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xnoctifers-eveningx · 2 years

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𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼 Wild Plant Lore 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼

Some notes from my BOS of weeds / local plants that can be used in one's craft. Includes magickal correspondences, traditional uses (medicinal and culinary), and some of their folklore.

Disclaimer at the end !!

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Acorns- the nuts of oak trees. They're made of one seed covered by a tough shell with a cap on top. These nuts can be eaten and are turned into flour to make breads and pastas. Much about acorns are unknown as they are mainly unused in everyday life, but we do know that they contain a high fiber content which has been used to treat bloating, diarrhea, stomach pains, and other digestive issues. Because these nuts come from oak trees they’ve been a symbol of great wisdom and longevity in many cultures such as Celtic and Nordic. Many people have worn necklaces with acorn charms on them to bring protection

• Protection, prosperity, growth, wisdom

Bull nettle- Thick stock and toothed leaves with stiff prickly stinging hairs, the flowers are small, white, and covered in hispid. The seed pods are lightly coloured and cylindrical, containing ~3 seeds. Touching this plant will cause a stinging, burning, or itching sensation that will last for hours. The seeds from the seed pods are edible and taste nutty but need to be harvested with extreme care as to not sting yourself. The seeds can be roasted or ground into a "cornmeal." The root of bull nettle is edible, it's similar to a potato but tougher and the core is so tough it should be discarded.

Binding, banishing, warding, baneful (to cause pain)

Cattails- Cattails are semi-aquatic plants that consist of multiple long spiked leaves with one center spike holding a sausage-shaped head that is filled with cottony seeds. Their rhizomes can be turned into a flour with a high protein content and the shoots can be cooked and eaten. The stems and leaves can be turned into paper. A poultice from the roots can be used as an antiseptic, for burns/cuts, and to reduce inflammation. When harvesting this plant please do not overharvest, it’s a very important part of a wetland’s ecosystem ! Also, always make sure the water near the cattails is clean because cattails filter pollutants out of the water so if you plan on consuming the plant, you could also be consuming those pollutants.

Fertility, growth, prosperity, peace, water-associated magick, cleansing

Catchweed- Also known as cleavers, hitchhikers, goosegrass, or sticky weed. Catchweeds are branchy, square stems that latch onto other plants and buildings with small hooked hairs on their leaves and stems. They have tiny, star-shaped, green or white-ish flowers with four petals. They also have small burrs that contain a few seeds that are covered in hooked hairs so they can latch on to animals to disperse seeds. For those who want to risk getting pricked, catchweed is edible. Young leaves and stems can be cooked and eaten like spinach. This plant is also in the same family as coffee, meaning that you can dry and roast the seeds in their burrs to make a lower-caffeine coffee substitute and teas. Poultices have been made with the whole plant, as with tea washes from dried leaves, in many cultures for light burns, small wounds, and eczema. It has a cooling effect so it’s also used in infusions for bug bites, stings, and poison ivy.

Energy, binding, commitment, protection during travel

Chickweed- Also called chickenwort/weed, winterweed, and simply ground cover as that’s its primary use in modern society. Long stems with pointed, oval-shaped leaves and tiny white star-shaped flowers that resemble carnations. Its star-shaped flowers earned it the botanical name “Stellaria media”. Its flowers and leaves are both edible and are very popular in salads, soups, and stir-fries. It has a taste similar to sprouts that you’d use in a salad. Chickweed salves are used for skincare, poultices for poison ivy, and teas for digestion. Historically, it's been used for skin ailments like itching, dry skin, and even bruises or bug bites from a tisane/tea of the stems applied to the affected area. In European folklore, it was said to help promote a happy, balanced family and love life. This is believed to come from how chickweed grows so closely with all its stems intertwined but in a way that promotes each part to grow healthy, so it promotes everyone in a household getting along with one another while having their own sense of individuality. It’s also associated with perseverance (like most weeds I’ll admit), this is because chickweed is seen growing everywhere, in yards, in forests, on piles of dirt. If it sees an opportunity, it’ll take it and thrive year-round.

Love, stability, loyalty, communication, lunar-associated magick

Clovers- white, balled flowers with three to four small, round leaves. Every part of this plant is edible, the leaves and flowers are sweet and vanilla-y so they are good in teas and sweets. Clover has been used to ward off fevers and used in tisanes/teas for inflammation. Clover has been associated with good fortune for centuries, especially four-leaved clovers. A shamrock is a symbol of a three-leafed clover representative of the Christian Holy Trinity, it’s also believed that the Celtic druids thought shamrocks to be significant because they had three leaves possibly representing the underground, earth, and sky.

Luck, prosperity, happiness, faith

Creeping Speedwell- Teeny tiny violet/baby blue flowers with light yellow middles, it is incredibly fast-growing and can be found in most yards. Speedwell is edible and good in salads, pestos, and smoothies. Tea is made from the leaves and flowers to help clear congestion, allergies, and coughs. Some add it to their baths to help with their allergies and inflammation, inflammation is also helped by a poultice. In some folklore, it’s said that a tea or ointment from speedwell could help one with psychic visions and faerie sight. Before I truly knew the folklore behind speedwell I had this sense that it would help with your clairsenses.

Abundance, divination, psychic/clairsense work

Creeping buttercup- Buttercups are toxic and will leave blisters when raw so they must be cooked or dried before being consumed, even then it's not recommended to eat. A poultice of the (boiled) leaves is used for inflammation and wounds and a tea from the plant is used for its analgesic properties, but be wary of the blisters that may occur. Buttercups used to be used to ward off faeries, many farmers would plant these around their cows to prevent them from being stolen from the fae. There are a lot of stories relating buttercups to cows which is very very cute but ironic because buttercups are actually toxic to many animals! For its many associations with children, fairies, and coyotes across various cultures it can also be related to mischief

Youth, happiness, love, protection from fae, mischief (jinxes/hexes/glamours)

Creeping charlie- Also known as ground ivy. Creeping charlie has square stems with dark, rounded or fan-shaped, toothed leaves. It has small blue or lavender, funnel-shaped flowers that grow in clusters of two or three in the spring. Creeping charlie is edible and has a long history of being used in beer and cheese, it tastes subtly minty as it's in the mint family. Young leaves are good in salads to freshen them up and it's also really good in teas and sweets. There is a risk of it being toxic if consumed in large quantities though. For centuries now it's been used in teas to calm a cough, been said to help with headaches, and has been used on the skin to reduce pain and soothe inflammation. Some have turned it into a snuff and used it for congestion, kind of like Vaporub. It was actually brought over from Britain to the Americas for its medicinal uses, now it��s one of those weeds people will spend tons of money trying to get rid of. Alike creeping buttercup, it’s said that some may have used this to ward magick from their livestock and themselves. Some say it’s good to use to find out who has cursed you or sent the evil eye your way and in some stories, people would drink it as a tea to get rid of their shyness.

Protection from magick and spirits, divination, clarity, courage

Deadnettle- My favourite weed :) Square stem, fuzzy leaves that occasionally are red/purple at the top, with tiny tube-shaped light pink flowers. Despite technically being a nettle, it’s not a true nettle so very few people will have a reaction when touching this plant. Deadnettle is part of the mint family and every part of it is edible, despite that though it's not very minty and is floral and sweet. My favourite parts are the tiny pink flowers which have sweet nectar in them and are good in teas, syrups, sweets, and jams. The leaves are good in teas, smoothies, pestos, and salads. A poultice or salve can be made from the leaves for wounds and teas can help with allergies. This plant is sometimes called purple archangel because it pops up around the Feast of the Apparition when it was said St. Micheal appeared. It’s associated with determination because this lil dude will grow anywhere, even in spots with the worst quality soil.

happiness, determination, peace, healing

Dandelion- Dandelions are bright layered yellow flowers with toothed leaves that grow pretty much anywhere there is enough dirt to get their roots in. The entire plant is edible, the flowers are slightly sweet making them good for salads, syrups, and sweet. The leaves are slightly bitter but that can be lessened when harvested young or boiled, they're good as spinach replacements and can be dried for teas. The flowers can also be turned into dyes. The plant's name can be literally translated to 'healing herb' as it has been used in many cultures for it's gut health and detoxifying properties. Teas and tinctures from leaves are made for a diuretic and flowers are made into salves or beauty products to treat acne/eczema and to reduce inflammation. About dandelions being diuretics - the name dandelion comes from the french name dentdelion (tooth of the lion) but there’s actually a second French name, “pissenlit”, which means piss the bed !!

luck/wishes, communication, balance, courage, youth

Daisy- Daisies are low-growing flowers with thin, long, white petals and yellow disc florets (middles). Common daisies are edible, these are really found growing anywhere even in your lawn. Leaves can be used in salads or stir-fries and flower heads can be pickled or used in salads. Wines, soups, and teas are also commonly made from daisies. The flowers have a slightly bitter taste but look pretty in dishes. Daisies have been used in teas for coughs, bronchitis, and common colds. It's also been used to "stimulate the digestive system" to promote appetite. Daisies have been into lotions and other skincare products to treat rashes, eczema, and other skin issues. Daisies came to be associated with love and motherhood through it being the flower of Freya, innocence/purity through the story of Vertumnus and Belides where the flower gets its scientific name, and purity the popular phrases like “fresh/clean as daisies”.

Happiness, cleansing, love, purity (cleansing), motherhood/childbirth

Feverfew- Feverfew are daisy-like flowers with bright yellow middles and white petals, with yellow-green leaves in a feathered arrangement, that grow in small bushes together. Feverfew is edible but many will steer clear of it as it has a very bitter taste. It’s often made into teas and used in pastries. Although feverfew isn’t used to reduce fevers anymore, there are still many health benefits and medicinal uses of the plant, some people even calling it ‘medieval aspirin’. People will take feverfew pills or apply a poultice to relieve pain from arthritis and inflammation. A poultice can also be applied to minor cuts, scrapes, and bug bites. Teas can be made for headaches and some use it to help with menstrual pain. Feverfew is also known to show some skin benefits by reducing redness and inflammation. Feverfew may increase bleeding as it acts similar to an anticoagulant, because of this it is advised that if you are taking a blood thinner like aspirin, Dabigatran (Pradaxa), Heparin (Innohep), or others, you talk to your doctor before taking feverfew. This plant has more medicinal uses than references in mythology but I did find a few references to it being believed to be able to save the life of someone that had fallen from the Parthenon, a temple to Athena, which gave it the scientific name parthenium.

Healing, curse-breaking, love

Lesser celandine- Also known as pilewort or sometimes fig buttercup. Pilewort is a plant on the buttercup family that has dark, heart-shaped leaves and bright yellow flowers with glossy petals. Despite its pretty exterior, touching the plant could cause rashes or blistering especially when the plant is crushed. Ingesting the plant can cause dizziness, vomiting, and worse. While there may be ways to cook out the toxins, I cannot advise anyone to consume this plant without proper experience. This plant is also known as the spring messenger as it's one of the first plants to bloom in the spring. Lesser celandine was referenced a lot in literature, most being about love and foreshadowing happiness alike how it signals spring.

Joy, love, Spring associated magick

Maple seed pods- Maple seeds, also known as helicopters or samaras, are the seed of maple trees, as one would assume. These are winged pods consisting of a papery tissue surrounding a single seed that is usually joined together in pairs of two. The seeds are edible once the outer covering has been removed and taste better while young, becoming bitter as they mature. Some say that smaller pods taste sweeter and larger ones taste more bitter. They're good in roasts, stir-fries, and salads. They can also be dried and pounded into flour ! Much of what we know about maple seeds are simply culinary and there's not much information on their medicinal uses. The majority of the correspondences of maple seed pods come from maple trees which represent balance and longevity. They also are associated with childhood after the many many years of children playing with these helicopter-like seeds.

Longevity, growth, balance, youth

Mulberries- Mulberries come in three different colours which are red, white, and black. Different mulberries grow on different mulberry trees. Black mulberry trees have an orange-y-toned bark with toothed, heart-shaped leaves. White/red mulberry trees have a greyish bark with large, deeply lobed, oval-shaped leaves. Mulberries look very similar to blackberries but longer with each cluster of fruit containing a seed. Mulberries are edible, black ones taste the best and can be both sour and sweet and the white/red ones are duller in flavour but sweet. These are made into jams, syrups, wines, sweets, sorbets, really anything sweet and it tastes great ! These berries are more known for their culinary uses but some studies suggest that they can help reduce cholesterol and improve digestion. In Greek/Babylonian mythology, red mulberries came from white mulberries that were stained red from the deaths of the star-crossed lovers Pyramus and Thisbe which gave them the association of love and death.

Love, death, faith, wisdom

Osage oranges- Also known as horse apples or hedge apples. Osage oranges are a yellow-green fruit with a very rough and bumpy peel. These oranges grow on trees called Maclura pomifera. The wood of these trees are used for very good firewood and yellow-green dyes. The Osage natives would use the wood from the tree for many things like bows and boats as it’s very flexible. The roots of the trees are sometimes made into water infusions to help with eye conditions. People have also used the wood, or even sat out the fruit, to deter insects. Osage oranges are edible but most people, and even animals, will avoid eating them due to their dry and bitter taste. They taste like very bitter and citrus-y cucumbers. These oranges can cause skin irritation to some.

Warding, protection, strength

Pinecones- Pinecones are geometric cones that come from conifer pine trees that produce pollen or seeds depending on their sex. Pinecones symbolize fertility and life in many cultures and have been used in artwork for centuries. The pineal gland in the brain was named after pinecones because of its shape, this gland is sometimes referred to as the “third eye” and some believe that it acts as a witch’s eye would; this is how pinecones were tied to the idea of enlightenment and rebirth as well as the fact that they have been around for so long. Some conifer cones are edible (some aren't!) but they are very tough to chew so you must boil them before eating, pinecone jam has been commonly made from young cones. Pine has been used in teas, tinctures, resins, and many other things to treat coughs, allergies, and help with sinus infections.

