#finally out of the mountains

[manicmarsupial]

The Smallest Outlaw- Chapter 7: Snow More Mountains

Over 6 months since the last update. There is actually a valid reason. I needed urgent surgery to get my gallbladder out in February. Whenever your G.P rings you on a Saturday morning, it's never good. There were that many stones on the ultrasound that he couldn't tell if the gallbladder was inflamed or not. Over 50 stones they found!

Then while on a positive recovery for that, the hip operation I had been waiting over 7 years for gave me a weeks notice...at a hospital 150km away. Now I've got to rebuild the strength back up.

Positive side of things, I have been coming up with new ideas for the story...just not in chronological order.

As usual, suggestions welcome.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 7

When the storm eventually subsided and the snow had melted enough to move the wagons, the gang decided to start moving down the mountain and head East. Despite my constant protests, Hosea insisted that it was no trouble looking after me. I suspect that he knew I had doubts, probably because Arthur told him, and as such, had decided the best way to stop me running away due to low self esteem was to keep me quite literally in his pocket. I suppose from a survival perspective, he does have a point…and I can’t deny it’s warmer with his heavy coat insulating his body temperature.

I can hear the bustle of the other members of the camp packing up. Above me I recognise Dutch and Arthur talking. I can’t actually hear what’s being said but Dutch sounds confident.

“And we just robbed a Leviticus Cornwall train,” Hosea’s enthusiastic voice practically thunders in my ears, causing me to jump in fright.

It’s a wonder he didn’t have a career on stage with that volume. His next statement of suggesting the gang hide out at a place called Horseshoe Overlook isn’t as loud, but it still rumbles through his chest.

I feel him move as he finishes talking. The distinct ‘clomp’ of a wooden step and an upward swinging motion that made me topple backward meant Hosea boarded the wagon. I hear Arthur make a yell to urge the horses. The sudden movement causes me to stumble back, hitting Hosea’s chest, which feels like being slammed into a brick wall.

“You ‘right in there, Ollie?” his booming voice rumbles

“Oww…” I groan in reply.

“You going to come out of there?”

“No, it’s cold,” I fake whine.

Either ignoring my complaint, or not believing me, Hosea takes me out of his coat pocket and drops me onto his shoulder. I make an attempt to burrow into his scarf but just do my best to wrap part of it around myself and settle against the crook of his neck.

I can’t deny I’ve become quite fond of him. I’m still suspicious that there’s an ulterior motive behind him being nice to me. No one in this crowd of outlaws knows my hearing is absolutely useless. I was going to wait until they got to a town, but knowing they’re outlaws, I’m just going to escape when they get somewhere warmer.

I watch the layers of snow get thinner, and the patches of grass become bigger. I have been up this mountain a few times, but it seems different from the shoulder of a giant. Maybe being smaller had changed my view of things. I really don’t know.

The cart rocks and I’m brought back to reality.

“Get us out of the stream. You gotta keep us moving, but calm,” the volume of his voice reminding me why I favor being on his shoulder.

The sideways rocking of the cart stops for a brief moment as it continues forward.

There is a loud thunk and the cart lurches forward violently. I’m thrown from Hosea’s shoulder, only to land in his open hand.

“Ah, shit,” I hear Arthur grumble.

The cart shakes a little as Arthur gets off amid questions from the other wagons.

“I broke the goddam wheel,” Arthur gripes.

“Alright, let’s get it fixed,” Hosea’s voice practically thunders as he places his other hand over me as he dismounts the wagon.

He quickly hides me behind his shirt collar as another gang member approaches.

“You need some help?” the new arrival asks with a deep, rumbling voice.

I get a brief look at him. He has a dark complexion, as well as some of the features of the native people.

“Alright Charles,” Hosea’s voice snaps me out of my observation.

“You and me hold the thing up while you try to put the wheel back on, Arthur.”

I duck behind Hosea’s collar as he stands at the back of the cart. I feel his muscles tense when he lifts the wagon. There’s some loud thumping as I presume Arthur forces the wheel back on.

“See, you ain’t so useless after all,” Arthur drawls.

“Not quite,” Hosea gives a sarcastic laugh as he kneels down to pick up some of the fallen luggage.

