#Turtle Tree Seed

[bunjywunjy]

are humans the only mammals that can eat chocolat? what about reptiles (birds included)?

in general, mammals are the only vertebrate family that has even a few members that can safely process the toxin theobromine and eat chocolate!

these species are basically just humans and a large chunk of the rodent family tree and its relatives (one of these things is not like the others). nothing else can have chocolate though, not fish or birds or turtles or lizards. just these specific mammals.

and here they are together! awwww.

birds are even extra-susceptible to the toxin, meaning that even a very small amount will kill them stone dead!

theobromine is absolutely not messing around. it's a very potent explode-your-heart chemical and it evolved to PREVENT vertebrates from eating cacao seeds, because those are the cacao tree's children and plants show parental love through chemical warfare.

humans don't care, though. humans will eat your children.

so, yeah. this is just another case of humans specifically being very weird.

and that's wonderful.

#cursed biology #stupid human tricks

[ohsalome]

What Ukrainians ate to survive Holodomor

(translated excerpts from an Історична Правда article): + images source

The villagers would dig up the holes of the polecats to find at least a handful of grain hidden by these animals. They pounded it in a mortar, added a handful of oilcake (from hemp seed), beetroot, potato peelings, and baked something from this mixture.

Those who managed to hide at least a little grain would grind it in iron mills made from wheel axles and cook "zatyrukha" (a concoction made from a small amount of flour ground from ears of grain).

Acacia flowers were boiled and eaten raw, and green quinoa was mixed with crushed corn cobs. Those who could - and this was considered lucky - added a handful of bran. This food made their feet swell and their skin crack.

The peasants dried the husked ears of corn and millet husks, pounded them, ground them with weeds, and cooked soups and baked pancakes. Such dishes were impossible to chew, the body could not digest them, so people had stomach aches. Pancakes, the so-called "matorzhenyky", were made from oilcake and nettle or plantain.

It went so far that peasants would crumble straw into small chips and pound it in a mortar together with millet and buckwheat chaff, and tree bark. All this was mixed with potato peelings, which were very poisonous, and this mixture was used to bake "bread", the consumption of which caused severe stomach diseases.

There were cases when village activists took away and broke millstones, mortars, poured water on the heat in their ovens. After all, anything found or saved from the food had to be cooked on fire, and matches could only be purchased by bartering for their own belongings or by buying them in the city, which was impossible from villagers that were on "black lists".

Chestnuts, aspen and birch bark, buds, reed roots, hawthorn and rose hips, which were the most delicious, were used as food substitutes; various berries, even poisonous ones, were picked; grass seeds were ground into flour; "honey" from sugar beets was cooked, and water brewed with cherry branches was drunk. They also ate the kernels of sunflower seeds.

Newborns had the worst of it, because their mothers had no breast milk. According to testimonies, a mother would let her child suck the drink from the top of the poppy head, and the child would fall asleep for three days.

In early spring, the villagers began to dig up old potato fields. They would bake dumplings from frozen potatoes, grind rotten potatoes in a mash and make pancakes, greasing the frying pan with wheel grease. They also baked "blyuvaly" (transl. "vomities") from such potatoes and oatmeal mixed with water, which was so called because they were very smelly.

They ate mice, rats, frogs, hedgehogs, snakes, beetles, ants, worms, i.e. things that weren't a part of food bans and had never been eaten by people before. The horror of the famine is also evidenced by the consumption of spiders, which are forbidden to kill in Ukrainian society for ritual reasons.

In some areas, slugs were boiled into a soup, and the cartilaginous meat was chopped and mixed with leaves. This prevented swelling of the body and contributed to survival. People caught tadpoles, frogs, lizards, turtles, and mollusks. They boiled them, adding a little salt if there was salt. The starving people caught cranes, storks, and herons, which have been protected in Ukraine for centuries, and their nests were never destroyed. According to folk beliefs, eating stork meat was equated with cannibalism.

The consumption of horse meat began in 1931, before the mass famine. People used to take dead horsemeat from the cemeteries at night, make jelly out of it and salt it for future use.

Dead horses were poured with carbolic acid to prevent people from taking their meat, but it hardly stopped anybody. Dead collective farm pigs were also doused with kerosene to prevent people from dismantling them for food, but this did not help either.

After long periods of starvatiom, the process of digestion is very costing for the human body, and many people who would eat anything would drop dead immediately out of exhaustion.

If a family had a cow hidden somewhere in the forest, they had a chance to survive. People living near forests could hunt/seek out berries and mushrooms, but during winter this wouldn't save them. People living near rivers could fish in secret, but it was banned and punishable by imprisonment/death.

#holodomor #ukraine #history #ukrainian history #genocide #ussr #communism

[enchanting-jewel]

What's really in that witch's cauldron?

Folk names for herbs

Ass' Ear- Comfrey

Bat's Wing- Holly Leaves

Beard Of Monk- Chicory

Bear's Foot- Lady's Mantle

Bird's Eye- Germander or Speedwell

Blind Eyes- Poppy

Blood From a Head- Lupine

Blood Of Ares- Purslane

Blood Of Hestia- Chamomile

Bloody Fingers- Foxglove

Calf's Snout- Snapdragon

Cat's Foot- Ground Ivy

Crow's Foot- Wood Anemone

Devil's Ear- Jack In The Pulpit

Devil's Plaything- Yarrow

Dew Of the Sea- Rosemary

Dog's Mouth- Snapdragon

Dragon's Teeth- Vervain

Elf Leaf- Lavender

Englishman's Foot- Common Plantain

Fairy Eggs- Nutmeg

Flower Of Death- Vinca

Goose Tongue- Lemon Balm

Graveyard Dust- Mullein

Hawk's Heart- Wormwood

Juno's Tears- Vervain

Jupiter's Beard- Sempervivums

Lion's Foot- Lady's Mantle

Little Faces- Viola

Man's Bile- Turnip Sap

Mortification Root- Rose of Sharyn

Nose Of Turtle- Turtlehead, Chelone

Nosebleed- Yarrow

Our Lady's Tears- Lily Of The Valley

Old Man's Flannel- Mullein

Ram's Head- Valerian

Scale Of Dragon- Tarragon

Semen Of Ares- White Clover

Semen Of Hermes- Dill

Serpent's Tongue- Dog's Tooth Violet

Sparrow's Tongue- Knotweed

Tree Of Doom- Elder

Unicorn Root- Boneset

Weasel Snout- Yellow Archangel

Wool Of Bat- Moss

Body Parts as Plants:

Eye- Blossom or Seed

Heart- Bud or Seed

Beak, Bill or Nose- Seed, Bud or Bloom

Tongue or Teeth- Petal or Leaf

Head- Blossom

Tail- Stem

Hair- Dried Herbs or Stringy Parts Of Herbs

Privates, Genitals Or Semen- Seeds Or Sap

Blood- Sap

Guts- Roots or Stalk

Paw, Foot, Leg, Wing or Toe- Leaves

Animals as Plants:

Toad- Sage

Cat- Catmint

Dog- Grasses, Specifically Couchgrass

Frog- Cinquefoil

Eagle- Wild Garlic

Blue Jay- Laurel

Hawk- Hawkweed

Lamb-Wild Lettuce

Nightengale- Hops

Rat- Valerian

Weasel- Rue

Woodpecker- Peony

I borrowed this from:

#witchcore #witchy #witchcraft #witch #witchblr #magick #cast spells #moon #crystals #moon magic #witches of tumblr #witches #witchyvibes #kitchen witch #witch community #witch tips #witchaltar #witchlife #witchythings #spells #grimoire #spellcraft #cleansing #spellwork #witch tip #my spells #herbsforspells #herbs #herbalist #witch herbs

[travelingthief]

Lord Apollo Devotional Post

Divination

Tarot/Oracle decks

Pendulums

Rune stones

Charm casting supplies

Crystal balls

Scrying bowls

All divination tools

Cookie fortunes

Tea leaves

Art

Paint brushes/paints

Canvases

Colored pencils/markers/crayons

Collages

Journals

Art books

Art prints

Anything you made

Sculptures 

Zines

Stickers

Any art supplies

Music

Music boxes

Records/CDs/Cassettes

Record players/radios/MP3 etc.

Headphones

Music posters

Band merch

Instruments/String instruments

Dance shoes

Concert tickets

CD book holders

Sun and Light

Sun imagery

Sunscreen

Aloe for sunburns

Golden objects

Matches

Candles

Sunflowers/sunflower seeds

Health and Healing

First aid kits

Medicine

Pain relievers

Band-aids

Ice/heat packs

Rice socks 

Masks

Aloe

Ambulance toy cars

Adaptive aids

Archery 

Darts

Bow and arrows

Arrow quiver

Dart board

Targets 

Bullseye 

Myth Related

Snake skins

Snake imagery (Python)

Laurels

Bay leaves (Daphne)

Palm trees (Birth myth)

Ravens/Crows 

Crow feathers (Why the crow is black)

Cattle/turtles (Hermes birth myth)

Swans (Pulled His chariot)

Hyacinths (Hyacinthus)

Locks of hair 

Food

Vanilla

Honey

Sunny D

Lemons/lemon juice

Oranges/orange juice

Citrus

Water

Devotional Acts

Health

Take your meds

Go to therapy

Exercise

Wear a mask (We are still in a pandemic y’all)

Get vaccinated

Get STI tested

Self care

Learn first aid/CPR

Keep a first aid kit at home/in your car

Learn about alternative medicine

Advocate for accessible healthcare

Advocate for disability rights

Volunteer at a hospital

Give blood/plasma

Volunteer at a retirement home

Learn about anatomy/biology/nutrition

Learn about health conditions/rare disorders

Eat healthy for your body

Help fund surgeries if you can

Trip sit for someone

Listen to your body

Sunlight

Sunbathe

Wear sunscreen

Start a garden

Make sun water

Open all the windows on a sunny day

Music

Go to a concert/show

Listen to music

Make a playlist for someone you love

Make a playlist for Apollo

Learn an instrument/play and instrument

Dance

Sing

Support local bands

Explore new music

Burn CDs

Divination/Prophecy

Daily tarot card/rune stones

Make an oracle deck

Give divination readings

Shadow work

Colormancy

Art

Make something

Draw/paint/craft

Write a poem/story

Color

Make a zine

Go see a play

Get a tattoo

Archery

Throw darts

Use a slingshot

Take up archery

Go to a shooting range

#apollo #apollo offerings #apollo worship #apollon #greek gods #paganism #helpol #hellenic polytheism #theoi #witchblr #hellenic polythiest

[snowyavis]

Pirot Kilim ornaments

Чурлињак (čurlinjak) - The most basic motif, representing a cross section of the lower part of the whisk for mixing ingredients (called čurlinjak).

Врашко колено (Devil's knee) - The motif comes from the pre-Christian Slavic religion. It symbolises movement in circles (kolo dance) and the flow of life, and provides strength, bravery and defense against evil.

Корњача/жељка (turtle) - The most popular pattern of the Pirot Kilim. It symbolises durability and longevity and brings fertility, healthy life and protection from danger.

Ченђели (čenđeli) - Represents a grappling hook mounted on a wooden pole, used for hanging things.

Бомбе (bombs) - It beard this name due to its semblance to handgranades, but the motif has existed since before handgrandes were invented. It provides strength and energy, especially to men, so the kilims with this motif were usually gifted to boys for their life milestones.

Гуштер (lizard) - This pattern probably originates from modified depictions of dragons. It represents laziness and indifference, but also change, flexibility and adaptation to the world.

Ђулови (roses) - It represents a stylised cross section of a rose, showing both the exterior as well as the pistils, anthers and seeds inside. It is symbolises a young woman and her beauty. Kilims with this motif are often gifted to daughters by their mothers. Different variations of this motif exist, some of which (the roses on shackles) were, according to legends, made as rebellion of kilim weavers against the Ottoman repression.

Ђаволчићи (Little Devils) - The devil is represented as a human figure turned upside down, with the devil's head turned towards the underworld, and a bird on the other side representing the heaven.

Гугутка (dove) - Birds protect from evil spirits and diseases and connect the earth and sky. It represents family harmony, love, peace and joy, and as such kilims with this motif are often gifted to new homeowners. This motif can often be seen arranged around a pole, representing a tree full of birds.

Атапот (atapot) - It represents an octopus, and the name probably came from a distorted pronunciation of the word oktopod (octopus).

Француске бомбоне (French candies) - This motif was probably inspired by silk candy wrapped in decorative paper and brought to Serbia from distant lands. According to a folk story, when the French soldiers liberated Pirot in the First World War in 1918, the kilim weavers designed this pattern as a sign of gratitude.

Столица (chair) - It represents an antique chair and the inspiration for this pattern came from the everyday life of the kilim weavers.

Тиче (tiče) - It represents a small bird.

Source: "Ornaments of Serbia: the Pirot Kilim" by Milica Živadinović. Art by me.

