#the last sacrifice -blood king's beloved- | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sp1cy-t0ss · 1 year

Text

Antares

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45534721

The first thing Nightwing hears upon regaining consciousness is ominous chanting. A man’s voice rings out over the rest, ranting about an Eternal King, infinite power, and -- oh boy -- sacrifices. He tunes it out to assess the situation.

He’s in an old warehouse. Robin’s here too, looking even more annoyed than Nightwing feels, and both of them have their hands and ankles bound in rope. His comm is on silent, just as he left it, like an idiot. The ranting man and his followers in matching robes are gathered around a ritual circle in the middle of the floor. Yeah, that tells him all he needs to know. They need to get out, now.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly when the leader finishes his speech and turns to them.

“So,” the man asks with a cruel smile. “Which of you ‘heroes’ will have the honor of bringing our Lord to this plane?”

“I will.” Robin’s voice is sharp, unyielding.

The man is obviously surprised to receive an actual answer to his taunt, but obliges. He pulls Robin away without another word.

“What?! No! Robin, you can’t--” Nightwing’s protest is cut off with a punch to the stomach from one of the robed lackeys.

“I have my reasons, Nightwing; it must be me.” Robin’s face reveals nothing, but he gives a subtle hand signal: I have a plan.

Nightwing forces himself to calm down. They’ll get out of this. He just has to trust his Robin. While everyone’s eyes are off him, he quietly works at the amateur knots.

The leader drags Robin into the circle without a fight. He raises a jeweled dagger, intentions clear...

But Robin is faster. He bites his own wrist, hard, and spits his blood into the circle. The runes light up in terrible Lazarus green, and Robin pushes himself upright with a malicious grin.

The lead cultist scrambles back from the circle and into a deep bow. The chanting stops as his minions follow suit. Robin continues to look far too smug for his situation. Nightwing feels a headache coming on somewhere under his renewed panic.

This is his plan?!

There’s a blinding flash of light. When the spots clear from Nightwing’s vision, the Eternal King is floating in the circle, mere feet from the bound Robin.

The Eternal King isn’t quite the grotesque horror he expected. Their body is a glittering black void, a sleek humanoid shadow with misty white hair and bright, bright eyes of toxic green. A cold fog rolls off of their body in waves.

“Antares,” the shadow rumbles, and Nightwing feels static thrum in his bones with the sound. The room is painfully cold, but the King doesn’t seem aggressive yet. Maybe they really can bargain their way out of this mess.

Robin doesn’t flinch. He looks the Eternal King right in the eyes, utterly fearless, and smirks. “Hello, Beloved.”

What?

The King stares silently, floating closer. For a long moment, no one moves. No one speaks.

“My lord, does the sacrifice please you?” The ringleader cuts in, standing up with a greedy gleam in his eyes.

Something in the air changes as the King turns toward the man. Something cold, electric, heavy under the skin. Nightwing suppresses a shiver as he works through the last of the rope.

“You d̵̢̛a̵̼̽ṙ̴͎e̵͙̐.”

The leader pales and falls to his knees. “My Lord, if this offering is insufficient, we have another--”

The King s̴̱̖̺̺̓͊̕̕ć̵͇͇͔̈r̴̥͐e̸̥̬͌̂̌̊a̴̭̔̓̀̔͘m̵̯͑̋͌͠s̵̗̤̻̭̍̿, a furious howl that blurs Nightwing’s vision and claws his ears. The sound is everywhere, driving him to his knees. Growing shadows seem to absorb his little brother just as Nightwing realizes he’s blacking out.

They’re falling, they’re falling someone help they’re screaming he’s screaming make it stop dead on impact blood and bones make it stop make it STOP--

When he comes back to himself, it’s quiet. Nightwing blinks tears from his eyes, gasping for frigid air that pierces his lungs like knives. The floor outside the circle is covered in blood splatter. The cultists have all been struck down, and many aren’t moving.

But he’s not looking at them.

Because the monster is coiled around Robin like a snake, eyes burning as it surveys the room. Robin seems unharmed for now, but he has to get his baby brother away from that thing.

He steps forward, and those endless green eyes lock onto him. It snarls at his approach, revealing multiple rows of teeth. Claws subtly tighten on Robin’s shoulders. Nightwing sinks into a combat stance, and the creature braces itself to leap.

Pure, animal instinct screams that Nightwing won’t survive this fight.. It doesn’t matter. He’ll give his all like he always has, and Robin can escape. The others will find a way to take it down. He just has to buy time.

“Dove, it’s alright.”

To Nightwing’s amazement, the creature freezes. It turns to look at Robin, warbling in apparent confusion before turning back to Nightwing with a hiss.

Robin grabs its face in both hands and forces it to look at him. “No. That’s Nightwing, remember? He will not harm us. I am safe. We are safe.” His voice is steady, soothing as he gently presses their foreheads together. A spark of awareness slowly returns to ‘Dove’s’ eyes.

“Come back to me.”

The monster sags in Robin’s grip, slowly folding in on itself until a nearly-human teen with snowy white hair is left floating gently in its place.

Robin smiles, gentle and shockingly warm. “There you are.”

‘Dove’ is shaking. Their eyes are locked on Robin, as though he’s the only thing in their universe. “Antares,” they breathe, before wrapping Robin in a tight hug.

Robin briefly looks to Dick, gesturing toward the cultists. He then returns his attention to the distraught being, resting his chin on their head and both hands on their back. The obvious dismissal makes Nightwing uneasy, but the kid has a point. They'll just have to check him for hypnosis or mind control back at the Cave.

Now that Nightwing is actually looking at the cultists, their injuries are horrific. Deep lacerations, stab wounds, frostbite, severed limbs...none of them seem likely to die with medical treatment, but every last one is maimed.

The ringleader is worst of all. His eyes are gouged out, and his hands ripped off and cauterized by the same unearthly frost that burns scattered marks into his skin. An unfamiliar symbol has been clawed into his chest.

Nightwing looks back to the circle, where Dove is quietly sobbing. Their face is tucked securely into Robin’s neck, and Nightwing hears whispers of I was scared and can’t lose you too.

This is the same person?

By the time the cultists are all secured and the police have been called, Dove seems to have calmed down. Time to play the diplomat. Again.

Damn, maybe Steph has a point about Eldest Daughter Syndrome.

“I, uh, hate to interrupt, but we should probably get out of here, yeah? GCPD will be here in a couple minutes,” he proposes with a friendly smile.

Dove wipes their eyes. “Right.” Then they look around the room and wince. “Uhm, sorry you? Had to see that? I...panicked. You’re okay though, right? Not hurt or anything?” The question is disarmingly earnest, and there’s nothing but concern in their eyes. Hm.

“Nah, not a scratch,” Nightwing dismisses. Then he remembers he’s apparently talking to a king. “Thank you for saving Robin, Your Highness,” he adds with a bow of his head.

“Nuh-uh, no titles. Gross.” The King makes a face, then smiles with renewed cheer. “Call me Phantom. He/him, ghost, and general pain in the ass, at your service!” He floats higher and punctuates his announcement with a midair flip. “You might as well know, since we’re gonna be seeing each other a lot now.”

Crap. “I’m afraid I don’t follow,” Nightwing ventures.

‘Phantom’ exchanges a meaningful look with Robin. Nightwing barely has time to register the mischief on both their faces before Robin pulls the being down into a kiss.

A deep kiss now. Really deep. Yeah, they’ve definitely forgotten he’s here.

When they finally separate, Robin looks quite satisfied. Phantom, however, sticks out a forked tongue and scrunches his face. “Blech, blood. What did you...” His eyes land on Robin’s still-bloody wrist, then the droplets still in the circle.

“You didn’t.” A grin creeps across his face. “You have me on soul speed dial and you still hijacked a whole-ass summoning!”

“Tt. I was making a point.” Robin crosses his arms.

Phantom cackles. “You are literally the most dramatic person I’ve ever met!” he crows.

Robin raises an eyebrow and gestures to the warehouse full of mangled cultists. Phantom opens his mouth to retort, but it’s at this point that Nightwing finally manages to pull his jaw off the floor and speak.

“Robin,” he says with deliberate calm. “What the fuck.”

And then they hear police sirens. Fantastic.

“Crap. Don’t worry, I got it!” Phantom declares as he rips a green hole in existence. Robin is unfazed, which is rapidly getting less and less surprising.

A woman in the corner stirs. Phantom makes a ‘one moment’ gesture before he stalks over and yanks her forward with a growl. “You’ve kept your tongue for a reason. Spread the word: Robin is mine.” (Robin stands taller, obviously pleased by that extremely concerning statement.) The woman nods frantically, and Phantom drops her to the ground.

Without further preamble, Phantom zips back over and shoves both vigilantes through the rip.

Just like that, they’re all in Damian’s bedroom. The two boys immediately sit together on the edge of the bed, while Dick remains standing. Dick doesn’t even know where to begin, so he can only give a helpless ‘why’ sort of gesture. Thankfully, Damian seems to take pity on him.

“Richard, this insufferable fool is my Beloved. His name is Danny, and he is seventeen.” Then he smirks. “You may refer to him as High King Phantom of the Infinite Realms; The Tyrant’s Bane, True Balance, Son Of Stars, Pride of Time, Death’s Chosen--”

The ghost groans dramatically, flopping across Damian’s lap like a wet noodle. “Oh my gawd, Dames, why would you tell him that?”

"It is very important that Richard recognizes your position and authority.” Damian says, not even trying to sound convincing.

Danny reaches up and pushes at Damian’s face. It brings to mind a pair of cats, especially with Damian doing his best to look annoyed instead of fond. “Betrayal! I want a divorce!”

That’s the last straw. Dick chokes on his own spit and has to thump his chest a few times to breathe right again. With monumental effort, he manages to wheeze out a strangled “Are you MaRriEd?!”

Danny tries to sputter out a reply, but Dick is distracted by Damian laughing. It’s a low, light sound, with no attempt made to disguise it.

“Of course not,” Damian says. He cards a hand through Danny’s hair, the other boy sighing contently and looking up at him with adoring neon eyes. “We've only courted for seven months now. It will be another three years before we wed.”

Dick is just. Gonna ignore that last bit. For his own sanity. “Wait, how did you keep a whole boyfriend secret for seven months? In this family?”

“Bribery.” “Threats.”

Yeah, that sounds about right. Babs and Duke probably know then.

“Cool, good to know. One more question.” Well, more like a billion, but he may as well start with an icebreaker before the inevitable interrogation. Besides, it’s a big brother's duty to embarrass his siblings. “Why Dove?”

Damian says nothing, but his deep blush is almost audible.

“Because I’m cute and fluffy!” Danny chirps.

“Hardly,” Damian scoffs. “It’s because you are raucously annoying and constantly crash into windows.”

Literally everything about this situation is baffling, but Danny looks so offended that Dick can’t help but laugh.

“You lying asshole!” Danny screeches.

Damian turns to Dick. “He attempted to use a grapple three times and broke eleven windows; four of them with his face. I have videos.” Danny gasps, the two start bickering, and Dick is left to his thoughts once more.

Even as the pair separate to point fingers and trade increasingly creative insults, their body language is completely relaxed. As much as Dick is panicking about a powerful undead monarch around their family, Damian is happy. He has been for months, now that Dick thinks about it. He’s been loosening up a little, leaving the manor more, and even mentioning a few new friends (though he refuses to use the word.)

Whoever or whatever Danny is, he’s been good for him.

“Well,” Dick cuts in, interrupting an inventive declaration about overripe cheese. “We’ll obviously need to talk about this. But for what it’s worth,” he smiles. “I’m happy for you, Baby Bat.”

With that said, Dick walks out of the bedroom. Danny gives him a grateful smile, and a quiet thank you, Richard can be heard as he closes the door behind him.

Dick walks away at a leisurely pace until he reaches the end of the hallway, where he promptly breaks into a sprint toward the Cave. Checking the Batcomputer to make sure Damian hasn’t noticed the planted bug yet, he turns on his comms. Unsurprisingly, the entire family is yelling and demanding answers.

Well, at least he won’t be the only one having a heart attack tonight.

#dp x dc #dead serious #they're 16 and 17 #danny says he wants a divorce at every mild inconvenience #danny has dozens of titles and damian has memorized every last one entirely to annoy him #they alternate between adorable cats and those heckling muppets #spice writes #dc x dp #danny x damian

2K notes · View notes

magic-is-something-we-create · 2 months

Text

Writeblr Re(rere)intro that's a year late!

Hi! I'm Pax, and I write Big Books that keep getting darker and darker in subject matter 🎉🎉

Basics about me:

he/him or they/them, Mid 20s

Favorite genres: Fantasy, SciFi, Horror, Mystery

Favorite authors: N. K. Jemisin, Tamsyn Muir, Brandon Sanderson, Pierce Brown, Samantha Shannon

Other things I do: Digital art (including commissions!), Twitch streams (usually art or writing sprints, occasionally video games), digital art assets and fonts (PWYW on Ko-Fi!)

Basics about my WIPs:

THE MILLENNIUM SAGA

High fantasy/Steampunk epic, 8 books planned. Book one: Firebreathers (160k words; ~700 pages) Book two: Echoseers (148k words; ~600 pages) Book three: Goddess-Touched (15k as of posting; 3rd attempt at drafting) First person, Multi POV What starts as a simple rebellion against their local Citylord becomes a flight - and fight - for their lives, as Ember Timber, their family, and their newfound friends are forced to flee overseas from the vengeful general who will stop at nothing to earn her Eternal King's favor, and will in fact relish hunting her own son and grandchildren for sport. But along the way, the crew learns that the Eternal King's immortality was not granted in return for his success as the Chosen One long ago, as they have always been told - and the sacrifice for such a thing is not only paid dearly in blood, but on its way to being repeated.