He stops loading the cart and takes a few cautious steps forward. I poke my head around to see him looking up at a cliff, where three local natives are just sitting on their horses.

“What do you think?” Arthur mumbles.

“If they wanted trouble, we wouldn’t have seen them,” the dark-skinned man, Charles replies.

Hosea raises his hand in greeting.

“Poor bastards. We really screwed them over down here,” he explains quietly.

“Come on, let’s not push our luck.”

I hide back between Hosea’s scarf and collar as he starts moving.

“What happened?” I hear Arthur’s voice.

“Well, get in, and I’ll tell ya.”

I feel the rapid change in direction as he mounts the cart.

He gives Arthur directions, then explains the situation with the local tribes. It’s the usual kicked off good land then sent to struggle in dismal areas. There’s a bit of sugar-coating about the army being ‘unpleasant about it’.

“Unpleasant? How do you rob and kill people pleasantly?” Charles asks.

“I fear I was perhaps trying to simplify something more complicated for the benefit of our blockheaded driver here,” Hosea replies, aiming the veiled insult at Arthur.

“Don’t blame it on me. Never forget this is a conman, Charles, born and bred.” Arthur retorts.

Oh, great. As if I needed another reason to be suspicious. Now I find out that I’m being held “captive” by a giant bunko artist.

I hear Charles explain about his tribe, or lack of one, then his leaving home at thirteen. I selectively ignore further talking, focusing on the feel of Hosea’s voice as he speaks while I ponder where to go.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Heh...Literally nothing personal, kid.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[sanctum-vii]

flustered

A (little bit late) Mushy May Day 20: Gardening doodle.

Thanks to @forlorn-crows for setting up the prompts!!

[mariana-oconnor]

[crimeronan]

why get stressed about online discourse when you can instead google the current wildfire situation in your area and discover that hikers keep fuckin' walking onto trails that are specifically closed..... Because The Woods Are On Fire.

you will experience the same sharp rise in blood pressure. with none of the queer infighting!

anyway. this warning SHOULD be even less necessary than the one i gave a few weeks back about checking the summit conditions when you hike unfamiliar mountains, BUT:

IF you live in fire country.

please. Please.

do not.... go hiking.

on a trail.

that is actively on fire.

🙏🙏🙏

[melit0n]

I wanted to add on to this ask done by an anon on ST confessions, because they are so right and they made something click in my brain. Do go read it before you read this.

First, off, heavy agree that Fall for Me is designed to be a lonely song, both lyrically, and quite smartly, musically. In every single other song Sleep Token has ever done there is music. There is noise, always. Even in times where there should be silence, there never is any. Instead, it's filled by sounds of birds, a taught guitar chord or chewing and biting.

Fall for Me, however, is utter silence. There's no musical reply. No SFX, no subtle drums or bass; no nothing. It's the one of the few songs (along with Missing Limbs, Take Aim and Drag me Under) in which Vessel directly addresses the love he holds for this person. It's not layered in metaphors, prose and an eloquent vernacular, it's straightforward. While his poetry in other songs is used to draw Them in, decorate his love and entice Them, he's done with getting nothing. He wants to be an equal, a lover, but he gets naught.

The reason why, other than the obvious choice of acapella instead of instruments, the song feels so lonely is because it's the only song- overall- that he doesn't get a response to. Sugar is the response to The Offering, Say That You Will is the response to Take Aim etc., but here? Cold, dead silence. No gesture in tongues, no crushing 'affection'; no nothing.

So, to the rhythm of eternity, he will be on that beach, stumbling, crawling and shouting out the same question that he will never get an answer to; won't you fall for me?

However, even though, unlike most songs that get an answer within their album, Vessel gets one in the next. Take Me Back To Eden, therefore, becomes the answer to that question. As well as Vessel's action against it.

@lifemod17 saw you reblog the ask as well, thought you might like this :]

[nemurian]

@bigboobyhalo Your sacrifices have been accepted by the great Dapper. I'm so sorry but I don't think you'll be getting them back anytime soon. Or ever.

