#Lunar Myths Saga

[thefirstknife]

The Witness and the Unveiling

I've been processing the new cutscene for days now and had a lot of good conversations with other people. A lot of people are interested in figuring out what this cutscene means for the lore book Unveiling, which is also my big interest. I'll talk about the lore book itself and how it related to the cutscene and what that possibly means for our understanding of the setting.

A LOT of the text will be super speculative, very long, often abstract and ultimately not conclusive. I'll drop absolutely everything I can think of to discuss about this to try and gather every possible question and possible answers in one place. But the truth is that we don't know the answers to these questions and maybe we never will.

What is the Unveiling lore book?

First things first. The Unveiling is a lore book that we started uncovering at the end of Shadowkeep. Shadowkeep campaign ends with us acquiring a strange artifact: an orb that we recover from the Lunar Pyramid, in front of the statue of a veiled figure. As soon as we touch it, we are transported into the Black Garden and the cutscene with our clone plays.

After this cutscene, we return to the Moon and we give the orb we collected to Eris. At the time of Shadowkeep's original release, Eris worked on the orb for weeks to come, revealing 1 lore tab per week. Every page of this lore book is narrated by an unknown entity who told us about the time before the universe existed and then about the creation of the universe. It also told us about the Gardener and the Winnower, their struggle, their philosophies, what we (Guardians) mean to them and ultimately what might be coming in the future. It's one of the fundamental texts for Destiny.

Is the Unveiling now retconned with the new cutscene?

This is a question that gets both asked and claimed a lot. The answer is no. First and foremost, if we're talking about a hard retcon (Bungie saying that this lore book is no longer considered canon or Bungie simply ignoring to mention it ever again), that is literally impossible. Unveiling is the culmination of a non-vaulted campaign that's considered a big part of the Light and Darkness saga and it will never be removed from canon. This text is not only the ending of a campaign, it is referenced in-game; characters have canonically read it and commented on it, most notably in Witch Queen Collector's Edition and it's directly referenced in the lore book Inspiral from the newest raid which I'll touch on later. But the point is, if they wanted to quickly push Unveiling under the rug, they wouldn't have told us "hey remember Unveiling?" with the Lightfall's raid lore.

If people are talking about a retcon in the sense of "we believed that certain things from this text are true, but now new information is challenging that, does that mean that the original text is being retroactively changed or rendered pointless?" The answer is also no, though with a big caveat. (super long post under)

The thing is that the Unveiling was never 100% proven true. We have always known this. We've received this text from a Darkness artifact and the narrator of it is very clearly both biased and unreliable. The Unveiling is not telling us objective truth, it's telling us a biased interpretation of something that may or may not be truth. There is probably some truth to the Unveiling, which I'll get into a bit later, but it is largely a propaganda piece, meant to sway us to the side of the Darkness and reject the Traveler (Gardener). It uses a familiar and casual language to make it more relatable while it talks about how the Gardener made a fundamental mistake by wanting to introduce complexity and unpredictability to life.

So if new information comes out and says "Unveiling was all a lie or wrong or simply a myth with little connection to reality" it would be perfectly in line with what we know about Unveiling right now. I expected that at some point we should learn directly if Unveiling was just a biased tale filled about something incomprehensible that may never be fully true. The new cutscene does nothing to Unveiling outside of simply giving it a new context and a new way to interpret it. This is not new for the Destiny setting which is actually filled with unreliable narrators, characters who lie and characters who are wrong. As a matter of fact, that's what any setting should be like if it strives for realistic storytelling.

The fact that the Unveiling is directly referenced in the newest lore from the newest raid means that Bungie didn't magically forget about this lore book. They literally basically added two extra pages of it with Root of Nightmares. But we never knew the true meaning of the Unveiling so any new information that confirms or denies certain parts of it makes full sense in the story.

Unveiling and the Witness cutscene

So, what are the issues and contention between these two things? Well, there's a lot. A lot of little details from the Witness cutscene are now putting a lot of original interpretations of Unveiling into question. Did we blindly believe in this origin of the universe myth that the Unveiling told? Is it a complete fabrication? Is there at least a kernel of truth to it? Who wrote the Unveiling?

The biggest divergence comes from the fact that Unveiling claims there are incomprehensible entities that created the universe called Gardener and Winnower; the Gardener becoming the Traveler and the Winnower being completely unknown. The cutscene explicitly calls the Traveler "Gardener" but it's revealed that was a name given to it by the Witness' species when they stumbled upon it on their planet, covered in dirt. How can this be the entity that created the universe?

When the Witness was officially introduced at the end of the Witch Queen, the immediate assumption of many was that the Witness was the Winnower. This is now categorically untrue, at least on some level (will get to it eventually later); the Witness is not an entity that fought the Gardener in the allegorical garden that predates the existence of the universe. So does the Winnower still exist as that entity that fought in the garden?

Let's summarise the Unveiling piece by piece first. First page is an introduction with a lot of grand claims about the nature of existence. It immediately makes it clear that the narrator is selling us a worldview:

But imagine the abomination of a world where nothing can end and no choice can be preferred to any other. Imagine the things that would suffer and never die. Imagine the lies that would flourish without context or corrective. Imagine a world without me.

Pages two, three, four and five claim to detail a time from before the universe existed presented in an allegorical tale about a Gardener and Winnower that live in a garden and play a game. The allegorical language is not subtextual, it's very much explicitly told that this is an allegory.

Once upon a time,* a gardener and a winnower lived** together in a garden.*** * It was once before a time, because time had not yet begun. ** We did not live. We existed as principles of ontological dynamics that emerged from mathematical structures, as bodiless and inevitable as the primes. *** It was the field of possibility that prefigured existence.

The story goes: before the universe existed, Gardener and Winnower played a game of life. They were able to configure the game board with starting set pieces and then let it play out and see what comes out of it. The end of the game was always the same; the same pattern would always win and the game's ending would always be predictable. This bothered the Gardener who wanted complexity and freedom. It didn't bother the Winnower; the Winnower prefered the clean and clear cut outcome that always follows the same principles and always leads to the same conclusion.

Page six is an interjection with a philosophical question about the nature of a specific protein. The page explains it to us and asks if this protein is an agent of Darkness or the Light. This is not entirely relevant to the topic at hand, but it's important for the understanding of how Unveiling is trying to exert its bias onto the reader by presenting some sort of a gotcha. It wants us to come to the conclusions that benefits the narrator.

After that, page seven resumes the origin story of the universe. They fought together in the garden about their differences and about the Gardener's decision to make a new rule for the game. Their fight was so fundamental that it led to the creation of the universe. The chapter title is "T=0" which means "time equals zero" and is a part of understanding how the universe was made out of nothing.

The garden had given birth to creation, the rules were in place, and there would never be a second chance. We played in the cosmos now. We played for everything.

Page eight returns to trying to sway us to its side by telling us that the concept of predation is what made all of life possible and that it is the narrator who is responsible for our existence.

It was the first defector—the first predator. It changed everything. Now the oozeballs needed sensors to watch for danger, and brains to integrate those senses and generate plans of survival, and swift neurons and muscles to enact that plan. This was the Cambrian Explosion, the great birth of complex life on your world. I caused it. I, the defector, the destroyer, the one who takes.

It's selling us a worldview again. It wants us to believe that the reason we have everything we do is because of the sword logic; everyone fighting for the right to exist. When everyone fights, everyone has to evolve to defend and survive, therefore the reason we've evolved is because we had to fight. This is a huge contrast with how the Gardener works. The Gardener jumpstarts and uplifts species by gardening, terraforming, evolving them without the need to struggle. The Gardener also doesn't pick and choose when it comes to terraforming; everyone is equally important and you don't have to justify or prove your right to exist. An ant's value is the same as a human's. To the narrator, that simply cannot be. If the ant can't prove the right to exist by being stronger, then it should not exist. This always showed bias and the way this ideology works on the misinterpretation of the "survival of the fittest" phrase; survival of the fittest isn't "survival of the strong" it's "survival of those who are best adapted to their environment."

Page nine is very important and is one of the things that makes Unveiling possibly true in some aspects. Namely, this page called Patternfall, is about the Vex. The narrator describes the Vex and how they existed in the allegorical garden from which they escaped into the universe with the Big Bang. Before the battle between Gardener and Winnower, the Vex, this pattern, always won the game. The Vex were the winning outcome of every game played, the source of Gardener's frustration and Winnower's elation.

Given that we know that the Vex are real and that they have a... tenuous relationship with time, this part of the story feels correct. It would make sense that the Vex predate time itself, which would explain why they are able to navigate it and manipulate it as easily as we manipulate any other force; the Vex already existed when all of time was a singularity before the Big Bang, this is known to them. Not only that, but the Vex can't understand paracausality, which was added to the game as a new rule, a rule they've never seen before. The description of the Vex in this chapter is also on point so it's has to be correct or close to correct.

They propagated in the saline meltwater of comets orbiting the first stars. That broth of chemicals became their substrate, and they learned to catalyze impossible chemistry with quantum tricks. Then, they rained from the sky into the steaming seas of fallow worlds, and there they built their first housings from geometry and silica.

We know that they are linked to first stars because of Clovis Bray's expedition to 2082 Volantis, an impossibly old star dating back to the beginning of the universe that the Vex have kept artificially alive ever since by refuelling it.

In all their transformations, they retained that kernel of ultimate self-sufficiency that had made them victors in the flower game. But they are not incontrovertibly destined to rule this cosmos. They were made before Light and Darkness, but the rules are different now, and even this pattern must adapt.

Patternfall also makes a note about the Vex that are alligned with Darkness: Sol Divisive of the Black Garden.

They are not all mine, not in the way that admirers such as my man Oryx are mine: utterly devoted to the practice of my principle. But some of them have, nonetheless, found their way home.

This specific page tells us that at least in some way, some sections of the Unveiling must be telling an objective truth, or at least be as close to the truth as possible. Barring any new reveals about the Vex, this seems to fit with what we know about them so it must be correct. The Vex are the way they are because they predate the universe and their existence in the universe right now is the only remnant of a time before time. They used to be the final shape, always, until paracausality was introduced and now they must fight with the rest of us to reclaim their position. This means that the allegorical garden where the Gardener and Winnower lived and fought must be in some way real. Remember, we are talking about a time from before the universe. The word "real" is a very loose description of that place, but the Vex must've come from there and possibly have a memory of being there so it there must be a "there" before the Big Bang. Mind boggling stuff going on. (As an aside, the Vex HAVE to be the core of The Final Shape expansion. They gotta. Also note that there is a weird metaphysical space on the other side of the portal)

Speaking of aspects that have to be true or at least reflect truth; there is the Tree of Silver Wings. This is mentioned throughout Unveiling as a tree that existed in the garden that was toppled when the Gardener and Winnower fought. The Tree is clearly real because we've seen iterations of it several times now. A completely new Tree was grown in the cradle on Io and now we can also see the Tree in Root of Nightmares, growing at the cradle on the Witness' Pyramid. The seeds of the Tree are also real; Osiris had one and so did Calus and we've seen both. How does the allegorical Tree from an allegorical garden from before the universe existed relate to the real Trees in a very real universe is completely unknown.

Page ten is a lot more attempts to convince us that the narrator is the correct choice to follow and that its philosophy is the winning one and that we should abandon the Gardener and join them. The narrator also tells us that we don't have rush with our answer because it is coming over to meet us anyway. This was the end of Shadowkeep so it was quite an ominous message. The Shadowkeep year ended with the arrival of the Black Fleet to our system and then was further expanded in Beyond Light where we gained a more direct contact with them and their gifts of stasis.

The final page, eleven, is Eris' message to us about hope and resistance to the allure of Darkness. Mind you that she's not talking about using aspects of Darkness as tools, but more about the philosophy of it as it's presented in Unveiling; you can use the Darkness without entertaining the Darkness and the philosophy of the extreme version of the sword logic.

Okay, so what's the issue between this and the Witness cutscene? Well, before the reveal of the Witness in general, we believed that the narrator of the Unveiling, the Winnower, is the big bad. The entity that is the origin of Darkness, the entity that made the Black Fleet, the entity that controls our enemies. This was never confirmed, but it was a reasonable conclusion to Unveiling, until further notice. Now we know that some parts of this aren't true. The Witness is the big bad and the Pyramids are just the remains of its species' technology. And while the Witness does fulfil some of the roles of the Winnower, we now know that the Witness is not the origin of Darkness so it cannot be the Winnower that's spoken of in Unveiling, not the Winnower that existed before the universe.

The Witch Queen and some hints here and there before that (mostly in the Presage mission where Savathun more or less explicitly told us that the Darkness is not the same as the entity that we're fighting against) introduced the Witness directly without any metaphors or vague language. We finally saw this being, in full glory, as it emerged, moved and spoke. From then until now, we've tried to understand the Witness but we really knew nothing substantial.

A lot of conversations were about the nature of the Witness and the Winnower, the narrator of Unveiling. Were they the same thing? Or are they separate entities? Is the Winnower even real or is it literally just a metaphor for a philosophy, an idea, that the Witness represents? There's always people who will immediately clamor about "retcons" but once again, the Unveiling was never an objective truth. We made assumptions about the Unveiling and its narrator, but none of those assumptions were ever confirmed in any way. This is also reflected in-game with characters discussing the meaning of the Unveiling in many different ways. Unveiling being unreliable and unclear was intended. The Witness existing does not contradict or remove Unveiling's significance. It just recontextualises and already unreliable text that was never objective to begin with.

