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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 8 months

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01/18/2024 Crew Recap

TLDR; Summary: #HoistTheAds and Astroglide OFMD both happening tomorrow 1/19/24; UK Fans We Need Your Help!; New Hashtags/Petition Link; David Jenkins/RhysDarby/TaikaWaititi Troll us with Hidden Stuff; More Articles; Petition Status, News That Gives Us Hope for S3, and Rhys Darby in Shorts.

Note: Please feel free to let me know if I missed something important, if I'm incorrect, if the formatting pisses you off, or whatever, I take constructive feedback <3 thx lovelies.

Need to catch up on recaps? ofmd daily recaps

==Things You Don't Want To Miss Tomorrow 1/19/2024 and 1/20/2024==

EDIT: HOIST THE ADS: This might be starting at 12 EST - https://www.tumblr.com/renewasacrew/739916790295052288/join-us-in-just-over-10-minutes-at-midnight-est?source=share

#HoistTheAds is finally coming to NYC and LA tomorrow. There will be Flyovers, Billboards, etc. As of right now it looks like its just happening every few minutes on the billboard for the next day.

Tumblr Info

Twitter Info

==Astroglide Watch-A-Long at 1/19/2024 1 PM PST ==

To clarify exactly how it works, basically what they're doing is asking you to stream on the service of your choice starting at Season 1 Episode 1, and Astroglide (and Squishables might be joining) will be tweeting reactions as they go.

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=UK Fans! We need your help! @lamentus1 was kind enough to give us updates on the efforts going on over the UK!=

UK specific OFMD fans in groups on Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook are trying to come together to push for the BBC to air OFMD Season 2 in the UK since they haven’t done so yet!

So many UK fans can’t actually watch the second season *legally* based off a tumblr poll that @lamentus1 did recently, and a third of fans who voted can’t even watch OFMD because it’s not on in their country!

The current plans are:

Email two key people at the BBC:

Sue Deeks (Brought OFMD to the UK) --- [email protected] Charlotte Moore (Chief Content Officer ) --- [email protected] Email Prompt: if you need an example:

Send Tweets regarding wanting Season 2 to Air on BBC on twitter (same hashtags from @renewasacrew I believe but it that's incorrect please let me know!):

BBC2 IPlayer

The ongoing twitter thread for this is here

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====New Articles ====

BBC fans fight to save cancelled show, with petition reaching 58,000 signatures

'Our Flag Means Death': Fans Rally to Save Cancelled Show'

Our Flag Means Death: Fans campaign to save queer pirate comedy

---Articles in Dutch---

Fans pikken cancellen van Our Flag Means Death niet en tekenen massaal petitie --------------------------------------------------------------------------

=Cast and Crew Seen in the Wild=

**START OF DISCLAIMER: This whole thread on Djenkins and Taika's mother in law is fan theory at this point, read into it as you will, but think of it like tabloid news**

The most exciting and I think ... brain candy worthy today was Rhys and David posting a BTS picture of Rhys in the colonial hat/outfit. It sparked some interesting ideas on the status of season 3.

I have to say, hats off to the folks over on twitter @fowlfiend for making this connection

Earlier today, Chaos Dad, David Jenkins posted the following picture of Rhys that Rhys shared on his Instagram with a song attached to it called "I'm a Man" by Jobriath.

Now, all well and good right? Rallying cry to all the crew! BUT Twitter folks think there's a deeper meaning and I'm inclined to agree.

How fucking cool is that? Thank you to @lamentus1 for pointing out also that Chaos Dad's post had the "three finger" I love you which is yet another 3 today.

Add to that, Taika's Instagram's been pretty quiet lately, and he happened to post a picture today of his mother-in-law @veraora on IG for her birthday, which just happens to have... 3 pigeons in it. Once again, thanks @lamentus1 for bringing this to our attention. ---also please wish VeraOra Happy birthday!

Now, could all of this be just coincidence? Sure, but where's the fun in that? Seems like we're going on a treasure hunt.

**END OF DISCLAIMER: This whole thread on Djenkins and Taika's mother in law is fan theory at this point, read into it as you will, but think of it like tabloid news**

===Other Chaos Dad Posts on Twitter===

=Hashtag Updates / How you can help=

@renewasacrew Has done some cool stuff and made saveofmd.com direct to the petition site. This should help with being able to share more easily. Full thread here on tumblr

Today's Goals and Hashtags Per @renewasacrew

#ArentYouGLAAD #SaveOFMD #TheNumbersWereThere

=Petition Status Updates=

Petition hit 60K all!!!! GREAT JOB! Just in time for Time Square tomorrow!!

I didn't see a drastic change on a lot of the fundraisers so I'm not adding those today--- I think we've had a big day as it was with the stuff around David posting without posting about season 3.

So I thought I'd end with some more info from our lovely @TheCozyPirate on twitter, the lovely person who exposed the information about how s3 was already in preproduction. They seem to have more insight in a lot of this.

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=So if your question is, is it making a difference? Why doesn't dad just come out and say it? Here's some insight:=

And this next one helps me to feel like we're still heading in the right direction. "If there were nothing viable, he would be able to say that. He would never, never let this go on if hopeless". I think is pretty uplifting.

Lastly, I think you all should be damn proud of yourselves with these calls, as a former Customer Support Person, I appreciate you all so damn much for keeping it kind and polite! Stede would be proud!

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Finally-- one last thing, since today's theme on tumblr is trolls getting all up in our faces, just remember you do not have to engage with them if you don't want to. If you want to have kind discussions, and you feel up for it, go for it, but don't feel obligated to defend the community.

We all know we care, we all know we're doing a great fucking job at taking care of each other, helping awesome causes, and still having fun while doing it. You don't have to prove to anyone that you are allowed to enjoy your pirate show that means something to you and spend a few bucks to support it.

Don't let people who are struggling with their own trouble take your light. Enjoy things, have fun. You deserve it.

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On a lighter note to end on: I have a serious question for all of you.

Who gave this man the right to wear these fucking shorts? Good god.

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theladyofrosewater · 8 months

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A TEAM IS OFFICIALLY DONE AND DESIGNED FOR THE MOST PART SO HAVE SOME LORE AND TWILIGHT AND WILD'S SINGLE SOLO PEICES.

Like most magical girl series this takes place in the relatively modern day, I'm currently thinking around late 90s early 2000s?? flip phones exist basically, but I'll allow some more advanced magic tech for simulations and stuff.

The chain live in "New Hyrule" as a country but I haven't landed on a city name for it yet.

very mild magical abilities are common but Combat Transformation Magic is not so every time someone is found to have those abilities they are quickly snapped up by recruitment schools.

Recruitment schools take "students" ages 16-24, so it's a weird mix of high school and college.

Technically they are called "Triforce Guardians." but if I use the word "Magical Girl." it's because it's what the genre is called and it's force of habit just know they interchangeable when I talk about them but the in-universe name is "Triforce Guardian."

Here we have "A team" or as I like to call them "promotional squad" as in addition to being some of the most powerful they are also from very famous families and often used is marketing/propaganda

I'll pick their "real" names later but their LU names are their code/battle names

WARRIORS

"Warriors" is about 19-ish and is used to being in the public eye as his younger sister Linkle( I'm calling her Linelle) was one of the few people to develop magical girl powers before the age of 14, she was 8 at the time, as a result had his family was elevated. Warriors was a teen model until an incident involving dark forces interrupted a photo shoot caused him to unlock his powers, Which I'm making Speed and Flame. He debuted with his sister as a team for about a year until and accident put her out of commission and Warriors had to join Twilight's team. He's not happy about this but it's mostly out of concern that he failed his last teammate and not dislike towards Twilight and Wild.

WILD

Wild just turned 17 and is actually Twilight's younger cousin. He's had his powers since he's been about 13 but because both of his parent were highly involved in government they've been training him since he was about 7 (yes they are terrible how did you know) and as a result he has his scars from missions over the years before he got his powers. He's got very few friends besides a few visiting dignitaries' children (AKA Mipha). When he finally got his powers he was relieved that besides temporary fusing and lifting objects he didn't have very traditional and harmful powers...That is until his parents decided to experiment. He also has a younger sister, Lily, although she's only about 6 and deaf, and while she does have cochlear implants she and Wild prefer to sign to communicate.

TWILIGHT.

Oh boy Twilight where to begin. For starters he's the son of one of the most famous Triforce Guardian ever, the Hero of Time! who broke time itself and has been missing since Twilight was 4. He was raised in the countryside with his mom (Malon) and her side of the family (Ordon homies) but in a terrible twist of fate he inherited magical girl powers, worst of all was his father's shape shifting although from what it looks like he can only turn into a wolf at the moment but it's suspected that he may have a total copy of his father's powers and was brutally uprooted from his home to live in the city to train for the looming threat that's coming for revenge. He's exactly 18 on the dot when he's finally enrolled at Hylia's Academy and Warriors and Wild were assigned to be his teammates to keep him alive until he can unlock more of his powers

Twilight Design

And Wild.

#theladyofrosewater #art #linked universe #linkeduniverse #the legend of zelda #loz #lu warriors #lu wild #lu twilight #linkeduniverse twilight #linkeduniverse wild #linked universe warriors #linkeduniverse fanart #linked universe art #Triforce Guardians #yes I know I put Wild in pink but If I didn't he'd be like the fourth blue one #also the pink goes with the green I picked

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givemewallywestorgivemedeath · 1 year

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figured i'd ask you since you're like, The Flash Fam Expert, but do you happen to know the rough ages of the flashfam? like i know irey and jai are nine, ace is somewhere in his late teens, and wally has to be late twenties at the youngest but i can't find many specifics on other characters and wasn't sure if you might be able to help!

OOF. That's a rough one buddy. You don't understand what you have just unleashed upon the world.

God. Alright.

Irey and Jai are nine physically and mentally. Chronologically speaking, they're still toddlers but don't worry about it.

Ace is around 17? Not yet 18 but older than 15. I would bet on 17 but 16 wouldn't be crazy either. Avery is the same age.

Jay and Max are over 100 but by how much, I couldn't tell you. They play their age close to the chest. Physically they look 50-60 though.

Here's where it gets tricky.

Barry, Wally, Jesse and Bart.

So, Wally would've been in his early 30's when his children were born. Definitely by the time Barry came back Wally would've been at least 30.

However, during the N52 reboot everyone got deaged around a decade younger, Wally included. Wally came out of the Speedforce wearing his Kid Flash costume, indicating that he was physically 19 at the oldest. It's been a few years since Wally emerged, so physically he would have to be around 21 at this point.

Wild! I know!

So yeah, Barry would've been... late 30's? Ish? When he died. He came back at roughly the same age and chilled for a bit. He would've had to have hit 40 at least by that point. But speedsters also don't really physically age? So he looked like he was in his early 30's.

The N52 reboot hit, putting Barry at... late 20's- early 30's. I would say, by now, that the man is at least 30. Potentially even 35. But he looks 25 because speedsters don't age. (Iris would be around 30)

Bart is going to be the most wild one here. Alright. I'm speedrunning this one, so if you don't understand what is happening, I'm sorry but it is too late for you.

He exits the time portal at physically 12, ages to 14 before stabilized. He ages to 16 at which point he disappears. He comes back as an adult for a year but is killed. He comes back, again, back at 16 and is allowed to chill for a bit (potentially a year), bringing Bart to 17 years old (physically) when Flashpoint and the N52 reboot hit.

Bart was somehow spared the ~10 year deaging but he wasn't spared the deaging entirely. Bart pops out looking around 12-14 years old again. He runs around for about a year ish, which brings Bart to physically 13-15 years old currently in comics.

HOWEVER, it must be stated that, like Wally and Barry, Bart's mental age has never been reset. His mental age did not reboot with his body, so mentally Bart is around 19-20 years old.

