, and the cloth comes loose in your hand.

The crescent moon shines brightly and beautifully. The sight of it hung up in the clear night sky, dwarfing the stars twinkling in the distance, takes your breath away for a moment. You wonder if this is the highest balcony in the castle.

You look to your side and catch Adrian staring at you, of all things. "This is exactly the look I wanted to see on you," he says, a little breathless himself. "It's lovely--like all the stars in the world are shining right there in your eyes."

Now you feel warm. "I'm glad I was able to, uh, provide.”

Adrian seats you at a small table set closer to the railing, and as he's taking his own seat beside you, you notice a few other things--like the ornate lanterns that cast the space in a dim, intimate light, and the glass of flowers in the center of the table--"When did even you prepare all this?"

"That's a secret," he replies. "Do you like it, though?"

"I'm really surprised, and honestly it's a little sappy, but of course I do."

"Sappy?" There's a shocked, almost nervous, expression on Adrian's face at this.

"N-Not in a bad way! I really do like it." You hurry to correct. You don't think you've ever seen him look anything even similar to nervous.

He sighs, relieved. “I wasn't sure what to do, myself; and the rest of this might be cheesy, if that was. But I'm happy as long as you are. Hold on..."

The dhampir takes a small, golden bell out of his pocket, and rings it. Suddenly you feel like you're choking on air. At the bell’s dainty chime, Trevor--dear friend, mighty warrior, the last of the prestigious Belmont line--appears in the doorway, and dressed quite respectably at that. This is another first. You glance behind him to see Sypha looking on expectantly, but also trying her best not to laugh.

You're almost too busy gawking at their sudden appearances to notice the discomfort set in Trevor’s expression, or the tray and the drinks he's carrying. Without a word, he walks in, sets the table, and turns around to walk out. Sypha hisses quietly, gesturing towards you and Adrian, and Trevor turns back around to give you a curt bow before he makes himself scarce.

Bewildered, you turn to Adrian for an explanation and see him clutching his sides, barely able to contain his own laughter. "How did you...? I can't even *imagine* how you got him to do that."

"If you don't guess it yourself, I'll tell you all about it some other time."

"Oh, please do!" you giggle in return. "Why not tell me now, though?"

"I told you to be patient, didn't I?"

"Wait, there's more that I have to be patient for...?"

"The night is young, my love." Adrian hums, and fills your glass. "For now, why don't we have dinner, like usual?”

Nothing about this was like usual, you think to yourself. Even tonight's fare is fancier than usual, you note--since when did Adrian know how to cook stuff like this, anyway? You certainly didn’t make it, despite that being the case most nights. Your lover preferred meals that were simple and healthy, made and consumed quickly. As you bite into the crisp-looking bread, served alongside a rich and filling cream soup, you realize that the bread is fresh baked, too.

Adrian himself is a little off, too, is what you think as he ties his long, fair hair back into a ponytail with practice hands (as cute as ever.). He steeples his fingers when they aren’t doing anything on the table. Though usually he’s looking at you or focusing on his food, tonight he eats very slowly, taking bites in-between staring off into the forest below the castle, or stealing glances out of the corner of his eye at the door to the castle interior, where you suppose Trevor and Sypha await.

It’s only when he notices you staring and shoots a small smile at you that you realize you’ve been staring at all.

He refills your glass when it is empty, asks you about your day, how you’ve been feeling, and tells you about his in return, and you’re a little grateful that this, at least, is according to routine. You observe the wrinkles that sometimes take shape at the ends of his eyes; the change in his demeanor; the way he smiles as he hears about the cat you’d watched sneak into the garden earlier this afternoon. There’s genuine delight playing on his features as you describe the tiny paw prints it made in the snow.

“Maybe we should leave a saucer of milk out for it,” you suggest.

“What if the milk freezes over before it gets a chance to drink it?” replies Adrian.

Hmm. “Well, maybe I can just fetch a snack for it when I see it.”

“Careful that you don’t accidentally adopt it.”