#art #water color art #serbia #serbian #kilim rug #folklore #balkans #balkan #traditional art #water colour art #slavs #slavic #south slavic

[slavonicrhapsody]

Hey do people need birth control in the Lands Between or

omg ok. I’ve actually been wondering this for a while. I’m about to write way more words than you probably expected

there’s a few weird references to fertility in the game but I think the most blatant is the hilarious removed item description for the turtle neck meat:

“A splendid, lengthy cut of turtle neck meat. […] Turtle meat is said to boost virility, but none in the Lands Between seem to have much appetite for it these days. In Lands Between. the urge to reproduce has waned long ago.”

so apparently in the lands between these days there’s no desire to reproduce. which makes sense as the entire land has been ravaged by war and most ordinary people have become shambling husks. lol

I do think though that in the game as a whole there’s a clear theme of a once fertile and plentiful age becoming stagnant: several item descriptions describe that the Erdtree once experienced an “age of plenty” that has since dried up:

“Talisman depicting a drop of the Erdtree's sap, a blessed boon. It was once thought that the blessed sap of the Erdtree would drip from its boughs forever — but that age of plenty swiftly came to a close, and with time, the Erdtree became more an object of faith.” (Blessed Dew Talisman)

Sap is the lifeblood of the tree, carrying nutrients as the tree grows new buds in the spring… it’s associated with a time of growth. Then, after the age of plenty ended, came the Erdtree’s seeds, and its offspring:

“A golden seed, found at the base of an illusory tree. […] When the Elden Ring was shattered, these seeds flew from the Erdtree, scattering across the various lands, as if life itself knew that its end has come.” (Golden Seed)

“The Erdtree was once perfect and eternal, and thus was it believed that Erdtree seeds could not exist.” (Seed Talismans)

“Ceremonial staff depicting the Erdtree in its historic radiance. Wielded by the avatars who protect the Minor Erdtrees. The avatars, emerging in the wake of the Elden Ring's shattering, were determined to protect the withering Erdtree's offspring.” (Staff of the Avatar)

We see this exact theme reflected in Marika and her offspring: it begins with Queen Marika the Eternal (Eternal as the Erdtree was once thought to be), who produces a lineage of offspring that end up bringing about the ruin of the Shattering wars (just as the Erdtree seeds were thought to herald the ends times). Marika’s once powerful lineage has begun to fizzle out, with Godrick, an aged and frail man, being the last of the lineage. Essentially, the Lands Between are past their age of growth, expansion, and reproduction, and the Erdtree now withers.

Regarding reproduction, we also have this interesting song sung in Latin by the chanting winged dames (aka the singing bat ladies):

“O, locus ille, beatus quondam, nunc deminuit. Nos, destinatae matribus, nunc fiunt turpes. Ploravimus lacrimavimusque, sed nemo nos consolatur. Aureum cui irascebaris?”

“Alas, that land, once blessed, now has dimished. We, destined to be mothers, now become tarnished. We have lamented and we have shed tears. But no one consoles us. Golden one, at whom were you angry?”

The first line clearly refers to the Lands Between losing their vitality after the Shattering, and the last line wonders why Marika shattered the elden ring in the first place. But the bat ladies lament how what happened to the Lands Between made them unable to be mothers… why? it’s possible that the withering of the Erdtree which I just talked about also had a parallel effect on other beings’ vitality and fertility in the Lands Between, causing mass infertility? who knows

so DO you need birth control in the lands between? unclear. but maybe use it anyway just in case

#elden ring #elden ring lore #asks #sorry guys i’m going thru a bunch of asks from like 3 months ago that i didn’t have time to get into during school

[cryptidclaw]

Cryptidclaw's WC Prefixes List!

Yall said you were interested in seeing it so here it is! 

This is a collection of mostly Flora, Fauna, Rocks, and other such things that can be found in Britain since that’s where the books take place! 

I also have other Prefixes that have to do with pelt colors and patterns as well!

Here’s a link to the doc if you dont want to expand a 650 word list on your Tumblr feed lol! the doc is also in my drive linked in my pined post!

below is the actual list! If there are any names you think I should add plz tell me!

EDIT: I will update the doc with new names as I come up with them or have them suggested to me, but I wont update the list on this post! Plz visit my doc for a more updated version!

Animals

Mammal

Badger

Bat

Bear

Beaver

Bison

Boar

Buck

Calf

Cow

Deer

Elk

Fawn

Ferret

Fox

Goat

Hare

Horse

Lamb

Lynx

Marten

Mole

Mouse

Otter

Rabbit

Rat

Seal

Sheep

Shrew

Squirrel

Stoat

Vole

Weasel

Wolf

Wolverine

Amphibians

Frog

Newt

Toad

Reptiles

Scale

Adder

Lizard

Snake

Turtle

Shell

Birds

Bird

Down

Feather

Albatross

Bittern

Buzzard

Chaffinch

Chick

Chicken

Coot

Cormorant

Corvid

Crane

Crow

Curlew

Dove

Duck

Dunlin

Eagle

Egret

Falcon

Finch

Gannet

Goose

Grouse

Gull

Hawk

Hen

Heron

Ibis

Jackdaw

Jay

Kestrel

Kite

Lark

Magpie

Mallard

Merlin

Mockingbird

Murrelet

Nightingale

Osprey

Owl

Partridge

Pelican

Peregrine

Petrel

Pheasant

Pigeon

Plover

Puffin

Quail

Raven

Robin

Rook

Rooster

Ruff

Shrike

Snipe

Sparrow

Starling

Stork

Swallow

Swan

Swift

Tern

Thrasher

Thrush

Vulture

Warbler

Whimbrel

Wren

Freshwater Fish 

Fish

Bass

Bream 

Carp

Dace

Eel

Lamprey

Loach

Minnow

Perch

Pike

Rudd

Salmon

Sterlet

Tench

Trout

Roach

Saltwater fish and other Sea creatures (would cats be able to find some of these? Probably not, I don't care tho)

Alge

Barnacle

Bass (Saltwater version)

Bream (Saltwater version)

Brill

Clam

Cod

Crab

Dolphin

Eel (Saltwater version)

Flounder

Garfish

Halibut

Kelp

Lobster

Mackerel

Mollusk

Orca

Prawn

Ray

Seal

Shark

Shrimp

Starfish

Sting

Urchin

Whale

Insects and Arachnids

Honey

Insect

Web

Ant

Bee

Beetle

Bug

Butterfly

Caterpillar

Cricket

Damselfly

Dragonfly

Fly

Grasshopper

Grub

Hornet

Maggot

Moth

Spider

Wasp

Worm

Trees

Acorn

Bark

Branch

Forest

Hollow

Log

Root

Stump

Timber

Tree

Twig

Wood

Alder

Apple

Ash

Aspen

Beech

Birch

Cedar

Cherry

Chestnut

Cypress

Elm

Fir

Hawthorn

Hazel

Hemlock

Linden

Maple

Oak

Pear

Poplar

Rowan

Redwood

Spruce

Willow

Yew

Flowers, Shrubs and Other plants

Berry

Blossom

Briar

Field

Flower

Leaf

Meadow

Needle

Petal

Shrub

Stem

Thicket

Thorn

Vine

Anemone 

Apricot

Barley 

Bellflower

Bluebell

Borage

Bracken

Bramble

Briar

Burnet

Buttercup

Campion

Chamomile

Chanterelle

Chicory

Clover

Cornflower

Daffodil

Daisy

Dandelion

Dogwood

Fallow

Fennel

Fern

Flax

Foxglove

Furze

Garlic

Ginger

Gorse

Grass

Hay

Heather

Holly

Honeysuckle

Hop

Hyacinth

Iris

Ivy

Juniper

Lavender

Lichen

Lilac

Lilly

Mallow

Marigold

Mint

Mistletoe

Moss

Moss

Mushroom

Nettle

Nightshade

Oat

Olive

Orchid

Parsley

Periwinkle

Pine

Poppy

Primrose

Privet

Raspberry

Reed

Reedmace

Rose

Rush

Rye

Saffron

Sage

Sedge

Seed

Snowdrop

Spindle

Strawberry

Tangerine

Tansy

Teasel

Thistle

Thrift

Thyme

Violet

Weed

Wheat

Woodruff

Yarrow

Rocks and earth

Agate

Amber

Amethyst

Arch

Basalt

Bounder

Cave

Chalk

Coal

Copper

Dirt

Dust

Flint

Garnet

Gold

Granite

Hill

Iron

Jagged

Jet

Mountain

Mud

Peak

Pebble

Pinnacle

Pit

Quartz

Ridge

Rock

Rubble

Ruby

Rust(y)

Sand

Sapphire

Sediment

Silt

Silver

Slate

Soil

Spire

Stone

Trench

Zircon

Water Formations

Bay

Cove

Creek

Delta

Lake

Marsh

Ocean

Pool

Puddle

River

Sea

Water

Weather and such

Autumn

Avalanche

Balmy

Blaze

Blizzard

Breeze

Burnt

Chill

Cinder

Cloud

Cold

Dew

Drift

Drizzle

Drought

Dry

Ember

Fall

Fire

Flame

Flood

Fog

Freeze

Frost

Frozen

Gale

Gust

Hail

Ice

Icicle

Lightening

Mist

Muggy

Rain 

Scorch

Singe

Sky

Sleet

Sloe

Smoke

Snow

Snowflake

Soot

Sorrel

Spark

Spring

Steam

Storm

Summer

Sun

Thunder

Water

Wave

Wet

Wind

Winter

Celestial??

Comet

Dawn

Dusk

Evening 

Midnight

Moon

Morning

Night

Noon

Twilight

Cat Features, Traits, and Misc. 

Azure

Beige

Big

Black

Blonde

Blotch(ed)

Blue

Bounce

Bright 

Brindle

Broken

Bronze

Brown

Bumble

Burgundy

Call

Carmine

Claw

Cobalt

Cream

Crimson

Cry

Curl(y)

Dapple

Dark

Dot(ted)

Dusky

Ebony

Echo

Fallen

Fleck(ed)

Fluffy

Freckle

Ginger

Golden

Gray

Green

Heavy

Kink

Knot(ted)

Light

Little

Lost

Loud

Marbled

Mew

Milk

Mottle

Mumble

Ochre

Odd

One

Orange

Pale

Patch(ed)

Pounce 

Prickle

Ragged

Red

Ripple

Rough

Rugged

Russet

Scarlet

Shade

Shaggy

Sharp

Shimmer

Shining

Small

Smudge

Soft

Song

Speckle

Spike

Splash

Spot(ted)

Streak

Stripe(d)

Strong

Stump(y)

Sweet

Tall

Talon

Tangle

Tatter(ed)

Tawny

Tiny

Tough

Tumble

Twist

Violet

Whisker

Whisper

White

Wild

Wooly

Yellow

#cryptidclaw's warriors au #? #Im tempted to use these in the au #some characters deserve some more fun names hehe #rise of change #warrior cats #warrior cats design #warriors #warriors names #warriors naming #warriors prefixes

[csolarstorm]

Aaah! It's an A!

Let's forget about the Z in Legends: Z-A for a moment. What is this, ay? It's tall, green, pointy, and the bottom of it looks like veins on a plant.

My guess? It's the Pokemon version of Yggdrasil, or to be more general, the Tree of Life archetype. In many myths this is the original tree, the origin of life, and the "A" at the beginning of the alphabet.

Pokemon recently represented the similarly archetypal World Turtle with Terapagos, and the interesting thing is that some cultures have a World Turtle AND a Tree of Life. Take a look at the Tree of Life page - it's interesting.

Screenshot From: Reddit

To illustrate this point, there is a tree at the Cave of Origin in Sootopolis that grew from seeds that AZ brought to Hoenn. Everyone rightfully talks about the Eternal Floette flower underneath the tree, but nobody talks about the tree itself, planted at the Cave of Origin. Like some kind of origin tree.

X and Y are most known for its Norse inspiration since Xerneas, Yveltal, and all three of Zygarde are based on creatures that live in Yggdrasil. But interestingly, OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire return to the Hebrew symbolism of Gen 3, building upon it with themes of beginning and end. Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza take some inspiration from the Biblical "chaos monsters" Behemoth and Leviathan the making the Omega and Alpha symbolism pretty fair.

So if there are Tree of Life myths that this hypothetical Pokemon takes from, I'm guessing it will take from Norse and Hebrew myth as well, both Yggdrasil and the Tree of Knowledge. In fact, according to Bulbapedia AZ and the Eternal Flower may be based on the legend of the Wandering Jew, or "Eternal Jew". It probably is, since the Wandering Jew plants (now known as inch plants or spiderwort) look like this:

Source: Gardening Know How

I'd also like to point out that Omega and Alpha are just the Greek version of Z and A, end to beginning As in, OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire already did the Z-A motif. This kind of synergy makes me hopeful that Legends Z-A will expand on the cultural and mythical themes of Gen 6.

Okay, but the tree at the Cave of Origin looks nothing like an A, aye? Well, the "tree" part of it doesn't, but that's just the symbol mean to suggest the Tree of Life.

And I think the actual Tree of Life Pokemon is

Source: Bulbapedia

Think about it: what is an "Eternal Flower"? Floette's flower isn't a part of it, so for AZ's Floette to have an Eternal Flower, one has to exist in the first place as a living, organic flower, which suggests that the Ultimate Weapon is alive in some way. And the Eternal Flower planted at the Cave of Origin can't be the one AZ's Floette holds, because it's actually planted there.

Many Tree of Life myths involve searches for immortality. That's why the archetype is called the "Tree of Life". AZ originally built the machine to grant immortality. That's probably where AZ gets his name: the "universal remedy" of alchemy, Azoth, closely related to the Philosopher's Stone. It was only afterward that AZ altered the machine to make it into a weapon.

Source: Bulbapedia

I'm definitely not the first person to say that the "A" looks like the Ultimate Weapon. Either the machine was built on top of the Tree of Life Pokemon, or it was built from single giant Eternal Flower that blossomed from the Tree of Life Pokemon.

Every letter in Gen 6 designates a Pokemon, so I'd be very surprised if "A" does not designate a Pokemon too. Wait...

Edit:

*bangs head against table* How did I not catch that?! Sometimes it's even used as the "middle" letter of the Greek Alphabet between Alpha and Omega!

What is the title of this game, a secret message or something? Z crossing into lambda making A? "End making middle into beginning..."?