Jesse... Jesse is weird. DC likes to keep Jesse ambiguously young. When in doubt, Jesse is around the same age as Wally. So, currently she would be around 21. The same applies to Linda.

So yeah. It's weird because Barry was a guy in his 30's with a little baby ten year old Wally and there was at least a 20 year age difference there. And now it's maybe 9 years? But also Barry looks 25 because he's a speedster, so it looks like Barry is only 4-5 years older than Wally.

Honestly if you went off looks alone, it'd be Jay (50), Max (50), Barry (25), Wally (21), Jesse (21), Avery (16), Ace (16), Bart (14), Irey (9) and Jai (9). Which is WILD?! Their family looks like two gay dads adopted 8 kids. Other than Max and Jay, they all look within five years of each other. It's wild.

Speedster aging man... They just... don't. They don't age. They live on Neverland time 24/7.

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liveforjeongin · 8 months

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hey, how is your day going? I hope you're well 😊 I wanted to request a 3racha tickle fic with lee!han, with prompts 19 & 52 from prompts#1 and prompt 24 from prompts#2 if you would be okay with that! have fun! ❤️

An Essential Part Of Cuddling

My day's been good, thank you anon<3

And thanks for the request too<3

I literally love 3racha tickle fics, and I love lee!Jisung even more, so I loved doing this one<3

-tickle fic, if you don't like that you can keep scrolling

requested by: anon

warnings: nibbles, raspberries, cuddling (is that a warning?)

taglist: @itzsana-kiddingmenow @channieissocute125 (IforgottoadditI'msosorry💔💔💔)

Prompt 19, list #1: “I’ll never talk to you ever again.”

Prompt 52, list #1: “Not there!”

Prompt 24, list #2: “Tickles are an essential part of cuddling!”

➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷

3racha were (surprisingly) resting on their dorm. Hyunjin went out so it was just them three.

They spend a lot of time together, and they've been knowing each other for the longest time, so cuddling in bed while doing nothing was one of the most common and favorite activities for them to do.

So there were them, cuddling in Chan's bed, with his cool lights, and watching a Marvel movie in his cool tv (or that's like Jisung would describe the scene).

They were all chill and surprisingly quiet, until Chan moved a bit an unintentionally brushed Hannie's side, causing the younger to jump and let out a small yell.

Changbin laughed at the scene "That tickled? Channie hyung barely touched you!" He teased their maknae

Jisung flustered a bit at his hyung's teasing "I... It... He caught me off guard!" Tried to defend himself, but it was totally useless.

That just made Chan poke his side, getting an even stronger reaction than the previous one "That caught you off guard too?"

Changbin also wanted to mess with his younger, so he snuggled up more onto him and started poking his ribs repeatedly, causing Hanji to burst into loud giggles immediately.

"Nohohohoho, hyung! Stop thahahat! I'll never talk to you ever again!"

Chan couldn't help but chuckle at the younger's reaction, and joined in on tickling him, deciding to go for the worst, his sides

As soon as Chan started squeezing and digging on Han's sides, he went wild "CHAHAHHAHAHAHAHANNIE HYUNG! NOT THERE! PLEHEHEHEHEASE NOHOHOHOHO!"

Binnie grinned down to the quokka, lifting his arms over his head and going for his armpits "But Hannie, tickles are an essential part of cuddling!"

Hannie was going mad "YOHOHOHOHOHOHOU SAY THAT CUZ YOU'RE NOHOHOHOHOHOHOT THE ONE BEING TIHIHIHIHICKLED!"

"Aww, you're right. Who's the one being tickled in here~? Oh~ It's our maknae~ Look how cute you look being tickled~. That just means we'll have to do it more often, right Binnie?" Chan teased, going harder with the side tickles and now changing between sides and knees, which fortunately for him, and not so much for Jisung, where at his reach.

That was all they had to do to make the quokka boy really lose his mind.

"I think you're right, Channie hyung, we'll definitely have to do it more often, it's an essential part of cuddling after all! That's what we learned today, didn't we, Hannie~?" Changbin was talking really calmed, contrasting with Hanji, who was laughing the loudest he'd done in his life, while doing his best and wildest attempt to squirm away from the tickling sensation, uselessly since he was trapped between his two hyungs, who, for his unluckiness, where incredibly strong. Some tears started to form in his eyes, he wouldn't last much more, and his hyungs knew.

So they went for the kill.

At the count of three, Hannie was immediately attacked with raspberries and nibbles all over his neck and belly, not mentioning that the tickles on his sides, armpits and knees hadn't stopped either.

Jisung arched his back and shook his head wildly from side to side. His neck was wet with tears, his face was red, his body was so weak he couldn't even squirm now, and his laughter was getting louder and louder.

Chan and Changbin were definitely not having any mercy with Han, they were willing to push him to his limits, but then Jisung's laughter went silent.

There was the limit.

So immediately after that, 2racha stopped any movement. They got their hands and mouths off of the youngest of the three, and rubbed the spots they tickled him in, to help him ease the ghost tickles.

No need to say Hannie was a mess in this moment. He was breathing hard, holding his stomach, his face was all red and his body felt so weak. He didn't exactly like it, but being honest, he wouldn't mind if that happened again...

"Are you okay, our Hannie?" Channie asked, rubbing the younger's sides and running his fingers through his hair, hoping to calm him down.

"Did we go too far?" Binnie had a concern tone on his voice.

Hannie took a couple more breaths before answering "I'm fine... I think. Just... Don't ever do that again. Or... At least not this rough" Hanji said, looking away in that last part.

The younger's words made a grin appear on Chan and Changbin's face as they got comfy on the cuddle once again, knowing what that meant.

Next time, it'll be cuddly tickles for their sweet maknae.

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HELLOOOOOO WORLD, it's me again😻😻

I love lee!Jisung a lot, so I loved a lot writing this as well

I hope you guys enjoyed it, I'mma try writing more and finish all the requests :33

#skz tickle #kpop tickle #stray kids tickle #tickle #tickle content #ahhie's blog

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saspitite · 3 months

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The Hint

On February 6th, 2024, a thread on KauKoBoard made by user HedoniSt0rm had been suddenly updated after going silent for nearly five years.

[24/02/06 19:13] HedoniSt0rm: Hello everyone. Sorry it's been a bit, I got busy with life and had to distance myself from online matters. I hope I didn't worry anyone, though- I know there's only like, 80 people here? So it's pretty easy to remember most everyone and notice when somebody leaves. Either way, I'm back, and with something I think you guys might like. [24/02/06 19:22] Milli_Best_Pilli: TORILLE PERKELE!! welcome back man, we missed you so much! :D you doing alright? [24/02/06 19:24] HedoniSt0rm: Doing just fine, thanks! :]. [24/02/06 19:25] notawolf: what did i miss??? hedoni's back???? talk about the second coming of christ lol [24/02/06 19:25] notawolf: in all seriousness i'm happy you're back dude. what's the thing you wanted to show us? [24/02/06 19:26] HedoniSt0rm: Glad you asked. Hope everyone still has their detective bones in them like the good ol' days, because this was an interesting encounter. Remember what I said before I left? It was the last update I made in this thread. [24/02/06 19:27] notawolf: no fucking way. [24/02/06 19:27] Milli_Best_Pilli: ...do i need to grab some popcorn [24/02/06 19:27] HedoniSt0rm: Yep. I talked to the Kauhukorppi. [24/02/06 19:28] notawolf: DUDE [24/02/06 19:28] HedoniSt0rm: Sit tight, I still have to upload all the photos to my computer- then I'll explain. [24/02/06 20:14] HedoniSt0rm: Alright, everything's done uploading and nothing got corrupted (too much). So, I had gone to a Hevisaurus concert earlier and remembered my hypothesis of potentially communicating with the Kauhukorppi. It felt a bit strange in practice, continuously taking photos while the band wasn't even playing, but I'm sure nobody noticed me amongst all the excited kids. My plan was to keep taking photos periodically until I "caught" him, and then find ways to communicate from there. Yes, it sounds extremely unplanned, but it turns out I didn't really need much of a plan at all. It turns out that the Kauhukorppi can read minds, too. Below is the first photo I had taken which captured the Kauhukorppi. What was interesting was the "..." clearly visible above his head, along with the fact that he wasn't staring into the camera like he usually does. He was definitely aware of me- but specifically aware of the fact that I was trying to get his attention...

[24/02/06 20:16] HedoniSt0rm: My suspicions that the "..." held significance ended up proving true with my second photo. He was now communicating with me directly, stating that he could "hear me"- my thoughts.

[24/02/06 20:18] HedoniSt0rm: I then asked the Kauhukorppi if I could speak with him. He stated that he would be delighted to. I'm unsure what the "just don't blink" statement specifically meant, but it was possibly referring to the photos I'd be capturing from then on.

[24/02/06 20:21] HedoniSt0rm: I began by notifying him of his presence in the real world, and how he had garnered a community online. I was surprised by his answer- he was aware of it, and even went on to say it was his "purpose" to be known.

[24/02/06 20:24] HedoniSt0rm: Upon asking for more clarification, it seems the Kauhukorppi became a bit agitated, mentioning some kind of nebulous "them".

[24/02/06 20:25] HedoniSt0rm: I took a wild guess and asked if he was referring to the Sony vs Hevisaurus incident. What I got in response was, bizarrely, silence. He had looked away again.

[24/02/06 20:28] HedoniSt0rm: I took another photo and he finally answered. It seems I surprised him.

[24/02/06 20:30] HedoniSt0rm: And then, he made a shocking offering to me. There seems to be much more we don't know about the Kauhukorppi.

[24/02/06 20:33] HedoniSt0rm: And as I asked just how much there was to uncover, the distortion of the photos began to strangely lessen, and he said this:

[24/02/06 20:35] HedoniSt0rm:

[24/02/06 20:37] HedoniSt0rm: This last photo unfortunately still has issues with excess corruption. I am not sure how to decipher the meaning left in this one, as it's too broken on my end to understand. Help would be appreciated. Thank you. I will be signing off, now. -Hedoni

#sas stories #the kauhukorppi #original writing #my writing #creepypasta #original creepypasta #unreality #unreality tw #unsettling #eyestrain #bright colors #glitch effects #eye contact #paranoia inducing #hevisaurus #a hint: the last photo is actually a gif that doesnt loop #anyways yeah im back with my stupid hevisaurus creepypasta. someone out there has to be cringe and weird after all #no its not necessary for someone to ''solve'' the broken photo but i just thought id give a hint anyways teehee

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sergeantsporks · 2 years

Text

Gilded Family

Rating: Teen and Up, Gen

Ch 24/?: Puppets Vs. Pals

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6 , Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 17, Ch 18, Ch 19, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 22, Ch 23

In which none of the previous golden guards or wittebro died, actually, they're all fine and living happily together as one big dysfunctional family

Ao3

Collector stroked his chin. “Hmmmm… What is this new game?”

“Weeeeell, it was a really fun one that Terra used to play with me all the time, called ‘covens versus wilds.’”

“Oh,” King yelped, “I know about this one! Eda… Eda told me.”

Phoenix shook his head. “Obviously, covens versus wilds doesn’t really make sense anymore, so we’ll call it… puppets versus pals.”

Collector nodded. “Huh. How do you play?”

“Well, there are two teams. Puppets, and pals.”

Collector clapped his hands. “Oh, we’re pals! And the rest of the isles… puppets! Easy teams!”

“Close,” Phoenix said slowly, “There’s one more role. It’s the most important role, and if no one does it, then we can’t play the game.”

“Oh, me!” Collector bobbed up and down in the air, raising his hand. “Me, me, me, I’ll do it, I want to do that one!”

“Are you sure? It puts you on the other team.”

“Yes! I want the super important part, I’ll be so good at it!”

Phoenix’s gut twisted.

You’re acting just like him. Tricking some kid into playing your game.

I have to

It isn’t the same, I have to.

