#first ancestor fa

[felassan]

just some thoughts on these (source: this article) original sketches of the Dragon Age world through time / concept sketches of the Thedas map at different points in its history:

(the linked article is worth a read for extra info and context on the maps). like the article says, whenever a name of a place or people is typed as opposed to handwritten, it means that the place or people originally had a different name which was changed by EA's "sensitivity team" due to it clashing with something from the real world. Names of things change when worldbuilding anything all the time ofc, but it’s just interesting to me to look at what's been typed over and list places / peoples which at one point in the creation of the world were called something else before being renamed for that reason:

Arlathan, Frostback Mountains, Alamarri tribes, Anderfels, Par Vollen, Antiva (used to be called "Calabria"), Orlais / Orlesian Empire, Seheron, Orzammar

I wonder what the ones (besides Antiva) used to be called? ^^ there are other names on the map that appear to have been renamed at some point in the process (see below), but they weren't typed over like this.

On the time periods given in some of the bottom-right hand corners: “F.A.” refers to the Founding of Arlathan (elven calendar), where 1 FA is the year in which Arlathan was founded. “T.E.” refers to the founding of the Tevinter Empire (Imperial Calendar), where 0 TE is the year in which the Imperium was founded. Does “F.C.” refer to the Founding of the Chantry, making this an alternative way of notating the Chantry calendar? (the Chantry was founded in 1:1 Divine and World of Thedas tells us that the founding initial event honored in this calendar is that in its first year the original head of the Chantry, Divine Justinia I, was appointed). Was this the original name/way of writing of the chantry calendar before they decided (either in-world or devs doing the worldbuilding) that instead of notating it like FC they would have ages like “-150 Ancient”, the Divine Age/1:10 Divine etc? Is “600 F.C.” the Steel Age? In that map it shows the Qunari Empire borders really quite far south into what became Antiva and Rivain, and we know that in the Steel Age the Qunari pushed deeply into Antiva and Rivain, so it could track. Ferelden would also have been founded as a kingdom at that time, explaining why Ferelden now appears.

These maps are also interesting as instead of purely geographical they are also political in places. (I think DG said at one point on the old forum that the lack of exact borders on the Thedas map we see is intentional, with the rough area controlled by each nation being pretty clear, and “when it comes to areas where they border on each other the exact ownership is probably in question”.) ((there are some cool fan-made maps out there where different people had a go at headcanoning or approximating borders to make political versions of the main map btw)). On some of them we can see dotted lines presumably representing borders or approximate borders of nations/states and the territories claimed or controlled by at that time of different groups of people, past and present, including in many cases the naval territory/their waters. It’s really interesting to see where some of these borders approximately are and to see how they changed through time in the world timeline. There are no border lines on the final sketch/most recent [in-world time-wise] version of the map, I guess as it’s the present time in which DA:O is set, or close to that time.

For example, it’s really interesting to me to see in 1100 TE the borders of the Dales, the borders of the Kingdom of the Ciriane and the borders of the Kingdom of the Planasene. (the Ciriane were the loosely-defined tribe from ancient times that lived in what’s now central Orlais, and the ancestors of modern Orlesians. The Planasene meanwhile were a farming tribe that became the ancestors of most humans in Nevarra and the Free Marches.)

And to see in -100 TE/6300 FA those of the kingdoms of Neromenian and Qarinus before the formation of the Imperium and before they became absorbed by the Imperium.

And it’s interesting to see Tevinter’s borders expand and contract over time, and stuff like how when the Kingdom of Rivain was founded, it was originally a much smaller nation in the northern part of that peninsula only, whereas in the modern day the peninsula looks to all be part of the kingdom of Rivain.

(in general it’s really interesting to compare these sketches with the map of Thedas as we know it hh).

The first map set in -100 TE/6300 FA clearly places the city of Arlathan, capital of Elvhenan, in the forest now known as Arlathan Forest. Codex Entry Enasalin says:

"An example of such a place is Sundermount in the Vimmark Mountains near Kirkwall. According to Dalish legend, this was a burial site for elders and the location of a great battle between Imperial and elven forces—nowhere near Arlathan (if one believes the city was near the forest of the same name in northeastern Thedas).)"

^ The dot there is the settlement of Arlathan.

Some other things I noticed/was wondering about:

It seems like the Venefication Sea during development used to be called the "Venefician Sea".