WHISPERS

Dark fantasy Noir. Currently with beta readers. 172k words; ~750 pages. First person, Dual POV. Set in the same world as Millennium Saga, ~5 years after the series concludes. Marika Swiftfoot owes her life to the Shadow of Fowden, the sorceress leader of a terroristic crime syndicate based in the north pole. When the man she once loved finally comes to collect on that life debt ten years later, she plans to kill him the moment it's safe. Too soon, after all, and everyone else she's ever loved will join him beyond the Veil. But hate isn't the only feeling that lingers between them, and when they're offered another way out of their debts, the lives of a few innocents looks like a bargain compared to the life of cruelty ahead of them. Lorelei has been hunting the Shadow for twenty years, and looking for the sister who disappeared for thirty. And here, names are legacies: she wants to earn Hopebringer before her legs give out for good, to erase the stain her father's name has left with Vowbreaker. And for that, she sees one way forward: she must never break her vows, no matter how small. The Shadow must die, and the Whispers with her. Her sister must be found, even if all that's left to find is a story. She must find answers for every case she takes on, even if she doesn't know so much as the name of the man who's gone missing.

THE LOST

Space opera webcomic. First scene fully illustrated; will release once the first chapter is complete, a week after Patrons receive the final scene. In the far reaches of space, the term "Media Empire" is quite literal; the Watchers have extended their influence throughout their galaxy filament with the help of their beloved Coliseum, and the Champion therein. After all, having a shapeshifter capable of replicating anything leads to some gruesome, spectacular fights, made all the more heartrending when they are the last of their kind, trapped in the ship molded from their kin's corpse. But while the Watchers have total control over what happens in the pit, they cannot predict the audience. And they certainly cannot predict the malfunctioning psychic implant of an assassin in the front row, and the loss of both opponents and a long-time prisoner of war to the escape.

I also post art of all of these semi-regularly, including in-progress stuff, as well as excerpts and rambling braindumps!! I'm also a huge worldbuilding nerd, so if you ever want to learn more about the worlds I'm writing, don't be afraid to ask!! I love talking about them :D

Boosts are appreciated <3 tell me about your own WIPs in the tags/replies/wherever!! I love learning about what people are working on!

#writeblr intro #aboutthewarlord #writeblr #writblr #wip intro #??? idk how else to tag this

70 notes · View notes

sombredancer · 4 months

Text

Enemies/Rivals to Lovers recipe

(with the mild version aka Pride and Prejudice and the tragic version aka Romeo and Juliet) Step 1: The main heroes are on the opposite sides of any scale (the grumpy one vs a cheerful one, a kind and stupid one vs a cunning and vile one, a demon vs a god, a master vs a servant, people of enemy states or absolutely different cultures etc.).

A cheerful and funny little bird demon-yao Qing Qing and a grumpy and stone-faced deity of Netherworld Xue Qianxun Step 2: They are forced to communicate with each other without a chance to avoid it (e.g. an arranged marriage, being trapped somewhere together, working as a mole in the enemy camp etc.).

Asura King Xuan Ye plays out damsel in distress to get undercover into Heavenly Realm and his future lover Ran Qing is the one who "rescues" him.

Step 3: One party get impressed by unique character features of other (e.g. the person is the only one who isn't terrified by other's scary reputation, the only one who treats other party well etc.).

Even kings and princes are in absolute terror seeing Gwi - an immortal all-powerful vampire, and only Hye Ryung hates him so much that dares to bicker, scold and deny him. Step 4: One of the parties takes the first step towards another and that melts another`s heart.

Even if Hou Ling Changjin hurt Princess Bao Zhu for her miraculous blood, she still cares for him and doesn`t hold a grudge.

"You are injured!"

Step 5: Here come mutual pining, UST and moral sufferings "what is more important: to fulfil the mission / to be accepted by the society / whatsoever or to love?"

Gong Shangjue doubts if he can indulge himself being gentle with the girl he likes if she is an assassin from the enemy clan.

Shangguan Qian adds Shangjue`s favorite flowers into her tea and thinks about her mission of taking him down.

Step 6: It`s time to confess the feelings.

Leader of a diabolic sect Li Chenlan comes to save his beloved who hated him and tried to kill him and promises her to be her sword and shield. So romantic!

Step 7: The parties try to solve the problem that keeps them apart. If the problem is internal (it has something to do with beliefs and prejudice of a person), here it will be solved and «happily ever after» begins.

Despite of his low social status Hao Du ventures to participate in the competition, wins the right to marry the princess (who he is in love with) and dares to be honest explaining that he did it not only in order to save her from a Barbarian prince but because he truly wants to be with her. Step 8: If the problem is external (there is a large-scale conflict and the parties are just some insignificant participants of it), one of the parties sacrifices themselves to solve the problem.

Before saving the world by the cost of his life Demon God Tantai Jin engraves his name on his own tombstone placed next to his beloved wife's one, so in the future she could mourn him in a suitable place.

Step 9: In a satisfying story there is a magical reward of party's brave deed, which is a happy end.

Demon Lord Dongfang Qingcang sacrificed himself in order to save the girl he loved and died but his girlfriend (who happens to be a Goddess with abilities to resurrect the dead) nurtured a piece of his primordial spirit for 500 years and brought him back to life. Side note: If you want to add some chili pepper into your story, you can break this scheme any step from Step 4 on: pining could be one-sided, UST could never ever be resolved, characters could prefer their goals to love or maybe death or other circumstances would do them apart against their will.

The Wolf and Ma Zhaixing finally got together but the cruel world couldn`t allow it to last anytime long.

Bon Appétit! Your Enemies to Lovers story is well-baked!

#enemies to lovers #rivals to lovers #cdrama #miss the dragon #immortal samsara #chinese drama #scholar who walks the night #butterflied lover #my journey to you #the legends #the long ballad #till the end of the moon #love between fairy and devil #his royal highness wolf #the wolf cdrama #SDabouttropes

55 notes · View notes

ride-thedragon · 7 months

Text

THE STORY OF DRAGONS.

The Last Dragon Riders & Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen.

I've had discussions before about taking away either of these girls from the narrative and how bad it would be when it comes to the thematic story of the Dragons. This post is more in-depth about that idea and how it concludes with the mother of Dragons.

Hatching and Bonding

Nettles is a dragon seed with the strangest relationship to her dragon. Her claiming him was dependent on her slaughtering sheep and feeding him every day for a prolonged period of time in order to bond with him.

Rhaena takes three dragon eggs with her when she is sent away, eventually, towards the end of the dance, one hatches in the Vale, giving us Morning. In the show, so far, we see that she holds dragon eggs to the fire, trying to hatch it.

Dany is given three fossilized eggs at the beginning of her marriage. After her husband and baby die, she commits a blood sacrifice using blood magic and a funeral pyre to hatch the three dragons she's breastfeeding by the end of it. Establishing the strangest bond we've seen with dragons and their riders.

Urchin and Lady

Nettles grows up on the streets of Spice Town and Hull alone, being visually marred from an incident, with an alleged scar across her nose.

Rhaena is raised in Pentos with her parents and sister and later on Dragonstone with her stepmother, father, 3 step brothers, and two half brothers. She was betrothed to the heir to Drifmark.

Dany grows up with the understanding that she might marry Viserys. She is raised first in a house in Pentos and soon after from house to house until people get tired of them. Eventually, they meet Illyrio, but not before Viserys earns the title of The Beggar King.

George has issues (love)

One of them sees a 32 year old at 16 and his two daughters and decideds to marry him out of all possible options.

The other is 16 with the 49 year old prince consort and has an assassination attempt placed on her for it.

Dany is married off to a 31 year old at 13 who abuses her. After a while, she 'falls in love'.

Magic and Blood

The Valyrians used blood magic to bind themselves to their dragons. It's a trait passed down and kept pure with the incestuous practices of all the dragonlords. It's the reason that Rhaena hatches her Dragon.

Nettles call this into question when taming a wild dragon. Rather than relying on the same blood link she should have, she uses sheep to bond with Sheepstealer every day until he allows her to become his rider. This is in the aftermath of him killing every Valyrian bastard before her.

Dany's magic is both types of blood magic. The sacrifice of herself, her husband and child on the pyre to hatch her eggs, and the fact that she's a Targaryen all tie into her ability to hatch her dragons.

Where we are and Where we go

Rhaena hatches morning out of three dragon eggs in the Vale. She has Morning on her shoulders at the end of her war, being able to fly her all over the realm as a Targaryen Princess after the war. She becomes the darling of the city. A vision of hope for her house.

Nettles is taken away from politics and to safety by her dragon. For years, she's alone in the Vale mountains with her dragon, becoming a deity for the burned men.

At the end of A Game of Thrones, Dany has hatched 3 dragons from her eggs, and by the end of the last book so far Drogon has taken her away from all the politics of Meeren.

Darling and Fire Witch

A beacon of hope in the idea of Targaryen restoration. Darling of the city alongside her sister. Beloved by artists and designers alike.

She forms a religion around her dragon. Creating the most dangerous tribe in the Mountains of the Vale. With ceremonies of burning the men attached in exchange for gifts.

Dany is the idea of the Targaryen restoration when she hatches her Dragons. Drogo's Khalesar starts to follow her after this feat, she is the Unburnt.

Dany and her girls

All of this is to allude to the idea that the differences in these girls' lives allow for a parallel with Daenerys. Nettles doesn't hatch dragons, and Rhaena doesn't use any type of sacrifice to hatch hers.

Nettles grows up on the streets, but Rhaena has siblings and is raised in Essos.

No one in the narrative has any expectation for Nettles until she claims dragon. Rhaena is born as close to a princess as one can be without being one.

Nettles, on Driftmark, is raised on the shadow of the dynasty of the great house, Targaryen. Rhaena is a dragonless girl at the height of the house Targaryen's power, again in the shadow.

They both establish differing parallels and middle grounds for her character, all while Daenerys herself is her own person with traits distinctly apart from these two girls. She's the fire in A Song of Ice and Fire. George wrote Fire and Blood after we met Daenerys. The fun with that is that he can make these parallels tying her to the world and giving her character relationships in history.

Bride, Daughter, and Mother of Dragons.

Nettles is the bride of dragons in this concept. She rides a male dragon who gives her power and acclaim. One of five women to do so and the only one still alive alongside her dragon that ties her into the main plot. She is also the last lover of Daemon Targaryen. The man tied thematically to the last dragon of the conquest. I think she is the bride within this idea, married to dragons because it wasn't something inherited, it was something she chose to tie herself to and allegedly with either man or dragon spent the rest of her days alongside.

Rhaena, as the daughter of Dragons, seems really obvious. Her mother was the rider of Vhagar, and her father was Daemon. At the end of the war she is one of the three women of house Targaryen still alive and the only dragon rider with her dragon. She becomes a Princess after the war. She is the daughter of Dragons.

Daenerys is the Mother of Dragons. She hatches her three dragons from stone eggs and breast feeds them as they are hatched. Obviously, she is also the bride and daughter, but due to the power of three, I think I'm gonna take the stand and say she's the Mother.

The power of three

These three are the story of the death and return of dragons in Westeros and to their world. Without Nettles or Rhaena in their exact plots, only half of the story is told. They both leave the world without Dragons, a torch lit again by Daenerys. Within this series and the idea of the power of three, why wouldn't the last of the dragon riders be connected?

Brave girls who, through various means, carry distinctive lights in the story of dragons. It's my personal opinion that the intention is never to give the title to either Nettles or Rhaena but to have them serve as different sides to Daenerys. Her story intertwined with them both to continue the story of Dragons.

'To go north, you must journey south, to reach the west you must go east. To go forward, you must go back and to touch the light you must pass beneath the shadow.'

—Quaithe to Daenerys Targaryen

73 notes · View notes

supreme-leader-stoat · 2 years

Text

The Headsman's Daughter

Written in response to @urbanfantasyinspiration's character prompt, "A princess who apprenticed under an executioner."

—

Once, as there has often been, there was a kingdom. Its king was great and terrible, as kings often are. He rode forth in might and power, and many fell before his sword. He spent much time feasting, and drinking, and bidding minstrels sing his praises in the court and on the temples' steps. He had three daughters by women who served in the palace, but no heir, for his wife was barren.

And though he brought much tribute, he was a harsh master, and the kingdom suffered greatly under his rule. The sun scorched the tender shoots as they sprouted, and the cattle died in the fields, and babes were born weak and sickly and did not cry as they should. There was great unrest in all the land, and the headsmen kept their blades ever sharp, for murder and theft abounded.

And the king grew afraid, for the people began to murmur and plot against him. And he threw himself before the mercy of the gods, such as it was, saying "Spare your servant! Tell me what I must do to save my life! The anger of the people grows, and they will water their fields with my blood!"

"Your doom is assured," came a creaking voice, like a tree near to breaking. And the king looked up, and beheld a raven of purest black perched upon the windowsill. Once more he pressed his forehead to the ground. "Please, spare me!" he plead again.

"Your doom is assured," the raven replied.

"I beg of you!"

"Your doom is assured," it intoned a third time, its voice unmoved.

"I will do anything! I will give whatever you ask! Whatever I must sacrifice, even if it is half my kingdom, let it be so!"

The bird paused, preening its feathers as it considered the king's words. At long last, when the king was sure that his nerve would break, it answered him. "Give to the gods of your own flesh and blood. Deliver your three daughters to the high priest, to do with as he is commanded. They will be sent out to live among the people, to parents who can bear no children, and in this way the anger of the crowds will be quieted for a season. Do not forget what I have said to you this day."