“Okay, if you’re sure. Your job is that you are in charge. You’re running the base of operations here. You make sure all the puppets are coordinated. Because team pal’s job is to get out of the archive house and out of your… blue area. And team puppet is trying to get uuuuuuus tooooo…”

“The room! Our bedroom, it’s a good spot. What are the rules?”

“Um… you can’t leave the house, but you can send ALL of the puppets after us. If someone gets hurt, we have to pause. And… you can’t turn King or I into puppets. That’s cheating.”

“Okay! Hey, the yard is kind of big, especially since you can’t fly without me. How about I draw a new area? Look.” Collector clapped his hands, and outside, a wall of light sectioned off a swathe of land around the archive house. “You just have to get past the light wall to win! Okay, are we ready? Three! Two! One! Go!”

Phoenix scooped King up, bolting towards the hallway. Puppets appeared with a pop behind them at “go,” clattering wordlessly. Phoenix skidded to a stop in front of the window over the horn, yanking the glyph Lilith had given him out of his pocket. “We need to clear the skull. Can you break that window?”

“Weh!”

A soundwave blasted out of King’s mouth, and the glass cracked, spiderwebs of white spreading across it.

Tap, tap, click.

A puppet lurched towards them, and Phoenix shuddered. “Time to go!”

He backed up, then took a running leap at the window, turning so that his shoulder hit the glass and his body shielded King from the impact. The glass shattered, and a thousand tiny shards bit into the right side of Phoenix’s body. The two of them slammed into the horn, and Phoenix scrambled for a grip, skin scraping across rough bone.

Come on, come on, come on—

Phoenix’s fingers cracked into the skull, and he and King slid to a stop. “Hah—huh—”

“You just broke bone!” King yelped, “How did you know that would work?!”

“I—was just hoping—I could find—a handhold.” Phoenix stared upwards, refusing to look at how far below them the ground was. “Okay, okay.”

Blue stars whirled down from the archive house, puppets sitting on top.

Don’t think, just do it, don’t think, just do it—

Phoenix took a deep breath, braced his feet against the horn, and pushed off, leaping clear of the skull. King screamed, clinging tightly to Phoenix.

“WE’RE GONNA DIE!”

Phoenix forced himself not to activate the glyph, watching the ground get closer… closer…

He hit the paper, and their fall slowed, the air around them humming and glowing blue. He twisted in midair and landed on his feet. It didn’t matter—his legs gave out the second he put weight on them, and he crashed to the ground.

“We just jumped. Off of the top of the skull. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Ahahaha.”

King’s grip came just on the verge of strangling Phoenix now. “Are you crazy?! It’s just a game!”

Phoenix pushed himself to his feet. “It’s not a game—it’s an escape. Let’s go.” He started towards the treeline—any cover was better than standing in the open, and according to the mental map Phoenix had made of the ‘yard,’ the river was somewhere in that forest.

Click

A hand closed around Phoenix’s arm, and he whirled around, swinging his fist.

Cyrus’ date from the coven day parade stared at him, eyes blank. Phoenix twisted his arm mid swing, barely missing the puppet’s face. The puppet grabbed his arm and pulled, tugging him back towards the archive house, but Phoenix wrenched away, sweeping the puppet’s legs out from under him.

“Someone I know cares about you,” he told the stall owner, “Hold on for him.” He sprinted away before the puppet could get back up, weaving through the trees to break off his line of sight.

“What do you mean escape?” King demanded, “What about Eda and Lilith?!”

“I talked to them, actually. They’re in on this.” Phoenix ducked behind a tree, panting, as a star whirred past. The moment it was gone, he started to run again, ears swiveling to pick up any sound of running water.

“In on this… how?”

“We’re a distraction,” Phoenix lied, “The Collector should focus all of his puppet power on us, which leaves them unguarded. They slip out, we run out of here while the Collector stays in the archives.”

First you lied to the Collector. Now King.

I have to, or he’d never agree to come.

Not that lying to King would last. He’d figure out pretty quickly that Eda and Lilith hadn’t gotten away. Hopefully, Phoenix could keep him from running right back to the Collector to rescue them.

Looking out for his safety? Or your own?

Phoenix shook himself. It didn’t matter. This was what Eda and Lilith wanted for King. They were smart and tough—they’d find their own way out. In the meantime, they wanted King to get out and as far away from the Collector as possible.

“You don’t think the Collector will be suspicious? A game with rules specifically designed to let us run away from him while he has to stay put in the archive house?

Phoenix shook his head. “There’s only ever been one real rule to Covens vs. Wilds. And that’s that wilds can’t win. The odds are intentionally stacked against us.”

“Just like real life covens and wild witches.”

“Just like real life covens and wild witches,” Phoenix agreed, “Anyway, if it seems like a game we can’t win, it’s not so suspicious. And hopefully we’ll be long gone before he figures it out.” His ears twitched, picking up a splash, and he ran towards the sound, eyes constantly shifting across the trees, checking for puppets.

King sighed. “It doesn’t feel right. Tricking him, I mean. Belos tricked him for years, and the owl house game was a trick to get him to save the isles, and now we’re tricking him again.”

Phoenix’s gut clenched. The Collector was dangerous, there was no denying that. But he was just a kid. And if Phoenix and King got away with this, if they managed to run out of his reach… he’d be left alone with Terra. And Odalia.

Phoenix almost pumped the brakes at that thought, tripping over his own feet to keep going.

“I know. But he’s dangerous. And he can’t… he’s holding us hostage.”

“Maybe I should stay.”

“What?!” Phoenix did stop at that, looking around for watching eyes before crouching in a purple bush and letting King down so he could look him in the eye. “You can’t be serious.”

“Eda and Lilith will be safe. The Collector might not chase after the two of them, but he will keep looking for me.” King patted Phoenix’s hand. “I know you have people you want to get back to. So go to them. Splitting up will increase your chance of getting away, and maybe I can convince the Collector to let you go. That way, he won’t be alone, and you won’t have him hunting down your family.”

Phoenix shook his head. “I’m not leaving you behind. And you know Eda and Lilith wouldn’t want you going back either.”

“I’m not asking Eda and Lilith. I’m asking you.”

Puppets clattered by in a gang of ten, and Phoenix waited for them to pass, silent. Once they were out of sight, he heaved a sigh.

“Look. Collector is… complicated. I don’t think there’s a right answer here. All I know is that Eda and Lilith want you out of the archive house. And I’ll sleep a lot better at night if I know you’re not with him and Terra and Odalia all alone.”

King’s eyes seemed to search his face, then finally nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Since you and Eda and Lilith planned all of this. But Phoenix, if I decide I want to go back…”

“I might not be the one you have to convince. The others can be… intense.”

“Alright. I’ll keep it in mind.” King scrambled back onto Phoenix’s back. “Let’s go.”

Phoenix pushed leaves aside, checking for more puppets. They’d passed for now, but Collector had the whole Isles worth out looking for them. Not seeing at least one or two out was… concerning, to say the least. He jogged towards where he’d heard that splash, moving southeast.

A wall of light blazed through the trees, so bright Phoenix started seeing spots.

Something grabbed his arm, and Phoenix twisted away, squeezing his eyes shut to block out the light.

I can’t see, but they can.

Smart.

He charged forward blindly, pushing through puppets and shaking them off every time one latched onto his ankles or wrist.

King started to slide off his back, his little claws digging into Phoenix’s shoulders.

“Phoenix!”

Phoenix pivoted, opening his eyes. His shadow loomed out in front of him, the light behind him flickering and making his shadow shudder, spikey horns sprouting from its head and disappearing just as quickly. The puppet that held King tilted its head at him, and he kicked it, grabbing King as it stumbled backwards. He closed his eyes again, running through the curtain of light. The blinding light pressing at his eyelids abruptly disappeared, leaving spots in their wake.

The puppets chattered, then fell into their ‘waiting’ position, joints loose.

“I… guess we won?” King suggested.

A star shot off from the archive house, falling towards them, and Phoenix’s blood chilled.

He’s coming for us.

“We need to go.”

He ran for the river, which he could hear in a dull roar of running water, constantly present now.

“Guys,” Collector laughed, his star skimming the ground next to them, “The game’s over. You won! You can stop running!”

Phoenix could hear King’s heartbeat throbbing against his back—or maybe that was his own heart, beating so hard against his ribs that he could feel it trying to get out.

“Phoenix. Stop running. Stop!”

Collector’s star whirled in front of Phoenix, and he skidded to a near stop, dashing to the side and continuing around him.

“Phoenix,” King’s voice said in his ear, frantic, “Phoenix, it’s not going to work—he’s too fast, it’s over!”

Phoenix shook his head, his breath coming in short, ragged pants, only half from the physical exertion. The forest had turned into a tunnel, with just the river at the end.

Have to keep going

Have to get out of here

Can’t stop

He took Darius

He’ll take King

He’ll take everyone from you

Not again

The ground cracked under Phoenix’s feet, and he crashed to the ground, driving glass shards from the window further into his arm and side.

“Phoenix?” Collector asked in a small voice, “Why won’t you stop running?”

“You have to let me go,” Phoenix gasped, “You have to let me go, Belos, you have to let… me…”

“What. Did you. Call me.”

“I—” Phoenix forced himself to take a deep, shuddering breath. “I didn’t mean—It just… slipped…”

“What do you mean, go? You’re not trying to leave me, are you?”

Say no! Phoenix’s mind screamed, You can still fix this, just pretend you got caught up in the game!

No. No more lying.

“Yes,” Phoenix told him, “Yes. I want to leave.”

“Wha—why?! I thought we were friends! Friends don’t leave friends!”

Phoenix pushed himself to his feet, wincing as the little glass shards tore at his flesh. “Friends… friends say goodbye, and they go home, Collector. I’m going home.”

Collector stamped his foot, and the ground shook again. “The archive house is your home! With me! Why do you have to go to some other place?”

“I—”

“Do you have other friends? They don’t have to stay at another place, they can come to the archive house. We can all be friends! You don’t have to go! Where are they? I can bring them to the archive house just like that!”

“No!” Phoenix took another deep breath. “No.”

“Why not?!”

“You’ll turn them into puppets!”

“Yeah? That way they’ll be safe?”

“No. No, it just traps them. You have to understand that, you’re not keeping people safe, they’re not your friends, they’re your prisoners! I’m your prisoner.”

He had to understand. He had to—Phoenix didn’t want to hurt the Collector. He didn’t want to lie anymore, he didn’t want to trick the kid, and he definitely didn’t want to fight him. He just wanted to go.

Collector sputtered, crossing his arms. “Nuh-uh! Prison is being put in a disc and being alone forever and ever and ever and not being able to see anyone! No one is alone this way, and no one gets hurt! No one gets old or sick or dies! I’m protecting them, I’m protecting all of them! Why can’t you see that?! It’s not prison!”

Phoenix shook his head. “Prison is keeping someone against their will—and you’re not letting me go. I want to go home. Prove we’re not prisoners. Let us go. If we’re friends, you’ll let us leave. And you won’t follow us.”

Collector’s lip wobbled. “If we’re friends, that means you’ll come back, right?”

He still has Darius

And… I don’t want him to only have Terra and Odalia as company.

“I’ll come back,” Phoenix said slowly. A voice in the back of his mind screamed not to promise that, or for it to at least be a lie, but he squashed that part down. He’d let the others know what had happened to Jason and Hunter. He’d fulfill his promise to Eda and Lilith and get King to safety. And then he’d come back for Darius.

And the Collector.

Collector took a deep breath. “You’re sure you don’t want them to come back with you to the archive house?” he whined.

“I’m sure.”

“And you’re sure you’ll come back?”

“I’ll come right back to the skull and wave to one of your stars to pick me up,” Phoenix promised, “I won’t be gone long.”

“Like, you’ll be back tomorrow?”

“Uh… give me a week?”

“That’s forever!”

