#was this chapter an omen? a prophecy as to what was to come?

[solitary-star]

A little shitpost for Cryptid Sightings chapter 13 lmao

If only they could communicate why they left. But alas, that probably would have caused much bigger problems

@naffeclipse here ya go <3

[snek-panini]

It's been a month since Binderary ended but I've still got books to share! This is @worse0mens's (hi!) wonderful Good Omens series, The Blossom Realm, which starts with Omens of Another Kind. This is very much a longtime favorite of mine, an AU with a really compelling combo of worldbuilding and characterization. This is a believable grand romance that's also a court drama and a fairy tale, and it's really long (the full series is about 220k words) so it will keep you reading for a long time. This is one of the fics I learned bookbinding for, and it was the first really long fic that I typeset (and redid once I learned more about typesetting). It's been a long road but it was so worth it.

More photos under the cut!

Couple of photos of the spines. The series doesn't divide easily, with one very long work, one medium-length one, and several shorter pieces. The main story is nearly 200k on its own, the longest single volume I've ever made (about 500 pages), and I was worried about it getting too unwieldy, so I put all the other works into their own volume of about 100 pages. They make a disparate set but I love them. The cover is done in skiver green faux leather from Hollander's; I've never worked with this brand before but I loved it, and one sheet was big enough to do both books. The titles are done in cricut brand gold foil htv. There were some issues with that, as I'd bought a multi-pack with a few different colors and only found out after applying the front cover graphics on both books that one, I didn't have enough to do the backs and spines; two, that the gold in that pack is a totally different color than the gold they sell on its own; and three, that no one in my area stocked it anymore and I had to order it from Europe. Here's what the back looks like:

It's the same graphic as the front but without the title in the center, and it's one of the fanciest backs I've ever done and it took forever to weed all those little cutouts. The graphic was free to use on rawpixel. The font I used on the spines and front is a basic Microsoft font called Harrington that worked incredibly well on the cricut, even at small sizes; a lot of basic fonts are too thin, especially fancy ones, so this was a delightful surprise.

Photo of the top, with ribbon bookmark and handmade double core endbands. The endbands didn't come out as well as I'd have liked; they're a little uneven and the color changes aren't that evenly spaced. Double core ones are harder than I expected and I need more practice. The endpapers are chocolate silk moire, and I chose them because there's a very important massive tree in the fic and I thought they looked like wood grain. I did a little experimenting with the shorter volume that's visible around the edges of the endpaper. I wanted gilded edges but the longer book had to be rounded, and I thought I'd try paint instead of foil since I don't know how to foil a curved edge. But I did my experiments on the smaller volume and I couldn't get good coverage, so the edge had to be trimmed off. The watered-down paint had leaked into the edge of the silk moire too far for me to trim, so it's still there. But it's kind of pretty, so I'm going to call it an aesthetic choice.

The title pages are the same, with free graphics from rawpixel. I got lucky and found a similar set of roses that I used for the chapter headers:

These had to be positioned by hand for each chapter so they'd fit around the text properly. It was a pain but they look so pretty. The final photo contains a story spoiler, so proceed with caution if you don't want that:

The scene break image in both volumes is this tiny snake. This was one of the first aesthetic choices I made for the books. A lot of the plot is centered around a prophecy about a monster snake that everyone thinks will destroy the kingdom, and of course in the manner of Good Omens fic it's a wildly inaccurate misinterpretation and not a threat at all. I wanted something like this because the snake is not only non-threatening but it's been here the entire time and there was never any reason to freak out about it. It was surprisingly difficult to find a snake image that was both simple enough to still be clear at this size and also didn't look dangerous or like a cartoon character. I looked at so many snakes before I found this one, it's ridiculous.

And that's it! I hope the author likes it (and remembers me since I asked to do this almost a year ago). There are three more binderary posts forthcoming, though I don't know how long it'll take me to get to them. It was a busy month.

[sunilys2]

"THE PROPHECY" Kim Sunoo [ Chapter 3 ]

Materlist

Pairing: cursed!Sunoo × godness!reader

Synopsis: On a birthbed, a second-born baby of the cis male gender is cursed according to his village's beliefs. A pact is made by his parents in search of prosperity and glory, they believed that the divine goddess would bring to the baby the end of the catastrophes caused by the curse, good omen and carnal luxuries from the reaching of age, condemning his son to a wonderful life until the inevitable destiny, a peaceful end on his deathbed. However, in every agreement there are two sides and some consequences.

Genre: fantasy, strangers to lovers, romance.

Warnings: mention of religion and beliefs, pacts, curses, angst.

Note: grammatical errors, english is not my native language.

As stunned as Sunoo's parents were, they couldn't do anything about it. The boy's coming of age birthday is today, there's no way to change that.

After the appearance of the goddess, they accepted their fate and decided to enjoy the last moments with their beloved son, pretending that nothing had changed in their lives, as if he wouldn't leave soon.

The birthday would be celebrated in the Kim family's humble home, everything was ready and beautiful. The boy was as excited as ever, happy to be able to celebrate another year of life, he helped with the decoration and preparation of the special meal that he would enjoy with his family on this important day.

- looks delicious! - he laughed sweetly, sitting at the table, admiring his small feast.

His parents smiled slightly, his sister was happy, his grandparents too. And especially Sunoo, he was radiant tonight.

- my beloved grandson is becoming a handsome adult. -His grandmother said proudly and the boy laughed.

- everything looks so good, thank you for waiting for me for dinner, I think I was late. - a vibrant and unfamiliar female voice was heard, everyone looked towards her, a pretty girl who was standing in front of the wide-open entrance door.

Everyone was silent, Mrs. Kim remained static, with wide eyes and a cold body, yet the unknown woman sating in an empty chair.

- who are you? - asked Sunoo, he was really curious. Why was this beautiful woman, whom he had never seen before, there to celebrate his birthday?

- my name is ___, it's a pleasure, sweet Sunoo. Congratulations, happy birthday. - you smiled sweetly.

- thank you very much... - his voice came out as a whisper, his cheeks pink like flowers in spring.

Silence takes over again, smiling, you stare at the boy hungrily, without looking away or feeling embarrassed about it. You make him really nervous.

- I thought you would come later...you know, we are celebrating now. - began the mother.

- I decided to join this celebration, after all it is a special date, sweet Sunoo is coming of age. - you decided to look her in the eyes. - I'm not welcome?

- no, it's okay, forgive my wife. - the father interfered.

You stood up, walking slowly around the table, calmly analyzing the expressions of everyone there. You stood behind the boy, smiling at him when he decided to look at you over his shoulder. You touched his silky hair.

- I didn't come to disturb this special moment, I'm also not a monster that will harm Sunoo. - you started.

- I came so that he could get to know me, so that you would know that I am not an evil being, I am not a threat, let that tension go away.

The boy didn't understand, but remained silent as he felt the soft touch of your fingers in his hair.

- look Sunoo, from today onwards you will leave with me, can you understand? I will give you everything you deserve, you will live with me and you will have something completely different from what you have today.

- what do you mean by that...? - he hesitated, a little scared and confused.

- I happen to be in love with you. - you smiled sweetly, when he fell silent, trying to absorb the information. - You were born mine, did you know that? If you don't know, your parents certainly know.

You lowered Sunoo's upper robes, just revealing his shoulder.

- do you know why it has this brand? Because you are sealed with the mark of a covenant. You understand? You were born and soon became my boy, this brand says so.

- how could I be yours...? I am not an object. - he pulled his shirt back, hiding his shoulders, with a nervous look on his face.

- no, it is not an object. You are the sweetest boy I have ever seen in all the millennia I have lived, you are a person, even though you sometimes seem like a treasure... - you calmed him.

- there is a very old prophecy, a pact made by your ancestors, it is something much bigger than you can imagine. Calmly you will be able to understand everything, but peacefully I ask you please, please come with me. Above all, Sunoo family members, let me lead you to happiness. -His eyes shone as you explained yourself.

Everyone was shocked, but they were softened by the brief explanation.

The night seemed to be long, but everything went well.

Right after all this speech, you were able to celebrate the boy's party with his family, you ate and congratulated him.

Her presence there was enough to be strange, but as the minutes passed everything seemed to fall into place. Despite not understanding everything perfectly, Sunoo included you in his celebration as if he already knew you before, he could feel that no matter how strange you were, you were good.

He could tell by looking into your eyes that you were there for something very serious, and also that you wouldn't hurt him.

Sunoo just decided to accept you there, he made you feel that his presence was pleasant and satisfying for him. Something you didn't expect, since you thought it would be completely the opposite.

The celebration was cozy for you, but soon everyone retired and everything was tidy, the end of this day was approaching, after all it was already late at night.

Sunoo's parents hesitated, but they understood that this is what he wanted, he wanted to be able to be alone with you, so they decided to withdraw and let the two of you talk.

- you said you're going to take me away - he starts, looking at you, as you sit in the living room.

- Why would I go with you? And if I went, where would I go? It's suffocating to think that I will have to leave my home.

- I know it seemed scary with the words I used, I apologize. I am a goddess, as I said, and we would go to my divine realm. I need you Sunoo, I've waited so long for this day...

- What do you need me for? I can not understand. - you sigh, blinking your eyes precisely and opening them again.