#I had more but this was too long already #Pokemon Legends Z-A #Pokemon Legends Zygarde #Pokemon #Pokemon Legends Z #Pokemon Legends #Zygarde #Pokemon Legends ZA #Gen 6 #Kalos #Pokemon Legends z a #Pokemon games #gaming #Pokemon XY #Pokemon Z #Pokemon XYZ #Gen 6 Pokemon #Video games #AZ #Lysandre

[goodwhump-temp]

Sword Art Online: Kirito Whump

===SAO Season 1=== 1x02 Beater - Sliced by boss, weak, low HP 1x03 Red Nosed Reindeer - Ambushed, watches friends die, traumatized, cries 1x06 Illusionary Avenger - Watches someone die 1x07 The Temperature of the Heart - Falls from great height twice, low HP 1x09 The Blue Eyed Demon - Intense boss battle, sliced multiple times, punched, sweating, extremely low HP, collapses, makes Asuna cry 1x10 Crimson Killing Intent - Duel, stabbed, talks about trauma, depressed/angry, paralyzed, stabbed multiple times, slowly impaled by psychopath, life flashes before his eyes, intense pain, extremely low HP, arm sliced off, collapses, emotional 1x12 Yui's Heart - Knocked down, unconscious, weak, angry 1x13 Edge of Hell's Abyss - Scared 1x14 The End of the World - Exhausted, intense confrontation, duel, sliced, sobbing, collapse, impaled, emotional, weak, depressed 1x15 Return - Nightmares, crying, depressed, difficulty adjusting, hit in the head, stumbles, shares PTSD with sister, sobs 1x16 Land of the Fairies - Logout PTSD 1x20 General of the Blazing Flame - Intense 1v1, sliced multiple times 1x22 Grand Quest - Outnumbered, died, emotional 1x23 Bonds - Intense battle 1x24 Gilded Hero - Emotional, paralyzed, straining, kicked around, impaled/tortured, pain absorber decreased, intense pain, emotional 1x25 The World Seed - Ambushed, stabbed irl, bleeding, falls, kicked multiple times

===SAO Season 2 (Gun Gale Online)=== 2x01 The World of Guns - Death gun/SAO PTSD 2x05 Guns and Swords - Grazed, exhausted, confrontation, PTSD 2x06 Showdown in the Wilderness - Intense laughing coffin battle, PTSD, panic attack, grazed multiple times 2x07 Crimson Memories - Guilt, emotional conversations about PTSD, sobs 2x12 Bullet of a Phantom - Death Gun confrentation, stabbed multiple times, heart racing/panic 2x13 Phantom Bullet - Risk of dehydration, faster heart rate (bp: 160), sliced multiple times, hug-grenade bomb, irl fight 2x14 One Little Step - Choked, punched multiple times irl, stabbed with poison syringe, panic, almost dies, bandaged 2x16 King of the Giants - Knocked down from blast, low HP, its a trap! or not? it is! help 2x17 Excalibur - Intense fight, punched to the ground 2x18 Forest House - Exhausted, died in a duel

===Sword Art Online: Alicization=== 3x01 Underworld - Shot in the chest, falls down, tackled 3x02 The Demon Tree - Amnesia, exhausted 3x04 Departure - Sliced, intense pain, kicked to the ground 3x05 Ocean Turtle - Attacked irl, injected with serum from GGO, unconscious, heart stopped, emergency surgery, possible brain damage 3x11 Central Cathedral - Imprisoned 3x15 The Relentless Knight - Literally back-stabbed, collapse, unconscious, dragged, thrown, 1v4, shot multiple times, falls, bleeding 3x16 The Osmanthus Knight - Bleeding, collapse, unconscious, falls down building 3x17 Truce - Hanging, pancaked 3x21 The 32nd Knight - Sliced multiple times, bleeding 3x22 Titan of the Sword - Intense fight, impaled, bleeding profusely, cries 3x23 Administrator - Emotional damage, collapse, emotionally paralyzed 3x24 My Hero - Sliced multiple times, arm cut off, bleeding, intense emotional heartbreak, crying, brain breakdown

===Sword Art Online: War of Underworld=== 4x01 In The Far North - Wheelchair, braindead, depressed, knocked unconscious (flashback), carried, bullied, falls out of wheelchair, panic 4x02 Raids - Panic, crawling/struggling, brain shortcircuted already damaged brain, therefore: deactivating brain/no self-concept (5head stuff) 4x05 The Night Before Battle - Willpower tested/dagger launched at him 4x07 Stigma of the Disqualified - Tries to protect friends 4x10 Stacia, the Goddess of Creation - Asuna reunion, twitches, tries to talk, cries 4x13 The War of Underworld - SAO friends reunion, tries to speak 4x16 Code 871 - Tense standoff 4x17 Prince of Hell - Bullied, kicked out of wheelchair, unconscious 4x18 Memories - Fighting mental blockage, faces trauma, intense emotional pain, mental breakdown, intense sobbing, tears open chest, self damage, becomes ultimate form GIGACHAD 4x19 Awakening - Sliced neck, bleeding, cries 4x20 The Night-Sky Blade - Sliced in half, impaled, intense fight, sobs in loneliness, trapped in the world 4x22 Alice - Awakens, weak, was alive the last 200 years, memories erased, obviously depressed, hospitalized, sobbing, PTSD, emotional damage, comforted by sister 4x23 New World - Headbutted, headache

#kirito #sao #kirigaya kazuto #sword art online #sword art online ii #gun gale online #whump #whumplist #whump list #emotional whump #kirito whump #sword art online: alicization #sao alicization #war of underworld #sao war of underworld #anime whump #sao whump #sword art online whump

[mousetoe-wc]

I Got bored one time awhile ago and made a list of every prefix plus some into organised sections so I thought I might as well share.

All the ones that aren’t cannon to warriors, yet at lest are bold

Describing names

Colours: red, russet, copper, golden, amber, yellow, green, blue, violet, pink, white, gray, black, ebony, dark, pale, silver, brown, tawny, fallow

Pattern, Texture + Size: spot/ted, dapple, speckle, freckle, brindle, patch, mottle, ragged, tangle, kink, bristle, fuzzy, curl/y, wooly, soft, sleek, little, tiny, small, slight, short, tall, long, big, heavy, crooked, broken, half, stumpy, shred, torn, jagged

Actions + Character: flip, pounce, bounce, jump, hop, crouch, down, low, drift, flail, strike, running, fidget, mumble, whistle, snap, sneeze, shiver/ing, shining, flutter, fallen, lost, rush, fleet, quick, shy, sweet, brave, loud, quiet, wild, hope, wish,

Other: claw, whisker, dead, odd, one, spike, fringe, echo, song, hallow, haven

Elements

Time + Weather: day, night, dusk, dawn, morning, sky, sun/ny, moon, storm, lightning, thunder, cloud/y, mist/y, fog, snow, blizzard, ice, frost, dew, drizzle, rain, clear, wind, breeze, gale, shadow, shade, bright, light,

Earth/Water/Fire names: stone, rock, boulder, slate, flint, pebble, gravel, sand/y, dust, mud/dy, meadow, hill, rubble, river, ripple, whorl, float, rapid, shimmer, lake, swamp, marsh, wave, wet, bubbling, splash, puddle, pool, creek, fire, flame, flicker, flash, blaze, scorch, ember, spark, ash, soot, cinder, smoke

Plants

Trees: alder, aspen, birch, beech, cedar, cypress, pine, elm, willow, oak, larch, maple, bay, rowan, timber, bark, log, wood, twig, acorn, cone, seed, spire

Berry/Nut/Fruit/Herb: juniper, elder, sloe, holly, yew, mistle, bramble, hickory, hazel, chestnut, nut, apple, cherry, cranberry, olive, pear, plum, peach, chive, mint, fennel, sage, basil, mallow, parsley

Flowers: aster, poppy, primrose, rose, bluebell, marigold, tansy, pansy, briar, cherry, daisy, dandelion, daffodil, tulip, violet, lily, myrtle, thrift, yarrow, heather, lavender, blossom, bloom, flower, petal

Other: leaf, frond, fern, bracken, sorrel, hay, rye, oat, wheat, cotton, reed, pod, cinnamon, milkweed, grass, clover, weed, stem, sedge, gorse, furze, flax, nettle, thistle, ivy, moss, lichen, bush, vine, root, thorn, prickle, nectar

Animals

Mammals: mouse, rat, mole, vole, shrew, squirrel, hedgehog, bat, rabbit, hare, ferret, weasel, stoat, mink, marten, otter, hog, wolf, hound, fox, vixen, badger, deer, doe, stag, fawn, sheep, cow, pig, lion, tiger, leopard, lynx, milk

Birds: robin, jay, cardinal, thrush, sparrow, swallow, shrike, starling, rook, swift, dove, pigeon, crow, raven, duck, goose, heron, wren, finch, swan, stork, quail, gull, lark, owl, eagle, hawk, kestrel, buzzard, kite, hoot, feather, bird, egg, talon

Fish, Reptiles + Amphibians: pike, perch, pollack, trout, tench, cod, carp, bass, bream, eel, minnow, fin, snake, adder, lizard, turtle, frog, toad, newt

Bug type Names: bug, lady or ladybug, moth, spider, ant, snail, slug, beetle, bee, wasp, dragon or dragonfly, bumble, worm, maggot, cricket, fly, midge, web, honey

Skyclan + Warriorclan: Bella, Billy, Big, Harry, Harvey, Snook, Ebony, Monkey

#warrior cats #wc

[risewriter]

ROTTMNT: Seed

Mikey finds Leo sitting on the edge of a building. The atmosphere around him feels heavy.

“Leo?” The orange turtle calls out. “You alright? Dinner is ready soon.”

The silence remains.

Mikey closes in on his big brother, uncertainty and concern builds up with every step he takes.

“I’m not ready.”

Due to the trembling voice, the box shell halts.

“Ready for.. dinner?” Mikey chuckles sheepishly.

“Ready to be a leader.” With the Slider’s head now bending down, he sighs.

“Oh..” The little brother sits next to Leo on the ledge. While the breeze sways their bandana tips, Mikey cracks a little smile.

“Of course you’re not ready.”

Leo looks up, his eyes becoming blurry.

“Yet.” Mikey adds.

“I don’t think my jokes are good leadership skills, Mike.” The Slider brings out a forced smile.

“Well, tell me this.” The box shell lifts his index finger. “When you plant a seed, do you get a sturdy tree right away?” He points at his brother.

“Well, uh, no?” The Slider counts on his fingers. “It needs time, water, sun. Stuff like that.”

Mikey nods. “Yep! So, like the seed, you need to let yourself grow.” With a gentle pet on Leo’s shoulder, the box shell stares his big brother in the eyes.

“Time you gotta give to yourself.” Watching the sun set and the orange hue painting the sky, Mikey brings the blue turtle in for a side hug.

“But the least I can do is give ya some sun.”

#another ficlet~! #rottmnt fanfic #I like this one #rottmnt #rottmnt incorrect quotes #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt leo #rise leonardo #rottmnt mikey #rise michelangelo #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise mikey #rise leo

[afreakingdork]

Crush Too Much - Part 19

RotTMNT Donatello x GN!Reader

Warnings: Longing, Angst, Fluff, Embarrassment, Overbearing Siblings, Aged-up Turtles

Synopsis:  So you met a customer three times at work and that made a pretty big impression on you? That’s nothing to necessarily get worked up over, but when you’re all prepared to ask for his number the next time you see him and his brother gets involved instead, you might be in for something more than you bargained for.

FIRST 💜 PREVIOUS

Mikey's Merriment

Leaned against a trunk and just tucked into a grouping of trees, Donatello stared across the road. Twilight cast odd shades of orange against the concrete exterior of the American Museum of Natural History.  He told himself he hadn’t meant to arrive so early, but there was also no denying his excitement. In less than a week’s time since the successful boardwalk outing, his text chain with you no longer felt abysmal. In fact, it seemingly rivaled a less encumbered time earlier in your friendship. His lips downturned slightly from their neutral position. He wasn’t sure if 'friendship' was the right word for it. At the time he thought it was, but now having himself in the position you had been at the time complicated the matter. It was an odd spot where the seeds of close platonics begged to be sprouted into the romantic. Though the botany metaphor was something he adored, he was unwilling to maintain that headspace.

Flicking his thumb aggressively over his device, the text chain cycled backwards until an image of your key chains appeared. It had been a running joke between the two of you to put the plushes in increasingly ‘dangerous’ situations. The amusing roleplay you had come up with had been a great icebreaker and excuse to continue texting at near any hour of the day. Smiling to himself, Donatello remembered how he’d even convinced Hypno to pose with it mid-battle. There was something to be said about the banter in a long-term hero-villain association. After several rereads of the thread, he glanced across the street again to find the museum closing up for the day. It meant there were exactly 30 minutes until the scheduled meet-up time. Losing focus, he watched as a continuous stream of people filtered by on the sidewalk.

The late October weather made his hoodie a cozy hideaway. With the nights dipping lower, it was almost time to dig out his winter wardrobe. Letting his head gently rest against the tree, he ruminated over the last year. The technical anniversary sat around a month ago, but there hadn’t been time to consider it. Tapping a finger to his phone’s case, he shifted as a thought took hold. Scrolling back through his meticulous calendar he found the date you officially considered your meeting. He then cycled back through to this year and found the fashion show was only a single day off from 365. It was oddly fortuitous to the point where he wished it were just exact. Giving a satisfied hum to himself, he brought his gaze back to the museum and immediately spotted you walking up.

Flicking his eyes to his phone found you 20 minutes early. It wasn’t as if you were late, but your punctuality was predictable. Curious, he dropped his goggles down to watch you more closely. You walked up, vigilantly scanning all the nooks and crannies of the exterior. He smiled as he presumed he was the cause. Having not located him, you seemed to give a long sigh of relief. You then hopped up to sit on a stone ledge and brought a hand up to your chest. He adjusted the zoom as your lips started to move, but you stopped as soon as he did so. Instead, he got a close up of your furrowed brow. Your lashes descended and your lips came together into an o-shape. He swallowed hard. Your body relaxed as you seemingly blew out a stream of air in a focused exhale. Your eyes then popped open and you gave a single tight nod. Lifting his goggles, Donatello wasn’t sure if that was something he should brood over. A shred of his imagination was already running wild with love-struck implications, but he shook them away. Rather than marinate on it for the next 15 minutes, he instead emerged from the park and crossed the road.

You caught sight of him as he reached the opposite sidewalk. “That’s not the direction I expected you to come from…”

“I seem to remember something…” He tried to suppress his giddy smile to make the comment more convincing. He hid what he could through an extended arm and a digit pressed to his forehead as if it could recall his memory. “’Everything is a surprise with you?’” He then removed his hand and pushed the finger against your forehead in a mock show of transferring the knowledge.