“Think about it. I’ve been with you for weeks, and my other home didn’t get to see me for all that time. It’s only fair.”

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Fffffffine. Can I send a star with you to fly you back super fast, at least?”

“No.”

“Man. C’mon, King. We’re gonna play some games that only need two players.”

King looked to Phoenix, who cleared his throat. “I was… actually thinking King would come with me?”

Collector froze, but didn’t turn around. “What?”

“I was thinking… King… would… come.”

“So King gets to meet your other friends, but I don’t?!” Collector whirled around, eyes blazing. “Are you trying to steal King from me?!”

Phoenix took a step back. “I…”

Say something

Say something!

“You can’t have him!” Collector screamed, “You can’t, you can’t, you can’t!”

King floated back towards the Collector, and Phoenix jumped forward, grabbing King’s arms. “No, no, no—”

“Phoenix!”

“I’ve got you, King! I’ve got you!”

I promised Eda and Lilith

I promised King

I can’t let the Collector take him back!

“Mamadalia was right!” Collector howled, “She said you took her friend from her, and you’d take my friend, too!”

Odalia.

She did have another trick up her sleeve.

Collector twisted his finger, and King was jerked forward, dragging Phoenix closer to the Collector. “I said you wouldn’t ever, but she wasright, she was right, you’re nothing but a horrible, no good friend stealer!” His voice rose to a shriek that seemed to pierce Phoenix’s ears, and he was halfway certain if he checked, they would be bleeding. “You were lying about coming back!”

“I wasn’t,” Phoenix said desperately, “I swear, I—"

The Collector tugged again. King cried out, and Phoenix instinctively let go. “No!”

“I! Hate! You! You! Lied! Just! Like! PHILLIP!” Collector held up one hand, and a ball of blinding light formed over his palm.

King’s eyes widened. “Phoenix, RUN!”

A soundwave blasted out of his mouth, throwing Phoenix back towards the river. Phoenix saw the Collector’s magic hit the ground where he’d been, and a moment later, a boom echoed out, and the ground cracked. The shockwave left by the impact threw Phoenix up in the air, and he crashed back down to the ground.

He’s going to kill me

I can’t go back.

Phoenix scrambled to his feet, wheezing for air. Another ball of light sizzled past him on the left, crashing through thick tree trunks. Again, the sound followed moments after, a horrible, cracking, tearing noise. Phoenix bolted towards the river, took a deep breath, and dove in.

The current almost immediately swept him away, pushing him further downstream. Something hissed into the water—another attack from the Collector. The resulting wave sent Phoenix tumbling around in the water like a wet rag, sending the water over the banks. The Collector’s scream of rage disappeared in the roar of the wave.

Phoenix struggled to the surface for air, only to be thrust back down under. Claw up, gulp for air, thrown back beneath the surface in a dizzying whirl of bubbles. Over and over and over and over.

Finally, finally, the wave receded, and the current started to slow, washing him to shallower water. Phoenix stumbled out of the river and collapsed on the bank, retching up water and gasping for air.

He heard the whirring sound of one of the Collector’s stars, and he hauled himself up, staggering towards the nearest cover—a small town. He ducked into an empty house, flopping down on the floor and pressing his back against the wall.

The whirring got louder and louder, then faded into the distance. Phoenix stayed on the floor for a few more minutes, heaving in deep gulps of air. He finally reached up, grabbing the windowsill and pulling himself to his feet. His vision blurred, and he leaned on the wall for support, making his way back outside.

The town was deserted, as far as he could tell—nothing left but a few graffitied messages and an old billboard for… the coven day…

This was the town close to the house. He recognized that billboard, and the build of the houses.

Almost there

Almost…

Phoenix stumbled out towards the trees, barely even stopping to check the skies for more spies. Blood pounded in his ears, and the sides of his vision seemed to fade away, completely focused on the trees ahead and the house he knew lay beyond them.

At least until the ground crunched and cracked beneath him, and in a confusing whirl of dirt and twigs, he was flat on his back, staring up at the sky. Steep dirt walls rose above him, penning him in.

“No!” Phoenix’s voice cracked. He rolled over, staggering back to his feet and jumping for the top of the pit. “No—no, no, no—” His fingers clawed into the soft dirt of the walls, and he slowly slid down, collapsing to his knees. He thumped his head against the wall, sending dirt cascading down to his lap.

I’m so close!

Phoenix curled into a ball, lying down against the earth. His bones seemed to sigh in relief, and his exhausted body told him to stay here forever, to just rest, finally rest.

The sky overhead slowly turned fiery orange, then red, then a dark blue, lit only by the glow of the moon.

And Phoenix heard scuffles in the night.

“Pit three got something,” Hamlet’s voice said, “Good. I was starting to think all the prey got turned into puppets.

Here, Phoenix wanted to call, It’s me, I’m here.

But his voice wouldn’t respond, as if his tongue had died in his mouth. He tried to sit, to stand, to move at all, but his limbs seemed to have fused into the ground, heavy and rooted down.

A glowing ball of light wafted over the pit, and four shadowy forms peered down. “Wait—that’s a witch. We caught a witch—careful, they might be a puppet.”

Something jumped down into the pit, and another glyph lit up. “It’s Phoenix!” Meleager yelped. “Hey—can you hear me?”

Phoenix blinked at him in response, his voice still frozen in his throat.

“Phoenix?!”

“Yeah—he looks pretty rough. Hang on, we’re coming up.”

Meleager drew his finger through the dirt, and something cold formed under Phoenix, pushing he and Meleager up out of the pit. Calloused hands hauled Phoenix up, slinging his arms over their shoulders and bracing his back with their arms. Phoenix stumbled forward with them, fighting to keep his eyes open.

“He’s shaking,” Horus hissed, “Titan—is he going into shock? Breathe, man.”

“Go warn Auric,” Meleager ordered next to Phoenix’s right ear. Footsteps thudded away.

“Oh, yeah—”

Horus wrangled a loop of string over Phoenix’s head, catching in his ponytail. A pendant thumped to Phoenix’s chest, and suddenly, golden light spilled out in front of him from a familiar house surrounded by a familiar fence. Fuzzy blue magic circled the perimeter, blue glyphs that hadn’t been there before glowing on the wooden posts.

“Phoenix is back!” Horus yelled.

The house murmured, and the door swung open with a bang, the hallway behind it filled with shadowy figures. Something flew out and cannoned into him, grabbing him in a tight hug. Phoenix cried out as the force drove glass shards further into his side, and the person wrapped around his waist let go, stepping back.

Mole looked Phoenix up and down, eyes wide and worried. And… searching.

“Jason’s not with me,” Phoenix croaked, “I sent him to the human realm. He’s safe, but he’s… stuck.”

Mole blinked rapidly, eyes welling up, then turned and ran, pushing past the other grimwalkers that were spilling out of the house.

“Mole—” Phoenix let go of Meleager and Horus, stumbling after Mole, but without their support, he only made it a couple of steps before falling.

Meleager caught him. “Alright, big guy. Let’s get you inside.”

“Move,” Venari ordered from the house, pushing grimwalkers out of the way and clearing a path for Meleager and Phoenix. Dozens of eyes tracked his movement, and whispers followed him into the house, fuzzy and indistinct.

Meleager helped Phoenix to the living room, which now featured a medical bench, a couple of cots, and a rack filled with potions and bandages that sat atop a bar counter. Auric was already inside, mixing something up in a bowl, and he pointed to the bench, and a steaming cup sitting on the counter next to him.

“Any life-threatening injuries?” he asked.

Phoenix shook his head. Meleager sat him on the bench and handed him the cup.

“It doesn’t taste very good,” he warned.

Phoenix took a sip. It did, in fact, taste horrible, like someone had put sulfur and spiders in a cup, but it traced a warm track down his throat and pooled in his stomach, warming his whole body and sending a burst of energy coursing through him. His mind seemed to snap back into focus, and all of the dull aches and sharp pains from his escape faded. Meleager took up position in the doorway, planting himself firmly and watching the hallway.

Auric hustled over, reaching for Phoenix’s arm, but Phoenix flinched away before he made contact, holding his arm to his chest. He eyed the other Grimwalker warily.

Auric held his hands up. “It’s okay. I know what I’m doing. Mom’s wiped from holding up the illusion around the house all the time, so I’m taking over on medical duty. You’re going to be alright, Phoenix. You’re safe now.”

Safe.

Something wet dripped down Phoenix’s face and he slowly reached up to feel for a head injury. But the liquid was clear, coming from his eyes instead of a gash.

“I…”

“Oh—” Auric’s hands twitched, fluttering around Phoenix’s shoulder without actually touching him. “Hey—it’s okay. You’re okay.”

“King’s not,” Phoenix whispered, “And Collector…”

“He’s not going to find us. We’re really well hidden.”

Phoenix shook his head. “That’s not what I…”

“Phoenix?”

Caleb pushed through the doorway. “Phoenix! I’m sorry we didn’t get you, everything started collapsing, and people were panicking, and we couldn’t find you, and—”

“Belos is dead,” Phoenix whispered.

“What?”

“He’s dead. Collector killed him.”

Caleb blinked, mouth opening and closing wordlessly. He took a deep breath, and let it all out in a sigh that seemed to melt his shoulders. “Okay. Okay. I… Hey. Cherry told me you got Jason to safety? Was Hunter with him?”

Phoenix nodded, tears still streaming down his face. He couldn’t stop them. He wasn’t sobbing, or even sniffling, the tears just… kept going. Silently, but steadily.

Caleb reached out, gently brushing a bedraggled strand of hair out of Phoenix’s face. “Hey. You did well. You protected your brothers. You held out against the Collector. I’m proud of you.”

“I think Mole’s mad at me,” Phoenix rasped.

“We’ll work it out. He wasn’t just worried about Jason—he was worried about you, too. And he’ll remember that. For now, let Auric take care of you. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Caleb stepped back next to Meleager, nodding to Auric. Auric gingerly took Phoenix’s arm, lifting it up. “Okay—hold this arm steady. Dad can help you keep it up if it’s too heavy, just say the word. I want to get the shards out of your side.

Phoenix kept his arm lifted, and Auric went to work, yanking out glass with tiny tweezers. Phoenix winced at each little knife sliding out, but Auric was quick, and soon he was dabbing away blood and applying salves in quick, easy motions. The cuts went numb, along with most of Phoenix’s right side.

“Arm down,” he ordered, “What happened?”

“Jumped through a window.” Phoenix chuckled dryly. “I’ll have to tell AT that he was right—it was easier than going out the door.”

“Not funny.” Auric pulled another glass shard out of his bicep. “Do not tell… AT…” He froze, staring at Phoenix’s arm.

“What?”

Auric grabbed a small knife and cut off Phoenix’s sleeve, sliding it off of his arm. He wormed the knife under the bandages Jason had tied. “Is this arm the only injured one?”

“I—my other arm was—but I think they sealed up on their own, I haven’t been having any—”

Auric tugged backwards, slicing cleanly through the bandages. He repeated the process on the other side. “You haven’t checked under the bandages since you got them?”

“No. Is something wrong?”

A high-pitched sound of distress emitted from Auric’s mouth, and he slapped one hand over his face. “Sorry—sorry, that was… unprofessional. Phoenix, this is very, very important. How did you get these wounds? Possibly more importantly, did anything get in them after you did?”

“Belos’ claws. I don’t think anything got in them? Jason bandaged them quickly.”

“Okay,” Auric said faintly, “Okay. Dad? Can you… come take a look at this? Just confirm that I’m seeing what I’m seeing?”

“What?” Phoenix asked, “What’s wrong?”

Caleb pushed off of the wall, huddling next to Auric. His nostrils flared, and he whirled around. “Meleager. Get Evelyn. Now.”

“What?!” Phoenix demanded, twisting to look at his arm.

The wound had sealed, alright. It had sealed over in a skin of dark blackish green sludge that oozed and bubbled like tar. Veins of the same color spread out downwards under his skin, creeping towards his hands.