When you’ve both finished with your supper, Adrian rings the bell again, and this time both Trevor and Sypha heed its call. Trevor trades grace for speed, and clears the table in record time without a word. You look to your side at Adrian, willing him not to laugh with all your might, as Sypha sets down a tart cut into slices; the glaze on top glistening in the lamplight.

Satisfied, Sypha and Trevor make an immediate exit--the Speaker giving Adrian a quick pat on the shoulder on her way out.

When the double doors close behind them, Adrian turns back to you like it was nothing. “I had one of the bakers in town prepare something I thought you might like.”

Your eyes widen. “Since when were you on good terms with a human that wasn’t Sypha, or even Trevor?”

“Well. To be exact, Sypha picked it up for us on the way here.”

Again, you wonder--how in the world did Adrian rope Trevor into this?

The miracles this man can conjure. You idly take a bite, pausing to savor the crisp, lightly toasted texture of the crust and the sweet, honeyed berries that lay beneath. “Oh, gosh, this is really good.” You raise your hand to cover your mouth.

“It certainly looks like it is,” he laughs fondly, gaze still locked on you. “I’m glad you like it.”

“You won’t have any?”

Adrian swallows. “I think I’m feeling a little full, but thank you.”

Well, all right.

For the sake of whatever other surprises he might have in store for you, you choose to gloss over it.  The tart is small enough for you to finish by yourself, anyway, and after your friends make a short reappearance to clear the table, Adrian mutters to himself under his breath, clears his throat, turns to you, and takes your hands in his.

It hits you then: he relaxed for a little over dinner,  but he really is nervous, about something or other. “Adrian?”

“You see... my father and mother neglected to leave records of how a unique couple such as they went about this particular process.”

“Process?” It’s rare for him to mention his parents, given everything that’s happened. Also, what process?

“Yes. And, all that aside… I’m just not sure  as to how these things happen, in general. So please bear with me.” He murmurs your name, voice heavy with affection. “In... in the time we’ve spent together I’ve learned many things, but one of the most important things I’ve learned is that I love you more than anything. I want to be there for you always. I want nothing more than to be with you for as long as I can, and to fill your days with the same happiness that being with you brings to me.”

The corners of Adrian’s lips turn up in a small smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling again. His hands in yours tremble, ever so slightly. “I am a man of many faults, but this is what I wish to promise to you--not only as your lover. You might have guessed by now, but the process I was talking about earlier is, well… marriage.”

He lets out a shaky breath, eyes on you. “Will you have me as your husband?”

“...Of course.” You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. “Of course I will!”

You throw your arms around Adrian, feeling ten times lighter. Even as he presses his lips to yours, you can feel the smile on his face growing before he pulls away.

You’re almost so caught up in him that you don’t notice the door behind you creaking open. It’s Trevor and Sypha, wearing matching grins that you can't help but giggle at. “You two!” you point playfully at your friends from your position in your now-fiancé's arms.

Trevor raises his hands in mock surrender, a glint of mirth in his eyes. “Hey, now, don’t look at me like that. The vampire made me do it.”

“Oh, yes. How horrible I was, forcing you into the servitude of a vampire, only using Sypha’s gentle prodding and three bottles of wine from the cellar.” Adrian grins, and you finally have your answer.

“My sidekick and I are happy we could assist.” Sypha smiles, every bit the cat that caught the canary.

As the sound of your shared laughter continues to bubble and float into the night air, the happiness you feel is almost dizzying. It feels like you might float away, too, but thankfully Adrian is there to ground you, holding you tight to his chest, right where you want to be.

hello! gosh! i’ve been working on this for like, months or something! i feel like this was for a request, but i can’t find it in the box, so i just, uhh. hope you all enjoy it. //mod faerie

[rosettefairtrade]

Today only (August 14th)! Save 50% on all dried fruit while supplies last! Check it out now: https://rosettefairtrade.com/product-tag/dried-fruit/

[niora]

She was not expecting anyone to be here. She wiped at her face, trying desperately to hide that she’d been crying. Northwests didn’t cry. They had an image to uphold. But it was hard for a 12 year old to not be tearful over being told she’d be staying with relatives that didn’t care for her, while her father went to Portland for some business. She hated her aunt and uncle. She hated how she couldn’t be herself around them.