“You’ve got me there.” You reached up and gently pushed his arm away.

He might have imagined it, but it almost seemed like you lingered. “We did not exchange salutations.”

“Of course, my mistake.” Into the motion of rolling your eyes you hopped off the ledge and onto your feet. “Hello, humble protector. We meet today in the shadow of a closed museum.”

He was sent right back to the rooftop. The flighty feelings as you’d offered your hand to him were something that he chalked up to patrol adrenaline. He knew far better now, but the fact you were joking about such a time wasn’t something he knew how to handle. “Well, citizen…” He straightened his posture and put authoritative hands on his hips. “The museum before you has closed for the general public.”

“We’re not breaking in so you can keep the cover of night, right?” You broke character as anxiety flooded your voice.

“What, no.” It frustratingly brought him out of the charade as well. “Tonight’s member’s night.”

“Oh, you’re a member?”

“Of course I am!” He crossed the distance to the steps as he nursed the supposed insult to his dignity.

You gave a light jog to catch up. “Want me to ask for forgiveness? How dare I not know that!?” You hopped a few steps and turned to look at him now eye level.

“It’s an investment.” He retorted flatly. “The thinned crowd and late night hours are just bonuses.”

“I suppose that is pretty cool…” You turned to look at the building. “But how do I fit into this?”

“I’m going to assume I haven’t inflated your ego somehow and instead venture to ask if you mean ‘how does this fit into the expiatory extravaganza?’”

“Since I’m not the one with an ego stroking issue, let’s just say with your alternate phrasing works.”

He made a face. “Using such language in front of this.” He cleared a few steps in a single bound and threw his arms up at the museum. “A hall of learning!” 

“I don’t…” You let out a laugh. “Which word?”

He gestured to the building again with a pointed grimace.

“Ah.” You snapped your fingers. “I thought I could get you.”

“Not with that poor excuse of an attempt.” He looked down his nose at you and stepped up to the building where an elderly couple were granted entry. “If you follow me, I can answer your question.”

“Some kind of experiential learning?” You wondered, following.

“If I answer that it defeats the purpose.”

You snapped again.

“Is this going to be a thing tonight? I just need to know how long to keep my guard up for.”

“If I answer that it defeats the purpose.” You did a little impression of him before taking the door handle.

You opened the door as he approached, but he stopped shy of the threshold to crowd you for a moment. “Cute.” He dropped the phrase simply, eyeing you up before straightening and strolling in with his hands clasped behind his back.

The fact that it took you 37 seconds to follow meant the move had its intended effect. He considered it retribution and not flirting. When you’d resumed your place at his side, he checked in at the front desk with reserved tickets before steering you to the Halls of Gems and Minerals.

He stopped just before entering the exhibit and did an about face.

You took careful note of him and then the display above the wing before a little smile played on your lips. “I see now.”

“Yes, well…” He sneered over his shoulder.

“Doing something you hate is a pretty good marker of how sorry you are.” You side stepped him and entered to hall.

He trailed behind. “That is some people’s opinions.”

“It makes me kinda want to guess which brother suggested it.”

“Only partially?” Donnie would latch on to any conversational crumbs that could distract his mind from the rocks.

You approached the first display case on the left and looked over it thoughtfully. “Since I don’t know what the next two events are, it wouldn’t be a good guess.”

He hummed with approval, passing only a glance at the informational placard.

You both moved through three more displays cases and he couldn’t mask his disdain. Unlike the pier, there were no airs to put on. It was just cabinet after cabinet filled with different types of rocks. There was some novelty to their formation and ancient status, but beyond that they were mostly bland, roughly textured hunks. He slouched further and further into himself with the only solace being he was upholding his end of the bargain.

“Psst.” He shifted from the depths of his hoodie to find you looking up at him.

“Yes?” Maybe he’d withdrawn a little too much.

You tilted forward and threw a finger up to your lips. You then pretended to glance around the room as if there were a crowd.

He gave a curious nod.

“You got the stuff?” You whispered, leaning in closer with a hand held up to cover your mouth.

He eyed you carefully and took particular note of how your other hand was jammed into your jacket pocket. He instantly grasped what you were reaching for. “Oh, I got it.” He stuffed his hands into his hoodie.

You mouthed a countdown and at the same time you both pulled out your plushes. You giggled happily as they twisted near each other until the magnets clicked them together. “They had such a hard week apart.”

“The blender debacle was quite the stress on purple.” Donnie gave his head a sympathetic shake. 

“White was caught by a supervillain! That can’t possibly compare.” You released your keychain and Donnie brought the pair close.

“Don’t judge an individual’s struggles.” He clicked his tongue before observing the plushes once more. An idea formed so he laced his drawstring through both key rings and tied it off. The pair happily clung to each other from off his hoodie.

You stopped and bit your lip in an attempt to dampen a huge oncoming grin. “That’s too much. Can I take a pic?”

“But of course.” Donnie struck a pose and you shook your head with amusement as you unearthed your phone. As soon as you lifted the camera, however, he dropped out of the act and put on an aloof expression. 

“Say ‘I’m not having any fun!’”

“Does it need to be said when it’s a simple fact?” He brought up a palm to enforce his point and the shutter went off.

“I must say that while this idea was fine in theory, in practice it’s kinda bumming me out.” You reviewed the photo carefully.

He frowned. He should have considered that fact. It was something his brother’s had grouched to him about on multiple occasions. He adjusted his posture in preparation. “I see, I’ll strive to-”

“Nah.” You held up your phone and took a few more photos of him.

Though his was mostly unprepared, he was able to muster a few different facial expression amongst the series. “You did not let me finish.”

“Because I don’t want you to fake it.” You nodded to your phone, satisfied, and pocketed the device. “How about a game?”

“Color me intrigued.” He agreed as you lead him to the next display.

“Kinda like these cuties.” You poked the plushes. “Let’s find each other’s stone.”

He turned and looked out at the expanse of the hall. “You want me to select a rock that represents you?”

You seemed amused. “There’s also gemstones.”

“Shiny colored rocks.” He brought his gaze lethargically back to you.

“Not even a game can get you into this, hm?”  You tipped your head to one side.

He sighed and reviewed the room again. “Or rather how am I supposed to compare you to some hunk of earth? A flower would do you better justice, something with-” He froze, realizing the connotation of the words spilling out of his mouth. His throat tightened and this time the slow trip his eyes took back to you was done out of fear.

You didn’t seem upset, but instead your were colored with mild surprise in the shape of raised brows and parted lips.

“Are we going to just keep ignoring the absurdly large geodes?” Donnie’s voice was so tightly coiled it almost teetered into laughter. His limbs moved robotically as he waddled over to the closest suspended object. He wasn’t really looking at it as he was through it. Still, he felt you approach.

“Woah…” You breathed.

He didn’t dare glance at you, but instead forced his eyes to focus on the behemoth in front of him. Within the geode was a veritable galaxy of purples bespeckled with reflective stars of white. He felt his blood pressure bottom out as it reminded him of the meteor shower. That night had yet to be fully scrubbed of his transgressions.

“It says it’s a amethyst with purple quartz crystals and it’s 9 feet tall.”

He nodded dumbly.

“There’s a taller one over there, but it’s skinnier.” From the way your jacket rustled you must be pointing. Unfortunately, he was caught in a mix of unable and not wanting to look away.

You stood by him in solemn silence until an exhale was ripped from him. He wasn’t sure when he’d started to hold his breath.

“Guess I don’t need to pick then.” Your voice was warm with understanding.

“What do you mean?” His, on the other hand, sounded far away.

“This one’s you.”

He blinked.

“Funny answer or the deep one?”

He wondered if you looking at him or the geode. “Both.”

“Purple.” You stated flatly.  

Though it didn’t illicit any comedic response, it did give him enough wherewithal to close his eyes.

“But it’s also a kind of sweep you off your feet sort of piece. It has a clarity that means you can see everything, but there’s so much to see that it’d be impossible to catch every little detail in a single lifetime. It’s somehow both uplifting and grounding at the same time…”

The words and their contextual meaning seeped into his brain slowly. As they did, they translated into a rapid pre-heating of his face until his cheeks were fully aflame. When he finally snapped his head to the side to catch a glimpse of you, you were wandering off to the next display. There was no way he could follow something like that up. In desperation, Donatello scoured the space with his eyes as his feet were glued to the ground. He’d already stated his case and point on the stones. You saw something in them, or maybe him, that he certainly didn’t.

Then, as if reading his mind, you spoke. “Guess we’ll have to go to the Botanical Garden sometime.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.” He watched as your rounded a slab of teals and greens. “I expect you to tell me which flower I am.”

He had to wrap a hand around his mouth to keep a confession from slipping out.

-

Leo's Levity

“An often overlooked aspect is the tightness of the laces.” Donatello wound the string around his fingers and gave it a tug.

“Mhm.” You listened above him from your perch on a bench.

He slipped a hand behind your skate and gave the laces another tug. “It helps keep your ankle straight, a folly that many first timers fail to take into consideration.” Satisfied, he tied the strings. “It’s much safer when there’s no wiggle room.”

“Huh.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see your fingers curl around the bench and squeeze.

Pausing he glanced up from where he was knelt down in front of you, tying your skates. “Rambling?” He wasn’t sure why he dropped the full sentence structure.

“No.” You lips wrinkled. “Your explanation is enlightening, I just…” You clinked your one skate against the ground. “…usually tie my own shoes?”

He blinked at you and then down to your other, yet to be tied, skate. Stiffening, the last few minutes flooded back to him. He’d been so caught up in the euphoria of exposition that the skate rental process sort of flew by. After getting a pair, you took to a bench where he continued on in his account and rounded you unconsciously. He then paired his verbal instructions to physical ones without even asking you if that was alright.

His mouth opened and closed.

He brought his gaze up to you and hoped it translated enough regret.

You giggled as you seemingly connected the dots. “You might as well finish the other one?”

Rigid, he began to twist the undone laces through the hooks. “I apologize. I’d say I don’t know what came over me, but…”

“Just another Donatello surprise.” There was a soothing quality to your voice.

He shook his head and similarly tugged on your shoestrings. “For the record, I am confident in your ability to do this yourself.”

“I wasn’t worried. It’s honestly fine.” You shifted your foot slightly to kick up his attention. “You hear that Donnie’s brain?”

He flicked his eyes up for just a moment as he finished tying off a knot. “He hears you loud and clear. It’s the application of said concepts that I can’t attest to.” He stood and slipped his own skates from where they were threaded across his shoulders.

“Sure, sure.” You clinked your feet together, testing their new outfitting. “I’m sure you can guess what my brain is thinking.” He rounded you to take his own seat on the bench and watched you gesture to his skates as he passed.

“I am beginning to think you’re just jealous you do not have a signature color.” Through a single finger he held up his still knotted purple skates.

“I will neither confirm nor deny.” You made a show of rolling your eyes and continued to admire your laces. “I’m surprised you have your own pair. Do you skate often?”

“No. In fact…” Between untying his laces, Donnie sorted through his mental files. “I don’t believe I’ve ever properly skated. Though, there have been a few makeshift "work" sessions however.”

“Some kind of ice mutant?” You wondered.

“Not specifically, no. More like forethought into environmental manipulation.” No longer putting on a show, he made quick work of suiting up.

“So you bought them just for this? I hope that’s not a waste.” You leaned forward at the thought to get a better glimpse at his skates.

“Made.” He corrected, taking to his feet.

“You made them?!” You bent forward until your chest touched your legs to better study the footwear.

“When you compare that to the price of custom skates that accommodate these feet, you’ll find I made the wiser choice.” He took a few steps forward and turned with an outstretched hand.

“I should have thought of that.” You shook your head and rose up to take his offer.

“Not at all. There’s a reason we all prefer to go barefoot.” With a little tug he pulled you to your feet.

You bounced up and down a few times, testing the thin blade you were balanced on. “Barefoot in New York…”

“There are some things better left unsaid.” He pretended to give you the queasy cold shoulder as he headed to the shoe locker. He found that you kept tether to his hand on the way. Pleased that you were behind him, he let the mushy expression as a result run over his features before tucking it away. To access the lockers, contact was lost, but he didn’t let it get to him. He focused as you both headed over to the rink.

The little inlet approached and he took to the side of it. “Ready?”

You brought prepared fists to your chest. “Rockefeller is going down!”

“The titular brothers are long dead, but I am always for dismantling wealth inequality.” He waved you to go first and watched as you carefully set out on the ice.

He hovered behind and you awkwardly waded into the rotation of skaters. Keeping close to the wall, you seemed stable enough so he slid up beside you. You passed him a glance from where you’d been focusing on your feet. “You’re so stiff.”

“Whatever do you mean?” He lifted one of his skates and in a twist of momentum, used it to turn himself around so he was gliding backwards.

“Your body.” You flapped a hand at him and it shifted your balance. You snuck the flub under a more aggressive thrust, which put you a little pace ahead of him. “You’re like a plank of wood!”

“Hm?” He looked down and found his posture impeccable. “It’s easier to balance when your core is tight and the weight is properly distributed.” He used a similar turn to right himself as the first curve approached.

“I have… so many questions…” Your sentence clipped as you focused on maneuvering the semi-circle.

“I have an adequate amount of answers.” He languidly replied, taking the same curve on a single skate.

“This is seriously the first time you’ve skated!?” You squawked as soon as the straight away resumed.

“Your sarcasm is duly noted.” He chuckled. He was quite enjoying the chance to show off. So far, Leo’s ascertain had been completely wrong too, which happened to be wonderful little bonus.

“Oh, of course.” You seemed to throw your hands up, but caught them from going higher than your shoulders. “You probably trained for years standing on the tips of bamboo poles!”

“Stereotypes are unbecoming.” He mused and outpaced you a bit.

“Did you though?” You called out after him, shuffling in an attempt to catch up.

“Not bamboo per say…” He trailed off.

“But definitely the balance training?” You huffed, finally joining his side once again.