The ancient elves are noted as “the Elvhenan race”, rather than the elvhen race

A name is given for the tribes that presumably were the ancestors of modern Rivaini humans/the human tribes that inhabited the area around what became modern Rivain: the "Riverian Tribes". This is notable to me as I don’t remember hearing this before, and they aren’t listed in the list of known human tribes.

We can see the “Yothand tribes” noted in the area that became the Anderfels. Before seeing these sketches, the Prima strategy guide for DA:O mentioned that the main population of the Anderfels in ancient times in 500 TE, were called the Yothandi (note the "i" at the end isn't on the sketch map). parts of the info in that guide seem to be of debatable canonicity so that’s interesting too (maybe those segments of the guide were written earlier on during DA:O’s development before some changes were made in the worldbuilding?). In the Anderfels there are also the Orth people who live in the Wandering Hills today, but originally this was an old name for people[s] of the Anderfels (Orthland) in general. “Orth” doesn’t appear on these sketches. So what do we think? ^^ Were the Orth people called the Yothand[i] people earlier on in the worldbuilding process then the devs changed it? Did the Yothand people come first in the in-world timeline, and that was the name of those peoples in ancient-ancient times, before they grew into, came to be known as, or were otherwise absorbed by the Orth, in still-ancient but not super-ancient times? The map with Yothand is set in -100 TE, so in this scenario they were still called Yothand for another ~600 years going by the Prima guide. Are Yothand and Orth synonyms, like the Ciriane/the Cirean? Maybe one of the two terms is/was an umbrella term that includes the other, like Alamarri includes/included multiple tribes (Clayne, Chasind, Avvar)? Maybe there were simply multiple tribes like in Ferelden (Clayne, Chasind, Avvar) in the Anderfels (Yothand and Orth both). Maybe it’s just a case of loosely-defined groupings, like the Ciriane, with different parts or groupings within that having their own names? I'll note that interestingly "Yothand" seems like a combination of Anderfels and Orth.

Maybe "Yothandi" is a variant form of "Yothand" or plural or something?

Whatever the situation with the Yothand[i] and the Orth, given that e.g. the Ciriane for example are a loosely-defined group, given that the Alamarri are/were made up of multiple tribes (Avvar, Chasind, Clayne), given that the sketch gives these groups as “tribe[s]” plural (Ciriane, Planasene, Inghirsh, Yothand) just like it says “Alamarri tribes”, and given human history irl, since there are multiple named groupings underneath the Alamarri umbrella (Avvar, Chasind, Clayne), I’m choosing to headcanon that Ciriane, Planasene, Inghirsh etc are similarly umbrella terms with multiple other named groupings within them, just that they're names that we don’t know, unlike with the Alamarri tribes. makes sense, Ferelden is the most fleshed-out human nation in the setting.

Who are/were the “Shaelan” [sp?] race and the “Olvenene” [sp?] race?? (if you can make out those words better please let me know!!) I don’t think these words crop up elsewhere in known lore. On the sketch that they appear on, human tribes are called “[Something] tribes” and the elves (a people that is not human) are notated as the “Elvhenan race”. Were there a few other races that weren't human on Thedas this far back in the world’s time? Or at this point in the creation of the world in the dev process, were there a few more races who are not humans in the lore and they were then removed? I wonder what these groups were like/what these people were concepted to be like at that point. The “Shaelan race” are given as living in the now-Free Marches area south of the Minanter River. If the way Arlathan is drawn is anything to go by, the “Olvenene race” are given as living in what looks like a forest, north of the Tirashan and near the Hunterhorn Mountains, near where Kal-Sharok is. They have a capital city/settlement in that forest called “FaeFran” [sp?], which to me sounds kinda fantasy-elfy or fey. Maybe the patch of the forest north of the Tirashan on the map sketch became the green bit around the Blasted Hills on the map we know? I wonder if they were a different type of elf or a significant elven subculture within the greater culture Elvhenan, given the way the name sounds and the forest location. (also, like the Elvhenan and their capital in Arlathan Forest, in the next time period, they have also vanished...).

I'm also excited to see the Orkney Mountains appear (below the Tirashan, west of the Frostbacks)! Context on this from the DA wiki:

"The Orkney Mountains are not marked on any of the official maps. Traveler's Guide section of the Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide, Ultimate Edition provides the following description: "The Orkney Mountains, a rugged chain of mountains that stretches from the icy wastelands of the southeast deep into the continent's center, dominate the southern lands of Thedas." They are distinguished from the southern range of the Frostback Mountains, which are described in the following way "A smaller mountain chain called the Frostback Mountains juts between Ferelden and Orlais and holds the dwarven city of Orzammar (thought to be the last until the rediscovery of Kal-Sharok)." The status of the Orkney Mountains (including their supposed existence and location) remains unclear, as they were not mentioned in any other Dragon Age media."