“ Are you crying?”

“ No. I have...dust in my eyes.”

The two stared at each other in silence for a time. Taking in their appearances. To her, this creature seemed to be a fawn, but it was pitch black save for the bright, almost electrical dotted markings on it’s back. It had golden hooves, tiny horn buds and bright gold eyes. She’d never seen a deer like this before, but she thought it looked very beautiful.

To the deer, this seemed to be a very young human girl, though it was unsure what age. Dark mid-length hair, icy blue eyes and pale skin. Like the settlers, the deer noted. She was dressed in a white skirt with black stockings, a large white and navy collar, navy sash at the thigh and a large navy bow in her hair. 

“ You’re not scared of me?” it said in a voice that she thought sounded young. 

“ Should I be?” she asked cautiously, she wasn’t even sure what the deer was, or if this was even a ‘deer’. “ What are you?”

“ I’m a guardian.”

“ Oh.” she blinked, not really sure what that meant. 

“ The forest is my home. I keep it safe.” it explained “ Are you lost?”

“ I...” she looked around, she had been running headlong into the forest, not even bothering to stay on the trails. She really wasn’t sure where she was now. She hadn’t been thinking of any kind of destination and she hadn’t thought of what to do or where to stay once she ran away. She felt even more foolish, her emotions had blindly led her to unknown territory.

“ I think so.” she said sadly

“ I know the way back to town. I can take you there.”

“ NO!” she cried “ No, I don’t want to go back home, I’m not wanted there.”

“ It will be dark soon, it’s not good to be out here alone.” it paused and thought where else this human could stay if she didn’t want to go home, it thought of a cave, but that would be too cold and there could be bats...

“ There’s a church not too far away, you could stay there.”

She flinched. A church? Someone like her. Something like her...being welcomed in a church? She shook her head. “ I don’t think that’s a good idea, I don’t want to burden anyone. Isn’t there somewhere else I could go?”

“ The church is abandoned, there’s no one there, but there is shelter and it’s warm. Come on.” 

The creature tilted it’s head, motioning her to follow and she did so. As they walked on, she noticed the forest getting denser, darker. She wasn’t sure if the sun was setting quicker or this creature was leading her further away from civilization. The latter thought scared her. As much as wanted to get away from home, she didn’t want to get away from town.

“ Is there any food in that church?”

“ No, but I could get you some. I know where there are a lot of berries and roots you could eat. Unless you’re a meat eater?”

She smiled at the mention of her being a ‘meat eater’, meaning this creature was probably vegetarian, like most deer were. This eased her fears of it wanting to possibly lure her away to eat her. “ I do eat meat, but berries sound good.”

There was no trail as they headed up. Branches and weeds caught her skirt and seeds stuck to her black stockings, but she paid little mind. They were already ruined by the time she met this creature, when she fell a few times trying to run off. The undergrowth and dense trees gave away to a clearing, and before them was a run down looking church. This creature wasn’t kidding when it said it was abandoned, it looked like it hadn’t seen a living soul in decades. It’s wood sides covered in ferns, vines and brambles, it’s wide doors fallen off the hinges, the roof thankfully looked intact. 

“ I haven’t been in here in a long time, but I remember there being fabric in the back rooms, I think they’re called blankets?”

She barely registered what it just said, she’d never been in a church before. Her father would’ve never allowed it. She looked around at the little figures sitting on alcoves above, colored in the dancing prisms of the light from broken stained glass, tattered red carpet harboring green moss underfoot and a lopsided cross in the very front. It wasn’t nearly as frightening as she was told it would be. It was very somber in a rustic sort of way.

She hadn’t noticed she was still walking, following the deer creature to the very front and through a room beyond it. It got noticeably dimmer but still lit from a single window. She witnessed the creature use it’s mouth to pull open a wardrobe. Inside were blankets, clothing on hangers and various other fabric that she figured were things for a ritual of sorts. She picked up a blanket, surprised by how dustless they were, the heavy pine doors must have protected them from the elements and moths.