“Do you want me to go into detail about our regimes or would you rather pay me the envious compliment that is skating on the tip of your tongue?” He slowed a bit and bent at the knees to redistribute his weight. Once he was cleared, he used the change to bend forward and brought his face close to yours awaiting a response.

A moment of shock passed over your features first and then a tepid glare. He watched as your lips started to part when a young voice screamed out.

“Watch the flow of traffic, love birds! Gross!” A pre-teen rocketed by, purposefully wedging himself in the tiny space between you and the wall. It caused an inevitable drive-by and immediately threw you off balance.

You floundered, your arms darting out wildly. In his bent position, he couldn’t correct you or himself in time. Your skates rapidly clicked against the ice in search of traction before finally sliding out from under you. Hurtling forward, you grasped frantically until your fingers found the first object they could get a hold of: the flaps of his trapper hat. With your full weight a counterbalance at his neck, Donnie’s reflexes kicked in. He dropped down under the load, shifting it to his feet. With them skating on a blade, he then pushed off and against the wall to keep from an outright collapse.

With the crisis averted, he took a moment to breath before surveying the result. He pulled back to find you nestled between his chest and the wall. You seemed alright, though you weren’t quite at the processing stage as he was. He had a hand gripping the partition on either side of you and, as you blinked off the adrenaline, the intimacy of the position seeped into his skin. Through his thick jacket, he couldn’t feel your warmth, but that didn’t keep his body from imagining it could. Regaining your bearings, you looked up at him with owlish surprise.

“Kids, right?” You spoke, your gaze dropping down just as quickly as you’d found his.

“Yeah.” He responded curtly, pivoting around to find the culprit and not in a pathetic attempt to give you some distance from his person. He found the boy already off ice and being scolded by someone. Smugly satisfied, Donnie turned back to find you hunkered into yourself. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah… My hearts just still racing…” You mumbled, your voice muffled against your jacket.

“Let’s take a break then.” He pushed off the wall.

“Wait!”

The smooth ice meant he drifted back incrementally from one of your outstretched hands.

“Yes…?” He was thankful for the cold air on his face as it was a quick tempering solution for his overactive imagination. It almost seemed like you didn’t want him to let go of you. That had to another one of cupid’s tricks.

“W-we haven’t even done a full lap yet!” You were practically buzzing. He watched as you scooted into a turn and pushed off into the flow of skaters.

“You sure you’re alright?” It took him a single stride to catch up.

“Yes! It’s just… scary! It WAS scary, I mean!” You made shorter strides as if you were trying to run away, but it only translated to a treading water motion.

“Gliding is easier and takes less effort.” He offered quietly. Your anxious energy paired with your resistant attitude meant he wasn’t quite sure how to react.

“Would you-!” You started and stopped to give him a passing glance.

He recoiled from the strange look on your face. You then seemingly used that hitch by grabbing the wall and propelling yourself forward in one quick slingshot. He stared after your from as you then took his advice and started making longer strides. Confused and with his own nerves starting to fray, he kept his pace steady. He watched as your gritted form then proceeded to circle the rink, lapping him twice. Each time you passed, he couldn’t quite grab your expression. It took until the third pass for you to finally join his side once again.

The silence between you felt deafening amongst the idle background chatter. 

As another lap ticked by, Donnie could only nervously glance at you out of the corner of his eye. Your face was staunchly out of his view. The looming threat of his first make-up failure resonated on the horizon. As far as he could tell it didn’t seem to be a fault of his own at least. It also wasn’t something he’d stand for, however. He closed his eyes for a moment and practiced a re-centering technique. A calm wave swept over him and his leant himself over to his brain’s processor. It quickly conjured up a hundred or so possible actions. Sorting the data into categories of likely and unlikely to help, he paused when Leos’ suggestion came up. He was about to swipe the offending note to "unlikely' when April’s voice reminded him that he was supposed to be putting his trust into them. Frowning, he came back to the rink and stared you down.

“Let’s race.”

For a moment he wasn’t sure you heard him. Then slowly, you turned to look at him. He took note of your otherwise blank expression. “What?”

“A race; we’ll do a lap around the rink and the winner gets full gloating rights; a much needed release if you will.”

You were again slow to process the information, but you shifted to survey a couple who skated by. “What about them?”

“What about them?” Though his heart wasn’t in it, he put on his best smug smile. “One lap won’t harm anyone.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Probably won’t harm anyone. I suppose that will all depend on whether or not you try to take someone else out again.”

Fire immediately lit in your eyes.

A little bit of innocent chiding wasn’t usually his style in this type of scenario, but Donnie had come to find that a little violent outburst could be a great remedy for a brush with mortality.

“Fine.” You ground out. “Starting line is the entrance.”

“Let’s also put hot cocoa on the line. Loser buys.”

“Doubling down before you’ve even won?” You responded coolly.

“You think you have a chance?” Pushing onto one skate, he did a single twirl.

“Keep it up.” Your voice was still smooth, but your shoulders bunched up.

“It’s coming up.” He pointed, steeling himself. He needed to believably throw the race. Mapping out the rink and its attendants into mental blueprints, he located an older man presumably with his grandson and charted their velocity. Then accounting for his own speed, he marked off an intersection point where he could fake getting hung up by the pair. If he estimated your speed accurately, then it would just cause him to lose. It was foolproof. Parting a final glance to you before hitting the starting line. He found your ever neutral expression unnerving somehow. He tried to brush it off as the last few feet quickly disappeared.

You shot off as soon as the inlet was breeched.

For a split second, he stared dumbfounded at your suddenly Olympic form before his mental alarm bells went off. He dropped his center of gravity and took off after you. Your head start and decisive skating meant he struggled to make headway. He’d almost thought you’d been putting on airs the whole time. That was until you suddenly swung wide in order to avoid the earlier logged old man and grandson. Unequipped for the wide arc, your arms flew out and spiraled as you teetered onto one skate in the sharp momentum. He was about to cut across the rink to help, when the half-moon instead carried you through and back into a straight line.

Staring, he’d lost even more distance. He pushed his legs to their limit, but there just wasn’t enough time to make up all the rink he’d lost. Coming around the second curve, Donnie watched as you hopped right out of the rink at the finish line and took a few awkward steps on dry land. Adjusting, you then quickly spun around and pressed yourself up against the wall just before the door to watch his approach. He forgot to keep his speed when he noticed you’d dropped the indifferent veneer. He snapped back to his board-like stance when a bright smug smile burst out between your cheeks. He drew in close to the wall as he rounded the rink towards you.

“What was that?” He remarked with an accusatory finger as he drew in close. He couldn’t waste time being awestruck. Though he’d honestly lost, he still had a role to play. A shred of your usual self returned and he’d assume any character to keep it that way.

“Vengeance!” You shouted and all but threw yourself over the wall to grab his hand.

His head jerked as you caught hold of him and sharply pulled at an angle. The lack of friction underfoot meant he wasvsuddenly hurtling towards the inlet at an uncontrollable speed. With nary a moment to think, his skates hit the metal separation point and all he could do was force his weight up when they inevitably hooked. You released your hold on him and he, on the tips of his skates, made several clumsy jumps before teetering as his momentum finally slowed. He was just about to blow out a relived puff of air when he felt a finger tap to his shell. It had just enough pressure to cause him to collapse over in a heap.

Snapping up and spinning around in an instantaneous recovery, he found you gloating next to him.

“You’re right. I do feel better.”

You were close enough that he could see it in your eyes as well; you were utterly unencumbered. The feeling was infectious and his own features softened before he grasped what was happening. He only realized he’d let one of his enamoured smiles out when surprise began to steep your featurs. He felt his throat constrict as he forced his lips into a tight line. He was sure you caught the fear in his eyes. He waited for disappointment, but instead you took on what he labeled as compassionate smile.

“I believe you owe me a hot cocoa?”

“Yes. I believe I do.” He mentally blessed the reprieve you’d granted him. He was safe, at least for now.

“Were you really going to make me buy cocoa when you’re supposed to be the one making up?” You held out a hand and he took it.

“I was going to throw the race.” You gave a small tug and he stood.

“What?” You recoiled and released his hand. “That’s terrible!”

He dusted himself off. “Your legitimate victory serendipitous then. You inadvertently saved me from myself.” 

You continued to drill him about his plan as you went back to grab your shoes. He made sure to praise your dodge maneuver as you put them on. The realization that you’d beaten a ninja at something sunk in as you returned your skates. Your glowing excitement ended up warming him up more than the cocoa.

NEXT

#crushtoomuchfic #rottmnt donnie x reader #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt x reader #donatello hamato #donnie x reader #rise donnie #rise donnie x reader #rottmnt donatello #rottmnt donnie #cartoons #me #fanfiction #my fanfiction

[fantasy2reality-things-blog]

It Started with Crows

I live in an apartment by a park, and in that park there’s a pond. It’s a small pond that didn’t have anything but geese, ducks, some turtles and catfish. No plants around the edge outside of an errant tree or two with a trunk no thicker than your index finger. It bothered me, that and how much trash would come around it, but I was sort of dejectedly accepting of it, because that’s what all ponds are like around here. My focus was on the crows at the park. I had heard you could gain their trust with peanuts, so I went and got unsalted in the shell peanuts, because I had been told they were a favorite. I didn’t have the patience for it though, and so I gave up rather quickly. So, instead I went and sat by the only part of the pond that was more shore than ‘sudden drop into mud’, and I started opening up the peanuts and tossing them out for the geese. As it turns out, its far easier to get geese to like you. I named the specific goose Matthew for no real reason. Matthew realized that I had the bag of peanuts in my messenger bag, so they started coming up and trying to take food from the bag. I realized he wasn’t entirely scared of me, so little by little I coaxed him into eating from my hands over the next few weeks. It was a habit after a while - I would fill a jar with bird food and take it out to the pond around sunset, feed the geese, and then just sit there with them while they were eating, even after I had run out of food. It got to the point that I was actually able to pet Matthew, and two others (Micah and Ridge) were coming close and eating from my hands (Ridge was named after a chip on the ridge of his beak - he was also greedy and bit me a lot before I started closing my hand when he did and stopped him from getting to the food). 

I got into the habit of picking up trash around the pond, because at some point during the process of goose friendship I started to see the pond as my own sort of territory. I was there often enough that I felt like I should have a say in things, you know? At some point someone dumped a shopping cart into the pond. That Bothered me - its a very specific feeling where it doesn’t leave my mind until I fix it, so I grabbed some thick twine (originally meant to be used for fixing my cats’ scratchers) and a large stick that I’ve had since I was a kid (called only “My Stick”) and I went out, using my Stick to nudge the twine around the axles of the cart so I could pull it out of the water, and then I rolled it over to the park trashcans for lack of better options. Something else had caught my attention in my time living here: There weren’t any frogs. I had lived here for two years and saw no frogs, no snakes, no minnows... Nothing. I noticed the way algae grew and overtook the pond for a few days before dying off then coming back, and when I looked into it I learned about toxic algae blooms, and how they could kill off wildlife in the ponds while feeding off of the runoff fertilizer that ended up in the pond.

And slowly that went from just being something I was disappointed about to something that Bothered me. So I decided I had to fix it. I couldn’t just find wildlife and drop it in, of course, but I decided to make it friendlier for animals to move into: I needed plants around that pond. I emailed our conservation society in my county, and got a small list of some plants which I took as permission to plant things. I started to get seeds for native wildflowers and spread them over the pond’s shoreline back in November, and I understood that it was too late in the season and I was likely not going to get any progress.

But I was wrong. This is what my pond looks like as of a week ago, where before it was nothing on the shore by the water there are flowers and plants, and that’s not all! This summer, there have not been any noticeable blue-green algae blooms that I have seen, and there are snails around the plants in the water, just there on their own! I have to say, I am so much happier now than I think I would have been if I had actually managed to just befriend crows. Thank goodness that they’re far more patient than I ever was.

#solarpunk #nature #seed bombs

[violettadecalda]

Elements: Air Edition

About the air element: The air element is linked to things such as divination, concentration, visualization, and prophecy. Air teaches us how to hone our scattered energy and focus it toward what we want. It teaches us to use our intention. Air can be a big cleanser and also a big charger. Just stand outside for a few momenrs on a windy day, letting it blow around you and play through your hair, and you will feel renewed.

Air in magic: The air element is often used in combination with smoke, feathers, trees, flowers, and plants. It is common to use the air element in both spells that require letting go, and in spells that bring you new information. After all, rumors can travel on the wind. Aromatherapy, hanging objects up, playing the flute or other woodwind instruments, and tossing things to the wind are all examples of using the air element in magic.

Forms of air include: wind, still air, breath, vibrations

Some air spirits include: Sylphs, zephyrs, faeries

Color: Yellow

Direction: East

Tools: Censer, athame, sword, wand

Tarot suit: Swords

Zodiac signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Symbol:

Air in daily life: The most obvious form of air in our daily lives is the air that we breathe. Everyone does it, everyone needs it. Speaking requires the element of air as well, as it carries the vibrations of our voices. We use air to cool off, and every time we look up at the clouds in the sky, we are interacting with the air element.

Air in the home: Similarly to how fire is used to keep our homes warm, air is used to keep them cool. Whether you are opening a window, turning on a fan, using an air conditioner, or fanning yourself with the playbill for your little brother's school performance of Legally Blonde in the stuffy auditorium, you are using air to cool yourself down. Air can also be very healing. How many times have you stepped outside to get some fresh air and take in the breeze while you were feeling sick?