- to quench my thirst, my desire to have you, to make you mine. I am a hungry and ambitious entity, I recognize. But know that nothing will be bad for you, because I am nothing more than your slave... - you sigh - my love for you only grows, you would be such a good boy for me.

- you want me...? But why? I don't understand!

- I don't understand either, I just feel this way, let me make you my perfect boy, let me fulfill all your desires, you will have everything you want.

- okay, I'm not going to oppose something that's sealed. Just give me time to say goodbye and I'll come with you soon. I really don't like seeing you begging, a goddess shouldn't...

- thank you for accepting - you interrupt him - that makes me very happy. It will be as you wish, you have a working day, now I need to go, good night sweet boy.

You smile sweetly at him, disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving him alone.

[the-meta-tron]

Good Omens Theory: Matchbox Foreshadowing

Did anyone wonder why there was so much emphasis on this matchbox?

We know that it was later connected to Gabriel's disappearance since it's from The Resurrectionist in Edinburgh, and it's where he stored his fly from Beelzebub. The Resurrectionist, of course, was a double entendre to the body snatchers that were an essential part of Victorian medical research as well as Jesus himself. Knowing at the end of the season that Heaven is planning the Second Coming, all the references to the Resurrectionist seemed like some pretty basic foreshadowing. But I think it goes deeper than that.

THE QUOTE

Why is there a quote from the Book of Job on a matchbox from a place named after Jesus? Surely, there would have been other scripture that was more relevant to JC. No, instead we get this from the book of Job.

Job 41:19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out

Upon the first watch, the first thing that immediately sprung to mind when that quote floated on screen was the last time fiery sparks leaped out of someone's mouth in Heaven. Who did that again?

Oh yeah!

Crowley, wearing Aziraphale's face.

I've always wondered exactly what the relevance of this particular quote from the Book of Job meant. After all, references to The Book Of Job were everywhere in season 2. There are some excellent metas out there as to why Job is so important to season 2, but I want to actually analyze what the scripture that's been referenced is describing.

The whole point of the Book of Job is most of it is about God's conversation with Job. Chapter 41 is titled: The Lord's Power Shown in the Leviathan. And I really don't think that is a coincidence.

The Leviathan, as described in Chapter 41 of the Book of Job... is a giant snake that breathes fire. Literally.

Basically, God is talking to Job about all of their creations, and they bring up The Leviathan as one of the most fearsome things they ever created. It's basically God saying to Job: look at my big scary sea snake that breathes fire. Do you think you can fight this big scary sea snake that breathes fire? You can't. He's so powerful. No weapons can harm him. He's stronger than anything. Everyone's terrified of him. But he's not more powerful than ME because I'm God.

So where else does the Leviathan appear in theology?

In the Book of Enoch, The Leviathan is a female giant chaos serpent that lives deep in the ocean, while her mate, Behemoth, is a male giant chaos beast (based off of a hippopotamus or water-ox) who lives in the mythical desert of Duidain, East of Eden.

In the Book of Revelations, The Leviathan is associated with The Devil (a lot of things get associated with the Devil in Christianity. Read my Crowley isn't Lucifer, But... theory for more context). It is also strongly associated with being The Serpent of Eden ("this is the dragon that was cast out of Paradise, that beguiled Eve and is permitted in this world to make sport of us" - Jerome of Stridon), aka our good friend Crowley. In the prophecy of Revelations, the Leviathan, also known as The Seven-Headed Dragon, is kind of important in the final battle between Heaven and Hell.

So, I think Crowley is The Leviathan, and he's going to have a much more important role in the Second Coming than he thinks he does.

The Resurrectionist(s).

I think Season 3 is going to be a biblical zombie apocalypse.

Let me explain.

In the Episode 2 Minisode, we see Aziraphale find out that God is going to let Satan destroy everything Job owns, including his children. Aziraphale thinks killing children is wrong, so he tries to stop Crowley from killing Job's children, only to find out, surprise! Crowley never planned to kill the children and was always scheming behind Hell's back to find a way to protect them. Aziraphle helps Crowley by working together to trick Heaven into thinking Job's old children are dead and they have new ones now, saving the children's lives.

In the Episode 3 Minisode, we see Aziraphale and Crowley get involved with a body snatcher named Elpseth. Aziraphale thinks digging up corpses for money is wrong, so he stops Elpseth from selling the body to a resurrectionist, only to find out, surprise! The medical community actually really needs these human corpses to study anatomy and potentially reduce human suffering. He tries to help Elpseth dig up another body, but Wee Morag gets shot and killed, and Crowley stops Elpseth from killing herself with Laudanum by drinking it instead and makes her agree to live a better life.

In the Episode 4 Minisode, we see Aziraphale and Crowley flirt do a little magic show together so Aziraphale can repay Crowley for saving his books by doing a West End show to cover Crowley's alcohol smuggling debts. Meanwhile, there are literal zombie nazis who have been hired by hell to try to find evidence that the two of them are working together. Aziraphale and Crowley trust each other when their miracles aren't working, and they pull off the magic trick. Backstage, when Furfur rubs the proof in their faces, Aziraphale tricks him by doing sleight-of-hand so Furfur returns to hell without proof.

In the minisodes, we see several consistent themes popping up. We see Aziraphale struggling with morality. We see Aziraphale and Crowley working together to help humanity or each other. We see them saving human lives at great personal risk. We see deception and sleight-of-hand against Heaven, Hell, and Humanity. Lastly and most importantly, we see a lot of death and resurrection. We see the not-death and not-resurrection of Job's children, the deaths of resurrectionists of Victorian Scotland, and the literal death and resurrection of the Nazi Zombies.

Outside of the minisodes, we see Crowley and Aziraphale's combined miracle be worth 25 Lazarii, aka bringing 25 people back from the dead. We see Gabriel, in his purple-eyed prophetic trance, warn of a great storm that will raise the dead. And we see Crowley bring a man who was ripped apart by demons back to life(?).

Not to mention we know Jesus, The Resurrectionist, is going to be around for season 3. And the Second Coming, aka Judgement Day, is going to happen. And the Last Judgement in Abrahamic Theology is the Day of Resurrection; it is "The Resurrection of the Dead, both Just and Unjust" (Acts 24:25); it is Life to the Dead so they may live eternally in the Kingdom to Come. (That's why, in Abrahamic Theology, the Book of Life is so important. You can see my Book of Lies theory for more on that).

The dead are going to rise. It is established that it's possible for the dead to become zombies with the nazi zombie episode. Why devote an entire minisode to the concept of zombies if it isn't important? It's foreshadowed time and time again throughout season 2.

I also anticipate that we're going to see the other themes that were present in the minisodes. I don't think anyone will be surprised if next season Aziraphael will struggle with morality. Aziraphale and Crowley are going to have to learn to communicate properly so they can work together and trust each other again (being able to do miracles of immense power together is a huge Chekov's Gun). We're going to see them do some kind of deception again to trick Heaven and Hell into thinking they're getting their way with the apocalypse when they actually aren't.

In Summary

So, in conclusion, based on that little matchbox and the wider plot of Season 2, we're going to see Crowley be the giant fire-breathing chaos serpent, aka Leviathan (literally or metaphorically), with some kind of essential role at the end of the world. And I think we're going to see a zombie apocalypse or mass resurrection of some sort. I also think we're going to see Aziraphale and Crowley have to learn to trust each other again so they can do A Big Miracle and also trick Heaven and Hell with some really clever deception.

[onebedtorulethemall]

Bad Omens - Chapter 8 is up!

Chapter 8: You're Gonna Suffer, But You're Gonna Be Happy About It

This week: Another unambiguous prophecy enters the mix. More important letters are misdelivered. Everyone suddenly gets very horny. Plus, the author was forced to engage in therapeutic gif-making because someone wouldn't stop terrorizing literally every other character with their nonsense.

Chapter 8 excerpt:

Theo pointed at the fireplace. “Just go. You can come back when you’re ready to admit it.”

“I can’t go home! She’ll be back from work soon, you’ve no idea how hard—”

“I have a perfectly good understanding of how hard things have become because you’ve just told me in entirely too much detail. Might I remind you, it’s your fault you’re finally coming face-to-face with your feelings. You could’ve ignored that letter and let this Imaginary Benjamin fellow have her. At least then you would’ve been able to maintain the delusion that you’re not clearly, desperately, embarrassingly in love with her.”

In the animal kingdom, there’s a phenomenon known as an extinction burst. (You will probably not have heard of it if you went to Hogwarts, the school not offering much in the way of STEM education.) It’s a term used to describe the increase in intensity of a behaviour before that behaviour extinguishes altogether. It’s why, someday soon, Spurgeon will have one massive, volcanic eruption of spit-up and then never do it again.

It also explains what happened next.

With as much dignified outrage as a man who’d just glimpsed the depths of his own idiocy could muster, he spluttered, “I don’t have any feelings for her whatsoever – I hate her!”

And with that unconvincing burst, denial, which was already critically endangered, finally went extinct within Draco’s mind.

“But I’ll lose, Theo,” he said, much more pathetically.

READ MORE

[dandelion-blues]

Bittersweet Blood

About:

What if Sally Jackson was Loki Odinson? See Loki and Percy take the Marvel Universe by storm.