[storybookprincess]

shoutout to the mountain goats for writing lyrics that i can actually relate to ✌️

[robo-dino-puppy]

horizontober 2023 | 3: recognize

greetings, dr. sobeck. you are clear to proceed.

[mayhemspreadingguy]

But when you think I've had enough From your sea of love I'll take more than another river full

A collab with @magnusbae ♡

[zstraps]

jenny from thebes tracks + ofmd

[kkoct-ik]

my painkiller prescription went through

[ind1c0lite]

You are coming down with me

Hand in unlovable hand

[sketchysketchiness]

Fantasia Devil had me in his grip growing up

[krscblw]

Ghoul scent associations pt. 4 - Imaginary Authors edition

Imaginary Authors is one of my favorite perfume companies, and I recently got samples of their entire collection! Of course, my first thought was to apply that to the ghouls. So here that is!!

Some of these are ones that I used on other lists that I still agree with, but most of them are new. Also, as is the nature of using a very limited number of options, not all of them fit perfectly, but I did my best, and I think like 90% of them fit very well.

Usual warning: This might look weird on mobile, but it should be good on desktop. Apologies, I'd fix it if I knew how.

Aeon: TELEGRAMA – Imaginary Authors 

Talc, lavender absolute, black pepper, teak, amyris, vanilla powder, fresh linens

Telegrama is a very powdery, peppery, gentle lavender scent that fades into soft vanilla. If it was a color, it would be a gray-purple so pale it almost looks white. It’s comforting but not childish, classic but unique. It smells like Aeon’s particular brand of simple comfort. 

Aether: Blend No. 83 – Imaginary Authors 

Dark chocolate, sugar cane rum, Arabica coffee, velvety foam, benzoin, musk

Blend No. 83 is a sweet, musky, chocolate-coffee scent modeled after an espresso martini, but it isn’t as gourmand as it sounds. It settles into a dark musk with the suggestion of coffee and chocolate. It’s grown-up but not at all boring, just like Aether.

Alpha:  BULL'S BLOOD – Imaginary Authors 

Geranium, Spanish rose, patchouli, black musk, tobacco, sandalwood, bull's blood

Bull’s Blood is very musky, smoky, and spicy, and comes on strong enough to knock you over. However, it’s also very sweet, and dries down to more of a smoky-sweet almost-floral. It’s not too serious but has an almost shocking intensity to it, and is potentially polarizing – like Alpha. If it was a color it would be dark burgundy. 

Cirrus: SAINT JULEP – Imaginary Authors 

Sweet mint, tangerine, southern magnolia, bourbon, grisalva, sugarcube

Saint Julep is a very sweet, realistic gourmand with notes of mint and tangerine in the foreground and bourbon in the background. Despite being lovely in a very straightforward way, it’s dimensional and grown-up, which reminds me of Cirrus, and has light, minty notes that remind me of air as an element. 

Cumulus: FOX IN THE FLOWERBED – Imaginary Authors 

Jasmine, tulips, frankincense, wildflower honey, pink peppercorns, silver thistle, alpine air

Fox in the Flowerbed is a very pretty, cloying, sweet jasmine and honey scent that makes me think of a field of wildflowers high up on a mountain. This scent is sweet and sticky but also light in a way that reminds me of Cumulus. If it was a color it would be pale blue. 

Dewdrop: A CITY ON FIRE – Imaginary Authors 

Cade oil, spikenard, cardamom, clearwood, dark berries, labdanum, a burnt match

This is very smoky and woody in the beginning, but it fades into a sweet berry scent. It really does smell like fire and matches. It reminds me of spending all night next to a bonfire. It’s almost overpowering at first, but sweet underneath, just like Dew. 

(Also, this was one of the fragrances that solidified Dew's scent for me. All the other ones I've picked for him are based on this lmao)

Ifrit: O, UNKNOWN! – Imaginary Authors 

Black tea, lapsang souchong tincture, orris butter, Kyoto moss, musk balsam, sandalwood

This is a very subdued, powdery black tea scent. It’s musky and dark, very mysterious, and somehow not at all gourmand. It’s dark and faintly smoky in a way befitting of a fire ghoul, with the black tea scent that I associate with Ifrit. If it was a color it would be a gray so dark it’s almost black.

