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fragileheartbeats · 2 months

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Create another valyrian household that escaped Valyria. They hid themselves away by magic on an island not visible to anyone, they don't wish to be seen. On an island with a huge fortress accompanied with another smaller fortress which is basically a library. They are similar to Targaryens, but much more knowledgeable on everything (thanks to Valyria). They ride dragons, purple shades of eyes, silver-gold hair. Only two differences being, they have never been married outside of family(yuck) with no Westerosi blood therefore very different customs, fully valyrian customs and traditions rather than Westerosi+valyrian(Targs, Vels). Hope you have fun, thank you:)

𓈒ㅤׂㅤ 𓇼 ࣪ 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄 𓈒ㅤׂㅤ⭒⠀

꒰͡ ⠀ ִ 𝐺𝐸𝑁𝑇𝐿𝐸 𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝐿𝑂𝑉𝐼𝑁𝐺 ⠀ׂ ⠀ ͡꒱

─ 𝘈 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𖤐

─ 𝘈 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𖤐

In the rich tapestry of Valyrian history, woven with the threads of power, magic, and dragonfire, the House Lyrielle stands as a testament to the enduring grace and wisdom of Old Valyria. Their story is a whisper on the wind, a secret melody sung by the waves that surround their hidden island sanctuary. Known to but a few, the Lyrielles are the guardians of a legacy untainted by the ambition and corruption that led to the Doom. The sigil of House Lyrielle is as enigmatic as the house itself—an angelic dragon, graceful and serene, enwreathed in a ring of white roses against a backdrop of deepest emerald. The dragon, smaller in stature but fierce in its intelligence and agility, represents the nature of the Lyrielles' own dragons. The emerald ground symbolizes their secluded island, a jewel hidden in the vast sea, and the white roses signify the purity of their intentions and the mystical barriers that veil their home from the unwary eye. Their words, "Beyond Sight, Within Light," speak to the heart of the House Lyrielle ethos. They live beyond the sight of the known world, in a realm of their own making, where knowledge and virtue shine brighter than any Valyrian steel. These words are a promise of their commitment to the greater good, a reminder of their hidden presence guiding the fate of the world from the shadows. The Lyrielles, in their seclusion, have preserved the purity of their Valyrian bloodline, untouched by Westerosi influence. Their customs and traditions remain a living tapestry of Old Valyria's glory, a culture preserved in amber amidst the tumultuous seas of change. Education and learning are held in the highest regard. The smaller fortress, known as the Lyceum of Light, houses a vast collection of scrolls and tomes, not only on magic and dragonlore but on the sciences, arts, and philosophies of the wider world. Even though the Lyrielles seclude themselves from the outside, they possess an insatiable thirst for knowledge that keeps their minds as sharp as their swords. The Lyrielles are ethereal in their beauty, with eyes that hold the mysteries of the universe—shades of purple that shift with the light. Their silver-gold hair flows like liquid moonlight, a hallmark of their Valyrian bloodline. They are skilled in the art of healing, their touch capable of mending wounds that would confound even the most learned maesters. Their bond with their dragons is profound, rooted in a deep understanding and respect for these majestic creatures.

Their dragons, lithe and swift, mirror their masters in both appearance and temperament. With scales that catch the moon's light, casting reflections in hues of amethyst and sapphire, they are specters of the night sky, their presence felt rather than seen, their agility unmatched by any creature, mythical or otherwise. To the Lyrielles, the world outside is a place of beauty marred by the scars of greed and violence. They see themselves as custodians of what remains pure and true. Their philosophy is one of balance and harmony, seeking to preserve the natural world and its wonders. They are benevolent, yet their kindness is not a weakness but a strength, fortified by their unwavering sense of justice and fairness.

The Lyrielles embody a paradox. They are both guardians and isolationists, wielding their power to protect the natural world and its untold secrets while shunning the very societies they seek to preserve from afar. Their personalities are marked by a gentle demeanor, an innate grace that belies the strength and wisdom that centuries of unbroken tradition have instilled in them. They are the custodians of healing, their knowledge of the arcane arts allowing them to mend wounds and cure maladies thought beyond the reach of mortal hands. Yet, for all their power and knowledge, the Lyrielles possess a naivety born of their seclusion. They view the outside world through the lens of caution and fear, tales of its dangers passed down through generations. This isolation has fostered a deep sense of kinship and loyalty among them, their bonds unbreakable, their trust in one another absolute. In a realm where the quest for power often leads to ruin, House Lyrielle remains a beacon of hope. They are the whisper in the heart of the storm, the unseen hand that guides towards light. Their existence is a testament to the belief that even in the darkest of times, there are those who shine brightly, not for glory or fame, but for the love of all that is good and true in the world.

My other original house:

House Celestyr

House Valysar

@fragileheartbeats . Don't plagiarise, repost, or translate any of my works on here or any other websites.

@emily2003alzaga @nash-dara @altaircc @heavenly1927 @omgsuperstarg @asoiafhyperfixation

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ddarker-dreams · 2 months

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mini love report — albedo

relationship health diagnosis — 90%*

symptom one — reserved

albedo favors a reclusive lifestyle. dealing with social nuances and niceties is a draining prospect, he'd rather forgo them altogether. it's for this reason that rumors swirl around the alchemist. he's been described as cold and calculating. which, to be fair, isn't completely wrong. if he'd rather be elsewhere it isn't difficult to tell. still, that unquenchable thirst to peel back more layers of this mysterious world hasn't made him unfeeling.

this public perception never bothered him until he realized it may influence your opinion of him. this explains his uncharacteristic effort to seek you out. it starts off awkward, as you're certain the chief alchemist has more important matters to tend to. his attempts win you over slowly yet surely. it’s endearing, how his stoic visage belies frustration when he struggles to keep the conversation going, having exhausted platitudes.

you being the exception to his preference for isolation is rather flattering.

symptom two — knowledgeable

albedo is a natural educator. there's hardly a moment where his field of study isn't bouncing around in his mind. with sucrose and timaeus, he keeps his teachings succinct and formal. when he's sharing his recent findings with you, however, it's a different story. his monotonous voice takes on a lively cadence. comparatively speaking, at least. no one else is privy to his nerdy side. self-consciousness catches up, when he notes thirty minutes have gone by and he's only on his second of ten samples.

there you sit. bundled up to stave off the dragonspine's unforgiving weather, contentedly sipping hot cocoa he had ready for your arrival (a suggestion from klee). you tilt your head and ask why he's stopped. it's in that instant he realizes miracles aren't limited to physical manifestations. they can come in any form. even one as simple as you trying to resume the conversation, despite getting tongue-tied by the alchemical jargon.

future discoveries that will amuse you hold more weight to him than anything actually groundbreaking...

symptom three — conscientious

if you ever happen upon albedo's dense collection of relationship-related reading material, please keep it to yourself, lest he die of embarrassment. he wants to get this right! interpersonal relationships aren't his forte, he's not so blinded by pride to acknowledge this shortcoming. he knows he can be blunt and accidentally trample over feelings. he refuses to seek the counsel of his peers, which leaves him at the mercy of klee's tutelage.

he hypothesizes that the lack of self-awareness in children makes them conducive to offering unfiltered advice. gift-giving is her field of choice and her standards are high. almost every trinket, flower, or artwork you've received has undergone rigorous quality control. he was amazed that this klee verification system went over so well with you, hence his reoccurring patronage.

he cares a lot. expressing it might not come naturally to him, but he's willing to overthrow his nature for your benefit.

primary area of concern

...

albedo has some baggage regarding his creation. his search for unraveling the mystery behind his creator's parting challenging, while not all-consuming, influences him to some extent.

truthfully, there isn't anything that'd place major strain on your relationship. there are times he discovers a secret of the world that would've been better of remaining unknown. so long as it isn't anything that'd endanger you, he handles overwhelming information quite well.

although he's often holed up in his laboratory, you're welcome to come and observe. he doesn't allow his research to isolate him from you. he involves you whenever he can and gladly engages in your interests as well. he tends to absorb them, returning a few days later with the expertise of a scholar.

you've scored yourself a solid homunculus.

prognosis

his interest in you is a flame that'll never wane. you add warmth and color to his life, he adds stability to yours. the memories you cherish are always the small, seemingly insignificant ones, that steadily build. the sticky notes you leave on his desk reminding him to take breaks. a homemade meal he's left for you to warm up for those busy mornings. enjoying a tea party with klee where albedo gives a 'toast' to his generous host, dodoco, spoken with a straight face.

these scintillating fragments form a greater whole.