Phoenix gagged, clawing at the covered wound. “Get it out!”

Caleb caught his hands. “Phoenix—Phoenix, leave it. Leave it. Look at me. Evelyn’s coming. We’re going to figure this out. Just take a deep breath.”

Phoenix sucked in a deep breath, dragging his eyes away from the festering wound. “What—why-?”

“Looks like Phillip left a little bit of his cursed form behind when he attacked you. If it’s anything, I’m willing to bet it’s just like an infection in a regular wound from bacteria. It’s just… magical.”

“Let me see.” Evelyn gently pushed Caleb to the side, sitting next to Phoenix. She looked… tired. Her face had thinned, and the circles under her eyes were as dark as Caleb’s. But her hands were steady, and she examined the wound with sharp, analytical eyes. “Hm. Alright, let’s get this out.”

Evelyn drew a circle in the air, and golden tendrils drifted out, pushing into the cursed mud. The greenish sludge started to circle out, drawn up the golden threads in a spiral. The mud reached halfway up the tendrils, and the world tilted. Something roared inside of Phoenix, and he slumped forward. Somewhere, he heard a scream, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw Caleb holding Evelyn bridal-style, her body limp.

Auric’s arms encircled Phoenix’s chest, and the grimwalker tugged backwards. “Sit—up—” he grunted, “I’m going—to drop you!”

“Evelyn!” Caleb yelped.

She reached up, gently patting his face. “I’m alive, love,” she said weakly, “I’m okay.” Her eyes slid to Phoenix, sparking with fear. “The infection ate my spell,” she said shakily, “It just… absorbed the magic!”

“It’s Phillip’s curse, alright,” Caleb said grimly. He set Evelyn on her feet, but kept one arm wrapped around her to support her, “Phoenix, you haven’t… felt anything strange? Any pain in your arms? Strain, like you’re falling apart? A… need to consume magic, like palisman?”

Phoenix shook his head. “I didn’t even realize something was wrong until now.”

“Hm.” Evelyn studied him. “Any magical symptoms? Strange dreams? Thoughts that don’t seem like they’re yours? Weird impulses?”

“Not that I can think of?”

Evelyn hissed out a long breath. “Alriiiiiiiiiiiiiight… we have a couple of options here. Obviously, how I normally get at an infection isn’t going to work. One option is that we cut it out.”

Phoenix’s gut churned. “Like…”

“Like with knives,” Evelyn confirmed. She gestured at his arms. “But I don’t want to do that unless I absolutely have to because of how much of your arm it takes up and because I don’t know how deep it runs. It would take a long time to heal, and if we’re not careful, we could permanently damage your arms.”

Phoenix gulped. The idea of carving out a chunk of his arms… sure, he’d just tried to claw it out himself, but this was much more serious. And permanent. “And… the other option?”

“We do nothing,” Evelyn said simply, “It doesn’t seem to be hurting you for now, and based on how it reacted to my magic, it might turn hostile if we try to mess with it. So, we don’t touch it. See if your body burns it out like a regular infection, or if it settles into a harmless part of you. We’ll keep an eye on it, but we’ll leave it alone.”

“I… I think I like that one better.”

“You have to let us know if anything changes and it gets worse.” Evelyn jabbed a finger at him. “I mean it. No playing heroic stoicism, mister. If you so much as get an unusual tingle in your fingertips, you let me know. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“Good. Hopefully, it’ll clear out on its own. If it doesn’t…” Evelyn shook her head. “We’ll figure it out. For now… we wait.”

xxx

A/N: It is very important to me you guys know that "Phoenix gets Belos Infected due to Belos goop getting into an open wound and in his bloodstream" has been planned in the plot SINCE KING'S TIDE AIRED, and I was SO mad when it happened as a canon plot point.

#toh #the owl house #toh fanfiction #my writing #gilded family au #golden guard oc #king clawthorne #the collector #caleb wittebane #evelyn clawthorne #caleb clawthorne #evelyn wittebane #grimentor

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isfjmel-phleg · 2 years

Text

Selections from the Correspondence of the Lockridge Family, II/XVII

Letter from Emenor Lockridge to her brother Tamett.

Untertan, Norriber

24 February 1908

Dear Tam,

how are you? I am well. I do wish you would write more interesting letters. Father read the last aloud at the table and I think Zella must have fallen asleep right into her boiled potatoes. All right, perhaps she didn’t, but we all felt like it. Is it really so dull living at the palace? Your letters are nothing like the stories you tell when you get home. Has His Royal Highness been horrid again? Are the princesses around much? How are your music lessons? Tell me!!!

See, I will show you how it is done. I am going to start new violin lessons tomorrow (!!!) with Mr. Karrel Winther.[13] Mother met him at the concert the Vosses[14] gave after Christmas and made sure to mention me to him, several times, so he got interested and wanted to hear me play. He visited last month, and Mother made me get dressed up and loaned me her pearl brooch[15] and did my hair so that it looked almost as if it were up.[16] (I know you don’t care, but I did, and you have no idea how excited I was.) I wasn’t a bit nervous about playing for him until he arrived and we were introduced. He is perfectly ordinary-looking, nothing like a great musician at all. No wild hair or bizarre clothes. He didn’t even wear a cravat instead of a tie. I had been expecting more of an eccentric, like Boschbrandt,[17] so the thought of having to play for someone who looked more like a business acquaintance of Father’s somehow brought about a whole month’s worth of nerves I hadn’t had before, all at once.

(“Oh, how dreadful that must have been for you, Emenor! However did you get through it?” That’s you, writing your interesting letter back to me.)

My hands were shaking so I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep the bow steady, but I closed my eyes, which helped a little, and played Boschbrandt’s “Melancholisches Konzert,”[18] which sounded nothing like how I felt. Then I played Metzel’s “Musik für eine Sommernacht”[19] (the one you love so much),[20] Becke’s “Hymne der Müden,”[21] and to finish off, Severin’s “Marsch der Söhne Norribers,”[22] which is always great fun. I saw Mother and Father looking at each other when I started to play that, and they might have been signaling me to stop, but I happened to be too absorbed in the music to quit, and Mr. Winther got to hear the whole thing.

(“How could you be so daring, Emenor? Even I would never dare play that in the hearing of anyone Liennese! Did it cause a terrific scandal?”)

Most people don’t express scandal by applauding, so I suppose he didn’t mind. Perhaps he didn’t recognize it. But he did agree to take me on!!! His rates made Father go very bristly-looking,[23] but with your salary arriving soon, he and Mother think they can manage it. Even if they weren’t able, I was prepared to use some of the worldly goods (presently the number of both our ages combined thanks to a shrewd business arrangement)[24] to supply it. I need these lessons. Mr. Winther has connections to the Conservatory of Königsstadt ,[25] and perhaps he can convince Father and Mother when I can’t.

But you are much of the reason this has worked out, so thank you! I miss you, but just think how much more we’ll get to see each other once I get into the Conservatory.

Your sister

Emenor

P.S.: Your scarf is at least two feet longer.[26] By the time I get it to you, it will be so long that it’ll reach from here to Königsstadt so we can pull you home whenever we miss you.

P.P.S.: (“Thank you so much, Emenor! You’re my favorite sister!”)

[13] Mr. Karrel Winther: Karrel Winther was a virtuoso violinist who had toured with the Royal Symphonic Orchestra of Lienne from 1892 to 1907 before returning to his native Norriber to teach. He was in high demand among upper-class Norriberrian circles, and for a time taking lessons from him became a status symbol. Eventually he lost patience with teaching pupils who had no serious interest in perfecting violin technique and required auditions before taking on new pupils. In 1908, he had seven other pupils besides Emenor Lockridge. These students attended lessons in pairs in his home five times a week. Emenor studied in the mornings with Andar Vind, who would later become well-known as the composer of several popular musicals.

[14] the Vosses: Olmund and Kreszentia Vosse lived a mile away from the Lockridges. Olmund Vosse had inherited a fortune in the fish business, and he and his wife were among the more prominent citizens of the area.

[15] her pearl brooch: The pearl brooch was listed among the jewels and other valuables Elina Lockridge brought with her upon her marriage. It is among the few of these jewels not to disappear from the family inventory over the years and may be seen in many photographs of Elina, including her wedding portrait.

[16] my hair […] almost as if it were up: A photograph from the Lockridge family albums, taken by Lovisa, depicts Emenor on the main staircase in the ensemble and hairstyle described here. At age fourteen, Emenor was still too young to pin up her hair. Her letters and photographs indicate that she officially did so about two years later.

[17] Boschbrandt: Lukaz Boschbrandt was among the most famous of Lienne’s distinguished composers. His legendary symphonies, known as the “Divine Twenty-Three,” are a staple of Liennese concerts, and many of his melodies have been immortalized as hymns, popular songs, and dance tunes. He was also known for his peculiar habits and appearance, including disheveled hair and rough treatment of pianos.

[18] “Melancholisches Konzert”: Boschbrandt’s “Melancholisches Konzert” (Melancholy Concerto) is a common piece for intermediate violinists to learn. It wavers between major and minor keys, with a notable tremulous quality.

[19] Metzel’s “Musik für eine Sommernacht”: Walder Metzel rose to prominence around the same time as Boschbrandt, and to this day, they remain rivals in fame and skill. Metzel completed a record-breaking 1,000 compositions (not including seventeen incomplete pieces) before his mysterious disappearance at age thirty-one. “Musik für eine Sommernacht” (Music for a Summer Night) is typical of his work in its bold, showy, virtuosic style.

[20] the one you love so much: Other family letters indicate that Emenor practiced this piece for so long that the family became especially annoyed with it, particularly because, like many of Metzel’s pieces, it is an earworm.

[21] Becke’s “Hymne der Müden”: Seppen Becke, music master of Königsstadt’s royal cathedral, is remembered most for his contributions to church music. “Hymne der Müden” (Hymn of the Weary), a favorite of organists, is perhaps his most recognizable piece.

[22] Severin’s “Marsch der Söhne Norribers”: Jone Severin composed numerous Norriberrian patriotic pieces, including “Marsch der Söhne Norribers” (March of the Sons of Norriber), written around the two hundredth anniversary of the conquest of Norriber. Severin’s works were outlawed as seditious in Lienne and its possessions and were never heard at any public musical performance, although they continued to be played in private.

[23] His rates made Father go very bristly-looking: Karrel Winther charged ten myunzen ($530) for a month’s worth of lessons.

[24] the worldly goods ([…] thanks to a shrewd business arrangement): “Worldly goods” was Emenor’s code for her personal savings, intended to eventually fund her education at the Conservatory of Königsstadt and kept secret from her parents for fear of unauthorized “loans.” Emenor had at this point amassed an impressive sixteen myunzen ($848). It is unclear what this “shrewd business arrangement” was; no further hints exist among the family papers.

[25] Mr. Winther has connections to the Conservatory of Königsstadt: Karrel Winther was educated at the Conservatory, as were most of Lienne’s distinguished musicians of the day.

[26] Your scarf is at least two feet longer: Emenor was a prolific knitter, and many of her pieces are still in existence. A scarf known to be her work, which could possibly be the one to which she refers here, measures eight feet and seven inches in length.