The king waited until the sound of flapping wings had fully faded, then leapt to his feat, shouting for his servants to attend him. His daughters were taken from their mothers' arms with much weeping, and bathed in scented waters, and garbed in the finest of silks and pearls to be delivered as living sacrifices to the gods. And if the king felt much grief at their going, then it was nothing compared to the joy and relief he felt at his salvation.

The high priest received them and cast lots, that he might know the will of the gods. And these are the orders he gave, and what came of them:

The eldest daughter was sent to live with an aged farmer and his wife. And though the work of farming was hard, she found happiness anew, for the farmer and his wife had good hearts and loved her as their own daughter. And the gods smiled upon them, and for three years the whole of the kingdom was blessed with bumper crops the likes of which have not been seen before or since.

The middle daughter was sent to live with a midwife, who was also a widow, for her husband had been killed before the two of them could have a child. And though she wept bitterly for her mother, and her life in the palace, the two of them found comfort in each other's arms and satisfaction in their work. And the gods smiled upon them, and for six years the babes of the kingdom were born whole and hearty. And many great warriors were born in those summers, and many great beauties in those winters, and many others of great renown besides. Indeed, the queen herself bore the king a son, and he would be remembered as one of the better rulers of that line (though that comes later).

And as for the youngest daughter, she whose name means "Thistle" in our tongue, she who was much beloved by the people as a child for her beauty, she was sent to live with with an executioner. And though she remembered her life in the palace, she eventually came to call the headsman "father," and his wife "mother," and if asked who she was would answer truthfully that she was their daughter.

Life was hard for Thistle, for headsmen were much hated in those days. When she left the house, she went about with a veil over her face, as was considered proper for the daughter of a headsman. Her father often had to take work as a knacker to keep them fed, carting away and collecting animal carcasses, which her mother showed her how to break down into tallow and glue and soap.

As soon as she was old enough, Thistle's father began training her in his craft. He taught her to use a whetstone to sharpen a sword. He set her to chopping firewood alongside him to strengthen her arms. He had her help him slaughter the pigs they raised in their yard, to accustom her to death, and afterwards showed her how to wash away the blood and clean herself to ward off plague.

The first time Thistle accompanied her father to an execution, she did not join him on the scaffold; she would not yet intrude upon that sacred ground. She stood to the side, in the shadow of the platform, and watched the crowd. They were many of them drunk, and all of them full of anger. And though they cheered as the sword fell, the wrath in their eyes did not abate, and instead turned toward her father, and Thistle was much disturbed.

"Father," she asked softly as they trudged home, side by side, two of her short strides to one of his, "why do the people hate you? Do they not ask this of you? Do you not serve the judge, as he serves the king?"

He did not meet her eyes, for he was in truth a timid man, but he pondered long and hard before answering her. "Is it better to lose your life, or to lose your arm?"

"Your arm, of course, though I'd rather lose neither."

"Of course. And is it better to lose your arm, or to lose your hand?"

"Your hand, of course, though I'd rather lose neither."

"Of course. The law, too, is like this. The judge bears the weight of sentencing, so that the people can live in peace. I bear the weight of death, so the judge may live in peace. And though the people may hate me, and shun us for it, they know in their hearts that they do not wish to bear the weight I carry for them."

Indeed, Life was hard for Thistle and her family. But even still, the gods smiled upon them.

Three years after Thistle left the palace, the earth once again refused to give up its bounty, and famine gnawed at the people. But though they drew their belts tighter, the headsman's family did not starve, for long had they learned to live with little, and the deaths of many animals brought their family good business, and pigs can be fed on nearly anything.

Six years after Thistle left the palace, a plague swept the land, and struck many lame, and others dead, and stricken worst of all were the young and the old. And the headsman's family grew afraid, for Thistle's mother was with child, and their hearts grew fainter still when the headsman himself took ill.

But none know better how to ward away sickness than those who work with dead things, and the headsman's family was never wanting for soap. Thistle's mother gave birth to a boy, and his parents gave him a name meaning "Flaxen," for such was the color of his hair, though his family more often called him "Flax." And when he was born Thistle gazed upon his reddened face, and observed the curl of his fingers, and held him in her arms, and she was overcome with great wonder.

The fever eventually left Thistle's father, but from then on he often found it hard to stand, and the strength of his arm failed him. And so Thistle took up his blade, and acted in his stead, and for three years she bore the blood of the law and of the people upon her hands.

Nine years after Thistle left the palace, the spirit of the people rose in anger once again, for their ears were full of the cries of the hungry and the sick. And they stormed the palace in the night, and stripped the king of his sword, and his royal robes, and bound him and brought him out to face the people. And they said to one another, "What shall we do with him?" And each one answered in turn, "Send for the headsman's daughter, who lives with her father outside the city. Have her come at once, and deliver his punishment." And so runners were sent, and roused Thistle from her sleep, and bid her dress herself, and brought her to where the people were waiting.

And the people thrust the king's sword into her hands, saying "Kill this man and deliver us justice, for we have suffered greatly at his hands."

And Thistle looked upon the king and knew him, though he did not know her by her face, for she wore her veil. And she found that she had no love for this man, and so it was not love but duty that stayed her hand.

And she turned to the crowd, saying "Would you have me kill this man? Is this justice?"

And the people replied in one voice, saying "Yes! Kill him! It is better that one suffer than many!"

And she answered them, saying "For years I have lived among you, bearing sins for your sake! But I will not bear the weight of this judgement! I ask you again: do you judge this man guilty? Would you have me kill him in your stead?"

And the people again answered her, "Yes! Kill him! Bear this sin for us! He has brought the anger of the gods on us, and our children weep in their beds!"

And so she turned, and with the king's own sword she struck him down. (And it was as the raven had foretold, for in seeking to escape his doom, the king himself had assured it.)

At that the bloodlust of the people was awakened, and again they stormed back into the palace. They brought out the prince, chanting "Death! Death! Death to the blood of the king! Let there be none left who carry on his name!" And they presented him to Thistle, saying "Kill him! Bear this sin for us as well!"

And Thistle beheld him, he who was her blood-brother, and she saw that he was scarcely older than Flax, and that he was crying.

She thrust the king's sword into the stones, and there it stuck fast. "No," she said.

And the people's voices rose in anger against her, but again she denied them. "No!" And as they surged forward she took up the king's sword and brandished it, though the tip had become blunted by the stones. "You have made me your hand of justice and given me a sword! Now, which among you will bear its weight instead?! Which among you will take this blood from me?!" As she said this, she tore away her veil, and the dawn's light revealed her face to all the people.

The people stopped before her, for the anger in her eyes was great and terrible. The eldest among them looked upon her beauty and knew her as the king's youngest daughter, whom they had once loved. And their hearts grew ashamed, for they knew that they had made of her both kinslayer and kingkiller. And so the people turned away from her in fear and grief, and covered their faces in the growing light, and left the palace to return to their homes.

And Thistle swept the prince up in her arms, and marched into the castle, and delivered him back into his mother's embrace. And she declared herself regent until he came of age, both as conqueror and blood-relative of the king, and none dared challenge her. And she sent for her father and mother and brother, and had them brought to the palace, where she saw that they were well cared for. (And her two brothers, one of blood and one of bond, became the best of playmates, and Flax was perhaps the most loyal of all the prince's friends until the end of his days.)

Thistle ruled well, and with justice and mercy, for she had held the power of life and death in her hands. And even after the prince was crowned king, he leaned often on the wisdom of his elder sister. And in this way, that kingdom gained one of the best kings it had ever known.

The end.

#my writing

297 notes · View notes

typically-untypical · 4 months

Text

On the Outside

AU: Merpeople

CW: Blood and Injury, Janus Angst

WC: 3,753

Date: 12/10/2023

The ceremony was beautiful. It was everything Janus had come to expect from Roman, grand, extravagant, and beautiful. Logan, despite his attempts to remain stoic, was ever the blushing sacrifice, his life made into a promise to love and to cherish their king. Janus turned from the sight, and swam away unable to watch for another moment. First it had been Virgil, always Janus' antagonist, always so afraid of failure. Janus had fallen in love with the way he protected others, with the sarcastic wit he used to hide his insecurities. Janus had fallen in love with Virgil, and Virgil had fallen in love with the king.

Apparently, Roman was the adventurous type, always attempting to escape his duties as monarch of their fair city, always running from the coral spires that they called a palace. He and Virgil had met on one of those outings and had bonded. At first, Janus didn't think anything would come of it, the two were constantly arguing, constantly fighting, then the day came when he saw them. They were making out behind the jeweler's shop and when they separated for more than an inch, Virgil's eyes were filled with so much love.

Janus had swallowed his feelings and moved on, refusing to pull himself into a situation where he would get hurt. Janus was smart enough to know he didn't have a chance against a king, and if he had made a move beforehand, it would have only made things strained between them. So he let go. He let go of his best childhood friend. He let go of the first mer he loved. He moved on.

Virgil became the king's first sacrifice, a title denoting the life Virgil would have to sacrifice to be by Roman's side, the people he would sacrifice. It also denoted Roman's sacrifice of safety. When a king announced he loved someone so publicly, it gave his enemies a target, a manipulative tool. There were many mer that would use any opportunity they could to take advantage of the king, and having a beloved, having a sacrifice, meant opening up one more avenue for manipulation and treason. The title of sacrifice was a reminder, and a promise.

Despite that, Virgil didn't leave them behind. He still visited whenever he got the chance. He made excuse after excuse to come see Janus and Logan, often times Roman would come along and Janus would play the part of a gracious host. He couldn't deny the king was good looking, but he was not a fan of the way he strutted about as if he owned the place. He did own the place, in a manner of speaking, but it still pissed Janus off. Though, that wasn't the full truth either, was it. Janus had been jealous, jealous of the way Roman would flirt with Logan, jealous of the way Logan looked at Roman and Virgil. It had been naïve to hope, but Janus had thought, with Virgil gone, he might finally make a move on Logan. It was the two of them, and they had been able to take solace in each other.

That hadn't lasted long. Janus had watched quietly as Roman flustered Logan, spun him around in circles until he could only look forward. Janus had watched as Virgil pulled Logan out of his shell. He even answered Logan's questions when he asked about emotions. Janus had watched it all fall apart, sitting by and not saying a thing as Roman took one more person away from him. The ceremony had been the final straw. Janus hadn't been able to watch as Virgil and Roman kissed and spoiled Logan, not when he wanted to be in Logan's place, not when he wanted to be by Logan's side.

They didn't visit as often anymore, especially when Janus started making excuses, reasons why he couldn't see them, lies to hide his pain. Eventually, they stopped coming altogether, and it was easier that way. He moved from the coral spire he had shared with Logan and Virgil to something much smaller, something further from the palace. He left his job on the tribunal, no longer wanting to present cases in front of the three people he couldn't have. He focused on hunting, relying on old skills he had used as a guppy, as a survivor. He could still do it. He could still take care of himself. He hadn't grown soft in the light of Logan and Virgil's smiles.

They would hate to see him doing this again. This job was so dangerous. The hunter could easily become the hunted if one wasn't careful, and even if one was, a single misstep could throw everything off. Janus had barely made it back from the hunt with no prey to show for his efforts. His tail was missing patches to scales, scraped, broken and bleeding. It hurt to swim but what other choice did he have? He wasn't going to just lay down in the sand and die. That wasn't his style. If he was going to die it would at least be where it was comfortable.

Somehow he made it home, leaving a trail of thick black blood in his wake. He hoped nothing else out there wanted to hunt him, because it would be far too easy to follow his trail, at least until the tide changed.

"Just swell," He muttered to himself and the empty house around him. He had been lonely without the others. He had thought the smaller house would help. It hadn't. The loneliness persisted despite the confined space. "What a warm home I've created." He rolled his eyes, swimming over to his bed of kelp and lowering himself slowly into it. He should probably tend to his wounds, but he also was too tired to move. He would take care of it later. He would take care of it when he woke up.

[Section Break]

Virgil couldn't help but swim laps across his room, trying to figure out exactly where things had gone wrong. He knew Logan was watching him but he didn't really care at this point. In fact, Logan could probably provide some perspective. "He hates us." Virgil said, knowing it wasn't true but also knowing Logan would help him out of his spiral.

"I highly doubt Janus hates us, though I also find him pushing us away a bit strange."

That wasn't what Virgil was expecting. He didn't think Logan would actually agree that something was wrong. He figured he was just being overly anxious but he needed someone to talk him through it. Logan looked back at him and sighed, slowly swimming over to him, setting down his book. "Come here, angelfish," He whispered before pulling Virgil into a hug. "We've given him a bit of space, but how about we go check on him? Just the two of us? That might help considering his walls seem to come up when Roman is around."

"Yeah, cool, I could get behind that... but do you think it's safe? We haven't been out of the castle without guards since before we were with Ro."

"Safe or not, I feel like visiting Janus will help calm your nerves. Also, we won't be long, and we won't be far. Janus lives near the palace so we should still be in a protected area."

It only took him a few seconds to agree. Virgil needed to see Janus again, to make sure he was okay. Something felt off and he was desperate to fix whatever it was. "Maybe we should take one guard, just to be safe?"

Logan nodded, "I think that's a wise decision. Let's go ask someone, assuming you're ready to go."

"Yeah, yeah I'm ready." He had been ready days ago but he couldn't tell Logan that. Now was good.