Air in the kitchen: Though it may not be obvious at first, there are some cooking methods that utilize the air element. Perhaps the most common is drying, whether you are drying meat for jerkey or herbs for tea. Then there is cooking with convection heat, which is growing more popular, or cooking with microwaves. Also popular, as seen by the amount of fizzy beverages and whipped toppings available, is carbonation and aeration. There are several foods and ingredients associated with the air element, including~

Almond, anise, bamboo, brazil nut, caraway, chicory, dandelion, endive, hazel, hops, lavender, lime, mace, maple, marjoram, mint, mulberry, parsley, pecan, sage, acorn squash, artichoke, bitter melon, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, fennel, okra, rhubarb, spaghetti squash, alfalfa, cannelini beans, lima beans, mung beans, celery seed, chamomile, rosemary, scallions, amaranth, puffed rice, rye, apple, apricot, blackberry, currants, lingonberry, pear, pineapple, tamarind, pomegranate, black tea, chocolate, coffee, white vinegar, cabbage, celery, grape leaves, mustard greens, daikon, sunchoke, parsnip, hibiscus, macadamia nuts, walnuts, stevia

Herbs associated with air: Frankincense*, myrrh*, pansy, primrose, vervain, violet, yarrow, dill, clove, acacia, aspen, beech, benzoin*, bodhi, bracken, bromeliad, clover, fern, goldenrod, horehound, houseleek, mistletoe*, papyrus, pine, slippery elm, tobacco, rose petals

Stones associated with air: Fluorite, moonstone, turquoise, amethyst, rhodochrosite, topaz, pumice, alexandrite

Animals associated with air: Doves, hawks, eagles, foxes, turtles, ravens, spiders

Incense: Lavender, lemon balm, linden, frankincense, myrrh, violet, anise, chicory, mace, pine

Air on the altar ideas: yellow feathers, feathers in general, bird imagery, incense, censer, bells, flute, objects hanging above the altar

Divination with the air element: Nephomancy, austromancy, alveromancy, feather divination

Air work for spoonies:

Open up the window to watch the sky

Collect feathers or scatter them to the breeze

Keep a handheld fan nearby for when you need to create a breeze of your own

If you dont have your own windchimes, ring bells or listen to recordings of chimes on your phone

Use yellow pillowcases, blankets, sheets, curtains, or wall decorations

Hang beads or ribbons in your window

*Some herbs are unsafe or even deadly to ingest and can be dangerous to use. ALWAYS do research.

Sources:

#witchcraft #witch #witchy #witchblr #elements #air #air element #herbs #kitchen witch #cottage witch #air witch #gemini #libra #aquarius #crystals #divination #spoonie witch #wind #breeze #windy #wind witch #sky #sky witch

[yournextflame]

Children of the Erdtree

Recently I've been thinking a lot about Tarnished Archeologist video, where he suggested that during the Marika's age all people were born from the Edtree. And while I disgree with his main statement, I think there is certain truth when it comes to... Empyreans. As crazy as it sounds, there are plenty of evidence that Empyreans are plants spawns of the Erdtree, especially in Japanese.

Those born at the foot of the Erdtree are blessed. At least, that is the enduring belief of the people of the plateau (Golden Rune [6]) 黄金樹の麓に生まれた者は特別である 高原の民は、未だそう信じている

This description in English draws connection to the blessing of the guidance, but JP doesn't use "blessed", 特別 means "special, extraordinary, unique". This word is also used in the description of the amber draught that Seluvis made to seduce Ranni, Radagon's seweing kit (unique item made to alter demigod attire) and plenty of other items associated with demigods, which in my opinion implies that people born at the foot of the Erdtree are divine beings.

Upd: it can be translated as "blessing" and used as such in the description of the Erdtree's flavor.

In one of my recent replies I suggested that Melina (I was born at the foot of the Erdtree) is a secret Empyrean, who born after the Shattering and, unlike Ranni or M-twins, she was directly spawned from the Erdtree. However, description of the Golden Rune states that this phenomena of people coming from the Erdtree is widely known to the regular folks as well as the special status of people born this way.

Before dwelling deeper into the mysterious lore of floral Empyreans, I want to explain why in my opinionnot not all people and demigods were born from the Erdtree; and this pattern is not an evidence for this statement, it's simply a genealogical tree of the Golden Lineage. The demigods are all directly related to Queen Marika's/Only Godric, the grafted one, is a distant descendant…/The runt of the litter, his divine blood sorely diluted (Enia) The issue with original theory is that such a thing like Godrick's diluted blood wouldn't exist in a world where everyone is Marika's or Erdtree's offshoot, not to mention logistics of childbirth would raise a lot of questions, how would people determine which child-bud is their child? The game makes it very clear that people are coming to the Erdtree to die, but nothing points that majority of population were born from the Erdtree, otherwise Melina's situation wouldn't be presented as something unique and people, who were born at the foot of the Erdtree, wouldn't be viewed as extraordinary entities, and brother D wouldn't boast that no child will came from Fia's rotten flesh anymore. While I believe that Marika definitely screwed to concept of motherhood by her decision to remove the Rune of Destined from the Elden Ring - that's why Formless Mother is an outer god, "Bat Song" - a song about motherhood is the only song with real Latin lyrics; and why Marika has no luck with children, I don't think that it was screwed to the extent of people being fully dependant on the Erdtree to reproduce. [cut content alert] Turtle meat is said to boost virility, but none in the Lands Between seem to have much appetite for it these days. In Lands Between, the urge to reproduce has waned long ago Going with Elden Ring's based idea of life being intertwined with death, I think immortal people simply lost interest in reproduction, but since this description was changed, I don't have a hard evidence to support this idea. That being said, there is no hard proof for anything, but there are plenty of interesting connections between Empyreans and plants, and I want to talk about it.

Souls Seed, Japanese lore-blogger, pointed similarity between the oval shape in the center of mural on the Erdtree's entrance and Miquella's cacoon, but I decided too add Rennala's amber egg as I strongly suspect that this thing produced Ranni. This mural was always interesting to me, the meaning of the lower part is easy to understand, the Erdtree sprouts from the Elden Ring as it is said on Kadokawa JP site, but the upper part is more abstract. What is this oval object? What are those lines are supposed to symbolize? According to the Soul Seed's theory, this mural is showing the blood watering Empyrean cacoon born from the Erdtree (or the Erdtree being watered with blood and producing Empyrean). The Empyrean was thus used as a name for the firmament, and in Christian literature for the dwelling-place of God, the blessed, celestial beings so divine they are made of pure light, and the source of light and creation The very name of Empyreans says to us that they are very special, in Japanese they are 神人 "god-person", they are indeed a level above an average demigod. And I really dislike that EN translation dropped that the birth of Empyreans means that the age of current ruling god is ending. 神人とは、通常のデミゴッドとは異なる存在

エルデンリング、即ち女王マリカの時代が終わったとき

神となり、新しい律を掲げるべく、尊く生まれ落ちているのです

An Empyrean is different from an ordinary demigod.

When the Elden Ring; the Age of Queen Marika ends,

an Empyrean is preciously born to become God so they can establish a new Order (Sage Gowry)

If you haven't read my close reading of Marika's echoes, I'd recommend you to do it as in that post I explained in details why this verb 掲げる is so important. It's used in the description of the Dectus and Rold medallions, which are mended by Tarnished, it's used in the description of the Mending Runes, and it's used... by Marika when she sends Tarnished on the Long March.

Then, after thy death, I will give back what I once claimed. Return to the Lands Between, wage war, and brandish the Elden Ring. そして、お前たちが死した後、いつか奪ったものを返そう 狭間の地に戻り、戦い、赴くままにエルデンリングを掲げるがよい Just to be clear, I don't think the Shattering was a rebellion against the Greater Will as Marika planned that the Elden Ring would be 掲げる in the end. Me general idea is that it was a succession war between Marika and Empyreans, but this theory always had two giant plot holes named Malenia and Miquella, who were born after the beginning of Tarnished campaign. However, no matter in which theory you believe the birth of Miquella and Malenia wouldn't make sense, not to mention the whole selfcest thing. Unless the birth of the Empyreans is something that Marika can't fully control because they aren't born in classic way, they are spawining from the Erdtree.

Floral theme is very important in the imagery of gods and Empyreans. Marika/Radagon and the Erdtree, Miquella, his lilies and the Haligtree, Malenia and Scarlet Aeonia. The only Empyrean, who isn't associated with plants, is Ranni, but I think this Miyazaki's interview explains why:

What can represent these rules and order but also not be absolute? That was the question that ran through my mind when I created this image. And the tree really fits the bill nicely for that because the tree is something that's alive, it's something that grew, it's something that will eventually wither and die. And this really fits the role of something that can then bestow this order, control these rules, and enforce these rules on the world. Because these too are things that will grow and will change and will wither and die as well. So I feel that the tree this time is something that fits those elements both visually and thematically. But saying any more than that would definitely go into spoiler territory.

[Miyazaki's interview to gamesradar explains lore better than 150hr long game 🤦‍♀️] Those big, magic plants, the Erdtree, the Haligtree that was supposed to replace it, they are embodiements of the Order. The Erdtree used to be an object of worship, Haligtree played the central role in Miquella's plant. The Scarlet Aeonia would be worshipped too if Malenia was interested in the Order of Rot.

But Ranni choose to walk the shadow path and the main idea behind her ending is that there wouldn't be a god and Order to worship, in that case a symbol of the Order shouldn't exist. In the light of theory that Empyreans blood is a source of life, her slaughter of the body would also makes sense because... the blood of gods and Empyreans is a source of life and a lot of problems.

I always thought that Millicent story is a missing piece of puzzle to solve one of the greatest mysteries of the Elden Ring - Marika/Radagon. Of course, Malenia is posessed by Rot, but I think the key principle between the birth of Malenia's daughter and Radagon's existence is the same. Notably, Millicent is always descibed as a flower (as well as her sisters and Malenia herself) The despair of sweet betrayal transformed Millicent from a mere bud into a magnificent flower. And one day, she will be reborn—as a beautiful scarlet valkyrie The girl, Millicent. She is a bud. Green and undeveloped, waiting to flower into magnificence/In truth, before her, I'd never seen a bud of such superior quality. She might very well outshine her sisters. However, Millicent believes that she is blood-related to Malenia. In which case, allow me to explain myself. I am of Malenia's blood. But in what capacity I know not. I could be sister, daughter, or an offshoot…

Recently I've been asked to translate official Malenia vs Radahn story board and found out something interesting on this panel - according to the trailer director Malenia uses the weight of her body to push the sword deeper inside Radahn's body and mix their blood. The result comes immediately - Radahn blooms with the Aeonia flower. Considering what happened in the trailer and later in the story, I can suggest this formula:

Malenia's blood -> Scarlet Aeonia flower -> Malenia's "daughters" or:

Empyrean's blood -> magic plant -> Empyrean's offshoot The latter is partially supported by Miquella's lore. We know that he was fertilizing Haligtree with his own blood: The surcoat bears the crest of the Haligtree. Though watered with Miquella's own blood since it was a sapling, the Haligtree ultimately failed to grow into an Erdtree A popular theory also suggests that Miquella has his own offshoot - St. Trina, but without cut content we can rely only on visual similarities between their lilies and spirit/dreamwrold connections.

Speaking of which, I'd like to pay ettention to the base of the St. Trina's lily. Unlike Miquella's lily, this one doesn't have roots, and the base of it looks similar to the rootless Haligtree sigil. Applying the pattern that I mentioned above, we can see how blood/plant thing works for Miquella:

Miquella's blood -> Haligtree ->St. Trina [confirmed in cut content, speculative in the current lore] However, I wonder to which extent Empyreans can control creation of plants/people from their blood. Malenia definitely bloomed on purpose, but it seems that Millicent and her children were born without Malenia's awareness. Same goes for the St. Trina. Does their shape is so uncertain (some say she is a comely young girl, others are sure he is a boy) because Haligtree was still growing or and wasn't fully formed or is it result of Miquella's connection to the dreams, a realm of abstract imagery?

Quite often when it comes to Radagon's lore we can only pray use visual design as an evidence. And Radagon is always surrounded by plants. He has 11 portraits in the Roundtable Hall and almost all of them are paired with the Erdtree's painting. His talisman depicts him with the stamens of Miranda's flowers and if Miranda's prayer wasn't cut from the game, I would definitely draw parallel to the Floral Crucible. Finally, his statue shows him T-posing ohgodwhy over the roots or... the growing Erdtree. Following estabilished formula: Marika's blood ->the Erdtree -> Radagon

Rennala got horny for a plant. Of course, there are a plenty of wonky parts in this theory. Why is Radagon=Marika, a fully functional male counterpart capable of carrying the Elden Ring, but Millicent is not even a demigod. Maybe because Malenia herself wasn't a real god at this moment, let alone a ruling god on top of the Order:

When Malenia ascends to godhood, Millicent too shall be reborn. As a scarlet valkyrie. Alternate explanation is the influence of the Rot, but I think what matters in the end is that Empyrean's blood can create plants that are birthing people.

[I think now I know what's deal with M-children and butterflies, they are attracted to the flowers]

More over, there are a plenty of mentions of how a single creature became a progenitor to entire specie:

Greyoll was the mother of all dragons, dwarfing all who stood before her like a looming mountain (Greyoll's Roar) Shield featuring a vividly painted twinbird. The twinbird is said to be the envoy of an outer god, and mother of the Deathbird (Twinbird Kite Shield) The Gloam-Eyed Queen cradles newborn apostles swaddled in this cloth. Soon they will grow to become the death of the gods (Godskin Swaddling Cloth/there was description that she was their mother, but I can't find it it)

Blue silver is a metal born from the same mother as the archers themselves, and provides protection from magic and frost/Tall oval shield made of metal carried by young Albinaurics. The ornamentation represents the primordial drop of dew from which they are said to have been created Doesn't it remind you of something? Please make certain that little Millicent goes unharmed. Like her mother, she has the stuff to be a great warrior

Strictly speaking, there is no hard evidence that Greyoll or Twinbird were Empyreans/gods, but I wouldn't deny the possibility, given Twinbird's connection to the outer god and the fact that dragons previously ruled the Lands Between. Is this why Misbegotten are called Radagon's children in game files and 1.0 description of Winged Misbegotten ashes called them Radagon's chimeras? Sadly, those lore bits didn't made it in the game, but idea that all this time Radagon was experimenting with his blood in an attempt to create Empyrean child is fascinating.

