I really enjoy talking with tumblr users so I thought I'd try posting more prompts to get some conversations started.
I was in a nostalgic mood this week and was trying to remember how I first came to tumblr. It got me thinking that it would be cool to learn other's origin stories. I'll go first.
Even though I'm a big nerd who loves Star Trek (DS9 4 life) and Anime (Fairy Tail forever) it was WordPress that brought me to tumblr. Back in 2010 while in college I worked part time for a WordPress theme shop called Obox Themes.
They were looking for new markets and decided that tumblr themes would be a good area to get into. I fell in love with how easy it was to modify my digital home and how there was a whole community of people hacking and releasing themes. Creating a WordPress theme from scratch would have been impossible with my skillset then but with tumblr I could do anything with my handy CSS guide and a few energy drinks.
Over the years what kept bringing me back was the themes. They were funky, weird and sometimes a little broken but who cares. It seemed like the entire web was trying to be grown up but tumblr was Toys R Us, they said it’s ok to be a kid. I loved that. Whenever I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere else I’d come back to tumblr and make a new theme (https://www.tumblr.com/themes/by/nick). I use to love clicking on the installs and seeing what kind of fun folks were using my stuff. What kind of people liked the weird stuff I did.
It's your turn. What brought you to tumblr?
summary: envy and grief and dementors, oh my! summer has led to you and enzo growing closer; mattheo has mixed feelings
word count: ~4.2k
warnings: angst, fluff
Dumbledore’s speech was a little more dreary than previous years. Not that his facial expressions displayed any worry while discussing soul sucking floating grim reapers as extra outdoor decor.
Apparently they were looking for some guy who escaped the wizards prison.
Sirius Black was someone every student seemed to know but you couldn’t find it in your thoughts to care. In reality you probably should’ve listened more closely, but your focus was across the great hall.
To say the train ride to school this year was awkward would be an understatement.
Enzo left your house the morning after the letter came. With Theo’s mom’s death happening so close to the start of school, Mr. Nott had made the decision to hold the funeral the day before the train was to depart London.
Being muggle born meant you were not allowed to be present or send anything to the household day of; anything from you being considered dirty, unclean.
Mattheo sent apologies via owl on Theo’s behalf. On the train Theo still looked like he was at a funeral, dressed in a clean black suit and dress shirt; his hair gelled and styled neatly.
You couldn’t blame him. From what you knew Theo’s mom was his favorite person and his father was his least. Now his father was all he had left.
Gone was the usual joking and palling around in the train car from previous years. No, this year was silence, mostly.
Mattheo asked how your summer went, it didn’t feel right to talk about all the fun you and Enzo had while he and Theo were dealing with what they were dealing with.
“It was…good,” you had responded.
When asked, Enzo responded similarly. “Yeah..was, erm, fine. H-how was yours?” Enzo’s voice went up an octave slightly at the end, peering over at Theo whose head was still hung, eyes at his feet.
Mattheo nodded, “Yeah we, erm, swam in the ocean and went to the market. Was a decent time, right Teddy?”
He nudged his friend slightly with his elbow, encouraging smile on his features.
Theo’s gaze didn’t move, nodding while still looking at the ground, “Yeah..decent.”
The four of you had barely registered the train stopping too early, or the frost that appeared on the windows.
The only attention grabber was the brief blackout throughout the train car.
No one even seemed to care when Draco barged in to say that he heard Potter had fainted. Mattheo simply told him to sod off and leave the rest of you alone.
Theo looked about the same now, sitting at the Slytherin table.
Enzo and Mattheo sat on either side of him, almost like blinders for the outside world. You could see Enzo trying to talk some; likely trying to break the tension with a joke or two. He was good at that, making someone feel at ease.
As soon as houses were dismissed you were on your feet, pushing through the mob of students to get to the other side of the hall before your boys could leave.
Merlin, it felt like they all grew several inches over the summer, you barely catching the back of Enzo’s robes as they neared the exit.
Enzo’s head turned briefly, eyes catching sight of you and grabbing hold of your wrist to pull you with them.
He gave Mattheo a nod, silently telling him and Theo to go ahead of him while he fell back in step with you.
“How is he?” You watched the other two slowly disappear in the crowd.
Enzo shrugged, “As you’d expect. Still not talking much but Matty said just to give him time.”