It was a beautiful day for a swim around town, the temperature was nice and Virgil began to relax almost immediately after they were out of the palace. Maybe he had just been cooped up too long, being a King's sacrifice, especially Roman's they were always so well protected. It was sweet, but it was also increasingly stressful. Virgil liked to have more control of his surroundings and often he felt he didn't have that in the palace. It had been easier back when they went on regular visits, back when Logan and Janus still lived together. It had been so awkward trying to introduce Roman to Janus, he had seemed different, at arms length almost and after the ceremony with Logan it had gotten even worse. Virgil didn't know how to fix it. He didn't know how to just come out and let Janus know that he was in love, and he desperately wanted to let Janus know because things didn't feel complete without him.

"This is odd," Logan whispered looking at the name plates posted in front of the coral.

"What's odd?"

"I don't see our names, or Janus' for that matter."

Virgil felt himself grow faint as the anxiety once again took hold of him, ice water running through his mid sea veins. "That can't be right. Why would Janus move out of the place we had together?" Virgil began to drag Logan toward the property managers office she would know what was going on.

"Luna, bitch, where's Janus? His name isn't listed anymore."

The lion fish looked over at Virgil before giving him a wide smile, her spines flaring out. "Virgil! Big shot finally comes to visit me and only asks about his ex. How rude!"

"He's not my ex," Virgil blushed a bit, reaching out for Logan's hand, holding it tightly.

"Could have fooled me with the way you three were always flirting. It was a bit sad when he was left here alone. Anyway, told me the place was too big for just him so he moved out, probably about three months ago now."

Three months, had it really been three months since they had last visited him? They both knew he wanted space but that was too much space. "Did the fucker tell you where he was moving to?" Virgil tried to smile, tried to keep his anxiety from showing, it was a trick he had learned from Janus, but he wasn't nearly as good at it as Janus had been.

"Yeah, chill, I'll get you an address. And if you're gonna win him over might I suggest some nice sea glass? Showing up empty handed is a major no-no." She pulled out an oil pencil and wrote Janus' new address on Virgil's free hand. "He's near the outskirts of town so you have time to think of something nice before you get there.

"We appreciate the help, Luna," Logan said, far calmer than Virgil had been able to pretend he was.

"The outskirts, there's nothing out there but danger. Fuck, do you think he went back to hunting? I swear if that idiot got himself hurt again I'm going to put him in the dungeon just to keep him safe."

"I'm sure he's fine," Logan whispered, pulling Virgil in closer. "Janus is intelligent. He isn't the kind to take unnecessary risks." They should have known something was up when Janus left his position on the tribunal. He had loved that job and wasn't that one of the first signs that something was wrong, abandoning the things you loved and cared about?

"Lo, I need to you talk me down, okay? I'm spiraling pretty bad. What if he's dead? What if he got eaten? What if we never see him again?"

Logan squeezed his hand and they continued to move forward, neither of them wanting to risk the possibility that Janus needed them and they weren't there. "As I said, Janus is very intelligent. I doubt he would get himself into a situation where he needed our help so dramatically that he couldn't ask for it."

"Right, right," Virgil whispered, still clinging to Logan.

"Also, between the three of us we have a very wide set of skills. In the past we have been able to handle many different challenges because of this. I don't believe there are many things in this ocean that we can't handle together. Also, we have the king's resources at our disposal now." He kept his voice gentle and Virgil was thankful. Logan had always been able to help him calm down, but still, right now, everything felt off.

As they got closer to the small hut Janus was supposedly staying in, the sea around them looked darker and Virgil shivered a bit. "Of course Janus would live somewhere creepy. He was all about that aesthetic and vibe." Virgil was sure he wasn't hiding how worried he was, but he was still trying. He was trying to give himself some kind of sense of normalcy.

"It does seem like his style," Logan responded, but he also squeezed Virgil's hand tightly. The darkness grew as they got closer and they both realized what was happening at the same time. Logan turned to the guard who had been following them. "Go back to the palace, get a physician here immediately, and inform king Roman of where we are and what we are doing." He then let go of Virgil's hand and swam toward the darkened water, entering the house without bothering for permission. He pushed the kelp away until he saw Janus' body, curled tightly around a slowly seeping wound. He took in a quick breath before immediately starting on first aid. Virgil wasn't sure what to do or how to handle this. It was like watching his worst nightmares come into reality.

"Virgil," Logan called, "Open up his nearest heat vent and get us some broth cooking. He's going to need something to eat or he will never regain his strength."

"Right?" He could do with instructions. All he needed to do was focus on the instructions he was being given. He could do this.

Time passed by too slowly and too quickly at the same time. Virgil managed to get the broth together and Logan was able to get Janus conscious enough to drink a bit but he faded again shortly after that. It was all a blur and when Roman showed up with the physician, Virgil almost broke down. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to be how it worked out.

[Section Break]

Janus woke up far more comfortably than he thought he would. The temperature was a little cool but less than he thought it would be considering where he lived. Even the kelp felt more comfortable than normal. He shifted and cracked his eyes open taking in his surroundings. It took him all of a second to realize he wasn't at home. Slowly twisting his head to get a better view, his eyes landed on a familiar red tail. The king was asleep, and Janus was most likely in a hospital. Shit, he hadn't expected to be found much less by the king. At least he was hoping he had been found by the king. Janus knew how bad it would be if it had been Logan or Virgil who had found him in that state and he was doing everything he could to deny that possibility.

"Ah, you're awake," Roman said, shifting to be a bit closer. Apparently he wasn't sleeping as much as Janus thought he was. "You have worried my beloveds." Roman watched Janus before sighing and sitting back a bit. They were both silent, neither sure what to say to the other. Janus was just about to ask when he could leave, when Roman spoke, his deep voice reverberating in the waves.

"I don't understand you," He said quietly. "You've quit a job you liked, moved to a place where you were alone, I am all for the drama and the adventure but this seems like a bit much. Were you intending on hurting the two of them? Was your grand plan to die alone only for them to hear news of your passing years later."

Janus wanted to answer no, but in a way, he was. He had wanted to push them away, because it hurt to be around them. It was better if they were allowed to focus on themselves and on their new happy life. "I was doing what needed to be done." Janus shrugged, wincing when he moved. Okay, maybe he was more injured than he originally thought he was and he didn't want to die. He just... wanted things he couldn't have.

"And what needed to be done?" Roman asked, "Getting yourself killed?"

"Getting away from you," Janus retorted before his brain could stop his mouth. He hated losing his cool but sometimes it was so hard to resist. "I didn't have any plans to stick around and watch you play house with the two men I'm in love with. That isn't my idea of a good time."

"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down. That is a lot to wrap my head around. First off, you love them, and I knew it. No one get that upset so suddenly unless there are some major feelings involved. It's so romantic, the three of you living under the same ocean only to miss each other, but what I'm not understanding is why you had such a problem with me. Or why you didn't just ask me not to come by so you could confess without me being in the way?"

Janus rubbed his face gently fighting the urge to groan. "Well I certainly wasn't going to tell the king what to do, but on top of that, they made their position fairly clear. They were yours." He turned to look at Roman and he watched a look of surprise cross the king's face, eyes wide and gills flared. "I have no intention of getting in the way of their future and their happiness."

"You..." Roman started, voice choked as he gained his composure, brushing the sides of his cheek which had gained a bit of color. "You're an idiot."

Janus stopped, surprise crossing his own face. He focused on the king, attempting to understand what Roman had intended with that response. He was at a loss. Thankfully the king had more to say, apparently.

"They love you, have you not noticed that? And I don't mean in the sense of friendship. Virgil's tail does the same thing when he talks with me, or with Logan as it does with you, the little curl of nervous excitement, and Logan is constantly adjusting his glasses attempting to be perfect in your eyes because if he's perfect, maybe you'll notice him."

Janus sputtered, "N-no. That's not, Virgil does that when he's comfortable with people and he is obviously comfortable with me we've been friends for more then two decades, and Logan, he does that when he's excited. It has nothing to do with how they feel about me. Obviously they are both comfortable around me, we're friends."

"Yep, you're an idiot." Roman began to rise. "The question is do you love them?" He watched Janus with an intensity that he didn't like, that he didn't know how to deal with. Janus had already admitted to loving them. What more did the king want? "I think that's the answer I was looking for." Roman stretched, giving Janus a smile that he didn't understand. "I doubt even if I were to prove it you would understand, but this will at least be entertaining for me."

He started to swim off, leaving Janus alone in the room as he felt the exhaustion creeping up on him. He wasn't sure if it was from his healing injuries, the lack of food, or his conversation with the king. Either way, he wanted to rest. He could go back home after that, rethink his plan about how he wanted to proceed. Whatever he was doing wasn't working.

"Jay!" Virgil's voice echoed in the otherwise empty room interrupting Janus' plan for sleep. Immediately afterward, he felt the pressure of someone laying on top of him, obviously avoiding his injures with the careful precision that only Virgil was capable of.

"It's alright, Shadow. I can't be killed that easily. You know this," Janus whispered, gently running a hand through Virgil's hair, floating in the current they had created. Logan was by their side shortly after, looking down at the two of them.

"You had us worried." His voice was flat, but the way his hands were folded behind his back, no doubt hiding the way they shook, was exceedingly telling. There was a part of Janus that wanted to push them all away, to put up the walls he had meticulously built when they both became Roman's, but he was tired. Instead, he reached out an arm, inviting Logan in and the other man curled up by his side, wrapping his tail protectively over both Janus and Virgil. "I'm not letting you go again," Logan whispered it like a fact, like a truth that not even the gods could change.

"Sleep first, then we can discuss." Janus was trying to leave room for things to change. He didn't want to continue being an outsider looking in. It hurt too much to be near them and to not be theirs.

"No, no discussion." Logan's voice continued to hold that completely assured quality. "I have held my tongue long enough. I love you, and I believe you love me too." A slight waver, barely perceptible but still there. "And I'm not going to let you go. I won't lose you."

What could Janus say to that? When Logan made up his mind there wasn't much argument that could be had. It was strange, and he hadn't fully wrapped his head around the words Logan had said. When he woke up again, more rested and more lucid, he might have something interesting to say about Logan's confession. However, for now, he just closed his eyes.

"Alright, you won't lose me, but we still have things we need to discuss." He wrapped his arm around Logan's back, hand splayed against the other man's flesh. He was too tired for this discussion now, but they would have it soon.

"A worthy compromise," Logan whispered. "Good night Janus."

"Good Night," Virgil echoed and Janus didn't blush, of course he didn't, but his lips did curl into a soft smile as he listed to the two of them breathing.

"Good night."

Tag List: @simplestoryteller @fantasticfangirl21 @joylessnightsky @glacierruler @tsspromptmonth

#TSS Rare Gifts Event 2023 #Untypical Creations #Sanders Sides #Sanders Side fic #Fanfic #Virgil Sanders #Janus Sanders #Logan Sanders #Roman Sanders #merpeople #janus angst #hurt comfort

17 notes · View notes

a-canker-in-a-hedge · 8 months

Text

the people (read: like 4 of you) have spoken! musicals only jfj playlist incoming!! brace for impact!!!

curator's notes below the cut, if you're interested in that sort of thing. otherwise, have fun! maybe i'll drop the frmc one next!

Into the Fire, The Scarlet Pimpernel

I think we as a society are sleeping on The Scarlet Pimpernel the musical, it's bonkers. This one's from act 1, where the titular Scarlet Pimpernel (arguably the first masked vigilante in English literature) and his buddies take off to rescue poor trapped aristocrats from the French Revolution. In a lot of ways, it's best read in conversation with Les Mis (the original novel was written by a baroness, it's reactionary as shit), but here I think it expresses an enthusiastic (and to be clear, Bad) English nationalism that speaks to a young JFJ and precisely what he thinks he's getting out of joining the navy. He is Not Correct, as we shall see.

2. Glory, Pippin

I think this one speaks for itself. Patina Miller as Pippin's Leading Player brings a terrifying, seductive irony and contrast to this number, contrasting the horror of war with the rhetoric that convinces people to go die in the name of the king. The narrative here is I think pretty clear; this is what it's actually like to nearly die in battle. It's bizarre and dizzying and confusing and kind of silly, and you'll only make sense of it later when you can build a performance out of the experience.

3. The I Love You Song, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Oh James. If only mommy and daddy loved you. This one breaks my heart. Neglected children will do a lot to fill that void. This song provides context to the previous two. He wants to be loved, and he confuses love with attention and praise and power. And it will eventually kill him. Again too we see the theming of fantasy as a narrative device. James makes up stories about himself, for himself, contextualizing and recontextualizing James Fitzjames to suit his needs, whatever they may be.

4. The Last One You'd Expect, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Men Will Tell Such Lies About Themselves. Gentlemen's Guide is so funny, everyone should go give the whole album a listen. I like the conclusion of this one as the high point of JFJ's pre-Terror success. Specifically, I like the struggle to stay ahead of the tidal wave he's built himself that's rolling up on his heels. It can't possibly catch up with you if you keep moving, right?

5. Where I Want to Be, Chess

CHESS THE MUSICAL BABEYYYY I AM NOTHING IF NOT ON BRAND. This is a pair with the previous song, an internal monologue as opposed to the external perception of success we've seen previously. The emptiness, the sense of loss of self, the fear and paranoia of living with one's lies, sacrifices, and the harm one's own ambition has caused those around you. It's also got those big stupid melodramatic violins. Fun Fact! The score for Chess was written by Benny and Bjorn from ABBA! I also think JFJ would have really enjoyed Mamma Mia. This is also the Josh Groban concert version, partially bc if I had to pick someone to be jfj's singing voice in the disney animated Terror, it would be him.

6. 30/90, tick, tick...BOOM!

Oh shit death is coming for you king, You Are Running Out Of Time. I feel like this one speaks for itself, if instead of grey hairs you could see the blood at your hairline. Well, not yet. But soon.