*the universe has tried (and failed) to wrench you apart (0-20) your friends are praying that you'll break up (21-40) 'well it could/has be worse' bargaining mindset (41-60) a lil messiness as a treat (61-80) pure and wholesome (81-100)

#albedo x reader #genshin impact x reader #mini love reports #valentines 2024 event

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eamour · 8 months

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method﹕revision

definition

to revise means to reconsider something in order to correct or improve it. in a manifestation related sense, it means to erase and change the outcome of events in your life that have already taken place. all in all, revising is a way to manifest. a way not to create but to recreate.

all things revision

time does not exist in terms of past, present or future since they only exist in your mind. what you declare to be your past, in fact, is just what you are able to recall. your memory is just a state of consciousness that you have defined as your "past". we can only ever experience now and what we are conscious of in this given moment.

when we speak of "revising an event" or "changing the past", it's not our focus to change what has already happened — well, it is, but rather than focusing on changing the event, we focus on changing ourselves. just like neville goddard said, no one to change but self.

let's say you are dissatisfied with an event from the past. see, whenever you remember it, and express that you don't like it, you relive it in your mind, resurrecting that state. the moment you recall those past memories, you once again become aware of it — and as long as you remain in that same state and keep the memory as it is, it will and can not be altered.

it is very much up to you what you decide to keep within your consciousness and which experiences you choose to carry with you. your memories, your past experiences, ... they are all just in your mind. they only represent your imagination. your present assumptions therefore have very much influence on who you are now and who you "have been", aka the way you choose to remember yourself right now.

revision in steps

1 ⋮ choose. what does the old story look like? and what does your new story look like? become clear about both, the unfavourable and the favourable.

2 ⋮ change. declare that the old story no longer serves you, that it no longer depicts the "truth" and embody the version of you that identifies with the new story. replace your old assumptions regarding your past and redirect them to your liking. do not just assume but really accept that your past experiences happened just accordingly to your new, desired story.

3 ⋮ persist. now that you have rewritten your story to your liking, you need to be consistent with it. you have re-assumed a new reality — a new state of awareness for yourself — so, persist in it! you can now experience it in consciousness whenever and wherever you want.

don't forget

✿ the same way you deal with the 3D when manifesting other things into your life, you entirely dismiss your outer reality. whatever is being reflected back to you, you don't give it any attention. disregard it and reassure yourself by keeping in mind that creation is finished. leave the physical world as it is and only pay attention to your mental world, your imagination.

✿ when you are persisting, you are continuously living in your imagination. you persist in anything at all times as you experience both, 3D and 4D at the same time. you don't repeatedly live in your imagination — as in, you don't exit and enter it, over and over again — but do it perpetually. and as things have no reality other than in consciousness, your 4D has no choice but to create your 3D. the same way your 3D has no choice but to mirror your mental activity, showing you evidence of your accepted assumptions.

✿ in other words, persist and your reality will end up conforming to your liking!

with love, ella.

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breha · 1 year

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Is Lestat's relationship to Claudia ever that of an uncle? What other reason might there be for Claudia to call one of the men "Daddy" and the other "Uncle"? Consider the setting.

Why might the filmmakers have chosen to include references to A Doll's House, Madame Bovary, Marriage In A Free Society by Edward Carpenter, and Pelléas et Mélisande? What themes, if any, do these references reinforce?

Claudia calls Louis "the housewife" and Louis later describes himself as "ignoring all other duties of the role Claudia had mocked me for... the unhappy housewife." What does this indicate about attitudes towards gender and sexuality in the society in which the characters live? What is the significance of the word "role" here in relation to Lestat's promise in the first episode to free Louis from "all these roles you conform to"?

When Claudia first introduces the idea of reconceptualizing her relationship to Louis and Lestat as a sister, what does Lestat's reaction suggest about his opinion? In the following episode, when Lestat calls Claudia "sister, daughter, infant death," what is his tone?

In the context of the story, what is a "maker"? What kind of status in the household does Lestat believe a maker should have?

Does becoming vampires allow the characters to escape the social structures of the world around them, or do they remain trapped? In what ways, if any, does sociocultural context in regards to gender, race, sexuality, and family influence the characters and their relationships?

The article "Undoing Feminism: From the Preoedipal to Postfeminism in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles" by Janice Doane and Devon Hodges argues that the novel Interview With The Vampire "depends on an oedipal paradigm" and says that "Rice sees the oedipal moment as beginning with the father's embrace of the girl child in a patriarchal order that so restricts her possibilities for development [...] that she develops murderous rages against the father. Freud calls the oedipal stage 'a haven, a refuge' for the girl; Rice shows it to be a coffin." Do you think AMC's Interview With The Vampire is engaging with this idea? Why or why not?

#vampire posting

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arise-if · 3 months

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“Arise, take form this new era!”

These are the first words uttered of the fourth age of this world and its influence has been felt in the blondwood galleries of the moneyed to the silver bows of the flightships which now traverse the near sky and yet when the academy first laid eyes on the object of this change they had but one warning.

But that is not your story and that is not your time, play as a homunculi child of the fourth age of alchemy and discover a world bustling with the excitement and the tragedy of new frontiers; play as the child of the partyboy former Cavalry Captain of the 13th Company and Champion Equestrian who has spared no expense in raising you, explore both the gleaming towers and hidden underbelly of Candar, the familiar glades and slopes of your homeland and the striking landscapes of far away lands, dedicate yourself to your studies or aspire to a life beyond the grip of polite society.

The currency of this era is the much prized splinters of newsilver which have enabled so much of its progress and advancement, from the miracle of flight to the industrialisation of the Great Nations and even feats we call foul heresy but even this resource will not last forever. All the world now looks towards the next great find, towards whomever shall herald the fifth age.

That is your story.

Play as male, female or non-binary with options to be straight, gay, asexual or not pursue a romance at all.

Define your player character's demeanour, appearance, personality, history and skills — etiquette, riding, alchemy, artificing, bargaining and much more.

Choose the subject of your 5th year academic theory report and go out into the world to gather data in the field — by underhanded means or otherwise.

Explore the unique landscape and phenomena that proliferate across the land.

Court and pursue various romance options from the brave lancer-in-training, the untalkative classmate, your adroit childhood mate, the ambitious assistant or the unfamiliar guide.

Live in the vast world of Candar which is currently defined by the central discovery of the fourth age of alchemy — newsilver, the rare resource containing the energy which fuels all progress in Candar.

Enjoy this story which is an affectionate ode to my favourite childhood books and stories combining aspects of historical fantasy, steampunk and grimbright lore.

Cade/Cadena Fairfax, C

(m/f, 22) The Lancer-in-Training who also attends your school, the child of the now discredited and proscribed Commander of the Librarian Knights of Gallopavia. Despite this fact they remain boarded at Gallo, their aspirations still intact though know they hope to find the truth or bring their father to justice.

A halfling (human).

Petr/Petra Guy, P

(m/f, 21) The Apprentice to the Lord Artificer of Gallopavia, your childhood best friend has changed much in the years since you last saw them. Perhaps the gruelling work as an apprentice or the weight of their gratitude has pushed them forward but you can't help but notice the youthful spark in their eyes has been replaced by determination.

A halfling (human) of some indeterminate heritage.

Jacquelin/Jacqueline Attica, J

(m/f, 22)

An Archivist of the Grand Alchemical Library and fellow 5th year student at Gallo Academy widely regarded as a prodigy and future professor at least, known to perform their tasks in total silence efficiently if it weren't for their cold demeanour and standoffish personality they'd quickly rise through the ranks of society. However when pushed they make no secret of their feelings about their peers, useless.

A sylph of some halfling (human) heritage.

Euer Ffsonye, E

(m/f, 29) The Assistant Professor of Flight at Gallo Academy, the much lauded junior newsilver researcher has quickly adapted to the position of educator easily stepping into the dangerous politics of alchemy and invention without so much as a stumble. But amongst the disgruntled who they've surpassed and outrank, they ask: what is it they're really gunning for?

An halfling (human) of some aelfe heritage.

Nate/Nata Bors-Sutr, N

(m/f, 19) The Flightship Navigator from the Free States who your father hired to act as your guide, over the years they've acquired enough practical skills to get by and earn their keep and as someone accustomed to the dark corners and avenues of this land beyond the prying eyes of the authorities they know how to find the things that others can't see.

A slyvan of some halfling (human) heritage.

Candar

The fourth age of alchemy will end with man weeping at the denouement, the tragedy of its conclusion is already known yet we can do nothing to fight against it.

Candar is the known world, its are people spread across many nations, banners and beliefs for which they regularly live and fight.

It is currently in the fourth age of alchemy defined primarily by the substance newsilver — the absolute focus of all industrial, alchemical and scientific progress which has rapidly changed the lives of the humanoids which inhabit this world drawing everyone towards it's bustling cities, enabling faster travel via its flightships, dangerous work from it's factories and bloodier wars from the newmuskets they have produced.

Candar remains filled with undiscovered and unexplored corners in which magical meetings still happen but the world is less fantastical, its uncharted territories are darker, further and yet more accessible than they ever have been.

Demo: unreleased (WIP)

References: unreleased (WIP)

Ko-fi: unreleased

Other projects: GGGLU (check it out!)

#arise #arise-if #status: no demo #dashingdon #choicescript #interactive fiction #genre: fantasy #genre: steampunk

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leroibobo · 6 months

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some notes on specifically "middle eastern" (mashriqi + iran, caucuses, and turkey) jewish communities/history:

something to keep in mind: judaism isn't "universalist" like christianity or islam - it's easier to marry into it than to convert on your own. conversions historically happened, but not in the same way they did for european and caucasian christians/non-arab muslims.

that being said, a majority of middle eastern jews descend from jewish population who remained in palestine or immigrated/were forced (as is the case with "kurdish" jews) from palestine to other areas and mixed with locals/others who came later (which at some point stopped). pretty much everywhere in the middle east and north africa (me/na) has/had a jewish population like this.

with european jews (as in all of them), the "mixing" was almost entirely during roman times with romans/greeks, and much less later if they left modern-day greece/italy.