#The Blackberry Bushes #The Blackberry Bushes short stories #Selections from the Correspondence of the Lockridge Family #my writing #Emenor Lockridge #Tamett Lockridge #Lovisa Lockridge #Cille Lockridge #Zella Lockridge #Elina Lockridge #Edvin Lockridge

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aestheticvoyage2024 · 6 months

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Day 71: Monday March 11, 2024 - "This was 32 months"

32 months was a memorable one - put a pin in it. It was a stand out mile marker. The one where the tantrums hit, and we soaked it all up with humor and skill. Personally, Id been ready and wondering when it would hit - all that work Ive been doing so hard on myself is work I was doing, I know now, for 32 months. Ready to be mindful intentional skillful. Ready to be free of fear and full of joy. And William provided a lot of joy. I likened it to running the rapids, which once I figured out how, began to sharpen and enjoy the skill of running right to the edge, but preventing the meltdown, in a healthy productive way. And taking every opportunity to practice and show repair. Finally, we're here and we were ready and making a big positive impact on William's future. He developed hard this month, and we loved bearing witness to it! And we were so blessed to have backup most of this month from Grandma, visiting from cold wintery Michigan. Some of the most eventful tantrums she got to witness included meltdowns over not getting his third popsicle or wanting to climb in and out of the car seat on his own. There is also the one where I caught him trying to climb into the freezer to find Ice Cream. In full disclosure - Id probably meltdown if you interrupted my perfect plan too. All perfectly reasonable explorations of the boundaries of his horizon. Totally fine with him testing and challenging. I can hold space for that. I can be his sturdy leadership.

Not only was 32 months the tantrums era, this was also William's Beyonce Era. Not sure who first put Beyonce in his brain - but fairly certain we can blame my Mom for throwing Crazy in Love on Youtube into his little 32 month brain, after sitting on the toilet looking at the A is Awesome book. B was you know who. If he falls hopelessly in love with curvy mocha colored goddess, we'll know perfectly well where it came from. At 32 months you flipped from Elmo and Abby, to Beyonce.

A lot of great weather this month and we spent a lot of time reading springtime books - Mama has been keeping us fully supplied with new seasonal books and as we flip into the 33rd month we're reading a lot of St Pats books. He's been mostly accident free, and fully potty trained and multiple times while we were out at the Donut Shop or the Taco Shop, he'd pop a squat right in the parking lot. Once, at Pacos, to get Flan, he sat feet off Speedway and watched all the cars whiz by, while whizzing in the back of Mama's car. So memorable.

These are fun times. Riding and running the rapids and I just tell myself to be present, keep showing up, and dont miss a thing. Its a wild time, but such an important time to test your skill. I really feel like we're setting a positive foundation for the next several years. I keep pouring it all in, and we'll see where it goes in the 33rd month!

Favorite Food: Donuts

Favorite Song: Beyonce - Crazy In Love

Favorite Book: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Daddy's bed

Favorite Show: Gecko's Garage / Troy The Train / "Bumper Cars"

Favorite Toy(s): Monster Trucks bought with his own money paper

Best Phrase/ Word: “No, I Dont Want That!"

Favorite Favorite: Beyonce. No, Real Beyonce

Least Favorite: Sleeping in his own bed.

Big First: First Physical Tantrum, First I'm Sorry, First time buying toys with his own money (Valentines money from Aunt Jane)

Song:Beyonce - Crazy In Love

Quote: “Finding the good inside can often come from asking ourselves one simple question: “What is my most generous interpretation of what just happened?” ― Becky Kennedy, Good Inside

This was 31 months This was 30 months This was 29 months This was 28 months This was 27 Months This was 26 months This was 25 months This was 24 Months This was 23 Months This was 22 Months This was 21 Months This was 20 Months This was 19 months This was 18 months This was 17 months This was 16 months This was 15 months This was 14 months This was 13 months This is 12 Months This is 11 months This was 10 months This was 9 months This was 8 months This was 7 months This was 6 months This was 5 months

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wakemeupinmay · 1 year

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My thoughts on the Eurovision songs this year

1. 🇦🇱 Albania - Duje - Albina & Familja Kelmendi

VERY dramatic, but I could shake my ass to the part in which she isn’t singing

2. 🇦🇲 Armenia - Future Lover - Brunette

„I just wanna make art, read books, be loved and called a good girl“ okay ma'am that’s everyone ur not special

3. 🇦🇺 Australia - Promise - Voyager

Do we know why they are headbanging this much? It couldn’t be bc of this song right?

4. 🇦🇹 Austria - Who the hell is Edgar? - Teya & Salena

Not often is a song made spicier by adding some church singing

5. 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan - Tell me more - TuralTuranX

I have just watched the video for the third time and I start to suspect that there is more than one guy singing, I could be wrong tho

6. 🇧🇪 Belgium - Because of you - Gustaph

He looks like a gay musketeer + weirdly enough this song doesn’t make me want to dance, it makes me want to walk???

7. 🇭🇷 Croatia - Mama ŠČ - Let 3

Thankfully for them I love chaos and not knowing what is going on, BUT I did get scared for a second when they undressed

8. 🇨🇾 Cyprus - Break a broken heart - Andrew Lambrou

I am mesmerized but that won’t get me to like the song :/

9. 🇨🇿 Czechia - My sister‘s crown - Vesna

Idk guys, is this a good song or does it just have a good message? It doesn’t bop for me, I’m so sorry I tried

10. 🇩🇰 Denmark - Breaking my heart - Reiley

Okay, do we also have a version in which we can hear his voice in the chorus better? Thanks, the distorted one playing over his singing is a no no. I dig the outfit tho 10/10 very cute

11. 🇪🇪 Estonia - Bridges - Alika

Don’t worry guys, Estonia is bringing the compulsory piano to the contest this year

12. 🇫🇮 Finland - Cha Cha Cha - Käärijä

Very entertaining and very eurovision by the hulk goblin king, very appreciated by me :)

13. 🇫🇷 France - Évidemment - La Zarra

This. woman. has. the. most. snatched. waist. I. have. ever. seen. Other than that, once again France does what it does best, which is being french

14. 🇬🇪 Georgia - Echo - Iru

Did she get turned into a white worm halfway through? + They surely get the award of „lyrics that make the least sense“ this year. „THIS FEELING IS LORD“

15. 🇩🇪 Germany - Blood & Glitter - Lord of the lost

So happy for Germany leaving its shell for once but maybe reconsider the red latex suit. Otherwise they are really cute and make me smile

16. 🇬🇷 Greece - What they say - Victor Vernicos

How did Greece get Tom Shelby’s son dressed like a school boy from the 1940ies to sing about his hurt feelings?

17. 🇮🇸 Iceland - Power - Diljá

So sad Iceland couldn’t keep up the streak of rly good entries. Unfortunately this song holds no PPPPower over me

18. 🇮🇪 Ireland - We are one - Wild Youth

Don’t worry guys, our knights in shining masks are here to save us. Not rly tho, the song is not that much fun :/

19. 🇮🇱 Israel - Unicorn - Noa Kirel

A song called Unicorn has no business being this serious

20. 🇮🇹 Italy - Due vite - Marco Mengoni

What can I tell u…. It’s definitely Italys entry + Does he sound like an italian Michael Jackson???

21. 🇱🇻 Latvia - Aijā - Sudden Lights

The last time I saw lights like these on stage Germany got 0 points, be careful Latvia

22. 🇱🇹 Lithuania - Stay - Monika Linkytė

What does Čiūto tūto mean?

23. 🇲🇹 Malta - Dance (our own party) - The Busker

I see you Malta, trying to have your own little epic sax moment

24. 🇲🇩 Moldova - Soarele si Luna - Pasha Parfeni

This felt like a spiritual fever dream + gotta love the nuns in the crowd

25. 🇳🇱 Netherlands - Burning Daylight - Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper

This song is all the stages of grief I go through once my favourite does not win eurovision

26. 🇳🇴 Norway - Queen of Kings - Alessandra

Aye aye captain we stan! BUT I would have looooved if the show (costumes, dance,…) were a cringey eurovisiony pirate thing

27. 🇵🇱 Poland - Solo - Blanka

Why is it giving parody of rich spoiled brat that thinks she can sing bc daddy said so?

28. 🇵🇹 Portugal - Ai Coração - Mimicat

I like it, it’s not a ballad and fun also she looks exactly how I would imagine a Mimicat

29. 🇷🇴 Romania - D.G.T. (Off and On) - Theodor Andrei

I didn’t expect to be going to an underage bondage strip club tonight.

30. 🇸🇲 San Marino - Like an animal - Piqued Jacks

He is giving me mixed signals. Am I sexy Aphrodite or do I stink and am poisonous? Why is he chasing me? Is that good or bad? I’m worried

31. 🇷🇸 Serbia - Samo mi she spava - Luke Black

He is very much Melovin coded but I do connect with the message an awful lot

32. 🇸🇮 Slovenia - Carpe Diem - Joker Out

It’s good, I get the hype, curious what they’ll do on stage tho

33. 🇪🇸 Spain - Eaea - Blanca Paloma

Is it allowed to perform religious rituals on stage?

34. 🇸🇪 Sweden - Tattoo - Loreen

After that huge TV fell on that one kpop performers head this performance makes me extra nervous

35. 🇨🇭 Switzerland - Watergun - Remo Forrer

Don’t worry Remo, Switzerland is one of the safest countries on earth

36. 🇺🇦 Ukraine - Heart of Steel - Tvorchi

I think I have never been more surprised by a country sending a generic pop song. Or maybe it was to be expected the most rn. It’s not bad by any means but also def not a winner and everyone knows that

37. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom - I wrote a song - Mae Muller

If I don’t see the name Mae Muller on the writing credits to this song I will absolutely throw a fit

(List of videos I watched)

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dark-night-star-light · 1 year

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Spirit Animals: Immortal Guardians (Reread pt. 9)

DISCLAIMER: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOKS ONE THROUGH SEVEN IN FIRST SERIES, BOOKS ONE THROUGH THREE, TALES OF THE GREAT BEASTS, AND TALES OF THE FALLEN BEASTS.

Masterpost

Chapter 1

“If only she could turn right around and go home” (1). Interesting first line . . .

“I wish I had a spirit animal, Kaiina thought. Then I’d always have company . . . ” (2). That’s . . . actually a good reason, wow.

“‘How could I have summoned Dinesh?’ Kaiina asked in wonder. ‘And why to me?’” (5). Yeah, is it, like, random . . . or . . . ?

Woah, Zerif speaks the local languages . . . ?

“ . . . but this one was white . . . ” (7). Has Kaiina never heard of a polar bear before? Don’t they teach her about these things???

“The polar bear and the boar had spread out” (8). Okay, so she does know what a polar bear is.

“ . . . saw two more tattoos appear on the man’s chest: an eagle and a ram” (10). Uh . . . when does he take Arax??? That wasn’t in Tales of the Fallen Beasts . . .

Chapter 2

“But now Myriam was too busy playing host to worry about that - the ibis kept busy greeting each newly arriving bird . . . ” (13). Oh, that’s so cool.

“ . . . Myriam had spent the day following them around, keeping tabs on which was the most beautiful” (13). That’s so funny. I imagine the peacocks being like, What is this thing following us around?

“She gathered lichen and wedged it into the narrow black crack, wetting the patch with pond water” (14). Isn’t the Evertree in the middle of Nilo??? It’s near a pond???

“ . . . The tree was dying” (15). I genuinely forgot why it’s dying. I know it’s something to do with the Wyrm, but I don’t remember how.

Chapter 3

“In Zhong, she’s perfected a serene smile, warm enough to honor the person’s interest but chilly enough to discourage handshakes and questions” (16). Parallels to Meilin’s very first chapter in Wild Born?

“Lately Jhi had started to take Meilin to task whenever she slipped into rudeness. It was very annoying” (17). See, this is the dynamic the Bile robbed us of in the first arc.

“Essix the Falcon is not a messenger pigeon! Essix eats messenger pigeons for breakfast!” (18). Why didn’t Rollan just send a messenger pigeon?

“ . . . and I’m not asking this lightly. But you must come to Greenhaven as soon as you can . . . ” (19). This does not sound like Rollan at all.

Rollan signs his letter “Your Rollan” and then in the immediate next paragraph, Meilin refers to him as her “friend”.

Abeke has gotten even more muscular! Slay!

“But Meilin knew what her friend would really want her opinion on. ‘I like your new skinnier braids’ . . . ” (20). When has Abeke ever shown interest in hairstyles, though???