Fertility, creativity, prosperity, enlightenment, rebirth

Prickly lettuce- a quite tall, red stem that contains latex with large tooth-shaped leaves that have prominent veins and spikes lining its edges and main vein on its underside. When it blooms it has small, pale yellow flowers. This plant is edible and is pretty much used like normal lettuce while having a slightly bitter taste, as usual, this gets less noticeable as it matures. Leaves can be eaten in salads or cooked/steamed and the root can be made into a tea. The latex substance that comes out of the leaves and stem when injured is called lactucarium which is known as lettuce opium due to its sedative and pain-relieving properties; the process of harvesting this substance is tedious. This can be used to help people sleep, relax, and relieve pain. Lettuce in general has a great amount of significant historical usage. Lettuce came to be associated with sex because an Egyptian fertility god, Min, was associated with lettuce as it was known as an aphrodisiac that was ritualistically ingested before sex. These effects were due to the lactucarium. In Hellenism, when Adonis died he was laid on a bed of lettuce along with other fast-growing plants. In festivals for him, they would burn withered lettuce and mourn his death, this related lettuce to death.

Necromancy, offerings for the deceased, fertility, sex

Queen Anne's Lace- Also known as wild carrot. A tall flowering weed with a thin, stiff stem and tiny white, clustered flowers. The flowerhead consists of a bunch of separate flowers, some plants may have a singular purple/pink flower. Queen Anne's lace's root is edible which is actually where it gets the names wild carrot and Daucus Carota, it's good steamed and boiled. It is pretty stringy and if you wait too long to harvest it can become very hard and woody. This plant is NOT safe to consume for those who are pregnant ! The stem is known to cause skin irritation and rashes to people with sensitive skin. Despite being edible, most wouldn't suggest eating it because it looks almost identical to poison hemlock which if consumed could be fatal. It also looks a ton like wild celery but that's less of an issue. Historically, the seeds of wild carrot were used as an abortant in a "morning after pill" type of way. Wild carrot was named Queen Anne's Lace after Queen Anne of England who was a great lace maker, there is a legend that when making lace one day she pricked her finger then a single drop of blood fell on it and that's why the flower has a single purple flower. Because of the association to Queen Anne, some would use it to try to attract love or make themselves look more beautiful. Wild carrot is also called bird's nest or the bishop's flower which ties it to themes of safety and sanctuary.

Beauty, love, glamours

Rosebay willowherb- Also commonly known as fireweed for its appearance or bombweed because it began to heavily grow in bomb craters/sites in WWII around the UK. The rosebay willowherb has tall reddish stems and willow-like leaves with long magenta flowers. Traditionally it's been used in teas, jellies, and salads. It has a pretty bitter taste so you need to harvest it young and cook it before eating. It's used in teas for its demulcent properties, to treat certain stomach conditions, and has been used in skincare because of its astringent properties. There’s not much folklore about this plant but it’s well known for appearing after events that devastated an area, it was one of the first plants to start growing after Mt. St. Helens, after colonizers burnt down forests, and after bombs dropped in WWII. I’ve also heard it’s bad luck to pick its flowers, either stating that a storm will occur or your mother will fall ill.

Courage, perseverance, change, bad luck

Stinging nettle- tall, heart-shaped, toothed leaves. The leaves are covered in small stinging hairs that when touched will inject chemicals into one's skin and cause slight stinging sensations. Young stinging nettle has widely been used in dishes as soaking/cooking it takes away the sting. It is very similar to spinach in taste, texture, and nutrients. Ointments are made to treat arthritis and inflammation, teas are made from dried leaves and flowers to treat allergies and hayfever. Poultices of the leaves were used for stiff joints and muscle pain by helping blood circulation in that area. Be wary of using stinging nettle on your skin as it can cause rashes and blisters. Some Native American groups used it in teas as a stomach tonic. In Celtic folklore, it was said to keep evil spirits and illness at bay, it also says that when you see thick strands of nettle it means that faeries are nearby.

Binding, protection from baneful magick and evil spirits, strength, curse breaking

Sweetgum seed pods- Also known as witch’s burrs or witch balls. Sweetgum seed pods are hard, spikey seed pods with small holes where the seeds once were. These fall from sweetgum trees after they mature and disperse their seeds. These aren’t edible nor really used for any medicinal purpose. They’re often placed around plants to protect them from animals. Magickally, you can place them around your space to ward off unwanted energies and entities or even grind them into a powder for banishing or protection. These things hurt like hell to step on so they’re also good to use in baneful protection magick, like baneful wards or return to senders.

Protection, warding, binding, baneful protection

Violet- There are many species of violets so I'm going to cover them in a broad sense. Violets are usually small, light purple flowers with short stems, little shrubbery, and heart/kidney/scalloped leaves. In many species of violet both the leaves and flowers are edible and contain high levels of vitamins A and C, but make sure to properly identify your plant before consuming. These can be made into teas, sweets, salads, etc. Violet syrup is my favourite ! Some leaves in wild violets will taste quite soapy, so try them out before cooking them into anything. Violet leaves have cooling and anti-inflammatory properties so they are used in poultices, salves, compresses, and oils for scrapes, burns, and bug bites. Violets have traditionally been used in teas or tonics for coughs and swollen lymph nodes. There is a lot of folklore and mythology that this flower is a part of. Violets are largely associated with modesty and innocence and this stems from two main stories; Persephone was said to be picking violets when Hades kidnapped her to live in the underworld and in Greek mythology when Apollo pursued a nymph, Artemis/Diana turned her into a violet to protect her. There are also stories in The Bible that associate violets with modesty like when Archangel Gabriel tells Mary she is pregnant, violets bloom around her. This is why sometimes when a child dies, violets are put on their grave as a representation of their innocence. There are many other popular stories of violets turning to tears when someone is crying. They’re also associated with love from a story of Venus and Cupid and were believed to be an aphrodisiac in the Middle Ages.

Femininity, respect, wisdom, modesty, divination, love

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Disclaimer !!: Before you consume or use a plant medicinally, make sure you are 100% sure on the ID. Speak with a doctor before using a plant, especially if you’re pregnant, and make sure you aren’t allergic and that it won’t interact with any of your medications. Do not substitute legitimate medications with herbal remedies, this is not medical advice. Always do your own research before consuming or using a plant medicinally. Some of the plants, while generally safe for humans, are not safe for animals and children. As a general rule of thumb, younger greens will taste better. As the plant matures and bears fruit it will typically become more bitter, so the best time to harvest most of these is before it bears fruit. Make sure to avoid areas treated with pesticides and always wash your takings before use. And make sure you're never over-harvesting, always make sure there's another 'patch' of the plant your taking !!

#herbology #witchcraft #witchblr #foraging #herbalism #green witchcraft #kitchen witch #wildcrafting #occult #magick #grimoire #book of shadows #correspondences #kitchen magick #beginner witch #baby witch #witch #witch tips #noctifer-og

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sunderingstars · 4 months

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☆━━━━━ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☾ ◯ ☽₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ━━━━━━☆

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ KIT & ABILITIES ⌝

sampo analysis m.list

— what the stars reveal: analysis, elation!sampo

— word count: 2.5k

— overview: (as of 2.2) a thorough look at sampo’s kit and gameplay, assessing for potential links to aha the elation.

☆━━━━━ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☾ ◯ ☽₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ━━━━━━☆

Let’s start with the basics: his Path and element.

Nihility: The Path of the Aeon IX. Its symbol is reminiscent of both a sharp-edged eye and a black hole, which matches with the idea of “Nihility” seeing the universe as ultimately pointless and meaningless. Playstyle-wise, Nihility relies on debuffs.

For Sampo, I find the “Nihility” Path interesting, mostly because it implies a lack of something. A stripping down, a falling away. Hiding, shadows, disappearance — these are all concepts evoked by the “black hole” of IX. While I don’t believe Nihility to be the beginning of Sampo’s existence, it is important to note that this “lessening,” this “disillusionment,” seems to be enough of a part of him to warrant walking on the Path. (My personal theory is that the Nihility is directly related to Sampo’s position as Aha or an Emanator of Elation, and his walking on the Path is either due to a genuine “disillusionment” with his existence or a deliberate hiding of his true feelings — essentially using the Nihility as a cloak to obscure himself from prying eyes. Or both.)

Debuffs are also important, as it shows Sampo’s nature of avoiding direct confrontation. He isn’t a tank, or a healer, or a main DPS — he’s a DOT dealer. Damage over time. He waits for the seeds he planted to sprout and take down his enemies for him. This is reminiscent of the silhouette in Aha’s splash art to me, as both carry similar themes of shadows and operating from the background. (It also reminds me of the time Aha infiltrated the Express Crew and spent who-knows-how-long subtly stealing Pom-Pom’s leftovers — among other things — before finally being caught. Aha seems to have a preference for operating in chaotic yet patient, debuff-type ways.)

These general concepts can also apply to his Element — wind. Wind shear is a strong DOT effect, so my conclusions about debuffing and DOTs can carry over. However, wind is additionally interesting as its base element. I find it interesting that Sampo deals Wind damage rather than Ice or Lightning since his surname (Koski) translates to “water rapids” in Finnish. At the very least, Ice is a different state of water and Lightning is often associated with storms, but no — his element is Wind.

My main theory is that perhaps this symbolizes his ever-changing persona; like the wind, he flits from place to place, letting the currents of air take him wherever there is new Elation to experience, new money to be scored. It might also symbolize a want to be free. A want, like the wind, to drift away from land and soar in the sky. Wind is, after all, an extremely flexible element.

(A quick Google search has also revealed the element of wind to widely symbolize fleeting, transient, and elusive natures of being, as well as change, uncertainty, and the intangible. These are aspects I find relevant to Aha, as Aeonic consciousness is most likely all of these things — difficult to grasp, difficult to understand, a constant intangible state far above mortals. Wind also symbolizes freedom, which depending on what theory you go by, may be something Sampo is trying to obtain as well.)

Now let’s get into the real focus of this analysis: Sampo’s abilities. Let’s start with his Basic ATK, then work our way up.

So: Dazzling Blades. I feel like I should address the elephant in the room — Sampo wields dual blades.

We can see this clearly in his idle stance before his Basic, as he has them separated by hand (unlike how they seem to be combined in his splash art). I’ll leave my red string board connections between dual blades and dual consciousness, as well as the blades looking like snake fangs, for my outfit analysis. For now, let’s just focus on the ability itself. The dual blades Sampo wields allow him to be dexterous in his fighting style, constantly combining and breaking the two apart (trust me I am trying so hard to hold off on “the combining and splitting of dual blades potentially links to the combining and splitting of Aeonic consciousness” for my outfit analysis, ooh I am trying so hard).

For the Basic ATK, he uses both split-apart blades to deal damage. The icon art for this shows the weapon as a whole, and doesn’t seem to stick out much in my opinion. It’s a simple attack, steady, durable, and it plays on Sampo’s strengths and dual-sided nature.

(Note his confidence in this pose. No longer is the “separation” causing him to be more on guard — he seems more relaxed here, confident in his power. Hips thrust out to the world, fully open, no shame in sight. He is whole, now, and he is powerful. Yet, this delusional, dare I say Elated, confidence seems to go a bit too far to be safe or sane. Look at that head tilt. Man is drunk on power.)

Next is his Skill, Ricochet Love, which combines the blades together as Sampo tosses them between enemies. This higher level of power from Basic ATK to Skill includes combining both blades (both dual “sides”) to achieve a greater amount of damage. This does not have to be purely read as Aha!Sampo, and could also be seen as him combining both the “Fool” in him with his persona as Sampo Koski. Either way, reconciling these two parts of himself — these two “blades” — leads to more effective output. (Even the icon art shows this, with two circles appearing to be in motion.)

(Side Note: The combined blades seem to be inverted — if you’ve read my Aha splash art analysis, this may also tie into the seeming “inversion” of Sampo’s E6 and Aha’s silhouette. This could count towards the idea of “two halves of one whole,” or dual consciousness. Or it’s just a cool snake motif so his hand doesn’t get scratched when he throws. Who knows 🤷.)

The name “Ricochet Love” is also notable to me because it shares a similarity to the name of Sampo’s E1 “Rising Love.” We are once again getting heavy indications of “love” as a main function of his kit, and by extension his personality. “Dispersing love” (which can potentially be seen as “dispersing Elation” depending on how you look at it) seems to be a central theme for his character.

Which segways fairly nicely into his burst, Surprise Present.

Oh Lord, do I have so much to say about his burst. Saving the best for last, let’s start with the smaller details: “love” and deception. As we can see, the icon art (and direct usage of his burst) has hearts within hearts, even hearts seeming to function as eyes. That combined with the hiding of his upper face during his burst hints at a hiding of one’s identity as well as themes of “love” and dispersing it. In fact, it may imply that Sampo sees this damage — these DOTs, these debuffs — as a form of love themselves.

Okay, I can’t hold back anymore, I have to get it out:

(Caps Warning)

HIS BURST IS A BOMB I REPEAT: HIS BURST IS A BOMB. HIS BURST IS A HIDDEN BOMB THAT HE HIDES BEHIND HIS BACK BEFORE DETONATING. YOU KNOW WHO ELSE HID A BOMB. YOU KNOW WHO ELSE IS KNOWN FOR A BIG BOMB-RELATED SCANDAL? THAT’S RIGHT BABY AHA THE ELATION AHA THE ELATION BLEW UP THE ASTRAL EXPRESS! WITH A BOMB!!!