And it continues to do so. The Witness cutscene first and foremost shows us the Traveler, curiously covered in dirt and depicted almost as if it's rising from the ground. The Witness' people are described as discovering it and naming it "Gardener." It then uplifted them, terraformed their world and gave them a golden age which is familiar to us.

But wait. If the Gardener is from a time before the universe, how is it now suddenly a dirt covered orb on a random planet? This is where the Unveiling being interpreted literally becomes a problem. If the Gardener (and Winnower) aren't from a time before the Big Bang and that whole allegory of a garden that existed before the universe is a lie, then what is the Unveiling and who wrote it and for what purpose?

I've seen a lot of good discussions on it that I'd like to highlight here. This post discusses things in a similar way to what I'm writing here, for example. Just a little while ago, I reblogged this interpretation of it which I really like which differs from this. There's been a lot of various similar theories in which the Witness has simply created this idea of the Winnower and the associated philosophy after it went through an existential crisis of catastrophic proportions; the Unveiling is simply entirely a lie, an attempt to make people believe the winnowing philosophy.

It's a good question to ask what of the story of the Vex and the Gardener if Unveiling is fully a lie. A really important note here is that we've known from other sources that the Traveler is the Gardener. Both from other characters, most notably in Lightfall from Osiris, but also from the Traveler itself and the Unveiling. So if Unveiling is bullshit, what about the Vex and the Gardener? Why did the Gardener even appear on the random planet from the dirt?

My theory is that Unveiling is partially correct. Something incomprehensible WAS happening before the universe existed; it involved forces that would end up becoming the Light and Darkness, the Gardener, the Vex and probably the Veil. This period of time is so abstract and unfathomable that we cannot physically understand it through anything but allegory. Some believe that the Veil now fulfils the role of the Winnower which is possible, but I'm not sure how likely; we will need even more information on the Veil to make that judgement call. Either way, Unveiling's myth about the origins of everything could still hold true in some regard. If that's true, we know that the Gardener made the new rule for the game (paracausality), caused the Big Bang and inserted itself into the new game (aka into the universe). The Gardener thus became the Traveler which it has refered to as being its body.

It feels like lead and neutronium and electroweak matter fashioned into a moon-sized ball that you must carry as you move.

The time before the universe wasn't physical, but the universe is. This body, the Traveler, had to have been made and it's possible that it was made on the Witness' planet. Perhaps that was one of the first planets in existence, a place where the Gardener forged its body and emerged into the existence as a physical being capable of terraforming. The Light is the domain of the physical so it makes sense that the Gardener has to utilise this physicality to be able to do its thing.

The Darkness is psychic; it's emotion, consciousness, the mind. It doesn't have to be physical. Perhaps the Winnower IS real, but it's simply a metaphysical idea that exists in the universe, but cannot be seen. It can influence others; everyone who ponders on the nature of existence runs the risk of being exposed to the idea of winnowing. It's inevitable. Every conscious being can be influenced by Darkness and it's many possibilities; some perfectly neutral or even good and some bad.

And the Witness' people went highly in-depth in their research of the Gardener and then later the Veil. If they were looking for answers to meaning and purpose, they would've likely come close to understanding the origin of the universe. Perhaps from the Gardener (who was there, before the Big Bang) or perhaps by exploring the Veil (which is, as of now, still fairly unknown as an entity) or maybe even the combination of their investigation into both of those. There's some credence to this in particular, given the memory from Ahsa in week 3, mainly this part:

Two halves of a whole... long divided. A... schism between them. Reunited. [exhales in joy] A glimpse beyond... to the beginning...

This most certainly refers to the Traveler and the Veil being reunited and connected as the Witness' people attempted the connection for the first time. And it offered them "a glimpse beyond to the beginning." Beginning of what if not the universe? The connection was never fully realised and the two were never fully reunited. But they were in Lightfall and in Lightfall, this created a portal to an incomprehensible realm into which nobody but the Witness can enter (for now). This realm acts as if it exists somewhere outside of normal spacetime, somewhere beyond, and it resembles... well, a garden world, like a garden from the allegory of existence before the universe.

If the Witness' people saw how the universe began as explored in the Unveiling, they would've absolutely come to the conclusion that everything is meaningless and that the Gardener did something that led to untold suffering, basically on a whim to seek more complex, but ultimately pointless life. Instead of this perfectly ordered garden world where every outcome is known and there is no deviation from the rules, we received a universe that is seemingly random, chaotic and meaningless. At least that would be the interpretation of it in their mind.

The Gardener could've just let things play out infinitely in the game with the same outcome, with the same pattern, but it didn't. It made the universe instead, filled with infinite mysteries and infinite possibilities and you will never know which one of those possibilities are "correct" and which choices are better than others. You will never know where to go and who to follow and what to do and there is no inherent value to any specific choice you make. Countless species will live and die "without meaning and purpose."

This was terrfying to the Witness' people, possibly exactly because they've seen how things were before. Before the Gardener's actions, everyone would have a specific purpose to fulfil in service of reaching the final shape which is always the same. Now, there is no goal, nothing to work towards, nothing to specific to strive for. So they decided to follow the philosophy of an entity that fought the Gardener and take up its job; to winnow in search for the final shape. To reshape reality, reset existence, "free" the Gardener from its own creation.

In that way, Unveiling is still very much true and it's the same as ever; it's a subjective interpretation of the origins of the universe told in a biased nature by a being that learned to despise the chaos of existence and would want to return to the way things were before.

So who wrote the Unveiling then? Again, many theories. Since the Witness' reveal in WQ, a lot of people speculated that the Witness wrote it and that the Witness is same as the Winnower. That could be true now, in a way; the Witness took up the mantle of the Winnower so it might as well be it. The Unveiling is written with a tone and voice that differs from how we know the Witness, but now we also know that the Witness is a being of billions; perhaps there is a voice in there who writes text and who speaks that way. It could also be just a ruse; the Witness is a manipulator who lies constantly. It could've written this text in this way to deliberately confuse, manipulate and coerce us; the Unveiling "tone" is fake and it was also fake when it spoke to Oryx.

Another option is that Unveiling was still written by the entity we know as the Winnower. If the Winnower is the origin of Darkness, coming from the garden from before the universe, then it is metaphysical; it's in the mind and consciousness. It doesn't need a body or to be fully physical. It can influence and talk and BE simply by being the origin of consciousness. Every conscious being can access the Winnower. The Winnower is every idea that leads to predation and killing and death. It's every thought and dream and memory and pain. It could've touched the Witness' people and pushed them to adopt its philosophy when they went too far with their research and especially when they connected to the Veil. It could've tried doing the same to us, when we connected to the Darkness artifact in a Pyramid at the end of Shadowkeep.

There is also the angle that the tale from Unveiling is literally entirely untrue. There was nothing before the universe existed. The description of the Vex was the Witness' attempt to understand how they function, or a piece of truth added to make the rest of the text seem correct to those that read it. The myth of the garden and the two entities fighting could be an attempt to give meaning to how everything started, giving a reason to pursue the Traveler and feel justified doing it.

The main point here is that we don't know and we might never know given the incredibly allegorical and mythologised way that Unveiling is talking about something that is incredibly hard to conceptualise in the first place. An interesting bit to add here is the concept of egregore:

Egregore (also spelled egregor; from French égrégore, from Ancient Greek ἐγρήγορος, egrēgoros 'wakeful') is an esoteric concept representing a non-physical entity that arises from the collective thoughts of a distinct group of people.

It's not an accident that egregore in Destiny is a physical manifestation of psychic connections that links points of Darkness together. It comes from this originally; basically if enough people think about the same thing or believe in the same thing, they will create an "egregore" = their thought or belief will spawn a non-physical entity associated with that thought or belief. In that sense, the Witness' people may have created the Winnower when they all united in thinking about how the universe is meaningless without a Winnower. The Winnower is an egregore created by the Witness' people and the belief in this egregore manifests physically as the egregore fungus which infests and links everyone who believes in the Winnower. Perhaps, even, if the Winnower is that egregore, something created by the first beings that ventured that far into metaphysics and then it retroactively became tied to the universe. Once the Winnower was created, the Witness' people tried explaining where it fits into the universe, constructing an origin myth around it. Perhaps they weren't aware that they manifested the Winnower, and believed that they simply discovered it and that the origin myth they constructed was them learning some bigger truth.

There are issues and questions with any of these explanations and they all go into super abstract possibilities and options. If the garden before the universe is entirely a myth, then what of the Gardener and the Vex and the Tree of Silver Wings? If there's truth to how the universe began, what about the Witness being simply a species that got uplifted and went mad with horrors of knowledge? Was the Winnower real in the garden before time or is it merely something conjured from the minds of a people who wanted purpose and meaning?

Furthermore, what about Inspiral, the raid lore book whose last two pages are very reminiscent of the Unveiling, reference it and function almost like extra two pages for it? Inspiral is particularly strange because each page starts with a description of a being that left its memories in the book. First of the final two pages, Meaning, describes its narrator as:

A dream of a metaphor made starkly, an allegory discussed in study of ontology, in Darkness not unkind. It leaves behind a warped, barely-real data fragment to mark its passing.

And the second, Winnowing:

A dream of a friendly conversation with someone impossible to see, cloaked in shadows. It leaves behind an impossible data fragment to mark its passing.

Neither of these descriptions fit the Witness. The Witness is not a metaphor or an allegory, nor is it "barely-real." It is also not "impossible to see" nor does it leave behind "impossible data." The Witness is very much real, though clearly ascended into a state of being beyond our comprehension, but we can very much hear it and see it. The cutscene very clearly explains that the Witness began as just another species and achieved a higher existence; it's not some weird mystical energy that originated before the universe began. Most of all, the Witness is neither kind nor friendly.

The only metaphor and allegory is the garden from before the universe and the Gardener and the Winnower that fought in it. The Gardener manifested as the Traveler, but the Winnower is unknown to us. These two pages read, again, almost exactly the same as Unveiling and they bear no resemblance to the Witness, neither in tone nor in the description of their narrator(s). Obviously, it could be lies and manipulations on purpose which is something to keep in mind in general.

But the page Meaning very clearly makes a distinction between two entities:

There is a voice that echoes across the Darkness, and it asks this question: what is the purpose of it all? And there is another voice that calls back and says: listen, I will tell you a purpose. I will tell you of a Final Shape.

After seeing the cutscene, the first sentence could obviously refer to the Witness' people. They sought purpose and meaning. The second specifies that something answered, something else, when they dug deep into the Veil. Did that something exist on its own, predating the Witness, or did the Witness create it, like an egregore? Either way, the Witness inquired and something returned the call OR the text is referring to a generalised idea of anyone exploring the Darkness, asking that question and then getting a reply from the Winnower, which is a creation of the Witness.

On the other hand, there's the issue of the Darkness being a much more complex phenomenon than we've previously believed. If the Winnower is the origin of Darkness, then would it not represent ALL of Darkness? As of right now, both Unveiling and Inspiral pages that we might be able to attribute to the Winnower are distinctly focused only on the sword logic aspect which fits more with the Witness. The Witness and its pawns have extermined species that also used the Darkness, in different ways. Would the Winnower not acknowledge the entirety of Darkness? This issue can be better solved if we insist that the Witness is what invented or manifested the Winnower and its ideology. Darkness is more than winnowing, that's for sure, but the Witness and its manifestation of the Winnower are focused only on winnowing.

Some more concrete answers may lay in our understanding of the Veil. We're beginning to gather more information about this entity and the cutscene itself shed some light on it as well. The Veil was connected to the Traveler, always, even before the Witness' people found it. It was not near the Traveler, but instead somewhere far away where the Witness' people had to fly to in order to bring it back. Some already believe that the Veil is the Winnower or a product of it; that the Winnower and the Gardener were these abstract entities in the garden before the universe and then became the Veil and the Traveler post-Big Bang, but still connected.

The truth is that this is a highly complicated concept to think about, explore and explain. The Unveiling could be one being's attempt to explain how the universe began and it could be true or it could be false. Nothing in the cutscene explicitly tells us either way, nor does it render the Unveiling useless (and it also doesn't render it a word of god).

The science and philosophy about the origin of the universe are unknown in real life and will probably remain unknown in Destiny. To expect a fictional story to accurately and unambiguously tell us how the universe began is to expect A LOT. The only ones that could truly maybe tell us are the Traveler (Gardener) and the Veil. The question is, would we be able to withstand knowing something like that. Many who peered into the Veil have lost their minds and the Traveler does not speak of things like that because divulging such information would inevitably put someone on a set path. To know everything is to lose choice. You know exactly where to go, how, when and why, as well as what will happen when you get there. The Gardener wants us to make our own fate and it wants the universe to not lead into any specific outcome.