(none of this means jewish people are or aren't "indigenous" to palestine, because that's not what that word means.)

like with every other jewish diaspora, middle eastern jewish cultures were heavily influenced by wherever they ended up. on a surface level you can see this in things like food and music.

after the expulsion of jews from spain and portugal, sephardim moved to several places around the world; many across me/na, mostly to the latter. most of the ones who ended up in the former went to present-day egypt, palestine, lebanon, syria, and turkey. a minority ended up in iraq (such as the sassoons' ancestors). like with all formerly-ottoman territories, there was some degree of back and forth between countries and continents.

some sephardim intermarried with local communities, some didn't. some still spoke ladino, some didn't. there was sometimes a wealth gap between musta'arabim and sephardim, and/or they mostly didn't even live in the same places, like in palestine and tunisia. it really depends on the area you're looking at.

regardless, almost all the jewish populations in the area went through "sephardic blending" - a blending of local and sephardic customs - to varying degrees. it's sort of like the cultural blending that came with spanish/portugese colonization in central and south america (except without the colonization).

how they were treated also really depends where/when you're looking. some were consistently dealt a raw hand (like "kurdish" and yemenite jews) while some managed to do fairly well, all things considered (like baghdadi and georgian jews). most where somewhere in between. the big difference between me/na + some balkan and non-byzantine european treatment of jews is due to geography - attitudes in law regarding jews in those areas tended to fall into different patterns.

long story short: most european governments didn't consider anyone who wasn't "christian" a citizen (sometimes even if they'd converted, like roma; it was a cultural/ethnic thing as well), and persecuted them accordingly; justifying this using "race science" when religion became less important there after the enlightenment.

most me/na and the byzantine governments considered jews (and later, christians) citizens, but allowed them certain legal/social opportunities while limiting/banning/imposing others. the extent of both depend on where/when you're looking but it was never universally "equal".

in specifically turkey, egypt, palestine, and the caucuses, there were also ashkenazi communities, who came mainly because living as a jew in non-ottoman europe at the time sucked more than in those places. ottoman territories in the balkans were also a common destination for this sort of migration.

in the case of palestine, there were often religious motivations to go as well, as there were for some other jews who immigrated. several hasidic dynasites more or less came in their entirety, such as the lithuanian/polish/hungarian ones which precede today's neutrei karta.

ashkenazi migration didn't really happen until jewish emancipation in europe for obvious reasons. it also predates zionism - an initially secular movement based on contemporaneous european nationalist ideologies - by some centuries.

most ashkenazi jews today reside in the us, while most sephardic or "mizrahi" jews are in occupied palestine. there, the latter outnumber the former. you're more likely to find certain groups (like "kurds" and yemenites) in occupied palestine than others (like persians and algerians) - usually ones without a western power that backed them from reactionary antisemitic persecution and/or who came from poorer communities. (and no, this doesn't "justify" the occupation).

(not to say there were none who immigrated willingly/"wanted" to go, or that none/all are zionist/anti-zionist. (ben-gvir is of "kuridsh" descent, for example.) i'm not here to parse motivations.)

this, along with a history of racism/chauvinism from the largely-ashkenazi "left", are why many mizrahim vote farther "right".

(in some places, significant numbers of the jewish community stayed, like turkey, tunisia, and iran. in some others, there's evidence of double/single-digit and sometimes crypto-jewish communities.)

worldwide, the former outnumber the latter. this is thought to be because of either a medieval ashkenazi population boom due to decreased population density (not talking about the "khazar theory", which has been proven to be bullshit, btw) or a later, general european one in the 18th/19th centuries due to increased quality of life.

the term "mizrahi" ("oriental", though it doesn't have the same connotation as in english) in its current form comes from the zionist movement in the 1940s/50s to describe me/na jewish settlers/refugees.

(i personally don't find it useful outside of israeli jewish socio-politics and use it on my blog only because it's a term everyone's familiar with.)

about specifically palestinian jews:

the israeli term for palestinian jews is "old yishuv". yishuv means settlement. this is in contrast to the "new yishuv", or settlers from the initial zionist settlement period in 1881-1948. these terms are usually used in the sense of describing historical groups of people (similar to how you would describe "south yemenis" or "czechoslovaks").

palestinian jews were absorbed into the israeli jewish population and have "settler privilege" on account of their being jewish. descendants make up something like 8% of the israeli jewish population and a handful (including, bafflingly, netanyahu and smoltrich) are in the current government.

they usually got to keep their property unless it was in an "arab area". there's none living in gaza/the west bank right now unless they're settlers.

their individual views on zionism vary as much as any general population's views vary on anything.

(my "palestinian jews" series isn't intended to posit that they all think the same way i do, but to show a side of history not many people know about. any "bias" only comes from the fact that i have a "bias" too. this is a tumblr blog, not an encyclopedia.)

during the initial zionist settlement period, there were palestinian/"old yishuv" jews who were both for zionism and against it. the former have been a part of the occupation and its government for pretty much its entire history.

some immigrated abroad before 1948 and may refer to themselves as "syrian jews". ("syria" was the name given to syria/lebanon/palestine/some parts of iraq during ottoman times. many lebanese and palestinian christians emigrated at around the same time and may refer to themselves as "syrian" for this reason too.)

ones who stayed or immigrated after for whatever reason mostly refer to themselves as "israeli".

in israeli jewish society, "palestinian" usually implies muslims and christians who are considered "arab" under israeli law. you may get differing degrees of revulsion/understanding of what exactly "palestine"/"palestinians" means but the apartheid means that palestinian =/= jewish.

because of this, usage of "palestinian" as a self-descriptor varies. your likelihood of finding someone descendent from/with ancestry from the "old yishuv" calling themselves a "palestinian jew" in the same way an israeli jew with ancestry in morocco would call themselves a "moroccan jew" is low.

(i use it on here because i'm assuming everyone knows what i mean.)

samaritans aren't 'jewish', they're their own thing, though they count as jewish under israeli law.

#jewish #mizrahi #palestinian jews #info #my posts #repost with more info #sorry if this isn't the best time to post it (?) then again this is my blog and i'm not indebted to anyone so (shrugs)#i've been seeing a lot of misinfo too so

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chaos-of-the-abyss · 4 months

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akio and the coffin

it’s fascinating how akio both literally IS the coffin of ohtori academy and, simultaneously, is trapped by it. ohtori academy is in many ways a manifestation of the ugly side of adolescence, of clinging on to something in your past and refusing to move forward in your life. every character has something they continue to hold on to despite the fact that they ought to let it go for the sake of growing and maturing. for example, saionji has his inferiority complex regarding touga, his refusal to let go of the simplicity of their childhood together when he felt that they stood on the same ground, and that touga saw him as an equal. everything he does in the series is an attempt to make himself feel as though he is finally on equal grounds with touga. if he would only stop tying his self-image to the perception that touga is somehow above him, that touga looks down on him, then he would be able to let go of that sense of inferiority and move on. but he can’t. juri refuses to let go of the pain she feels regarding her past with shiori, and continues to see shiori as someone who is “innocent”, albeit cruelly - someone who is unknowing of the pain she causes juri through her actions when in fact, shiori in seducing the boy she thought juri loved was deliberately acting to hurt her. if juri would only realize and accept the true intentions behind shiori’s behavior, then she could get one step closer to understanding shiori, to being understood by her, and moving past the pain of shiori’s betrayal. but she can’t.

most of the characters, except utena and anthy of course, remain in ohtori by the end of the show. while they’ve all made progress in “maturing” thanks to the events they experienced throughout the series - both saionji and touga’s as well as juri and shiori’s relationships have gotten visibly better, as shown in the final medley of scenes - they still have more growing to do, hence why they remain in ohtori academy until their time comes. one day, the show suggests, they might also revolutionize their own worlds - their own selves - and finally leave the coffin of ohtori behind as well.

so where does that leave akio? i think he can be said to literally be the coffin of ohtori in that he is explicitly shown to try to manipulate others into remaining stagnant, to clinging on to whatever toxic things they are struggling to process and come to terms with, though this is of course only shown via the characters he most directly interacts with. naturally it comes across most clearly with anthy, although i think utena and to a less direct extent, touga, are the other two people who are the most straightforwardly influenced by him. when it comes to anthy, she clings to her love for the person her brother used to be, the older brother who, at least as she perceived, was kind and caring and wanted to protect people. to protect that older brother, she willingly took on the hatred of the world, and continues to endure the pain of it to this day for what is implied to be centuries. but akio has shown time and time again, through the repeating dueling cycles, that if he was ever kindhearted and genuinely caring, those parts of him are gone now. i do believe he cares about anthy to an extent even now, but whatever affection he has for her is paltry in comparison to his desire to reclaim his power as prince dios. it’s for that purpose that he set up the entire dueling system, for which he freely allows duelists to treat anthy like a prize and an object. and additionally, because anthy is so integral to the power he has now in ohtori, he uses emotional, psychological, physical, and sexual abuse to keep her tied to him. he’s willing to not just let her wellbeing come last, but puts it at the bottom of the list of priorities, and actively tears it down himself for his own benefit. anthy knows all this - but because she still holds onto that love that she had for who he used to be, she stays with him and does his bidding. and that’s what akio wants. he is the coffin, wishing to keep people in their states of despair, conflict, and pain, therefore ensuring that they are compliant and vulnerable to his manipulation.