Sorry. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s see if I can collect my thoughts more coherently.

I would say Sampo’s burst is one of the most solid pieces of evidence towards an identity as Aha the Elation (right up there with the third person references and lack of boarding the Astral Express).

(Note: the only time he actively looks up is with the bomb, all other times are across or down. This subversion of expectation, of only putting oneself in a position of looking up if it’s to harm others to accomplish a goal — may further hint to “hidden” identity, as well as an Emanator potentially going against their Aeon (someone “above” them).)

As we can see in these screenshots, there is a clear deception to the entire thing, starting with the “just one moment” gesture and the closed case behind his back, following through the the sliding forward on his knees like he’s proposing, to eventually culminating in the opening of the case with roses and the “love” bomb. Beyond tying in to Aha’s modus operandi on the Express (gaining their trust, waiting for the right moment, then revealing the deception), it is also notable how the case obscures the upper part of his face. Aha’s splash art has an obscured upper face as well, and the opening of the case over his face is drawing our attention to the bomb — the gaud and the glamor of the masks — while his own, shadowed smile — the silhouette — operates in the background.

Beyond Aha, this obscuring of the face could also speak to a more general obfuscation of his identity within the Masked Fools, as well as the unpredictable “surprise” of Fools revealing themselves, but where’s the fun in that? I personally like to think the “love bomb” relates to Aha’s blowing up of the Express as some twisted form of “love” — that Aha perhaps sees “Elation” and “love” as overlapping concepts, which They then take upon Themselves to spread across the universe. Laughter, happiness, and Elation, after all, are all things that can result from love. (It is important to note that Aha in Aeonic form is most likely not limited to just “Elation as love,” but most likely encompasses a broader range of feelings and emotions about it — however, Sampo in human form may take on more of this idea as a result of being more “mortal-minded” in the moment. Or, an Emanator! or Doll!Sampo may absorb some of Aha’s views by osmosis, while still forming their own conclusions as separate entities.)

(Also! The name “Surprise Present” feels similar to giving a “gift,” once again implying that Sampo may view dispersing Elation as a form of “gift-giving.” It’s not a bomb, Pom-Pom, it’s a loving, handmade present!)

Before I close out, I want to look at his other talents real quick.

“Windtorn Dagger” is fairly straightforward, upping his chance to inflict DOT and giving it some scaled buffs. The icon itself seems to be reminiscent of a shield or perhaps the shoulder guard he wears. “Windtorn” also implies a wearing away, a potential erosion of a past self — whether that be Aha or Emanator status.

“Spice Up” sticks out mainly in name, tying back into concepts of Elation as interest, entertainment, and fun. It’s the almost compulsory need to make everyone more interesting, more Elated, or else it’s just not good enough. A boring situation needs to be changed, not abandoned.

“Trap,” of course, leads me right back to deception. Aha’s mortal form on the Astral Express was a trap. Aha seems to be good at getting ahead of the curve and setting traps. This implies that Sampo is more than he seems, and that whatever is lurking within his mind may spring out at a moment’s notice.

“Defensive Position” is a natural urge to defend oneself, to protect the more vulnerable parts of one’s being from harm. Not much to say here, only that the “defense” is not a shield or heal, but the regaining of energy (power) faster. This may allude to stretches of time where Sampo cannot use his full power, and must wait and hope for the right time to come around, or for him to properly “charge.” Or, of course, I’m reading way too much into things and it’s just a needed buff for his kit. But I’m not here to digress, I’m here to be delusional.

So, onward to his technique!

Most of what I would discuss here has already been discussed with his burst — this is yet another instance of him using a bomb to disorient and confuse, heavily tying in to Aha’s bombing of the Astral Express. A notable aspect, however, is the Blind effect. Sampo’s technique does not stun, or freeze, or confuse — it blinds. It allows the team to go undetected, undercover. The enemies literally cannot see the people that are right in front of them, and because of that their actions are delayed when entering combat.

While this could apply to a general Masked Fool status, again, I’m here to be fun and whimsical and silly! So, I believe this may allude to Aha being “right under our noses.” Just like his technique, Sampo may be obfuscating his own Aeonic (or perhaps even Emanator) status by whatever form he has taken, passing us by and interacting with us while we are none the wiser. The goal of this may be to catch us off guard later, delaying our action just enough so that Sampo can come out on top.

“Shining Bright” also ties to Aha’s splash art — the idea of blinding and misdirecting the viewer with the gaud and glamour of masks while the shadowed silhouette carries out its mission in the background. Basically: Boom! Flashbang!

I also wanted to note how when Sampo slashes destructible objects, they don’t shatter like with other characters, but rather cleanly, silently, slice in half. To me, this further emphasizes the “shadows in the background” nature of Sampo’s character, the idea of operating under the radar so silently even objects bend to his will. It may also speak to split consciousness, as nothing ever shatters into pieces, only breaks into clean, segmented slices.

Honorable mentions include: Sampo’s crowd controlled state and downed poses.

(Cutie pie, holding the blades close to his chest like a snake about to strike. Hip window on full display. Mr. Sampo Koski I’m love you.)

(Gremlin status, looking like a puppet cut from its strings. Hiding his face with his hair as much as possible. Oh, he is not having a very good time.)

(Pure creature mode. Fully hiding face. Interesting to note how he has a fixation on his face — “Hey, watch the face!” comes to mind — and hiding it. May be a Masked Fools thing, but I like to think it’s because either A. There’s some hidden power he doesn’t want us to see or B. Doll!Sampo is worried about “breaking.” He’s not like the other characters here, somewhat hiding their faces just because they’re bent over. No, he’s almost pushing his face between his knees, using them to bracket any view someone might get. Perhaps he’s trying to keep something in. Or maybe he’s just a puppet going offline.)

Some other downed poses for reference:

Overall, I think Sampo’s kit and abilities carry a lot of clues for Elation!Sampo theories. While most of this is pure interpretation, I feel like the bomb burst is a pretty strong connection, as well as the “Shining Bright” technique. There’s also definitely something going on with his downed pose — whether he’s just a dramatic person or it has bigger implications is up to the player. Even in a vacuum, I really love his expressive body language! (But also he definitely has the kind of delusional self-confidence I’d assume a higher Path being to have.)

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.𖥔 ݁ ˖ જ⁀➴ thanks for reading to the end!

(template 1 from @/Mhuyo on twt, template 2 from @/dohwoodz on twt)

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#⌞ ✎ sunder.writes ⌝#⌞ ✧ super.nova ⌝#⌞ 🎭 ⌝#hsr #honkai star rail #honkai: star rail #sampo #sampo koski #sampo hsr #hsr sampo #sampo honkai star rail #analysis #hsr analysis #hsr theory

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spark-my-nature · 1 year

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It Takes Three to Tango (4) - DRW & SFK

The trio of terror, back by popular demand (it's me, I wanted to write it)

Chapter Summary: Sam, Danny and you navigate the morning after.

Chapter WC: 6.4K | Pairings: Danny x Reader x Sam (MFM threesome with slash pairings)

Warnings: 18+ Explicit sexual content (Oral, M/F receiving, anal fingering), language, spanking if you squint

Previous chapter

-------- ⭐︎☽⭐︎☾⭐︎ --------

Your face was warm, a different sort of warm than the sweaty, sticky warmth surrounding your body. As you drifted into consciousness, you saw the red shadowy light of the sun behind your closed eyelids, and you sighed quietly, letting yourself slowly become aware of your surroundings before you even opened your eyes.

You could smell patchouli faintly, and the lavender spray you spritzed on the bedsheets after doing laundry. The latter you expected, the former caused a smile to creep across your face as memories began flashing in your mind’s eye, as there was only one boy you associated with that musky, hippie smell.

Sammy.

Eyes still closed, you listened closely as you determined the position you were laying in. Behind you, big-spooning up to your back, was the hot sweaty chest of a still-snoring Daniel. His big, familiar muscled arms secured your body as close as his sleeping figure could get you, your heart swelling with a rush of adoration for the teddy bear you called your boyfriend. You let yourself relax into the little slice of heaven that Danny created for you every time he held you close like this, impenetrable against the world, just for a little while in this innocent morning’s quiet.

Your hand rested on another expanse of warm skin, and your pillow, you realized, was no pillow at all, but rather a plane of smooth, soft skin stretched over sinewy muscle. Your heart fluttered, a real grin that you didn’t even try to conceal forming across your half-hidden face.

Curiosity won over the sleepy bliss you felt, fueled by the need to gain a visual account of this hazy, soft entanglement of bodies and bedsheets to pair with your other three senses.

From the corner of your eye, the curtains, fluttering with the summer breeze blowing through the cracked-open window, filtered the beaming sun down to a golden, muted glaze of light that seemed to anoint the three of you in it’s delicate sheen.

Down below, Sam’s chest, rhythmically rising and falling with his gentle breaths. Your hand rested just at the bottom of his ribcage, your pinkie finger nestled in the subtle hollow of his abdomen beneath it. Up and down like a ship, your hand rode the silky skin like ocean waves lulling you into an even more peaceful trance.

Directly in front of you, Sam’s neck, and a little higher, his jaw, just out of focus but visible in your peripheral. Shadows blanketed this hollow you’d nested in through your slumber like a little owl, kept safe and sound through the night between both men. The one behind you, guarding your heart and soul, familiarity and security, owner and giver of the most whole and sublime love you’d ever known, your knight in shining armor. And the one before you, your figurative devil-on-your-shoulder sidekick, your most treasured and closest friend that could, and had, taken you through the trenches and peaks of new experiences, and then in turn, had guided you back home with a comforting smile and a promise of more adventure.

Danny was passionate, unselfish and encompassing love.

After the evening you’d shared with him, you felt even more certain of it, and even more in love with him. If Danny’s place in your heart was a tree, it would be the biggest, sturdiest old oak, meters wide and roots just as deep into the ground as the trunk was tall.

There was a new seed now, though, one that you knew in your heart had always been buried, dormant and unacknowledged. The shell of it, buried deep in the earth, had, sometime between last evening and this moment in time, cracked open with the tiniest sprout of that very same, warm feeling, growing its way upward right alongside Danny’s metaphorical tree.

It wasn’t an unwelcome feeling. You didn’t even really feel guilty once you realized it was there. You knew there had to be a discussion with Danny, though, but mostly because you had a sneaking, heart-warming suspicion that he felt it too.

But not now. The talking could come later, not now when your boyfriend’s arms squished you closer in his sleep and your friend, recently turned lover, rolled his head lazily to rest his cheek against the crown of your head.

Your heart rate picked up slightly as Sam’s hand clumsily located your hand on his chest, curling his long fingers around your own smaller ones as a hum of contentment vibrated beneath them.

“Are you still sleeping?” came his whispered, sleepy question, slurred in an unvocalized rasp across your forehead.

You smiled shyly into his neck. “No, I’m awake,” you breathed back.

The shift of his face against your head belayed his smile, making your heart flutter all over again. As if to make it burst entirely, he pressed his lips in a soft, tender kiss to your forehead, then took a deep breath of your sweet-smelling hair before sighing happily.

“Danny looks so young when he sleeps.” Sam’s quiet remark had your chest clenching with an unnamable emotion.

“Mmm. You’re lucky, you knew him when he was young.”

Sam smiled wistfully as he nuzzled affectionately into your hair, his eyes still tracing his oldest friend’s sleeping face. “Yeah, especially cause we’re so ancient now. Over the hill.”

You smiled as you buried your face further into Sam’s neck, “I hope you have your names on retirement home lists.”

Sam’s grin was evident in his voice, even as he yawned, “Nah, Danny’s gonna keep me in his attic, we already planned it out. He said he’ll bring me soup every day and he’ll keep a bedpan up there, and as soon as he can’t climb the stairs anymore, he’ll send a few beautiful young ladies up there who’ll give me one last hoorah before my heart gives out and I keel over in a blaze of glory.”

By the end of his tirade, you were desperately muffling your giggles against his neck, playfully smacking his chest, “Oh my god, shut up, you’re such an idiot.”

Sam laughed under his breath, pleased as ever that he’d made you laugh.

“Plans might’ve changed now, though.”

“Oh yeah?” you grinned.

He nodded lightly, “Mhm, yeah, see, now I know that I don’t need hookers, cause my heart almost gave out last night with you alone.” You snorted into another round of muffled laughter, and he continued, “May as well save my retirement money, right? I’ll just get you to finish me off- ha, in both ways,” he giggled, “and then I can leave my dwindling estate to you and Danny’s grandkids, set ‘em up for college, white picket fences, the whole american dream.”

You finally lifted your head out of his neck, taking in each other’s faces for the first time that morning with matching goofy smiles. “You realize I’d be all wrinkly and grey, right? I’d probably have to take my dentures out before anything.”

Sam exaggeratedly rolled his eyes back with a fake moan, smirking at you, “No teeth? Sounds like a win to me.”

You groaned quietly, cringing and laughing. “You’re disgusting!”

“Sam, stop grossing out my girlfriend.” You craned your neck around with a giggle at Danny’s exasperated morning voice, muffled against your shoulder. His curls were an unholy mess around his sweet freckled face, and your heart skipped a beat as he fluttered his long dark lashes open, fixing you with his mossy green speckled, earthy eyes.

“G’morning, baby,” you smiled, feeling especially lovesick for him this morning.

He hummed with a sleepy, loving smile, blinking at you demurely. “Morning, sunshine,” he purred, voice deep and rumbly as he leaned forward to give you a kiss.