This is some of the most bizarre and wild high concept scifi stuff we've ever had in Destiny. I don't expect us to solve it so quickly after major new information has been revealed and there's still a lot more to find out. This is a really exceptionally long dive into some of the theories and options. A lot of people don't like this type of unreliable philosophical conundrums and would much rather just prefer to be told the facts. And I don't think we'll ever know facts about these topics in a way that would make them easy to digest. Unveiling might one day be fully explained in a way that will allow us to construct the true history of the universe and its origins, but it might also not be. Perhaps it will remain a perpetual mystery to force to wonder about these concepts.

I'd personally prefer a little bit of mystery to remain; for both us and the Witness to forever wonder what was the meaning of it all, what was our purpose, have we chosen it "correctly" and what our choices could've led to if we've done things differently.

#destiny 2 #destiny 2 spoilers #season of the deep #season of the deep spoilers #witness #unveiling #lore vibing #long post #i did say this cutscene made me insane #and then also it brought up questions about the unveiling and unveiling makes me super insane #long rambling post be upon ye #i really enjoy reading thoughts on this so if anyone would interpret something differently or has better evidence feel free to share #also btw don't feel bad if this is all super confusing #i believe the story around it very much intended to give us a headache and require like 4 degrees in philosophy #i myself am also confused by a lot of the points raised by this whole thing #being confused is not a inherently a bad thing. we are moved to learn by confusion #it pushes us to want to explore and understand #i love this incomprehensible eldritch scifi shit that makes me question existence and reality #no wonder people go insane when they start unraveling the knowledge about the universe

[revoevokukil]

why does Avalach have that nickname?

I assume you mean Avallac'h as the nickname, as Crevan (Fox) is his real name (translating into 'Fox' in unicorn & Irish; befitting, by the way, as Tuatha Dé Danann of the Irish side of Celtic myth are one of the core inspirations for elves in The Witcher).

Why Avallac'h, then?

The name is a Latinized derivative of Afallach, with the root of the word being afal "an apple." Afallach, a Brythonic god originating in Celtic myth, is best known for his associations with Ynys Afallach ‘The Island of Apples’ or the Isle of Avalon - a mythical island between life & death.

Giraldus identifies the Isle of Avalon with Glastonbury, in De Instructione Principium (1193 -9): ‘what is now called Glastonia was anciently called Insula Avallonia, for it is like an island, wholly surrounded by marshes, whence it is called in British Inis Avallon, that is the apple-bearing island.’ William of Mamlesbury, in The Antiquities of Glastonbury (1216), follows this tradition. Glastonbury ‘is also well known as by the name of Insula Avalloniae’. He says it may be ‘named after a certain Avalloc who is said to have lived there with his daughters on account of it being a solitary place.

A father to Modron - a mother goddess - Afallach or Avalloc is held to be the ruler of the "island of apple trees"; an otherworldly haven to which King Arthur (& Geralt) are taken at the end of their perils. It’s the mythic Celtic Elysium.

Meanwhile, Sapkowski himself deems Avallac'h the Welsh god of evil spirits:

"The son of the lunar Nudd is Gwyn. Against his name (Gwyn means White), son of Nudd is the dark god of battle and death, ruler of Tylwyth Teg, Welsh evil spirits. Gwyn (called Melwas in Cornwall and Avallach in Somerset) was the Hunter, the Hunter of the Dead Souls."

Not only are Gwyn (ruler of a fairy otherworld) & Avallach the same deity, but the similarity is apparent at first sight (Avallac'h's introduction is given under Devil's Mountain, Mount Gorgon, where he patronises an array of evil, little creatures who heed his bidding & cease their "fun and games", not smashing in Geralt's face). Aen Elle - in the eyes of humanity - are most definitely something akin to "evil spirits." And Tylwyth Teg corresponds to "the fairy folk" who are described as fair-haired and coveting human children, whom they kidnap. It's poetry, really.

Furthermore, on apples. The fruit is commonly held as a symbol of fertility & sexuality, and it is especially representative of women’s Mysteries. Maiden, Mother, Crone - blossoms, fruit, black seeds. The symbol of Otherworldly paradise is related to the Feminine in Celtic (and other) cultures - for like the cauldron - it bears a strong association with wisdom and the womb. Consider further apple “the forbidden fruit” in Eden, or the apples of Elysium. Apples are often considered food of the gods, as well as granting impossible power or knowledge.

If we consider that the Witcher Saga does not shy away from admitting to the fundamental reality of its universe being fictitious, then why might Avallac'h in-universe go by the moniker?

Some thoughts:

Witcher gets meta-fictional. If Time is a circle & story-reality part of an “eternal recurrence”, who knows in how many realities & for how many times the story of elves - including Crevan’s personal one - has led to a similar point through different means (i.e. some special individuals take up many identities that they possess in different stories being told simultaneously & in parallel to The Witcher’s specific one - perhaps Aen Saevherne have access to knowledge of such realities via visions of past, present, and the future; all of which at the end of the day are but “versions” of a story the author picks.)

Perhaps Avallac’h found his way to the island of apple trees in search of Lara, even from beyond death?

He seems to enjoy bamboozling people & putting on some of that “larger than life” dust to his persona that somehow, inexplicably, also gives away a lot about his identity & story without Crevan necessarily having to share any knowledge about it to the peasants in person.

#the witcher #wiedźmin #avallac'h #elves #aen elle #andrzej sapkowski #the witcher lore #celtic myth #avalon #the witcher meta #apples #isle of apple trees #asks

[atinyidea]

“say... if i,,,, took my exo series au from my main and put it on this blog do you guys think that would be a problem?? i was thinking of rewriting it anyway....”

— bonnie making the executive decision to move the lunar myths series from @bon-tmblr to atinyidea...?

#bon.txt #exo #exo au #exo fic #lunar myths saga

[moretinyideas]

also debating whether or not to post what i have if the new chapter or wait until it’s finished like i planned it to be

thoughts?

#idk #do any of the people that follow my story even see these posts? #HELP #bon.txt #under the rain #lunar myths saga #wolf au #kpop au #exo au #sehun au #kyungsoo au #kpop fic #exo fic #sehun fic #kyungsoo fic

[nadziejastar]

Why KH3 Ruined Isa

In honor of the new DLC, I’d just like to remind everyone how horribly KH3 treated its characters. The Recusant’s Sigil means death and endings. 

The power of waking (a birth by sleep) is the power to give the character new life---a new beginning. This was THE underlying theme of the Dark Seeker Saga. 

Sadly, Isa wasn’t given a new beginning or a birth by sleep in KH3, even though pretty much everything leading up to KH3 hinted that he would. The symbol on his jacket was a waning crescent, the final phase of the moon, signifying death and endings.

The symbol on his jacket in the ending is a waxing crescent, the first phase of the new moon cycle, signifying new beginnings. Even his weapons in 358/2 Days contained hints that he was supposed to get a new beginning and a birth by sleep.

Saïx’s weapons all have auras in his berserk state. But only starting in 358/2 Days. In the original KH2, his claymore didn’t glow when he went berserk. Light yellow is the color of new beginnings.

“Turn from the light. Shut your eyes. Here blanketed by the darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal.”

The Hermit - The Hermit suggests that you are in a phase of introspection where you are drawing your attention inwards and looking for answers within. You are in need of a period of inner reflection, away from the current demands of your position.

Four of Cups - The Four of Cups tend to appear when you are feeling discouraged and unmotivated. You may feel as if there is no solution or way forward in your situation. Life has become stagnant, and nothing seems to make you happy or passionate. The Four of Cups can also represent feeling nostalgic, daydreaming or fantasizing.

“Twilight” is part of Fearless Gear, the same as The Hermit in Luxord’s deck. It is shaped like a trident.

Why a trident of all things? The trident is the symbol for Neptune, known as the dream planet, and the ruler of Pisces. Why Pisces? Pisces is ruled by The Moon tarot card, making it fit in with the whole mythology of Saïx’s astrology-based character. 

As the final sign of the zodiac, Pisces is also a symbol for twilight, the period between night and day. It’s the final sign before a new cycle begins.

“Our experiments creating Heartless were attempts to control the mind, and convince it to renounce its sense of self.”

The trident (and crescent moon) is also a symbol for Shiva. 

“If people see with their hearts, Saïx, then you're even blinder than the rest of us.”

Twilight has a Recusant’s Sigil on the third eye (the drum), as does Saïx. And yes that is Combustion Man from Avatar: The Last Airbender. But I think he is a good example to compare to a character like Saïx, who also uses that type of symbolism on his forehead. Combusion Man blows things up with his mind. Saïx’s third eye, in comparison, is dead. It’s no doubt why he’s unable to see Xion.

“X”… A most ancient letter. Some say “kye,” but the meaning is the same. Death… A letter that spells endings.

Death - Death means that something is dying, but a new beginning is in sight. Similarly, Death shows a time of significant transformation, change and transition. You need to transform yourself and clear away the old to bring in the new. Any change should be welcomed as a positive, cleansing, transformational force in your life. The death and clearing away of limiting factors can open the door to a broader, more satisfying experience of life.

Ace of Swords - New ideas, new beginnings, new projects, new plans and breakthroughs. It also indicates intellectual ability, mental clarity, clear thinking and the ability to concentrate. This Minor Arcana signifies communication, vision, force, focus and intensity.

Berserker is Valor Gear, which is Death in Luxord’s deck. The Death arcana is misunderstood; it actually is a positive card, representing new beginnings.

This fury, which was called berserkergang, occurred not only in the heat of battle, but also during laborious work. Men who were thus seized performed things which otherwise seemed impossible for human power. This condition is said to have begun with shivering, chattering of the teeth, and chill in the body, and then the face swelled and changed its color. 

With this was connected a great hot-headedness, which at last gave over into a great rage, under which they howled as wild animals, bit on the edge of their shields, and cut down everything they met without discriminating between friend or foe. When this condition ceased, a great dulling of the mind and feebleness followed, which could last for one or several days.

---Fabing, Howard D. (1956). "On Going Berserk: A Neurochemical Inquiry". Scientific Monthly.

Berserkers were consumed with such rage, they didn’t differentiate between friend or foe on the battlefield. Isa didn’t seem to recognize Lea in his berserk state during the final battle. But he he stopped attacking Lea right before he finished him off. 

“They think the power of love will save them? That's the stuff of poetry, not practicality. The love between them will wither and die. Love never lasts.”

Strength - Strength predicts the triumphant conclusion to a major life problem, situation or temptation through strength of character.  

Two of Cups - Represents the flow of love between two people. With this card, you are creating deep connections and partnerships, based on shared values, compassion, and unconditional love.

“Queen of the Night” is Prestige Gear. It is also the name of a beautiful white flower that blooms once, under a full moon, then withers and dies. It’s a lot like love, according to Xaldin.

“Hey, Roxas. Bet you don't know why the sun sets red. You see, light is  made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.”

The Sun - While its opposite card, The Moon, teaches us about the deep sorrows and fears that we keep down in our unconscious, The Sun provides us with healing and liberation.

Four of Coins - You are holding on to people, possessions, situations or past issues. May also indicate a lack of openness, blocking or obstructing progress, keeping to yourself or a sense of isolation.

Saïx’s Hazard Gear is called “Light Year”. A light year is the distance that light travels in one year. This is exactly why I think Axel's quote was foreshadowing him saving Isa with the power of waking, giving him a birth by sleep. 

“So many are still waiting for their new beginning, their birth by sleep.”

The Myth of the Moon Gazing Hare reflects ancient beliefs. Pagans believed that seeing a moon gazing hare would bring growth, rebirth, abundance, new beginnings and good fortune. The hare gained immortality when he was taken to the moon after an act of selflessness.

A promise… We’ll meet again…in the next life. We did say that. I remember. I remember our promise.

The phoenix represents renewal, rebirth and the beginning of a new life.  Therefore, the phoenix is a symbol of rebirth from the ashes of the past, and it also represents the victory of life over death, thus immortality. I don’t think it was a coincidence that Lea’s Keyblade (based on a solar bird) and Isa’s Mystery Gear (based on a lunar rabbit) have the same meaning. Obviously, Lea was supposed to save Isa, and give him a birth by sleep and a new beginning. I don’t understand how KH3 could ruin such a simple concept.

#kh isa #kh saix #kh askusai #kh leaisa #kingdom hearts 3 #kingdom hearts

[100witches]

1- Hecate

1- Hecate

Greek Titan of Witches, Witchcraft, Sorcery, and Crossroads.

When I first began this project, I knew that I wanted to end with Hecate. She is simultaneously the final and the first, our alpha and omega of Witchcraft. She dominates popular witch lore, but you would never know it as she resides in the shadows, side plots, and brief mentions. Only when you seek her out does she reveal herself to you, lighting your path while casting shadows and ghosts. Many, if not all, modern Witches, Pagans, and Wiccans see Hecate as a Goddess of Witches, amongst other appropriate attributes, and continue her worship and reverence now several thousand years ongoing.

As is the case with most of Greek Mythology, Hecate has multiple origin myths and genealogies. This is most likely the result of her originating outside of the Greeks, and being adapted and merged with the existing pantheon. Most traditions have Hecate as the daughter of the Titans Perses, titan of destruction, and Asteria, titan of falling stars and nocturnal prophecy. Hecate was their only child, and was able to retain her powers post Zeus’ coup as she helped him fight the Giants. As child of Asteria, her grandmother was the Titan of the Moon, Phoebe, and her cousin was Olympian lunar all-star Artemis.