“‘Oh no! What have we done?’” (21). This quote is so weird??? I don’t know, it just feels off.

So far, the vibe in general feels weird . . .

“ . . . Abeke said, looking at Kovo with something almost like sympathy” (23). Why, though??? Why is she sympathetic?

“‘You’re polite as always, Takoda,’ Rollan said to the boy, a complicated expression on his face” (24)). I feel like I remember Rollan being suspicious of Takoda . . . is that what this is???

Kovo drawing the Wyrm symbol on a landscape??? What is the landscape, though??? I don’t remember this . . .

Chapter 4

“‘I came down here to study while we were training’” (29). Literally when??? When did Meilin ever go to the library???

“The tortoise blinked its rheumy eyes at them and yawned” (30). I wonder if Meilin ever thought of the tortoise as being slow, like she did with Jhi.

“‘ . . . the Lost Lands is contained in here’” (33). Stetriol also had a nickname??? Eura’s the only one without a nickname, now . . .

“At the elbow, where the living tendril ended, the knob of it throbbed and shifted, curling into new visions of the same shape” (38). So it’s in a spiral shape even as it squirms up? That’s odd.

Chapter 5

“ . . . and now he was going to lose the people he loved most in the world because of it” (39). Is he??? Also, awwww, that’s cute (that he thinks of them as the people he lives most in the world).

“He felt his face twist into a humiliated scowl” (39). Oh my god, he’s becoming Meilin.

“Rollan wouldn’t give up. He threw his arms around his friend. ‘You’ve been disgusting ever since we’ve known you’” (40). It’s so awesome that I can actually see the character growth from the last arc.

“‘Rollan and Abeke are our best trackers. . . ’” (42). Getting the feeling that I missed something? Rollan can track?

“Meilin and Rollan were staring at each other with moony longing . . . ” (42). Why do they do this in front of other people???

“With one move, she’d told him she wasn’t scared of his sickness” (42). Personally, I think that moment is far superior to Meilin and Rollan staring at each other.

Chapter 6

“Takoda had spent his life in sandals, and now he was wearing a pair of heavy boots he’d borrowed from Conor” (44). I feel like I remember Takoda living somewhere else before the monastery??? Did he really wear sandals? Or did he go bare foot before that?

“He probably wouldn’t say no if they asked him to be a Greencloak someday” (45). Kovo would, though, lol.

“It was a moment that would forever be seared in Takoda’s memory . . . Takoda couldn’t imagine a spirit animal relationship more different from his own” (46). Funny, because Meilin’s relationship was pretty similar to Takoda’s during the first arc.

“ . . . the Great Beast that had nearly conquered the world - stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the leader of the Greencloaks” (48). Symbolizing the new relationship that the Greencloaks forged with the Great Beasts in general?

“If only he and Kovo knew more than ten symbols, he could explain the danger” (50). He can explain the danger anyway, right? Kovo understands Common.

I forgot whether Kovo recognizes this place or not.

“‘Kovo saved your life’” (53). Okay, so Kovo killed Briggan, who bonded to Conor, who killed Kovo, who then saved his life. Parallels???

“It was like the earth itself had a mouth, open and hungry, waiting for prey to fall in” (54). If they’re in the mountains between Zhong and Eura, how do they get to Nilo, where the Evertree is? Because this is where they fall, right?

I do not remember Kovo and the others fighting over the door??? Huh.

“Calmly, as easily as if it had been made of wet paper, Kovo reached up and plucked off his collar” (59). So ominous.

Chapter 7

“‘. . . and we’ll stop in and say hello to all the shop owners you stole from back in the day’” (60). Okay, I need Rollan to go back to that Valdez guy and push him around a bit. Just a bit.

“ . . . memories of the handsome blond boy resurfaced in unexpected moments” (62). First Shane reference in second arc!

“‘Many of the people of Northern Amaya are nomadic, following the herds throughout the year . . . ’” (63). Rollan doesn’t sound like Rollan at all.

“‘Where to?’ Rollan asked. ‘Anywhere!’ ‘No seriously, where to?’” (64). It feels like they swapped Rollan and Abeke’s personalities? I kind of like it, though. More foil theory fodder.

Rollan caused a stampede??? Wow, I clearly remember close to nothing from this book.

This whole scene is very . . . different??? In a good way, though. There isn’t much Rollan and Abeke friendship in the first arc, so now that they’re alone, it feels strange. But I like it.

Chapter 8

“‘Meilin,’ Conor said in low tones. He placed a tentative hand on her back. ‘I’m as angry as you are . . . ’” (73). Conor and Meilin friendship is all but nonexistent in the first arc, but it feels like they made up for that in the second arc.

“‘King. Worthless,’ Takoda translated” (76). King??? Who’s the king? What king??? Is it Takoda?

“‘I have to tell you that I miss him’” (76). Doesn’t putting your spirit animal in passive make you stronger to some extent? They fought off the “bonding sickness” from the staff at the end of the last arc that way.

“Stop it, Meilin. Terror is your enemy” (79). Giving major first-book-Meilin energy.

Chapter 9

“‘You have more in common with Kovo than you think’” (82). Conor getting mad!

“ . . . the torchlight seemed to have the monster dazzled” (83). The Many’s weakness being light is not something I remember.

“ . . . a spiral, just like the one on Zerif’s forehead . . . ” (84). I wonder if Conor thought that Zerif would eventually become one of these things.

“The light bomb seemed to affect the ghoulish creatures much more strongly . . . ” (87). I wonder if the Wyrm itself is sensitive to light? Or Zerif?

“Then Takoda gasped, like he’d been punched, and in a flash Kovo became a tattoo on the boy’s neck” (88). Why does it hurt for Takoda to take Kovo into passive state? Did Kovo want it to hurt? Can he do that?

“Although she closed her eyes to slits, they streamed tears, even in the dim light” (88). Oh, so it’s just because the Many are Sadreans, not because they’re Many.

“‘It’s okay,’ came a voice Conor knew as well as his own” (89). Aw, Conor-Meilin moment(?)!

“‘You’ve come to stop the Wyrm . . . ’” (91). Why does Xanthe think that? Was there a prophecy or something?

Chapter 10

I kind of wonder if the city or tribe you’re from is like a last name in Erdas. They say “Abeke of Okaihee” and “Rollan of Concorba” as someone would say a full name.

“Abeke longed to see her father and sister again” (96). Why??? They are literally so abusive . . . this is just one thing about this series I’ll never accept.

“‘I’ve never seen a horse take such an instant disliking to someone’” (98). Rollan’s horse rivalry saga continues.

“ . . . The leopard lay down in the earth, head resting on her paws, and started up at him” (98). Wasn’t it mentioned that Uraza didn’t really approve of Tellun in The Evertree? Also, in Tales of the Great Beasts, she never, ever bows down before Tellun. Neither do the other Great Beasts . . . ?

“‘You make him sound so serious.’ Anda laughed. ‘I just think of him as my elk. And I’m his boy’” (99). I still think it was definitely a choice to have a leader of the Great Beasts. I also like Anda’s attitude toward Tellun. Less awed, more of a “oh, yeah, ha ha, that happened” type.

“‘My elk is silly most of the time; I’m not sure why he’s being so serious today . . . ’ . . . ‘Why didn’t you ever tell me you were that important?’” (99). This line makes no sense. Anda knows that the elk he summoned is Tellun, but didn’t realize he was important? What exactly did Tellun tell him?

“Though she and her family had worked through their differences . . . ” (100). When??? It went straight from Abeke’s father saying he didn’t care about her at all to Abeke and her family “making up” at the end of The Evertree.

“‘They could gossip in the woman’s tent and sip herbal teas together’” (101). Oh, he’s a sexist. Also, if he believes so much in gender roles, how come Anda told Abeke that the men would have loved to go hunting with her? Wouldn’t they have scorned her just like her father?

“‘ . . . I’m closer to my family now than I ever was before I left Okaihee . . . ’” (102). That’s unfortunate. She’s closer, or she’s just learned to put up with their abuse?

“At the sight of his son’s crying, Anda’s father’s face tightened into a frown” (103). Presenting, the manliest masculine manly man, who can’t handle the sight of a guy crying.

Chapter 11

“ . . . Xanthe looked even more like the strange beings that had attacked them . . . ” (105). Can’t tell if Conor is trying to say Xanthe looks like the monsters, or that the monsters look human.

“ . . . Meilin allowed Xanthe to help her to her feet” (105). She what???

“ . . . the rising air smelled vaguely like the hot stones his mother had once used to warm his bed . . . ” (107). All I could think about reading this was that one scene from the Shadow and Bone show.

“Conor smiled as he imagined [Meilin’s] outraged expression” (108). Conor and Meilin’s relationship is peaking in this series. Said this before, I think, but there are no good Conor-Meilin moments in the first book. At all (in my humble opinion).

“‘Are you scared of heights, Meilin?’” (111). I don’t remember this at all??? I think she was scared of spiders because of the Drina situation and the Webmother, but heights???

“ . . . it seemed some Sadreans had spirit animals, too” (113). Right, but before the Second Devourer War, they would’ve had bonding sickness, right??? Right??? Because they didn’t have access to the Nectar??? Plot hole???

“‘Our man of mystery,’ Meilin said in amazement as she watched Takoda stride forward and introduce himself to the nearby Sadreans. ‘Shy with us and assertive with everyone else’” (114). Yeah, why’s that??? Just pointing it out doesn’t change the fact that it makes no sense.

“‘I’m not afraid of heights, you dummy’” (115). Oh my god, this is too funny.

“By the time they’d stepped onto the city’s rock floor, Conor and Meilin were breathless with laughter” (115). That’s so cute . . . they’re acting twelve again!

This trap system is really cool, it just needs some archers and it’s good to go.

My guess: the screamers fail somehow, and that’s how they get attacked by the Many (I seriously don’t remember anything about this plotline).

“‘This shows the founding of Erdas’ . . . ‘ . . . become the civilization known as the Hellans’” (121). Where did the Hellans come from??? How do you “found” a whole world???

“ . . . Briggan and Jhi and Uraza were pictured near one another, friends even way back then” (122). Where’s Essix? Also, it’s funny, because in Tales of the Great Beasts, Uraza insults dogs and glorifies cats. Kind of want to know Great Beast Uraza and Great Beast Briggan’s relationship.

“‘He told the Hellans about the danger of the Wyrm and gave us our task . . . ’” (123). Right, but doesn’t Kovo hate humans?

“ . . . ‘the Evertree’s roots withered, and the Wyrm’s egg dropped . . . new roots began to grow where the old had been . . . much weaker than before . . . the fall cracked the egg, allowing small gray parasites . . . to spill out’” (123). I think it’s so interesting how they managed to make the original series’ climax be the cause of this new problem.

Ooooooookay, I was wrong. The screamers did work.

“His body broke into shudders, and he couldn't make it stop” (126). Conor had a panic attack?

Chapter 12

“Aynar had mapped them a trail that would lead back to the Tellun’s Pride II . . . ” (132). Wait, so, Tellun literally gets stolen in the time it takes to go back the same way they came? Wow. That’s . . . sad.

“‘Anda is scratching the leader of the Great Beasts’” (133). How come nobody had this reaction with the Four Fallen? I mean some did, but Rollan was all “oh yeah, I summoned a Great Beast”, like he wasn’t in awe or anything???

“‘It’s confusing to me, too. It’s Tellun, but he’s not using his boomy voice’” (134). Again, Essix wanting to follow Tellun is so weird. Like, I just think the idea of a leader of the Great Beasts is a stupid idea in general, but whatever.

How did Rollan not see anything in the north, when an attack came so soon after?

“‘But I think he can communicate freely with any animal he meets’” (138). So, Tellun can: turn a desert into a lush forest in a matter of minutes, communicate with any animal he meets, and invoke awe. Is it just me, or are his powers all over the place?