Sam watched you both interact, curious and fond, feeling not quite included but not quite left out either. Prying his way out of that neutral sort of limbo, he joked softly, “Hey, don’t I get a good morning kiss?”

A strange pang of guilt was soothed by the exhilarated warmth you felt as Danny grinned lazily and shifted up on his elbow to lean over you. “Course you do, pretty boy,” he flirted, a devastatingly sexy thing to say when paired with the deep roughness of his voice.

Sam blushed with a shy smile as he leaned forward, closing his eyes as Danny’s lips pressed to his. Beneath them, you watched from the interesting angle how your boyfriend kissed, how he claimed Sam’s bottom lip, just like he did yours, and how Sam let himself be led through the gentle kiss, the slight angle he tipped his head to, the quiet noise of their lips as they pulled apart.

It was so pure, and genuine. They kissed like they had been lovers since the beginning of time, so in tune with each other, it made you forget they’d only known each other in this way for mere hours.

Sam flashed Danny with a smile that was both shy and knowing, Danny returning it with a fond grin of his own. Sam then looked down at you, raising his brows in a wordless question, his eyes pleading, ‘Please let me in, let me in and kiss me, like he did.’

You made the split-second realization, then, that the almost telepathic connection your boys had was shared with you and Sam as well, and the thought made you want to scream with happiness, with how full of love and joy you felt. You pulled Sam by the neck with a blissful smile, and he seemed to absolutely melt above you, slotting his lips with yours warmly with the tiniest, almost untraceable groan of relief and satisfaction.

When he pulled his lips away, he simply gazed down at you for a moment, thoughtful and infatuated, like he was trying to read your mind, but also like he already knew what you were thinking, and he loved it.

Danny’s hand ran along the curves of your waist and hips beneath the blanket, settling just past the swell of your hipbone at the top of your thigh. You became so suddenly aware that all three of you were naked beneath the fuzzy sheet, your cheeks felt hot as a quirky grin found its way on your face.

Sam face morphed into a mischievous smirk, effortlessly following your train of thought, having watched Danny’s hand move under the blanket.

You stared up at him for a second, and began giggling shyly beneath his smug gaze. “Quit staring at me like that,” you weakly protested, only making his smirk grow.

“Like what?” He teased, “I’m not allowed to look at you now?”

You jokingly shook your head, faking an innocent grin. “Nope, that’s right.”

Danny chuckled behind you, thumbing over your hip teasingly as he watched.

Sam raised a brow, bringing his hand up to the hem of the blanket where it draped over the swell of your breasts. “So I definitely… shouldn’t…” he trailed off with an increasingly devious smirk, toying with the blanket. You wriggled, giggling as you went to hold your blanket up with the hand that had rested on Sam’s chest, but Danny teamed up with the enemy and grabbed your wrist, securing you defenselessly with a naughty giggle.

“Hey!” You gawked playfully at Danny, getting only a shrug and a smirk for an answer. Sam playfully tugged the blanket down an inch, threatening to uncover more as you laughed and struggled against Danny’s hold.

To your surprise, Sam released the blanket and smiled wide, even holding it up to your collarbones as he dove in for a quick kiss and then sat up to get out of bed.

“Where are you going?” Danny quickly asked, sounding adorably worried.

Beautiful and shamelessly naked, Sam stood up, cracking a smirk as both you and Danny blushed and pointedly directed your gaze to his face. “Just bathroom,” he gestured with a thumb. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

He strolled out casually, and you bit your lip as your eyes lowered to the cute wiggle of his butt before the bathroom door shut behind him across the hall.

Glancing from the corner of your eye, you caught Danny doing the same thing and you giggled, making him look down at you, blushing when he realized he’d been caught.

Giving you a bashful grin, he waved you off, “Oh, shut up.”

You rolled around in his arms, your chest pressing to his and your mouth seeking his barely stubbled jaw.

“Mmmmhh, why, are you feeling shy?” you smirked lazily as you kissed along the sharp angle of his face.

“No,” Danny grinned above you, closing his eyes as your lips loved on his neck.

“Liar,” you giggled, smoothing your hand over his chest, the one under you wedging up to cup his cheek.

Danny huffed playfully, forgoing a response. You kissed and licked playfully over an old, faded hickey that you never seemed to let heal fully. His makeup team probably thought it was a weird birthmark at this point, but you couldn’t help it, not with the way that particular spot made Danny whine and bite his lip every time.

“Oh-“ his quivering voice sending a shock of arousal through your system.

“It’s sweet that you’re shy, baby,” you purred, “Cute, you blush just looking at his ass when your dick was pounding into it last night.”

Your fluttery whisper and hot breath beneath his ear drew a shiver and a tortured groan out of your boyfriend, just like you intended, and you smirked hard.

He rolled his head as you pulled back, fixing you with an exasperated grin. “Fuck you,” he shook his head with nothing but love and humor in his tone.

“Now there’s a suggestion,” you winked, and Danny’s eyes darkened slightly, suddenly tugging your hand south. He held your open palm to his stiff cock, and you bit your lip, all humor flying out the window at the needy twitch he gave.

“Oh, fuck Danny,” you breathed, meeting his eyes with a flirty smile, curling your hand around his thickness, barely stroking him, enjoying the hot hardness in your hand. “You been hard the whole time?”

He nodded, sucking on his lip before releasing it with a sharp inhale as you squeezed gently. “W-was having a nice fuckin’ dream,” he admitted, thrusting into your gentle grip. “So I woke up hard already, and then Sam, and you, and-“ he closed his eyes as his brows furrowed, whining through his nose as you began stroking him with purpose.

Behind you, there was a smug clearing of a throat. “What about me?”

Danny startled slightly at Sam’s cocky, pleased-as-punch voice, sending his cock through your fist with extra vigor and making him twitch and grunt, struggling to keep his eyes open.

You turned to look at him over your shoulder, a response ready on your tongue before it disintegrated at the sight of Sam’s stiff cock in his fist, his opposite shoulder leaning against the wall of the doorway.

Licking your lips, you regretfully released Danny’s cock, much to his dismay. “How long have you been standing there instead of getting your ass back in bed?”

Sam’s face lit up in a grin, straightening and padding over, comfortably swinging a leg onto the bed and landing beside you with a bounce on the mattress. You pushed up onto your knees, sitting on your feet as both men’s hands sought their respective erections in sync.

“You know, you two are… unfairly gorgeous,” you sighed, drinking them in as the blanket fell off your shoulders, uncovering both you and Danny to each other and to Sam’s appreciative eyes.

Sam scooched closer to Danny, the bony shoulder brushing his bicep. “Says you,” Sam absently returned, eyes drinking in the sight of you, the curves and shadows casted in the golden light.

Danny kept his eyes on you as he turned his face in Sam’s direction. “She takes my fucking breath away all the time,” he murmured.

Sam bit his lip as he smiled fondly, nodding as his eyes met your blushing face again. “Yeah… I’m quickly learning what you mean.”

Sam’s head lolled to the side, leaning his temple against Danny’s shoulder. You smiled bashfully, leaning forward as you stroked both your hands up the inner thighs of both boys at either side of you, your eyes following the movements of their respective fists one at a time.

Danny bent his knee, switching hands on his needy cock. He swallowed, his breathing picking up as his wandering eyes left your body and watched Sam’s hand for a moment.

You watched with a knowing grin, catching the way Danny licked his lips as he lazily jerked himself. He’d looked at you that exact same way, the few times you’d found yourself putting on a show for him, not unlike the show Sammy was giving beside him under his hungry watch.

Sam followed your gaze, Danny’s eyes flying up to meet the brown pair now locked on his. “I think we could find a better way to uh… pass the time,” he coyly hinted, glancing between you and Danny.

You gave Danny a wide grin, your mischievous gleam making him blush preemptively and chuckle, “Seems like you’ve got something in mind, my love.”

Sam perked up, releasing his cock to sit up straighter and matching your smile. “Oh, do share, doll,” he teased, his free hand coming to smooth up your thigh.

You shrugged, leaning back on your hand, bringing a slow, sensual hand up your front. “Well, actually, what I’m thinking wasn’t even my idea,” you grinned pointedly at Danny, cupping your breast.

Danny, torn between watching your hand and blushing at the playful, taunting way you lorded your knowledge over him, released himself as well and sat up to level with Sam, all three of you sitting up in a triangle.

“By all means, babe, enlighten him,” he bashfully ran a hand through his curls.

Sam leaned forward, bringing a knee up to his chin and leaning on it as he bit back his boyish smile. “Ohh ho ho, spill, sweetheart.”

You smirked at Danny, giving him a teasing flick of your brows, then pushed forward, crawling over Sam and guiding him beneath you on his back. He watched with excited fascination as you manhandled him down, wiggling and shifting down the bed and finally settling at the opposite side of him. With Sam sandwiched between you and Danny, both of you hovering over him, you leaned down and gave him a sweet kiss.

Danny shifted onto his side, holding himself up on his elbow, touching a hesitant hand to Sam’s upper thigh. You smiled faintly, kissing a wet trail down Sam’s sinewy neck, humming a pleased sound when Sam shivered and parted his lips with a sigh.

“Well, let me set the scene,” you began in a low, seductive voice, roaming your hand over his chest slowly. “We were on the couch, just out there,” you gestured vaguely with a nod before returning to his silky skin, “a little drunk, and fucking horny.”

Sam inhaled sharply, grinning lazily. “I’d expect no less from you two.”

Danny chuckled and massaged Sam’s hip, his fingers dangerously close to Sam’s groin causing his erection to twitch and bob in the air.

Continuing on, you licked at Sam’s pulse point, “So I was in his lap, and he started talking to me, and fuck Sammy,” you nipped his skin with a wistful sigh, “he was saying the filthiest, most beautiful things.”

“Shit… like, like what?” Sam breathed, squirming and panting under your combined touches. You smirked, catching a glance of Danny’s bashful but pleased face beneath Sam’s jaw.

“Thing he wanted to do to you,” you whispered, kissing his addicting neck, “things he wanted me to watch him do to you. Things he wanted us both to do to you.”

Danny hummed in agreement, his fingertips grazing down the top of Sam’s cock from base to tip, the sensation combined with your eager mouth sending a ripple of pleasure through Sam’s lithe body.

“Fuck,” he gasped, arching against Danny’s hand invitingly. “Tell me,” he pleaded.

Danny took Sam’s cock in hand, and Sam rolled his head to look up at Danny, doe-eyed and needy. Danny took one look at Sam’s submissive face and groaned under his breath, stroking him slowly.

“Yeah? You wanna know what you had me thinkin’ about?”

Sam nodded, sucking his lip under his teeth as he blinked up at him.

Danny’s eyes trailed down Sam’s torso, “You know… so many times, you’d be playing, and you’d just throw your hair back, and your mouth would open in that sexy little face you make when you get into it,” Sam groaned softly, nodding along to Danny’s words, on the edge of his figurative seat as Danny barely stroked him fast enough to keep him on edge.

“God I wanted to be the one making you make those faces.” Danny’s eyes flashed up to Sam’s, several shades darker and heavily lidded.

“Oh god,” Sam let out the shivery, whiny words with a buck of his hips into Danny’s fist.

Danny drank in Sam’s face, desperate and pleading as he hovered over him. “I wanted to see you make those faces from below. I wanted to make you make those faces, with your pretty cock down my throat,” he growled under his breath.

You moaned, sucking Sam’s pebbled nipple into your mouth, riding the full-body wave of Sam’s writhing, the result of Danny’s filthy confession muttered over his parted lips.

“Holy… sh-shit…” Sam choked out, brows knit tightly as he thrusted up into Danny’s fist, before crying out pathetically when Danny let him go entirely.

“There’s more, though, pretty boy,” Danny smirked, shifting onto his knees, grabbing Sam’s jaw gently as the boy fluttered his eyes open.

You grinned smugly, piecing together the rest in your head, and rising on all fours. Sam looked over at you before Danny’s grip on his jaw tightened, pulling his gaze back to him dominantly. You leaned down and whispered near Sam’s ear, “I love this part.”

Sam shivered, “Fuck…”

Danny thumbed over his bottom lip, smirking. “See, she really liked the idea of something I said to her.”

You twirled Sammy’s hair around your finger, nodding sweetly.

“What-“ Sam swallowed roughly, “…what’s that?”

Danny leaned down, his lips brushing Sam’s as he held his jaw firmly. “She wants to watch me take a mouthful of your cock down my throat while she rides your pretty face.”

Sam whimpered, writhing again. “Fuck.”

“And we both wanna give her what she wants, don’t we Sammy?” Danny purred, pressing a soft kiss to Sam’s pouty lips before parting with a smirk and shuffling backwards down his body.

“Yes, fucking- anything, please, just use me, beautiful girl, it’s yours,” Sam craned up at you, grasping for your thighs.

You caressed his cheek with a wide smile, leaning over him. “What’s mine, sweet boy?”

He whispered roughly, “My face, my cock- anything you fucking want, I wanna be yours, I wanna be good for you.”

A rush of dizzying lust swept over you, faintly registering the sound of your own moan as you closed the distance, crashing into his lips in an upside-down kiss.

After a short moment, Sam jolted, gasping and whining suddenly. Glancing down, you were met with Danny’s devilish smirk, his body laid out between Sam’s thighs with his tongue retracting from where he’d given the tiniest kitten lick to Sam’s leaking tip.

“Please,” Sam urged, breathless and needy, pulling at your thighs to settle you comfortably over his face.

“Okay, just like, tap me if you need air, okay?” you rushed out, straddling him on your knees.