There are various stories in which Hecate plays a part. Her most notable and appropriate for this time of year, however, is her integral role in assisting Demeter’s search for her beloved daughter, Persephone. Upon Persephone’s decent into Hades, Hecate, through the light of her torches, helped Demeter discover her daughter in the underworld. As such, Hecate has become a chthonic Goddess, and Persephone’s yearly attendant and psychopomp to the underworld. Her position as gatekeeper and guide to Hades solidifies many of her numerous attributes.

Hecate is associated with ghosts, necromancy, and magic. She is identified with crossroads, torches, and dark hounds. She was a common household deity for the Athenian—her shrines placed in doorways and city gates to both protect from restless spirits and bestow blessings and safe passage. Her worship and cult was as extensive as her various attributes, with temples and shrines scattered across the Mediterranean. As a key figure in the Persephone saga, Hecate was integral in the ancient Eleusinian Mysteries, impacting secret societies and occult rituals to this day.

Out of all her characteristics, her association with the crossroads is perhaps the most pertinent to my series. Most often, we think of crossroads as the intersection of two roads, yielding four directions. This was not always the case, however, as it was more common to have a proverbial ‘fork in the road’, yielding three directions. This is the kind of crossroads in which Hecate resides. Her statues depict her in triplicity, forearms outstretched, holding torches, keys, serpents, daggers, etc. One face in each direction, Hecate is the arbiter of passages, and in this way is the consort of the God Hermes.

Hecate is one of the original Triple Goddesses of Witchcraft, if not the primordial one. Her triplicity has defined much of Modern Pagan theology, with her stance representing the three phases of the moon, Waxing, Full, and Waning (Maiden, Mother, Crone respectively). Her mythological genealogy as the granddaughter of Phoebe and cousin to Artemis has yielded Hecate as a Goddess of the Moon in her own right, most often known as the unseen phase of the moon, the New Moon (however she is just as often associated with all moon phases). In Greek/Roman Mythology, Hecate joins many lunar goddesses in addition to Phoebe and Artemis, including Selene and Diana. The five were often conflated, confused, and worshiped both in tandem and in conflict. This ever shifting, impossible to pin down, lunar association echos her transient nature of existing in the shadows.

Hecate is both mysterious and severe. Her face is hidden behind her torches, or on the dark side of the moon, however her presence is a constant. She is life, death, and rebirth. She is both light and dark magic. She was beloved in her association with rites of passage like childbirth, and feared in her role as Queen of Shades, present at the final rite of passage, death. Her nature has permeated my entire series in such a profound and indescribable way, I can only show you:

#93: Lilith— often worshiped by modern Pagans in tandem with Hecate #92: Circe: Daughter of Hecate #89, #54, #39: Bewitched: A common expression “For Hecate’s Sake!” Occurs throughout the show. #79: Aradia: Daughter of Lucifer and Diana. Often seen as the daughter of an amalgamated Diana-Hecate. #70: Medea: Priestess of Hecate #67: Charmed: The Halliwell Sisters: Appears in the episode “The Wedding from Hell” #56: Ceridwen: Often worshiped in tandem with Hecate as Dark Mothers by modern Pagans. . #52, #27: Practical Magic: The necromancy ritual the Owen’s Sisters perform, albeit pronounced incorrectly. “Black as night, erase death from our sight. White as light, Mighty Hecate make it right.” #10: Willow Rosenberg: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Mentioned in several episodes and referred to as “Queen and Protectress of Witches.” #7: American Horror Story: Coven: Supreme Fiona Goode invokes Hecate “Come to me Hecate, Mother of Angels, Cosmic World Soul.” #5: The Weird Sisters: Macbeth: Hecate is their master

This list is pretty fitting for a Goddess whose name etymologically may mean “she that operates from afar.” She is seldom a central figure or even visible, however witches from the Owens to the Goodes, from Willow Rosenberg to Endora, invoke her name and ask for her spirit, guidance, and presence. Hecate, in many ways, is both the first witch, and the last. She is our alpha and omega. She is the embodiment of power and strength. As a Goddess of Witchcraft, she does not merely exist in the margins of society like the rest of us—She is the margin itself.

Hail Hecate.

“Hecate, Cerridwen. Dark Mother take us in. Hecate, Cerridwen. Let us be reborn.”  

#witch #witches #witchblr #witchcraft #100witches #halloween #samhain #pagan #paganism #wicca #coven #magic #occult #Hecate #Titan #Goddess #Greek Mythology #Mythology

[i-wish-i-said-that]

List of otome games by developer

The companies that control most English otome games on mobile phones are:

- Voltage Inc

- OKKO

- HUNEX

- NTT Solmare

- Abracadabra

- Genius Inc

- Arithmetic

- D3 Publisher

- Hanabi Media

- Cybird

Hunex

Arcana Famiglia

Ephemeral

Love Story of Sharehouse

The Crimson Kiss to Saint

White Memory

London Detective Story

Tengu Otogi Zoushi

Prince, Steward and Assassin

Broccoli: 

Kamigami no Asobi

Magic Kyun Renaissance

Uta no Prince Sama

Voltage:

Love Letter from Thief X

My Forged Wedding

My Sweet Bodyguard

Pirates in Love

Be My Princess 1 and 2

Kiss of Revenge

Class Trip Crush

A Knight’s Devotion

Seduced in the Sleepless City

In Your Arms Tonight 1 and 2

Metro PD: Close to You

10 Days with My Devil

Kissed by the Baddest Bidder

Serendipity Next Door

Dreamy Days in West Tokyo

Office Secrets

Star-Crossed Myth

Sakura Amidst Chaos

Scandal in the Spotlight

Enchanted in the Moonlight

Kiss Me on Clover Hill

Our Two Bedroom Story

True Love Sweet Lies

Finally, in Love Again

My Wedding and 7 Rings

First Love Diaries - A Kiss on the Beach

Her Love in the Force

Butler Until Midnight

Bad Boys Do it Better

My Last First Kiss

Gossip Girl: Style Your Love

After School Affairs

Era of Samurai: Code of Love

Liar! Uncover The Truth

Dangerous Seduction

Irresistible Mistakes

Our Private Homeroom

Kings of Paradise

Ikemen Series

Ikemen Revolution: Love & Magic in Wonderland

Ikemen Sengoku: Romances Across Time

Destined to Love: Ikemen Samurai Romances

Midnight Cinderella: Ikemen Royal Romances

Love, Lies & a Heist: Ikemen Royale

Idea Factory Otomate

Hiiro no Kakera

Wand of Fortune

Desert Kingdom

Natsuzora no Monologue

Clock Zero - Shuuen no Ichibyou

Moujuutsukai to Ouji-sama

Amnesia

Brothers Conflict

Diabolik Lovers

Sweet Fuse

Black Wolves Saga - Last Hope

Norn9 - Norn + Nonette

Princess Arthur

Glass Heart Princess

Shiratsuyu no Kai

Snow Bound Land

Jewelic Nightmare

Gakuen K - Wonderful School Days

Hakuoki

Shinobi, Koi Utsutsu

Chronostacia

Nekketsu Inou Bukatsu-tan Trigger Kiss

Code: Realise

Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly / Hawk

Reine des Fleurs

Bad Apple Wars

Collar x Malice

Yuukyuu no Tierblade

Hana Oboro Sengoku Denranki

Shiro to Kuro no Alice

Shall We Date (NTT Solmare)

Lost Alice+

Guard me, Sherlock!+

Ninja Shadows+

Love Tangle+

Blood in Roses+

Wizards Heart+

We the Girls+

Modern Cinderella+

Oz+

Destiny Ninja 1 / 2 + 

THE NIFLHEIM+

Ninja Assassin+

Ninja Love+

My Sweet Prince+

My Fairy Tales+

Lost Island+

Scarlet Fate+

Magic Sword+

Angel or Devil+

Mononoke Kiss+

Sengoku Darling

Teen Samurai

Princess Arthur

Eternal Vows

Pirates

Arabian Dreams

War of Prayers

Seasons of Love

Scarlet Fate

Demons’ Bond

Castle Break

Guilty Alice

Never Look Back

Hero in Love

Can’t Say No

Sim Date 

Star Days

Number Days

Memory Days

Lunar Days

Chrono Days

Kingdom Days

Idol Days

Wonderland Days

Festival Days

Day 7

Sleeping Delivery

Marked by King Bs

Miss Detective’s Undercover

Beauty Rental Shop

Love Signal: D-Mate

[khstoryanalysis]

Chapter 5: Mythic Elements and Symbolism (Part 4)

NOTE: The following discussions you are about to read are only assumptions and theories. Only take them with a grain of salt for the time being.

Third, I will like to talk about trees. Trees in mythology have represented all the most important things – the knowledge of good and evil, the tree of immortal life, the world axis, etc. Almost every culture uses the image of a tree in its mythology. Trees have typically represented all the deepest mysteries surrounding pairs of opposites such as good and evil, life and death, light and dark, etc. Just as a tree reaches high into the sky and deep below the earth so too does the symbol represents the truth and knowledge that goes beyond thinking in terms of one opposite or another.

In Kingdom Hearts, it is stated that The Secret Place is at the base of a tree. Moreover, there are roots of a tree present in its cavernous interior. The Secret Place houses the heart of Destiny Islands and when the world is lost to darkness, that place is where King Mickey finds the Kingdom Key D. The tree may serve as a symbol of the knowledge of Hearts and Keyblades, which can be used for either good or bad intentions. Hearts and Keyblades have light and darkness. The tree stretching high into the sky represents light, while its roots burying deep below the earth represents darkness.

Since The Secret Place houses the Heart of the world, the tree may give a hint that Destiny Islands is created from a heart that has both light and darkness. According to Kairi’s Grandmother in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, the people before the Keyblade War are full of light. This may hint that their hearts are once pure light until darkness is born from their greed and selfishness. The unfamiliar power of darkness probably drives them to collect light so much that it causes an imbalance which leads to the Keyblade War. Putting that in mind, the creation of Destiny Islands may best be done by a person whose heart has both equal light and darkness.

Another symbolism of trees is the Paopu Tree that bears the Paopu Fruit. Legend says that if two people share a Paopu Fruit, their destinies will be intertwined. They will always find a way back to each other no matter how far they are apart. The Paopu Tree looks like a coconut tree or a palm tree. These trees symbolize both masculinity and femininity. Masculinity is portrayed by the tree going high up to the sky, while femininity is portrayed by the tree’s ability to bear fruits.

There is a traditional writing for “wed” in Mandarin, which is a combination of the words “sun” and “moon”. The sun is masculine while the moon is feminine. The traditional wording for “wed” in Mandarin also means “twilight”. It is believed that man and woman wed in that time as the sun and moon meet during twilight, symbolizing balance, which fits the yin-yang symbol. This symbolism of balance can be seen similarly in the coconut and palm tree.

I also want to point out something from Joseph Campbell’s Occidental Mythology. In his book about Occidental mythology, Joseph Campbell talks about a young couple’s meeting and a mythic tree from the Minoan culture centre. Minoans were an ancient civilization that existed on the island of Crete, south of Greece.

The artwork shows the young couple, whom death had parted, was reunited by the life-giving power of the goddess. The meeting is interpreted as the permanent reunion of a wedded pair in the Land of the Blest.

The artwork is similar to the drawing of Sora and Kairi sharing a Paopu Fruit in The Secret Place. The drawing is only completed at the end of Kingdom Hearts, when Sora and Kairi are separated once more when Destiny Islands are being restored. Applying the interpretation of the Minoan artwork, the drawing can be interpreted as the destinies of Sora and Kairi being tied together by the Paopu Fruit. Even though they are apart, they live in each other’s hearts and are destined to reunite no matter what.

Furthermore, the theme song for Kingdom Hearts 3, which is “Oath” or “Don’t Think Twice”, sounds like a wedding song. The song may hint that Sora and Kairi will finally be together. At the end of Kingdom Hearts, Kairi sees a drawing of Sora sharing a Paopu Fruit with her. She is touched by it and draws herself sharing a Paopu Fruit with him in return. During the end credits of Kingdom Hearts 2, Sora sees the completed drawing and smiles. With that, it is clear that they both know that they like each other. Moreover, the drawing of Sora and Kairi sharing a Paopu Fruit is only brought up in the main titles, not in the other so-called “spin-offs” games. If the rule of three applies, Sora and Kairi may take one step ahead in their relationship at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3.

Furthermore, I discover that the Paopu Fruit is the Kingdom Hearts version of the Red Thread of Fate. The Red Thread of Fate is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend. In this myth, the gods will tie an invisible red cord around the ankles or little fingers of those that are destined to meet one another or help each other. According to Chinese legends, the deity in charge of the red thread is an old lunar matchmaker god, who is in charge of marriages. The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers regardless of time, place and circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break.

The temple, the islands and the tree may serve as mythic elements we need for a revelation regarding the past (the events of the Keyblade War) and the entire philosophy of the saga (the balance of light and darkness). The philosophy would be related to the past, their mistakes and how it will go right this time.