7. Is This What You Call Love?, Passion

Speaking of getting slept on, Passion my beloved. This is the most underrated Sondheim musical imo, and is one of the few songs on this playlist where I had a specific scene in mind when I added it. Yes it is that one. Songs to get punched in the face by your captain to.

8. Totally Fucked, Spring Awakening

Do I even need to say? You get it. We understand each other. Yes. This was the toughest one to fit in aesthetically with the soundscape of this playlist, but I think it works where it is.

9. You Gotta Die Sometime, Falsettos

Oh Shit Death Is Coming For You King. You Are Running Out Of Time. This is the 2nd song from a William Flynn show on this bad boy, which feels appropriate to me, somehow. I can't explain it, it's vibes. I think this song really gives JFJ a beat to breathe, to sit in the inevitability of his fate, and a bitter kind of acceptance. It works for me.

10. Any Kind of Dead Person, Ghost Quartet

And now we're having fun with it! This is the only Dave Malloy tune on here, and it's also one of the most lighthearted. As has happened several times before, this song is in direct conversation with its predecessor. You need to keep going somehow, even if you're only walking to the end. Very Samuel Beckett-core, now that I think about it.

11. I Don't Know How To Love Him, Jesus Christ Superstar

We understand each other. You understand why I have done this. I picked the movie version because I like the orchestration better. I have no other notes.

12. Come to My Garden/Lift Me Up, The Secret Garden

This is the most distant parallel line in this whole playlist, but this one is in conversation with The I Love You Song. Reconciliation with an absent parent, with the wounds of the child. They are calling you on. Make peace with yourself. We are almost there.

13. Love To Me, The Light in the Piazza

Please excuse Matthew Morrison's bad Italian accent. I love this song so much. There's a note in Sondheim's collected lyrics about simplicity, and I think this song embodies it. This song is so much about seeing someone for who they are, and it shows in the lyrics, in the lack of both musical ornamentation and complex text, even in the delivery. If I may have one more direct parallel, this song is speaking to 'more than god loves them.'

14. Finale: Make Our Garden Grow, Candide

Let me preface this by saying that this is not a fix-it ending. James does not live at this time. With that being said, I picked this one for two reasons. One, the resonance sonically and lyrically with the previous two songs, and two, the theme of letting go of ambition/expectation/demand. The acceptance of imperfection. The resolution into the simplicity of the body/existence/the reality of one materiality and mortality. There is no Eden to return to. We have only each other. JFJ has the only peaceful death we see onscreen, and for me, this song resonates with that. The release on that last note. 10/10 thank you Mr. Bernstein. That is all there is no more, thank you for coming to my ted talk. Goodnight <3

#the terror #the terror amc #james fitzjames #jfj #fitzier

12 notes · View notes

qprsmackdown · 9 months

Note

ok to be clear, i am not the same silmarillion person as before. i have however, now written 730 words of elrond+gil-galad+celebrian propaganda. enjoy <3

Elrond is caught between mortality and immortality and he watches as his twin takes the other path. It hurts, to know you will never see him again. It hurts more when you watch what they do to his legacy.

You have lost everyone you've ever loved, their ghosts live in your face, in the star-that-was-your-Father far above, in the way lullabies sung by a voice so sharp it draws blood feel like home. A thousand legacies drowning out the person you've become in spite of them.

You find a place of belonging, a place of undying devotion, a place of hope. You find love in a war, love for your king, love for your light, and you fight to keep it. Your hands are a healers, but you will bloody them to protect the ones you love.

Someday, you dream, you will build a home out of something more than battlefield ashes.

Gil-Galad is crowned king. You were never meant to be king. It is simply that there is no other choice. You are alone, a beacon of shining hope for everyone but yourself, and you will do what it takes to keep your people alive.

If you fall, there is no one left.

You find your strength in your people, you build a family, you lead your kingdom through the war, and through the peace time beyond. You've never had peace before, you learn how to lead through it regardless. There is no other choice. You belong to your people as much as you belong to the ones you love.

War is upon you once more and you sacrifice yourself for their future. You hope they can be happy. You always knew this kingdom would kill you.

Celebrían has explored more of this continent than almost anyone else she knows. It is peace time, you can venture into the unknown without the certainty of death and you overturn every stone, delighting at the bugs, the shells, the world at every turn.

You are hope, when you pass into Imladris. You will be hope for the rest of your life. Not hope for a future without pain, but hope for the strength to live, to fall in love with the world again, even as it hurts to try.

The gods sink scarred land. Beleriand cracked under your beloved's feet, the shattered earth falling into the waves, lost as easily as a child's sand castle.

You've never thought that was very wise.

You build a quiet love over the centuries, and the taste of saltwater stings your lips.

All of you are trapped in your own legacies. Elrond, the silmarils and the Feanorian star. Gil-Galad, a spear and a crown that kills. Celebrían and a forest of silver trees, a strand of hair glinting in the sun's light.

You are orphaned twice over, heir to fallen kingdoms and broken oaths. You are the king of an apocalypse, leader of a dying people led to the slaughter. You are a wanderer, eyes glinting in the moonlight, brave as anything. The messy kind of bravery, where your bones feel frozen and your face burns with tears unshed and you choose to go on anyways.

You all choose to go on.

Until you can't anymore. Gil-Galad dies in the war of the last alliance, spear glinting like a fallen star. He's dead, and the crown dies with him. You build a life on the bones of his sacrifice, a family, found a haven that welcomes everyone who needs a safe place to stay. You are happy.

Until you lose someone else. Celebrían is captured, tortured, and you and your people scour the countryside for her. You find her. She is alive, but Middle Earth is not kind to elves just as Beleriand before it and the world itself saps her strength. If she stays here, she will fade. She sails to Valinor instead, away from everyone she's ever known. She chooses to live. She chooses hope.

Your and Celebrían's daughter chooses mortality. You are the only one left. You will sail too now, reunite with Celebrían now that the work of defeating Sauron is done, now that you've avenged Gil-Galad.

Maybe, far, far in the future, you will meet again at the end of all things, and take solace in the fact that the three of you are together once more, despite it all.

#elrond and gil galad and celebrian propaganda #ask #propaganda ask

10 notes · View notes

twiilys · 6 months

Text

the light dragon's tale

A tale for little Hylians, passed down the generations, of the events that faded into myth.

(big BIG spoilers for the dragon's tears, ye have been warned!) (can also be read on ao3)

In the long ago beginning, there was a princess crowned with gold.

Her eyes shone as bright as the stars, as vibrant as the newly bloomed spring. She bore the name that has been passed along with the Goddess’s blood, from mother to daughter in a long line that stretched to the beginning of time.

Her mind was sharp and her council wise, for she was the Chosen of Nayru, blessed with Wisdom. Her heart was generous and her spirit true, wilful in all her endeavours, for she was beloved by the Goddess Hylia, protector of the sacred Light.

Sudden was her appearance at the court, yet swiftly were suspicions shed in light of the good her careful thoughts and actions brought. She was soon bequeathed with the highest honours by the Queen, her distant kin, and allowed to sit and fight by Her Grace’s side.

Yet the true purpose of the princess’ arrival soon revealed itself.

A man hailing from the desert, in every way alike a viper hiding in the sand, sought to usurp the royals’ power. With a treacherous blow he fell the Queen, and her husband, the King, was helpless to put a stop to his destructive path.

The princess alone remained to stem the evil that had taken root in their realm. She knew the evil was merely kept at bay by the King’s last breath, and that it was plotting the youthful Hyrule’s demise still. She knew of the upmost sacrifice there was… and she knew that to make such a vow was to lose herself, never to return.

Even so, the princess implored the Goddesses. She prayed devoutly for the safety of her people, to rid the realm of the bane that plagued it. The Goddesses answered her prayers, bringing forth her birthright, the Light within her. It erupted from her every fibre as the princess cried, then roared, in grief and agony. It shone bright over Hyrule as a fourth dragon emerged from the princess’ last mortal moments, shooting for the skies to join its brethren. It trails after it still, bathing the land with its sacred protection.

And so the princess became the spirit of Light that watches over Hyrule, a beast wild and beautiful and full of woe. For eons past has it worn its path though the skies, and for eons future must it wear it still… until Hyrule, at last, stands stronger than evil.

“... and that is why we must show gratitude to the Light Dragon whenever it passes above us. We must thank the ancient princess who gave herself wholly for her realm, and pray that we grow stronger so that her sacred mission may end. Do you understand, Zelda?”

Zelda nodded, with all the solemnity of a four-years-old. “Yes, Mama.”

“Sweet child. Let us pray, now.”

Zelda’s eyes widened, twisting in the saddle to meet her mother’s serene gaze. “Pray on the horse?”

The Queen laughed. “Why ever not, love? The land and its inhabitants are full of tales, echoes of legends past. We must travel and acknowledge for ourselves the realm’s bounties, as well as its sufferings. Only then will Sweet Hylia see our devotion to our people, and allow us the use of the sacred Light.”

“Father says the Goddess believes in order and dis-ci-pline,” Zelda said, stumbling over the last harsh word. "But I'm not very... dis-ci-plined."

“Your father is not entirely in the wrong,” the Queen replied, stroking her daughter’s hair with the hand not handling her horse’s reins. “Discipline is very close to devotion. But it is not the same.”

“No?” Zelda was growing agitated on the saddle, unsettling the white mare. "How not?"

The Queen halted the mare with a gentle tug of the reins. She drew Zelda close to her heart and shushed soothing words as she rocked her child.

“Have no fear, my dear Zelda. I will guide you through your enlightening.”

Zelda breathed out and pressed her little nose in the crook of her neck, the way she usually sought haven. Then, she planted her little hands on the Queen's shoulders and pushed back, drawing herself tall in her mother's arms. She nodded firmly once more, green eyes meeting green eyes. The Queen smiled with such love that she glowed with it, and perhaps Zelda did, too.

After that, Zelda sat back against her mother. With a little press at her flanks, the mare resumed her walk back towards the castle. As much as she enjoyed their leisure rides through Hyrule Field, the Queen had matters to attend to. And a little one was in need of a nap, judging by the yawns she fought to subdue.

“Alright, Mama,” Zelda said sleepily. “Can you tell me again about the Light Dragon?”

The Queen smiled. “Of course. When you are old enough, I shall take you to the Sacred Springs. We shall pass through the Duelling Peaks, which are said to have been cleaved by the Light Dragon’s path. Some say the princess’ roar of anguish still echoes there…”

#the legend of zelda #the legend of zelda lore #zelda totk #zelda totk spoilers #dragon tears #twilys writes #hyrule folklore #light dragon

3 notes · View notes

lumity-poggers · 1 year

Text

My thoughts on Watching and Dreaming

I watched the episode when it premeired last night but i hit post limit so couldnt post about it. Spoilers under the cut. sorry if anything is out of order lol im sick and im just throwing everything i thought last night down on this post.

-Luz being attacked by Amity genuinely made me cry

-"My girlfriend is too big a nerd to misremember an Azura quote" -luz probably

-Lilith having the haircut from For the Future but color scheme from season 1 is a nice touch

-"Dont you recognize your siblings" Ok damn man didnt need to go THAT far

-The giant stone Flapjack in Luz's nightmare killed me and not in the good funny way but in the sad crying way

-in the words of @minty-creator "BELOS FUCKETH OFF" (We were both watching the ep and screaming to each other about it)

-at first I thought belos was gonna try and possess king but then I realized no he's going to possess the fucking boiling isles titan

-I actually kinda liked that The Collector had no concept of death. They're a kid, an IMMORTAL GODLY KID. Of course they wouldnt know what death is

-Pacman Collector will haunt my nightmares

-The Collector needs a hug. I want to give them a hug.

-"You know this cant last forever" that was said to the collector but it feels like it was also aimed towards us

-The Archivists 🤝Pink Diamond "Wanna play a game?" *leaves them lonely*

-ok no but seriously the archivists telling Collector to play with the titans only to wipe them out leaving Collector all alone is just fucking cruel

-The Collector is just a lonely kid LET ME HUG THEM

-Me seeing Raine fight back: YES YOU GO

-Goo Belos in this episode looks like William Afton. Like- Remember that fucking fnaf 3 image where the springtrap head was open showing William? Thats what Belos looks like. Or burntrap from SB take your pick.

-Raine my beloved

-The Belos possessed Titan looks like a fucking dragon holy shit

-"Now that's a spinoff I'd watch" You and me both Luz

-The Collector picking up Raine's earring and realizing that the Raine talking to them wasnt actually Raine, and then looking upset is just AAAAAAAA LET ME FUCKING HUG THEM

-I LOVE that when the collector uses "Kindness and Forgiveness" on Belos IT DOESNT WORK. I FUCKING H A T E THAT TROPE OF POWER OF FRIENDSHIP REDEMPTION. It was one of the few things I genuinely hated about Steven Universe (SU is still a good show tho they just kinda overused villain redemption. And yeah yeah you could argue MLP overuses that too but MLP was ABOUT friendship)

-Luz, Eda, and King's expressions when The Collector hugs Belos is so funny tho. Literally just 👁👄👁

-I literally screamed at Luz's sacrifice. S C R E A M E D.

-Gaster Blaster Belos Real

-"Eda, King, looks like we're going to be split up again. I feel like I should be used to this feeling by now, but I still dont know what to say" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

-I like that Luz becomes lights. Not only was the light glyph the first one she learned but her name literally means light.

-Eda, King, and Luz are such a found family I love them

-"I should have thanked them" SCREAMING AND CRYING

-I love that King's dad basically said "Fuck gender"

-I also love that he has a bad girls coven shirt

-Eda makes alchoholic apple blood confirmed?

-Titan Luz is so gender

-Camila best mom

-LET. ME. HUG. THE. COLLECTOR. DAMN IT.