“ I’ll get some food, I’ll be right back.” said the creature, and with a jump, it gracefully and effortlessly ran into the air, sparks of electricity on it’s golden heels. She was in awe. She only knew others like her could fly with brooms, but never just lift into the sky like that. What was this creature?

She would have to ponder about that later, the noon sun was setting, making the room even dimmer. She looked around at the other rooms, one seemed to be in a state of total decay, the floorboards had rotted to the dirt foundation they were laid on, the other room’s window had been busted, allowing nature to take hold of it. She decided to call the ‘office’ she was in, her temporary home. It had a desk, books, a bench, chairs and the single window was intact. She spotted an oil lantern on top of a shelf, shook it, there was still fuel.

By the time the creature came back with food, cleverly using a discarded offering basket on a pew, she’d made a little bed out of the bench and chairs, pulling them together against a wall.The creature set down the basket of food and looked at the makeshift bed area.

“ I found a lantern in a cabinet. I couldn’t find any matches though, so I had to use magic to get it started.” 

The creature tilted it’s head curiously “ Magic?”

“ Yes, I’m a witch. But I’m still in school, so I don’t know a whole lot of spells yet.”

Golden eyes blinked for a second. This girl was a witch? “ You are a very young witch. I’ve only met old ones before.”

“ I’m not so young!” she pouted “ I’m 12 years old this year! Nearly a young lady.”

“ Only 12 years? I am over 2 billion.”

“ That’s impossible, an animal can’t be that old.”

“ But I am. And I’m not an animal, I’m a guardian.” he explained again “ I suppose, a kind of deity of the forest.”

Her eyes went wide. A deity! Well that certainly explained how it could fly, and make electrical sparks as it did so. But she thought deities were much...bigger and more grander looking. This ‘deity’ was but a small deer. A baby. She’d never heard not read of one like that. 

“ What do they call you?”

“ I have many names. The tribes that were here before settlers came had as many as 100 names for me. Storm Bringer, Singing Rain...”

Ah, so it was an ‘Indian’ idol. She’d seen their likenesses on the trip up to Oregon carved on masks from the mysterious tribes of the cold north at trading posts, and painted on the capes and hats of the ‘Indians squaws’ who sold rabbit and otter furs along the trails. 

“ Oh but what do you call yourself? Surely you must have a personal name of your own. Like mine. My name is America Northwest, but I don’t care for it much, so I chose to go by Ami or Ricky instead.”

“ I don’t have a name like that.”

“ How sad.” she said, not have a personal name to identify with. Not even a nickname. “ What would you like to be called? I’ve always fancied William or Catherine. They’re such lovely names.”

“ I don’t know what those mean. If I am to name myself, I would like it to mean something personal to me.”

“ That’s fair.” She supposed if a name were to be chosen, it should be special. But there was time for that, maybe after she ate she’d recommend more names. She wasn’t sure what gender the little deity was, so she’d have to come up with girl and boy names, or even neutral ones like Lark or Joe.

She spied the food in the basket and her stomach growled, those berries looked delicious and she immediately recognized some to be gooseberries and wild strawberries.

“ You’re not eating?” she asked

“ I have eaten while I was out. You’re welcome to the basket.”

The whole basket? Well that was swell! She picked up a wild strawberry and popped it into her mouth. So sweet, so fragrant. Nothing like the larger ones she’d eaten back home. Very soon, the contents of the basket disappeared as did the sunlight. She lay on her side, stroking the soft and cloud-like fur of her new nameless friend. It seemed to enjoy it greatly.

“ Tell me more of your home in Ca-For-Nah.”

“ California.” she softly corrected “ San Francisco is a very big city with lots of people. It’s also very foggy and windy. The coastline is very rocky with lots of flat beaches where my mama and I used to go into the bathing machine. My papa took me to the World’s Fair last year...” 

She trailed off as her head dipped down. She normally didn’t sleep so early, but all the running and crying exhausted her. Eventually she went quiet, and lay on her side in her little makeshift bed without a blanket, the body of the creature against her radiated warmth.

