Hey everyone,
I have been going down the rabbit hole of vintage pens and have started to settle on the ones I love. This has left me with extras that I don't use. I'm pricing these to move (although I will negotiate or trade) and I will also be doing a buy one, get one free deal for the pens that don't really hold a value. Just message me what free pen (limit 1) you want with your purchase and I'll add it in.
Pens for Sale:
Parker 45 Lady in Gold Brocade pattern, 14k Medium nib - SOLD $40 - C condition - This pen is actually a favorite of mine but I try my best to pocket carry all of pens as some point so they have to have a clip. The Parker 45 Lady was designed to be carried in a purse or case so there is no clip on it. This pen is really a work of art and needs to be appreciated. As far as performance, everything works perfectly on it. Included is a Lamy converter that works well with this model.
Parker 51 Special Demi in Black, Octanium Medium nib - SOLD $35- C condition - This pen is kind of an oddity. It was purchased on ebay as a Parker 51 Demi but upon arrival, I noticed the nib was not the gold nib I'm used to on Parker 51s. It writes wonderfully smooth so its not an issue. The ink sac is its original and this pen has no leaking what so ever. It was pocket carried for a week, that's how confident I am with it.
Free Pens (with Pen Purchase)
Parker 21 Mk1 - Medium Nib - D Condition - CLAIMED It works just fine and its surprisingly smooth to write with.
Parker 21 Mk2 - Medium Nib - Parts - CLAIMED It writes but the section is very loose and shrunken. Its a great pen to learn how these work.
Cross Century BP pen - B condition - This was found at a thrift store in amazing condition and given to me but its a "lady" model with no clip and the name "Mrs. Shoemaker" engraved on it. The refill is old but writes. IF you are reading this part and want this pen with your purchase, I will let you double up this pen with another free one as a thank you for reading this far!
Pics/Verification Here
If you have any questions or offers, feel free to message me!

Context

This story fits into my world-building as an example of how people of the tribe at Saàkirlaasiik name one another. It illustrates that names are given by men to one another within their trade groups. Women ask their potential husbands to name them at their binding ceremony. This story illustrates both of those things.
The story is about two characters - 'Rows-in-loud-waters' and 'Hatchling'. They are on a battlefield against a tribe that broke apart from them long ago. Things get rough and a naming ceremony happens in the end. This takes place between the border of Saàkirlaasiik and Saàronit. It takes place in the second age after the Great Sundering.

Spoiler TL;DR

Summary: Rows-in-loud-waters is something of a squad leader to Hatchling. The two of them are in the alligator clan and are waiting for the 'Deceived' to come and fight them. When they finally do, the men fight with one of the Deceived for the majority of the story. This leads to some banter back and forth, but in the end, Hatchling dies. Hatchling tells Rows-in-loud-waters what he would have named his would-be wife if she had asked him to wed her. At the final end, Rows-in-loud-waters gives Hatchling a true proper name.

If You Read / Enjoy

Please drop me a comment. Just hearing that someone liked it would be awesome.