His only response was a muffled, “Mmmhh,” as he tugged your hips down, hard, planting your pussy firmly over his waiting mouth.

You cried out, your hands cementing to Sam’s chest for stability, shifting over his mouth as his tongue curled and lapped through your folds.

You sighed out, “Shiiiiit, Sammy, babe...”

Danny hummed lowly, watching you find your footing atop your new throne. The sound drew your faded attention back to him, and he smirked as you met his eyes.

“You gonna watch me like a good girl?” he lowly taunted you, quirking an eyebrow as he took Sam’s cock in his hand. Sam let out a muffled whine, sucking your clit between his lips and drawing out a harsh moan from yours.

“Yeah,” you nodded quickly, wincing from the onslaught of pleasure, “C’mon baby, taste him. He’s so sweet, his cock is so nice to suck on,” you goaded, playing a little dirty to rile him up. You wanted to get Danny as desperate and feral as you felt.

Danny pumped him in his hand, hovering his lips close to Sam’s tip, his breath no doubt warming it with each word. “Oh yeah? You’re so sweet, aren’t you, baby? Letting me share your new toy?”

Sam groaned, long and high-pitched, the vibrations of it shooting through your core. You ground against his mouth, whining breathlessly as you struggled to keep your eyes on your boyfriend.

Danny grinned darkly. “That’s my good girl.”

He slowly leaned forward, taking Sam’s velvety head into his mouth, closing his lips around him and sucking gently, keeping his eyes locked on you through it all.

Sam’s fingers sunk into your thighs, gripping you tight enough to bruise, nodding his head into your core as he moaned. “Mmmfffuuuck-“ his muffled voice sounded between your thighs.

Danny winked at you, sinking down a little further, Sam’s cock coming out glistening with his spit as he retreated slowly.

“Jesus Christ, Danny,” you panted, hypnotized and faint with desire. “I was fucking right, you’re so fucking pretty sucking his cock, baby.”

Danny actually blushed, pulling off Sam with a wet pop, grinning up at you. “Thank you sweetheart,” he pumped Sam faster, pausing to lick up the underside of him in a slow, explorative move that had both you and Sam whimpering at the sight and feeling.

Kissing Sam’s frenulum, he murmured, “You look beautiful too, riding Sammy’s face. Is he doing a good job for you? He keeping my beautiful girl happy?”

Sam, as if to prove himself, sucked your clit between his lips again, flicking his tongue over it quickly.

You gasped and nodded quickly your head drooping to the side as you humped over his tongue. “Mmmyeah,” you nodded, brows furrowing, “feels so fuckin’ good.”

Sam kneaded your thighs, an acknowledgement of your praise. Your nails scratched his chest lightly, feeling breathless.

Danny smacked Sam’s outer thigh, making Sam jump and moan into you. Danny soothed his broad hand over the stinging red skin, arrogantly cooing, “Good boy, Sammy. Make her cum, and I’ll make you cum.”

You smirked lazily, matching Danny’s devilish grin as Sam muffled into you, “Oh fuck-“

With that, Danny dove back down, reacquainting himself with Sam’s cock, testing the waters and bobbing his head in a slow rhythm.

Sam was a moaning, shuddery mess beneath you, not that you were much better, with the animalistic show your boyfriend was putting on for you and the fervent, desperate way Sam ate you out. As Danny sucked harder, faster, gaining confidence the more he unraveled the lanky bassist beneath you, you felt your stomach tightening in that familiar warmth.

“God, fuck- don’t stop, Sammy don’t- don’t fuckin’ stop-“ You clawed at his chest, urging him with your bucking hips.

Danny worked his tongue against the sensitive underside of Sam’s head, the sloppy noises drawing a cry of pleasure out of the boy’s chest. A groaned, slurred out call bubbled out of Sam, “Danny!”

In his own growing desperation, Sam’s mouth slowed down, losing focus, and you whimpered in frustration, hanging your head forward as you sought more friction.

Danny cocked an eyebrow, pulling off Sam quickly. “Hey,” he growled, “Didn’t say you could stop,” he smacked the side of Sam’s ass, gripping the flesh tight.

Sam keened, panting and moaning as he furiously dove his face between your thighs, shaking himself back and forth as he licked and sucked at you. You jolted forward, crying out obscenities, Danny taking Sam’s throbbing cock back into the warmth of his mouth.

You felt Sam struggling to keep focus, the jerking and trembling of his body giving him away, but he held strong, devouring you with a feverish appetite, his chin and cheeks slippery with your slick as you rode his face.

“So close,” you squeaked, throwing your head back and slipping a hand into your hair, that knot in your belly drawing tighter and tighter. Danny squeezed Sam’s base, suctioning hard around his head and lapping at his frenulum, and the resulting echoing groan vibrating through you from Sam’s mouth sent you hurtling over the tip of your peak, cumming all over Sam’s open mouth with what was surely a scream of his name.

Through the fog, you blinked down at Danny, still bucking out the last waves of your orgasm, and you caught sight of Danny’s fingers pumping into Sam’s hole, curling up and beckoning Sam into his own high. You lifted up your hips slightly, giving the boy room to breath as he shouted Danny’s name. Danny rested Sam’s head against his tongue, leaving his mouth open as he jerked his length quickly, milking ropes of Sam’s cum across his tongue. He held eye contact with you the entire time, his stare burning and intense as his fist flew up and down Sam’s length.

Once Sam jerked and gave one last sigh, his body loosening of all tension, you exhaled slowly and carefully dismounted his face.

Flopping on your side, your head by Sam’s knees, you smiled, then began chuckling quietly, resting your face on Sam’s thigh and blinking lazily.

“Well fuck,” Sam stated, catching his breath with a giggle.

Danny sat up on his knees, his hand loosely jerking and tugging at his own cock for some relief. As quickly as you’d collapsed, you felt revived and reignited by the thick, flushed erection your boyfriend had neglected.

“What do you want, Danny?” you asked, licking your lips.

Above you, Sam raised his head, face twisting into a dirty smirking at Danny’s cock. “Yeah, Danny, what can we do for you?” he goaded.

Danny bit his lip, “Mmm… so many options,” he grinned crookedly, looking between you both. “I do seem to remember something from last night though, Sammy, you were promised a next time I believe,” he innocently stated, stroking himself lazily.

“A next time, huh?” Sam cocked his head coyly.

You grinned, “Oh right, Sammy, you poor thing, you haven’t gotten to taste Danny yet.”

Sam’s eyes darkened, licking his lips. “Oh, that can be happily arranged. C’mere, big boy, lay down for me,” he patted the bed flirtatiously.

Danny smiled wide, huffing a quiet chuckle and laying himself out beside Sam. You shifted, making yourself comfortably up by Danny’s shoulders, your thighs a makeshift pillow for your boyfriend’s curly head. Danny watched Sam descend between his thighs with bated breath.

You toyed with his silky curls, watching smugly as Sam settled on his stomach, propping up on one elbow. He rested his free hand on Danny’s thigh, sighing to himself as he squeezed and smoothed his hand over the muscle.

“You ever let her ride your thighs?” he inquired softly, smiling up at you both.

You bit your lip, nodding happily as Danny smirked, “It’s like her favorite thing to do, why?”

Sam shrugged one shoulder, returning his eyes nonchalantly to his thigh. “Don’t blame her.” He suddenly leaned forward and gave a playful bite to the flesh before finishing, “It’d be my favorite thing too, I think.”

Danny smiled through a shaky inhale, “Oh yeah? You like my thighs, huh?”

Sam pinkened, nodding bashfully and running his hand up to the top of said thigh, thumbing at the V-line of Danny’s groin. “Always kinda thought so,” he confessed softly.

Danny blushed, biting his lip shyly and forgoing a response.

You pet your boyfriend’s hair, watching Sam brush his thumb against Danny’s length, where it lay against his belly patiently. Taking Danny’s cock in hand, his eyes fluttered up to meet Danny’s again, blushing but maintaining eye-contact as he brought his tongue up over the delicate slit. Danny shivered, chewing his lip. With a gentle sigh, Sam licked over Danny’s head, fanning his warm breath across the spit slicked skin. Danny muffled a groan in his throat, beginning to breath heavier.

Finally, Sam glided Danny’s head past his lips, cushioning his heavy cock on his tongue as he enveloped it in his mouth. Danny’s brows shot up as his eyes closed, his head relaxing back against your thighs. You cupped his cheek lovingly, feeling like your breath was stolen at his expression of pure ecstasy as he panted, “Sam…”

He whined, his face twisting like Sam’s mouth was the most blissful, erotic thing he’d ever felt. You were reminded of the first time Danny had taken you to bed, such a similar look on his face as he plunged himself into your warm wet walls for that very first time. As Danny’s head rolled to the side, pressing further against your palm, you gazed down at him in wonderous, lustful affection. “You’re so gorgeous, Danny,” you whispered, stroking a thumb over his cheekbone.

Sam looked up at you both, and his eyes crinkled with a smile, the best one he could muster with his lips stretched around Danny’s impressive girth.

Danny blushed, blinking his eyes open at you, his mossy hazel irises stunningly clear and radiant even around his dilated pupils. “Baby,” he whined under his breath, reaching up and pulling your face down to kiss him.

You obliged happily, slotting your lips with his passionately, drinking in his moans and whimpers as Sam’s mouth shot sparks of pleasure through his body. He mumbled against your lips, his tone of submissive disbelief nearly making you pass out, “Feels so fucking good…”

You nodded, sealing his lips in another kiss, “Good, sweetheart, you just relax and feel, let Sammy make you feel good.”

Danny winced in pleasure, tensing and gasping as Sam sucked harder. He nodded a little, biting his lip up at you.

Below you, Sam pulled off him for air. Quickly jerking Danny’s length in lieu of his mouth, he panted, looking up between you with a cheeky smile. “So not bad for a first blowjob?”

You giggled, shooting him an exasperated smile and shaking your head. “Danny’s not complaining anyway, huh, babe?” Glancing down at your boyfriend, he grunted in response, bucking into Sam’s fist.

Sam cocked a smug eyebrow and smirked. “Bet I could make it even better.” He licked at Danny’s tip.

“Fuck,” Danny grit, looking down at him in disbelief.

Sam met his eyes and wordlessly held up two fingers, eyebrows raising in question.

Danny’s jaw dropped, staring at Sam’s fingers for a second before swallowing harshly and meeting Sam’s gaze again.

He licked his lips, then gave a shy nod. “Yeah, o-okay.”

Sam smiled wide, confirming, “Yeah?”

Danny nodded again, his blush spreading across his cheeks as he gave a hesitant little grin.

Sam nodded back, bringing his fingers between his lips as he stroked away with his other hand. Breaking the eye contact, he glanced down, situating his hand carefully below Danny’s balls and leaning forward to take his head between his lips again.

Danny whimpered, and using the distraction of pleasure, Sam circled his fingers around Danny’s hole, making Danny buck his hips and gasp. You soothed a hand over your boyfriend’s chest, petting his hair. “Shhh, relax baby boy, s’gonna feel so nice,” you smiled fondly.

Danny visibly relaxed, nodding, and Sam took the cue to circle one finger once more before pushing it inside slowly.

Danny’s jaw dropped open, “Ohh-“

You watched his face in awe as Sam suckled at his tip, teasing and licking around his head while his pointer finger curled deeper into his ass. Sam held his cock up with his free hand, pulling off to whisper, “God, you’re so tight, Danny, it’s so hot,” his breathy, wonderous tone making both you and Danny shudder.

Sam descended a little lower, pulling his finger out and pushing back in slowly, starting up a steady careful rhythm. His mouth enveloped one of Danny’s balls at the same time, gently mouthing at it as he got his footing, fingering his friend’s hole.

Danny groaned, flexing his fingers in a tight grip on your shoulder, arm stretched above his head as he panted and writhed. He jolted suddenly, Sam’s finger massaging in just the right spot inside. “Shit- oh, fffuck-“

Sam licked up the seam of his ballsack, continuing the wet trail all the way up the underside of his cock, keeping his finger steadily curling and thrusting into Danny’s ass.

Danny arched his back, sweat beading along his hairline as his brows knit tightly. He blindly reached a hand down, grasping Sam’s hair in his growing desperation. “Sammy, I-“ he gasped, “I’m getting close, can you- fuck, can you do another?”

Sam whimpered, nodding quickly, popping off to quickly say, “Anything, Daniel.” He pulled his finger out, then began pushing a second finger alongside the first. He moaned around Danny’s thickness, causing Danny’s back to arch off the bed with a drawn out, broken moan.

“Oh my god, oh god, oh my fucking g- OH-“ Danny panted, his hips jerking erratically, his grip on your shoulder and in Sam’s hair tightening to a white-knuckled fist, slurring out praises and swears. “Fuuuuuck, pleasepleaseplease Sammy,” he begged, a breathless sob as Sam’s fingers curled against his prostate relentlessly.

You whimpered softly, holding his pleasure-wracked face as he spilled into Sam’s mouth, “So good, baby, fuck, you’re so so good.”

Sam gulped, gasping for air as he released Danny’s exhausted, softening cock from his mouth. He retracted his fingers, wincing at Danny’s trembling hiss. He kissed his thigh in apology, then crawled up to lie along Danny’s side as the fucked-out man came down from his high.

You caught Sam’s eye across from Danny, and you leaned forward, a silent request. Sam smiled happily, meeting you easily in a gentle kiss.

As you cradled your boyfriend’s head in your lap and hummed happily into Sam’s kiss, you thought to yourself, you could get used to this.

Something in the boys' eyes told you they felt the same way.