The two of you had reached the point of the corridor where you had to part ways.
“Meet for breakfast tomorrow?” You tried to mask any worry in your voice.
Enzo gave you a big smile, though you could tell it didn’t quite reach his eyes, “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
You arrived at your first lesson earlier than everyone else.
You had barely seen your three best friends between the welcome feast and today. Breakfast this morning was nothing short of awkward.
When you arrived at the great hall, the only one of your group at the table was Theo. The two of you had barely spoken since arrival at school.
Granted, Theo hadn’t spoken much to anyone. You had attempted to greet him. He gazed up from his toast briefly in acknowledgement.
Mattheo said to give him time, so you didn’t push. Instead you just basked in the silence.
You wondered where Enzo and Mattheo were; anything to break the uncomfortable quiet looking like a cloud above the two of you.
“They’re still sleeping,” Theo interrupted your thoughts. He must have noticed you looking towards the doors more than once.
“I’m sorry I’ve been such terrible company,” Theo mumbled before biting into his toast.
Your eyes grew wide and worried, “Wha-No, Theo you’re not. You have a very valid excuse, I mean…i-if my mom died I don’t know, erm, what I mean to say is..”
A hint of a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth before it disappeared completely, “Thank you.”
He then dismissed himself, leaving you to finish the rest of your food alone before heading to your classroom.
You had anticipated seeing Theo in the room when you arrived. That was the one thing you managed to do briefly when you were together on the train was compare schedules.
All of you started with Transfiguration today. There were a few courses you had with just one or two of them, and a few without.
Originally that had seemed like a bummer, but with how things have been going you just weren’t sure anymore.
You chose a table at the back of the classroom, figuring that’s where the other’s would want to sit. You assumed that even though you had barely spoken, your friends would still choose to be with you in class.
Taking out your textbook you flipped to the first chapter, reading over what McGonagall would likely review.
The scraping of a chair being pulled out caught your attention, you smiled when you saw it was Enzo. Theo and Mattheo sat at the table next to yours.
“Morning, Badger,” Mattheo yawned through a smile as he greeted you.
You couldn’t help the grin that spread over your features, “Morning, Matty.”
“Sorry we missed breakfast,” Enzo leaned his forehead against your shoulder briefly to grab your attention, “Theo didn’t wake us and we…kind of slept through it.”
You turned to face him, leaning an elbow on the table in front of you, head on your fist, “S’okay. I ate with Teddy and then came to class early to go over the potential lesson.”
Enzo snorted, “You’re a nerd.”
You shoved him, giggling quietly. Mattheo watched the interaction with furrowed brows, something akin to anger bubbling in his chest.
“Since when did they get so close,” He mumbled mostly to himself.
Theo smirked, finding humor in the situation, “Maybe since they spent the last of holiday together.”
Mattheo’s frown deepened, “What are you talking about?”
He watched Enzo pull a face, you cracked up before mimicking him.
“What are you meaning what I say? Enzo was sleeping with them when you sent the owl that night,” Theo was very nonchalant in his explanation.
Mattheo’s heart felt like it was about to burst, “I’m sorry he what?!”
He turned to look at the two of you, still smiling and laughing before turning back to a confused Theo.
“Do you never use your ears on your head? He was sleeping over with them for mostly two weeks,” Theo pulled out his textbook along with his ink and quill.
Mattheo had to loosen his tie as he caught his breath, “Theodore..are you trying to say that Enzo stayed at Badger’s house for two weeks at the end of holiday?”
Theo rolled his eyes, “Porca miseria, that’s what I said, no?”
Before he could think too deeply about Enzo getting alone time with you, the classroom door flung open, McGonagall already giving out instructions before it even closed behind her.
By the third week of classes things seemed to get back to semi-normal.
Theo was still very quiet, quieter than he usually was at least. Matty was starting to joke more, still keeping an eye on Theo throughout the day. Enzo, of course, never really changed.
Something that was a little bit different than years past was the amount of time you all were spending in your common room.
There was no denying the vast differences from the Slytherin common room to the Hufflepuff one.
Whereas the dungeon gathering place was kept more dark and slightly chilly, matching most of the brooding students that called the house home; the Hufflepuff space held inviting warmth.
“Ugh, it always feels so cozy in here,” Enzo wrapped his arms around himself and squeezed his arms as he plopped onto the sofa across from you.