Things I noticed on the later time-period maps:

From the map at 300 FC, it looks like there is a settlement called “Orlay” in Orlais. (again if you can make this out better than me, let me know!) On this map the only other settlement marked is Minrathous, the capital of Tevinter, and they’re marked with the same symbol (dot inside a circle), so I wonder if at one point in the worldbuilding process, the capital of Orlais was called Orlay? In later sketches, I can’t see Val Royeaux and Orlay is the only settlement in Orlais marked with the ‘capital’ symbol. Maybe Val Royeaux used to be called "Orlay" and then the devs renamed it?

On the map at 600 FC, it notes the Qunari as the “Qunari Empire”. I don’t remember hearing this phrase in published lore, unlike e.g. “Orlesian Empire” or “Tevinter Imperium”. Similarly, while Tevinter is called an empire in the lore, you don’t really hear “Tevinter Empire” like the map notes so much as "Tevinter", the "Imperium" and "the Tevinter Imperium".

On the last, most modern-day map sketch, specific locations for Qundalon and Sundarin are given in the form of dots marking them, as opposed to the map we’re familiar with which doesn’t mark them specifically and just has the text nearby in the general area. Sundarin might at one point have been “Sundurin” but it’s hard for me to make it out.

It’s on this last sketch that more settlement detail and more specific settlements that we’re familiar with start to appear, like Vyrantium, Marnas Pell, Neromenian, Redcliffe etc.

Interestingly, the capital of Seheron on the last sketch is given as Alam (marked by the capital symbol of a dot in a circle), with the settlement of Seheron marked with just a dot. It seems that at some point in the worldbuilding it was decided that the capital of Seheron the nation would be Seheron the settlement as opposed to Alam, as the lore we’re given states the capital is Seheron.

Treviso could have been “Trevis”, but the “o” could also just be obscured by the line of coastline. also it's odd to me that Calabria had to be renamed because it was the name of a region irl but Treviso, which is a city irl, just stayed Treviso?

Ansburg used to be on the coast of the Free Marches in the east, south of Rialto. As we know it, it’s to the west inland, north of Markham.

Lothering’s location also changed, quite a bit. In this map it’s on the northern coast of Ferelden, east of where we know Highever is and west of where we know Amaranthine is. (It is there, the first bit of the word is just obscured somewhat by the line of the coastline). In the map that shipped of course, it’s in Ferelden, south of the Bannorn and north of Ostagar.

I’m reading this settlement in the east of Ferelden on the map sketch as Highever. Anyone else also think so? Maybe this is where it used to be in the worldbuilding process until at some point like Lothering it changed? (or the changes also could have been a result of when the artists drew the map-proper, based on what the article says).

I’m reading the red box settlement here as Val Chevin. I wonder what the letters (looks like the end of a word that was partially cut off after “Orlesian Empire” in typeface was added by the sensitivity department) marked in blue said? maybe “-way”, as in the Imperial Highway? And I can’t make out the name of the settlement in brown is or match it with anywhere on the map we know. “Fourehatie”? [sp?] Maybe this place became “Val Foret”?

Lastly, in the Anderfels, I’m guessing that these settlements (“Laro-velanie”? [sp?], “Melo-orthanic”? [sp?]) are Nordbotten (left) and Hossberg (right) respectively. I guess they got renamed at some point in the world-building process. (Note the presence of “orth” in the name of what we know as Hossburg, like the Orth people/Orthland).

Is there anything else you noticed? any other places that changed name or locations, or people/group names that we can only guess at what they were? or maybe I missed something or you can make out any of the words better than me, or you compared the sketch maps to a different Thedas map like the DA:I war table map and noticed something? If you have any thoughts or corrections, let me know. ^^

Image credits: David Gaider [source link]

#dragon age #bioware #video games #long post #longpost #mj meta

[marubien]

How would you rewrite Mulan 2?

I'd just begin from scratch really. I tried to come up what would I keep from the existing sequel and I think that's maybe just the yin-yang necklaces. Which were a deleted idea from the first movie anyway.