#kingdom hearts #kh #kingdom hearts 1 #kh 1 #kingdom hearts 2 #kh 2 #kingdom hearts 3 #kh 3 #kingdom hearts birth by sleep #kingdom hearts bbs #kh birth by sleep #kh bbs #kh bbs 0.2 #kingdom hearts x #kingdom hearts chi #kh chi #kh x #kingdom hearts x back cover #kingdom hearts back cover #kh back cover #kingdom hearts unchained x #kh unchained x #kingdom hearts union x #kh union x #kh ux

[thomastair]

57, 66, 72,

57. Associate a book/saga with each season

spring: children of blood and bone

summer: the upside of unrequited 

autumn: they both die at the end

winter: warcross

66. When someone says “sarcastic little shit” who’s the first character that shows up in your mind?

 every main in adsom except rhy

72. Are you a fan of fairytales/myths/famous stories retellings? If yes, what is your favourite story to be retold?

YES I really love Ash but The Lunar Chronicles is my favorite fairytale retelling by far and if you enjoy fairytales then please read it because it’s excellent (so I guess cinderella is my favorite to be retold??) 

#legit please #rhy’s the only main to not be a sarcastic little shit and he’s still a bitch #if you read the lunar chronicles feel free to come scream in my inbox about them #or any book for that matter #I love yelling about books #ask hetty #ask games

[paraseekersuk]

Demeter

Demeter “De” refers to divinity, as in deity, dei or deva; “Meter” is literally mother, and so Demeter is the Divine Mother or the Deified Mother. Another suggestion is that her name derives from deai, the Cretan word for barley and thus her name would mean Barley Mother. (Barley was among the very first grains cultivated in that region and frequently the most successful; Crete was a particularly early area of cultivation.) Demeter’s votive imagery shows her holding wheat in one hand, poppies in the other while snakes writhe around her. Sometimes she brandishes a pomegranate too. She famously has golden hair like a field of ripe wheat. Her sacred animals include pigs, horses, and snakes. Demeter is not an Earth goddess; she is specifically the spirit of cultivation and crops. Her most famous myth is the saga of the kidnapping of her daughter Persephone. Instead of residing in Olympus, Demeter prefers to live on Earth. Although she has liaisons (notably with her brother Zeus, Persephone’s father), she is an independent, unmarried woman. She raises her daughter herself. One day, Persephone, usually identified as the Spirit of Spring, spots an unusual and beautiful black narcissus. It’s a trap. When she plucks it, Earth breaks open beneath her feet. Hades, her uncle, Lord of the Dead, rides up in his chariot, grabs Persephone and pulls her down to his realm. In a moment, Earth closes up, as if this incident never occurred. Persephone just has time to scream; Demeter hears her and comes running but is unable to locate her. Persephone has been playing with various maidens but not one has witnessed her kidnapping. Demeter proceeds to behave like any parent who has lost a child; she runs around hysterically searching, with absolutely no success. She continues to search; she beseeches help from her fellow gods. Only Hecate, lunar Spirit of Witchcraft, offers her assistance. Demeter searches all over Earth on a fool’s quest looking for Persephone, who, of course, is nowhere on Earth. She’s down below, locked in gloomy Hades, Realm of the Dead. Demeter’s search for Persephone is a lengthy epic saga; she has many adventures and encounters many characters. She eventually receives information from two sources: a young swineherd, the sole witness to the crime; several of his pigs fell into the chasm together with Persephone. Hecate also brings Demeter to Helios the Sun, witness of  everything that occurs during the day, who confirms that Hades has kidnapped Persephone. Demeter demands that Zeus, King of the Gods, force Hades to return Persephone. This is when she discovers that technically Hades didn’t kidnap Persephone—or at least not from his perspective, as Persephone’s father Zeus gave her to him. Neither bothered to consult with mother or daughter/bride. Hades refuses to send her back; Zeus isn’t interested in attempting to force him. In response, beautiful, golden Demeter transforms into the Corn Mother’s shadow side. She abruptly withdraws her gift of fertility from Earth: nothing grows. She begins to wander in the guise of an old, gray, bitter, gloomy, humorless, and dangerous hag; she still has her goddess powers; she is still grand. It is during this period that she founds the Eleusinian Mystery religion. A reaped ear of corn (wheat) was displayed as the central mystery at Eleusis. Another myth involving Demeter suggests that she was the very last Greek deity to stop accepting human sacrifice. People begin to starve. Customary offerings to the gods are no longer forthcoming and so the gods begin to starve too. Eventually the protests of the other gods, as well as the potentially disastrous weakening of their powers normally fueled by offerings, finally forces Zeus to order Hades to return Persephone to Demeter. Hermes is sent to fetch her. Meanwhile in Hades, Persephone has been raped and set on the throne as the queen of Hades. In a parallel action to her mourning mother, she has been on a hunger strike. However, she has consumed six seeds from one of Hades’ pomegranate trees and so Hades refuses to let her leave with Hermes. By eating the food of the dead, she has joined their ranks. A compromise is reached: Persephone will spend half the year with her mother on Earth, half with her husband in Hades. The time spent with Hades corresponds to the period following the harvest when crops are dormant; she emerges on Earth with the first breath of spring. When she is in Hades, her mother mourns and nothing grows; when Persephone emerges in springtime, her mother rejoices and crops are abundant. This story is ages old; countless interpretations exist, the most obvious that Persephone, daughter of the Corn Mother, is a metaphor for grain. Hidden undercurrents, however, lie beneath the tale of Persephone’s kidnapping and Demeter’s subsequent grief, desolation, and rage. It is more than the tale of one mother’s loss and more than just an allegory of the harvest. If Persephone represents grain then the story may also be understood as a metaphor for the transfer of power over agriculture and its rituals from women to men with different spiritual orientations. Persephone is now a prize to be violently taken without consulting the Corn Mother. Who owns the child? Previously the child belonged to its mother; Zeus asserts father-right, a radical concept at one time. Hades does not actually kidnap Persephone—her father gave her to him. The two men (father and prospective husband) negotiated the deal without input from mother or daughter, a scenario that replays daily in much of today’s world. Demeter the Corn Mother lives humbly on Earth, not in the palaces of Olympus. Her traditional offerings included raw grain, raw honeycombs, and unspun wool—simple offerings that indicate that Demeter was a deity of the ordinary people. If Persephone is a metaphor for grain, then who owns the grain? Among the underlying themes of the saga are class and property issues very relevant to emergent agrarian societies: rank exists in all societies but peasants don’t exist among hunter-gatherers.

[lapsed-bookworm]

Grey Shades of Love

Ch 3: Red Sky In Morn [ao3]

Characters: Severus Snape, Charity Burbage, Scabbers (HP); [2] Cuthbert Binns, Albus Dumbledore; [3] Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew

Ships: Charity Burbage & Severus Snape, Peter Pettigrew & Severus Snape, Lily Evans / Severus Snape (Unrequited); [2] Severus Snape / Charity Burbage

Tags: Potions, Muggle Studies, Rats & Mice, POV Severus Snape, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Aged-Up Character(s); [2] Coming Out, Trans Female Character, Transitioning; [3] Falling In Love, Asexuality Spectrum, Sexuality Crisis, Identity Reveal, Animagus

Ch Summary: Severus Snape and the year his past came back to haunt him in the form of Professor R.J. Lupin. A rather stressful year during which Severus had to brew Wolfsbane Potion for the werewolf that almost bit him in his youth, apologize for anti-lycan pettiness, discovered he was not very good at dating, was caught off guard by an unexpected side effect of Charity’s Transmogrification, unpleasantly figured out a man had been living with him as a rat, and did not get paid enough, especially to prevent Potter and his fellow Gryffindors from getting bitten by the werewolf in residence or trying to go after escaped convict Sirius Black on their own.

Category: Updated to F/M

Added to Characters: Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew

Added to Tags: Falling In Love, Asexuality Spectrum, Sexuality Crisis, Identity Reveal, Animagus

A/N: Title plays on weather folklore. More Potions expansion (cryopotions referenced) and headcanons about Transmogrification and Animagus related magic.

Excerpt from the Morning After section:

[...] She began twirling her wand in a blaze of diagnostic spells until a double image of a heart was floating in front of her. One was yellow and beat a silent but steady rhythm, but the blue one struggled in spasms and had a gaping hole that was torn around the edges with barely an overlapping green section between the two of them. Shimmering gold Ogham lit up around the wound, and Minerva steadied herself as she dismissed the imaging.

[...] Minerva spoke quietly, apparently recognizing an integral Animagus passage, “The Witch’s Familiar Talisman allows a Controller to capture the soul-shard of the Animagus form and thereby control the wix in a way that is utterly unimaginable for those who have not researched this topic, or - Gods forbid - encountered a victim.”

[...]

“There are very particular cases where a Controller’s order is unable to be followed”, Minerva absentmindedly flicked her wand to adjust Pettigrew’s chair out of arm’s reach from the wall, “Certain magical skill sets that take more practice than innate talent, such as Legilimency, and magic the Animagus cannot already perform, such as university level Healing, cannot be done simply by ordering it. Often, orders must be very thorough and literal, or the Animagus can rules lawyer their way out of compliance.”

[...] Albus continued a different line of questioning, “I find it quite curious that you were unable to transform back into your human form and reveal your side of the story before now. I can only assume you were ordered not to, but how can an order extend beyond the Controller’s death?”

“He’s . . . mostly dead”, Pettigrew frowned in the direction of his knees, “Just enough to not be outside the door, and I haven’t gotten any orders since 1981. But . . . I can’t close the door either, which should be my sign that I don’t have a Controller.”

“A seamless passing to a new Controller is possible in theory, but it’s very difficult in practice”, Minerva recast the spells to show the split hearts and studied the golden Ogham on the blue one closely, “There should be signs of a brief lapse into freedom, typically a scarred wound with the second Controller creating a new hole. Sometimes the fylgja itself will appear injured”, a tugging motion with her wand brought forth a wispy white copy of Scabbers from inside the wound with foreboding chain links extending out of sight, “Well, your fylgja is clearly still trapped, but it doesn’t show signs of a new Controller.”

[...] He [Severus] was willing to bet his second best cauldron that a strategy for the best optimization of a newly reinstated spy, who could provide early warning for how the Dark Lord’s attempts at being reborn from a horcrux shade were going, was already in the works.

End Notes: Under a cut due to length. Like, I hit the character limit for the box on ao3 length.

Easter 1994: Madam Pomfrey’s Patronus doesn’t have a canon form, and I merely have a work / personal wand headcanon (neither descriptions were taken from canon for Poppy). Initially, I really wanted to include common European frog, Rana temporaria, eggs, but that species is protogynous (ftm) rather than protandrous (mtf). I wanted something other than the commonly thought of clownfish, and I wound up with humbug damselfish based on this study. Hippocampia is used as a reference to seahorse reproduction, though there’s no exact reason for specifically using Hippocampus erectus, the lined seahorse, in the Hippocampia Potion.

June Full Moon 1994: Severus doesn’t have a canon middle name (father’s first name used based on pattern from other characters). I get the whole not caring about calendars while writing thing (I kinda shifted the Scabbers going missing, blood, Crookshanks shindig from winter to spring, according to a PoA calendar I didn’t find until the end of this chapter). However, the werewolf writer in me is pained when I have to play fast and loose with lunar timing because canon has the full moon on the 6th when it was actually the 23rd.

Werewolf Registry number is loosely based on on the NI Number format, but makes a point of mostly using Remus’ birthday (10 March 1960) and an indicator for being turned as a Child. Sirius also does not have a canon middle name. Azkaban ID as seen in Sirius’ Wanted Poster uses Eohl / Algiz [ᛉ] as the second rune and Gyfu / Gebo [ᚷ] as the first, but the versions minus hands show a bit of an exaggerated Peorð / Peorth [ᛈ] instead. The Ogham letters indicating notes were chosen for sequential progress - Muin [ᚋ], Gort [ᚌ], nGéadal / Gétal [ᚍ], Straif / Straiph [ᚎ], and Ruis [ᚏ].

Headcanon that wixen who don’t want to enter the British Animagus Registry may try to enter a different country’s registry. In this, James used the name OISÍN (“little deer”) WALLACE (“foreigner, stranger”), Peter used JOHN (popular) O’BOYLE (“son of + pledge?”), and Sirius used CUÁN (“little wolf, hound”) DORAN (“exile, wanderer”).

I don’t particularly want to delve into UK criminal law for a fanfic, so I’m just going with a guess based on what I’ve heard in my country. Involuntary manslaughter usually refers to an unintentional killing that results from criminal negligence or recklessness, or from committing an offense such as a DUI. It differs from voluntary manslaughter in that the victim's death is unintended.

Morning After: The fylgja (pl. fylgjur) is used here as the name of the Animagus soul-shard, and in certain high level Transfiguration circles, can also be used as a name for the Animagus form itself. The fylgjur have several meanings in the Norse sagas, but I particularly want to pull out “the animals reflect the character of the person they represent”, a connection to shape shifting, and an acceptable alternative for non-Native or Indigenous people wanting to describe a spirit animal or totem animal without misusing a closed culture’s terminology.