What's In A Name

“Stand firm! Men of Nafóótkirriinhaa”, Leans-on-the-spirit, chief of their clan spoke over all present before him. Riding by on a horse, he raised a spear and pranced the line of warriors. “It saddens me that we will shed the blood of our cousins! But they come to steal, pillage, and destroy. Show no mercy, brothers. For, I assure you, the Deceived will not return it.” His dark hair streamed in the air behind him as his steed carried him far down the line of men and out of earshot from him. Men cheered as he galloped by and smacked the flat of their weapons against their chests.
Hide banners whipped as the wind bid them to their will and the trees bent with each gust. Each banner displayed the spirit patron of the clan lined up to do battle. Some tribes gathered hides from the animals that embodied the attributes of their families' skills and nature. Behind him, alligator scales bent against the howling air. They dyed the animal biting its tail with an eye in the middle. A single line split the banner in the middle horizontally, and the eye peered out from the line. It represented the watchful eye of the clan, looking from the lands around Eversun. Sniffing, he smelt the hint of trees mingled mostly with warpaint against his flesh. A drum rang out behind him, then another sounded in the distance echoing it, and further out another did the same. This echoed on for a few more raps. His heart pounded in his chest, but he steeled his face.
The dark brown hair smacked the back of his tanned neck and his dark eyes scanned the woods before him. Across the grassland, they stood like a wall in the distance, dense and ominous. He had fashioned leather armor from the scaled hide of his swamp-dwelling, neighbor beast. He added stone studs to it in places that stuck out. On either side, men stood around him and he glanced out of the corner of his eyes. Younger men stationed themselves on either side of him entirely still and they both wore similar garb.
Each man painted their body with different symbols to display their strength, ferocity, or, in his case, battles fought. He used the black dye they made to draw scales against his skin where it remained exposed to the elements. Each drawn shape represented the number of times that he challenged a Deceived in combat and won. To his right, Paako Saàchalkoorrich Tínafsorlor, whom he lovingly calls Hatchling, dyed his face with ferocious teeth in the hope of scaring his enemies.
Hatchling's eyes widened as a horn sounded in the distance. Lootookcholatnapàrooti placed his hand on the young man's shoulder and smiled. Not showing his teeth, the sparkle in his eyes faded as quickly as it came. Recalling his first battle, the now chief, captained his line then. He hoped he could offer as much hope as the chief did then.
"Hatchling, I understand. This is your first bout with the Deceived. The tales we've weaved of them are terrifying and vicious. I must tell you, those tales are half true, but the half is still terrible" Lootookcholatnapàrooti's eyes trained on the forest head of them across the clearing. Any motion in the trees hid from his view and he sensed it lingered beyond the tree line, in the underbrush.
“Rows-in-loud-waters”, which Lootookcholatnapárooti meant, said Hatchling, “I don’t like the nickname. I am strong and proven in the tests.” Rows-in-loud-waters almost heard the pout on the young warrior's face. Smirking, he gave the young soldier a soft elbow to the ribs. “You’ve fought them enough times. How well do you know their tactics?”
Choosing to ignore the dislike of the nickname and how proven he may or may not be, Rows-in-loud-waters answered, "More than fought them. I engaged the enemy when the sundering happened, those years ago, when the clans had made it across Saàronit and into the valleys of the east. When Kolotatliíchiit revealed himself as the spirit of lies and trickery known to us as Naríhììnanathìnafòò”, chortled Rows-in-loud-waters. His mind rowed back to the day on the ship of his mind through the sea of memories. Every day, the river of life eroded them from his mind and they became less and less tangible.
The young man remained silent but peered from the corner of his sockets with intent. The horn blew again and the wind howled against the dusk sky. Rows-in-loud-waters guarded the lands of the tribe for several years, being an ‘eye in the swamp’. The Deceived envied Eversun and believed it promised to them instead of the men around him now. They fell, though, tainted themselves with the lies of the evil their false god fed them. The land of ever-sun had been promised for believers of the beat-giver, not the nest-stealer.
The horn sounded again, this time a bit closer. Rows-in-loud-waters tensed his hand around the shoulder of the young man again, in an attempt to reassure him. He worried the giant they built in tales to keep children near the settlements, backfired in moments like these. Fear, if unchecked by faith and courage created by faith, ravaged a man and tore through his resolve like the monsters created in stories of the age past and gone. “I have heard the Deceived are industrialized people with forges and explosives.”
"They hold fewer explosives and kilns as they once operated in the realms of Setting-Sun and the Teal Forests. We all practiced forging or so I’m told. The sundering was a quick bout of brother against brother and clan against clan. At the base of the white-ridged mountain, where the Nòònchààrrílììsììnat dwelt, we fought for what seemed like hours. We fought until our muscles ached, until our bones hurt, and until our lungs screamed for relief. In the end, Kolotatliíchiit fell and their usurper king called the retreat", he retold the story, holding on to the ax in his hand, keeping it at the ready in his off-hand. "The spirit of Naríhììnanathìnafòò spread over those who lost their way and inhabited all of them. It spread like sickness and as they fled, it fled with them." He shook his head and removed his hand from the young man's shoulder. "Half the priests left with them, and four of the seven first tribes dictated by Wááchlachtat, the great beat-giver."
Hatchling murmured a short prayer, both, Rows-in-loud-waters thought, in reverence for the name of their god but also the fear his heart currently harbored. "And they come now astride giant wolves, Rows-in-loud-waters and hunt in the dusk to find weaknesses in our resolve and steal into the land of promise. There they hope to kill our king, our clan chiefs, and place themselves at the seat of it all. How many times have they tried?" Fear waivered in the voice of the young man, but he kept his eyes straight ahead. They both did. The last they needed, Rows-in-loud-waters thought, wolf-mounted cavalry running them down while they stared into one another's eyes.
"Since the sundering", Rows-in-loud-waters asked and pondered in silence. The horns dinned again and got a bit closer. "In a host of the size the scouts report? Here I face them a second time, but they have always sent scouts almost yearly and they try skirmishes against us almost every five years. So in the twenty years since the sundering, there have been four skirmishes and two battles. Neither side seemed eager to meet the other in open war." To keep the young man from falling deeper into despair, Rows-in-loud-waters kept to himself the assumed reason. The potential allied dark powers of the Deceived deterred the king and the clan leaders from open war. They feared, maybe rightfully so, that the enemy sought other children of Naríhììnanathìnafòò like the Chììktonààn with their horrid owl-shaped faces and wrinkled talon-like hands.
Though none have seen a Chììknààn in a generation, tales of their malice lingered around the fires of public areas. Elders spun tales of heroes fighting the demi-god-like beings. Their eyes could see a spirit walker, and their strength could wrestle to the ground men twice their size. The claws, razor-sharp on each wrinkled and pimpled hand, extended its arm into the spirit world itself and could yank a spirit walker out from between the realms.
He ventured to guess the enemy refused open war with them because of the fear of the great beat-giver intervening against them, as he had done at the sundering. Spirits of the eagle, the buffalo, and the snake descended from the skies and took shape around them. The eagle came to the aid of the great teacher and fought with him against the enemy. The sight still filled Rows-in-loud-waters with awe and fear. These great spirits with such power existed in their realm - the Wààchlachtatpààtiit. Who knew what else existed beyond the reaches of the seas and northern mountains? The horn blew again, but this time it had not moved. He grabbed the other hatchet on his belt with his right hand.
"They're stalling", Hatchling breathed out, almost in a whisper as if he dared not alert the enemy to his position...
"They are and it is not like them to do so. But remember the spirit of our clan. We watch like the eye in our banner. We wait. We strike. Let the panther clan hunt through the woods and draw them out. We are to wait here." Rows-in-loud-waters convinced himself but pondered what the spirit-walkers of the panther clan waited for, or worse if the Chììktonààn horde lingered within the enemy host and snatched them from between the material and immaterial. "We wait." He echoed again and stood at the ready. The scales on his armor glinted in the setting sun to their left as it sank over the rolling hills at the place where the mountains met the lowlands and fled into the prairies.
A sea of pinks, reds, and oranges washed over the sky to the left of them as they faced north. The sun sat at the bottom of it all, at the horizon in the planes before the Saàronit. He failed to see it but, past the seas of grass - it sank. The sun sought its evening home beyond the lands of teal forests and red cliffs. In the land of gold and beautiful ridged coastlines. It almost yanked him away from the battle before him. It almost drew him away from the moment.
"So they're not as bad as you've told me my whole life?"
"They're bad, but they're human. They bleed and die like you do. The tales your elders have taught you as a child have not been altogether false or altogether true. They *do* practice human sacrifice of those they capture", Rows-in-loud-waters stated. He hid the fact they often sacrificed young children of their clans in the event they captured no one. "But they are not able to speak with wolves or command spiders. These are lies for story-telling effectiveness."