-------- ⭐︎☽⭐︎☾⭐︎ --------

>>>Next chapter>>>

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solar-sunnyside-up · 11 months

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I was wondering if you had any resources for people who don't have direct action groups nearby and still want to participate in direct action. I still rely on parents for getting to places and I don't have reliable public transit, so I don't have the option to go to many protests or direct action groups. Do you have any resources on things I can do in my neighborhood (that aren't little free libraries/pantries because my neighborhood doesn't have much foot traffic)

Hey there sprout!! 🌱🌱

It depends on where you live tbh, but given I just did a rural one imma give you some ideas that you could do in the suburbs/urban neighborhoods assuming you don't have a car in a car centric world!

Look into the groups that are in your area and read up on the actions they do. You might not be able to go to events regularly but keeping up with local events is still good to feel like there's momentum! You also wanna look into what programs exist. I'm personally from an Oil loving/God fearing hick town and yet!! There's a million programs going on they just don't advertise or market themselves so you'd never know! Like I just attended an online webinar for Dark Sky Reserve policies for my town this week?? Wild stuff I'd never know if I wasn't researching my own city all the damn time

Cleaning/ gruella building public features are very cool! And something you can do in your own backyard or in the middle of the night in your streets or while your waiting for your shitty transit to get there! (I do that last one a lot, renoed some bus stops and cleaned them up bc I was BORED) Some Secret groups have starting installing benches/painting crosswalks/renovating bus shelters that do exist and technically that is something you can do. Also could look into adopt-a-stop programs.

Gruella gardening! Seed Bombs of native wild flowers and just chucking them around when you go on walks/go out or Moss Graffiti is also an option! Just pick an abandoned spot (on a walk to somewhere or just easily accessible to you in general)

Things like designing your own newsletter/zine/stickers for your community is also neat!

Check in with your Community Association! You'd be surprised at what those guys can do, I've seen anything ranging from movie nights and game nights to craft clubs and yoga classes to pubs/restraunts that fund the CA. Same goes with a community garden/fridge in your area. Those guys need vollunteers

Open up a free toolshed/ clothing closet at a school/library/CA center/abandoned building and hold a drive to fill it up. You'd be surprised at how excited ppl get over those!

#direct action #solarpunk #work #community #asks #sprout guide

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santmat · 3 months

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Reincarnation: Thoughts Are Like Seeds That Sprout Into Words and Deeds

"Accumulated thoughts of living beings cause births and deaths for them again and again

"In the world, there are as many thoughts as the living beings. The truth is that every person has numerous thoughts. It is by virtue of his thoughts that he attains either salvation or transmigration. Salvation will come only when all thoughts would come to an end. That is why the scriptures declare that the hoarded or accumulated thoughts of living beings cause births and deaths for them again and again.

"The thoughts are of various types and each thought has its hidden import. The thoughts which are soaked in attachment and illusion, form the basis of transmigration. But the thoughts which are immersed in selfless service (seva), lead one to salvation. The flow of thoughts in the mind knows no end. Not a single moment passes without those, so much so, that during sleep even, they occur in the form of dreams. What are those thoughts? Desire for anything assumes the form of a thought. The moment a desire to attain something or the other, arises in the mind, that very moment, man is thrown into an ocean of thoughts. These very thoughts become the basis of resolutions and options which cause one to enter into different forms after death. Whatever the nature of thought at the time of death determines the next form or birth for that soul...

"All the doubts and desires should be made to merge with the Shabd or Word [the Divine Current of Light and Sound], to get rid of horrible consequences of innumerable births and transmigration. Except for the desire to recite Naam, no other desire should take hold of the mind... By remembering the Lord, one attains God-realization and when this stage is reached, then there is no need to resort to any other means of attaining salvation [moksha]."

-- The Second Spiritual Master, in,

The Shri Paramhans Advait Mat Granth

Commentary: Above, excerpted from a huge, authoritative collection of satsang discourses, provides one with valuable insight into the mechanics of thought and desires, this process of creating reality. Here, a "law of attraction" is not solely dedicated to a materialistic life confined to the physical plane. One is instructed to remember God, to practice Remembrance (Simran) of God's Name, and merge one's attention (Surat) into the Positive or God-Power of the Inner Light and Sound (Shabd), rising above the ocean of forms, thoughts, desires, karmas, the creation of countless lives and deaths, with the goal being moksha, getting off the wheel of transmigration/reincarnation. Thoughts are like seeds that sprout into words and deeds.

"Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; for it becomes your destiny." (Upanishads)

"Today's karmas become the fate of tomorrow. According to our last life actions, our mental tendencies are formed in this life. Because of our pure actions we will have the desire to seek the association of Sants and to meditate." (Swami Vyasanand)

#reincarnation #incarnation #karma #moksha #jiva mukti #salvation #liberation #law of attraction #spirituality #meditation #satsang

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yu-sigao · 9 months

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I just finished Gintama and I'm still in awe. It's been a day and I still don't know how to collect my words of how deeply this anime struck me.

Utsuro was a beautiful villain. The way I interpret him is that he is almost pure yin - cold, dark, destructive, and all consuming, like, well, an 虚 ("utsuro", void.) But in East Asian cosmology, while yin is death, it is also fertility. It is the feminine component of the universe and required for land and animals to reproduce. So within a field of yin, there will always be a seed of yang.

This seed of yang is of course, Yoshida Shouyou. Just as yin inevitably grows yang, Utsuro talks of Shouyou's emergence as inevitable in episode 328.

"The one that hated humans, the one that feared humans, and the one that longed to be human... They were all me. It was inevitable that he would appear to stop them. The only Utsuro that stood up to Utsuro."

He even usually wears white compared to the black of Utsuro's cloak. Shouyou is warm, kind, nurturing, and active; it's said he never stopped fighting against Utsuro, even if at first he lost. And arguably that fighting is what got him killed. Utsuro slays him internally as Gintoki slays him externally, and when his body is burned in fire - a classic symbol of yang - Utsuro reemerges. The seed has sprouted, grown, withered, and returned back to fertilise the earth. Yang flows back into yin.

What I find interesting is the decidedly feminine metaphors that Oboro and Utsuro himself use to describe the formation of his different personas. He is said to have "given birth" to countless versions of himself (again also from episode 328), which further strengthens the association between Utsuro and yin.

This is not the first time a birthing/maternal metaphor has been used in Gintama. Consider Shouyou's speech to a child Gintoki:

"There's no difference between a monster and the child of a monster. They are both inhuman beings that are only born within a bloody pool of sin. And a monster's sword cannot cut another monster. So, Gintoki, stop trying to grow stronger by imitating me... You have to grow stronger than me by using your own sword, the sword of a human." - (episode 317.)

If in this metaphor, Utsuro is the parent and Shouyou is the offspring, then what does that make Shouyou? Shouyou subtly implies he considers himself a monster. Is this true? If you view Shouyou as a parental figure to Gintoki, Katsura, and Takasugi, then what does that make them?

Gintoki was called a corpse eating demon as a child, and by the time he was fighting in the Joui wars and forced to execute Shouyou, he had not shed that reputation. He instead became known as the Shiroyasha - white demon. Clothed in the colours of yang like his master who longed to be human, but a monster nonetheless. And a monster's sword cannot cut another monster. That is why when Gintoki kills Shouyou, Utsuro is born, and the cycle starts anew. It is only after 300+ episodes of character development that he becomes human, and can put an end to Utsuro.

"The people here must be what you were to me. Just as the eternal monster from that day became human by meeting you... Meeting you kids, the little monster with sad eyes from that day has also become human, hasn't he?" - (Shouyou to Gintoki in Gintama: The Final.)

But the cycle is never over. A baby implied to be Takasugi's reincarnation is born in the Altana gates at the end. At first I thought this was a cheap trick, and that Sorachi only did this to keep fans happy, but it does fit the theme of eternity and neverending cycles.

Gintama, to me, is about cycles, and the difference between productive and unproductive cycles. The Naraku's name refers to a sort of Buddhist hell, and they dress like Buddhist monks. The relevance of the Buddhist theme of reincarnation in regards to Utsuro's story should be obvious. But instead of a march towards enlightenment, Utsuro's numerous lifetimes are more like an ouroboros eating it's own tail. He did unto others what was done unto him, escalating into a plot to destroy Earth, which got him nowhere but perpetuating pointless samsara. He destroys himself as he begets himself, experiencing moral degradation and isolation as he shies away from even his other selves.

Or a cycle can be like making a philosopher's stone, which is what Gintoki experienced: a process of continuous refinement that produces objects of further and further purity. To use Buddhist terms, enlightenment is an ongoing process. The work of becoming human takes as long as your life will. And Gintoki is made human by his relationships with Shinpachi, Kagura, and every single person he met over the course of the story, while Utsuro remained so focused on himself, he destroyed his other selves.

Utsuro recognises his mistake upon his death:

"Humans are hollow beings. But because they know that, they take root in the heart of others, never fading, even after death, and continue to live forever, is it?" - (Gintama: The Final)

His hollowness and eternity did not have to mean all this pain. He denied the version of himself, Shouyou, that went against his omnicidal death wish, and was life giving instead. In giving life, Shouyou became mortal, and was given death. In death, Shouyou became more influential and powerful than Utsuro, having touched the heart of people who would come back to defeat him. The immortal becomes mortal becomes immortal. Yin flowing back into yang flowing back into yin.

In the end, everything goes back to where it started, yet everything is new again. The Yorozuya are back, and Edo is still Edo, even as Tokyo looms on the horizon. I can only hope for the baby we see at the end, that if they are immortal, they will have a kinder life than Utsuro/Shouyou did. That they will be more human than monster. The monster's child became human, after all.

#gintama #gintama meta #gintama spoilers #utsuro gintama #yoshida shouyou #i love utsuro and this is my love letter to him

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strawberry-soot · 1 year

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✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 🌹RIDDLE BIRTHDAY SSR FLOWER ANALYSIS* 🌹*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Unsurprisingly, Riddle has roses. The red roses in his bouquet symbolize commitment, devotion, and elegance, as well as passion. Pink roses stand for gratitude, admiration, sweetness, and elegance as well. Other than the red and pink roses in full bloom, he also has green rosebuds. Rosebuds in general are symbols of beauty and courage, while green roses represent cheerfulness and rejuvenation. However, they can also stand for jealousy and envy.

In the Victorian Language of Flowers dianthus is a symbol of passion, affection, and gratitude. They have a spicy scent, and it’s thought that letting its smell be blown away by the wind after picking and smelling it, your troubles will be carried off as well.

Cockscomb is associated with wealth and prosperity, or courage and bravery, though in literature it often symbolizes arrogance or pride. In the Victorian era, it signified passion and deep emotional bonds. Nowadays, cockscomb is often used in political campaigns and protests as a symbol of resistance and fighting oppression.

The big red flowers in his bouquet are either gaillardias or gerberas. Gaillardias, in the Language of Flowers, are used to represent joy, optimism and happiness, as well as modesty, aristocracy, and abundance. Gerberas on the other hand typically stand for beauty, innocence, purity, and loyalty.

Gypsophila, or baby’s breath, is a symbol of young love, everlasting love, and new beginnings, as well as innocence, and is usually gifted to mothers.

The two-colored flower at the edge of his bouquet could be red-white cosmos or checkers dahlia. Cosmos flowers represent order and harmony, balance, innocence, modestly, joy, and beauty. Dahlias are symbols of elegance, inner strength, change, and dignity. However, they also have some more negative meanings, such as instability, betrayal, and dishonestly.

Butterfly weed symbolizes personal transformation and growth, such as letting go of grief, as well as human resilience, and the happiness and positivity that comes from change.

Finally, he has a little prince protea in its still closed state. Proteas symbolize boldness, transformation, and change, diversity, strength, and adaptability. It relies on fire to sprout its seeds so the meanings of reliance, and the power to survive practically anything are especially prominent and common.

Naturally, these are only my un-educated guesses considering I’m by no means a flower specialist so take everything with a grain of salt, and feel free to let me know if I got anything wrong/what flowers I might’ve missed.

#twst #twisted wonderland #flower analysis #twst spoilers #bloom birthday #flower reading #broomquet #twst birthday #twst riddle #riddle rosehearts

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saritapaleo · 4 months

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One of the best-known ovoraptorids, Citipati osmolskae was vital in broadening our understanding of oviraptorosaurs. These dinosaurs were seemingly caring parents, and at least two have been found buried alive protecting their eggs from sudden sandstorms. The discovery of Citipati, and its associated eggs, was what led paleontologists to realize they had been mistaken about Oviraptor’s eggs.

Like modern birds, Citipati’s tail ended in a pygostyle which would have supported a fan of tail feathers. It used both its wings and these tail feathers to brood its eggs, spreading them out to cover the whole nest. As Citipati was too heavy to fly, it was likely that its feathers evolved for the specific purpose of brooding its eggs. It was a large oviraptorid, about the size of an emu, and had a long neck and relatively short tail. As we don’t have a complete skeleton and crest for Oviraptor, depictions of it in media are usually based on Citipati instead.

Citipati had one of the strongest bite forces of ovoraptorosaurs, and was likely adapted for feeding on extremely tough vegetation. While it didn’t have any teeth, it did have a pointed ridge of bone on its palate that may have functioned for cracking open nuts, seeds, and perhaps even eggs. It may have also been omnivorous, due to the remains of a young troodontid, Byronosaurus, being found in a nest. This may have been food brought for the Citipati’s hatchlings, but it may have also been an instance of brood parasitism!