While I am aware that “bay’td” looks weird it’s a play on ‘baited’ (as in baited breath) and holding bay under the tongue during the process of becoming an Animagus (sh, I remembered fan theory, but I already have my word play going, just roll with it). War code names aka allusions to Greek myth (Styx, Charon, Lethe).

#fanfiction #my writing #Rat Fic

[marcobrookins3-blog]

Room Realities.

In Historical mythology as well as myth, the moon is actually provided a various name for every month, a number of them are actually still typically pertained to as well as others appear to have actually simply been actually overlooked. It is actually more than merely a marble and also as holds true by means of the surges from water throughout moon correlation is actually along with. these cabochons, it is stated that their tourist attraction and also toughness is actually ferocious at that time of moon and also is the absolute most excellent opportunity to use it additionally. When most folks have an image of the moon they generally direct their cam at that and discharge away. After that the take in may certainly not be pleasing, if this brand-new moon is creating a daunting part to one thing in your graph. I devoted carnival in Port from Spain along with my beautiful Trinidadian girl as well as danced for days in clothing close to tractor trailers turned to huge rolling audio speaker stacks. Along with their common I-am-never-satisfied-with-what-I-have perspective the Americans develop bunches of spaceport station on and around the moon and was soon on their means to Mars, Jupiter and also Uranus where they possess a lot of swarms now. Mike Scott is actually informing all of them that, then, when they did that factor, they found the larger picture - the entire from the moon - certainly not merely the bow, which is actually the bunch of just about everybody each time. The Sasaks feel that nyale is actually the version of stunning Princess Mandalika of Kuripan, some of a lot of old empires in Lombok. New Moon (industried as The Twilight Saga: New Moon) is a 2009 American intimate dream film. No, we neither count http://ozdrowiudlaciebie.Info/ on nor urge you to call your youngster Eggplant, however the French model of words carries out have a good ring to it, a los angeles the food-related Amandine as well as Clementine. Whether it is for a Twilight Halloween event, a New Moon film launch gathering or only pizza as well as enjoying the Twilight movie once more ... I recognize I desire some. Tortoises and also ladybugs task superstars on the roof while glowing moon as well as elephant night lightings give youngsters comfort. The smallest button is actually the power on/off, the most extensive button enables you to manually click on with the 12 primary lunar stages or press the third switch as soon as and unwind and unwind as the moon cycles by means of its own periods on automatic. As somebody which matured with a stargazer grandma as well as a Father which serviced the shuttle bus course- I know that the modern technology needed to bogus a moon touchdown was actually absolutely past NASA's capability, whereas the modern technology to obtain a person up on the moon merely requires a pricey as well as very sizable spacecraft, and also some airtight compartments equivalent to the modern technology we use continuously in subs, which the hoaxers certainly never (I wish) case are actually artificial. The tracks that were sung as well as the dancings that were conducted coincided at every city center from the moon where these gatherings were actually held. Just sculpt a covered in the form from a publication and also decorate it. Hand is likewise extremely standard in Arab culture so the Eid message carried out in calligraphy will certainly likewise appear stunning. The moon also would look getting around the planet in counter-clockwise instructions. A lot of the caters on the lunar surface area are called after noteworthy scientists: Copernicus, Archimedes, Moltke, Schrodinger and also Tycho are actually a few of the craters on the Moon therefore named.

[atinyidea]

[ 2 ] SPARKLES ON THE WATER | FIVE | D. Kyungsoo

chapter summary — The events over the past day affects the whole pack, should Euina be allowed to know the truth? What would happen if she’s not? Kyungsoo has always been more observant than others, but then again, he’s always away... visiting you in his dreams.

note — Kyungsoo’s mate is named Inhui

word count — 4.2k

tag list — @avmfreak96 and the tags from the first edition, please let me know if you would like me to untag you! @asslikegilinsky, @acevampyre, @high-on-food, @chanyeolol, and @marshmallow-phd! also, let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list!

main masterlist — the lunar myths masterlist

FIVE — Hello!

KYUNGSOO

It was a strange thing, having an actual child in the house – since Euina was a child and not a hyperactive wolf, like Baekhyun or Chanyeol. It had been a few centuries since they were children and, it wasn’t like they didn’t like children, the pack just weren’t mainly used to them anymore. The sisters, Sehun’s mate Yuna and her thirteen-year-old sister Euina, had been at the packhouse for a total of four hours. Both girls asleep on one another on one of the couches in the pain room.

Kyungsoo had always been an early riser, even as a young boy he would be awake by eight in the morning at most and had been awake when the members who had gone out, came back. He hadn’t slept yet, but he noticed straight away that Sehun wasn’t with them – also that Baekhyun wasn’t wearing the sweatpants he had left in anymore – and simply assumed something bad had happened.

He was right, as per usual. Although none of them expected it to be another hour before they even heard the sound of a car coming up the driveway. Danbi, especially, had been biting at her nails in worry for their youngest member. When they went through the door, Sehun’s mate entering first – holding two bags of her back and something furry in her hands – while Sehun wandered in not long after her, Kyungsoo’s first thought was: who is he carrying?

And then, is that a cat?

Apparently, the sleeping child Sehun carried on his back was the sister of his mate, who wouldn’t leave her alone overnight. Kyungsoo admired Yuna’s sense of loyalty, he had to admit, even if the young girl shouldn’t know of the existence of Were’s. Sehun had laid her down of a couch, her small frame unmoving apart from the steady rise and fall of her rhythmic breathing.

“So, you must be Yuna.” Was the first thing Kyungsoo had said to the newest mate. Yuna simply nodded, holding the steel-grey cat to her chest in what Kyungsoo assumed to be a calming tick for her nervousness.

“I don’t know your rules? Or whatever, about telling people about werewolves but we, I, haven’t told her anything yet.” Yuna spoke before Sehun could open his mouth. “I don’t even know what I’d tell her.”

“Usually it’s only mates, for humans that is.” Junmyeon began, as Yuna took a seat next to her sister.

“Although there are always exceptions.” Sehun chipped in before any other word can be said. Kyungsoo assumed it was to reassure his mate, his wolf having spoken the words for him as a reflex. He watched as Sehun sat next to Yuna; as Euina curled herself into her sister’s side; as Yuna seemed to relax a little when Sehun’s hand landed on her knee. It was what he did. He observed, listened, understood. He had not yet experienced the full pull of the mate bond – for him, and his mate had not officially met – but, he understood Sehun’s need to cut their ‘leader’ off.

Junmyeon, unfazed, pulled Danbi closer to his chest and nodded. “Danbi’s mother was an exception, we know that sometimes it’s necessary.” He smiled. “However, she did have to get approved through the voting, and we’ll have to wait until everyone is awake.”

“And when Yixing is back,” Kyungsoo added.

And so, Yuna decided that she would get some sleep, telling Sehun to wake her up later, when more people were awake. Kyungsoo decided to try and sleep as well, departing to his bedroom with a quiet “goodnight.” He faintly heard Junmyeon tell Sehun to sleep as well. That he was injured, and they would wake him up later.

His room wasn’t the biggest, but it also wasn’t the smallest. It was a part of the newest section of the house – one wall had been replaced with a wall of windows. Kyungsoo liked it, he could view the surrounding forest, and when the sky was clear, he could see the ocean. He had always loved the sea, the water had always given him a sense of comfort – which had always confused him, given his affinity for earth. When they had moved to the coastline (almost 100 years ago), Kyungsoo designed this room specifically because it faced the ocean. He didn’t give the others a reason. When they had moved, the building they bought (that Junmyeon, Yifan and Minah bought) wasn’t nearly as big as it stood now, with only five bedrooms, a kitchen, two dining rooms and two parlour rooms. So, when they expanded, Kyungsoo and Luhan decided they’d take care of it. Luhan’s gift of telepathy helped the design of each different members room to fit their personalities quicker than it would have been if they asked them – everyone knows that Tao, Sehun and Baekhyun could talk for decades.

Additionally, when they moved, Kyungsoo met his mate. Given the thought he was going delirious for a solid year, dreaming of mermaids – or one mermaid in particular. He had never tried to talk to her, or maybe he had and was always woken up, but when she finally turned to look at him – he knew. This mermaid was his mate, and he found out during a dream. Only Luhan knows (so consequently so does Minseok and Sehun but they can keep a secret) of his ‘visits’ with her.

He fell asleep quicker than he thought.

He learnt very quickly why he saw you in his dreams. It was the first time the two of you talked. You said “hello” and so did he, and the next sentences were to acknowledge the other as mates and then, you told him one of the secrets of the merfolk.

“Mermaids don’t call them ‘mates’. We call them our ‘fated one’.” You smiled at him, a dimple appearing on your left cheek. In this dream state, you were sat on what looked like a giant jellyfish. Kyungsoo remembered you telling him that while you had control of these dreams, they were generally based on what your actual surroundings were. You said to him that you fell asleep on a smack of moon jellies, small translucent and bioluminescent bells that could never sting you (a perk of being a mermaid) but didn’t want to overwhelm him the sheer amount of jellyfish you were around. You told him that Moon Jellies were your favourite, that you loved sleeping on them and that they let you because you were a great conversationalist. That made him smile.

You always made him smile.

“-and mermaids can always visit their fated one during shared dreams.” You explained. “It happens when we’re asleep at the same time. We’ll fall out of it when either of us wakes up.” Kyungsoo believed he could listen to you talk for a millennium and never get jaded.

He was surprised when he saw you, considering it was almost seven in the morning and the two of you usually met in the dreams during the middle of the night. You must not have risen with the change of tides like you typically do. When your form became more visible, and Kyungsoo could see your beautiful smile his own face formed a smile too. However, when he took note of your tired eyes and how your smile wasn’t real, his expression dropped. The two of you were surrounded by darkness, not having the energy to conjure up a visual.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Why are you only just sleeping now?” You asked him back. He noted that you had deflected his question.

“Something happened with the pack when I was about to head to bed. Junmyeon called at around four to say Sehun had been in an altercation. He wanted someone to be awake when they got back, just in case. I was already awake, so I just stayed up.” He explained. You nodded. The two of you fell into a short silence. Looking at you, he could tell you were stressing over something. Your tail, long and shimmery fading from a teal blue to a teal green (with pale pink accents in your fins), wasn’t shining as bright as usual and the smaller blue scales that lined your neck were darker than usual.

“Are you okay?” He repeated his earlier question. In this dream state, he was able to hold you, to feel you and soon you were in his arms. It was a weird sensation as he never felt like he was submerged in water, but he could quite clearly feel the thinness of your tail fins when they brushed against his legs. He could feel the juxtaposition between the coolness of your tail and the heat you radiated. He hadn’t asked yet, but he often wondered what sensations you felt when wrapped up around him.

You sighed. “Things have…” You paused, laying your head on his shoulder. “Things have become complicated.” There have been many times over the past hundred years where you have explained your situation to Kyungsoo. Your ambition and drive to be a good daughter, your loyalty towards your mother and father always contradicting your own personal wants to get away from them. You wanted to explore. You wanted to have your legs for more than one day during the Lunar Moon. You wanted to find him, to be with him and love him with your whole being. You told him how it was unheard of to have a fated one be one of the ‘landfolk’ (as your father ever-so-lovingly told you) and how you were scared of leaving your family behind and not being accepted back in.

You shared your status as a part of one of the royal lines of your kingdom. How your parents would take over after the current king passed. You told him that while you had no siblings of your own, you thought of Hyunjin, your mother’s sister’s son, as one. Hyunjin wasn’t much younger than you and often shared your desire to leave for land.

“My desire to come to you, to land, is higher than ever.” You finally whispered. “My father has betrayed my mother with her sister.” Your words were slow. “Hyunjin is my brother. By blood.

“Mother is livid, she and father have been yelling for a day now. Hyunjin is distraught, it took a few hours to calm him down enough for him to sleep. Our home has been ringing for hours on end – mothers’ affinity for sonar is truly something. She banished my aunt from the castle, told her she wasn’t to set ‘one inch of a fin within the outer borders of the kelp that lines our plot’ or she’ll curse her. I don’t know how she’d curse her own sister. I’ve never seen my mother so mad.” You finished your small rant. “I’m scared.”

Kyungsoo pulled you closer, your head tucked underneath his. “Then come.” He whispered. Maybe he was being selfish and maybe what you needed to do was stay, but, you were scared more than ever before, and it had been one hundred years. He was probably one of, if not the, most patient wolfs of the pack, but even his patience could wear thin.

“It’s been on my mind since the news came out. I don’t want to be here anymore.” You mumbled against his collar. “But I can’t leave Hyunjin, especially not now.”

“Then bring him as well.” Kyungsoo didn’t like how quickly his words spilt from his lips but, he couldn’t come to regret saying them. You pulled away from him slightly, just enough to look into his eyes. A bet of silence surrounded you. You nodded.

“Tell me where on Earth you are. I’ll find you in no time.”

A flare of hope raised in his chest as he told you. Even down to the geological coordinates, he had memorised for this specific reason. He saw your eyes widen in surprise, mouth drop open to reply but, he was taken away from the dream as he was shaken awake. When he opened his eyes, the face of Jongin stood above him.

“Junmyeon-hyung sent me to wake you.” The younger boy smiled in apology, seeing the glare Kyungsoo had sent his awakener. He wouldn’t know that you were shocked as to how close the two of you really were.