The young man grinned, "Ah then I will bring back my weight in scalps and wolf heads to the feasts of the return party." The young man raised his hatchet in response. "Each being an honor to my family and a possible trophy to convince Fóó Pafààlktiit Tínafsorlor to ask me to give her a name. Been courting her for two years now, and she still hasn't asked me. Perhaps this shows her my ability to provide and protect." Rows-in-loud-waters nodded. Sometimes spoils of war could convince a woman to request a naming. He wondered if women had it better in their tradition of naming. A woman received her name from her husband at the naming ceremony, but a man got his name from his peers. One bad name could stick forever.
His eyes scanned over to Chàànatatnafsorhapààt, named for hiding during a skirmish with the Deceived a handful of years ago. At least his name, he thought, sat in the middle of the road. Not too over the top to be too ridiculous but not to note some character flaw. Once given a name, your name stuck with you for the rest of your life. Shaking his head, he heard screams in the woods before them. "Get ready", he squatted in his ready position. Silence oozed over the field as the sun made a half-eye like of their banner against a pink sky.
"Fóó pafààlktiit tínafsorlor, I will bring you back spoils! I will show you I am a man to father your children", the young man mimicked the position Rows-in-loud-waters took. The two of them stood side by side. "Wááchlachtat, please be with us. Guide our strikes. Smite our foes", the young man glanced up at the sky. Rows-in-loud-waters followed his gaze with his own eyes and witnessed a single eagle flying overhead. “A good omen”, he noted. "He is with us", the young man shouted and pointed up to the sky. "He. Is. With. Us." The fervor spread through the line as men glanced up to spot the eagle before it disappeared.
"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Hatchling. Have faith, but the battle is not yet over. Wááchlachtat is not ours to master. We are his. His will is not ours. He will do as he wishes with this day." Then they came. Oversized wolves burst from the treeline and the men in the front of the formation readied their spears. "When the charge breaks, move with me. Understood, Hatchling", Rows-in-loud-waters asked. The young man nodded a response and the two of them faced their full attention to the front. Drums around them wailed with each passing moment and the panther clan did their duty - pinching the Deceived and drawing them out.
Rows-in-loud-waters smelled them before they got close enough to attack. They reeked of sulfur, oxidized iron, and sweat. Of all the deceits sown by the evil spirit, the greatest blazed fire and iron. Though he lived too few years to have experienced the splendors in the teal forests. The forest they laid bare, the mountains and valleys they flattened to build large metal works. All of this culminated in the great lie the beat-giver gave them conquest as a purpose. Their people knew the truth as inherited from the great beat-giver. Upon creation, he gifted man with more than a heartbeat, but also a goal, a purpose, and a stewardship over the world. The Deceived abandoned it and clad themselves in metal armor atop their steeds.
Charging furred beasts broke against the spears of the stag clan who had adorned their heads with antlers and little white speckled furs along their backs. Wolves howled and snapped their jaws at them as they died against the spears. The drool from their large agape mouths dripped onto the stag clansmen and drenched their armor. The area around Rows-in-loud-waters filled with the reek of wet dogs, which, smelled more pleasant than their riders.
One Deceived soldier, overlapping plated armor, hopped from his beast as it hit the spears, and landed behind the line, rolling as he did so. Tumbling to his feet, he drew two swords made of crude metal and eyed around the Rows-in-loud-waters and Hatchling. He licked his filed-down teeth and stepped forward to the two of them. The smell shifted back to the scent of sulfur and rust. Evil, its stench, hung to the Deceived.
Rows-in-loud-waters turned to face him and tugged Hatchling to do the same. The two of them flicked their hatchets in their hands and semi-circled the Deceived man This outsider appeared like they did: dark tanned skin, darker hair, dark eyes, and markings along his skin denote his tribe. This one hailed from the wolf tribe, which drew its heraldry from the initial Coyote tribe of Kolotatliíchiit. "Traitors", the wolf warrior shouted and raised his sword to charge forward. Rows-in-loud-waters noted the warrior before them bore the scarred claws of the man-butcher on his face. Three scarred lines trailed down his face and missed his eyes by a half-inch.
Other men broke through the formation of spearmen at the front of the line. One by one, more Deceived lingered into the lines of their tribe and the tempest of blades and shields whirled to life. Swords clanked against hatchets, spears against armor, and maces against faces. He heard the crunch of bone under the pressure of horse hooves. The air filled with the smell of metallic liquid, not like rust but a bit more like copper.
Hatchling and Rows-in-loud-waters moved in and, like the jaws of the mighty alligator spirit, pinched the Deceived warrior between themselves. Hatchling threw a slashing move with one of his hatchets, preparing a parry with the other arm. As he did so, Rows-in-loud-waters lunged forward and hacked hard downward to put a severe dent in the helmet of the enemy. The outsider struggled between them. He blocked one blow from Rows-in-loud-waters, then turned around to parry a blow from Hatchling. Sparks flew off the crude metal weapon as their chiseled stone axes hit it. The two of them stepped back from the Deceived outsider before he could counterattack.
Charging in again Hatchling dented his armor, leaving scuffs and scratches, while the enemy pushed Rows-in-loud-waters back away. "Traitors? You fight for the enemy, cousin!" Regardless of how far out the family they believed all clans related through the first men created by the beat-giver. "Turn your heart to Wááchlachtat and see! See the error of your ways and your kindred, they betrayed our ways and clung to Kolotatliíchiit even when revealed himself as the enemy!"
"Kolotatliíchiit was a hero, a paragon of our people! He hunted and slew the Chììktonààn. He mastered the realm given to us and showed us how to bend it to our will", with each phrase the enemy slammed his sword against Hatchling. Raising both his axes to catch the oncoming slash, Hatchling grunted as each hit staggered him backward.
"Perhaps it is not ours to shape?" Hatchling posed the question now and pride welled up in Rows-in-loud-waters’s heart. The young one came to grasp the purpose, the great mission for all of the men on Laaliíoota, one of them anyway. They lived in harmony with nature, not against it, not bending mountains to their will. To protect the young soldier, he jabbed forward with the ax in his main hand and moved back. It acted as a deterrent to pressing the young soldier further.
Around them, the din of battle drowned out the sounds of any other thoughts or fears. The Deceived soldier before them held their full attention. Another enemy sped toward them but caught a spear in the back of the neck. It pierced through him and pinned him to the ground. Gurgling nearby, he struggled and flailed his arms against the ground. A pool of crimson soaked the grass.
"Why", he pushed back Hatchling with his foot. "Would the beat-giver", he slashed and cut a gash in Rows-in-loud-water’s arm. "Give us", he kicked again trying to keep Hatchling back. "a realm to exist in. He wants us to conquer it."
Glancing at the blood running from his arm, Rows-in-loud-waters shook his head. "Then you are lost, cousin. The beat-giver never commanded us to conquer anything. He asked us to live in love with one another, to defend the wilds and beauty he created, and to worship him." Rows-in-loud-waters spun his hatchets around his hands and stepped back. Love of nature, love of others, and love of Wááchlachtat existed as the key commands of their god. The spirits echoed this in their defined sub-goals for each clan.
"Cousin", Rows-in-loud-waters said, "I will ask you once more to lay down your arms and come to try and reform... And we will see to it you are integrated with your people. That you see the truth and the life." In all ways, if possible, he felt required to extend out to the lost and try and pull them back to the way. His eyes met the Deceived man’s eyes and they shared a moment. Contemplation washed over the features of the enemy for but a moment as he narrowed his eyes to Rows-in-loud-waters.
"Never. Your way is a lie. Designed to deceive us." He kicked Hatchling back away again when the gap between them closed, then turned and charged. Rows-in-loud-waters and the enemy met at full force. The two of them traded blows. A slash on the cheek of the Deceived, bleed and he could see the ivory teeth within his joules. He hissed with pain and stepped back again. Droplets of blood oozed from the wound of the enemy’s mouth and down his chin. He reached up and wiped the blood away and licked into the wound with his tongue.
Hatchling charged at him from behind and jumped up into the air to attempt to plunge his axes upon the Deceived's shoulders with two raking blows. Rows-in-loud-waters rose his axes to try and deter the young warrior from his actions against the Deceived. With sudden premonition and supernatural celerity, the Deceived turned around and jammed his sword upwards in a single motion. Hatchling stopped in his tracks, his body caved save for the spasms. The pain must have racked him as he shuddered when the enemy pulled the blade out and fell to the ground.
"No!" Rows-in-loud-waters shouted and charged, but even as he charged forward Hatchling continued to fight. Standing from his prone position, he struck the Deceived in the back of the leg with his hatchet and it bit into him. Crimson liquid sprayed out onto the ground, but he pressed against his abdomen with his left arm. Slashing with the other arm in rapid succession. They wasted too much time, thought Rows-in-loud-waters and he needed to press the combat now. The enemy must fall before Hatchling expired.
Rows-in-loud-waters smacked him with the flat side of his weapon so he turned back around. The blood of his fellow clan mate dripped from the crude metallic blade. The air smelled of rusted metal. Fuming inside, Rows-in-loud-waters swung his weapon again and cleaved through the enemy's collarbone. The Deceived’s neck slacked and the weapon fell to his side. Ringing against his armored thigh, the sword clacked there, tapping as the enemy struggled to hold on.