The Late Cretaceous Ukhaa Tolgod locality of the Djadochta Formation of Mongolia was a harsh arid environment covered in sand dunes and dune fields, with short lived oases sprouting up after rain. Aside from the previously mentioned troodontid Byronosaurus, Citipati would have lived alongside a handful of other dinosaurs. These include fellow oviraptorid Khaan, another troodontid called Almas, the dromaeosaurs Tsaagan, Velociraptor mongoliensis, and Halszkaraptor, the alvarezsaurids Kol and Shuvuuia, the birds Apsaravis and Gobipteryx, the ankylosaurs Minotaurasaurus and Pinacosaurus grangeri, and an indeterminate protoceratopsid. Lizards, small mammals, and turtles were also present here.

This art may be used for educational purposes, with credit, but please contact me first for permission before using my art. I would like to know where and how it is being used. If you don’t have something to add that was not already addressed in this caption, please do not repost this art. Thank you!

#Citipati osmolskae #Citipati #oviraptorid #oviraptorosaurs #theropods #saurischians #dinosaurs #archosaurs #archosauromorphs #reptiles #SaritaDrawsPalaeo #Djadochta Formation #Late Cretaceous #Mongolia

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afreakingdork · 2 years

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Crush Too Much - Part 19

RotTMNT Donatello x GN!Reader

Warnings: Longing, Angst, Fluff, Embarrassment, Overbearing Siblings, Aged-up Turtles

Synopsis: So you met a customer three times at work and that made a pretty big impression on you? That’s nothing to necessarily get worked up over, but when you’re all prepared to ask for his number the next time you see him and his brother gets involved instead, you might be in for something more than you bargained for.

FIRST 💜 PREVIOUS

Mikey's Merriment

Leaned against a trunk and just tucked into a grouping of trees, Donatello stared across the road. Twilight cast odd shades of orange against the concrete exterior of the American Museum of Natural History. He told himself he hadn’t meant to arrive so early, but there was also no denying his excitement. In less than a week’s time since the successful boardwalk outing, his text chain with you no longer felt abysmal. In fact, it seemingly rivaled a less encumbered time earlier in your friendship. His lips downturned slightly from their neutral position. He wasn’t sure if 'friendship' was the right word for it. At the time he thought it was, but now having himself in the position you had been at the time complicated the matter. It was an odd spot where the seeds of close platonics begged to be sprouted into the romantic. Though the botany metaphor was something he adored, he was unwilling to maintain that headspace.

Flicking his thumb aggressively over his device, the text chain cycled backwards until an image of your key chains appeared. It had been a running joke between the two of you to put the plushes in increasingly ‘dangerous’ situations. The amusing roleplay you had come up with had been a great icebreaker and excuse to continue texting at near any hour of the day. Smiling to himself, Donatello remembered how he’d even convinced Hypno to pose with it mid-battle. There was something to be said about the banter in a long-term hero-villain association. After several rereads of the thread, he glanced across the street again to find the museum closing up for the day. It meant there were exactly 30 minutes until the scheduled meet-up time. Losing focus, he watched as a continuous stream of people filtered by on the sidewalk.

The late October weather made his hoodie a cozy hideaway. With the nights dipping lower, it was almost time to dig out his winter wardrobe. Letting his head gently rest against the tree, he ruminated over the last year. The technical anniversary sat around a month ago, but there hadn’t been time to consider it. Tapping a finger to his phone’s case, he shifted as a thought took hold. Scrolling back through his meticulous calendar he found the date you officially considered your meeting. He then cycled back through to this year and found the fashion show was only a single day off from 365. It was oddly fortuitous to the point where he wished it were just exact. Giving a satisfied hum to himself, he brought his gaze back to the museum and immediately spotted you walking up.

Flicking his eyes to his phone found you 20 minutes early. It wasn’t as if you were late, but your punctuality was predictable. Curious, he dropped his goggles down to watch you more closely. You walked up, vigilantly scanning all the nooks and crannies of the exterior. He smiled as he presumed he was the cause. Having not located him, you seemed to give a long sigh of relief. You then hopped up to sit on a stone ledge and brought a hand up to your chest. He adjusted the zoom as your lips started to move, but you stopped as soon as he did so. Instead, he got a close up of your furrowed brow. Your lashes descended and your lips came together into an o-shape. He swallowed hard. Your body relaxed as you seemingly blew out a stream of air in a focused exhale. Your eyes then popped open and you gave a single tight nod. Lifting his goggles, Donatello wasn’t sure if that was something he should brood over. A shred of his imagination was already running wild with love-struck implications, but he shook them away. Rather than marinate on it for the next 15 minutes, he instead emerged from the park and crossed the road.

You caught sight of him as he reached the opposite sidewalk. “That’s not the direction I expected you to come from…”

“I seem to remember something…” He tried to suppress his giddy smile to make the comment more convincing. He hid what he could through an extended arm and a digit pressed to his forehead as if it could recall his memory. “’Everything is a surprise with you?’” He then removed his hand and pushed the finger against your forehead in a mock show of transferring the knowledge.

“You’ve got me there.” You reached up and gently pushed his arm away.

He might have imagined it, but it almost seemed like you lingered. “We did not exchange salutations.”

“Of course, my mistake.” Into the motion of rolling your eyes you hopped off the ledge and onto your feet. “Hello, humble protector. We meet today in the shadow of a closed museum.”

He was sent right back to the rooftop. The flighty feelings as you’d offered your hand to him were something that he chalked up to patrol adrenaline. He knew far better now, but the fact you were joking about such a time wasn’t something he knew how to handle. “Well, citizen…” He straightened his posture and put authoritative hands on his hips. “The museum before you has closed for the general public.”

“We’re not breaking in so you can keep the cover of night, right?” You broke character as anxiety flooded your voice.

“What, no.” It frustratingly brought him out of the charade as well. “Tonight’s member’s night.”

“Oh, you’re a member?”

“Of course I am!” He crossed the distance to the steps as he nursed the supposed insult to his dignity.

You gave a light jog to catch up. “Want me to ask for forgiveness? How dare I not know that!?” You hopped a few steps and turned to look at him now eye level.

“It’s an investment.” He retorted flatly. “The thinned crowd and late night hours are just bonuses.”

“I suppose that is pretty cool…” You turned to look at the building. “But how do I fit into this?”

“I’m going to assume I haven’t inflated your ego somehow and instead venture to ask if you mean ‘how does this fit into the expiatory extravaganza?’”

“Since I’m not the one with an ego stroking issue, let’s just say with your alternate phrasing works.”

He made a face. “Using such language in front of this.” He cleared a few steps in a single bound and threw his arms up at the museum. “A hall of learning!”

“I don’t…” You let out a laugh. “Which word?”

He gestured to the building again with a pointed grimace.

“Ah.” You snapped your fingers. “I thought I could get you.”

“Not with that poor excuse of an attempt.” He looked down his nose at you and stepped up to the building where an elderly couple were granted entry. “If you follow me, I can answer your question.”

“Some kind of experiential learning?” You wondered, following.

“If I answer that it defeats the purpose.”

You snapped again.

“Is this going to be a thing tonight? I just need to know how long to keep my guard up for.”

“If I answer that it defeats the purpose.” You did a little impression of him before taking the door handle.

You opened the door as he approached, but he stopped shy of the threshold to crowd you for a moment. “Cute.” He dropped the phrase simply, eyeing you up before straightening and strolling in with his hands clasped behind his back.

The fact that it took you 37 seconds to follow meant the move had its intended effect. He considered it retribution and not flirting. When you’d resumed your place at his side, he checked in at the front desk with reserved tickets before steering you to the Halls of Gems and Minerals.

He stopped just before entering the exhibit and did an about face.

You took careful note of him and then the display above the wing before a little smile played on your lips. “I see now.”

“Yes, well…” He sneered over his shoulder.

“Doing something you hate is a pretty good marker of how sorry you are.” You side stepped him and entered to hall.

He trailed behind. “That is some people’s opinions.”

“It makes me kinda want to guess which brother suggested it.”

“Only partially?” Donnie would latch on to any conversational crumbs that could distract his mind from the rocks.

You approached the first display case on the left and looked over it thoughtfully. “Since I don’t know what the next two events are, it wouldn’t be a good guess.”

He hummed with approval, passing only a glance at the informational placard.

You both moved through three more displays cases and he couldn’t mask his disdain. Unlike the pier, there were no airs to put on. It was just cabinet after cabinet filled with different types of rocks. There was some novelty to their formation and ancient status, but beyond that they were mostly bland, roughly textured hunks. He slouched further and further into himself with the only solace being he was upholding his end of the bargain.

“Psst.” He shifted from the depths of his hoodie to find you looking up at him.

“Yes?” Maybe he’d withdrawn a little too much.

You tilted forward and threw a finger up to your lips. You then pretended to glance around the room as if there were a crowd.

He gave a curious nod.

“You got the stuff?” You whispered, leaning in closer with a hand held up to cover your mouth.

He eyed you carefully and took particular note of how your other hand was jammed into your jacket pocket. He instantly grasped what you were reaching for. “Oh, I got it.” He stuffed his hands into his hoodie.

You mouthed a countdown and at the same time you both pulled out your plushes. You giggled happily as they twisted near each other until the magnets clicked them together. “They had such a hard week apart.”

“The blender debacle was quite the stress on purple.” Donnie gave his head a sympathetic shake.

“White was caught by a supervillain! That can’t possibly compare.” You released your keychain and Donnie brought the pair close.

“Don’t judge an individual’s struggles.” He clicked his tongue before observing the plushes once more. An idea formed so he laced his drawstring through both key rings and tied it off. The pair happily clung to each other from off his hoodie.

You stopped and bit your lip in an attempt to dampen a huge oncoming grin. “That’s too much. Can I take a pic?”

“But of course.” Donnie struck a pose and you shook your head with amusement as you unearthed your phone. As soon as you lifted the camera, however, he dropped out of the act and put on an aloof expression.

“Say ‘I’m not having any fun!’”

“Does it need to be said when it’s a simple fact?” He brought up a palm to enforce his point and the shutter went off.

“I must say that while this idea was fine in theory, in practice it’s kinda bumming me out.” You reviewed the photo carefully.

He frowned. He should have considered that fact. It was something his brother’s had grouched to him about on multiple occasions. He adjusted his posture in preparation. “I see, I’ll strive to-”

“Nah.” You held up your phone and took a few more photos of him.

Though his was mostly unprepared, he was able to muster a few different facial expression amongst the series. “You did not let me finish.”

“Because I don’t want you to fake it.” You nodded to your phone, satisfied, and pocketed the device. “How about a game?”

“Color me intrigued.” He agreed as you lead him to the next display.

“Kinda like these cuties.” You poked the plushes. “Let’s find each other’s stone.”

He turned and looked out at the expanse of the hall. “You want me to select a rock that represents you?”

You seemed amused. “There’s also gemstones.”

“Shiny colored rocks.” He brought his gaze lethargically back to you.

“Not even a game can get you into this, hm?” You tipped your head to one side.

He sighed and reviewed the room again. “Or rather how am I supposed to compare you to some hunk of earth? A flower would do you better justice, something with-” He froze, realizing the connotation of the words spilling out of his mouth. His throat tightened and this time the slow trip his eyes took back to you was done out of fear.

You didn’t seem upset, but instead your were colored with mild surprise in the shape of raised brows and parted lips.

“Are we going to just keep ignoring the absurdly large geodes?” Donnie’s voice was so tightly coiled it almost teetered into laughter. His limbs moved robotically as he waddled over to the closest suspended object. He wasn’t really looking at it as he was through it. Still, he felt you approach.

“Woah…” You breathed.

He didn’t dare glance at you, but instead forced his eyes to focus on the behemoth in front of him. Within the geode was a veritable galaxy of purples bespeckled with reflective stars of white. He felt his blood pressure bottom out as it reminded him of the meteor shower. That night had yet to be fully scrubbed of his transgressions.

“It says it’s a amethyst with purple quartz crystals and it’s 9 feet tall.”

He nodded dumbly.

“There’s a taller one over there, but it’s skinnier.” From the way your jacket rustled you must be pointing. Unfortunately, he was caught in a mix of unable and not wanting to look away.

You stood by him in solemn silence until an exhale was ripped from him. He wasn’t sure when he’d started to hold his breath.

“Guess I don’t need to pick then.” Your voice was warm with understanding.

“What do you mean?” His, on the other hand, sounded far away.

“This one’s you.”

He blinked.

“Funny answer or the deep one?”

He wondered if you looking at him or the geode. “Both.”

“Purple.” You stated flatly.

Though it didn’t illicit any comedic response, it did give him enough wherewithal to close his eyes.

“But it’s also a kind of sweep you off your feet sort of piece. It has a clarity that means you can see everything, but there’s so much to see that it’d be impossible to catch every little detail in a single lifetime. It’s somehow both uplifting and grounding at the same time…”

The words and their contextual meaning seeped into his brain slowly. As they did, they translated into a rapid pre-heating of his face until his cheeks were fully aflame. When he finally snapped his head to the side to catch a glimpse of you, you were wandering off to the next display. There was no way he could follow something like that up. In desperation, Donatello scoured the space with his eyes as his feet were glued to the ground. He’d already stated his case and point on the stones. You saw something in them, or maybe him, that he certainly didn’t.

Then, as if reading his mind, you spoke. “Guess we’ll have to go to the Botanical Garden sometime.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.” He watched as your rounded a slab of teals and greens. “I expect you to tell me which flower I am.”

He had to wrap a hand around his mouth to keep a confession from slipping out.

Leo's Levity

“An often overlooked aspect is the tightness of the laces.” Donatello wound the string around his fingers and gave it a tug.