First - Previous - Next Chapter

Chapter 2, Part 1: The Sea Protects

Loki wakes up the next day clinging to Poseidon. He sighs, his bloodshot eyes, dried tear tracks, and dry throat greet him as he is raw from crying and sobbing into his lover's arms for most of the night. Poseidon appears to still be asleep (a rarity for the god to actually sleep), and Loki goes to grab some water, once again frustrated he had to seal his magic, but comforted he changed back to his original form for now, so he is in a physically conforming body for once. Especially since coming to Midgard when he's in a male mindset instead of his default as Sally physically all the time. 

He gulped the glass of water greedily down, the cool water refreshing and very much needed. He stares at the yellow light of the sun making its way through the cabin's windows as rain lightly drips down the window pane. Loki wondered if his late maternal grandfather Freyr was somehow looking at him, his essence now infused with the universe around him, as is the fate of all faded gods. He was, after all, the god of the sun, fertility, peace, and rain, and all those things were currently present. Loki thought it was an omen, a good or bad one Loki wasn’t sure of, though. Maybe his baby would join his grandfather as well. 'No! Stop, thinking about your baby's death, Loki!' 

Ugh, Loki's mood is in the gutter again. Maybe he can grab more sleep before Poseidon wakes up, so he doesn't have to think about anything anymore.

Unfortunately, once Loki got under the covers, careful not to wake Poseidon. All he could think about was his child's doom.

He knew that it wouldn't be easy to have this child, but he didn't think that his unborn child already had a death sentence on them. The child, If going by the prophecy, they will die when they are sixteen! They won't even make it to their first ᛈᚨᛋᛋᚨᚷᛖ ᛟᚠ ᚲᚺᛁᛚᛞᚺᛟᛟᛞ ("Passage of childhood"). 

They won't even make it anywhere close to adulthood, at least by going how Asgardians age (if the child will even age like an Asgardian!). Asgardians reach adulthood on their 500th birthday (or an equivalent of midgardian's 20th), and ugh Loki himself is only 1036! Equivalent to 25 for midgardians! He's too young to be a mother!

Loki won't even age an adult Asgardian year when this child's birth and death is set (which is every 100 years)! Loki can't breathe! It's too soon, he hasn't even had his child yet and he's going to lose them in a blink of an eye!

Loki thought he was done with his crying last night, but here it is again. Luckily, before Loki can get lost in his sorrows, strong arms wrap around him and hold him steady while he cries. Loki smells the soothing ocean, and he is glad his lover is right here with him.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Poseidon asks once Loki shaking and sobbing dies down.

Loki nods into Poseidon's chest and sighs into his embrace, "I just feel so incredibly overwhelmed, Poseidon. I don't know what to do, and I already feel like I'm mourning a child who isn't even born yet."

"Not to mention all the hardships this child will have to go through by being our child. Will they even have support from any gods aside from us? Or will their very existence have to remain a secret? Their powers and magic sealed away, lest other gods try and kill them?!" Loki yells frustrated.

Poseidon breathes deeply, troubled and worried for his child. However, he knows that not all gods will be against this child, perhaps it's time for Loki to meet some of his family.

"My star, I can't speak for all the gods, but I know not all will be against our child. While I do think the child will be safer with less people knowing their full heritage, as word will be less likely to spread, I know my wife Ampritrite and my son Triton are loyal to the sea, to me, and would never harm any of my children and I know they would help if they are informed of this dire situation."

"Your wife?! Wouldn't she be like Hera, and resent you and my child for being born of unfaithfulness."

Poseidon laughs, "My αγάπη (“love”)," he looks fondly into Loki's emerald eyes, so much like the jewel but more - filled with life and magic of the worlds, "We are Greek. We rarely conform to one lover. When Amphitrite agreed to be my queen, she agreed because she and I got to keep our freedom. We both take our own lovers from time to time. Sometimes we even find partners we both favor. However, we still love one another as husband and wife, as she is forever my queen, as I am her king."

Loki huffs but still feels a pang in his heart. He knew their love was temporary, but he still wants Poseidon’s comforting embraces and nicknames and love. However, he hides his pain by rolling his eyes, "You didn't think to tell me this before?"

"Like you didn't tell me that you were a god?" Poseidon shoots back playfully.

"Fair." Loki concedes.

"And you're sure that Amphitrite and Triton won't mind, and even help?" Loki asks worriedly, searching into Poseidon's eyes and finding the greens and blues of the calm ocean waves to be reassuring.

"Absolutely." Poseidon says with absolute certainty.

Notes:

My chapters here on Tumblr are going to be shorter than what will be posted on my Ao3 account for practicality.

I will link the Ao3 fic as well when I post it there.

Also, for how Asgardians age. They age normally until they reach 12, and then their age slows significantly (and will physically and mentally age a year for about every 61 years lived). Then, they reach adulthood at 500 (or 20 for us humans and will physically age a year for every 100 years lived).

First - Previous - Next Chapter

[incendio22]

FOR THE HOPE OF IT ALL

Chapter 17: Midnight

Trigger warning: This chapter contains references to mental illness and suicidal thoughts. Stay safe, friends ♡

——————————————————————

It is almost midnight when Ominis and I return to the castle. In hopes of finding Sebastian we head straight to the Undercroft. As suspected he is sitting on the floor with a book in his lap. I have no idea how he manages to read in the awful light, but he seems to enjoy it. When he hears us he quickly stands up.

''How is she?'' He seems tense, but I cannot blame him. I would be too.

''She's doing alright, despite the circumstances.'' I tell him. ''She got a thestral.''

He lets out a sigh of relief.

''I always told her people consider them a bad omen, but she refused to believe it. She always loved them.'' He tells us. ''Did she ask anything about... Me?''

''A bit, of course.'' Ominis tells him. ''But she hasn't changed her mind, if that's what you're really asking.''

''Understood.'' He says and turns away, walking back towards the corner where he was sitting before. ''And the prophecy?''

''It's worse than we expected.'' I say seriously. ''It will come true, unless we stop it. Someone in Ominis' family will give birth to the darkest wizard yet to exist.''

''So it's all a bit... Problematic.'' Ominis says, it almost sounds as if he's holding a laugh back. ''The ironic part is that I'm not even surprised.''

''I'm sorry.'' Sebastian says seriously. ''Let me know if there's anything I can do.''

''Nothing, for now.'' Ominis walks out of the Undercroft.

''He probably needs some time alone.'' I say. ''This journey was exhausting for him. Especially after finding out about... Everything.''

''I bet.'' Sebastian says.

His mood is clearly off. Likely, mine would be too if he were to visit a sibling who didn't want to see me. He sits back down on the ground, pulling his knees to his face and puts his face in his palms.

''How could I be so dumb?!'' He cries out. ''I should have listened to you all. I went too far.''

His cries are echoing slightly in the room. I have never seen him cry before and it hurts me so much. All I want to do is make him feel better, but I don't know how. I sit down next to him, putting my arms around him in silence. I kiss the back of his head and use my robe to wipe the tears from his face.

''I messed up so bad. How can I ever forgive myself?'' His words are barely understandable now that he's crying even more intensely than before.

''You need to find the will to forgive yourself.'' I whisper into his soft hair. ''You have to accept the damage you did and find some peace with yourself, Sebastian.''

He turns around and hugs me. I hold him while he's crying so hard that he's gasping for air. I tell him to breathe deeply with me. Eventually he calms down and stops crying. His eyes are red and puffy and he looks concerned.

''Do you think she'll ever forgive me?'' He asks quietly. He looks ashamed.

''She wants to.'' I tell him. ''She told me she wants to.''

He looks up at me.

''Really?''

I nod and give him a slight smile. It seems to bring him some comfort, knowing that she at least wants to forgive him. I just hope that it will be enough for him to start his own journey on forgiveness.

''You know, this summer when I was all alone... The feelings were eating me up.'' He says quietly. ''It was so bad. I could barely look at myself in the mirror after what I did. I wanted to end it. All of it.''

His words make my stomach twist into a knot. It hurts to hear the words slip out of his mouth, but it hurts me even more knowing he had to deal with those emotions all by himself.

''Oh, Sebastian... I'm so sorry you had to go through that.'' I whisper. ''You're so brave for telling me. You don't have to go through this alone. You have me.''

He squeezes my hand and I squeeze his hand back. Squeezing and kissing his hand has become my way of telling him that I love him without actually using the words. They feel too big, too scary. So I keep them for myself.

I don't know how many hours we spend in the Undercroft. It could be an hour, it could be all night. But I hold him until we fall asleep on the floor. I want to kiss him until I can't breathe, I want to kiss him everywhere to take his pain away. But I know that tonight he needs me as a friend. Even if he doesn't use the word 'friend' to refer to me any longer, I know that it is in that way he needs me tonight. So I hold him in my arms, stroking his hair until he falls asleep, eventually falling asleep myself.

The next day I wake all tangled up in him. Our legs have intertwined and our fingers are twisted together. Even though it's cold in the Undercroft I'm warm due to his body temperature. I roll around, my back is aching from sleeping on the floor, and lie face to face with him. He's still asleep, slightly snoring. He looks so peaceful when he's sleeping and I wish I could make him have that look all the time. I kiss his nose, then his hand. His eyes open slowly, looking drowsy as he pulls me closer. He gives me a cheeky smile, despite just having woken up.

''So this is where I gotta spend the night for an awakening like this?'' His voice is hoarse from sleeping, causing it to sound deeper than usual.

''I suppose so.'' I say whilst moving even closer to him, allowing me to feel his body close.