Easy and lazy answer would be to go with whatever idea they had in Mulan 2's deleted scene, battle sequence, (check it out, it's super cool). It's like spy-ninja-duo of Mulan and Shang working like a badass couple. Mulan 2 concept arts (part 1, part 2) are not too bad either, and although they definitely have some usual Disney sequel cliches(eg. having the girl Mushu dragon), I'd still think I could enjoy it a bit more than what they ended up with.

Then there's Barry Cook's draft, aka the co-director of the original movie wrote synopsis for the potential sequel when he heard that Disney was considering of doing sequel to Mulan. In fact there was going to be Mulan 3 as well, apparently Mulan 2 ruined it as it was too badly received. There's hardly anything known of Barry Cook's draft details, just that soon-to-be-married Mulan and Shang are sent to north since things are happening there, and at the end there would have been an epic battle between Mulan's ancestors and Shan Yu's deceased army.

Actually I lied earlier what would be easiest and laziest. That would be just doing the visual novel The Palace of Secrets. Seriously I wouldn't change a thing.

There's many directions where one could go with the sequel really, some fanfics have done pretty amazing job exploring different options. I have made a post where I put up some fanfic recommendations, but some are like one-shots so they could hardly be sequels.

Personally, rather than a sequel movie I really really would like to see Mulan tv-series. Something like Tangled: the Series. It could have the sillier filler episodes but the main plot could be epic. Series could also make possible to explore side characters' character arc in more detail. I have played with this idea before too, with my friend @mulanxiaojie.

I'm quite satisfield how the first movie ended, but I'll list some pointers that I and I think most would like to see in a continuation story:

Mulan getting a career

Mulan and Shang getting together

Chi Fu x Matchmaker :P

And then some that are not really necessary but would be really interesting to see, just to list some of the potential sequel tv series could have:

Fa Zhou's past

Mulan's and Granma Fa's relationship

seeing the other guardians besides Mushu (and the Great Stone Dragon)

developing Gang of Three as invidual characters

exploring historical China

an actual villain (should be basic but the sequel didn't have that)

#disney #mulan #mulan 2 #sequel rewrite #shang #deleted scene #barry cook #palace of sectrets #mulan tv series #ask #answered #thanks for the ask! #feel free to discuss your ideas

[cyanide-latte]

Get to know my TWST OCs pt. 1

"What Are They Twisted From?"

💫💫💫

Figured maybe doing a series of posts like this would help friends and mutuals get to know my OCs better!

(I'll also throw in some of the other characters aside from my main boys, given they're also important, even though I've not mentioned them much!)

Copper Benoit: Though this wasn't originally my intention, Copper wound up being a double twist! Initially he was a twist of Penny from The Rescuers and this remains set in his backstory and aspects of his appearance and design, as well as how he interacts with others early on. But during a lot of the brainstorming process with my wanting to incorporate elements of Penny continually finding so much pirate treasure during her captivity, I realized that a lot of his development took a totally different turn, and ultimately he becomes a twist of Captain Barbossa from the PotC movies.

Mr. Gorgania Stone: Copper's abusive captor, twisted from Madame Medusa from The Rescuers

Mr. Hiram Lurk: Stone's lackey, twisted from Mr. Snoops from The Rescuers

Augustus & Octavian: Stone's pet alligators (nicknamed Gusty and Tavie by Copper,) twisted from Brutus & Nero from The Rescuers

Old Flynn: an elderly cat beastman who worked at the orphanage where Copper spent his early years of his life, twisted from Rufus from The Rescuers

Wei Renqiao: while some details will be subject to adjustment and fine-tuning as I continue to do research and study appropriately, WRQ is twisted from Shan Yu from Mulan!

Wei Xinyi: the bigender/genderfluid older cousin of WRQ and fellow community leader, Xinyi accidentally wound up being a twist of Fa Mulan from Mulan! Happened before I realized it and honestly I like it too much to not just embrace it.

Wei Gang: the uncle of both Wei Renqiao and Wei Xinyi and fellow community leader with them, he has aspects twisted both from The Emperor of China and the First Fa Ancestor from Mulan

Hé: a young dragon secretly being raised by the Wei family, Hé is inspired by the Great Stone Dragon that was accidentally broken by Mushu with personality elements from Cri-kee (though they can shift to travel size for convenience~) from Mulan

Chrysanthos Shroud: while I think it's safe to say that all born members of the Shroud family have aspects of Hades in them (which is such a huge part of why I love them and I wouldn't have them any other way,) a great deal of the snappier aspects of Chrys's personality and his vulnerability issues are twisted from Meg from Hercules. Chrysanthos; his friends call him "Chrys", at least they would if he had any friends.