at the same time, akio is trapped by the coffin like everyone else. he, like all the other characters, has something that he ought to move on from for his own sake as well as the sake of the people around him: his goal to reclaim his powers as prince dios. akio has failed in this goal every single dueling cycle that happened before the show’s events, and as displayed in the final episode, he definitively fails the one that takes place during the show as well. he can attempt the cycle over and over and over again, redo and tweak and modify the dueling system however many times and in whatever ways he wants - it’s all useless. there is no sword that can break open the rose gate. there is no way to reclaim his powers. they’re gone, that part of his life is over, and if he accepted that fact, it would allow him to move on and heal from what he experienced. but he can’t. at the very end of the series, right before anthy leaves ohtori for good, he’s typing away just as diligently as he ever did and, completely oblivious, tells anthy that he’s rewriting the rules of the rose crest, that he’ll be counting on her again. and i didn’t pick up on this until rewatching the episode, but it really just hits you then how utterly stupid he looks, working so hard and speaking so confidently about the upcoming dueling cycles as if any of them are ever going to matter in the slightest. i love anthy’s response to him too; i love the subtle but at the same time so blatant scorn in her words: “you really don’t know what’s happened, do you?” because once again, throughout all this, akio has learned nothing. he hasn’t realized it’s useless, what he’s trying to do; he hasn’t realized all the effort and pain and anguish he’ll cause in people for yet another dueling cycle will never make any difference. he is unable to come to terms with the reality that he will never have his powers as prince dios back. he refuses to move on.

akio is the coffin of ohtori, wanting to keep others in stagnation and regret. he’s also trapped by the coffin, incapable of maturing past his own stagnation and regret. and it really, really says something that all of the other major characters of the show, who have been in ohtori for far shorter a time than he has, have been able to make visible strides in their growth. anthy, who is the only one comparable to akio in terms of duration at ohtori, revolutionizes her world and leaves. meanwhile akio, as deluded and self-unaware as he is, hasn’t made a single step of progress in all this time. the only thing he does is call in bewildered desperation after anthy as she finally leaves him behind, still totally clueless as to what has happened.

tldr; i once saw an author say one of her characters represents inertia, in fact he is inertia. i think that’s a spot-on explanation of akio, at least in terms of what he symbolizes in the story. i want to beat him in the dick with a cactus

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easternmind · 7 months

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The weird and wonderful history of Kowloon as a digital interactive space - Part I

The Kowloon Walled City was one of the most emblematic locations in Hong Kong due to its irregular, fast-paced and largely ungoverned growth within a minute parcel of land. During the occupation of Hong Kong Island by the British in the mid 18th century, the Qing authorities surrounded the area with walls, turning it into a strategic position from where to closely inspect the foreign nation's covert activities. Almost a century later, during World War II, the area was seized by the Japanese, who tore down the walls and repurposed the stone for the construction of a nearby airport.

After the war ended, China would eventually regain possession of the city, though the disinterest of local authorities in addressing its increasing social disturbances placed it in a downward path to a state of utter degradation. By the 1970s, Kowloon had become the epicentre of Hong Kong's criminal underworld, dominated by a handful of its most vicious Triads.

Towards the last years of its existence, the ancient settlement was as a precarious heap of concrete, sheltering nearly half a million people within less than seven acres of land. Cultural and political changes in China made it increasingly difficult for this urban anomaly to remain unaddressed. In the late 1980s, an action plan was put together aiming to relocate its inhabitants and reconvert the real estate into an inner-city park. Stories about residents refusing to leave were featured prominently in newspapers all over the world, confusing many a reader as to why anyone in their right mind would choose to live in such insecure and unsanitary conditions. Once the single most densely populated area in the world, this enclave was an architectural aberration whose disconcerting aesthetic influenced numerous works of art in different fields of creation, including a small yet consequential number of video games. This article is as a tour of those interactive experiences through which we can still partake in a small sample of what it was like to exist in this abominably transfixing space.

九龍島 (Kyu-Ryu-Tou) - Starcraft - 1986

The year is 2025. An arms dealer escalates the tensions between East and West by developing a genetic weapon in a secret base at Kowloon Island. The United Nations react by sending in their best man, Jamie Starr. Unrelated to the Walled City itself, the first game to be located in the Kowloon peninsula - and indeed include the name as a part of its title - is this obscure turn-based RPG, Kyu-Ryu-Tou for the NEC PC88 and FM-77 machines. The game is a sequel to Shangai, released the year before, featuring the same protagonist. Starcraft would also go on to produce a third instalment in 1987 named TO.KY.O. Clearly there wasn't much regard here from the developers part for geographic accuracy, as Kowloon is depicted here as being an island. While Hong Kong's southern territory is composed of an actual island, all the different areas named Kowloon are located in the mainland.

Riot City - Westone - 1991

One of the most shameless specimens among a relatively long list of Final Fight clones, Riot City contains subtle references to Kowloon, though never referring to it by name. Two narcotics detectives are assigned with the mission of dismantling a cartel running a crime-ridden located in fictional Riot Island. This recurring yet geographically nonsensical notion of Kowloon as an island comes up here, yet again. The final moment of the introduction sequence for this minor Sega arcade success shows both protagonists approaching a tight cluster of buildings whose source inspiration is quite unmistakable. Because Westone maintained ownership of most of this production's intellectual property, a later port to the PC Engine entitled Riot Zone was made possible with the help of Hudson soft. Kowloon's Gate - Zeque - 1997

Reviving the Walled City through the lens of cybermystic surrealism, Kowloon's Gate is a dense, daunting adventure masterfully capturing the slum's dark and narrow recesses. This 1997 Japanese Playstation exclusive spans across four discs of unparalleled full motion 3D CGI spectacle, alternating with real-time 3D dungeons brimming with outlandish characters and concepts deeply inspired by Chinese history, geography and cultural traditions.

Ironically, Zeque managed to embed the theme of Feng-Shui, the ancient geomantic art seeking harmony between the individual and their surrounding space, into a story set in the world's most historically untidy district.

SaGa Frontier - Square - 1997

SaGa Frontier takes place in a solar system named The Regions, composed of multiple inhabited worlds for the player to explore, each with its different degree of civilizational development and culture. One of these planets goes by the suggestive name Kūron. Its pervasive neon light signs, food stalls, makeshift cabins and rooftop scaffolding instantly evoke the memory of China’s so-called city of darkness.

Shadow Hearts - Sacnoth - 2001

Shortly after the release of Koudelka, Sacnoth's initiated the development of Shadow Hearts, the first episode from a cult RPG trilogy exclusively designed for the Playstation 2. In good Japanese fashion, the game proposes an anachronistic yet visually suggestive depiction of Kowloon, portraying its architectural style and degree of decay as it existed in the late twentieth century, despite the fact that the game's events take place during the nineteen twenties.

Just as noteworthy is the almost complete absence of any inhabitants, which inadvertently make this portrayal of the quarter eerily reminiscent of the state in which it was found circa 1993 or 1994, as local authorities brought the long, arduous eviction project to a close.

Shenmue II - SEGA AM2 - 2001

Shenmue II exhibits the most complete and period-accurate video game representation of Kowloon to date. While more recent games featuring this area may represent a number of its aspects with the aid of improved visual fidelity, none features it with such depth as this masterpiece of masterpieces. More than mere background decoration, Kowloon exists in the Shenmue series as a crucial, climacteric element of its modern epic narrative.

It is a well known fact that Yu Suzuki and his team conducted extensive research of the region so as to achieve a result that impresses even to this day. It must be noted, however, that they have similarly taken a fair share of creative liberty when converting the area to best align with the themes they wished to explore. Further reading is required for a more complete context in this regard, namely how this area ties with an early Dreamcast tech demo design which fans lovingly named Tower of Babel. Ostensively, technical limitations did curtail the degree of precision in which the surrounding area could be replicated. The aerial view from the cutscene in which Ryo Hazuki arrives on location places Kowloon at an imaginary degree of elevation over surrounding vegetation. In the year of 1987, during which the game is set, the actual enclave stood perfectly levelled with a myriad of other modern buildings, undoubtedly more than could be reproduced under the circumstances. These trifling considerations aside, Shenmue II entirely succeeds in capturing the vibrant life and mesmerizing beauty of the destitute and decayed urban agglomeration, in a way that it was deemed entirely impossible at the time of its release.

For reasons entirely related to per post content limitations imposed by Tumblr, this article will be continued in PART II.