-Luz and King doing the WEH together is so fucking cute.

-For some reason I thought Luz was gonna die again when the titan magic was fading. Like I thought that was keeping her alive.

-Anyone gonna talk about the fact Eda gave Raine a little kiss when saving them from the Belos goop

-the entire episode was so anime but the fight scene between Titan Luz and Belos was just anime as fuck and the smooth animation makes it even better

-"NOW EAT THIS SUCKA" IT ALL COMES FULL CIRCLE

-Look at how fuckin anime this is I love it so much

-Luz looks so badass btw idk if I mentioned that

-Belos trying to bullshit his way out of this and Luz having NONE OF IT is so great. I hat the "[insert curse/supernatural thing] made me do it so im innocent" trope if it's done poorly or with a character like Belos. Love that they smashed that into the ground with Luz having fucking none of it.

-LOOK AT HOW BADASS AND GENDER SHE LOOKS I WILL NOT SHUT UP ABOUT THIS I AM SO NOT NORMAL ABOUT THIS

-I AM SO GLAD BELOS HAD A GRUESOME DEATH THAT WAS SO SATISFYING.

-I like the touch that Titan Luz isnt affected by the boiling rain

-King's dad is A PUN MASTER

-the reuniting. oh my titan the reuniting. I cried. Gus doing a little illusion with his dad, Amity hugging Alador (with Odalia rightfully in the sidelines), Hunter telling Darius about wolves, Willow and her dads!

-Darius and Eber so want to beat the shit out of Terra, Vitmir, and Adrien.

-Camila pulling Eda and King into a hug with Luz is just. YES.

-Yassified Hooty go brrr

-King giving The Collector Francois was so sweet

-All the kids as adults are so fucking gender. GIVE ME YOUR GENDER.

-All the photos on Luz's bulletin board are so amazing. Especially the one with Hooty dropping from a tree that one made me laugh so hard. Also the Bi Pride pin next to the graduation photo was amazing.

-"Stringbean's Corner" AWWWE

-ik im doing two screenshots in a row but LOOK AT THIS PICTURE OF STRINGBEAN

-When I tell you I screamed with joy when I saw there was a working permanent portal to the Boiling Isles I mean I SCREAMED WITH JOY

-I love Willow's leaf headband. It just fits her so well.

-I love that Hunter is a palismen carver and carved a Blue Jay to be his new palismen (according to Dana on twt the name of the palismen is Waffle. I love it.), but I also love that Hunter was (or maybe still is) Dell's apprentice by the looks of things

-The grave for Flapjack made me sob. And then the "Thank you for finding me" on it im just. I need a moment.

-HARPY LILITH HARPY LILITH

-Also I just realized now they all have matching Flapjack tattoos. Im gonna cry you guys.

-The way Darius just slides over after shaking Alador is the most tsundere anime thing ever.

-Theres a little abomination in Alador's pocket :0

-Raine with white hair is actually so fucking cool

-Gus looks so cool you cannot tell me otherwise.

-Everyone thought Eda would have like a robotic/abomination arm but no SHE HAS A HOOK AND IT'S AWESOME

-King had a growth spurt lets go!

-The quinceanera being called a king-cenera is just perfect. King is mastering the art of puns just like his father.

-King having his own glyph shapes is just perfect I love it!

-Collector making fireworks shooting stars is amazing

-THEY DID THE HUNTER "BYEEE" TO BOTH THE COLLECTOR AND US

Im going to miss toh. It was one of the best shows Ive ever watched.

Edit: I hat the new post editor istg

8 notes · View notes

booksandwords · 1 year

Text

When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney

Read time: 6 Days Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

The Quote: Once upon a time, there were women who ruled the world. Six of them—Merneith, Nerferusobek, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Tawosret and Cleopatra—climbed the highest the wielded the most significant power: not as manipulators of their menfolk but as heads of state. Each started as a queen—a mere sexual vessel of their king—but each became chief decision-maker, five of them served as king outright. — Kara Cooney

When Women Ruled the World is perhaps unsurprisingly divided into six sections, one for each of the six queens, an introduction and a conclusion (both of which are on a theme). The six queens are Merneith, Nerferusobek, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Tawosret and Cleopatra. There are other women of power noted some are queens others are just women in positions of power in the Egyptian system. These include Neithotep, Tetisheri and Ahmes-Nefertari. The Queen/ King's Horus names are included and explained, all of them are interesting. Nefertiti and Hatshepsut's particularly so. A suggestion for those new to academic non-fiction, if you have an interest in the added detail provided by the notes, try using a second bookmark. But the narrative style used by Kara Cooney means you can skip them with ease. Same are added commentary, some are simply sources and some are where to look for more information.

🤎 Merneith — Queen of Blood (ca 3000-2890 B.C.) Merneith is the first of the six queens ruling as a regent for her son, Den during the 1st dynasty. Her entry acts as an overview of the kingship in ancient Egypt and the role of the Queen in it. Merneith provides something of a fascinating study in brutal strength and the things one must do to survive. Little is truly known of her really but I like the way this is written. The style empowers her and allows her ferocity to shine. As much as this is about the women Den himself is interesting, The First King of Upper and Lower Egypt. Den must have greatly respected Merneith burying her in a tomb fit for a king though with fewer human sacrifices (nothing to do with gender everything to do with afterlife necessity).

💚 Nerferusobek — The Last Woman Standing (1777-1773 B.C.) Nerferusobek has one of the best name meanings, beauty of Sobek. "Named for the fierce god of the Nile inundation, a deity of aggressive sexuality and violent fecundity." (p.77). Her crowned names are Beloved of Re; Daughter of the Powerful One; Mistress of the Two Lands; Stable of Appearances. This entry continues the discussion on succession discussing royal reproduction practices, including harems and a quite interesting section on incest (all neat logic no ick factor). There is an insightful and logical comment on harems that I quite appreciated. Her subtitle comes from why she was even sitting on the Horus Throne, Nerferusobek was the last royal of the 12th Dynasty, a product of incest (probably) causing sterility. She perhaps willingly but perhaps reluctantly took the throne to steady the ship. She had little to gain and was little threat to the status quo, with no chance of a male heir. Her short reign allows the board to be reset and allowed all the major power players to get their viable sons into position for the start of the next dynasty. Nerferusobek is almost the exact opposite of her female predecessor, it is easy to admire her patience and intelligence.

💛 Hatshepsut — Queen of Public Relations (1473-1458 B.C.) "Hatshepsut broke all the rules."(p.99) is the first line of this section and it is the perfect summation of her rule. Let's start with the pronunciation of her name as included by Kara Cooney Hat-shep-suit. One of the cutest moments in this section is what the young princes were called... nestlings look it made me smile okay. There was an interesting moment for me. The extremely young pharaoh, the two-year-old on the throne, could only happen in ancient Egypt with its focus on mythos and god-kings. Anywhere else would be civil war. Cooney has a great reading on Hatshepsut's potential romantic attachments. They weren't needed for her to maintain power, there was little place in the historical record for them. I did like the section on Hatshepsut and one day I will get around to reading Cooney's Hatshepsut work but not today. This is the longest section of the six, unsurprising really, Cooney wrote The Woman Who Would Be King dedicated entirely to Hatshepsut. As that book does exist there is less discussion and commentary in the notes they are nearly entirely sources. In some ways, I would consider her the opposite side of the coin to Merneith. Where Merneith held her position with strategic blood and violence Hatshepsut used ideology and human relations. Especially ideology.

For her countrymen there was no longer any point referring to her as "queen." That title was only used for women subservient to their sovereign. — Kara Cooney (p.84)

🧡 Nefertiti — More Than Just a Pretty Face (1338-1336 B.C.) Ideology was also important in Nefertiti's reign. Nefertiti was actually treated as an equal to her husband during his reign. An equal female to his male god. (Because yes he was a 🤡) What is clear is that in any other time, any other place, her husband, the completely bonkers Akhenaten would likely have faced regicide. There isn't a consensus that she even ruled alone, if she did she ruled with her daughter taking the role of Queen, the feminine role to her masculine. So much of everything around her is dependent on which school of Egyptology you belong to. It can be difficult. Was she ever a King in her own right? 🤷🏼‍♀️ Nefertiti is... complicated. It had to make many comments on her. So much of Nefertiti's reign in her own right is a matter of superposition. But I'm not even sure I knew that I ever knew the potential connection between King Tut and Nefertiti.

💙 Tawosret — The Survivor (1188-1186 B.C) Tawosret comes from a very different period of Egyptian history. She was needed by Egypt but not welcome. Women were greatly distrusted in any position of power. She is a mixture of all the previous queens except maybe Nefertiti. It all starts with a discussion of how times had changed in Egypt and the Ramesside period. Her crowned names are Daughter of Re, Beloved of Amun; Mighty Lady, Chosen of Mut; Strong Bull, Beloved of Ma'at; Founder of Egypt, who vanquishes foreign countries. Using the title Chosen of Mut is a brilliant ideological move, ditto Beloved of Ma'at. Mut was a mother goddess, her name means mother, she's a primordial deity. Ma'at was a deity tied to balance and justice, a key to the processes of entering the afterlife. All these women knew how to manipulate the greek pantheon for their own power. There is a lovely quote in here about human society and feminine rule. "Many of history's women could rise to power only within extraordinary crisis and, when the immediate predicament had abated, were unceremoniously pushed aside. Indeed, the catastrophe itself was usually blamed on the woman's rue, a Catch-22 if there ever was one." (p.240). Tawosret feels like something akin to one of the British succession crises (there have been three), but one, in particular, ended with a queen on a throne decided from a piece of genetics.

💜Cleopatra — Drama Queen (51-0 B.C.) If you are going to know any of the Queens it will definitely be Cleopatra. Cleopatra was a true power player, a power player that would likely succeed even in the modern-day, maybe more so in the modern-day. Sex is power and she was totally unafraid to use it but that is far, far from all she was. Cleopatra was also strategic, intelligent and openly ambitious. Even if you know Cleopatra you will likely find information in here you don't know. For example, Cleopatra was in Rome when Ceaser was assassinated or the import of Ceaserion. There was an amusing moment for me when I realised Cleopatra essentially bought Mark Antony, she wanted his power for some form of legitimacy, he needed money to pursue his military campaigning. Cleopatra's section ends with a quick section on what happened to her children. While her sons were killed her daughter, Kleopatra Selene was married to a Roman ally and well. She went on to become a queen and clearly inherited her mother's intelligence. What I didn't know was that Kleopatra Selene and Juba II's son was killed by Caligula just for being descended from Marc Antony and Cleopatra.

I did enjoy this. I enjoyed learning about new powerful women. Women who used power in different ways to maintain the stability of their Egypt and their position. There is some well-written background included too, like the way an heir was chosen and reproductive practices. I had completely missed in all my time reading about ancient Egypt the connection between Nefertiti and Tut. I do appreciate the use of the modern to help readers understand, Trump, Clinton, the Saudi Royal family and just general or universal expectations moments experienced by women.

Let me justify the rating. While I was reading this wasn't a 3-star book. But it feels more like a 3.5-star book upon reflection, I'm rounding down. Cleopatra's section let me down a little. I was confused for quite a bit of it, to be honest, it was a bit of a slog to get through. In the previous paragraph, I mentioned the moments experienced by women, that is also a bit of a flaw. This feels like it is squarely aimed at women. And perhaps relying too much on female experience and contemporary references.

#when women ruled the world #six queens of egypt #kara cooney #nonfiction #book review #ktreviews #read 2022 #merneith #hatshepsut #nefertiti #cleopatra #tawoset #nerferusobek #booklr

9 notes · View notes

whereisdie · 2 years

Text

Enchain

Werewolf AU, A/B/O AU, Omega Zero, Ancient Pureblood Kaname, Alpha Hunter Kaito.

Main pair : Kaname x Zero, there would be brief Kaito x Zero but end game Kaname x Zero.

Also this is not purely following Vampire Knight Canon but this is pure AU with me butchering the vampire knight plot here and there, you all could count this as an alternative version of the plot. Um… also y’all probably going to hate me because of how I am going to portray Kaname here. I… really like the concept of the lesser of two evils and the whole story will evolve around that. It’s not really triggering but, morally questionable maybe but still I’ll put the trigger. LMAO I hate the incest in VK yet I make a morally questionable story. inspired by this wonderful edit https://www.tumblr.com/mesillusionssousecstasy/692587082100654080/vampire-knight-kaname-kuran-zero-kiryu

Song reference : Radwimps - Ms. Phenomenal

All the vampire hunters are werewolves, but they have their own hierarchy. Zero Kiryuu, the last of his Kiryuu clan, now living under the protection of Omega Kaien Cross, part of the Toga Yagari pack.

Seventeen years old Zero still has not presented as a wolf at all, but his symptoms indicate that he is turning into a vampire. Pseudo vampire, to be exact. Unbeknown to all, after the Shizuka attack, Zero suffered a significant amount of vampire poison that almost killed young Zero, making Zero’s young inner wolf fall into a deep slumber, unable to counter the pureblood poison and turning him into a pseudo vampire. It’s not common for a wolf to turn into a vampire but also is not impossible. Kaien tries his best to feed Zero blood tablets, but his body rejects them. The only way to repel a pureblood vampire poison is to drink another pureblood with higher status, which makes it almost impossible. Shizuka herself was royals among the pureblooded unless it was the Kuran’s heir or the Kuran’s ancestor that could cure Zero’s poisoning.