When everyone was finally awake and situated in the main room, it had just passed one in the afternoon. Yixing had been back for almost an hour, but Yifan and Minah had to attend to something in the city – an emergency – and only arrived back at the house a few minutes after one. The new-comers had been awake as long as he had and, while still a little awkward, the two girls had relaxed. Euina and Baekhyun were sharing funny stories – mainly about Chanyeol, Euina’s friends and Yuna – while Yuna and Sehun sat murmuring to each other. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but smile at the fact that Sehun and his mate were getting closer. That, even though the situation was bad, Sehun had finally gotten over his nerves and talked to her.

Kyungsoo had been a little moody when he was dragged away from his sleep, he always was when he was dragged away from you, but he couldn’t deny the sense of pride he felt seeing Sehun with his mate. He imagined everyone in the pack felt proud of him.

Another development had been when Minah got back. Before she had left, she had come to Euina to make her feel more comfortable surrounded by a mass of men she didn’t know.

“You told me you like to bake, right?” Minah had asked, sitting on the floor next to Euina and Baekhyun. Euina nodded. Minah‘s smile transitioned into a beaming grin. Kyungsoo watched as she clapped her hands together loudly, looking over her shoulder at him. “Great!” She exclaimed, turning back to Euina. “Kyungsoo loves to bake too! We were going to bake some red velvet cupcakes tomorrow for Yixing coming back, but we can always make them earlier!” She stood up with a small bounce, extending a hand for the teenager to grab. “Right, Kyungsoo?”

“Right.” He agreed with little hesitance.

It was a strange thing, having an actual child in the house but, Kyungsoo was always one to do his best to make a child happier. Euina took a glance at Yuna, who smiled back at her. With the subtle nod of her head, Euina turned back to Minah and grabbed her hand.

She motioned for Euina to enter the kitchen before them, to go help Jongin, who was already in the kitchen, wearing an apron (that only covered from the waist down) and a kind smile on his face. Euina went to him almost immediately.

“Since when were we baking for Yixing? He only went to work.” Kyungsoo said, voice lower than a whisper. The female werewolf heard him anyway.

“She doesn’t know that.” She answered in the same manner. “Besides, I thought it wouldn’t be in her best interest to sit with us while we discuss whether or not she should know the truth.”

“What’s Jongin’s view?” Kyungsoo was curious, the younger who was already in the kitchen must have already given his answer. He and Kyungsoo were similar in that way, not wanting to argue about something so, well, useless.

“Same as you, same as me, that she should know.”

Of course, Kyungsoo nodded. Jongin had always been kind-hearted, and even then, children were his weakness. “Good,” was all he said before the two of them entered the kitchen, making sure the door closed properly behind them.

​

YOU

“Tell me where on Earth you are. I’ll find you in no time.” You had asked. He had given you the best answer in the world. Turns out he was less than 100 feet away from a gate. There were nine gates all over the planet, an easy way for supernaturals to find each other. The primary purpose of the gates was to connect the different supernatural planes, or universes as Hyunjin liked to joke. You loved the fact that the part of the ocean, in the Southern Kingdom, was where the third gate was placed: The Morire Gate.

As soon as Kyungsoo had left your shared dream, you woke yourself up with a pinch to one of your small fins that sat on your hips, right on the tip where it was most sensitive. You sat up from the reef you had made your bed and set off in a quest to find Hyunjin.

Swimming fast was always something you were good at. Due to the size of your tail, it’s long length yet slender frame was great for becoming streamline, the small fins on your waist and hips contributed to your long tailfins’ great ability to catch currents and propel you forwards even quicker. Their length also giving you a powerful kick, Kyungsoo had complimented you after watching you race a dolphin once in a shared dream.

However, swimming fast now didn’t feel the same.

Your heart was felt heavy in your chest, and the thin translucent webbing between your fingers kept sticking together. You were a mess of emotions and Hyunjin being hard to find was not something you wished to deal with at this particular moment.

Fortunately, fate was on your side for the moment, the Gods smiling down at you with fondness. You made a mental note to pray to the Lunar Goddesses in thanks for you swan right into Hyunjin not even a minute later.

“Woah!” He chuckled, holding your upper arms between his fingers – the webbing significantly less sticky. “Slow down, you’ll tear a fin!”

“Jinnie, we’re leaving.” You wasted no time in paddling around the coral.

“We’re what?”

“Leaving.”

“Alright.” He shrugged. He had always been the one to express his feelings of adventure the most between the two of you. “Where?”

“On land.” You paused, gauging his reaction. When he didn’t object, you continued. “We’re going to my fated one.” You said slowly.

“Kyungsoo? Do you even know where he is?” You could hardly keep a secret from anyone, but you were never able to keep one from Hyunjin. However, you loved talking about Kyungsoo, so you supposed it was a situation with no loses.

“He just told me.” You smiled, conveying what your fated one had told you.

“Wow! He’s not so far away from the seventh gate! The Guilan Gate.” Hyunjin exclaimed, the two of you now swimming back towards your castle.

“I know! But I don’t think he does,” you replied with a sheepish smile.

Once back at your home the two of you parted way to go to your separate quarters. You wouldn’t need much, you didn’t need clothes underwater and your ‘prized possessions’ would last very long above water. What you did do, was swim to your mothers’ quarters to whisper into a shell you lovingly dubbed as a shell-phone. Its official name was, in fact, a whisper shell. Its purpose was to hold the last whisper uttered and share it with the next person to pick it up. Kyungsoo had said it was similar to sending a letter or texting, whatever that was.

Once finished, you placed the shell down on its opening (so your whisper wouldn’t spill out) and then placed a sand-dollar on top of it, to signal that it was ready to share a whisper. Then you left your mother’s quarters. At least she’d know you were alive now, once you left.

Around ten minutes later, you didn’t really care for the concept of time, you met back up with your brother, a human satchel over your shoulder. Inside wasn’t much, just a few shells you were particularly attached to (the smaller ones you liked putting in your hair along with shiny pearls but that was a different story) and a few other bits and bobs. You looked at the assortment of things Hyunjin held in his arms and raised an eyebrow. Wordlessly you opened the knitted bag and motioned for him to place his items inside. He did so, grinning at you.

“You know, that’ll be dripping once we’re on land, right?”

“That’s usually what happens when things are wet Jinnie.” You rolled your eyes. “Let’s get a move on, it’s not the longest swim to the Morire Gate, but it’s still quite a swim. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

And then, the two young royals left the sanctuary of their land and found themselves on land for the first time without a Lunar Moon.

What an adventure indeed.

KYUNGSOO

Just under an hour had passed since the kitchen door closed. Kyungsoo didn’t know quite what was taking them so long to decide if the thirteen-year-old girl was allowed to know their secret or not, especially since the majority of them were all for it. He couldn’t make out what most words were said (because they had soundproofed almost every room since the technology was created). Still, he could hear that both Danbi, Junmyeon and Yuna were expressing different variations of concern with Euina knowing. From what his ear had caught, Danbi was worried about what would happen if she was taken and didn’t know anything – “What if those horrible rogues take her! What if they hurt her and she has no idea for what reason or what the hell is going on?”– while Junmyeon was worried about what would happen if she was taken and she knew, and the rogues tortured information out of her – “She’s a child! No one deserves to be tortured let alone a child!”– and Yuna just wanted them to stop talking about her little sister being tortured. The room had become exceptionally quieter, and the cupcakes had been put into the oven, Minah thought it would be okay for them to join back up with the rest of the house.

She was wrong.

As she opened the kitchen door, Euina just in front of her with the woman’s hand on her shoulder, the seal keeping them cluelessly oblivious from the debate happening in the main room was broken.

Kyungsoo felt like his heart dropped out of his chest.

He wouldn’t be able to tell anyone exactly what was said, but it was an argument between Yuna and Sehun and, Yifan and Tao while Junmyeon was stuck in the middle trying to defuse it all.

“I don’t want to even think about the fact my sister could get kidnapped and killed by a bunch of psycho rogue werewolves! All I’m saying is that I won’t lie to her.” This was the only thing Kyungsoo picked out before everything became silent.

All eyes on the door that just opened and the two girls who had walked through them. Kyungsoo and Jongin shared a look before following their steps into the main room.

“Why am I going to die?” Euina’s voice was small and cracked as she finished her sentence. Kyungsoo didn’t need Luhan’s affinity to figure out she was scared.

Yuna’s face dropped as she saw her sister in the doorframe. Sehun’s form tensing behind her, probably feeling her drop of emotions. “No. You’re not going to die.” She reassured straight away, standing from Sehun’s side to walk closer to the young girl, though Sehun stood to follow not even a second later. She knelt down “I won’t let anything happen to you if I can stop it.”

A few seconds of silence passed. “Werewolves?” Euina’s whisper was heard by everyone (apart from Danbi and Eunjin who were human enough to not have super heightened hearing) her voice still thick with emotion.

“Well, the cat’s out of the bag now,” Baekhyun spoke up, with a smirk on his face as the werecat sat up from his laying down position on the floor. No one acknowledged him or his pun. “No point in arguing about it now.” He sighed, standing. “Just so you know, I was all for you knowing from the get-go.” He smiled at Euina before disappearing, probably going to his room to finally sleep.

Before he knew it, Euina had run past him, tears spilling out over her cheeks. It was like the sky was listening because soon enough, the heavens had opened, and the clouds started crying too. Yuna followed her sister through the door, even if she didn’t know her way around the house or where Euina would go in the first place.

Kyungsoo decided it would be best if he stayed out of their business.

He was just about to retreat back to his room, to try and sleep and maybe see you once again, but before anyone else moved, there was a rap against the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“I’ll get it.” Kyungsoo murmured, not seeing the need to raise his voice. When everyone would hear it anyway. Plus, he was the only one standing up at the moment, and he was closest to the door. It was only logical.

When he opened the door, he was met with the bare back of a woman and, when she turned, his heart did leap. It was you. You were here, on his doorstep. 

And you weren’t wearing a shirt. Or any clothes for that matter.

“Hello.” Your smile stunned Kyungsoo, he began to wonder if he was still dreaming.

Another voice sounded out, sheepishly, and a man stepped out from behind his mate.

“Uh, hi.” He gave a small awkward wave.

How was it? Did you like it? Let me know!

#the lunar myths saga #sparklesonthewater #exo #exo au #exo wolf au #exo werewolf au #exo fic #exo fanfic #exo fiction #exo fanfiction #exo do #d.o. #exo kyungsoo #kyungsoo #do kyungsoo #kyungsoo x reader #kyungsoo x oc #kyungsoo fic #kyungsoo fanfic #kyungsoo fanfiction #kyungsoo fiction #kpop #kpop au #kpop fic #kpop fanfic #kpop fiction #kpop fanfiction #kpop wolf au #kpop werewolf au

[moretinyideas]

under the rain update tonight!! excited for chapter 2!!

#under the rain #lunar myths saga #bon.txt

[allwicca]

What you may not know about Yule

The origin of the word Yule has several suggested origins from the Old English word, geõla, the Old Norse word jõl, a pagan festival celebrated at the winter solstice, or the Anglo-Saxon word for the festival of the Winter Solstice, ‘Iul’ meaning ‘wheel’. In old almanacs Yule was represented by the symbol of a wheel, conveying the idea of the year turning like a wheel, The Great Wheel of the Zodiac, The Wheel of Life. The spokes of the wheel, were the old festivals of the year, the solstices, and equinoxes.

Yule is often confused with the winter solstice, but the former is a season while the latter is a precise moment in time. This is primarily true among those who follow a Saxon pagan path. It’s a celebration that can last much longer than many Pagans know.

Yule begins with the Arra Geola (First Yule) moon, which grows full in late November or the first few weeks of December, and the season then continues for two lunar months.

While some may follow the old concept of two lunar months of celebration, many modern Pagans celebrate it on the winter solstice, and some on December 25, as a counterparty to the Christian Christmas, which was created as a political counterpoint to the long established pagan celebrations, and had nothing to do with the birth of thier Son of God.

Yule or Yuletide (“Yule time”) is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht. It later underwent Christianised reformulation resulting in the term Christmastide.

Terms with an etymological equivalent to Yule are used in the Nordic countries for Christmas with its religious rites, but also for the holidays of this season. Today Yule is also used to a lesser extent in the English-speaking world as a synonym for Christmas. Present day Christmas customs and traditions such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others stem from pagan Yule.

In the Northern hemisphere, the winter solstice has been celebrated for millennia. The Norse peoples viewed it as a time for much feasting, merrymaking, and, if the Icelandic sagas are to be believed, a time of sacrifice as well. Traditional customs such as the Yule log, the decorated tree, and wassailing can all be traced back to Norse origins.

The Celts of the British Isles celebrated midwinter as well. Although little is known about the specifics of what they did, many traditions persist.

According to the writings of Pliny the Elder, this is the time of year in which Druid priests sacrificed a white bull and gathered mistletoe in celebration.

Four thousand years ago, the Ancient Egyptians took the time to celebrate the daily rebirth of Ra, the god of the Sun.