As I said before, the biggest issue with this theory is the difference between basic offshoots like Millicent, Empyrean children and Empyrean alter-egos. What draws the line between them? So far I can suggest this explanation: alter-egos - byproducts of Empyrean/god growning a new governing plant, offshoots - random sprouts, unwanted children, but the nature of Empyrean children is still rather mysterious. Were they born from M/R blood or because the Erdtree felt like it? What I've found especially interesting is that the state of the Erdtree possibly influenced M-twins. I've been writing a lot about the fact that the Erdtree is dying and it is confirmed by Miyazaki himself in the interview that the Order and the embodiement of it are not eternal. A lot of descriptions in game are talking about it:

The Erdtree once flourished with abundance—yet it was only for a fleeting moment. Such is the course of all life

Malenia and Miquella are feeble and sickly chiildren, who need a special treatment. Malenia should bloom 3 times before becoming a goddess. Miquella was growing himself into Haligtree.

They are premature babies. It's commonly believed that M-twins are cursed because EN translation of Malenia's remembrance invented things that don't exist in JP, but I think they born so messed up for s different reason. The Erdtree was old and dying and produced a pair of fragile Empyreans.

In this post I was rambling about divine blood and its connection with the different plants and I almost forgot about Warrior Jars. Sadly, in my current save I wasn't able to finish this questline as I finish Volcano Manor's story before From patched Diallos. All I can say is that this quest line only strengthens connection between blood and plants, but I don't know how to interpret it futher. Was it tradition invented by Marika to prolong her age by sending people to water the Erdtree with their blood or was it something that people decided to do following god's example? Could it be that the quality of god's blood is why Two Fingers are changing them?

Contrapoints to this theory: I don't know where to fit that Marika is Numen, who came from another world. Maybe in the times of the Crucible, the rules were different and the birth from the Erdtree is exclusive to the Golden Order age.

I don't know how to explain why Radagon and Marika stats are polar opposites based on their scar/soreseals as if they were spliced in two beings (my OG theory). If he is an offshoot, why is he so different from Marika (unlike Malenia's "daughters")? Of course, this theory is written under assumtion that Melina is Empyrean herself, which raises another question, - why is she burned and bodiless? Is her state reflecting the state of the Erdtree, considering theories that it was burned before - either by Bernahl or Vyke, and now is a spirit? And now when I typed this, I'm almost certain that the Erdtree was burned by Vyke and this is why Melina hates the Flame of Frenzy so much. This theory indeed seems like a missing piece of the puzzle to me.

#elden ring #malenia #miquella #ranni #marika #radagon #melina #lore theories #elden ring lore #tinfoil alert #JP #credits to Tarnished archeologist and Souls Seed #I love this theory #finally Western fandom produced something worthy #reject the Erdtree is Lavos #embrace Radagon is a tree #it's hilarious how much it makes sense once you apply it to the story #but I thought that my Great Original Write Up also made sense #I do feel like it still makes sense and ER is a love story #and being maidenless is more than a meme #this post is incoherent #but I had a lot of fun writing it #tumblr screwed my post again #and this time tags are not problem #idk how to fix it

[sasaranomiya]

Koukyuu no Karasu Volume 4 Chapter 1 - The Silkworm God (Part 1)

hey guys im back~~~ this chapter was supposed to come out way earlier but i got sidetracked

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The moon sank into the sea and became two gods:

One the god of shadow, one the god of light

Eight thousand nights they spent at the sea.

The first god secluding in the black palace

The second god cavorting in the palace of the moon

And thus, one became Kakurenomiya

And the other became Sasaranomiya

Another god became the port of Kakurenomiya

This was the Great Sea Turtle God

The god had sinned, and was thus rent into eight parts

The flowing water carried them away from the palace

Its head was Jie, its arms were Bahuang, its legs were Gulu

Its carapace became canyons, its blood transformed into rivers

Its eyes became swamps, its breath became a maelstrom that called the tide

Ears of rice ripened in its rotting flesh and degenerated into seeds

The mulberry tree grows, the silkworm grows, and mankind grows

Its bones were made one once again, and the white turtle god was formed

His name was Gou-no-Kami

This god calmed the violent seas to protect ships

The descendants of these gods began

The bloodline of the white king, the emperor—

――From a ritual song of wubangs

There were bundles of raw silk packed in a wooden box in front of Banka. The milk-colored raw silk, resembling morning mist, had a moist luster. Her father, Chouyou, had sent her some of the finest raw silk from Ga Province.

Ga Province’s raw silk was considered to be of the highest quality in the nation of Shou. The province’s sericulture industry began with the silkworms brought by the Saname clan when they migrated here from Kakami, and it had the reputation it developed today after Chouyou devoted himself to selectively breeding the silkworms. Banka had been taking care of the silkworms since childhood under his orders. Spring silkworms, summer silkworms, autumn silkworms, late-autumn silkworms…everyday, she picked mulberry leaves, fed them to the silkworms, cleaned, moved the place where they made their cocoons during their maturing period, sorted them based on their shells after they became cocoons, and repeated that year after year.

Banka liked listening to the sound of the silkworms eating mulberry leaves. When she sat in a corner of the cocoonery and listened closely to the sound of silkworms feasting on the leaves, she felt calm as if being enveloped in gentle rain. It was the sound of life itself.

That was why, when she watched the sorted cocoons being boiled in hot water and their threads taken out, she felt a cold shadow in her heart. The sound of boiling water was the sound of life being torn away. However, the threads spun in this way shined coldly and was above all beautiful.

Whenever the silk slid over her skin, there was always a blue-black chill, like a winter shade.

Banka picked up a bundle of raw silk from the box.

The bundle was tied with paper. Banka stuck her finger in there. Unscrupulous merchants would cheat the weight by rolling in lead or scrap iron into the bundles. Of course, there were no such tricks in packages from her father, but there were other tricks. Banka’s finger felt for the paper string pasted to the back of the paper. Unlike ordinary letters, letters he didn’t want other people seeing were always delivered in this way. She removed the paper string and opened it carefully. A short sentence written in her father’s handwriting was on the thin strip of paper.

“Don’t get involved with the Raven Consort.”

Banka’s breath caught.

Why?

Her father’s written orders never contained reasons. Banka simply obeyed his words. That was why she informed him about everything that happened in the inner palace, and let him know how the emperor looked whenever she was near him. She could do these things only because she thought it was for the best interests of her father, and by extension, the Saname clan.

That was why she wrote about Jusetsu’s secret in her letter. The fact that she hid the color of her hair.

She told him the secret of Jusetsu, who saved her life, who she even wanted to be friends with.

After much hesitation, she weighed Jusetsu and her father, and in the end, Banka chose her father.

She didn’t know why her father, who knew Jusetsu’s secret, ordered her “not to get involved with her.”

However, she didn’t need to be ordered to do that. She didn’t know what kind of face she should make when she saw Jusetsu from now on. They could no longer be friends.

Banka stroked the raw silk. It was cool, but she felt a heat that bounced off her hand as she stroked it. It was the heat of life. Of harvested life.

I’m sure I don’t hold a heat like this.

Banka recalled the sorting of cocoons. It was the work of sorting the good cocoons from the bad ones. Among the bad ones, there was the so-called dead cocoons. The moth had died inside the cocoon and it rotted. A rotten, mushy cocoon.

I’m the same as them.

Unbeknownst to anyone, I rotted on the inside, and now I’m dead on the inside…

“I heard that there’s a ghost in the cocoonery.”

Jiujiu didn’t talk about that rumor until nightfall. As the weather got cooler day by day, the sun set earlier. As usual, Yamei Palace was quietly plunged into darkness without any of the lanterns lit. The sound of insects could be heard in the distance. The only people in the room were Jusetsu and her attendant, Jiujiu. Even though Jusetsu told her it was fine, Jiujiu stayed up with her until late at night. This was because of the guests who visited the Raven Consort at night. They relied on the black-clad consort would accept any request from searching for lost items to curse killings, so the people of the inner palace hid away from prying eyes in the darkness of the night and came here.

“Where?” Jusetsu asked back at the unfamiliar words.

“The cocoonery. It’s the place where the silkworms are raised.”

“There was something like that in the inner palace?”

“Apparently, there is a mulberry grove north of Hakkaku Palace. It’s located there. It was also there during the previous dynasty and the reign of the emperor before the last. The previous emperor’s wife disliked silkworms, so the cocoonery was demolished, but His Majesty built a new one. You see, the Crane Consort’s family runs a thriving sericulture business.”

“Banka’s family…the Saname clan?”

“Yes. The cocoonery was built for the Crane Consort. Apparently, she also helped raise silkworms back home. It’s the palace ladies of the Hakkaku Palace who work in this cocoonery, though.”

This is where we come to the main topic, Jiujiu said.

“People are saying that it’s haunted.”

“Oh? Is it a silkworm ghost?”

“No, it’s the ghost of a palace lady.”

According to Jiujiu, this was the story.

During the previous dynasty, there was a palace lady who worked in the cocoonery. One time, she accidentally stepped on a silkworm and killed it. But she kept silent without confessing her crime. After all, she would be punished if she did. That night, however, she suddenly began to suffer in pain and started to vomit silk from her mouth. The raw silk kept coming out without ever ending. Her body wasted away as more silk came out. When one of the palace ladies hurriedly cut the silk with a pair of scissors, she collapsed and died. Her hair had become white like raw silk.

“It’s the silkworm’s curse,” Jiujiu said fearfully and pressed her hand to her cheek. Jusetsu tilted her head to the side.

“Then is that not a story about a palace lady who was cursed and killed? I don’t believe it has to do with the ghost.”

“That’s where the story begins, Niangniang. The ghost of the palace lady who died from this curse is said to haunt the cocoonery. It’s said that she would appear there from time to time and take care of the silkworms while mixed in with the other palace ladies. She blends into the group while no one is paying attention, and once someone realizes that she’s there, she disappears. They say that she also showed up during the reign of the emperor before the last. The cocoonery didn’t exist during the previous reign, so it seemed that she never appeared, but—”

“After the cocoonery was rebuilt, the ghost appeared again.”

“That’s right, Niangniang,” Jiujiu nodded deeply.

“She didn’t seem to have harmed or cursed the other palace ladies, but the Hakkaku Palace palace ladies are terrified.”

“Did you hear that from them?”

“No, from a palace lady at Enou Palace. I heard it when I went there to get scrap paper for Ishiha’s writing practice.”

Yamei Palace’s boy eunuch, Ishiha, was currently learning to read and write, and he needed all the paper that he could get. That was why they asked for scrap paper from many people.

Every palace had chatty palace ladies, and Jiujiu gathered gossip whenever she went on such errands. She got useful information, as well as trivial ghost stories.

“If it didn’t come from the people involved, then there is no way to know how true it is.”

“Shall I ask a palace lady from Hakkaku Palace, then?”

“You need not go that—” Jusetsu stopped and looked at the doors. Xingxing the golden bird was flapping its wings. They had a visitor.

“Niangniang,” the voice that came from the other side of the door belonged to her bodyguard eunuch, Onkei. “I’ve brought a palace lady who got lost in the woods.”

Yamei Palace was surrounded by a lush forest of laurels and rhododendrons. The forest, which was dim even during the day, was even darker at night when the moon was covered with clouds like today. One could lose their way if one wasn’t careful.

When the doors opened, Onkei brought with him a petite palace lady who had an anxious expression on her face. She knelt in front of Jusetsu and bowed. Onkei went back outside after saying, “Tan Kai will slack off immediately if you take your eyes off him.” Tan Kai was her other bodyguard eunuch. Contrary to the taciturn and austere Onkei, he was chatty and often lazy.

“Lady Raven Consort, I have come to ask you for a favor.”

After saying that, the palace lady prostrated herself in front of Jusetsu as kowtowing towards her. Her feeble voice sounded strained. She seemed to have an urgent request.

“I cannot hear you very well from there. Come here and sit down.”

Jusetsu pointed to the chair across from her. The palace lady stood up, looking somewhat puzzled, and hesitantly walked over.

“Your name?” Jusetsu asked bluntly.

“My family name is Nen, and my given name is Shuuji. I belong to Hakkaku Palace, but I mainly work in the cocoonery.”

Jusetsu met eyes with Jiujiu, who was standing next to her. She knew that even without going to Hakkaku Palace, if something really happened, someone would come here. But she never expected them to show up at such a convenient time.

“Is there a ghost haunting the cocoonery?”

“You knew about that, Lady Raven Consort?”

As expected of the Raven Consort, Shuuji said in awe, but Jusetsu corrected her. “No, I merely overheard the rumors.” It would be troublesome if people thought she could read minds.

“I heard that it’s the ghost of a palace lady.”

“Yes. Apparently, it’s the ghost of a palace lady who died from the silkworm’s curse in the previous dynasty.”

Shuuji’s story about the ghost was the same as the rumors Jusetsu heard from Jiujiu.

“Before I knew it, that ghost was in the cocoonery. When I was carrying the mulberry leaves and feeding the silkworms, I was so busy that I barely even glanced at all the palace ladies’ faces. Then, when I suddenly looked up, I saw an unfamiliar palace lady giving mulberry leaves to the silkworms. I cried out in surprise, and she suddenly disappeared. There are others who had seen her besides me.”

Shuuji said that since, the ghost had often appeared in the cocoonery.

“But if that was all, I wouldn’t have come here to consult you, Lady Raven Consort. Taking care of the silkworms is a busy job, so we honestly don’t have time to worry about one or two ghosts. She appears suddenly and disappears just as suddenly, and she’s harmless, so everyone soon got used to her. We were more focused on successfully raising the silkworms and making them into good cocoons.”

But then…Shuuji’s face clouded over.

“Someone has been harmed?”

Shuuji nodded. “Yes. But no one has been sick or injured. No, it’s more worrisome than that.”

With a pale face, she lowered her head.

“Worrisome?”

“Cocoons have gone missing.”

Jusetsu was somewhat disappointed. “That’s worrisome?”

“It’s very important to us. The silkworms raised in that house belong to the Crane Consort, and by extension, His Majesty. We must not let even a single one die in vain, much less letting them go missing.”

“How many are missing?”

“Two as of now.”