10 Years Ago, The Kuran Mansion

Feeling helpless, Kaien exchanged a favour with Kaname, the current heir of the Kuran clan. Kaien knew the soul that resides inside the twenty-two years old Kaname was the oldest, ancient pureblood from the Kuran Clan. The one who made a pact with the dire wolf of the werewolves. Kaname never dies. He always moves from one body to another; every millennium, the Kuran's will always make sacrifice their newborn heir for Kaname's revival. Kaname is supposed to be dead, along with his omega. The Hunter Association can't handle the fact, that the prime omega from one of the purest hunter packs, the Kiryuu was mated to the Kuran's Ancestor, to kill two birds with one stone, they murdered the young Kiryuu that recently mated to Kaname. Unable to handle his sorrow, Kaname massacres the whole Hunter Association and leaves only a small number of the Cross pack, the barest pack. There are rarely omega born from the Cross, but they manage to stop Kaname's rage because the Cross was a powerful spellcaster, when Kaname was on the brink of exhaustion and dying, feeling the pain that bonded pair that separated by death, the Cross was helping Kaname to revive in the new body but the consequences were he won't be able to restore his bond. It was either he looking for new prime omega or staying unmated. And the pureblood ancestor was never mated ever since. He was determined to find his beloved once again.

The pact between the Cross and the Kuran's gave Kaien the courage to approach Kaname. For the young pup that he'll never have the joy of having, Zero was a blessing for Kaien omega's.

Standing in front of Kaname’s office, one of the butlers opened the door for Kaien

“Kuran-sama had been expecting your arrival, Sir Cross”

“Thank you”

Kaien silently approached the mahogany desk, where a certain pureblood king was reviewing his work

“Cross” Kaname acknowledge

“Kuran”

“Please, just call me Kaname. How was the school that you’re building?”

“The progress was good and thank you for the donation from the council. The Hunter Association will definitely move in a better direction” Kaien smile

“Good, good, and the reason you’re here are?” Kaname arched his eyebrow

“I am adopting a youngling, barely a kid. His parents and twin were brutally murdered by purebloods….” Kaien drags the last part. And it had Kaname’s attention

“And which family is it?”

“Hio. Shizuka Hio. Yagari managed to take her down and killed her before she drained this kid”

“Sigh….. That crazy family. I’ll have a word with them and make sure the slaughtered pack gets even compensation, and which pack suffered such tragic fate?”

“Kiryuu” ice spread on Kaname’s bone. No way that Kiryuu still had an heir, he slaughtered them all and only the Cross that was left. “Before you throw a rage, the Cross manage to save a twin Kiryuu from one of the dead pregnant mothers, this is what my ancestor tell me”

“If you say so, Cross. What do you need me for?” for a millisecond, Kaname’s demeanour changed from relaxed to hardened.

“I’m asking your favour for my pack member in exchange for us sheltering your sister when you gain your power on the council” Kaien pledged

“And why does it concerns me?”

"We could guarantee Yuki's safety from the assassin when you take over your council, we have Yagari that could take even royal pureblood down. Also, it's been seven years since the attack and this pup was supposed to be presented as a wolf. Still, as time passed, there was no sign of him being presented as a wolf, but he showed symptoms of turning into a vampire or maybe a pseudo. Still, the chance was small if he was a pseudo one, since the wolf in this kid is basically a pup, there is no way that young wolf can survive a pureblood poison. And his sire was killed by your uncle. You know there are consequences, right" Kaien trailed

“And you let such dangerous thing near Yuuki? He can swiftly evolve into level E in no time”

“I pledged myself to Yuki’s safety and this kid, and his vampiric side had been dormant Kuran, we can’t be sure until he is at the right ages to present whether he is a level E or Pseudo”

“Mistaken not Kaien. I do this only for Yuuki’s sake, since she adores you as her uncle”, Kaname rose from his seat. “I’ll meet the Kiryuu boy right now and make sure he doesn’t go rabid when he near Yuuki.”

Kaien can only stiffly nod, and this is currently the best option he can offer Zero right now. He can't bear seeing his best friend pup suffering this much. As much as it pained him knowing Zero was badly poisoned from the pureblood that he could no longer present as a wolf, it was his selfish wish to shelter Zero and let him live. As a barren omega, Kaien's maternal instinct went haywire when he found Zero on the brink of death at such a young age.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Present time

Drowning in his sorrow because of Yuuki choosing to be with Kaname in the end, Zero didn’t notice Kaito always visiting him in the last week. His intention was clear. The newly mature alpha of the Yagari pack wants to court him. And Zero was dumbfounded when Kaito stated his purpose in the middle of the Hunter Association annual meeting. Don’t be mistaken, it was their tradition to announce their courting in the forum but it was unheard of that a candidate of Prime Alpha was courting a vampire, a low-level one. Prime Alpha was the next candidate for President of the Hunter Association. Kaito must be crazy. How could he court someone like Zero, a turned wolf, where Kaito Takamiya was such an excellent hunter from a young age. In his vein is the blood of the Dire Wolf, the first ever that walked on this earth, as old as the Kuran’s pureblood prince. Another thing that Zero overlooked was that his heat was approaching in full force as his wolf awakened and matured, fighting his level E and vampiric side to shreds.

Zero’s Bedroom

Zero was writhing on his bed, his body temperature rising gradually. He felt like something was crawling under his skin. After his last feeding session with Kaname yesterday there is this lingering feeling that Zero can’t pinpoint. He just brushes it off as their graduations are near and Yuuki is going to leave with Kaname. His best friend going to leave him. Left him alone on his birthday in a few days. Also, the day when all his family and his twin were brutally slaughtered was twenty years ago but the pain was still fresh. As if it just yesterday

Zero didn't notice that he had emitted a strong scent of ripe omega wolf in heat since his last two feeding sessions with Kaname. It was mild at first, Kaname noticed that Zero smell had changed, from the typical scent of the fresh cotton to the level as if level D was dousing himself in perfume, and a feminine one at that. Zero smells like freshly bloomed lilac with a hint of white flowers and vanilla. A pleasing scent, if Kaname was honest. Entirely different from Yuuki, she had this enticing smell but mainly came from her blood being a pureblooded vampire. But Zero, Zero awakened something primal and dangerous to Kaname. The ancient purebloods didn't want to admit it, but Zero smells like an omega wolf, in its prime. But he can't prove anything since the boy flies faster than light when his feeding session is done. Left Kaname with a lingering hunger for a prime omega. But that kind of omega already died with the last Kiryuu bloodline alive, Ichiru Kiryuu. There is no way Zero is prime omega since he was turned into a vampire. Unless by feeding from him, the poison is replenished and Zero wolf is not dead. It means the boy was presenting. And as omega on top of that…… Kaname didn't dare to speculate but if it was what he imagined, Zero was his. HIS TO CLAIM!! Kaname's inner demon roared. His prime omega was back.

Unable to handle the heat anymore, Zero strips down all his clothes and runs the coldest bath in the middle of the night. With the hope that it could calm him down, but this heat was persistent. Zero redressed and headed to the forest, he needed to get to the lake. It was early spring, the lake should be cold enough to calm his burning body. Unaware of slick dripping down from his back entrance, Zero dashed in the middle of the night.

- - - - - - - - -

When Kaito said he was restless, it was understandable, he was imprinting on Zero a few nights ago when the boy was unaware. He knows if Kaito imprinted Zero directly, he would refuse. But there are this pull and his instinct never lies. Zero was an omega wolf, not a vampire. Even if he was a vampire, Kaito going to court him. Nonetheless, he loves Zero for what he is, even with his attitude.

Kaito feels like he needs to get close to Zero, some unexplainable desire running through his veins and burning him inside out.

“Something wrong, kid?” Yagari asked, seeing his successor had been squirming in his seat in the past hour

“No…. it’s…. I don’t know” Kaito said, uncertainty in his words. Yagari arched his eyebrow.

“You sure it’s okay?” Yagari asked once again

“No. I need to be somewhere sensei, please cover me for the Hunter Association tonight” Kaito, unable to contain his uneasiness, shifted and bolted immediately.

"What a brat" Yagari sighed and continued sorting some reports from yesterday's mission.

‘Zero, beloved Zero,’ Kaito wolf hums in agreement, and they need to be near Zero no matter what, he howled, calling for Zero wolf, hoping he would answer but nothing replied.

~On the Other Side~

Kaname was in his study when he felt it. A mating call from a prime omega. Prime omega was as rare as ancient pureblood, presented once in a few hundred years. The last prime omega that peaked their potential was Kaname's late mate. But unfortunately, the boy died because of the Hunter Association's stupidity. Kaname's demon was restless in his cage and tried to break free a few times. Kaname did his best to sate his inner demon, even though he requested Yuuki's blood, but it didn't quench his thirst, making his inner monster angrier. Kaname was aware that his control was slipping, and he let the demon loose. Consequences are damned; let's see where the lord of darkness wants.

Kaname's demeanour was changed immediately. Gone was the gentle, pureblood prince. The Kaname now is the first vampire to walk this earth, the gluttony demon lord of darkness. One of the seven sins, the third king reigns in hell. Kaname's skin was pale as the death himself, his red eyes glowing in the darkness of his study, three sets of blackened wing adore his back the fingertips was darkened as his claws and fangs elongated.

"Onii-sama. Are you inside? I need to talk to you" Yuuki, unaware of what happened inside Kaname's study, decided to go, and she got the most terrifying growl as a reply. Yuuki froze. That is not his brother anymore. That was the ancient Kuran answering her. She always knew that vampire was born from the lord of the damned and the lord was still walking this earth to this day, but the chance to meet him was slim to none, even if her brother was the one hosting the demon. Yuuki gulped. She slowly retracted, she didn't want to show her back to the demon. "G-good n-night m-my lord"

The demon was pleased that the girl was gone. Now, where he left off? Kaname opened all his senses, so look for that enticing smell of prime omega. His rightfully mate. He found that the boy was slowly stripping his clothes near the lake, slowly, his scent was muddled with nature, and the boy must be dipping into the lake already. He flaps his giant triplets off the wing and takes off as fast as the light.

On the other end, Kaito is now fully transformed into a giant werewolf and standing on hind legs. He was howling and howling, but no answer from Zero wolf, and then he sensed it. The archdemon was near him. Kaito jumped into a sprint, trying to catch up with the demon.

The silver-haired beauty keeps unaware that he attracted two prime rulers because of his heat and decides to submerge his feverish naked body into the cold spring lake, staying as long as possible until his lungs allow him to. Zero emerged from the water as the moon shone on him, enhancing the silver-haired omega's devastating beauty. As if the moon goddess herself bless him with her beauty. Zero feels a little bit better with the lake's freezing water; it helps with his feverish skin. But his back entrance getting more sensitive. His back entrance wasn't supposed to be this sensitive. Zero dared himself; using his nimble finger he tried to touch his hole and found it really warm to touch and there was some kind of slick leaking out from him. Zero freak out. He is no longer a wolf and, moreover an omega. That place shouldn't be leaking lubricant right now. If what Zero thought was right, it means he is currently in heat. Zero, trying to reach out to his entrance once more, gather some lubricant in his finger and bring it to his nose, trying to scent it. It was unmistakably the smell of slick that diluted with the lake water. Damn it, he was really in heat and being outside and alone was the worst decision to make. Zero realizes the grave mistake he made and tries to swim to the lake banks before he can swim. Someone caught his hand, the hand that still had a little slick that he scented earlier, a forked tongue was licking his diluted slick, and a satisfying purr was heard.

“What a beautiful, ripe omega. My perfect omega”

Zero froze. He knows that voice very well, but usually, the gentle baritone not gruff and demonic. Before Zero can react, Kaname pulls Zero into his warm embrace and wrap him in a soft, fluffy towel.

“K-Kuran” can’t hide his initial shock, Zero stared into red wine orbs that were usually garnet.

"Sush my omega, I am Kaname, the lord of darkness. But for you beloved, I am your alpha," he purrs, nibling the finger that felt cold in his hand; Kaname bites Zero's finger. A tiny bite was enough to give him information about the beauty in his arm "Zero, my Zero, my dearest heart."

Listening to the vampire lord's undying confession makes Zero's body shiver from the excitement that he doesn't understand. His wolf was in triumph that he managed to attract such a strong and dangerous mate. Zero trembles again, this time he finally can feel and see his wolf. Beautiful wolf with pure silver as his coat and eyes was enticing lilac. He was still amazed that he could feel his wolf, and a terrifying roar redirected his attention. The satisfying purr that lulled him now changed into a threatening growl. In the banks, Zero can see Kaito in his wolf form, staring angrily at the being that held him now. Zero whines in distress, and he tries to get away from Kaname's embrace. He was in heat, and two supreme beings emitting a murderous aura around him. His sweet, inviting scent now turns into cold in fear. The two alpha stunned in silence, they scared the omega. Kaname lowers his murderous intent and starts purring again, and so does Kaito. But both alphas were glaring daggers at each other.

Zero scents haven't changed, he was in distress and Kaname realized this. He summoned his sabre and aimed in Kaito's direction while using his telekinetic power to flee with Zero in hand. Kaito roared in pain, pain because of the damned leech taking away his Zero not from the sabre-laced wolfsbane.

Kaname didn’t bother to return to the Cross academy, he was teleported to his master bedroom in the Kuran mansion. Zero landed in a bed with too much Kaname scent, the scent of ice and ozone, with a hint of rose and wine. Cold and dangerous. Zero scrambled in bed, trying to get away from such dangerous alpha. But Kaname has none; he pulls Zero to his embrace and starts purring, nosing his omega gland on his nape, and Zero is now a mess. His heat came back ferociously, and he started leaking and emitting a strong, inviting scent that had Kaname dizzy with lust. His omega was fertile and ready to breed. Zero will give him a strong heir of his own. The heir to his throne is a vampire king and demon lord.