#china #hong kong #kowloon #kowloon walled city #videogames #Kyu-Ryu-Tou #riot city #saga frontier #kowloon's gate #shenmue ii

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hausofneptune · 2 months

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THE CANCER ARCHETYPE

﹕PLANETARY RULER: MOON

﹕ELEMENT: WATER

﹕MODALITY: CARDINAL

﹕POLARITY: NOCTURNAL

﹕SYMBOL: THE CRAB

﹕BODY PART RULERSHIP: THE CHEST, BREASTS, AND STOMACH

﹕PLANETARY DIGNITIES: MOON IN CANCER (DOMICILE), JUPITER IN CANCER (EXALTED), SATURN IN CANCER (DETRIMENT), MARS IN CANCER (FALL)

↝ cancer is defined by it's emotional nature, and let me preface, cancer (alongside the water and fire signs) being emotional is not a bad thing. we're conditioned by society, our parents, our friends, etc. to believe that expressing emotions let alone having them is something that should be shamed, and i feel like that plays a very big role in how cancer is regarded. i mentioned this in the gemini archetype post, but some people will attribute negative stereotypes to certain signs and unironically refer to those stereotypes when describing what they believe is the "true nature" of the sign. in cancer's case, they're usually described as moody, maternal crybabies. and i would be remiss to not acknowledge the very obvious fact that most cancerian stereotypes are just rooted in misogyny and the collective distain for vulnerability and emotional expression.

↝ in my opinion, cancer is a very underestimated sign. people tend to get hung up on the emotional aspect of cancer, which is an integral part of cancer's archetype, but i feel like it overshadows the fact that cancer is cardinal, and therefore by nature a very ambitious, action-oriented sign. alongside the moon's rulership, cancer has the innate ability to gift life to new ideas and concepts, and they typically have an extremely deep, intimate connection to their creations, whether it be their careers, children, relationships/friendships, homes, etc. their deep emotional bond to these things is where their nurturing nature comes from. i don't want to reinforce the "cancers are the moms of the friend group" narrative because i know a lot of cancerians hate that lmao, so while cancerian energy can manifest in that way, it can also just be indicative of being protective (or even defensive) of one's own creativity, professional endeavors, or private life.

↝ cancerian energy is very guarded, and they usually maintain relationships with a select group of long-time friends and family. while this is a sign that's regarded as being friendly and receptive, they prefer the familiarity of the company they keep over connecting with new people and building new relationships with them. because they are guarded in relation to their loved ones and their passions, they can become volatile when they feel those things are being impeded upon. it's one of the reasons why i always visualize cancerians as al from fullmetal alchemist, they have the capacity to fuck you up, but inside they're just sweet little babies. cancer is also the youngest of the water signs, and i feel like that, paired with the moon's influence, is why one of the main lessons that cancer is here to learn is to experience their emotions without being controlled by them. they need to master the ability to navigate through life with balance between their heart and their head, instead of relying too heavily on one or the other.

↝ cancer, alongside the rest of the water signs, is not afraid to feel, and as i mentioned, that is a beneficial characteristic to have in a world full of people who are numb and jaded. but contrary to popular belief, cancerians usually are not the type to be openly emotional due to their guarded nature. they usually reserve their vulnerability for the tight-knit circle they keep. overall, cancerian energy is by nature very empathetic, creative, and intuitive. they're one of those signs that have a knack for being able to read a room and move accordingly. they do very well in leadership roles, and tend to be very direct and even authoritative at times in these positions, all the while remaining emotionally receptive to the needs of the people that they work with. cancer is an extremely resilient, responsible, and kind-hearted sign, do not let the mischaracterizations fool you.

﹕CANCER CELEBRITIES: ariana grande, chloë bailey, conor mcgregor, harrison ford, jacob elordi, jaden smith, kali uchis, kevin hart, lana del rey, lil kim, margot robbie, maya hawke, meryl streep, mike tyson, missy elliott, princess diana, priyanka chopra, robin williams, saweetie, selena gomez, solange, storm reid, taylor russell

disclaimers | masterlist | ask

#astrology #zodiac signs #cancer #cancer astrology #astro notes #cancer zodiac #cancer archetype #zodiac moodboard #cancer moodboard #cancer placements #astrology notes #cancer energy #astrology observations #birth chart observations #birth chart reading #astrology aspects #astroblr #astro placements #astro observations

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atravesty · 13 days

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Relationship Advice from the Universe

If you're currently experiencing conflicts within your romantic relationship, there may be some guidance meant for you below (please heart/share/follow if this resonated with you):

Pick a Crystal - 1. Brown Goldstone, 2. Dragon's Blood, 3. Aquarmarine

Pile 1 - Brown Goldstone

Ambition, Inspiration/Creativity, Power, Confidence

Tarot: Hermit, Tower, 3 of Pentacles, 10 of Pentacles Reverse

"Stop caring about what they think. This is your life to love and live!"

You may have recently had a falling-out with your love interest, resulting in a need to undergo drastic changes for the best of both yourself and the relationship (or vice versa, please take what resonates). One, or both of you, may have chosen separation after realizing the foundation of the relationship was unstable. You are being called to re-examine and challenge your current foundations; this includes your belief systems, engrained habits, perceptions of self and the world, and everything else that once defined your identity. You may be feeling overwhelmed, and are being called to retreat from external influences for a period of self-reflection to develop a new perspective that will allow for a new, healthier foundation to be built between the both of you. You are being encouraged to seek your inner wisdom through meditation, or other means of contemplation. Think creatively and develop the confidence to make the meaningful changes in your life, however painful, as that will ultimately benefit you in the long run. If there are people in your life that you can trust to collaborate with, such as your love interest, you are being supported in doing so to facilitate collective growth and expansion. You are being warned not to focus excessively on material items, wealth, and status, as this was likely an unhealthy pattern that was detrimental to the relationship that you need to release. Does this fixation stem from insecurities regarding your self worth or scarcity mindset?

Pile 2 - Dragon's Blood

Courage, Adaptability, Healing/Regeneration, Balancing

Tarot: King of Pentacles, Queen of Pentacles Reversed, King of Cups Reversed, Lovers

"You could use some self care time. Like now. Schedule it in."

You may identify as someone who feel secure and comfortable within their lifestyle, full of material and emotional abundance, and able to extend that wealth to your love interest to provide for them as well. You've likely had to undergo a lot of personal growth to achieve your level of success and prosperity, and understand how arduous this journey can be. Despite your generous nature, you may be dealing with a partner/love interest that is currently distant and withdrawn, both from you and their own emotions, resulting in a stagnant relationship (I'm getting that this is likely the early stages of a new connection). You are being called to stop overextending your energy and resources to them, as this is enabling them to remain stagnant in their own growth and causing an imbalance within yourself as well. Personal growth doesn't happen overnight and this can't happen if they still have access to you in the same capacity. Your love interest may be dealing with many burdens that are causing them to withdraw from this connection, and though you likely want to help, this is an opportunity for the two of you to practice self care separately. Healthy boundaries are required for the longevity of this relationship. You must have a healthy balance of giving & receiving, as they are ultimately the one responsible for allowing themselves to be emotionally forthcoming and invested in this relationship.

Pile 3 - Aquamarine

Hope, emotional clarity, spiritual growth/enlightenment, communication

Tarot: 5 of Swords Reversed, 9 of Swords, 10 of Swords Reversed, High Priestess

"Live your life with both feet in. Commit fully to being here."

You may have recently experienced a conflict with your love interest in which they deceived you in some way. They may not have been honest with you about how they feel about you, causing either separation or preventing a relationship from forming to begin with. You are likely not in communication with your love interest at this time, or your communication with them is limited. They have come to the realization that their dishonesty resulted in a lose-lose situation, and wishes to apologize and reconcile with you, however, their intense feelings of regret and despair about their previous actions is preventing them from reaching out to you. You are being called to allow them to surrender to hitting rock-bottom, as this is the only way they can truly begin their recovery and return with a stable offer. Take this is as an opportunity for both of you to heal. They may be going through some sort of spiritual awakening, or at least beginning to become more connected with their intuition, which is guiding them to develop a new perspective to make the proper steps towards you. You and your love interest may both be experiencing dreams, synchronicities, or other gut feelings related to one another, which could indicate a deeper level soul connection between you two. You are being encouraged to relinquish any need to control the trajectory of this relationship and remain hopeful, even if you are not currently in communication with your love interest, and trust that the Universe will align you both in divine timing.

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rezeulaz · 6 months

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“AS THE WORLD CAVES IN”

pairing: neuvilette x fem!reader

synopsis: in a world where you, a mere mortal, embark on a noble quest to uncover the secrets of the primordial sea, a heartwarming twist awaits. as the citizens of fontaine come together, armed with evidence of what they perceive as your 'illegal' actions, your beloved neuvilette is entrusted with the task of offering his tender and considerate judgment."

genre: angst. reader is a scientist. warnings: mentions of death

wc: 848 words

💌: i have nothing against furina </3 it’s only for the plot !! anw, ily neu, my new favourite hydro man :3

"i shall not allow this matter to remain unaddressed. countless innocent lives have been unjustly taken, vanishing without a trace. it is my duty to prevent the past from repeating itself, to stop what they have inflicted upon my sister." she rambles, skimming through her pile of new research papers collected by the fontaine research institute.

"mon ange, i understand that you are dealing with stress in regards to your sister’s disappearance being connected to the serial disappearances, but you must remember we should stand by the law." neuvilette gazes intently into her eyes, revealing a genuine and heartfelt concern.