“How do you know that only a few have been lost? You must be raising a lot of silkworms in the cocoonery.”

“It would be almost impossible to tell when they are larvae, but when they are matured silkworms, that is, ready to make cocoons, they are moved to a cocoon-making area made of straw called the cocoon holders. We put one silkworm in there each morning, so we would know if the cocoons that have formed there are missing. The missing cocoons were the ones that had been completed and all that remained was to remove the fluff, but yesterday, when we suddenly took our eyes off them, they were gone…”

“Are you saying that’s the work of the ghost?”

“Of course, at first, we thought that maybe they had fallen out of the cocoon holders for some reason, so we searched not only the floor, but also the entire room. We even searched the palace ladies’ clothing. But we couldn’t find them. In the midst of all this, one palace lady mentioned something. She said that the ghost had appeared right before the cocoons went missing. She thought it was the aforementioned ghost, so she let her be, just like everyone else… I have never seen the ghost take a cocoon, but there is no other way. After we entered the house, no one left until the loss was discovered. Even so, the cocoons weren’t found in the room or the clothing. So it cannot be that one of us took them. In the first place, we are the ones who will be punished if a cocoon goes missing, so there is no way one of us would do something like that.”

“Indeed, your logic is sound,” Jusetsu nodded.

“Because the cocoons have yet to be collected, the cocoon numbers haven’t been reported to the Crane Consort yet. So, we all decided to claim that the cocoons died. …Um…”

Shuuji glanced at Jusetsu.

“I won’t tell the Crane Consort.”

After Jusetsu said that, Shuuji looked relieved and continued talking.

“However, if the ghost appears again and takes more cocoons…starting tomorrow, we will have to collect the finished cocoons. After collecting them and sorting them into good cocoons and bad, if some of the good ones disappear, it will all be over. They are counted, so we can’t cover it up.”

Punishment would then await them. That was why Shuuji called it worrisome.

“The ghost of a palace lady who died after being cursed by the silkworms is now taking their cocoons…” Jusetsu murmured.

“Even if you cover up the loss this time, it would difficult to do it again in the future.”

“Yes. In the Crane Consort’s cocoonery, we raise silkworms three times in spring, summer, and autumn. I feel my body wasting away when I think of the possibility of this happening again.”

Shuuji covered her face with her sleeve. Hmm, Jusetsu pondered.

“If it really is the work of ghosts, then we would be one step behind if we take our time investigating the ghost’s circumstances. For the time being, I can create a barrier in the cocoonery to prevent the ghost from appearing…”

“Can you really do that?” Shuuji raised her head.

“I cannot say anything unless I see the ghost.”

“Yes, by all means, please go ahead.”

Shuuji looked overjoyed enough to clasp Jusetsu’s hands, but her expression immediately darkened again.

“Lady Raven Consort, I have another problem.”

“What is it?”

“It’s the missing cocoons. If it’s true that they are completely gone, then it’s fine, but if the ghost took them somewhere else, that would be a problem.”

“Why?”

“The silkworms in that house are Ga Province silkworms. They are not local. In the event that those silkworms emerge and cross-breed with wild or domestic silkworms in this area, that will cause great problems. It will ruin their breed.”

“Ah…I see.”

Problems like that exist? She thought

“Then, do you want me to find the location of the cocoons?”

“The moths emerge from their cocoons after about ten days. We have to find them before that…”

Shuuji covered her face. She seemed overwhelmed by this sudden disaster.

“I think it would be a good idea to explain the situation to Banka—the Crane Consort. I don’t think she would give you a severe punishment.”

“…That may be true for the Crane Consort, but…” Shuuji trailed off and looked down. “Her father…”

“Banka’s father? The head of the Saname clan?”

“Yes…” Shuuji’s gaze wandered. “The Crane Consort’s father is very strict, and she cannot go against him. If he tells her to hand down a strict punishment, she will obey him.”

He’s the man who told Banka to choose between her own life or the life of her adopted sister.

The Saname clan was cursed by a god to have the youngest daughter of the clan head to die at fifteen. In order to circumvent that, a girl younger than Banka was adopted into the clan. Banka begged her father to save her sister, but he told her that she herself should choose to die instead if that was the case. As a result, the adopted daughter died, and Banka lived. Jusetsu wondered what kind of man Saname Chouyou was for forcing his daughter to make such a choice.

Shuuji covered her mouth with her sleeve.

“I’ve said too much. Please forget it.”

Jusetsu promised to go to the cocoonery tomorrow, and then Shuuji left.

“The Crane Consort seems to be an easygoing person, but her father is very strict. Even the palace ladies are afraid of him,” Jiujiu, who had been standing by in silence, opened her mouth like she couldn’t wait to speak. “The behavior of a consort will probably reflect the inclinations of her family to some extent…”

Jusetsu turned her face to the window. She couldn’t see Hakkaku Palace from here.

If Banka—Hakkaku Palace was at the will of Saname Chouyou, that was something to think about.

Koushun probably already knows about it.

The face of the inscrutable young emperor appeared in her mind. Neither his consorts nor their families were something for Jusetsu to worry about. From the start, the Raven Consort had nothing to do with the outside.

“…”

Jusetsu narrowed her eyes at the melting darkness of the night outside the window.

A lush green mulberry grove could be seen on the other side of Hakkaku Palace.

“Is that it?” Jusetsu muttered. “Yes, niangniang,” Onkei answered from behind her. He was accompanying her to the cocoonery this morning.

“The mulberry grove has been around since the previous dynasty, and it was still maintained even when there was no cocoonery.”

“Why are silkworms raised in the inner palace?”

“It’s more the imperial palace rather than the inner palace. There is also a cocoonery in the outer court. They say that breed improvement and research are being conducted there. Originally, raw silk for the emperor and imperial family were produced there.”

“So, the cocoonery in the inner palace is for the consorts?”

“Yes. I heard it used to be quite large.”

Since Onkei said that, Jusetsu imagined a small hut. However, the cocoonery that appeared before her was quite a respectable building. It certainly didn’t have the magnificence of a consort’s palace, but it had three buildings roofed with blue-glazed roof tiles, and it was encircled with mud roof walls. From the front building, they could hear the sounds and voices of the palace ladies busy at work, and in the back building, they could see eunuchs coming and going with bundles of firewood.

“The mulberry storehouse is in the back, and the cocoonery is in the front.”

Onkei explained. He was sent here as a spy on Ei Sei’s orders, so he knew most of the things here, which was helpful. He was a beautiful eunuch with cool eyes and a single scar running across his cheek. He was a skillful guard, but he was also a very capable servant, with his attention to small details, a shadow-like unassumingness in all things, and his efficiency in carrying out tasks.

Jusetsu headed for the building in front. Before she could climb the steps, the doors opened and a palace lady hurried out. It was Shuuji.

“My deepest apologies for not noticing your arrival, Lady Raven Consort. I was watching the outside, but I thought you were a eunuch…”

“That’s fine. It would be unfavorable to me if I were recognized from a distance.”

In order to not be recognized by Hakkaku Palace, Jusetsu came here dressed as a eunuch. It really was convenient. Although Jiujiu, who wanted to dress her up, complained about it.

Jusetsu peered into the cocoonery and saw that the palace ladies seemed to be collecting cocoons. When they heard that the Raven Consort was here, they stopped what they were doing, got onto their knees and bowed.

“Continue your work. Other people will suspect something.”

The palace ladies obediently returned to work. There were rows of shelves and long tables, and on top of the tables, there were bellows-shaped objects woven from straw. When she saw the cocoons hanging from them, she thought that they must be the tools called cocoon holders that Shuuji talked about last night. The palace ladies removed the cocoons and placed them on trays.

“Right now, we’re collecting cocoons. After this, we will remove the fluff stuck to them and separate them into good ones and bad ones. The difference is whether or not they are suitable for turning into thread or not. Double cocoons consisting of two silkworms becoming one cocoon, thin cocoons, cocoons with holes, cocoons with rotting dead moths inside, cocoons soiled with urine and other bodily fluids, cocoons with marks left from the holders…they will all be removed,” Shuuji explained. “Furthermore, the good cocoons are divided into those that will be used to make thread, and those that will be made to emerge to lay eggs. The thread will be offered to the Crane Consort, and after that, she will present them to His Majesty.”

“Once the good cocoons are selected, not a single one of them will be lost, right?”

Yes, Shuuji lowered her eyes. In other words, there could be no deferment. Jusetsu put her hand to her hair and realized that she didn’t have her usual flowers there. Even though she dressed as a eunuch often, she kept forgetting about it.

She held her hand out forward and gathered heat in her palm. A light crimson haze flickered, tangled, and intertwined. The haze transformed into petals, one by one, and formed a peony flower. Jusetsu blew on it.

The flower turned into smoke and scattered. It floated around, swimming between the palace ladies.

The pale red smoke gradually gathered in one place and began to take the form of a person. It was the figure of a woman. A simple hairpin was tucked into her chignon, and her pale, slender face had well-shaped eyebrows that looked as if they were drawn with a brush and thin-lidded eyes. The long robes that enveloped her thin body weren’t in the current fashion, but her modest yet elegant appearance gave her the look of a court servant.

Shuuji let out a small cry and covered her mouth with her sleeve.

“T-That’s the ghost of the palace lady I saw!”

The other palace ladies had also stopped what they were doing and stared wide-eyed at the ghost.

The ghost suddenly moved amidst those stares. She soundlessly went towards the door. Jusetsu leaned back halfway and made way for the ghost. The ghost disappeared as though sucked into the door.

She went outside.

“L-Lady Raven Consort—”

“We’re going after her,” Jusetsu interrupted Shuuji and called out to Onkei. He quickly opened the door.

When they went outside, they saw the ghost from behind about to leave through the gate. Jusetsu followed her. There were no sounds of foodsteps or rustling of clothes, but the ghost’s gait was similar to that of the living. What was different was that the hem of her robes didn’t flutter and her sleeves didn’t sway. If such ghosts were to simply stand still among the palace ladies, even the people next to them wouldn’t realize that they were ghosts. Among the many courtiers in the inner palace, there might be ghosts mingled in with them, pretending to be the living.

The ghost left the cocoonery and headed further north. That was the outskirts of the inner palace. It was a neglected area with unkempt, overgrown trees, and there was no one in sight.

Jusetsu, who had been chasing the ghost, came to a slightly open space and stopped. There was something like a small burial mound covered in dense moss and grass there. The ghost had stopped in front of it. The sun shined down on the mound, and the moss glistened faintly. As they watched, the ghost seemed to melt into the mound and disappeared.

What is this mound?

It couldn’t belong to the ghost. It was difficult to imagine that a mere palace lady’s burial mound would be located inside the inner palace.

“Whose mound is this?”

She turned back to Onkei, but even he had a rare unknowing look on his face.

“I shall look into it.”

“Please do so.”

After that brief exchange, Jusetsu looked around. The area was surrounded by trees. There were old trees with ivy entwined around them, young trees lush with leaves, and trees that had already rotted and fallen. It was quiet. Judging by the trampled undergrowth, it seemed that it wasn’t completely unvisited by people. Did they come here to visit the mound? After checking the surroundings, Jusetsu returned to the cocoonery.

Shuuji was standing alone in front of the room from earlier, looking like she had nothing to do. Apparently, the other palace ladies moved to another room to remove the fuzz from the cocoons.

Jusetsu told her about the ghost disappearing into the mound, but Shuuji didn’t know anything about the mound either. In fact, this was the first time she heard about it.

“The outskirts of the inner palace are frightening, and as a woman, I can’t go there unless I have serious business…”

That did seem to be true.

“It would be easy to keep that ghost out of the cocoonery, but…” Jusetsu cut herself off there and pondered for a bit. That wasn’t enough. The cocoons must be found.

“I ask for your assistance,” Shuuji bowed to her. Jusetsu wasn’t a god, so being begged like this made her extremely uncomfortable.

“…Very well. I’ll create a barrier for now. Then I’ll see what I can find out about the mound.”

She took out a spindle wound with thread from her breast pocket. She went out to the outer corridor and asked Onkei to hold the end of the thread, then ran it along the floor, making a circle around the cocoonery. Finally, the barrier was created once she tied the ends together. It was a spell she used many times before. It wasn’t the Raven Consort’s spell, but a sorcerer’s spell.

She had learned it from Reijou, the previous Raven Consort, but in the previous dynasty, when sorcerers were able to frequent the inner palace, this kind of work was probably their job. They must have been valued.

No, it probably went beyond that.

She recalled the words of Ui, the keeper of the treasure room.

It was for protection against Wulian Niangniang, just in case

He told me that he couldn’t feel safe without the power to fight back…

There was probably a good reason why sorcerers were so highly regarded during the previous dynasty.

“Avoid stepping on the thread as much as possible. Though, as long as it doesn’t break when you step on it, it doesn’t matter.”

After giving Shuuji those warnings, Jusetsu left the room. The palace ladies were waiting outside, and they all knelt upon seeing her. Jusetsu was perplexed.

“Thank you very much, Lady Raven Consort.”

“I didn’t do much. Don’t make it to be more than it is. You were the ones who said that it would be all of you in trouble if outsiders learn about it.”

Even so, the palace ladies didn’t rise until Jusetsu passed through the gate. It seemed that the palace ladies of Hakkaku Palace held the Raven Consort in particular reverence, especially after the incident in which she saved Banka. Despite the fact that she really hadn’t done much.

 “And there’s also the cocoons…”

After leaving the cocoonery, Jusetsu stopped once and looked back. The gentle green of the mulberry trees shone in the morning sun. Here and there, there were sections where branches had been cut, probably for feeding the silkworms.

I’m good at looking for lost items, but…

It was different when it came to cocoons. Because they had no owner. Tracing lost items from their owners wasn’t difficult. However, cocoons were…

“Onkei,” Jusetsu called out to him while still looking at the mulberry grove. “In addition to the mound, there is something I want you to investigate.”

Yes, came his short reply.

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#koukyuu no karasu #koukyuu no karasu 4 #shirakawa kouko #translations #raven of the inner palace