You rolled your eyes, “That’s probably because you want it to feel cozy. Helga held high importance for a comfortable environment.”
“I think it always smells very nice in here,” Theo mumbled.
The others all nodded in agreement, a small quarrel brewing between them about what the good smell actually was.
In reality, it was just more of Helga's magic.
Some say that she enchanted the room so that no matter where you’re from, the common room smells slightly like the kitchen of your childhood home.
You wondered if Theo was smelling his mothers cooking.
The argument has apparently yearned for your insight as Mattheo was nudging your side to get your attention.
“What do you think it smells like, hmm? Enzo is saying he smells bread and honey but I swear it’s more like pasties,” Matty gave you that toothy grin of his that you’d missed all summer.
You couldn’t help but mirror him, a wide grin spreading across your lips, “I always thought it smelled a little like cinnamon buns.”
Enzo let out a low groan, grabbing his stomach with a smile, “Merlin, like the ones your mum makes? Cause those are bloody heavenly, let me tell you.”
Mattheo stiffens beside you as your own cheeks pinken. Enzo is oblivious to the small bout of awkwardness, while Theo allows himself a smirk of a grin.
“How do you know what their mum's baking tastes like, Lorenzo?” Mattheo was trying, and failing, to keep his tone clear of jealousy.
Enzo scoffed, “Badger’s mum made them both Saturdays I was there.”
“Nice to get an invitation,” Mattheo grumbled next to you, crossing his arms over his chest as he sank into the back of the sofa.
Frustration simmered in your chest, “I didn’t invite Enzo over. He just…showed up!”
Enzo nodded proudly, “Took muggle transport and everything!”
This bit of information seemed to peak Theo’s interest, him turning towards Enzo to ask for further details.
Matty utilized this opportunity to talk to you semi-privately, turning his body to fully face you.
“So,” he looked down at his fidgeting fingers before meeting your eyes, “get close with Enzo this summer, huh?”
Your heart began to race, wondering if he somehow knew about the kiss you shared with your friend, “Wha-erm..it was nice to have someone like me at home for a bit.”
Mattheo tilted his head slightly; you clarified, “No one else in my family is a wizard or a witch. It was nice to have Enzo there to talk about stuff with..face to face.”
He hummed in slight understanding, nodding his head. Yellow hyacinths started to bloom in the potted plant behind Matty’s head.
It was another quirk of the Hufflepuff common room. Plants representative of one’s mood were known to display themselves if you were near a pot.
Some say this was Helga’s way of making sure no one’s feelings were unknown; a silent way for her to let your housemates know when you needed them.
Most Hufflepuff’s were very adept with plant knowledge, you being no exception. What you didn’t click was Enzo’s look on the sofa across from you, brows furrowed in curiosity at the halo of petals behind Matty’s curls.
Silent curses filled your brain as you tried to make your way through the thick of students to get to your friends at the Slytherin table for breakfast that morning.
“Badge! Over here!” Enzo’s lengthy limb flailed in the air to help guide you slightly further along.
You smushed yourself between a random second year and Mattheo who seemed to already have a plate ready with your favorites.
A shy smile formed on your lips, “Thanks, Matty.” He gave a nod in acknowledgement before turning back to his conversation with Enzo.
Things had started to simmer down some between the two.
For a while there had appeared to be some sort of tension, you and Theo often exchanging awkward glances and shoulder shrugs when Matty would bite Enzo’s head off.
But they were joking more often in the recent weeks, their current conversation seemingly back to their old scheming ways.
“I’m telling you, Matty, there’s something weird about Professor Lupin,” Enzo was pointing his fork skewed sausage at Mattheo before biting a piece off the end.
You sat up a little straighter, thankful for conversation that wasn’t about the upcoming quidditch match between Gryffindor and your own house.
“I think so, too, Enz! Ever noticed how he’s always sick around a full moon?” you chewed on your next bite of food while raising your brows with a curious flair.
Enzo nodded, “Exactly! Wait..what does that have to do with anything?”
You groaned at his aloofness.
Mattheo shook his head briefly, eyes closed as he touched his temple, “Love, please tell me you’re not trying to suggest what I think you’re suggesting right now.”
Theo wore a devilish grin. Enzo still appeared clueless.
“What? What are they implying?!” Enzo hated being out of the loop, despite it happening so very frequently.