''I could do this every day.'' He says as he presses his lips on my temple, causing me to feel a rush of heat running through my entire body.

We lie there even longer, backs hurting from the night on the floor, but not wanting to move away from the position we're in. His index finger is tracing my the lines on face, it's almost as if he's trying to fill in the lines. My upper lip tickles as he's tracing it, causing my face to light up in a smile. I kiss his index finger and he stops moving. Holding his finger completely still. He rolls over onto his back and puts his hands on his face.

''You're actually driving me crazy.'' He then says, almost looking embarrassed.

''Let me.'' I tell him daringly.

''You already have, love.'' That's the first time he ever called me a nickname that isn't 'new girl'. My heart starts fluttering.

Now it's my turn to roll over and cover my face with my hands. I feel my cheeks lighting on fire, most likely turning them into a bright red color. He sits up and looks over at me with a massive grin, then takes my hands into his and removes them from my face. I try to roll away, so he won't see my face but he shakes his head and gets on top of me.

''Oh, you're not going anywhere.'' He says, still grinning. ''Let me see that face of yours.''

For every second that passes, I'm blushing even more. He takes my wrists in to his hands, gently pushing them down on the floor. He's looking at me with fiery eyes, then eventually leans forward and kisses me all over my face except for the lips. Then, he sits back up and looks down on me.

''Oh, did I miss something?'' He asks firmly. I nod. ''You know what to do.''

''Kiss me.'' I beg him and he looks at me, as if he's deciding whether or not he should do it.

He leans back forward and kisses me, cupping my cheek with one hand and his other hand in my hair. I feel as if someone lit fireworks inside of me, hungry for more. When he's done with me, I feel like a blushy mess.

''Well, that's one way to start the day.'' He gets up and grins at me.

He offers me his hand to get up on my feet and we leave the Undercroft. In the crisp daylight I notice that his cheeks are also flushed. I smile for myself, thinking that I'm falling so hard for him.

[bonefall]

Did bramble try apologizing/reconciling with the three for disowning them? I caaant really see him doing so as itd be him admitting he was wrong to do so and I can see him being the type of guy who never admits hes wrong like ever

I don't think he ever did... in-canon, the reconciliation comes from a confrontation towards the end of the arc just before the Great Battle which would absolutely not happen the way it did, in the Bonefall Rewrite.

After spending all of Canon OotS becoming more and more openly hostile to Squirrelflight and Jay/Lion being clearly affected by it, finally he snaps and starts shouting again, only for Squirrelflight to apologize and beg him to not throw his family away.

“Brambleclaw, I’m sorry.” Squirrelflight moved closer to the ThunderClan deputy. Her voice was stronger now, as if she was tired of being punished for something she had believed to be right. “You have to understand that I never intended to hurt you. I loved you, and was proud to raise these kits with you. You were a wonderful father.” “But I wasn’t their father!” Brambleclaw hissed. “Yes, you were!” Squirrelflight thrust her muzzle close to Brambleclaw’s. Her eyes blazed. “Don’t throw away everything just because you are angry with me!”

-Chapter 17, Omen of the Stars: The Last Hope

Following this, Lionblaze is clearly hurt and tells him how he was proud to be his son, and that is the moment that Brambleclaw realizes he's been... you know. Hurting his children with this bullshit.

So after everything, what brings Brambleclaw around is everyone in his life apologizing and kissing up to him after he's been an asshole for 6 books. Yes, he has a right to be angry-- but why does this series make it everyone else's job to soothe him? Including what's supposed to be his children? The adult, next-in-line leader of an entire Clan?

Squirrelflight is responsible for HIS emotions because he was an 'innocent bystander', but he's not responsible for how he's hurt the innocent bystanders in his OWN life. It's a double standard.

(even ignoring how i think TNP proves brambleclaw is not a trustworthy person who should have power)

Bonefall Rewrite: Brambleclaw's Repentance

So in the Bonefall Rewrite, no. Squirrelflight is not even seen as completely wrong by her Clanmates. She has support! She is able to recognize by this point that she doesn't deserve his treatment. She wouldn't apologize or beg him to reconcile-- everything he's done up to this point, his demotion of her as deputy, his mixed leadership...

He's the one who should be apologizing. She's able to realize that.

And Lionblaze was NOT on Brambleclaw's side when the secret came out. He's never stopped seeing Squirrelflight as his mother, she revealed that Brambleclaw wasn't his father by admitting to Ashfur that her biokits with Bramble were miscarried, ergo, they are NOT part of both the Power of Three AND the Fire and Tiger Prophecy.

And she said that to surprise him just enough to anime-kick him into the tree which saved The Three from the fire. The force of a Flying Ashfur is what knocked it over.

So, there's a situation here where The Three are all very hurt by Brambleclaw's abandonment, Squirrelflight does not feel the need to apologize more than she already has, and he is leader while Hell is about to attack.

...so if he does apologize, I think it's through seeing them have a meeting before the battle where they're reconciling, and he's utterly left out. He realizes that it's not his family anymore, and he's...

I want to say "lost control" but, specifically, he's seeing Tawnypelt again, leaping over the thunderpath to join Tigerstar on the other side.

So it's anger, rage, sadness. He did it to himself and I think he knows it, but GOD it's painful. He doesn't want it to be his own fault, but it is. And he can't begin to apologize; because he doesn't know where to begin.

So, his apology is giving Squirrelflight her deputy position back after the battle. Knowing her Clan will need her, she says yes. And that's where it's left... for now.

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Dragon Reborn! Chapter 2: Saidin

I am running out of pictures so rapidly it's alarming. It's as if I've moved beyond the territory of the show and the comic books and so all we've got left is text, which is apparently terrible for engagement. Also terrible for engagement is warning people about spoilers, which is why I won't tell anyone who doesn't already know that this post contains spoilers for the whole of The Wheel of Time series. Come right in and make lots of outraged replies about how I've ruined everything for you instead.

This chapter starts with the dragon's fang symbol, probably because it's literally called "Saidin" and Rand will be fucking things up with it.

All the women who came insisted on speaking to Moiraine immediately, and alone. The news that Moiraine chose to share with the rest of them did not always seem very important, but the women held the intensity of a hunter stalking the last rabbit in the world for his starving family.

It's almost like they're working for an Aes Sedai, and not just any Aes Sedai but one of the few left who tries to live up to the old standard. I'd think that pretty important too unless I was literally dyingn of thirst.

Or ever, he added to himself. Moiraine had kept them there all winter. The Shienarans did not think she gave the orders, not here, but Perrin knew that Aes Sedai somehow always seemed to get their way. Especially Moiraine.

I get that you're stir-crazy bro but do you really WANT to be wandering the wilderness in the middle of winter, fighting battles that you can avoid by staying still? What alternatives do you have other than "Don't do what Moiraine wants because she's Aes Sedai"?

“The Tinker woman is going to die,” she said softly, eyeing the others near the fires. None was close enough to hear.

It's times like this you can remember why Min doesn't particularly want her powers. She's probably seen quite a few people who were going to die soon by this point, just because when you walk by so many people in a city it's bound to happen sooner or later.

“Is that her name? I wish I didn’t know. It always makes it worse, knowing and not being able to. . . . Perrin, I saw her own face floating over her shoulder, covered in blood, eyes staring. It’s never any clearer than that.” She shivered and rubbed her hands together briskly.

I wonder if these omens she sees are realistic enough to be as traumatizing as seeing the actual thing.

He thought of the wolves. No! The scouts would find anyone or anything trying to approach the camp.

Good job helping fulfill Min's prophecy, Perrin. Things might have been different if you'd used your resources to your fullest advantage.

She had told him; she had tried warning people about bad things when, at six or seven, she had first realized not everyone could see what she saw. She would not say more, but he had the impression that her warnings had only made matters worse, when they were believed at all.

Poor Min.

It had made him cautious and careful, and regretful of his anger when he let it show. “I am sorry, Min. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I did not mean to hurt you.” She gave him a surprised look.

Really I think my problem with Perrin is that it's very obvious that he has completely over-corrected for problems in the past to the point where he's now too afraid to do much of anything on his own.

“Strange,” she said softly, “how you seem to care so much about the Tuatha’an. They are utterly peaceful, and I always see violence around—” He turned his head away, and she cut off abruptly.

And again, it's other women tearing Perrin apart with words much more than him hurting them physically or emotionally. Perrin's problem is that at heart he absolutely agrees that violence is damaging even in self-defense but he exists in an Age where that self-defense is very necessary.

She rolled her eyes at Perrin, a wry twist to her mouth. “All I wanted was to live as I pleased, fall in love with a man I chose. . . .” Her cheeks reddened suddenly, and she cleared her throat.

1. Min, almost no one chooses who they fall in love with. 2. You're lucky you're blabbering in front of Perrin and Loial and not anyone with an understanding of love because for all your "don't like to talk about your visions" thing, you sure are signposting it for everyone.

The Ogier looked at them, suddenly shy, his ears twitching. “Promise you will not laugh? I think I might write a book about it. I have been taking notes.”

Really, you could argue that Loial has hardly been swept up into the ta'veren stuff at all yet. If he'd met anyone so interesting as Rand and crew, he might have chosen to go traveling with them anyway. After all, his choosing to leave the groves had nothing to do with them.