“Mhm.” You listened above him from your perch on a bench.

He slipped a hand behind your skate and gave the laces another tug. “It helps keep your ankle straight, a folly that many first timers fail to take into consideration.” Satisfied, he tied the strings. “It’s much safer when there’s no wiggle room.”

“Huh.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see your fingers curl around the bench and squeeze.

Pausing he glanced up from where he was knelt down in front of you, tying your skates. “Rambling?” He wasn’t sure why he dropped the full sentence structure.

“No.” You lips wrinkled. “Your explanation is enlightening, I just…” You clinked your one skate against the ground. “…usually tie my own shoes?”

He blinked at you and then down to your other, yet to be tied, skate. Stiffening, the last few minutes flooded back to him. He’d been so caught up in the euphoria of exposition that the skate rental process sort of flew by. After getting a pair, you took to a bench where he continued on in his account and rounded you unconsciously. He then paired his verbal instructions to physical ones without even asking you if that was alright.

His mouth opened and closed.

He brought his gaze up to you and hoped it translated enough regret.

You giggled as you seemingly connected the dots. “You might as well finish the other one?”

Rigid, he began to twist the undone laces through the hooks. “I apologize. I’d say I don’t know what came over me, but…”

“Just another Donatello surprise.” There was a soothing quality to your voice.

He shook his head and similarly tugged on your shoestrings. “For the record, I am confident in your ability to do this yourself.”

“I wasn’t worried. It’s honestly fine.” You shifted your foot slightly to kick up his attention. “You hear that Donnie’s brain?”

He flicked his eyes up for just a moment as he finished tying off a knot. “He hears you loud and clear. It’s the application of said concepts that I can’t attest to.” He stood and slipped his own skates from where they were threaded across his shoulders.

“Sure, sure.” You clinked your feet together, testing their new outfitting. “I’m sure you can guess what my brain is thinking.” He rounded you to take his own seat on the bench and watched you gesture to his skates as he passed.

“I am beginning to think you’re just jealous you do not have a signature color.” Through a single finger he held up his still knotted purple skates.

“I will neither confirm nor deny.” You made a show of rolling your eyes and continued to admire your laces. “I’m surprised you have your own pair. Do you skate often?”

“No. In fact…” Between untying his laces, Donnie sorted through his mental files. “I don’t believe I’ve ever properly skated. Though, there have been a few makeshift "work" sessions however.”

“Some kind of ice mutant?” You wondered.

“Not specifically, no. More like forethought into environmental manipulation.” No longer putting on a show, he made quick work of suiting up.

“So you bought them just for this? I hope that’s not a waste.” You leaned forward at the thought to get a better glimpse at his skates.

“Made.” He corrected, taking to his feet.

“You made them?!” You bent forward until your chest touched your legs to better study the footwear.

“When you compare that to the price of custom skates that accommodate these feet, you’ll find I made the wiser choice.” He took a few steps forward and turned with an outstretched hand.

“I should have thought of that.” You shook your head and rose up to take his offer.

“Not at all. There’s a reason we all prefer to go barefoot.” With a little tug he pulled you to your feet.

You bounced up and down a few times, testing the thin blade you were balanced on. “Barefoot in New York…”

“There are some things better left unsaid.” He pretended to give you the queasy cold shoulder as he headed to the shoe locker. He found that you kept tether to his hand on the way. Pleased that you were behind him, he let the mushy expression as a result run over his features before tucking it away. To access the lockers, contact was lost, but he didn’t let it get to him. He focused as you both headed over to the rink.

The little inlet approached and he took to the side of it. “Ready?”

You brought prepared fists to your chest. “Rockefeller is going down!”

“The titular brothers are long dead, but I am always for dismantling wealth inequality.” He waved you to go first and watched as you carefully set out on the ice.

He hovered behind and you awkwardly waded into the rotation of skaters. Keeping close to the wall, you seemed stable enough so he slid up beside you. You passed him a glance from where you’d been focusing on your feet. “You’re so stiff.”

“Whatever do you mean?” He lifted one of his skates and in a twist of momentum, used it to turn himself around so he was gliding backwards.

“Your body.” You flapped a hand at him and it shifted your balance. You snuck the flub under a more aggressive thrust, which put you a little pace ahead of him. “You’re like a plank of wood!”

“Hm?” He looked down and found his posture impeccable. “It’s easier to balance when your core is tight and the weight is properly distributed.” He used a similar turn to right himself as the first curve approached.

“I have… so many questions…” Your sentence clipped as you focused on maneuvering the semi-circle.

“I have an adequate amount of answers.” He languidly replied, taking the same curve on a single skate.

“This is seriously the first time you’ve skated!?” You squawked as soon as the straight away resumed.

“Your sarcasm is duly noted.” He chuckled. He was quite enjoying the chance to show off. So far, Leo’s ascertain had been completely wrong too, which happened to be wonderful little bonus.

“Oh, of course.” You seemed to throw your hands up, but caught them from going higher than your shoulders. “You probably trained for years standing on the tips of bamboo poles!”

“Stereotypes are unbecoming.” He mused and outpaced you a bit.

“Did you though?” You called out after him, shuffling in an attempt to catch up.

“Not bamboo per say…” He trailed off.

“But definitely the balance training?” You huffed, finally joining his side once again.

“Do you want me to go into detail about our regimes or would you rather pay me the envious compliment that is skating on the tip of your tongue?” He slowed a bit and bent at the knees to redistribute his weight. Once he was cleared, he used the change to bend forward and brought his face close to yours awaiting a response.

A moment of shock passed over your features first and then a tepid glare. He watched as your lips started to part when a young voice screamed out.

“Watch the flow of traffic, love birds! Gross!” A pre-teen rocketed by, purposefully wedging himself in the tiny space between you and the wall. It caused an inevitable drive-by and immediately threw you off balance.

You floundered, your arms darting out wildly. In his bent position, he couldn’t correct you or himself in time. Your skates rapidly clicked against the ice in search of traction before finally sliding out from under you. Hurtling forward, you grasped frantically until your fingers found the first object they could get a hold of: the flaps of his trapper hat. With your full weight a counterbalance at his neck, Donnie’s reflexes kicked in. He dropped down under the load, shifting it to his feet. With them skating on a blade, he then pushed off and against the wall to keep from an outright collapse.

With the crisis averted, he took a moment to breath before surveying the result. He pulled back to find you nestled between his chest and the wall. You seemed alright, though you weren’t quite at the processing stage as he was. He had a hand gripping the partition on either side of you and, as you blinked off the adrenaline, the intimacy of the position seeped into his skin. Through his thick jacket, he couldn’t feel your warmth, but that didn’t keep his body from imagining it could. Regaining your bearings, you looked up at him with owlish surprise.

“Kids, right?” You spoke, your gaze dropping down just as quickly as you’d found his.

“Yeah.” He responded curtly, pivoting around to find the culprit and not in a pathetic attempt to give you some distance from his person. He found the boy already off ice and being scolded by someone. Smugly satisfied, Donnie turned back to find you hunkered into yourself. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah… My hearts just still racing…” You mumbled, your voice muffled against your jacket.

“Let’s take a break then.” He pushed off the wall.

“Wait!”

The smooth ice meant he drifted back incrementally from one of your outstretched hands.

“Yes…?” He was thankful for the cold air on his face as it was a quick tempering solution for his overactive imagination. It almost seemed like you didn’t want him to let go of you. That had to another one of cupid’s tricks.

“W-we haven’t even done a full lap yet!” You were practically buzzing. He watched as you scooted into a turn and pushed off into the flow of skaters.

“You sure you’re alright?” It took him a single stride to catch up.

“Yes! It’s just… scary! It WAS scary, I mean!” You made shorter strides as if you were trying to run away, but it only translated to a treading water motion.

“Gliding is easier and takes less effort.” He offered quietly. Your anxious energy paired with your resistant attitude meant he wasn’t quite sure how to react.

“Would you-!” You started and stopped to give him a passing glance.

He recoiled from the strange look on your face. You then seemingly used that hitch by grabbing the wall and propelling yourself forward in one quick slingshot. He stared after your from as you then took his advice and started making longer strides. Confused and with his own nerves starting to fray, he kept his pace steady. He watched as your gritted form then proceeded to circle the rink, lapping him twice. Each time you passed, he couldn’t quite grab your expression. It took until the third pass for you to finally join his side once again.

The silence between you felt deafening amongst the idle background chatter.

As another lap ticked by, Donnie could only nervously glance at you out of the corner of his eye. Your face was staunchly out of his view. The looming threat of his first make-up failure resonated on the horizon. As far as he could tell it didn’t seem to be a fault of his own at least. It also wasn’t something he’d stand for, however. He closed his eyes for a moment and practiced a re-centering technique. A calm wave swept over him and his leant himself over to his brain’s processor. It quickly conjured up a hundred or so possible actions. Sorting the data into categories of likely and unlikely to help, he paused when Leos’ suggestion came up. He was about to swipe the offending note to "unlikely' when April’s voice reminded him that he was supposed to be putting his trust into them. Frowning, he came back to the rink and stared you down.

“Let’s race.”

For a moment he wasn’t sure you heard him. Then slowly, you turned to look at him. He took note of your otherwise blank expression. “What?”

“A race; we’ll do a lap around the rink and the winner gets full gloating rights; a much needed release if you will.”

You were again slow to process the information, but you shifted to survey a couple who skated by. “What about them?”

“What about them?” Though his heart wasn’t in it, he put on his best smug smile. “One lap won’t harm anyone.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Probably won’t harm anyone. I suppose that will all depend on whether or not you try to take someone else out again.”

Fire immediately lit in your eyes.

A little bit of innocent chiding wasn’t usually his style in this type of scenario, but Donnie had come to find that a little violent outburst could be a great remedy for a brush with mortality.

“Fine.” You ground out. “Starting line is the entrance.”

“Let’s also put hot cocoa on the line. Loser buys.”

“Doubling down before you’ve even won?” You responded coolly.

“You think you have a chance?” Pushing onto one skate, he did a single twirl.

“Keep it up.” Your voice was still smooth, but your shoulders bunched up.

“It’s coming up.” He pointed, steeling himself. He needed to believably throw the race. Mapping out the rink and its attendants into mental blueprints, he located an older man presumably with his grandson and charted their velocity. Then accounting for his own speed, he marked off an intersection point where he could fake getting hung up by the pair. If he estimated your speed accurately, then it would just cause him to lose. It was foolproof. Parting a final glance to you before hitting the starting line. He found your ever neutral expression unnerving somehow. He tried to brush it off as the last few feet quickly disappeared.

You shot off as soon as the inlet was breeched.

For a split second, he stared dumbfounded at your suddenly Olympic form before his mental alarm bells went off. He dropped his center of gravity and took off after you. Your head start and decisive skating meant he struggled to make headway. He’d almost thought you’d been putting on airs the whole time. That was until you suddenly swung wide in order to avoid the earlier logged old man and grandson. Unequipped for the wide arc, your arms flew out and spiraled as you teetered onto one skate in the sharp momentum. He was about to cut across the rink to help, when the half-moon instead carried you through and back into a straight line.

Staring, he’d lost even more distance. He pushed his legs to their limit, but there just wasn’t enough time to make up all the rink he’d lost. Coming around the second curve, Donnie watched as you hopped right out of the rink at the finish line and took a few awkward steps on dry land. Adjusting, you then quickly spun around and pressed yourself up against the wall just before the door to watch his approach. He forgot to keep his speed when he noticed you’d dropped the indifferent veneer. He snapped back to his board-like stance when a bright smug smile burst out between your cheeks. He drew in close to the wall as he rounded the rink towards you.

“What was that?” He remarked with an accusatory finger as he drew in close. He couldn’t waste time being awestruck. Though he’d honestly lost, he still had a role to play. A shred of your usual self returned and he’d assume any character to keep it that way.

“Vengeance!” You shouted and all but threw yourself over the wall to grab his hand.

His head jerked as you caught hold of him and sharply pulled at an angle. The lack of friction underfoot meant he wasvsuddenly hurtling towards the inlet at an uncontrollable speed. With nary a moment to think, his skates hit the metal separation point and all he could do was force his weight up when they inevitably hooked. You released your hold on him and he, on the tips of his skates, made several clumsy jumps before teetering as his momentum finally slowed. He was just about to blow out a relived puff of air when he felt a finger tap to his shell. It had just enough pressure to cause him to collapse over in a heap.

Snapping up and spinning around in an instantaneous recovery, he found you gloating next to him.

“You’re right. I do feel better.”

You were close enough that he could see it in your eyes as well; you were utterly unencumbered. The feeling was infectious and his own features softened before he grasped what was happening. He only realized he’d let one of his enamoured smiles out when surprise began to steep your featurs. He felt his throat constrict as he forced his lips into a tight line. He was sure you caught the fear in his eyes. He waited for disappointment, but instead you took on what he labeled as compassionate smile.

“I believe you owe me a hot cocoa?”

“Yes. I believe I do.” He mentally blessed the reprieve you’d granted him. He was safe, at least for now.

“Were you really going to make me buy cocoa when you’re supposed to be the one making up?” You held out a hand and he took it.

“I was going to throw the race.” You gave a small tug and he stood.

“What?” You recoiled and released his hand. “That’s terrible!”

He dusted himself off. “Your legitimate victory serendipitous then. You inadvertently saved me from myself.”

You continued to drill him about his plan as you went back to grab your shoes. He made sure to praise your dodge maneuver as you put them on. The realization that you’d beaten a ninja at something sunk in as you returned your skates. Your glowing excitement ended up warming him up more than the cocoa.