“Lupo mannaro,” Theo’s tone was slightly ominous.
Enzo did his best to translate inside his head, his tongue clearly rolling against his cheek as he thought before confusingly spouting out, “Lupin’s a..moon man?”
You hid your giggle behind your hand before Mattheo gave him the correct translation.
“Badger, here, thinks he’s a werewolf you numbskull.”
Enzo’s face scrunched, “Wrong.”
You couldn’t stop the offended scoff that left your throat, “Wrong?! You guys are fucking blind. He’s absent right before a full moon. Gone for several days after. Obviously needing to recover. He’s got scars all over. Wrong, you guys are bloody wrong.”
“Babes, he’s a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Of course he’s got scars. I heard he fought in the first war against Riddle's dad,” Enzo said it so matter of fact, ignoring the way Mattheo glared at him briefly.
You reached for Matty’s hand under the table, giving it a comforting squeeze. He laced his fingers with yours and squeezed back.
Theo and Enzo cheered their goblets of pumpkin juice before racing to finish them off.
Theo slammed his against the table first, standing up and pumping his arms in the air, “Vittoria!”
Normally Enzo would argue, but it had been a while since you all had seen Theo appear so much like his old self that he let him gloat.
“Alright, alright. You guys ready to go watch Hufflepuff destroy the golden goose?” Enzo dabbed his face with his napkin before setting it on his plate.
He pretended not to see your and Mattheo’s hands separate as you stood.
“Merlin, yes. I’m always ready to see Potter go down, even if it’s not by us,” Mattheo flashed a charming grin.
You shook your head, “I am only going because you lot are making me. And because you all are going to look quite lovely in black and yellow.”
You held up the three rain cloaks, all stripped in your house colors. A crest with a badger adorned the left chest. The three let out low groans before each grabbing a cloak.
“You know Badge,” Enzo threw the cloak on, adjusting his hair accordingly under the hood, “you’re lucky I love you or this wouldn’t be happening. Gold is kind of a ghastly color on me.”
A series of playful insults and teases were thrown Enzo’s way the rest of the walk to the pitch.
Another plus of your friends donning your house colors was that they would all also be sitting in your sections. This spared you from any side comments or insults of sitting with them in their section like usual.
Also like usual, you found the game to be generally boring. It would’ve been immensely worse had you not been cuddled into Enzo’s side, his arm wrapped securely around your shoulders.
Matty had also cast a warning charm around you, which was a blessing. The combination of the two seemed to make the rain a bit more bearable.
A regular quidditch match on a good day was something that was hard for you to follow. Everyone zipped around so quickly, the snitch was basically invisible.
If it weren't for Mattheo’s curls or memorizing the boys' numbers on their clothes you wouldn’t even know who was who flying around.
Now your boys were sitting in the stands with you and it was raining exponentially; you could barely see anything let alone who was flying around.
The biggest distraction of the game were the hoard of dementors flying above.
The rain clouds already cast a dark essence across the stadium. Flying black cloaks of death made it positively spooky.
“Hey Riddle! Why don’t you tell the ominous swarm where your father’s henchman is so everyone can go back to enjoying the school year!”
A random Huffplepuff a few rows up shouted down at Mattheo.
In the last few weeks a rumor had quickly spread that the Azkaban escapee, Sirius Black, had been working for Mattheo’s father when he killed Potter’s parents.
Theo was quicker than any of you to spit back, “Chiudi quella fottuta bocca prima che te la sigilli definitivamente!” (Shut your fucking mouth before I seal it permanently)
You only knew a few of the words Theo used, but the venom with which he spoke silenced the heckling student.
Mattheo pulled the hood of his cloak further on his head to hide his face. You hooked your elbow in his with hopes of giving slight comfort; if anything just letting him know you were there for him.
The small intimate moment was interrupted by another rogue student shouting for everyone to look at the sky.
The four of you shot your gaze upward, not understanding at first what was happening.
Slowly, a small dot of a figure started to grow more visible. A player, Gryffindor, plummeting toward the grass on the pitch.
“Oh fucking hell..” Enzo muttered under his breath.
The boom of the headmasters voice echoed across the stadium, a slowing spell to ease the fall of the player and allowing them to land peacefully on the grass.
You squinted, trying harder to observe the name on the back of the jersey before an unsettling feeling began to brew in your stomach. More for Mattheo than anything.