Heaving for breath, Hatchling continued slashing with his axes and making deep cuts against the enemy until he stopped moving. Blood, a mixture of his own and the Deceived’s covered his face and shoulders. His body rested over the Deceived’s body and he lay there motionless. The battle swirled around them, cousin against cousin. Night fell around them and the three sister moons lit the darkness. The pale, vulnerable light glinted off crude metal and seeped into obsidian weapons.
Rows-in-loud-waters dropped to his knees beside the two bodies as Hatchling gasped for breath. The battle waged on, but numbers weighed on their side. The Deceived brought a thousand men to this battle, where they fielded three times. His ally wrapped both arms around his stomach to try and slow the bleeding.
"Rows-in-loud-waters, tell Fóó Pafààlktiit Tínafsorlor I wish I could have made it back to her. This", he lifted the scalped hair of the enemy soldier on the ground beside him, "is for her." He placed the skin and braided hair into Rows-in-loud-waters’s hand. "Tell her", he coughed, "I would have named her... The most poetic names." The scalp’s blood leaked from the cracks in his hands and down his wrist.
Wrapping his fingers around the other man's hand, Rows-in-loud-waters nodded his head. "What would have named her, Hatchling?" He squeezed as the young man faded a bit more, though he looked far older now than he had ever looked at him before. The mission at the moment remained to keep the young man from dying in fear and panic. Blood gushed from the open wound under his rib cage.
"I would have named her for the way the crickets sing in the summer as the sun sets under the moss-draped trees - Saàriifòònaforchiínaforchiit. I could have named her for the light reflected in her eyes as the fire burns under a full moon and frogs croak out beats for our souls to dance to. I would have named her", he gurgled blood between the words, "queen of my heart - Kiwáátattalkti. Most importantly, Rows-in-loud-waters, I would have named her my wife..."
"I know, friend. I know. I will tell her", blood leaked from the scalp in his hand and down his wrists as he pulled Hatchling's head into his lap. "Rest now, friend." Rows-in-loud-waters leaned in close to his friend and embraced him. He wrapped his arms around the wound with him and tried to provide him warmth as all the blood left his body. The savage blade of the enemy, ripped as it came out. Shuddering, Hatchling closed his eyes, knowing the end came soon.
"Tell her", he whispered again.
"I will", Rows-in-loud-waters responded.
The battle wrestled to an end with the final Deceived being chased away from the battle lines and into the woods where the Panther clan decided to let them go further by themselves. Rows-in-loud-waters watched from his place on the ground and hand on the side of Hatchling's cheek. A set of footsteps jingled through the battlefield behind him, but he kept his face downcast. A clattering of bones against quartz rung with each step. Blotting out the light from the moon, a shadow towered over him.
"Rows-in-loud-waters, losing a soldier in your line is unforgettable and crushing of the spirit, but he is not gone forever. You will see him again when we return to the beat-giver and live with him in the land of peace. Do distress yourself." The chief of the alligator clan knelt and placed a hand on Rows-in-loud-waters’s shoulder. He remained silent for some time, and Rows-in-loud-waters continued to look at the young man who served beside him.
"He fought valiantly, but even in the halls of the beat-giver he will be unnamed."
"Because he has not earned a name? Do you believe he has not earned a name, Rows-in-loud-waters? I hardly think that is fair." The chief shook his head and clicked his tongue against his teeth disapprovingly. Rows-in-loud-waters placed both hands of his friend on his chest and then placed his arms at his sides to shake out the anxiety and pent-up energy there.
"But, Leans-on-the-spirit, no one named him in life. He would not know it when we meet him in the halls of the beat-givers home. How would he answer". At this question, the chief sat and nestled into the ground near Rows-in-loud-waters. Squeezing his shoulder with his hand, and looked into the warrior's eyes.
Removing his hand from the shoulder of Rows-in-loud-waters he lifted the hand of Hatchling to his lap and took in a deep breath. "Do you imagine the names we give one another are for them to know who they are? Do you think our understanding of self is so small we have to have our brothers explain our behavior to ourselves?"
"So the names we give one another are for those around us."
"They're not for the beat-giver to know us", the chief chortled in response. "He already knows who we are before any name is given." The chief looked into Rows-in-loud-waters’s eyes and Rows-in-loud-waters sensed a tenderness and joy in the life of the man which grew in him like a ripened fruit. Here, the fruit offered out to him in guidance and words. “He knew us before the foundation of Laaliíoota and before the breath of the first man”
“Then I have a name for him.”
The chief motioned his hand. “Go on, Rows-in-loud-waters. He fought his trial against the Decieved. He may not have survived, but as far as I am concerned. He passed the test.”
Rows-in-loud-waters pondered for a moment and then closed the eyes of Hatchling on his lap. The wreckage of the battle around them reeked of shit and blood. "Goodbye, Nilchiiltatnawànàt." He inhaled and let out a long sigh. It ripped through him. He sobbed and tears dropped. "Goodbye..." The name echoed in his mind, and the meaning of the syllables slammed together. *Goodbye*, he thought, *Goodbye Died-in-honors-of-all.*
The chief bent over him, wrapping his arms around him and holding his shoulders. "We will see him again. I promise." Standing, he turned his back to Rows-in-loud-waters and looked over the battlefield. "Many of the men who died here will be seen again. Some will be seen in the final moments of the Last End. When we line up before the beat-giver he unfurls the hide of our hearts and examines the colors we dyed there. Should he find there are more colors of lust, hatred, envy, or pride than of love for one another and Him... We will have to answer for that."
Rows-in-loud-waters rose behind him and looked over the battlefield, he knew even the Deceived, flawed, and wrong, stood before the judgment of the beat-giver, regardless of their beliefs. Mangled men lay with broken arms and legs twisted in unnatural directions. The great wolves splayed out with matted fur and broken jaws. He scanned the carnage and another tear came along the curve of his cheek. "Will they attack again?" The sound of men directing clean-up echoed throughout the mass grave before him.
"The enemy will continue to push, ever-escalating the power at his disposal until he is finally defeated in the final moment of the Last End." The chief of the alligator clan offered his words and it warmed Rows-in-loud-waters' heart.
"I don't understand why we must wait for the living spirit of the forest to take on human flesh to defeat Naríhììnanathìnafòò'', a hint of anger rose in Rows-in-loud-waters’s voice as he placed his hatchets back against the belt that held his pants in place. "Why can we not hunt the enemy." He kicked the head of one of the enemy soldiers near him, forgetting his place and not respecting the dead that now belonged to the spirits.
"Even if you hunted every vessel of evil. Even if you slaughtered all the clans of Chììktonààn. You would remain with yourself and the evil in your blood and heart." The chief’s mouth twitched a bit, as he knelt and placed the enemy’s head back where it lay before the kick.
Rows-in-loud-waters took a step back, staggered by the thought he harbored some part of Naríhììnanathìnafòò in himself. "What do you mean? I have never accepted the tenets of evil. I do not forsake my vow to stewardship. I do not forsake my family. I do not forsake my god." He listed out the beliefs every man of the tribe agreed in their ideology. But the chief shook his head in response.
"You are thinking too largely, my friend." The chief pointed softly to the muscles over the heart of Rows-in-loud-waters and pointed out to the battlefield for them both to see. "It is not these large acts, though terrible, that will weigh our hearts with the ink of debt. It is the small ones. Like putting your wants above your wife's needs. Or talking back to your parents. The taint of Naríhììnanathìnafòò is in all of us from the earliest days of his coming to us. Big and small all these evils stain our hearts the same. The smaller ones are easier to commit."
"I... I don't know what to say", Rows-in-loud-waters stammered and stared down at his own feet.
The chief shrugged his shoulders. "Seldom does anyone. It is hard to imagine the taint or the extent of contamination that exists in the world. What we can do is attempt to bring our cousins back into the fold, so to speak, and lead them to a life of stewardship over the realm Wááchlachtat has given to us." The chief’s eyes closed and he mumbled under his breath. Turning again, he left the battlefield and the warrior behind him.
The banners flapped against the wind as they packed up. Men from each clan gathered the dead they had and placed them either over the backs of horses or over their shoulders. The three sisters, moons each larger than the last, trailed across the sky in various phases. Rows-in-loud-waters chose to carry Nilchiiltatnawànàat instead of casting him to the side on the back of a horse. The man's limp arm fell down Rows-in-loud-waters’s back and blood dripped. It trickled the sections of bare skin on Rows-in-loud-waters’s back.
They marched on into the night, headed back south toward their families in Eversun and the drums played a slow, solemn tone with each step they made through the woods. His eyes scanned from person to person. All their eyes cast down to the ground as if looking to make sure they would not trip and fall, but he knew they felt the pain of losing a young one or an unnamed one, or even a brother or a friend.
As they marched, the air started to smell more like home and less like sulfur and metal. The hint of pines, the stench of swamplands, and the sound of water lapping against the sides of shallow ponds in the soft wind. An inhale drug air into his lungs and past his nose where he sniffed the familiar smell of rotted leaves. As they left, he heard a voice from his left. When he turned to face and looked at the voice, no one stood in the darkness of the trees. A voice in his ear, or his heart, told him all calmed for now.