“ World’s Fair. San Francisco.” repeated the creature. There was no context nor mental image of such a place, yet the names ignited curiosity. Never had the deer god left the land before, it knew nothing of the world beyond Gravity Falls or that such amazing sounding places existed. The little deer god tucked in it’s legs and curled closer to the young witch. Though it did not need sleep, it stayed quiet, listening to her soft breathing and watching the flickering of the lamp.

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

Author’s Notes:

If you couldn’t guess, this takes place probably around the early 1900s, what with the bathing machines and mention of the World’s Fair aka Panama–Pacific International Exposition. Ricky here also uses terms that described the Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest back then, which of course are really offensive now, but for the sake of her rich white background and historical accuracy, are used. Doesn’t mean she can’t unlearn it, especially with Sam, who remains nameless for now. 

A second part is pending. I like this AU, I’ve been trying to bust this writer’s block for a few days. If this is what does it, I’m continuing it. For how long? Idk. Maybe skip a few years into their friendship to see how time changes things. We’ll see.

[passiongracelb]

Bucket Full of Memories, Theme Parks around the United States

I love going to theme parks so here is a list of all the theme parks from around the United States

Alabama Alabama Splash Adventure, Bessemer Southern Adventures, Huntsville Spring Park, Tuscumbia Waterville USA, Gulf Shores Alaska Roadrunner Amusement Park, Anchorage ArizonaEdit Castles N' Coasters, Phoenix Enchanted Island, Phoenix Funtasticks Family Fun Park, Tucson Golf n' Stuff, Tucson Golfland Sunsplash, Mesa Schnepf Farms, Queen Creek Wildlife World, Litchfield Park Arkansas Fast Lane Entertainment, Lowell Funland Amusement Park, North Little Rock Magic Springs and Crystal Falls, Hot Springs California Northern California Blackbeard's Family Entertainment Center, Fresno Boomers, Fresno Funderland, Sacramento Fun Town at Micke Grove, Lodi Gilroy Gardens, Gilroy Golfland, Castro Valley, Milpitas, Roseville, San Jose, and Sunnyvale Kiwanis Kiddieland, Merced Roseville Golfland Sunsplash, Roseville Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz Scandia Amusements, Rohnert Park and Sacramento Sonoma TrainTown Railroad, Sonoma San Francisco California's Great America, Santa Clara Children's Fairyland, Oakland Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, San Jose Pixieland Amusement Park, Concord Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo Los Angeles Golf 'N' Stuff, Norwalk Mountasia Family Fun Center, Valencia Pacific Park, Santa Monica Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia SpeedZone Los Angeles Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City Orange County Adventure City, Anaheim Boomers, Fountain Valley Disneyland Resort Disney California Adventure, Anaheim Disneyland, Anaheim Golfland, Anaheim Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park Riverside County Castle Park, Riverside San Bernardino County Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain, Big Bear Lake Boomers, Upland Fiesta Village Family Fun Park, Colton Scandia Amusement Park, Ontario and Victorville San Diego Belmont Park, San Diego Boomers, El Cajon Frasier's Frontier, El Cajon Legoland California, Carlsbad SeaWorld San Diego ColoradoEdit Elitch Gardens, Denver Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, Glenwood Springs Heritage Square, Golden Lakeside Amusement Park, Lakeside Mile High Flea Market, Henderson City Park, Pueblo Santa's Workshop, Cascade ConnecticutEdit Lake Compounce, Bristol Quassy Amusement Park, Middlebury Delaware Funland, Rehoboth Beach Jungle