Romans celebrated Saturnalia all week long, focusing on the god Saturn to encourage prosperous agriculture. They’d exchange lavish gifts, feasting, and hand over the Freedman’s hat (also known as a Liberty Cap or pileus) to their slaves and serve them dinner, though the slaves still had to cook. The hat was later adopted as part of the Christian Santa Claus myth.

Norsemen believed the sun was a great wheel of fire that would roll away from the earth and back, and they’d encourage and celebrate the return of the sun with great bonfires and large logs to burn on home fires (Yule logs). They would decorate with bows of evergreen and put ornaments like the sun (often many-pointed star shaped) out in the trees all around, to attract the sun back to the earth. Many cultures, both modern and historical, celebrated with fire and lights, to both light the longest night and to welcome back the sun. Germanic tribes worshipped Odin, went wassailing (caroling!), put out fruit and candles, even ON trees! Christmas lights, Kwanzaa candles, Menorahs, and Yule logs are still a very common celebration of the sun, fire, and light.

A lot of Pagans and Wiccans have a fun story of the battle between the young Oak King and the Holly King. The Oak King, representing the light of the new year, tries each year to usurp the old Holly King, who is the symbol of darkness.

As their culture flourished and spread throughout Mesopotamia, other civilizations decided to get in on the sun-welcoming action. They found that things went really well… until the weather got cooler, and crops began to die. Each year, this cycle of birth, death, and rebirth took place, and they began to realize that every year after a period of cold and darkness, the Sun did indeed return.

Historical Celebrations:

The Yule Log played an important role in the celebrations of the winter solstice and later Christmas, a large oak log was ceremoniously brought into the house and kindled at dusk, using a brand from the previous years Yule Log. It was deemed essential that the log, once lit, should burn until it was deliberately extinguished. The length of time, varied from region to region, from 12 hours to several days and it was considered ill-omened if the fire burnt itself out. It was never allowed to burn away completely, as some would be needed for the following year.

In England, it was considered unlucky for the Yule log to be bought and had to be acquired using other means, as long as no money changed hands. Often it was given as a gift by landowners and sometimes decorated with evergreens. In Cornwall, a figure of a man was sometimes chalked on the surface of the log, mock or block. In Provence, where it was called the tréfoire, carols were sung invoking blessings upon the women that they might bear children and upon the crops, herds, and flocks that they might also increase.

The ashes from the Yule log were often used to make protective, healing or fertilising charms, or scattered over the fields. In Brittany, the ashes were thrown into wells to purify the water, and in Italy as charms against hailstones.

In some parts of the Scottish Highlands, a variation of the Yule log was observed, here a figure of and old woman, the Cailleach Nollaich, was carved from a withered tree stump. At dusk, the figure was brought into the house and laid upon the burning peat of the house fire. The family would gather round the hearth and watch the figure consumed into ashes, the rest of the evening was spent in games and merriment. The figure, represented, not fertility and life but of the evils of winter and death, the figure had to be totally consumed if misfortune and death were to be averted in the coming year.

Mistletoe

Mistletoe, from the Old English misteltãn, is a parasitic plant that grows on various trees, particularly the apple tree, it is held in great veneration when found on Oak trees. The winter solstice, called ‘Alban Arthan’ by the Druids, was according to Bardic Tradition, the time when the Chief Druid would cut the sacred mistletoe from the Oak. The mistletoe is cut using a golden sickle on the sixth day of the moon. It is often associated with thunder, and regarded as a protection against fire and lighting. In Scandinavian mythology, Balder the Beautiful was killed from an arrow made of mistletoe and wielded by the blind god Hoder. Shakespeare, in Titus Andronicus II calls it ‘the baleful mistletoe’.

It is interesting to note that mistletoe was excluded from church decorations, probably due to its connection with the Druids and pagan and magickal associations. This ancient ban on mistletoe is still widely observed.

Yule Candle

This was an ornamental candle of great size, once widely used at Yule throughout Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia. It was often coloured red, green or blue and decorated with sprigs of holly or some other evergreen. The candle was lit either on Christmas Eve, its light shedding on the festival supper and left to burn throughout the night or early Christmas morning, to burn throughout the day. It was rekindled on each successive night of the twelve day festival, and finally extinguished on the Twelfth Night.

While the candle burnt, it was believed to shed a blessing on the household, it was considered a sign of ill omen or misfortune for the candle to go out or blown out. It was also considered unlucky to move it, or blow out the flame, when the time came to extinguish it, it was done by pressing the wick with a pair of tongs. In some households only the head of the family could perform this task, it being considered unlucky for anyone else to touch it whilst alight.

Up until the middle of the last century, chandlers used to present regular customers, with Yule Candles of various sizes, as a gift.

Yule Wassail

Wassail, is derived from the Anglo-Saxon wes hál, meaning ‘be whole’, or ‘be of good health’, or Old Norse ves heill, and was a salutation use at Yule, when the wassail bowl was passed around with toasts and singing. Wassail carols would be sung as people would travel from house to house in the village bringing good wishes in return for a small gratuity. The Apple Tree Wassail, sung in hopes of a good crop of cider the following year, other such as the Gower Wassail carol still survive today.

Recipe for Yule Wassail 3 red apples 3 oz brown sugar 2 pints brown ale, apple cider, or hard cider 1/2 pint dry sherry or dry white wine 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ginger strips or lemon peel

Core and heat apples with brown sugar and some of the ale or cider in an oven for 30 minutes. Put in large pan and add rest of spices and lemon peel, simmer on stove top of 5 minutes. Add most of the alcohol at the last minute so it heats up but does not evaporate. Burgundy and brandy can be substituted to the ale and sherry. White sugar and halved oranges may also be added to taste. Makes enough for eight. Wassail!

from What you may not know about Yule

#What you may not know about Yule

[ttawoabw]

FairyLoot: February ‘Emperors & Fugitives’ Box

Okay, so if you don’t know what a book subscription box then;

Where have you been?

Check out my blog post about them HERE. (I really need to update this…)

FairyLoot is another big Book Subscription service.  The way I see it is it’s the UK’s equivalent of the US’s OwlCrate.  I’ve ordered one of their boxes in the past (you can read the review HERE) but I made that order as a single purchase and haven’t been able to secure a place as a subscriber since.  BUT I FINALLY DID IT, managing to get a place as a subscriber for this company is part of the reason I’ve decided to give Owlcrate a break (among other more significant reasons).  I loved the box I ordered way back then and I’ve loved most of the boxes I’ve seen since then.  I researched what book would be included in this box since I like to do this and I had never heard of it but was intrigued immediately. So without further ado lets get into the unboxing/review.

Okay, so way back when I first ordered this box it wasn’t that strong.  It worked well, but the cardboard was a little weak, it may just be my imagination but the box is sturdier now.  I could be imagining that but yeah.  I still love the logo for this company.

Something cool about FairyLoot’s boxes is the quote they include on the boxes (I think they sometimes change it up) but it’s just a cute little extra touch that shows an extra level of care that’s been put into creating this product.  I also really love the fact that they have a colour scheme of purple (the packing worms are purple and as you’ll see in March’s review it carries through).

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” – Neil Gaiman, Coraline

I like this introduction/information card art, the other side is nicer (I’ll include it at the end) – it does fit with the theme and it can be used as an art piece.  But I just don’t really like the picture itself (meaning the art is good but it isn’t a design I would put up). The information side is clear, descriptive and quite frankly, beautiful.

So first thing I found in the purple packing worms was this full size candle created by Happy Piranha.  It’s called Kalusian Sunset and was named by February’s featured books author. I don’t know what the scent it, it smells a bit florally – I love the smell but think I can only have it in small doses. It actually had melted in transit and I was so worried it had melted throughout my box, thankfully it had not.  I also love the designs on the candle, both the wrap around and lid.

Next up, sticking to the scented things, we have this Celestial Gunpowder bath bomb by Bathing Beauties.  I think the description is cute, “If you’re on the run through the galaxy, you’re going to need a Celestial Gunpowder Bath Bomb to keep you squeaky clean.  Okay, maybe not, but it might help make the whole ‘on-the-run’ thing better, right?” It’s cupcake scented, which I am all for, and was made exclusively for this box.

Now this is possibly the coolest item included in this box; a Baby Groot bobble head keychain by Funko.  Even if you don’t like superhero movies, or specifically Guardians of the Galaxy, no one can say they don’t love Baby Groot.  He’s possibly the best Marvel character on screen at the moment. He lives happily on my Percy Jackson keychain.  I love him, he’s so cute!

A more practical item, this Illuminae quote coaster by Read At Midnight was included and I love it.  It’s really sturdy, an actual coaster, and is really pretty.

“She is catalyst. She is chaos. I can see why he loves her.”

Up next we have a sampler for The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr.  I couldn’t get a photograph of it but this was an accordion sampler ant it was just really cool.  It sounds really interesting – similar to The Memory Book by Lara Avery- and heartbreaking.

Up next we have a bookmark by Till and Dill.  I don’t really care for this bookmark and I’ve put it in my ‘guests take a bookmark pile’ so someone else can appreciate it.

Something I’m really excited about; a discount code for MyBookmark – I love their bookmarks.  They’re 3D and poke out at the ends of your books, like feet!  But they’re really expensive, especially with shipping to Australia, so I can only get them when I have a discount code (it’s how I got my first one).

Next up we’ve got this double sided Throne of Glass print by Taratjah.  One side has Dorian, the other had Manon.  I actually haven’t read the Throne of Glass series (I read the first two/three) but I really liked the picture of Dorian so I put that up on the back of my bedroom door.

The last item before the book is this cute little canvas pouch with a quote from rebel of the Sands on it, it was designed by Alisse Courtier.  It’s the perfect size to hold all my USB’s and SD cards!

  And now for the book…

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza. I hadn’t heard anything about this title before FairyLoot announced their theme and I researched what book would fit with it, and I’m glad it ended up on my radar. It sounds like a great sci0fi adventure and I think it’ll be a great read.

CROWN PRINCESS RHIANNON TA’AN WANTS VENGEANCE.

The only surviving heir to an ancient Kalusian dynasty, RHEE has spent her life training to destroy the people who killed her family. Now, on the eve of her coronation, the time has finally come for Rhee to claim her throne – and her revenge.

ALYOSHA is a Wraetan who has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. Despite his popularity, Aly struggles with anti-Wraetan prejudices and the pressure of being perfect in the public eye.

Their paths collide with one brutal act of violence: Rhee is attacked, barely escaping with her life. Aly is blamed for her presumed murder.

The princess and her accused killer are forced to go into hiding – even as a war between planets is waged in Rhee’s name. But soon, Rhee and Aly discover that the assassination attempt is just one part of a sinister plot. Bound together by an evil that only they can stop, the two fugitives must join forces to save the galaxy.

In this exhilarating debut for fans of Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles and Pierce Brown’s Red Rising trilogy, RHODA BELLEZA crafts a powerful saga of vengeance, warfare, and the true meaning of legacy.

The book and the items included with it came in a cute little dust bag with the FairyLoot symbol on it.  I didn’t know they did this but I think it’s such a cool thing to do.  Kind of like wrapping the book to keep the element of surprise but you get to keep the bag!

Something FairyLoot does is include a mini magazine that features an interview with the author, books to read after you’ve read Empress of a Thousand Skies and the next month’s theme (which for March is Myths and Monsters, it’s their one year anniversary box so it’ll be purple and just full of amazingness!).  I like this as it allows the reader to really connect with the author, FairyLoot also include a letter from their authors so it’s like double the awesomeness!

To my dearest, fiercest Fairylooters: Excuse the mushiness, but it absolutely has to be said: it means the world to me you’re reading this. I wrote Rhee and Aly because I’d always come back to this theme of expectation.  Our skin color, perceived gender and age, a million other things – they feed into expectations everyone else had, and as a young person it had been so easy for me to adopt this as truth.  To let someone else define my identity, to tell me who I was supposed to be.  That external pressure was key, in a way.  I’d felt this immense, impossible heat bearing down – so that the only way to survive was to form on my own terms.  Like that gem of truth was always in my DNA.  Aly and Rhee are different expressions of that idea.  And while they’re in a faraway galaxy, surrounded by advanced tech with an interplanetary war as a backdrop, they’re both trying to survive – in body, mind and spirit – and find their own truth.  I hope this speaks to you.  Ad at the very least, I hope you like the fight scenes. :) 

And of course a signed bookplate!

  Final Thoughts:

I really liked this box, in fact I loved it. It was filled with SO MUCH and it fit all the expectations I’ve developed about what I expect from a YA book subscription service.  Everything was of a high quality, fit perfectly with the theme and was something I have used or can see myself ctually using.  I’m really impressed with this box and I’m glad I was able to secure a subscription so I can see what other amazing products they include in future boxes!

You can order your FairyLoot box HERE for £26 pounds (not including shipping). If you want to check out past boxes you can click HERE and HERE.

  My Links:

Goodreads : Becca Winter

Instagram : becca_theory

Twitter : @Becca_Theory

Facebook : The Troubles And Woes Of A Bookworm

Becca

xxx

The opinions expressed in this review are mine and mine alone.  This post is not sponsored I paid for the box myself.

Book Subscription Box Review: FairyLoot's February 'Emperors & Fugitives' Box FairyLoot: February 'Emperors & Fugitives' Box Okay, so if you don't know what a book subscription box then;

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