POTENTIAL
everything has energy.
energy belongs to everything.
energy never disappears.
you know this.
celestial currency for prayer.
never money and, still, worth more
than anything, each and always,
every time. the tender you use to
organize your capacities.
the pouring source from which
you conjure a recipe for life.
all are due this right to alchemy.
and here i am. a demiDemon
wizard deity with a growth-mindset.
heavy with core meaning.
leaking selfhood like seeds
jumping from the palm of
a righteous gardener.
we all play gawd when we’re born.
you felt this.
it was the first thing you ever knew,
and as such : we all are potently divine.
the way the cosmos holds you
up with both hands and kisses
your forehead. the stars have
something to say : they were the
first to decide. predestination is too
formal : freewill is too exhausting.
sometimes my ancestors still need
rest and, still, i’m blessed. chaos is
not so daunting when you’re meant
to wander and stumble.
i crash into greatness.
i reluctantly abort possibilities.
i use my fingers as fists to assault
gorgeous jabs at the sky.
IG : queerchaosbear
LinkTr.ee/ZBell
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Was thinking of how Capella could harm Emilia’s camp but one thing she could do as her opening move is turn Subaru’s age to like 80 years old
In terms of what we’ve seen so far it kind of makes sense for the next progression from shotabaru is oldbaru
I also think Capella will toy with another member of Emilia’s camp most likely Rem not sure why but just a hunch.
Considering Capella would be facing against all of Subarus allies this is a pretty good way to cause chaos without causing to much of it. A diversion that can also mess with Subarus connection to Satella.
Next move is prison break. This will also be where I think Felt will be pressured into announcing herself being the princess. Felt will refuse and I’m going to guess this will happen due to Russell fellow realizing everything has gone to hell ever since the royal selection began.
(Which most likely will be caused by a massive information Capella leak given to both Lugunica and Vollachia)
Capella’s main targets are probably:
1.) Subaru (I think she knows about rbd from Roy) 2.) Louanna Astrea 3.) Prison break
Turning Subaru into an old man and maybe effecting a few others would cause the opposite of shotabaru leaving Subaru kind of useless until it’s resolved.
Capella will restore Louanna back to normal only she’ll have a broken gate or some form of damage that will cause Reinhard to be preoccupied and Heinkel to lose it.
Lastly is her main goal that being the prison break.
I don’t even think she’ll be directly in any fights given her past of probably causing the Demi-human war I doubt she’ll have an issue causing this conflict. So it’ll mainly be internal fighting
Resolution? There won’t be since it’s she’s trying to make everyone doubt Subaru. He’ll be an old man unable to do much of anything. Pushing the pressure on Emilia to lead
As for who will return Subaru back to normal I have a strong feeling Pandora will help Subaru in some way.
But yeah that’s my theory fairly confident on him being turned old since we got shotabaru now we get oldbaru