“‘My father and I only started to understand each other recently, but our love was there all along’” (138). Okay, that’s it. Did they just refer to the relationship between Abeke and her father as “loving”?

“He dreamed of Artica, of balancing on an ice floe with Meilin . . . ” (141). Is this a reference to the fact that Fire and Ice is the first book in the series with major Rollan-Meilin moments?

“He recognized this awful pain. Rollan had felt it once before, under a bloodred sky at the end of the world” (142). Wasn’t that bonding sickness caused by the Staff of Cycles? And the bonding sickness is gone now, right???

Ohhhhh, so the bonding sickness comes from the Evertree being sick, and the Evertree is sick again . . . so . . . there’s bonding sickness again???

Chapter 13

“[Kovo] roared” (147). Why’s he just roaring at the Sadreans??? Is he good?

“Each of the elders came forward and did the same, choosing a different part of Kovo to honor . . . ” (148). I do not remember this ritual . . . at all.

“Immediately Jhi was covered in color . . . She looked delighted by it” (148). The elders: *doing an ancient ritual* Jhi: Play time!

“Xanthe scrutinized the panda’s belly, then she, too, threw her arms around Jhi” (149). But she just met Jhi???

“‘This isn’t precisely what I’d call a feast, not exactly,’ Conor said . . . ” (149). Conor being rude? No way . . .

“ . . . or, more distantly, her mother” (152). Her mother died giving birth to her, though???

Huh, Meilin also had a dream about Rollan and her rotting bond.

Jhi can stop noise???

“They’d gotten the high-speed summoning down to a science . . . ” (155). How high-speed, though?

“ . . . Conor managed a wicked grin” (157). Who is this guy?

Wow, Meilin be using the Many like a surfboard.

“ . . . he took her trembling frame fully in his arms” (165). I can’t get a handle on Takoda despite reading a whole-ass chapter from his perspective.

KOVO IS JEALOUS???

“‘Give her a second!’ Takoda snapped” (165). Honestly, yeah.

“His eyes were a bit too wild. His smile was a bit too stretched” (170). Did the Wyrm change him physically besides the parasite, though?

Chapter 14

“ . . . cruel Gerathon was the one who most often stalked his dreams” (171). Why??? Shouldn’t it be Kovo?

“Gone were the days of allowing Zerif to call the first shot; Abeke gave no warning before letting her arrow fly” (172). Parallels to shooting Zerif in Against the Tide? Also, when had she ever let Zerif call the first shot?

“Anda had started to flee . . . ” (173). So he’s flight out of fight-or-flight.

“‘Tell me, plainsboy, you only just summoned the Great Elk. Have you mastered his dormant state?’” (176). Okay, but Tellun died first, meaning that he was reborn first. So shouldn’t Anda have had enough time??? To learn? In Tales of the Fallen Beasts, Dawson summons Rumfuss into passive, so . . . that means that Anda should’ve also had enough time to learn to summon Tellun. Also, it’s up to the spirit animal, so Tellun can just go into passive if he chooses???

“ . . . the mysterious figure wore a long, stiff crimson cloak. Even if there hadn’t been a hood hanging low over his head, a curious mask - a single white plate, like one huge scale of a reptile - covered his features. The stranger stride forward fearlessly, the fingers of one leather-gloved hand flexing and unflexing” (179). I love the Redcloaks’ outfit, actually. I love how it manages to cover every part of the body, the body, the face, the hair, and the hands. Also, the masks are supposed to be reminiscent of their spirit animal, right? So how come Shane’s isn’t a crocodile???

“But with one long stride, the red-cloaked stranger was in front of Abeke” (180). Awwwww.

Okay: unpopular opinion (probably . . . ): I don’t like that Anda lost his spirit animal. I think that Shane should’ve showed up earlier to help save Tellun, then disappeared as usual. Anda would’ve joined Rollan and Abeke and it would’ve helped us flesh out Tellun and his powers more. But now, all that’s left are broken relationships.

I get that it was to set up a sense of failure and hopelessness, but instead, the failure could’ve maybe come from letting Anda get so hurt?

Final thoughts and rating:

I really liked the description of Sadre. It was done pretty well. The colors made it seem so foreign, and I like that. The newer Conor-Meilin bond is so good. I don’t remember a single moment in the first series where they had such a moment. I did like Xanthe as a character. Rollan and Abeke’s relationship is amazing in this book as well. Conor getting angry and being rude in some places was something I enjoyed personally, because it shows his development from the last series. Kovo returning, and this time being on the side of the protagonists was an amazing direction to take the story, because it explains how complicated the first arc really was. I really like how mistrustful-but-grudgingly-playing-nice relationship between the group and Kovo was cemented, as well.

Rollan didn’t really feel like Rollan for parts of the book, and while I get that it’s because he matured, it’s possible to mature a character and still have them be recognizable. I thought Anda losing Tellun was straight up unnecessary. We could’ve finally learned about Tellun’s powers, but instead Tellun gets taken and we don’t. I still don’t understand how the Sadreans had spirit animals without getting the bonding sickness, since they didn’t have access to Nectar. I absolutely despised the way they’ve glorified Abeke’s relationship to her father, and especially after she’d come such a long way to understand that family sometimes wasn’t biological. I also didn’t like that this arc wasn’t even a little foreshadowed in the first arc, though that’s a more minor thing.

Rating: 9/10

#draeyem rereads spirit animals #immortal guardians #spirit animals series #spirit animals books #spirit animals #spirit animals thoughts

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edenslice · 1 year

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New follower here, if u wanna, tell me about ur ocs i want to know everythin about siso and emery go wild i wanna know everything (if ur willing to tell)

EDIT JUL6 2023: these r largely outdated and/or changed !!!!

ANOOOOOON tysm for this mwah (⁠ノ⁠^⁠_⁠^⁠)⁠ノ

siso and emery are my one piece ocs !! they're mother and child basically, estranged up until wci where they reunite after 10 years of separation

siso is NOT a strawhat, just a major ally (enies lobby + marineford + punk hazard → wano)

this follows a timeline wherein yamato escapes onigashima pre-timeskip after siso washes up on onigashima one day, frees him from the exploding cuffs, and they basically explore the world together

gonna be very long so i'm putting it under the cut

emery: fishman, formerly part of whitebeard's crew before leaving (on good terms). she has complete mastery over the Voice Of All Things which pushed her to find people like her and form her own crew, the aegis pirates. they dominated the south blue, and after literally witnessing siso's birth and adopting the child, moved to paradise once roger died and the great pirate era began. personality wise, her motto is "if someone helps to you, go all out with gratitude. if someone hurts you, go all out with revenge".

siso: you know how much the sea plays a role in the narrative right? yeah. that's basically siso. he's the human embodiment of the sea. and i know how overpowered that sounds, but trust me, he's just some guy!!!! i am so serious

backstory......complicated.! wait for their wikis ^_^

trivia timeeeee (siso only, emery is still fairly new and i haven't had enough showers to think abt her character yet)

・。.・.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・

siso

is genderfluid, but only uses he/him pronouns

6'7 hunk of a bear.....he was already 5'7 at 15, had a growth spurt from 6'5 to his current height during the timeskip. he's built like a fat heavyweight guy (healthy fat, not obese or overweight). hairy all over except his face and thighs. his hands are as big as chopper's head

i KNOW that isn't very tall in the one piece universe, but keep in mind that the unaturally tall characters are usually infamous pirates/marines and he's spent (almost) all his life blending in with normal people

cringefail. can and will cry crocodile tears in front of children and scam good-natured people to get what he wants. will bring out his pathetic/lazy side so people would look down on him only to surprise them with all of his lovecraftian loser energy and laugh when everyone else thinks theyre going mad

quite literally incapable of lying—not out of guilt, but of laziness. why bother lying to someone when the depths of the ocean will swallow them whole someday and show them truths they cannot comprehend? either say the truth, keep quiet, or kill them. works like a charm!

has no sense of duty or moral obligation, much to his and everyone else's detriment. he will do and not do things based on how much fun he thinks he'll have, then complain and sulk and be generally unhelpful when wrong until he gets off the task.

odd-job man! used to be a pirate (aegis at 0-16 y/o, donquixote at 16-18 y/o) then decided to become nomadic and lay low at places where marines are prohibited (19-24 y/o) up until the year the strawhats debuted as pirates

siso's reasons for being Heroic and saving those he loves are not simply "i love you and i care about you" but more like "you're the most fun i've had in my life so who the fuck do those bitches think they are to take my happiness away from me"

has a casual manner of speaking and writing, but not so much as slang or informal. he just doesn't care all that much about honorifics and respect in formal spaces EXCEPT if he holds any personal reverence for the person he's talking to (i.e. robin)

deeply, earnestly, respects robin, even going so far as to bow, offer his seats, and say "po" and "opo" to her (filipino honorifics), even if she's just 4 years his senior. robin is like. the oden to his yamato except no kinnie stuff.....the burning of ohara and robin surviving it really moved him and made siso view her as his inspiration and light in a world so needlessly cruel

↑ also the reason why he even met the strawhats in the sea train to begin with, because he heard that robin was in danger and rushed to help

likewise—deeply, earnestly, hates zoro, but his hatred is not born from malice or ill will, but from feelings of helplessness too overwhelming to process. there stands the man who is his exact opposite, who bases his entire existence on his role as protector just to fulfill a promise to a friend long gone and to a crew too dear to lose. reckless, self-sacrificing people like him who are consumed by guilt and duty are fated to die in the most painful ways possible and siso doesn't want that, he wants zoro to live long and to fucking take care of himself, but he's helpless. he wants to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense into him—you'll never be the greatest because your standard of greatest is a desire too grand even for the sea to grant, i don't want to be the one that will bury you in the end, fucking listen to me—but it's no use, really. all siso can do is stand back and watch zoro slowly kill himself for the people he loves. and he hates him for that

WOAG sorry that was long . this was meant to be sillayyyy (head in hands)

has a complicated relationship with sanji. on one hand, sanji's dream in finding the all blue washed away a deep-rooted despair in him and reignited his hope in becoming whole again and finding that lost part of himself, so he has high hopes from the cook and admires him. on the other, he's just so fucking weird around him. amorous to the point of being condescending whenever siso identifies as a woman. throws his used cigarettes into the sea. fucking pathetic loser of a human man. smells like uncooked fish. has a crush on him that he tries so desperately hard to hide but fails because siso doesn't lie and he can sense when others do. again, smells like uncooked fish.

like seriously what is up w u sanji-kun........stop glaring at me ur sweating thru ur pants. i can see ur bulge. stop (siso, probably)

is in a qpr with yamato!!! i call it a qpr because although you can technically classify their relationship as romantic since they kiss/pda/make-out alot, but it's a little more queer and arospec than that. siso is very conflicted with human labels and yamato grew up loveless so they're experiencing All This for the first time

literally got each other's backs 24/7. they travel together 99% of the time by ocean current or by riding sea kings—siso is responsible in keeping yamato dry and away from the seawater, yamato is responsible for keeping siso's cringefail ass away from physical harm

they don't travel together all the time though, as in both times siso appear in enies lobby/sabaody yamato isn't with him, and yams only debuts in punk hazard after the aokiji vs doflamingo vs smoker encounter

one day sanji will be welcomed in the qpr and turn it into a polycule. idk how though. maybe when she's less emotionally constipated (takes a dramatic drag from my fake cigarette)

aaaaaand that's all for now ^_^ i don't want this 2 be too long . i'll make a separate post for sisos relationships with the other strawhats teehee

#flux ocs #aespera one piece #oc: emery #infodump #long post #yamasiso #sisoanji #← ship tags don't mind me :3 #this got. really long. im not sorry but Yeesh lmao #emery will get her own trivia post someday do not worry #AUGHHHH NO ART OF THEM YET IM SORRY IVE BEEN SO BUSY #asks

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