As the student whom Dumbledore halted from a crushing injury was none other than Harry Potter.
Students were ushered quickly out of the stands and ordered to head back to their houses.
This was no quick feat on a normal afternoon, let alone after a packed match.
You stayed sandwiched between Enzo and Mattheo as you made your ways down the steep steps and through the grass back to the castle. Their height above you proved helpful in providing heat and rain deflection.
As most things with this lot, however, your walk was anything but uneventful.
“Trying to finish what your father started, Riddle?” Cedric Diggory sniggered as his friends cackled like a pack of hyenas.
“Will you get another fancy scar since you failed your task?” A boy from Cedric’s group taunted him further.
Your arm went out instinctively across Mattheo’s middle, fully anticipating him to react with the violence you were also seething with inside.
To everyone’s surprise, Enzo took full advantage of his growth spurt.
The usually proper boy took only three large steps before launching his full weight into a punch that cracked the sixth year's nose.
Mattheo and Theo quickly shook off their shock before grabbing Enzo under the arms and dragging him off. The four of you ran the rest of the way to the castle in hopes to avoid any consequences.
The event was still part of some students' conversations three weeks later between bursts of what everyone was doing over holiday.
Enzo would pretend to ignore it, but he was slightly rubbish at hiding a proud grin.
“What’re you doing for holiday, Matty?” you inquired in hopes to get him to stop staring blankly into his tea.
His head rose slowly, making blank eye contact with you, “Pretty sure I have to go back home. Haven’t heard otherwise.”
“We’ll all see each other at Malfoy’s gala though!” Enzo tried to sound upbeat, if only for the prospect of seeing his mates for a night.
“Not all of us,” Matty pointed his teaspoon in your direction.
Enzo gave a deflated smile, “Sorry, love.”
You shrugged, “S’okay. I’m usually pretty busy during holiday anyway. I’ll probably write you all a letter or two and just send it to Enzo’s? Think you can get them to the others?”
Enzo gave an obedient nod, bowing next to you on the bench, “I am but your humble squire.”
You pushed his shoulder away from you, giggles erupting. The both of you missing the way Theo gave Mattheo’s shoulder a comforting squeeze.
In just a week's time the four of you had a much different train ride back to Platform 9 & 3/4.
There was a bit more laughter; even Mattheo joining in with some toothy grins you’d been missing this year.
Goodbyes were a bit harder. The two weeks Enzo had spent at your home was the best break you’d had, you weren’t sure you’d survive limited contact.
Like he could sense your apprehension, Enzo gave you a hard squeeze, his lips briefly kissing the top of your head, “Tell your mum hi for me.”
You agreed that you would before turning to Theo. They had all grown over summer, but it seemed like he continued even in the few months of first term.
He wrapped his arms around your shoulders and pulled you in close, “I’ll miss you, tasso.”
“Miss you more, Teddy,” you hummed against his chest.
“Be easy on Matty, he worked really hard on it, yeah?” Theo left you with a confusing sentiment before nodding behind you.
You faced Mattheo with a slight tilt in your head, “What’s he on about?”
Mattheo dug in his pocket, pulling out a small velvet bag and handing it to you. You pulled the string and reached inside, mouth falling agape at what you discovered.
It was nothing fancy or expensive that one might assume Mattheo would gift. Instead, in your palm lay a very hard loved and worked on flat crocheted cat with two little green beads for eyes.
It was beginner work for sure, but you loved it more than any piece you’d ever made on your own.
“Matty did you..did you make this?” your voice filled with wonder, eyes unable to meet his with fear the would tear up.
Mattheo shrugged, “I know it's not that good. Theo helped me with the eyes actually..you just..you make me lots of things so I, erm, I wanted to try and make you something.”
Mattheo stumbled back slightly as you threw your arms around his neck, “It’s wonderful, Matty. I love it.”
He wrapped his arms around your waist, burying his face in the crook of your neck, “Happy early Christmas.”
When you finally released him, Matty held on for a moment longer, “It’s not your only gift but I just..wanted to give it to you before break. I’m sorry I’ve been kind of…” he let go of you to scratch the back of his neck, “well Theo says I’ve been moody.”
You couldn’t help but smile, “It’s okay, Matty. This term was just..different. Hopefully break is good for all of us.”