In the first chapter, it’s made clear that it was a unanimous vote for annihilation, but, as a lot of people have pointed out, that doesn’t make sense anymore. So here’s my attempt at rationalizing this in light of the recent leaks about Susanoo.
1) Demi-gods aren’t allowed a vote. I think this is pretty clear looking at the Valkyries. The gods were pissed that Brunhilde even dared to speak at the council. The general reaction was “what the fuck is a Valkyrie doing here?” even before she called them pussies. This would explain both Hercules and Buddha’s inability to stop Ragnarok: they weren’t allowed a vote.
2) Odin pulled strings behind the scenes to keep certain gods from attending the council. This one isn’t as supported by the manga, but I think it makes a lot of sense. Susanoo (and likely many of his pantheon/friends/whoever appears in this chapter) seems to deeply admire humanity, it doesn’t make sense for him to vote for their extinction. And before you say he simply wanted to fight someone, literally nobody even remembered Ragnarok existed until Brunhilde mentioned it. Considering how bad Odin seems to want Ragnarok (or at least humanity’s extinction, it’s a bit unclear which), I don’t think it would be surprising if he pulled some strings to keep Susanoo and others out of the council. Hell, considering Ragnarok is Nordic, he may have been the one who initially suggested it, relying on Brunhilde’s love for humanity to grasp at anything that could save them.
3) Some gods don’t bother to attend the council. Apollo didn’t seem particularly fond of humanity, but he saw beauty in them and clearly didn’t hold them in animosity like those at the council did. But he also didn’t even bother to watch the other fights, I doubt he’d bother attending some boring old council. Hades also didn’t seem to particularly hate humanity before Poseidon’s death, he probably didn’t leave Helheim. Beelzebub doesn’t give two shits about humans, he was probably too busy crying to himself to attend.
What do y’all think? Could this explain the unanimous extinction vote, or am I just trying to hard to cover up a minor plot hole?