"i believe you do not understand as much as you say you do, monsieur. i am a mortal; you have lived for centuries, and i'd assume it hasn’t occurred to you the feeling of losing a loved one." she gets up, leaving a perplexed neuvilette, she called him. monsieur? other than the fact that she talked to him that way, she called him neu, or whatever endearment she could think of, but now, monsieur?

it had been 2 days since the talk she had with neuvilette. she tried to pay no mind to it. 'i've got more important things to achieve and more important things to learn.’ she tries to convince herself. but no matter what she did, she could never forget the look on neuvilette’s face when she left. she never wanted to; she didn’t have a choice. what more could she do when even her beloved neuvillete is not on her side?

she then hears a knock on her door—a very aggressive knock, to be more specific. she goes on to open the door, wondering who it could be at this ungodly hour.

"how may i hel-"she was cut off by two gardes putting handcuffs on her.

"y/n l/n, you stand accused of delving into the depths of the 'primordial sea,' accessing forbidden information, and trespassing into restricted areas without the necessary permits. you retain the right to maintain your silence and will be provided the opportunity to secure legal counsel to represent you in a court of law." the gardes say. you tried to protest, but you could only do so much.

"your beloved, Neuvilette, has been caught doing unlawful activities? It is indeed regrettable. i’ve been eager to make her acquaintance." the hydro archon stated to neuvilette, who was absorbed in the letter detailing your arrest.

"i must address this," neuvilette attempted to object, but furina swiftly interjected, her tone stern. "you do realize that you have no influence to manipulate the course of the law, neuvilette? the oratrice mecanique d’analyse cardinale is the one who decides in this matter, not you."

neuvilette walks out of the door, impatiently waiting for the trial to commence.

during the trial, neuvilette couldn’t stop looking at you. the chief justice was known for his stern and neutral look, but this time, he looked at you with genuine sadness and concern.

it was the people of fontaine against you, the prophecy—it had been blamed that you were trying to sabotage the people of fontaine. there was enough evidence that you, in fact, tried to take part in illegal activities just to uncover the truth about the primordial sea.

after the trial, it was unclear what your punishment would be. neuvilette finally spoke.

"we now turn to the oratrice mecanique d'analyse cardinale to render the final verdict on the charges." "according to the judgment of the oratrice mecanique d'analyse cardinale," he continues.

"y/n l/n, to be punished via..." he then turns pale; one could not imagine how he could get any more paler than he is.

"the death sentence." he finally states, his voice shaking.

the people of fontaine cheered, even the hydro archon herself. you, on the other hand, were so shocked that you couldn’t even manage to utter a word.

the day finally came, and you were being executed. it made you laugh that you were being executed before the man responsible for the serial disappearance case. neuvilette has been forbidden to talk to you ever since you received that punishment. it pains you to know that your last interaction was you leaving him. they cheered—everyone watching, they did. thinking that now that you are gone, the sin of the people has been washed away. fontaine will no longer be submerged underwater.

fools, they are fools. you think to yourself.

"i believe it would be rightful for me, your beloved hydro archon, to do this!" with that, everything became black to you. furina had pressed the machine, whose goal was to decapitate you.

for a while, everyone was filled with joy—then boredom. leading for them to exit the venue, preparing for their celebration of “breaking” the prophecy.

neuviellete ran to you without any thoughts; he had been able to serve justice to everyone else in fontaine. but this time, why couldn’t he? why couldn’t he when it was his beloved? why?

"i’m sorry, mon ange." he says, looking at the two parts of your body that have been cut.

and then—it rained.

the hydro dragon weeps.

#neuvillette #fontaine #neuvilette genshin #neuvilette x reader #neuvilette x you #genshin impact neuvilette #neuvilette angst #neuvilette x y/n #neuvilette imagine #angst #genshin angst #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin impact x y/n #genshin x reader #genshin x you #genshin x y/n

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paganimagevault · 7 months

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Anyang funerary bed 550-577 CE

"The Anyang funerary bed (Chinese: 安阳北齐石棺), also known locally as the Bed of Ts'ao Ts'ao (from the Chinese hero Cao Cao), is a Chinese funerary couch belonging to a Sogdian merchant and official active in China in the 6th century CE. The tomb was discovered in 1911, and the components of the funerary bed were dispersed among various museums in the world after being offered on the art market. It is thought the funerary bed was excavated in Anyang (ancient Zhangdefu), capital of the Northern Qi dynasty. It is stylically dated to the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577 CE).

There are eight known components of this funerary monument: a dais and two cornices with notched ends, now in the Freer Gallery of Art, a pair of gates, now in the Museum of East Asian Art (Cologne), two rectangular slab in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and one slab in the Guimet Museum in Paris.

The funerary bed is important to Sogdian art and culture, as it is decorated with musicians in the typical Sogdian attire and with a Buddhist scene including deities. The ensemble of Sogdian musicians includes two lute players, a flutist, two drummers and a cymbal player, as well as two dancers. Two stretchers once attached to the bed showed what the Chinese called a huxuan wu (胡旋舞), i.e. "Sogdian Whirl dance", which was enormously popular in China, and appears on many Chinese tombs. Tang sources confirm the dance's popularity. It was performed at court by the Tang Chinese emperor Xuanzong and his favorite concubine.

Gustina Scaglia was the first to recognize in 1958 that the pieces scattered in several museums belonged to a single funerary couch made for a member of the Sogdian community in China.

The owner and exact history of the owner of the tomb remain unknown, as the epitaph has been lost.

Sogdian stone funerary beds disappear during the subsequent Tang dynasty period, even though Sogdian influence was probably even more significant in China at that time, possibly due to Imperial restrictions regarding funerary practices."

-taken from Wikipedia

#sogdiana #ancient history #art #antiquities #history #sculpture #statue #museums #archaeology #ancient china #antiquity #anthropology

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no-light-left-on · 3 months

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I wonder if Jessamine's passing influenced the way death and mourning is viewed in the Empire

the world is strongly inspired by Victorian and Edwardian society, and one of the most defining aspects of the era, at least for modern people, is the way mourning was perceived at the time.

which, in turn, was influenced by the untimely death of queen Victoria's husband. the period of mourning, the way it is to be expressed, how people should behave and dress - all of this was strongly influenced by the widowhood of queen Victoria.

there are some paralells to it in the Kaldwin Empire, too. the untimely death of empress Jessamine, the high regard in which she is held long after her death, the ceremonies that accompany the anniversary of her passing. the way Emily has to perform, year after year, give a speech and celebrate her dead mother. the way Corvo's "celibacy" is often highlighted, his love for Jessamine and him remaining loyal to her even many years later and never taking another lover- so much of the mourning for the late Empress is celebrated and ceremonialized. I wonder what kind of effect it had on the world as a whole

#dishonored #dh #li.txt #jessamine kaldwin #i just need to talk about this okay #ive spent my afternoon reading up on how all this stuff worked in victorian england #yes i am writing a fanfiction how did you know------#i do not want to drag the way they dress into it since emily as a kid was in white (common mourning clothes for children which ????)#and corvo and jess were always wearing black #so Im guessing theyre just a goth family good for them

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devilmen-collector · 16 days

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The Pope is Dead

Ft. M!MC, the Devil Kings (only the five who have been released), Gamigin and other nobles (only nobles who have appeared stories, except Astaroth, I don't have any story part with Astaroth in my account), the Seraphim

C/W: religious theme, reader's death (natural cause)

This is a revamp of my own fic in OM with similar theme

It has been 72 years...

It has been 72 years since you last saw them. Back then, you were a young man with many lustful desires of the youth. Yet you remember the time you spent with them... It went by in an instant but you were happy.

When did it start to go wrong? When did the conflict start to appear? Maybe because your got into conflict with them when you saw or heard them blaspheme God. After all, you were raised a cradle Catholic, seeing them blaspheme God never sat right with you. Or maybe it was because you saw the danger if devils continued to have influence on humanity. After all, we and they are two different races, with different views towards things. And you knew that many things applied to devils and their society can't be applied to human society, regarding how the society works, government, laws, etc. You foresaw what you believed to be the inevitable destruction if you continued to let human have contact with devils. Or maybe some other reasons. It was very complicated. Sometimes, you don't even know what ultimately led to the rift.

That day 72 years ago, you used the devils' power to pull the strings behind the scene to get yourself elected to the most powerful spiritual position in the world, the Pope. The devils were unhappy but they followed your wish anyway, even though your office is totally opposed to them. They loved you too much for their own good to go against your will.

Right after your election, you exposed the existence of angels and devils to the world. With concreate evidence, even the most convinced atheists and agnostics before had to believe in the existence in the supernatural. Then you made sure the idea that the human society was incompatible in every way to devils became the mainstream and most accepted opinion. You also made sure that people never believed that inventions came from devils, but devils only claimed that to be the case to control human society. Leaders of the world soon declared they would be cutting ties with the devils. You didn't believe them completely, of course, which was why you waged a Crusade. The Crusade was fueled by either the faith or the wrath of 8 billion normal citizen and it was so effective that it's believed that all ties between Earth and Hell were cut off. At least, no concrete evidence or sign or any report sent to you supported a remaining connection between earth and Hell.

You also used the powers that you inherited from your ancestor, Solomon, to make a shield around papal residence, which prevents any devil from coming in.