Kaname started nibbling Zero's neck and down to his spine, Zero was sprawled on Kaname's bed as the vampire groped his plump cheeks and started lapping his entrance hungrily. Zero yelps. The cold tongue on his feverish skin made his heat and horniness come back tenfold, he was in full-blown heat. He realizes that Kaname's tongue dwells deeper and touches the peripheral of his prostate nerves, it feels good but not enough. There is an insatiable itch inside his passage, and his womb is ready to be filled with Kaname's seed. Wait a minute…. Zero is not supposed to be had this kind of thought. He wasn't in a good term with Kaname since he found out his best friend was engaged to her brother. Leeches and their weird tradition. Sensing Zero trying to get away, Kaname declawed three of his finger so he had blunt nails that won't hurt his omega.

Without much preamble, Kaname replaces his tongue with three of his finger and hits Zero’s prostate dead on. The silver-haired beauty arched from the bed his small and cute dick was twitching to live, his sense was overloaded with pleasure and Zero let honest to god moans. It pleased Kaname to no end, he tried to scissor his finger, and Zero velvety walls were welcoming his finger, so he added another one. Zero openly whimpered, he tried to get away from Kaname’s insisted finger on his prostate

“K-kana-Ahn-me… please” Zero didn’t know why he pleading.

"Sush, love, I know" Kaname nuzzled Zero's neck again and lightly bit it. Zero went pliant. Kaname hurriedly undressed, sighed when his erection was finally free, and nothing prepared Zero when the alpha virile scent hit him full force. His body gets incredibly hot as Zero lust reaches a new peak, if possible, his dick goes more rigid in the nest, almost transparent silver hair, the slick pouring from his entrance into his plump cheeks and thigh. Impatient, Kaname scoops some of the slicks to lubricate his aching dick. Kaname flips Zero to his back, positioning Zero legs to circle his hip.

“My beloved….” Kaname kissed Zero hungrily, and the omega was surprised… with the affection he received from the demon. It makes him pliant and his wolf purring in delight. Nothing can prepare Zero when Kaname penetrates him, it is too much, too hot, too big. Zero sense was overloaded and he was confused. That thing is splitting him in two, when he looks down it only halfway in, Zero starts to struggle to let that out.

"No.. noh… no" Zero breathlessly struggle, trying to get away from Kaname's excuse of male genitalia, it only excites Kaname more. Kaname grip Zero hips firmly and slide home. More slick pours out of Zero when Kaname's dick hits his prostate and stimulates his other spot. Like every omega wolf, he had two pleasure spots, one was his prostate, and the other was his gspot near his cervix. Zero screams. The stimulation was too much. His brain turns into mush he can't think about anything else but pleasure.

Kaname, as if he was encouraged, didn’t wait for Zero to adjust to his size, he pulled out slowly and then slammed in without mercy. And then he set a brutal pace, hellbent on bringing Zero to the higher pleasure he can offer. Zero openly sobbing.

Kaname ruined him for good, the pace that Kaname set didn’t give him any moment to break. He was confused, but Kaname was really persistent in drowning him.

"Kaname~! AH!! Slow-ah!! Slower!!..hyah~!!" Zero grips the sheet like his life depended on it, he knew it was impossible to escape from Kaname's grip, but at least he tried. Keyword : Tried.

"Don't go away love, my beloved Zero" Kaname once again nuzzled Zero's neck and pulled him close. Kaname's dick goes deeper than before and now it is touching his cervix. Zero cried.

“P-please... Not Ah! Not that-ngh-no that ah-ah! Place!!” Zero tried to push away Kaname that still had jack rabbiting inside him.

“I can’t do that, Zero” Kaname now gripping Zero hands and using them as his leverage to fuck the boy harder

“Hyaaa~ cuming!! Kaname I’m gonna cum, gonna cum!!” Zero struggled anew, feeling his orgasm building and reaching rapidly. But his effort was nothing to Kaname. He keeps fuck the boy like no tomorrow when Zero was convulsing and shivering as his first orgasm hits him hard and draws out. Zero entrance grows more sensitive than before.

“KANAME!! Kaname, I just cum, stop!! HYAH!! Stop it, stop!! No more I can’t take it, Kanameeh!”

“I’m sorry beloved” Kaname was determined to chase his own release, his movement was uncontrollable and Zero was crying out, begging for mercy as his second orgasm crested. Zero screamed hoarse when Kaname shot his load directly into his womb and his knot started to enlarge and press on Zero prostate.

After years of suppressed wolf and heat, Zero's heat lasted almost a week. His heat only stops when Zero finally catch and Kaname's instinct goes haywire to protect. He even binds Zero with the womb tattoo when he bites down on his omega glands. It means Zero was tied to Kaname forever.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Zero was seven months pregnant when he had to attend Kaname's appointment as the leader of the Vampire Council. Almost all of the butler of the Kuran household was busy that evening, preparing everything for their king consort. Kaname appointed eight experienced ladies waiting to cater to his mate's needs when he was unavailable. Today was Kaname's coronation but they put it as an appointment because he was the only pureblood alive and no one dared to oppose him. Kaname was dressed in his black suit, with the iconic Kuran's rose cufflink, matching his beloved. Zero was dressed in baby blue formal kimono with roses embroidery on the bottom doubled with lilac-coloured haori for additional warmth. Usually, he always wears a veil when coming to a formal gathering because Kaname will get jealous and could end up in a brawl. But today, Kaname is the one who's asking him not to wear it.

"I want to show the world that this beauty was mine" Kaname smiled as he kissed Zero's lips.

“Hmph, show off” Zero huffed, and Kaname chuckled.

“Kuran-sama, king consort Kuran-sama. The event is going to start. All of them waiting for both of you, your majesty, to walk down the altar and take the vow” the staff bowed down and opened the door

“Shall we, beloved?” Kaname offered his hand, and Zero gladly accepted. Kaname still emits his cold and dangerous scent, but there is a hint of possessiveness, and if you try hard enough, an underlying gentle scent of lilac is there. Zero was beautiful as ever, with him being pregnant, his scent growing more gentle and maternal. That’s when Kaito saw him again, his (once) beloved Zero, in all of his beautiful pregnant glory, in the arm of another man.

fin.

#kaname x zero #Top Kaname #Bottom Zero #I tried okay #but yeah #heed the warnings

26 notes · View notes

adarkrainbow · 1 year

Text

Some Brothers Grimm fairytales facts (2)

10) We left on the last post on the explanation, according to Marthe Robert, of why fairytales were “so innocent and yet so cruel”. Aka, why the märchen keeps evoking blood-spilling actions, murders and mutilations, human sacrifices, as if it wasn’t revolting actions, but rather every-day, common things. This is, according to her, because the crualty is tied to the “ritual world” of which the fairytale is a distant reflection. The fairytale isn’t here to silence or mute the cruelty of life, but to make it manifest. Due to its “initiation ritual” nature of the fairytale, the omnipresence of blood in fairytales makes sense: young girls mutilate their feet upon their wedding night (the sisters of Cinderella, with the “blood in the slippers), young girls have their hands cut-off by their father (The Girl Without Hands), fathers sacrifice their own sons (Faithful John, The Twelve Brothers, The Raven...) and husbands kill their beloved wives. The blood consacrates a ritual transition no one can escape from.

The bloody sacrifice can sometimes be coupled wth an ascetism: a complete fasting, an interdiction of talk or laugh (vows often taken by young girls to help their brothers), a long isolation in a dark forest. In many ways, the trial is the reason of being of the fairytale, the test is its main teaching.

11) Another strong “folklorist” belief pronounced here by Marthe Robert: According to her, one can only be amazed to see how this teaching still survived with a stubborness despite the cultural shifts, and especially despite the influence of Christianity. And she suggest that perhaps, it survived thanks to “those old women, good women or nurses who, passing on the story from generation to generation, by the fireside, played humbly and unknowingly the role of the “wise-woman” and the “fairy”.

12) This is another belief of the “psycho-analytic” reading of the fairytale: “fairytales exclusively talk about families”. There is a whole passage dedicated to that: according to it, this is why fairytales speak so much to children and are better understood by them, and why they believe in them on an instinctual level - because children find in those stories elements they identify with themselves, their parents, their family. According to the interpretation of Robert, fairytales actually exclusively evolve in the familial world, which ends up being confused with the “true” world. As a result, every “kingdom” of fairytales is in fact just the image of a family unit, a well-defined and limited family inside of which a tragedy will happen. The king of the kingdom is always the husband or the father, “nothing else, or at least this is how he is presented to us”. His immense wealth, his political power, his numerous belongings, are only here to “highlight the paternal authority” - because very ofte, beyond his status as a king, nothing much is known of him. Very often, kings are only introduced by “Once upon a time, there was a king who had a son”, and then the story forgets all about the king to follow the son’s adventures - except maybe until the end, where the son has to reconcile himself with his father. In fact, the exact same story plays out when the father isn’t a king, but just an humble man. The king in the märchen is merely a man defined by carnal and affective relationships with the other members of his family. The king is never a bachelor, and when he is a widow (which happens often), his most important business is to find a new wife - and again, this is a structure also found among “common-rank fathers” of fairytales, such as the father of Cinderella. The king cannot stay without a wife, and even less without a child, and every time he is in a bad situation, the narration somehow gets him out of it. As for the queen, she also solely exists to be a wife and a mother, while the prince and the princess embody the son and the daughter - at least untl they create their own families, and mark the end of a rule - the end of the rule of the older generation.

13) So, with “simplicity”, the fairytales of the Grimms are always a “familial novel” with an unmoving schema: a child is born in an anonymous family located in an unknown country. The child is either loved or abused by its parents, and it is worth noting that the worst treatments of the child always come from the mother, whose ferocity clashes with the kindness of the father, who is sometimes a dreamer, sometimes a coward. (Abusive fathers can be found but only rarely - for example in The Twelve Brothers, or in “The goose-girl at the well”, and they pale in comparison to the numerous wicked stepmothers. In fact, the very stepmother position of the abusive mother shows what she is truly: a cruel, devouring, jealous mother who opposes the sweet and loving mother, devoted until her sacrifice - because this mother, with rare exceptions, is always either absent or dead.)

Always, the childhood of the protagonist has some accidents. If the protagonist is loved by their parents, they will be hated by a brother or sister. If the protagonist is surrounded by friendship and affection, they will e hunted down by a fault prior to their birth, usually the fault of one in their family: it can be an omission, a careless wish, a naive promise to the devil. As a result, the protagonist cannot grow up normally: as soon as they become a teenager, they need to leave their family, and go throughout the world... And it is there, in this world of “the dark woods”, where the protagonist needs to lose themselves, that they will encounter lack of resources, anguish, loneliness, and the first touch of love. The protagonist will go down a path covered with perils, where a wicked spirit will be hunting them down - as if leaving their family couldn’t defeat their familial fatality. The only hope of saving comes from encountering the being they will love, and who will “deliver” them from the spell tied to his “infantile attachments”. The one who cannot fully and definitively cut their ties to their family is doomed. The one who manages to cut off all the heads of the dragon wins ; but if the protagonist returns to their house and breaks the promise done to their beloved of not kissing their parents or speaking more than “three words” to them... they will be plunged back in oblivion and unconsciousness, in the chaos of childhood they had such a hard time getting out from. And if, awake dreamers, they accept the spouse prepared by their parents, and thus abandon their free choice of love, they will lose themselves forever by losing their “true love”.

Note: This is here the psycho-analytic reading of the fairytale in all of its splendor. This psychanalytic aspect only gets reinforced by the next sentences, where Marthe Robert compares the prince of the fairytale with Oedipus out of all things! The difference between the hero of a fairytale and Oedipus, is that the hero ends up overcoming his trial and being spared from Oedipus double-crime - the hero manages to overcome the violence manifested within the “father-realm”, by doing so breaks off his “infantile ties” and is thus able to live happily ever after, as a counterpoint to Oedipus who fails to properly defeat the violence and desires of his father. All in all, according to Robert, the fairytale shows that the transition from teenagehood from adulthood is always filled with perils. In short, it is a true “novel of sentimental education”, with a strong pedagogic vocation.

14) Continuing on the “pedagogic nature” of the fairytale, Marthe Robert points out that, even though the realm of the fairytale is a “realm of the desire”, where the wish and its fulfilling are not separated in any way, the märchen still offer points of views and descriptions of the every-day reality, of the hidden/obscure work, of the suffering and the patience that is built up every day ; but these topics are looked at with many different looks - some bright, sometimes piercing, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but always with “a lot of warmth, a lot of light, and a true love for life”. If the fairytale offers a “consoling world where every misery is balanced by the accomplishment of impossible desires”, it has too much respect to “deny misery itself” - rather, it denotes its presence with a form of melancholy. She points out how in “The Goose-girl at the well”, the story points out that the miracle of tears turning into pearls “doesn’t happen anymore these days, else poor people would soon become rich.” It is true that the fairytale puts an end to the natural laws, but it is still filled wth flesh and blood, it never ignores the body of its hero, it describes characters tormented by hunger, coldness and tiredness. Fairytales also keep the memory of war: the simple soldier will become a king, not so much because of his virtue, but because of his bravery and exploits ; but before that, the soldier will be depicted despondent and humiliated, made bitter and now ready to do anything, as a simple jobless mercenary. “Fairytales do not merely animated vasts countries of which the king is the dream. Like every other deep and poetic works, the fairytale is attentive and respectful of life in its most humble manifestations: through this, it gains its main privilege, which is to lie without giving credit to the illusion, to lie while staying true”.

#fairytales #fairy tales #marthe robert #grimm fairytales #brothers grimm #psychanalytic fairytales #psychanalytic interpretation #german fairytales #fairytale archetypes #fairytale structure

5 notes · View notes