Jim's Adventure World, Rehoboth Beach Florida North Florida Adventure Landing, Jacksonville Beach Big Kahuna's, Destin Cobra Adventure Park, Panama City Beach Fast Eddies Fun Center, Pensacola Race City PCB, Panama City Beach Sam's Fun City & Sam's Surf City, Pensacola Shipwreck Island, Panama City Beach Wild Willy's Adventure Zone, Fort Walton Beach Central Florida Andretti Thrill Park, Melbourne Boardwalk Amusements, Daytona Beach Busch Gardens Tampa, Tampa Celebration Station, Clearwater Daytona Lagoon, Daytona Beach Dinosaur World, Plant City Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Merritt Island Legoland Florida, Winter Haven Weeki Wachee Springs, Weeki Wachee Greater Orlando Fun Spot America - Kissimmee, Kissimmee Fun Spot America - Orlando, Orlando Gatorland, Orlando Give Kids the World Village, Kissimmee Holy Land Experience, Orlando Magical Midway, Orlando Old Town, Kissimmee SeaWorld Orlando Discovery Cove, Orlando SeaWorld Orlando, Orlando Universal Orlando Universal Studios Florida, Orlando Universal's Islands of Adventure, Orlando Walt Disney World Disney's Animal Kingdom, Bay Lake Disney's Hollywood Studios, Bay Lake Epcot, Bay Lake Magic Kingdom, Bay Lake South Florida Kidstar Park, Port Charlotte Santa's Enchanted Forest, Miami Uncle Bernie's Amusement Park, Fort Lauderdale Zoomers Family Amusement Park, Fort Myers Beach Georgia Adventure Crossing, Augusta All American Fun Park, Albany Alpine Park, Helen Black Mountain Alpine Coaster, Helen Fun Spot Atlanta, Fayetteville Lake Winnepesaukah, Rossville Six Flags Over Georgia, Austell Wild Adventures, Valdosta Hawaii Maui Golf and Sports Park, Wailuku Sea Life Park Hawaii, Oahu IdahoEdit Silverwood Theme Park, Athol Wahooz Family Fun Zone, Meridian Yellowstone Bear World, Rexburg Illinois Donley's Wild West Town, Union Enchanted Castle, Lombard Go Bananas, Norridge Grady's Family Fun Park, Bloomington Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Resort, Utica Haunted Trails, Burbank and Joliet Knight's Action Park, Springfield Odyssey Fun World, Tinley Park Pirates Cove, Elk Grove Village Safari Land, Villa Park Santa's Village AZoosment Park, Dundee Six Flags Great America, Gurnee Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Gurnee Indiana Team Combat, Tactical Laser Tag for Adults, Teens & 8-12 Year Olds, Hobart Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, Santa Claus Indiana Beach, Monticello Iowa Adventureland, Altoona Arnolds Park, Arnolds Park Lost Island Amusement Park, Waterloo Kansas All Star Adventures, Wichita Kiddieland, Pittsburg Kentucky Beech Bend Park, Bowling Green Kentucky Kingdom, Louisville Malibu Jack’s Indoor Theme Park, Lexington Louisiana Blue Bayou and Dixie Landin', Baton Rouge Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, New Orleans Celebration Station, Baton Rouge Maine Funtown Splashtown USA, Saco Palace Playland, Old Orchard Beach York's Wild Kingdom, York Beach Maryland Adventure Park USA, New Market Baja Amusements, Ocean City Jolly Roger Amusement Park, Ocean City Jolly Roger at the Pier, Ocean City Laugh Out Loud Stations, Greenbelt Six Flags America, Upper Marlboro Trimper's Rides, Ocean City Wisp Resort, McHenry Massachusetts Edaville USA, Carver Salem Willows, Salem Six Flags New England, Agawam Michigan A-Maze-N Mirrors, Mackinaw City Adventure Island Family Fun Park, Cadillac Arzo Sports & Fun Park, Alpena Cedar Valley's Wild Frontier Fun Park, Comins CJ Barrymore's Family Entertainment Center, Clinton Township Deer Acres Storybook Amusement Park, Pinconning Full Blast, Battle Creek Funland Amusement Park, Houghton Lake Jeepers, Sterling Heights Kokomo's Family Fun Center, Saginaw Michigan's Adventure, Muskegon Nelis' Dutch Village, Holland Minnesota Como Town, St. Paul Nickelodeon Universe, Bloomington Paul Bunyan Land, Brainerd Spirit