As for the angels, you tricked the Seraphim that you were on their side now. With what you had done, they believed in you. But you trapped them and turned them into energy sources to sustain the shield around your residence. With their infinite life forces God has given them, they are still alive and curse you every day from under the Vatican basilica, where they are imprisoned.

Even though you did manage to cut off Hell's influence on humanity and make the Church's influence stronger, world peace has never been achieved as you have hoped, many people still live in poverty and starvation. Technology is more advanced, but the world is still the same now when you are at death's door as it was 72 years ago.

*cough cough*

"Holy Father" your secretary uses a piece of tissue to wipe the blood that is flowing from your mouth after the coughing.

"We have little time left." You say, almost like a whisper, but all of those cardinals, bishops, priests and doctors around you understand what you said. Your priest secretary can't even hold back his tears.

"We are the longest-reigning Pope ever, with 72 yeats occupying the Chair of St. Peter, but We have not achieved anything noteworthy, except pushing all devils back to Hell."

"No, Holy Father, you have achieved something we couldn't for more than 20 centuries. God will reward His faithful servant." A cardinal says.

"You are a faithful laborer of the Lord." Says another cardinal.

Suddenly, a Swiss guard runs into the room, his face terrified.

"T-the Devil Kings, t-they are here..." The guard says as he pants.

Ah, the shield protecting the papal residence must have been weakening as I lay dying. You say to yourself. That must be the reason why the Devil Kings can break in now.

"Leave." You say calmly. All the clergy and the guard turn to look at you, surprised by your order.

"Leave." You order again, your tone more firm this time. It's time for you to face them, alone. The children God has committed to your care have nothing to do with this.

Some of them start to cry but all of them leave, but not before whispering among themselves to alert all the exorcists and papal guards. However, the Swiss guard stay.

"Holy Father, I have sworn to protect you, even if I have to sacrifice myself." The Swiss guard says. You know he won't leave so you agree to let him stay.

The doors to your room bursts open, as four devil kings, no, three devil kings and a hundreds of flies step or fly into the room. You can see the young guard standing by your side shudder but he stands firm, determining to protect you, whatever the cost he may have to pay.

"You have changed so much." Beelzebub is the first one to speak as his handsome appearance emerge from hundreds of flies. He doesn't smile.

"We- I see that you guys are still the same." You look at the four devil kings. There's Beelzebub, Mammon, Leviathan, and Lucifer.

So Satan, Asmodeus and Belphegor aren't here. They must be so mad at me that they don't want to see me again. You say within yourself. You aren't surprised that the nobles aren't here. The shield may be weakened because you are dying, allowing the kings to pass through, but you are still breathing and sustaining it with your powers, and it's strong enough to prevent the nobles.

"Not the same ever since you left, Master." Mammon says with a sad voice.

You are surprised to hear Mammon still calling you Master, but you no longer have the strength to point it out.

"I must have hurt you guys a lot."

"Yes, you did." Leviathan says with an angry expression. "You said you would stay in Hell but you betrayed us." However, the scowl is quickly replaced by an expression that looks like Leviathan is holding back his emotions.

Lucifer is the first one to come over to your bed. The guard beside you raises his weapon but he's knocked unconscious soon enough.

"Don't kill him." You say weakly.

Lucifer nods as he takes your hand. He checks your weakening pulse. You can see his eyes sadden. "Oh the fate of all children of Adam." You can hear him whispering, like talking to himself. Other kings also come over and stand beside your bed.

Ah, that's my cue. You close your eyes, awaiting your cruel death, after all, you are on your death bed, you have no regrets.

However, nothing comes.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" You open your eyes and ask.

"No, we're here to take you home." Beelzebub answers.

"Even after my betrayal?"

"We have never gotten over that. But knowing you are dying, we want to take you back first, Master. We will talk about this over in Hell."

"I'm dying, Mammon. I can't be there for the talk."

"That's why we have created a plan."

"We will wait for you to die, so that the office of the Pope will leave you. Then we will have Gamigin revive you."

"And I'll have Orias feed you angel's soul to make you young again."

"It won't work." You say calmly. "It's the sentence on all children of Adam. Gamigin's revival ability won't work. Just as your healing ability won't work on me, Lucifer, because I'm dying of natural cause."

The kings go silent. They know you could be right. Lucifer, more than anyone, knows you are right because none of the healing he is doing works. He only clings to some hope. You know you are crushing their hope, but you have accepted your fate long ago. At least you know they still love you. Thinking about that, tears start to flow from your eyes

"Where are Satan and the others?" You ask.

"Gehenna nobles are here. But Satan...he's very depressed after you left."

"It will be...too...late..."

The vision you start to see changes. The images of yourself and your memories, be it happy or sad, start to flash through your eyes. With each moment of you with the devils, your tears start to shed more as you can't help but say "sorry", "I miss you" and "I love you" in your mind. Your breathing becomes harder and you can't feel your body anymore.

Lord, forgive me, I wish I could have served you more faithfully.

I love you all and I'm sorry.

Is that Leamas and Nina waving at me?

Is that you... Minhyeok? It has been so long.

"You have done what you think is best. Now rest." The young man with long purple hair says and smiles. "With you, my bloodline is extinct, but I won't hold it against you." You can even hear a little bit mischief toward the end.

Outside the papal residence, the devil nobles, led by Sitri, Bimet, Foras and Bael, are engaged in a mostly glaring contest at the guards and exorcists and clergy who have arrived to aid the Pope. There are a few guards lying on the ground, but they are only knocked unconscious.

"No." Sitri suddenly laments as the shield around the palace disintegrated.

"That means..."

"Let's go inside."

As the devils rush inside, the clergy, exorcists and guards follow suit.

As they come into the room, they see the devil kings surrounding you, who are clearly dead.

"Holy Father!" All of Catholics in the room kneel down and weep.

"Who is the Camerlengo?" Lucifer asks and one cardinal stands up in response to his question. The Camerlengo knows what he has to do. He comes over to check your body to confirm if you are dead or not.

"I need a doctor. But all doctors left for safety. Only us clergy returned."

Lucifer turns and nods at Morax, who comes over to check on you. After finishing, he tells the Camerlengo his conclusion. The Camerlengo turns to all in the room and says.

"The Pope is dead."

The Camerlengo turns back to you. He kisses the golden ring on your right hand and takes it out and destroys it in the presence of all, signifying the end of your papacy. The Catholics make the sign of the Cross and say the prayers for the dead. A priest leaves for the adjacent room to say Mass for the deceased pontiff.

Even with the plan, the devil kings don't plan to stop the piety of the Catholics.

"Gamigin."

"Yes, hyung."

Satan arrives when the bells of the Vatican basilica are being rung. Hundreds of people in the square immediately get into prayers as they know what those bells signify. Satan doesn't care and speeds up his vehicle pass them.

Many thoughts are going through Satan's head: anger, depression, the feeling of betrayed, sadness, etc. But the biggest thought in his head is that he wants to meet you again. Everything else, let's sort out later. He speeds up the Akira into the papal residence. The Akira runs through the corridors until it arrives at the room of the Pope. Satan only stops because he can't go in further with the motorcycle. He can't wait to see his beloved alive and well because he believes in the plan. He did feel his bond with the human got broken earlier but he believes in Gamigin's ability to bring his human back.

"Where's MC?" Satan runs in the room and shouts.

"He's right there." Mammon says with a sad voice and points at the bed.

No. Satan rushed over to your bed. No, it can't be.

"Gamigin, why haven't you brought him back yet?" Satan shouts his question at Gamigin, who is holding his staff and stands behind Lucifer.

"Your Majesty, it didn't work. MC's heart will no longer beat." Sitri tries to stay composed as much as possible as he reports to Satan but the hand holding the tea cup is shaking.

Satan turns to the remains of you on the bed.

"OPEN YOUR EYES AND TELL ME THIS IS A CRUEL JOKE, MC!!!" Satan shouts and punches the wall on the side of the bed, making it crack.

All of the human in the room flinch at Satan's wrathful action, however, your lifeless body makes no move.

"I want to take MC's remains back to Gehenna." Satan says as he crunches his teeth.

"No, you can't do that. A Catholic must be buried on consecrated ground." A bunch of clergy react and state the Church's teaching.

"I will kill all of you." Satan crunches his teeth again. The clergy flinch but don't have any intention to back down.

"Your Majesty Satan," Paimon intervenes, "if you kill them, MC will be sad. After all, they are MC's spiritual children.

"I can let you consecrate a plot of land in Paradise Lost." Lucifer says.

"We have to see what he has written in his will." The Camerlengo says. "But his will can only be opened at the meeting of cardinals after the mourning period, but before the next conclave."

"How long before the next conclave?" Leviathan asks.

"15 days, the Canon Law doesn't allow anytime sooner." The Camerlengo answers.

Leviathan scowls but Beelzebub intervenes.

"Then let's wait for 2 weeks. If MC has a clause in his will to be buried in Hell, can you promise you will accept that and give his body to us?"

"Only with the condition of burial on consecrated ground and we can build a chapel around it."

"You have only mentioned the consecrated ground before, now you include a chapel. You human just keep asking more and more." Leviathan scowls again.

Before anyone can say another thing, the ground begins to shake like there is an earthquake. But it soon stops.

"They are here." Lucifer mumbles. "But they won't have any strength left to fight if we are here."