Uno, who could hardly say a sentence without a curse, spoke now with the deepest respect. The others echoed him. “Honor to serve.” Masema, who saw ill in everything, and whose eyes now shone with utter devotion; Ragan; all of them, awaiting a command if it were Rand’s pleasure to give one.

While Rand of course dislikes this treatment, I do think that having to deal with this for a few months is the start of his arrogance. You can't be treated like this by every normal person you spend time with without it starting to rub off on you.

And aside from Moiraine and Lan, there were only the three of them—Min, Loial, and him—who did not stare at Rand as if he stood above kings. And of the three only Perrin knew him from before.

It's rather unfortunate that Perrin instinctively understands why Rand needs him here and tosses that aside much later on in the story. All three of the boys seem to backslide a bit as a result of what happens to them.

A man—a thing!—everyone was taught to loathe and fear from childhood. Only . . . it was hard to stop seeing the boy he had grown up with. How do you just stop being somebody’s friend?

Prejudices - even really rational ones like "Don't trust the dudes who can and will melt you in their sleep" - tend to have a hard time sticking around in the face of empathy, which Perrin to his credit does have a lot of. It's why he's a little better at dealing with this stuff than Mat.

He began to laugh mirthlessly, his shoulders shaking. “I have the duty, because there isn’t anybody else, now is there?”

Rand's not going mad from the taint here, but rather from the reality of his position finally setting in. The weight of the world is on his shoulders so it's understandable that he's cracking under the strain. And that more than anything is why Moiraine is right to have him wait - if he did go out onto the Plain in this state he'd probably snap in battle instead of thrive like he has before.

Perrin almost laughed himself, in confusion. “If you agree with her, why in the Light do you argue all the time?” “Because I have to do something. Or I’ll . . . I’ll—burst like a rotted melon!”

Like Perrin, Rand's big problem in this sequence is that he doesn't have any viable alternatives and just whines a lot instead. There's a lot Rand could be doing (more training with Lan, trying to learn politics from Moiraine, studying with Loial, etc.) but instead of dedicating himself to his fate he just laments all the deaths that are happening in his name instead. This is naturally only going to lead to more problems down the line.

Rand shivered; despite the chill, there was sweat on his face. His eyes were still shut tight. “Oh, Light,” he groaned, “it pulls so.”

Nope, this isn't taint madness either (I will be doing my best to demonstrate to you why NONE of his craziness in this book can be chalked up to that specifically). Remember: Rand is a wilder and he's still in that awkward "could easily draw enough power to burn himself out because he doesn't even know the proper exercises for starting out with the power" phase.

Rand stood with his head thrown back, his eyes still shut tight. He did not seem to feel the thrashing of the ground that had him now at one angle, now at another. His balance never shifted, no matter how he was tossed. Perrin could not be certain, being shaken as he was, but he thought Rand wore a sad smile. The trees flailed about, and the leatherleaf suddenly cracked in two, the greater part of its trunk crashing down not three paces from Rand. He noticed it no more than he noticed any of the rest.

The land and Rand are one, so he externalizes his temper tantrum out onto the world to avoid having to acknowledge his actual feelings.

Rand looked around as if seeing things for the first time. The fallen leatherleaf, and the broken branches. There was, Perrin realized, surprisingly little damage. He had expected gaping rents in the earth. The wall of trees looked almost whole.

And of course, Rand hasn't really addressed any of his internal issues so while he's a little disheveled, nothing has actually changed.

“They’re always there, dreams,” Rand said, so softly Perrin barely heard. “Maybe they tell us things. True things.” He fell silent, brooding.

Rand is of course also snapping under the pressure of Ba'alsy's TAR campaign. The lack of good sleep is already catching up to him here and it's not going to be getting better anytime soon.

Ah well. Next time: News!

[shyanshippingsociety]

Shyan Shipping Society Fic Promo - February 2023 to April 2023

last post

hey everyone! a long overdue post, but i’m happy to bring you all the fics written in the shyan shipping society from february to april! there’s a lot, so strap in and get ready to read some incredible fic!

february

Haunting Hometowns by ÉcrivainFantôme | E, 45K, complete

“Just keep reading,” she says. Her face is undecipherable, so he continues. As soon as he reaches his band’s name drop in the article, his eyes shoot back up to hers. There’s a certain sparkle in her eye. “You haven’t gotten to the best part yet.”

“Did he – Did he call me Dave Grohl and then immediately shit on my music? I think I have emotional whiplash from this. I have so many questions.”

***

Ryan is the frontman of the popular band ‘Ryan and the Phantoms’.

'Hunters and Gatherers’ is Shane’s one-man indie band from Illinois.

Their paths cross while out on tour.

The key to your heart by tasty_littl_snack | T, 2K, complete

Shane arrives to the office at his usual time but sees that his seat is already taken.

There’s someone there, who is similar to him, who’s wearing identical clothes as him, and looks up from the screen when Shane enters.

What the hell?

Ryan is the one who comes in right after and looks at both of them.

“No.”

“Yes, Ryan. It seems like I’ve been cloned.” Says the one sitting in his chair, and both Shanes’ look at each other.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation by ÉcrivainFantôme | E, 25K, complete

Fr. Ryan Bergara lives a simple life as leader of his parish, involved in his community as an upstanding member. He's a believer through and through. Shane Madej is a recent transplant to his neighborhood, and despite being a skeptic atheist, they strike up an unlikely friendship.

But -

Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? Proverbs 6:28

Stim Boys Drabble Collection by Gilded_Quill | T, 20K, on-going

A collection of one-shots and drabbles based on a list of Autism-Centric Writing Prompts.

Featuring Stimming, Special Interests, Hyperfixations, Meltdowns, and two boys navigating the highs and lows of neurodiversity. Each chapter will be a stand-alone, and their relationship status won’t be consistent throughout. Nor will the timeline be.

March

All the Stars and Planets Aligned by ÉcrivainFantôme | E, 19K, complete

“Do you trust me?” Ryan asks after a moment. “Yeah,” Shane answers, without hesitation. “I mean, of course I do. I have no survival instincts.”

*

Every now and again, all of the planets and the stars feel like they’ve aligned so that certain things can occur. It can make you feel like you've won the lottery. Especially when you have, in Ryan and Shane's case, literally won the lottery.

Hell and High Water by ouijaboy | T, 9K, on-going

“I’m telling you, there’s something evil downstairs.”

“And I’m telling you that there’s something disgustingly holy upstairs,” Shane retorts, “but what else is new? It’s been years, Ryan. I really do think they’ve forgotten about us.”

When Steven Lim moves his restaurant into a strange industrial block, all manner of prophecies and switcheroos start creeping into the forefront. Luckily, Steven’s managed to team up with an angel and demon duo… And they might even be halfway capable at saving the world. (Hopefully without bickering each other to death.)

A Good Omens AU. In progress.

The Call of the Forest by ÉcrivainFantôme | E, 25K, complete

If you’d have asked Shane five years ago what his five-year plan was, he’d have had a very different answer to the one he's living now. Today, Shane starts his first summer as a fire lookout in California. He's miles and miles away from civilization, and the closest person to his lookout tower is a strange man who keeps asking him questions about Bigfoot.

But, like The Rolling Stones say, "You can't always get what you want", but Shane sure hopes he'll get what he needs.

Third time's the charm by tasty_littl_snack | G, 400, complete

They're at the Winchester again and Shane wonders if it's the last time (but knowing Ryan probably not).

The Young and the Hopeless by mccxxvi | E, 54K, complete

He lifted the towel to wipe his small mirror, when he saw it. There was writing on the mirror, a single word wiped into the condensation, written with a finger, a set of tidy, straight letters.

Alexander.

Ryan almost screamed. The ghost wanted Ryan to find his murderer and bring him to the light. Alexander must have been whoever murdered him. Ryan sighed, resigned to be the detective responsible for it.

“Fine, I’ll find this Alexander you want. But I don’t know what to do afterwards,” he said to his empty room.

A 1960s Professor!Shane/PhDstudent!Ryan gothic novel flavored AU fic, because i know a market gap when i see one.

A mystery by tasty_littl_snack | G, 400, complete

You’re looking at Ryan’s face and you know that you love him. You know that you’re ready to spend many more years next to him in empty houses where nothing happens.

Dance With Me, Dancing King by TallNeckClimber27 | E, 11K, complete

I'm kinda faded but I feel alright Thinking about making my move tonight I can't pretend that you're only my friend When you're holding my body tight - Faded - SoulDecision

The Priest and The Gardener by TallNeckClimber27 | M, 48K, complete

A priest and the church gardener are friends. One is devout and the other hates to enter the church. Nightmares and rough weather bring them even closer, but for the priest there's always that line the Church has drawn and the vows he has taken. How far is he willing to go to be happy?

April

What’s all the buzz? by Luxra | NR, 9K, complete

Fresh out of college, Ryan Bergara finds the prospects of working in an office uninspiring. He sets out to find a place for himself and on his way he meets someone, what does Ryan’s life have in store?

courtship for dummies by icantturnthisthingoff | E, 18K, complete

“I have a question to ask, how well do you know Lord Shane Madej?” Steven asks.

Ryan has a think. “Not very well truthfully, we have only really met in passing. Why do you ask?”

“Because he has announced his intention to court you.” Steven reveals.

an a/b/o nobility au that nobody asked for.