I know it wasn't my imagination. Of course, I knew some of it wasn't and couldn't be logically (using the logic of this reality) real. I gave them this cool new term "demi-existent," not real or imaginary. Maybe it was all real in other planes of existence that were leaking into my consciousness. I know it wasn't hallucinations because I didn't see or hear anything, it's more like feelings. As in I felt people's presences even though I didn't see anything there. I personally relate more to magical thinking than psychosis but those things were way more than magical thinking and are now officially deemed not-psychosis, so.
Anyway, there were two people there who assessed me. I talked about:

• Reality being fluid and shifting every 5 seconds
• An invisible audience watching me
• Guy in the window
• (Other stuff I don't remember or isn't that relevant like messy thoughts.)

Maybe I got a little off-topic at times, like talking about their pen, but I think I gave enough info. I did not mention everything, like God speaking to me and giving me a mission once, because I only got a little obsessed with Christianity for two days before I moved on (that happened September of 2023.)
They concluded I did not have psychosis but my psychologist had to be on the lookout or something. 👍 Perhaps it's because I'm way too self-aware for it to be psychosis. I know what I'm talking about is weird, I question my thoughts all the time, and I logically base the answer on whether it's true or false on evidence and vivid personal experiences. And it can't be psychosis because some of the stuff I felt was way too stereotypical and it was a lot of things at once. (This is what I personally think, I do not know the reasons the people who did the assessment had.)
It's gone months since the assessment. I don't generally experience this stuff as much anymore even though I still question sometimes if things are real. Now I'm questioning if I should look at the notes I wrote in the last half of 2023 to see if they were important all along. Like, I can't just ignore that literal God spoke to me, what the hell?
Edit: I said I felt more feelings but also aura/vibes and mild telepathy. The sounds I heard weren't really sounds, but a feeling that there was meant to be sounds and I could tell what those sounds were, so when the invisible audience talked too much it made my head hurt. Aight this is hard to explain.

Hey Reddit fam,
Let's talk liposuction! While it's often kept hush-hush in Hollywood, some celebs have been refreshingly open about their experiences under the knife. Here's a peek into the lives of 10 stars who've bravely shared their liposuction stories:

1. Chrissy Teigen: This model and cookbook author got real about tackling post-baby armpit fat.
2. Kylie Jenner: Reality TV queen Kylie wasn't shy about her thigh and stomach liposuction post-Stormi.
3. Demi Lovato: Singer Demi opened up about using liposuction to tackle her body image struggles.
4. Khloe Kardashian: Khloe's been honest about her weight loss journey, including her choice to undergo liposuction.
5. Sharon Osbourne: TV personality Sharon complemented her gastric bypass surgery with liposuction.
6. NeNe Leakes: Reality star NeNe gives props to liposuction for keeping her figure in check.
7. Linda Evangelista: Supermodel Linda went all out, opting for liposuction on her stomach, thighs, and knees.
8. Tara Reid: Actress Tara had some bumps in the road with her liposuction, dealing with uneven contours and corrective surgeries.
9. Kourtney Kardashian: The eldest Kardashian sister chose liposuction post-baby to shed those extra pounds.
10. Jane Fonda: Iconic actress Jane openly discussed her cosmetic journey, including liposuction in her 50s.

Let's give it up for these celebs for being real and sparking important conversations about body acceptance. Remember, confidence comes in all shapes and sizes, and every journey is worth celebrating. (Article Source: https://www.memorialplasticsurgery.com/10-celebrities-who-had-liposuction/)

"No Bad Side" by Connor Price; "Poison Pop" by Qbomb; "Unstoppable" by Sia; "Applause" by Lady Gaga; "Respect" by P!nk; "Confident" by Demi Lavato; maybe "Tik Tok" by Kesha?
Trying to build a playlist to get my mood up and body moving when mornings drag, but I don't want to listen to the same 10 songs all the time- I need more please!

Posting on behalf of Team FreeNickJonas
We found this rumor on another sub. We don’t know if it’s true, but a few recent events got us concerned.
Apparently Priyanka wants Nick to take some jobs in Bollywood. (is this realistic, what could he do?)
But the interesting part is that she wants him to work without his brothers. There’s nothing wrong if Nick wants to focus on his solo career.
But we already had the impression Priyanka wanted to separate Nick from the people that love him.