Mountain, Duluth Valleyfair, Shakopee Mississippi Brookhaven Exchange Club Park, Brookhaven Missouri Branson Coaster, Branson Branson Tracks, Branson Branson Mountain Adventure Park, Branson Hydro Adventures, Poplar Bluff Miner Mike's Adventure Town, Osage Beach Mountain Adventure Resort, Branson Silver Dollar City, Branson Six Flags St. Louis, Eureka Worlds of Fun, Kansas City MontanaEdit Amusement Park Drive In, Laurel Big Sky Water Park, Columbia Falls NebraskaEdit Fun-Plex, Omaha SkateDaze, Omaha Nevada Adventuredome, Las Vegas Akita Plaza, Las Vegas Buffalo Bill's, Primm Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix, Las Vegas Playland Park, Reno New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas Stratosphere Las Vegas, Las Vegas Wild Island, Sparks New Hampshire Attitash Mountain Resort, Bartlett Candia Springs Adventure Park, Candia Canobie Lake Park, Salem Cranmore Mountain Adventure Park, North Conway Clark's Trading Post, Lincoln Fort Jefferson Fun Park, Jefferson Fun-World, Nashua Santa's Village, Jefferson Story Land, Glen New Jersey Action Park, Vernon Blackbeard's Cave, Bayville Bowcraft Playland, Scotch Plains Casino Pier, Seaside Heights Central Pier Arcade & Speedway, Atlantic City Clementon Amusement Park, Clementon Fantasy Island, Beach Haven Funplex, Mount Laurel Gillian's Wonderland Pier, Ocean City iPlay America, Freehold Jenkinson's Boardwalk, Point Pleasant Beach Keansburg Amusement Park, Keansburg Land of Make Believe, Hope Morey's Piers, Wildwood Playland's Castaway Cove, Ocean City Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson Steel Pier, Atlantic City Wild West City [1], Byram Township, New Jersey Storybook Land, Egg Harbor Township New Mexico Cliff's Amusement Park, Albuquerque Western Playland, Sunland Park New York Downstate New York Adventureland, Farmingdale Adventurers Family Entertainment Center, Brooklyn Country Fair Entertainment Park, Medford Boomer's Family Fun Center, Medford Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, Brooklyn Fantasy Forest at the Flushing Meadows Carousel, Flushing Fantasy Shore Amusement Park, Staten Island Kids 'N Action, Brooklyn Luna Park, Coney Island, Brooklyn Playland, Rye Victorian Gardens, New York City Upstate New York Darien Lake, Darien Enchanted Forest Water Safari, Old Forge Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom, Lake George Greek Peak Mountain Resort, Cortland Hoffman's Playland, Latham Holiday Valley, Ellicottville Huck Finn's Playland, Albany Magic Forest Park, Lake George Fantasy Island, Grand Island Midway State Park, Maple Springs Legoland New York, Goshen (starting construction in 2017, planned to open in 2019)[1] Party Zone USA, Middletown Santa's Workshop, Wilmington Seabreeze Amusement Park, Rochester Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, Sylvan Beach North Carolina Carolina Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park, Carolina Beach Carowinds, Charlotte Deadwood, Williamston Ghost Town Village, Maggie Valley Great Wolf Lodge, Concord NASCAR Speedpark, Concord Santa's Land, Cherokee Tweetsie Railroad, Boone North Dakota Grand Forks Theme Park, Grand Forks[citation needed](Scheduled) Super Slide Amusement Park, Bismarck Ohio The Beach at Adventure Landing, Mason Cedar Point, Sandusky Cherry Valley Lodge, Newark Comfort Inn Splash Harbor, Bellville Coney Island, Cincinnati Coshocton Lake Park Recreational Complex, Coshocton Erieview Park, Geneva FunTimes Fun Park, Alliance Howard's Apples Farm Market, Bainbridge Jungle Jack's Landing, Powell Kings Island, Mason Lincoln Park Family Aquatic Center, Marion Long's Retreat Family Resort, Latham Memphis Kiddie Park, Brooklyn Pioneer Waterland & Dry Fun Park, Chardon Richland Carrosuel Park, Mansfield Sluggers & Putters, Canal Fulton Stricker's Grove, Ross Swings-N-Things Family Fun