The devils all look outside the window and they see three shadows emerge from underground. They are the three Seraphim, finally released from their bondage after the death of their captor.

The Devil Kings immediately surround the bed to protect the remains of their beloved.

"Where is he? I'm going to cut off his head." Michael growls, he's so angry that blood vessel can be seen on his face.

Sensing the Devil Kings, the Seraphim all look at the papal residence, which is right beside the Vatican basilica.

"He-he's dead." Gabriel says as he looks at the remains on the bed through the window.

Seeing that you're dead, Raphael begins to laugh maniacally non-stop, so much that he has to hug his stomach mid-air.

"The kings are here. Let's...retreat for today." Michael says as his wings soar toward the sky. Gabriel follows suit.

"Remember to send funeral invitation." Raphael says finally before following his two brothers.

"Let continue our discussion later." The Camerlengo says after the commotion has subsided.

Some other people enter the room and walk toward the remains of the Pope.

"What are you doing?" Satan crunches his teeth as the newcomers.

"Calm down, Satan. They are here to take the body away for bathing and vesting."

All the devils don't want to leave you but they all back down to let people do their job.

...

"You really are so beautiful, Master, it's like all the precious things in this world are created to adorn you." Mammon says as he looks at the papal remains put on display inside the Vatican basilica of St. Peter.

You lying there, on a dark green catafalque. You are vested with red vestments, your hands are vested with red gloves embroidered with the Holy Name of the Savior, your legs wear traditional red papal shoes embroidered with a golden cross on each one. On each shoe is also adorned a ruby, which came from Mammon's treasury. A golden cross and a rosary were also put in your hands. The golden cross was from Lucifer, an accessory from the time he was still a Seraph. On your head, a golden mitre, with two folds, representing the Old Testament and the New Testament, the two "horns" of a bishop. Surrounding the catafalque are 72 candles made from pure beeswax, each represents a year of your pontificate.

The kings and their nobles stand on the upper floor of the basilica, looking at thousands of mourners paying respect to you. Each cardinal who comes over sprinkles holy water on your remains and kisses your hand. Priests and religious gather around your remains to pray for your soul.

At an occasion like this, Bimet would have already gone to collect funeral money. However, this time, he doesn't want to do that, but only to look at your "sleeping" face. Eligos standing next to him can't stop his sniffles. Valefor standing behind Mammon looking at your remains, now that nothing can be done to bring you back to them, he wishes he could stand guard beside your body as the last thing he could do for you.

Foras doesn't say anything but his heart is broken, even his beautiful horns seem to be darker than normal. Barbatos looks at the withered rose in his hand. In his heart currently there is a complete solar eclipse that has covered the sun of his life, the sun which he knows will never shine its light on him again. Glasyalabolas can't help but get angry with you, with Leviathan, with everyone, and with himself. Angry with you for being a traitor to his love. Angry with Leviathan for his bad decision of not pursuing you when the problem starts and only meet you when you are dying. Angry with everyone who separate you from him, including God. And angry with himself for failing the promise to create a kingdom with only you two. Orias drops the angel's soul in his hand. It was the angel's soul that was supposed to be used to make you young again. But what use is it when you are dead?

Bael is the only one staying in the basilica of Abyss camp, beside Beelzebub, closing his eyes remembering your smile and each moment you called his name sweetly. Stolas has gone somewhere to shoot his guns to his heart's content, calling it the last salute for you, who are "a fool". Naberius and Amon are staying with him, not speaking a word.

"It doesn't come true." Leraye remembers he once said he saw you both walking together on the streets of Gehenna, enjoying your time together for many years to come. But that never comes true. He's wondering of the only target he has missed is your heart, he fails in convincing you to stay in Hell. Paimon tries to console Leraye, but his heart is also breaking apart. Zagan doesn't say a word but he has lost an important person he must protect. Belial tries not to shed any tear, he has to stay strong for Jjyu. Sitri couldn't hold his tea cup anymore and it is dropped to the ground, shattering into countless pieces.

Andrealphus holds tight to his scythe, as if he needs something to hold tight to after he lost you. They say twins share a soul. He lost half of his souls when his brother was killed. But your death breaks to pieces the remaining half.

"It's my fault. I can't bring him back." Gamigin blames himself.

"No, it's not your fault." Each time Gamigin blames himself, a brother of his in Paradise Lost will reject that. They don't say anything more comforting because they have no strength to do that right now.

Each of the kings' heart is broken but each of them knows they have to stay strong, as for their nobles and people. They will only mourn your death in private.

Lucifer is the only one walking in the lower floor. He doesn't join the line of mourners but wandering around aimlessly, no one stops him either. Finally, he stops to look at the mosaic of the Eternal Father stretching his hand out on the dome of the basilica.

Why? Father, why? I have served you faithfully since the beginning of time, I had one source of happiness, and you took him away from me. Why? SAY SOMETHING! ANSWER ME!

...

In a graveyard in Korea, where almost no one comes on such a mourning day for the whole world, there is a little lump floating above a grave. He poured a glass of soju on the ground of the grave.

"Minhyeok, the son of Solomon...went over to meet you. Have you two...reunited? I hope you did. Please...send my regards to him." Ppyong says even though he can't stop his sniffles.

The end.

...

I have an epilogue but decided to not write it and let you guys decide the final burial place :)

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inyourgravehcs · 21 days

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♡ Listen to me ♡

❥ TAGS: hurt/comfort, descriptions of symptoms of mental illnesses (hallucinations, paranoia, painful psychosomatic sensations such as suffocation).

Where in this world can two broken souls find their place if not in each other's arms?

Broken heart and shattered mind. The bloody splinters of the fragments of the past are digging deeper into the wounded consciousness with each step, slowly and painfully bringing the already exhausted mind to it's limit. This is probably how others envisioned Blade; but what about you?

Not everyone is lucky enough to be blessed with a clear, sane mind. Mental torment is not exclusive, but it would be foolish to deny that some are less fortunate in that regard than others. Perhaps that's how you and Blade came together - it's not every day you meet someone who can understand and share that pain even the slightest bit. Your road to trust was thorny and difficult: what's it like, trying to connect when both parties are in constant survival mode and won't just open up to anyone? To meet Blade under the influence of mara was to be chased away and away for longer; to meet you while your mental health is acting up was to hear you mumble unintelligibly that he shouldn't see you in such a state.

But even from such a vicious circle, there's always a way out. In the most vulnerable moments, it becomes impossible to cling to pride: with each bandaged wound on the exhausted body, with each hour spent in shared silence, the relationship between you two became more and more trusting. Here it is - a small island of comfort just for the two of you, found in the most unexpected place. Or is it the most expected?

Slowly, by trial and error, an unusual relationship was formed. Without fancy confessions, without loud words - two soulless shells with empty hearts nestled into each other, sharing the last particles of warmth. You and Blade don't even have to reveal your relationship: to anyone who knows anything about you two, the inference will be obvious. It's hard to see Y/N in a sane state of mind, and it's hard to see Blade in a tolerant mood... But somehow it's this tandem that makes it possible and not such a rare occurrence.

However, peaceful days can't last forever.

No matter how hard you try, frustration won't stop accumulating, even if you apply balm to the inflamed soul. Just one drop - the very last one - and the mind slips into all-consuming despair. The heaviness narrows in a tight ring around your thin neck, digging it's barbed wires into the irritated flesh and denying any access to air. As the resinous, viscous panic drips down the parched walls of the throat, mingling with the salty taste of tears, images take over your sight and hearing. Ugly, garish, unrelated to reality - but no less frightening. Fear shackles every of your limb, and all that remains is to be sucked into the dark substance that overflows the skull to the brim. Through such strong pain and illusions, it would seem that nothing can break through until they collapse by themselves - but one voice, so familiar and close, still finds it's way through the dense veil of madness. That voice...

"Listen to me."

It was his voice. Blade was there; he was clutching your curled body in his arms, shielding you like a wall from all inclement weather. Paranoid fear made you want to break free, but knowing what a bone-crushing embrace this man had, you wouldn't have dared such a venture even in your most disturbed state of mind.

"Listen to me."

The soft strokes on your head sent shivers down the length of your spine. Blade wasn't the type to be verbally supportive - he was generally unaware of the impact his words could have. But what he was saying now... He had memorized Kafka's words that would normally free him from the shackles of insanity. He used this memorized words solely for your sake, unaware that they were more effective than any spirit whisper. You knew perfectly well that he was probably saying it more to reassure himself at that moment and not to seem weak in front of you, but the very fact of using them...

"Listen to me."

Your arms hug him back as your nose burrows into the curve between his neck and shoulder. Your eyes bleed tears, falling onto the dark fabric of Blade's coat and leaving wet stains behind, but neither you nor he cares.

"I'm here for you."

Because you have each other. And as long as it stays that way, machinations of two unhealthy minds aren't so terrible.

♡ ── ✦ ──『♡』── ✦ ── ♡

Please note that english isn't my native language and can be awkward at times.

Please don't translate or repost my works without asking for my permission first!

#hsr x reader #blade x reader #hsr drabbles #honkai star rail #hsr blade #blade x you #hsr x y/n #blade x y/n #hsr x you #it's a very selfinsert one. sorry if you can't relate

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