6H0ST Air by ÉcrivainFantôme | E, 79K, complete

The year is 1993 and Ryan Bergara runs a semi-popular underground radio show for "6H0ST Air" under the pseudonym 'The Revenant'. Each week, he regales his listeners with unsolved crime stories and supernatural disturbances, asking them for their own theories and stories that they can post on his forum.

Soon, another poster starts populating his forum - a person by the name of $K3PT1C who enjoys poking holes in everyone's theories.

The show will be forever changed when the two decide to team up to discuss and research, using a more... hands-on approach.

I'm the weird you're the wonderful by tasty_littl_snack | G, 500, complete

This show back then felt like something they can do beyond ghost hunting and telling each other stories. Maybe something stable to do in the future, just him showing Ryan the weird of the world (because Ryan himself embodies the wonderful part).

Lighthouse Dreams by TallNeckClimber27 | E, 9K, complete

Shane wants to be Ryan's daddy.

it's all the brain chemicals (something called love) by Cancer | G, 3K, complete

"The ‘I have been living eating your liver’ also does not sit well with Shane. So, he starts asking questions. “Alright, mister liver eater, what do you want with little old me? How can I help you find your way back home?” The creature slithers through the inside of his body, and it’s one of the strangest sensations Shane’s ever experienced. He realizes later that it’s almost like the alien is laughing. «There is no going back home, Shane. We came to stay. You are my home now.» Shane blushes, sue him, it may be the most romantic thing he’s ever heard, nevermind been told."

the venom au that turned out to be more comfort talking about food than anything else. oops.

dust in the wind by idkspookystuff | E, 3K, complete

Shane’s relentlessly horny, and apparently he’s horny for Ryan.

He wasn’t this horny last night, as far as Ryan knows. In fact, he’s never seen Shane like this. What about being in a creepy, dusty park made Ryan suddenly irresistible?

Dusty? Ryan gasps. “The baby making dust!”

or

on a ghost files shoot, shane and ryan get cursed by sex pollen

if you want to read some more fics, you can always check out our ao3 collection! see you soon! ♡

[fanficapologist]

Omg!! I didn’t expect the update to come this early!! But this is very welcome!!

I wonder what the nightmares could mean, especially the one that showed her silver streak gone. I mean anything is possible but my overthinking mind is also saying it could be an omen of sorts.

And oh, the audience with Aegon. Where to start hahaha. You weren’t lying when you said drama is flowing. When it rains, it pours as they say. And just when Aemond and Maera were on the cusp of reconciliation. I’d like to think Maera hadn’t fully forgiven him yet but reached a truce of sorts. And now Aegon’s meddling is a threat to that shaky truce. I hope this doesn’t mean trouble in paradise for both of them. And I do wonder what will happen if Maera finds out Alys is also pregnant… if we’re basing on Helaena’s prophecy about the dragon seed/egg splitting in two paths/ways.

I also wonder how the conversation will go down between Maera and Aemond. Will he defend Aegon? I mean it must hurt because Aegon implied Aemond wanted to get away from her and even though he didn’t justify his audacity with an answer, his silence also speaks volumes. Will that add a sentence to his proverbial exile/cold shoulder? Hahaha most importantly, will Maera join Aemond to Harrenhal? If so, then how? I can’t imagine meeting with Alys because if I were Maera, I can’t help but compare every part of myself to her even if I know Aemond loves me. But props to Aegon for agreeing to safeguard the children, I just hope Helaena will be fine.

I’ve been feeling sick so this was the perfect pick me up. Thank you!!

Aegon causing shit is a favourite trope of mine and no one can take it away from me 🤣

I’m not spoiling anything because I’m in the flow of things so it wouldn’t shock me if the next chapter is uploaded at the end of this week, so only a few days to wait. Maera has claimed a dragon after all 👀

Hope you start to feel better soon! Lots of self care and relaxation for a speedy recovery 🖤

[sunilys2]

"THE PROPHECY" Kim Sunoo [ Chapter 2 ]

Materlist

Pairing: cursed!Sunoo × godness!reader

Synopsis: On a birthbed, a second-born baby of the cis male gender is cursed according to his village's beliefs. A pact is made by his parents in search of prosperity and glory, they believed that the divine goddess would bring to the baby the end of the catastrophes caused by the curse, good omen and carnal luxuries from the reaching of age, condemning his son to a wonderful life until the inevitable destiny, a peaceful end on his deathbed. However, in every agreement there are two sides and some consequences.

Genre: fantasy, strangers to lovers, romance.

Warnings: mention of religion and beliefs, pacts, curses, angst.

Note: grammatical errors, english is not my native language.

The baby was raised with a lot of love and had a very beautiful personality.

There wasn't anyone who didn't like him, his aura was really good, but no one denied the fact of subconscious knowledge that he was a different boy.

Watching him grow up healthy and normal, it was clear he had made a pact with the goddess. So he was like someone lucky, or very unlucky.

Since it was rare for someone to be born in the same circumstances as him in decades, it was really too much of a coincidence. The new moon was approaching, indicating beginnings and womanhood, the moon of the goddess lover of good men.

And with that, winter was approaching too. The sweet boy was about to complete his majority, exactly on a new moon night, like the day he came into the world. His birthday was next month, he was excited.

With the cold front coming, the winds were sounding colder, the night breeze was refreshing and the sky was a little cloudy, hiding behind the clouds and stars.

The Kim were artisan shoemakers, they were still in the family shop, where the boy also worked. Her parents were organizing the shoe store so they could finally go home. They had to finalize the service at the establishment, already closed. Tired from the hard day's work, finishing the last details to leave.

Sunoo was at home with his older sister, today he didn't help his parents in the shoe shop, and right now he was probably resting, it was late and he had a tiring day at the village high school.

Almost saying goodbye to the night, the clock on the top of the old church marked 23:50. Soon the midnight bell would ring, ending the twenty-four hour cycle of this day, starting a new day.

Counting the money at the counter, Mrs. Kim was surprised by an unexpected customer, who woke up the strident noise of the door bell. She well remembered telling her husband to lock the front door and turn the sign to closed.

ㅡ good evening, we are closed now. - The mrs. Kim smiled slightly.

ㅡ good night. - that voice was capable of giving chills, the appearance of the silhouette of a woman who was hiding under a white and delicate cover scared her, that was not common.

ㅡ any problem? What is happening? - the mr. Kim comes out of the underground warehouse, holding his shabby and aged-looking beret in his hands.

ㅡ I told you to close the front door, we've been closed since 6 pm. This lady has just arrived, but we are already leaving...

ㅡ I closed it, dear. - he was confused at that moment, he was sure he had locked the door, as asked by the woman.

Silence settled when the girl took the white cap off her head, her face was young and pretty, lips shiny, surrounded by an attractive pink tone.

ㅡ Are you a foreigner? Need help?

ㅡ not at all. She smiled, but her voice still had an impact.

ㅡ what can we be of help with? - the mrs. Kim closed the cash register and had her attention on the girl.

ㅡ the big day is coming, lady Kim. We have a deal, and I've decided there's something I really want. - icy hands touched the mrs. hands, causing her to be scared, but not repelled, apparently being frozen with fear by the aura of that mysterious lady.

It spoke like a whisper, raising the hairs present in the dermis, slowly entering the auditory cavity, touching all the internal organs, like a frightening sigh.

ㅡ do I know you? Sorry...I don't understand. What would "the big day" be? What could I offer you?

ㅡ you already offered it to me. I came here just to say that the boy is becoming a man and, I confess my interest and incessant follow-up, he captivates my curiosity. Her smile was almost seductive, the feelings at the sight of her mixed together like a motley bomb.

ㅡ what do you mean? I don't understand you. - interfered the mr.

ㅡ ma'am, I'm talking about your precious son. He's a good boy isn't he? I want him for myself, no, he's always been mine and I'm getting ready to get him. My presence here is nothing more than a reminder to remind you of my prophecy. Be it bad, be it good...or be it a set of qualities.

ㅡ so you are...

ㅡ upon being sealed and having the name offered, there are three destinations to be followed, according to the merit of the man. Your son awakens numbing feelings in me, he is too good. He has a handsome face, interesting personality, sweet scent, extravagant aura, and a smile that could kill someone. ㅡ but you know, ever since he landed to rest in his crib, it's been my boy. It's time to say goodbye to parents, this is my turn to have him, I'll take him on his eighteenth birthday.

A burning slap was transferred to the young woman's face, the weeping eyes of an anguished mother were stared at with emptiness, that slap wasn't even tickling that lady, it didn't shake her in any way, it's as if she didn't feel the pain of the impact.

ㅡ don't say a single word about my son, you don't know what you're saying... he will never be an object of value, he's a normal person and deserves rights like anyone else! What kind of goddess are you? It may have helped our ancestors, but it plagued us and cursed our children! Isn't that right, taking my dear son out of sheer greed and ambition? You are a monstrous entity.

Smile.

ㅡ just as mere mortals depend on divine entities, to be who we are we need humans and their futile needs. If I gave you everything you want, you would be worse people than you already are having so little, you would no longer need to work and earn to have your things and you would live like filthy parasites. Life shouldn't be easy for anyone, what does the one who has everything do? I am a goddess because you make agreements with me, agreements have two sides and consequences, offering me things and receiving things is the meaning of an agreement, and everything happens with your merits. This is divine justice.

Tears streamed down the lady's eyes, losing her mind, but so lost to the point that she didn't know what to say or do.