Mist: FALLING INTO THE SEA – Imaginary Authors 

Lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, lychee, tropical flowers, warm sand

Falling into the Sea is a sweet, citrusy, tropical scent that has a balmy, sandy, coconut background. It smells like a tropical beach on a perfect day. If it was a color it would be the shade of teal that super-clear water is. I typically associate greener, more aquatic scents with Mist, but this fits a different interpretation of her. Mist in a very good mood, maybe. 

Mountain: CAPE HEARTACHE – Imaginary Authors 

Douglas fir, pine resin, western hemlock, vanilla leaf, strawberry, old growth, mountain fog

Cape Heartache is a gorgeous, sweet pine and strawberry scent. It’s very forest-y without being too atmospheric, and it smells like the fantasy version of a lush, foggy old growth forest. It feels very slow, peaceful, and grounded, and is a mix of masc and fem, which reminds me of Mountain. (Also I smelled this for the first time and absolutely fell in love with it, which I kinda did with Mountain too lmao) If it was a color it would be the silvery green of evergreen needles.

Nimbus/Aurora: SLOW EXPLOSIONS – Imaginary Authors

Saffron, rose absolute, leather, apple, benzoin, cashmeran, Arpora night market 

Slow Explosions is sweet and fruity with an earthy element from the leather. It’s pretty and almost delicate until you register the deeper, more grounded notes, similar to the way Nimbus seems dainty at first glance but decidedly is not. Overall lovely. If it was a color it would be glowy yellow-orange.

Omega: MEMOIRS OF A TRESPASSER – Imaginary Authors 

Madagascar vanilla, guaiacwood, myrrh, benzoin resin, ambrette seeds, oak barrels

Memoirs of a Trespasser is a very woody scent with a little bit of smokiness and vanilla. There’s also something a little bit animalic. It reminds me of a late 1800s adventurer type with lots of maps and wooden chests full of interesting things. It’s sophisticated and mysterious with a sense of worldliness that fits Omega.

Rain: EVERY STORM A SERENADE – Imaginary Authors 

Danish spruce, eucalyptus, vetiver, calone, ambergris, Baltic sea mist

This scent smells like a rocky coast, lined with evergreen trees and blanketed in mist. It’s cold, multifaceted, and surprisingly magnetic (like Rain). I don’t usually like aquatics but this is beautiful, it's one of my new favorites from Imaginary Authors. If it was a color it would be dark greenish-blue. 

Sunshine/Stratus: IN LOVE WITH EVERYTHING – Imaginary Authors

Raspberry, citrus pulp, coconut palm sugar, Madame Isaac Pereire (rose), sandalwood, tropical punch, stardust

This scent is very raspberry/fruit punch heavy with a sandalwood undertone. It isn’t overwhelmingly sweet, but it’s very fruity. It’s Miami-in-the-80s themed and that definitely shows. It’s playful, fun, and sweet-but-grounded, just like Sunny. If it was a color it would be magenta.

Swiss: A WHIFF OF WAFFLECONE – Imaginary Authors 

Vanilla, salted caramel, Saigon cinnamon, heavy cream, sandalwood, orgeat, scoop shop

This scent is a gourmand with a woody background. To me it smells like burnt sugar, heavy, clingy sandalwood, vanilla, and sweet spices. It’s more mature than the notes would lead you to believe. It isn’t the type of scent I usually associate with Swiss, but I can see it fitting an alternate interpretation. Maybe quint/fire or true multi Swiss. However, it does have the sweet, intense, almost smothering qualities I associate with him. If it was a color it would be the very light gold of slightly caramelized sugar. 

Zephyr: YESTERDAY HAZE – Imaginary Authors 

Fig, iris, cream, tonka, tree bark, walnut bitters, orchard dust

Yesterday Haze is a smooth, creamy but dry, slightly sweet scent. It smells sort of antique, but not outdated. It’s sophisticated and very pretty, like Zephyr, and has the dusty, powdery feel I associate with them.

(One of my absolute favorites from IA, for what it’s worth)

Thank you for reading!!

[cha1cedony]

Thinking about Darryl and Casey. again