Mattheo nodded, opening his mouth to respond when a very old house elf grabbed his trunk, “Oh, Hi Feindre. This is my friend.”
Where Feindre’s eyebrows would be rose a significant night at the word. Nonetheless he turned to face you and bowed, “Pleasure.”
You mimicked his actions, not exactly sure what to do in response. Mattheo couldn’t help the small giggle that bubbled in his throat.
You ignored his response entirely, instead hugging the velvet pouch with your new gift to your chest, “I’ll miss you, Matty.”
And for the first time in months, you caught a glint of your Matty in his eyes, “I’ll miss you, too.”
special thanks to my beta reader/editor/hubby for lyfe @musingsofahufflepuff <33333
Hiiii! I already knew who Harry was by name, and my friend even told me to listen to Sign of the Times when it came out. I listened to it on Spotify and liked it, but I didn't really get interested. Back then, I was a huge Shawn Mendes fan, so I wasn't interested in being a fan of anyone else. In fact, I remember that when I was 14, I got upset because some guy named Harry Styles beat Shawn Mendes for most handsome in an Instagram poll. I laugh when I think about it now because I love Harry, though I never commented anything, it was just an internal annoyance.
A long time later, I stumbled upon a comment saying that Harry Styles had been rude by mispronouncing Shawn's name, making it seem like he had minimized him. I was a teenager and very protective of him, so I wanted to see what had happened, and I could only laugh when I watched the Sara Lee video. It wasn't offensive like they made it out to be, but Harry was really funny. I ended up watching his other SNL videos and realized he was very charismatic. After that, I don't know what happened, but my first concert ever was Harry, and nowadays I'm a bigger fan of Harry than Shawn. I knew I had fallen for his charms when I prioritized Harry's Fine Line era over Shawn's Wonder, and the rest is history. I discovered Larry and Louis, and now here I am.
Sometimes I miss being in a calmer fandom 😂, but I love them so much, and I love the friends I made and the fanfics, so I can't leave. What I don't like, I just avoid and block. Harry and Louis are so beautiful and talented that I prefer to stick with the good things and enjoy. All of this happened quite a while ago and progressively, so I don't really remember the exact dates, but it went something like that.
Oh my god the Sara Lee skit led you down the rabbit hole. 😆😆😆 I loved that skit. And he was so funny in it. I can see why you fell.
It sounds like you’ve really made a good home for yourself here. I love it.
yk i actually do want to see the origin stories retold over and over again.
give me baby Kal-El's rocket landing in a field in Kansas.
give me Bruce Wayne watching his parents die in an alley.
give me Peter Parker getting bit by the spider & discovering his powers.
They're classics because they're great stories, and the way different writers and artists go about telling them is so important to the tone & the heart of the narrative. As much as Man of Steel got wrong, it retold the origin & it's one of the strongest elements of that movie.
Idc if I've seen it before, show it to me again but through your eyes.
Would love to hear other takes, because this is the main thing James Gunn & I disagree on.
Once upon a time, when the world was young, untrammeled, and unbroken, there lived a simple people, at one with the earth, in touch with its Spirit, and devoted in reverence to their ancestors and the yet unborn. Those who could communicate with this Spirit were revered and given a special place in their society.
In return, those Spirit Speakers imparted knowledge and wisdom to their society, bringing joy, healing, knowledge, and the certainty that all things upon the earth were linked in an unbroken chain of life.
They taught that interdependence and cooperation was the key to survival, and necessary to the evolution of all life.
But some among them believed they were more important than any of the others. They began to seek rulership over them, and to misuse the power and wisdom of the Spirit Speakers for their own selfish purposes.
Thus began the gradual, then headlong, fall from the grace of the natural world into a dark fantasy of kingship and belief that there could be complete domination of that world with no consequences. That they were, in fact, the crown of creation.
This was not what the Spirit Speakers had envisioned. It soon became necessary for them to remind the people that all living things were created equal and were meant to live in harmony.
This did not sit well with those who had accumulated power unto themselves through a message of division and suppression of the old ideas.
Fearing for the loss of there dominance, they sought out the dark side of the Spirit in the hope that they might maintain their grasp on power.
They began to conjure up Spirits of Evil, and began killing all the Speakers one by one, until there were only a handful left.
This is the story of those Speaker's struggle for survival and the preservation of the original message of the Spirit of the earth.