ㅡ upon reaching the age of majority, accept that your son is the chosen one... - he touched the wrinkled and soft face of the lady, calming her down.

ㅡ ma'am, don't cry. I won't hurt your son, I'll take care of him like a man takes care of a diamond. There is knowledge that this was traced from the birth-bed, a baby sealed with the mark of the goddess, what can you do? You offered me your son, but you can't afford the consequences from the outset clarified, consequences of your knowledge? I want him for myself, a unique boy full of magnitude. A deal will always be a deal. Do not fear his welfare, I am a lover of men, he will live in paradise...

ㅡ paradise...?

ㅡ yes, I will dress him in gold, I will give to him the best. ㅡ she smiled as she spoke. - he's such a good boy, he deserves it don't you think? I will love him piece by piece, I won't let any skin on his body be untouched, I will kiss every part of him tenderly. ㅡ stroked that lady's gray hair in shock.

ㅡ prepare it for me, mrs. Kim? Please. I am happy and looking forward to meeting you in person.

The bell sounded loudly, it was midnight, the young girl disappeared, while that hot tear ran down the face of a repentant mother.

[warriors-official-art]

About

Welcome to Warriors Official Art!

This blog is a collection of official artwork from the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Using the searchbar or archive, you can find covers, illustrations, website icons, graphic novel panels, and chapter headers from all over the world!

How to search

You can search for artwork by:

book title (Ex: Into the Wild)

arc title (Ex: The Prophecies Begin)

type of book, such as Super Edition, Field Guide, Manga or Graphic Novel)

character name (Ex: Firestar)

location or setting (still a work in progress)

artist name (Ex: Wayne McLoughlin)

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There is A LOT of artwork in this blog! Here are some notes and tips on how to filter through it and find what you’re looking for.

Character search

If you’re looking for art of one particular character, simply search them by name. You will find all existing artwork featuring that character. (Example: searching “Graystripe” will give you all artwork from around the world of Graystripe.)

There are currently two “Tigerstar"s in Warriors. Searching for “Tigerstar” will give you both the original Tigerstar, and the current Tigerstar who is the son of Tawnypelt. If you want your results to show only one of these characters, search by their warrior names “Tigerclaw” or “Tigerheart”.

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You can find books by searching for a book title, arc, or type of book. (Example: searching “Omen of the Stars” will show you all artwork from that arc, including book covers and illustrations. Searching “Omen of the Stars covers” will give you only book covers from around the world. If you only want results of one particular book, search by it’s title, for example, “Night Whispers” will give you all existing artwork and covers for Night Whispers.)

You can search for arcs, super editions, illustrations, anything

Contact

This account is solely run by me, Dawnmist. New Warriors books are being released in so many countries as well as North America, it isn’t always easy to stay ontop of everything to add!

Have you come across official artwork not on this blog, or have artwork to share from your country? Feel free to contact me on Twitter @LiaMysticV2 or through @AllWarriorsArt and I can add it here!

[terramythos]

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett Reading Notes

Full Review Here!

-I've never read anything by Terry Pratchett outside Good Omens (ages ago) 

-Discworld has always been on The List so I followed the general "just pick one" recommendation 

-no chapters :0 here's hoping I organize these notes in a coherent way 

-probably just rando page breaks tbh  

-ok putting a characters drunk rambling in the narration is pretty good. Like drunkenness and blurring state of mind etc 

-oh boy. Footnotes 

-"all this was untrue" oh good. *proceeds to describe something more insane* oh GOOD. 

-... oh no, it IS funny. 

-God the back and forth of nonsense pass codes 

-oh my god the punchline being not just that but they're at the WRONG secret society 😭 

-and the switch to just ordinary pleasantries. With the dramatically grim tone otherwise. Help 

- nooooo another person was at the wrong one. Boomerang-ass joke 

-youve done it, you've broken down megalomaniacal villains to their bare essentials! 

-ok it dawned on me their titles are their professions. Lmao. Brother Plasterer literally a Plasterer. 

-thunder rolled... a six 

-the sword being unique because it's not obnoxiously prophetic/magical 

-"it's a terrible thing to be nearly sixteen and the wrong species" brother, ain't that the truth 

-wait. This is the premise of Elf. Hello? 

-damn, dwarves a bunch of nonbinary kings I guess 

-I like that the word "king" is nonliteral, at least in the way we would think it, but by technicality fits the prophecy shit or w/e 

-"You have to know all the laws to be a good officer" ooooog 

-oops! You're a dragon now 

-thieves threatening to strike lmao 

-"do not let me detain you" brooo lmao 

-thieves having state sponsored organized and licensed crime with annual quotas! So like. The actual cops, not The Watch 

-ok I'm not the only one seeing the poop jokes right. "Back to front way of living." "Sergeant Colon." Vimes enters the story basically in the sewer. 

-If The Fantasy Noir Aesthetic Was Not Obvious Enough Here Is A Magic Glowing Sign That Is Flickering Random Letters 

-nicotine elephants graveyard? Where did he come up with this shit lmao 

-there are a lot of boomerang jokes 

-oh boy them giving Carrot a drink. Like hes not a biological dwarf but. Uhhh 

-ok this has a lot of good bits. But one of my faves wasn't actually a joke. "There were some types of sobriety that you just couldn't budge." So true bestie 

-is the Patrician also the Supreme Grand Master? 

-ok probs not based on that line. And wouldn't make sense based on the SGM's motivation 

-sybil ramkin token chick but also. GIRLBOSS 

-i don't often say this but the sex jokes are really good lmao 

-there are so many good lines that I have to hold myself back but. "A group of swamp dragons was a slump, or an embarrassment" 

-"and then they realized." What a transitional statement 

-"it dawned on him that he was very probably a flawed character" like hello? 

-okay, I like the contrast between Vimes' alcoholism and the SGM saying "I can give it up any time I like" about summoning the dragon. 

-though side detail, It's interesting we havent actually seen him control the dragon from his perspective 

-a little funny that the currency is just dollars 

-"the curious incident of the orangutan in the nighttime" we getting Sherlock Holmes references now 

-the implication it isn't a "real dragon" but it's effect seems to be. Is the SGM transforming into one 

-one thing I like but didn't necessarily expect is there's sobering seriousness throughout the story 

-and sometimes the serious bits are told like a joke. You know? 

-all the innuendo with vimes and ramkin is so fucking funny dude 

-vimes sympathizing with the swamp dragons 🥺

-"in another few hours, the sun will rise"-ass line 

-oh the use of typeface 

-fucking MORPHIC RESONANCE, Terry?! 

-oh good to know New Orleans and Rio are Discworld-canon. 

-halfway point of the book and there's a bookend with a rainy night 

-I like that vimes is way smarter than he or the narrative give him credit for cause he's also Just Some Guy 

-oh i like that the summoning goes both ways. Uh oh! 

-ok is this an extended balls joke or am I extremely immature 

-my totally batshit theory: the watch guy who died (Gaskin) is the Supreme Grand Master 

-im so ffxiv brain poisoned but "noble dragons don't have friends. The nearest they can get to the idea is an enemy who is still alive." IF you know you know 

-Lady Ramkin is so fucking cool she just grabbed the horses out of the mist and dragged them back what the fuck 😭

-you know shit about to get real when the Death typeface shows up 

-t-time travel is it? 

-the number of times this printing has typoed Vimes as "Vines" 

-the story has made many comparisons about the dragon's behavior being "practically human", but when we got the dragon's perspective it was more that it had an intelligence that pre-dated anything anthropomorphic so I'm not sure what to think on that 

-the giant fucking dragon hanging from the ceiling like a bat is pretty funny though 

-Oh This Is An Allegory For Capitalism. I See. 

-well this took a turn from light hearted fantasy-flavored ribbing to uh. Kinda horrific! I'm a little impressed tbh 

-oh my god WONSE was the Supreme Grand Master. That just hit. 

-ok well played, he was kind of a prick, and way over qualified for a SECRETARY position 

-and he got that extra characterization for seemingly no reason 

-... AND his flat denial about the dragon being back and his anger at Vimes for it. This makes a lot of sense. 

-I guess you could make the argument "wolf in sheep's clothing" since his surname is literally Lupine 

-The Poop Jokes Are Back, But No One Is Laughing Now 

-okay the previous scene makes it seem like the dragon is coming up with this horrifying arrangement itself. And now we learn it's really Wonse trying to make it "better". 

-but my honest and genuine surprise at the dragon REALIZING this, and its actual HORROR at how horrible people can be by nature. WOOF. 

-so I guess that's the "almost human" connection cause. No it's not. That's just how people read and projected it. 

-"we [dragons] never burned amd tortured and ripped one another apart and called it morality" like hello??? This is so dark all of a sudden 

-I guess the comedic tone elsewhere lets Terry sneak this shit in and make it stick especially hard. 

-^ this is nothing but praise, to be clear. I've read a lot of "silly-humorous but with darker moments" work but this might be the best example I've read so far. 

-did we need a canon explanation/justification of Vimes being an alcoholic? 

-ALTHOUGH. isn't that like. Lack of natural alcohol an actual thing? Am I insane? I swear I've heard of that before. 

-like I'm sure missing natural dopamine production which means I do need to take stimulants to function but I'm not sure if that's comparable 

-not to over analyze this but that sort of implies drinking doesn't even make him drunk unless he has way too much which adds some interesting context to previous bits. 