Park, Olmsted Township Tuscora Park, New Philadelphia Oklahoma Bell's Kiddieland, Tulsa Eagle Park, Cache Frontier City, Oklahoma City Kiddy Park, Bartlesville Oregon Enchanted Forest, Turner Oaks Amusement Park, Portland Pennsylvania Brandywine Picnic Park, West Chester Carousel Village at Indian Walk, Wrightstown Camelback Mountain Resort, Tannersville Conneaut Lake Park, Conneaut Lake DelGrosso's Amusement Park, Tipton Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Allentown (Dorneyville) Dutch Wonderland, Lancaster Fun Fore All, Cranberry Township Hersheypark, Hershey Idlewild and Soak Zone, Ligonier Kennywood, West Mifflin Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg Lakemont Park, Altoona Pocono Play Park, East Stroudsburg Sesame Place, Langhorne Split Rock Resort, Lake Harmony Waldameer Park, Erie Rhode Island Adventureland, Narragansett Atlantic Beach Park, Westerly South Carolina Broadway Grand Prix, Myrtle Beach Carowinds, Fort Mill Family Kingdom Amusement Park, Myrtle Beach O.D. Pavilion Amusement Park, North Myrtle Beach Pavilion Park, Myrtle Beach Pedroland, Dillon South Dakota Evan's Plunge, Hot Springs Flags & Wheels Indoor Racing, Rapid City Rush Mountain Adventure Park, Keystone Storybook Island, Rapid City Thunder Road Family Fun Park, Aberdeen Tennessee Anakeesta Gatlinburg Goats on the Roof, Pigeon Forge Dollywood, Pigeon Forge Fun Stop, Pigeon Forge Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster, Gatlinburg Incredible Pizza Company, Cordova The Island in Pigeon Forge, Pigeon Forge NASCAR Speedpark, Sevierville Ober Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg Rockin' Raceway, Pigeon Forge Rowdy Bear Mountain Gatlinburg Sir Goony's Fun Zone, Chattanooga Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster, Pigeon Forge Wilderness at the Smokies, Sevierville Texas Adventure Kingdom, Lumberton Aquatica, San Antonio Austin's Park N Pizza, Pflugerville Downtown Aquarium, Houston Elise's Family Fun Center, Winnie Funtrackers, Corpus Christi Funplex, Houston Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, Galveston Grand Texas Theme Park, New Caney (planned, opening April 2020) Joyland Amusement Park, Lubbock Kemah Boardwalk, Kemah Kiddie Park Of San Antonio, San Antonio Morgan's Wonderland, San Antonio NRH2O, North Richland Hills Sandy Lake Amusement Park, Carrollton SeaWorld San Antonio, San Antonio Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington Tilt Studio, Katy (inside Katy Mills) Wonderland Park, Amarillo YesterLand Farm, Canton ZDT's Amusement Park, Seguin Zuma Fun Center, Houston Utah Boondocks Fun Center, Kaysville-Draper Cherry Hill Resort, Kaysville Lagoon Amusement Park, Farmington Vermont Bromley, Vermont's Summer Adventure, Peru Killington Resort, Killington Virginia Atlantic Fun Park, Virginia Beach Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg Central Park Fun-Land, Fredericksburg Go-Karts Plus, Williamsburg Kings Dominion, Doswell Motor World, Virginia Beach Washington Pier 57, Seattle Remlinger Farms, Carnation Riverfront Park, Spokane Washington State Fair, Puyallup Wild Waves Theme Park, Federal Way West VirginiaEdit Camden Park, Huntington Wisconsin Bay Beach Amusement Park, Green Bay Knucklehead's Bowling & Family Entertainment, Wisconsin Dells Little Amerricka, Marshall Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, Wisconsin Dells Paul Bunyan's Adventure Golf, Wisconsin Dells Riverside Amusement Park, La Crosse Riverview Park & Waterworld, Wisconsin Dells Timbavatvi Wildlife Park/Storybook Gardens, Wisconsin Dells Timber Falls Adventure Park, Wisconsin Dells Wyoming Cowboy Carousel Center, Buffalo Puerto Rico Cayo Lobos Marine Park, Cayo Lobos Children's Dream Park, Añasco Fun Valley Park, Arecibo Jungle Park PR, Bayamón Parque de las Ciencias, Bayamón Villa Campestre, Guaynabo