• Priyanka meddled excessively in Joe and Sophie’s divorce (in the comments you can find the part of our article about this). There’s many blind items and rumors that allege this. Recently, she posted a picture of joe and Sophie’s daughter “on accident”. Both parents don’t want their daughters online and never post pictures with them. It looked like Priyanka’s behaviors caused a lot of tension between Nick and Joe, last year. But she still acts the same.
• Until 2018, Nick used to be best friends with Demi Lovato, it seems like their friendship already had issues, before Priyanka and Nick started “dating“, but Demi felt very betrayed by it. Here’s the link to an unreleased song by Demi about this. Demi talks about the fact that she always though her and nick were gonna get married, but he got “married” to Priyanka instead, their engagement got “leaked” a couple of days after her overdose. many people analyzed the song and it’s pretty obvious its about Nick.

THE POINT IS PRIYANKA IS TRYING TO SEPARATE NICK FROM ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT LOVE HIM, FIRST DEMI, NOW JOE. WE CAN’T LET THIS HAPPEN. IF NICK LOSES JOE TOO, THEN HE’S TRULY ALONE.
​
​

We found this rumor on another sub. We don’t know if it’s true, but a few recent events got us concerned.
Apparently Priyanka wants Nick to take some jobs in Bollywood. (is this realistic, what could he do?)
But the interesting part is that she wants him to work without his brothers. There’s nothing wrong if Nick wants to focus on his solo career.
But we already had the impression Priyanka wanted to separate Nick from the people that love him.

• Priyanka meddled excessively in Joe and Sophie’s divorce (in the comments you can find the part of our article about this). There’s many blind items and rumors that allege this. Recently, she posted a picture of joe and Sophie’s daughter “on accident”. Both parents don’t want their daughters online and never post pictures with them. It looked like Priyanka’s behaviors caused a lot of tension between Nick and Joe, last year. But she still acts the same.
• Until 2018, Nick used to be best friends with Demi Lovato, it seems like their friendship already had issues, before Priyanka and Nick started “dating“, but Demi felt very betrayed by it. Here’s the link to an unreleased song by Demi about this. Demi talks about the fact that she always though her and nick were gonna get married, but he got “married” to Priyanka instead, their engagement got “leaked” a couple of days after her overdose. many people analyzed the song and it’s pretty obvious its about Nick.

THE POINT IS PRIYANKA IS TRYING TO SEPARATE NICK FROM ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT LOVE HIM, FIRST DEMI, NOW JOE. WE CAN’T LET THIS HAPPEN. IF NICK LOSES JOE TOO, THEN HE’S TRULY ALONE.
​
​

Apparently Priyanka wants Nick to take some jobs in Bollywood. (is this realistic, what could he do?)
But the interesting part is that she wants him to work without his brothers. There’s nothing wrong if Nick wants to focus on his solo career.
But we already had the impression Priyanka wanted to separate Nick from the people that love him.

• Priyanka meddled excessively in Joe and Sophie’s divorce (in the comments you can find the part of our article about this). There’s many blind items and rumors that allege this. Recently, she posted a picture of joe and Sophie’s daughter “on accident”. Both parents don’t want their daughters online and never post pictures with them. It looked like Priyanka’s behaviors caused a lot of tension between Nick and Joe, last year. But she still acts the same.
• Until 2018, Nick used to be best friends with Demi Lovato, it seems like their friendship already had issues, before Priyanka and Nick started “dating“, but Demi felt very betrayed by it. Here’s the link to an unreleased song by Demi about this. Demi talks about the fact that she always though her and nick were gonna get married, but he got “married” to Priyanka instead, their engagement got “leaked” a couple of days after her overdose. many people analyzed the song and it’s pretty obvious its about Nick.

THE POINT IS PRIYANKA IS TRYING TO SEPARATE NICK FROM ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT LOVE HIM, FIRST DEMI, NOW JOE. WE CAN’T LET THIS HAPPEN. IF NICK LOSES JOE TOO, THEN HE’S TRULY ALONE.
​
​

hey everyone, would like help tryna find out what synth BVSTLLO and Vanic used when remixing 29 by demi lavato.
Heres the link if you wanted to have a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU7cWFme5Vo - timestamp from 0:54 is the sound im tryna get.
Im relatively new to making stuff on fl studio, so try dumb it down for me if ya could.
Cheers,

I feel like very rarely are “villain edit” people actually horrible people, but Luke P is truly something else. Even before the sex stuff he was SO violent and aggressive with kneeing Luke S’s head after knocking him down in “self defense” in the rugby match (how is kneeing on someone when they’re already down self-defense?) and just screaming in Garrett’s face (Garrett was definitely an instigator but the yelling was too much for me — guys on Bach always fight but this was a different level). The way he spoke about his concerns with the naked bungee jumping as being worried about Hannah “sleeping around” really rubbed me the wrong way. Jesus fucking Christ, how did she just accept these red flags for so long when he made her want to rip her hair out? Judging by her current fiance it’s clear she likes alpha male types.. but did she not think Luke’s violent aggressive behavior would leak into a marriage? I feel for Hannah but gah I hate violent men
Edit: I have never once seen a season where the “villain” doesn’t have any friends in the house (except for the ones where people were later exposed for 4TWR offenses like that weird dude on Michelle’s and then they get dropped) —this season Sydney had plenty, Kat had friends, all the various people who had issues on Katie and PP’s seasons, Demi, Corinne, the list goes on. Luke had ZERO. It takes a lot for someone as easygoing as PP to trash you. Side note I would do anything for Connor S that’s a dream man right there