-in before it was literally just a joke 

-If You Somehow Didn't Figure Out It Was Wonse We Are Spelling It Out Here 

-oh shit he said the line 

-I am just shocked that the one token female character is the designated sacrifice, lol. At least she's a GOOD character 

-I will be a little annoyed if she's just a damsel in distress for vimes, considering she just charged six guards with a broadsword and only lost cause one of them tripped her 

-ok the bit about the Patrician and the rat unlocked a forbidden memory of me reading like one chapter of a YA novel in the Discworld series when I was like. Ten 

-i don't remember what it was called lmao 

-one bit I liked in the arrest scene is it was very trope-referential, like literally naming what a hero is supposed to do in a scene like this. But unlike say 90% of adult animation, it actually like. Made a joke of it. "There IS no fireplace!" 

-like the bar is low but YES! JUST BEING AWARE OF THE TROPE ISNT A JOKE! YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT! THANK YOU! 

-"never build a dungeon you wouldn't be happy to spend the night in yourself" ok Patrician kind of based actually 

-the sudden strange implication (?) that one can see a thousand miles away with how the Discworld is structured? It might have been metaphorical 

-i love the whole bit about million-to-one odds always working (like the cliche), but then the rank rethinking the actual odds as way better, so now they have to do something to make their odds of success worse 

-the fucking bit being they don't make the million to one shot at the dragon but DO make the million to one chance of surviving being hit by its flame. My god. 

-oh my god errol is farting flame to fly??? Like a rocket? INSANE. 

-ok is that one Tumblr comic about the wolf  needing to get lucky only once literally from a line in this book. I guess there might be something they're both referencing that I just don't know 

-oh my god the twist of the dragon being female. I guess I take the comment back about Lady Ramkin being the only one. Lmao. 

-Shrek moment? 

-i like that explaining Errol's weird behavior and how he like. Decides he has to. Court her? I guess? That's pretty funny. 

-ok I basically chalked and dismissed The Patrician as just like, a Lawful Evill Ruler type but he has a fun amount of depth. 

-ok I like the echo of "Guards! Guards!" as the title line summoning the protagonists this time 

-ive resisted saying it but I have to now. Carrot autistic king 

-Vimes telling the Patrician to shut up. Character growth 

-"killed by a... metaphor" ... "looked like the ground to me" RAW ASS LINE 

-ok this was earlier but I forgot to note it. I like that textually we know Vimes doesn't choose swords because he associates them with heroes. And when he decides to go to the palace for Wonse, he asks for Carrot's sword. 

-"is that you, Brother Doorkeeper? METAPHORICALLY, it said." RAW ASS LINE!!!

-ok. The whole monologue about all of humanity being evil like. Man if that isn't how I feel, sometimes. It's a little cathartic to read. Evil not because they say yes, but because they don't say no. Yeah... 

-is this the first time we've heard Vimes' first name? Book almost over? 

-CASABLANCA? Fucking Casablanca? 

-well that was pretty good! I'll need to think and organize my thoughts 

[interact-if]

Day 6 of our Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Featured Author Interviews, continuing with Shan!

Shan, author of Deliverance

You are the Messenger. Your job is to deliver messages. Get in, get out. Simple, really. Now, it’s time to put your life on the line to deliver the most important and dangerous message yet. A bad omen has driven the lands into a frenzy, and the Prophecy foretells that the Chosen One needs to be found and awoken to bring peace back to the lands. Embark on a quest to seek the Chosen One to help restore balance to the world, or witness the world succumb to chaos and catastrophe.

Read more about Deliverance here. Play the Demo Here. Tags: Fantasy.

[INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!]

Q1. Hello! Could you tell us a little bit about to yourself and your project?

Thank you for having me! I’m Shan. Writer, cat lover, and fan of all things black sesame. 

Deliverance is an Asian-inspired fantasy tale of prophecies, adventures, and possible peril. But more importantly, it’s about coming together despite our differences and finding love in all forms in the people around us. It was also created for a game jam last year. I learnt how to code an IF from scratch, came up with the plot, and churned out the prologue in two weeks as my entry.

Q2. What inspired your current project?

One word - everything. I can’t pinpoint one single source of inspiration because it’s just a mix of works - shows, games, my past writings - sparked by my itch to create and find meaning in the things I do. 

I lost the inspiration after Chapter One, actually. Had a writer’s block and everything. I was ready to set this story aside, but then one fine day, my Tumblr suddenly exploded with notifications. People were reading my story. People liked reading my story. 

My love for my IF got rekindled. I wanted to write again. But my head was still a big blank void. My heart was willing, my mind was not. Then D&D all but tumbled onto my figurative lap. It was a treasure trove that I dove headfirst into. Inspiration came flooding back in and I picked up my pen once more. And now I am already working on Chapter Five! Never would have thought, but I'm glad things turned out the way they did.

Q3. Do you pull from your own identity for inspiration? How has that been reflected in your work?

I think so. Having lived in Southeast Asia and East Asia, I draw inspiration from shared values and ideals in Southeast Asian cultures (which may also overlap with those in East Asian cultures). The community and collective spirit in times of calamity, for example. Especially since in my story, the threat of a world-ending apocalypse looms over the

characters from the start. The MC is, well, the Main Character, but I’ve always seen all the companions as the main characters too. Which is why I end up making some of the important in-game choices a collective effort. 

In terms of sexuality, my identity also shapes how I write the relationships with the MC and the companions. I want to give the MC and the readers choices, both romantic and platonic, with neither being more important than the other. It’s a conscious line of thought.

Q4. What are you most excited about your project?

Whatever that is in the works. Whatever that is waiting for me to manifest my thoughts into existence. Usually it is the next chapter, sometimes it’s a particularly good ask. It’s satisfying and wonderful to see my brainstorm scribbles stretch into coherent sentences on the website. That’s the joy of writing - the power of creation, in the palm of my hand. 

Seeing my readers excited also fuels this excitement. That’s the thing about Interactive Fiction. It is not only the fiction that readers interact with, it’s the author too. I’ve not had this experience with my other writing projects. Ultimately, I want to write something I love. But to know that there are people out there who also love something I love? It brings me indescribable joy.

Q5. What has your experience writing an IF and with the IF community been like?

An absolute delight. I would not have been so devoted to writing this IF if it weren’t for a supportive IF community. I think asks are my favourite form of interaction. The fact that they enjoy my story enough to not only take time to share their thoughts, but also come up with questions or little scenarios for the characters is so incredibly lovely. I read their tags too! Some of them are quite funny and I actually do scroll back down to read the memorable ones sometimes. 

I also appreciate feedback on coding oopsies. I jumped into this knowing practically nothing about coding, so I am learning as I go along. All in good fun, of course.

Q6. What changes in the IF community would you like to see?

I’m not very up to date with the IF scene so my two-cents might not be that relevant. So my concerns would probably be more technical? I had a tough time looking for codes that I need sometimes, even with the wiki and forums, especially since I’m not proficient at coding. Maybe a more intuitive and consolidated guide would be helpful?

Q7. What piece of advice would you give to fellow creators?

The most important reader is yourself. Write something you love and enjoy. I repeat it like a mantra whenever I find myself in a slump while writing or reading. The moment I force myself to do something about my IF, I have taken the ‘passion’ out of this passion project. Then it’s just a project. Don’t let anyone take your love for your creation away from you, not even yourself.Of course, it’s good to take in feedback and suggestions from others, but at the end of the day it is your story. A piece of your heart and soul that you have shared to the world. So cherish it like so.

[queenviserra]

Ooh, deep and wild, hungry sea (update)

Chapter 8: The Power of Prophecy (part 2)

Summary: Loves, dragon dreams and prophesies weave a web around Rhaenys.

Previw: The seventh day of the week was the day of the Stranger, Septa Lyra often said to her and Rhaenys always bit her lip not to laugh. In her mind, the omens were meaningless, nothing but their stars.

"I'll never let you out of my sight, my love. The conversation may still be in the middle, but it must be over today, Rhaenys."

"Corlys," Rhaenys breathed, stretching her legs to the saddle stirrups. "I want that, too, but they won't trust us. This is not the right time."

"Unless I speak to him now, the trust will be lost forever. Ι must ask for your hand because he already suspects us. I can't walk away from this. And honestly, the omens are ours."

Lilac eyes, as big as acorns, gazed at his face in disbelief.

"Honestly, I respect what you're saying. I understand that the omens are a big part of your life, but I have no desire to believe in anything but our stars. However, we must be careful now."

"We should go then." The Sea Snake groaned with frustration.

"We've been off the team for quite some time, and the others won't like it. And I don't even want to think about what happens when your uncle comes back."

"Your judgment of Prince Baelon is too harsh. He's not so strict, not exactly. He loves me like his own child, but look on the bright side of things. You have no need to ask his blessing for our wedding."

Her laughter mingled with a loud sound among the trees that were starting at the edge of the clearing where they had stopped, and Rhaenys naturally brought her hand to the bow and quiver she had on her back while Corlys on the spear he was holding.

"Rhaenys!" His voice choked in his throat as the beast appeared beneath the trees in all its splendor.

It was a huge white hart, much bigger than most of the brown stag they had met or hunted up to now.

He is indeed the king of this land. Rhaenys thought, looking at the antlers on top of his head, the eyes of the beast looked at her own eyes. He's got a crown, like my darling girl.

Read more here.