Ilias Shroud: Chrys's father, twisted from The Fates from Hercules

Kallisto Shroud: Chrys's mother who married into the family, twisted loosely from The Muses from Hercules

Debating whether to do OC nicknames from Floyd and Rook and the reasons behind them next, or whether to go over Signature Spells/Unique Magic for each character next.

Taglist: @tixdixl @ramshacklerumble @inmateofthemind @changeofheart69 (I know y'all already know the majority of this but still) @blithesharem @thehollowwriter @theleechyskrunkly @snailsrneat

#get to know my OCs #TWST OCs #Copper Benoit #Wei Renqiao #Chrysanthos Shroud #Wei Xinyi #Ilias Shroud #Kallisto Shroud #my OCs #Disney TWST #TWST #Twisted Wonderland #OC meta #Cyanide speaks

[prohibitionprincesses]

Feibo Girl

For much of China, the phrase “Roaring Twenties” may have a less jovial meaning. While the U.S. is in the middle of its Jazz Age, China is in the middle of its Warlord Era. The end of the Qing Dynasty has seen China is split into waring fractions called cliques, with those living in the country suffering the worst violence. It’s an especially dangerous time to be a woman.

Fortunately, the Fa family lives in Shanghai, where the wars usually aren’t as close, and women’s rights are blossoming. Heavy with Western influence, the neon-lit city is “the cosmopolitan Paris of the East.” It’s an even blend of old and new. Ancient-looking ships sail past modern skyscrapers, and pedestrians push wooden carts next to buses and trollies. [Link] It’s a good thing the women of Shanghai have more opportunities, because the warlords impose high taxes on their people, and ill veteran Fa Zhou can no longer work. His wife brings in some money sewing trendy qipaos, but it’s not enough to cover necessities and the warlord’s taxes. So Mulan takes it upon herself to save her family from financial ruin.

She first tries getting a job at a cabaret called the Lucky Cricket. Her mother and grandmother help give her the makeover needed to transform Mulan into a winking Feibo Girl—a Chinese flapper. Then, hesitantly, Mulan bobs her hair using a long, sharp family heirloom. But despite her best efforts, Mulan’s clumsiness clashes with the cabaret owner’s inability to listen, resulting in a show that entertains everybody for all the wrong reasons. While the patrons laugh wildly and snark that the performer is “on fire,” the literally inflamed owner loudly fires Mulan.

Ashamed, Mulan sits in the family’s garden, deep in thought. Near an opened window, Grandma belts out to American jazz on the radio. Grandma’s dance session is interrupted by an announcement from Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, a political and military leader seeking to reunite China and put an end to the warlords. He is recruiting soldiers for what he calls “the Northern Expedition.” Mulan—athletic, strategic, crafty, and often mistaken for a boy—perks at the announcement.

Since Mulan has already been bobbing her hair and binding her breasts per Western flapper fashion, all she really needs is a fake name. She enlists in the National Revolution Army under the alias “Ping.” Joining her are a tiny dragon sent by her ancestors, and the mascot from the Lucky Cricket. Training with both swords and machine guns, “Ping” initially causes some mayhem (thanks in no small part to pranks from her comrades). But by the time the troop boards the train out to their first battle, Ping is one of the most promising recruits Captain Li Shang has ever seen. Control of the railways is crucial to the warlords’ power, and most battles are fought near tracks. While squeezed onto the train and speeding through the country, the soldiers’ songs about girls worth fighting for are punctuated with harrowing scenes of massacred villages. They pull to a stop at a town that’s been burned to the ground, where Li Shang’s father lies among the dead. This is not the work of just any warlord. This was the infamous “Dog-Meat General,” Zhang Zongchang. A particularly ruthless and incompetent ruler, Zongchang is the most feared of China’s warlords. Mulan’s ingenuity leads to the troop’s first major victory, when she creates an avalanche that buries Dog-Meat’s most important railroad—with most of his troops still onboard. While in the infirmary, Mulan’s true sex is revealed. At first, Shang and the other men don’t know how to feel. But it turns out that a woman may be exactly what they need in their next move against Zongchang. The Dog-Meat General has a harem of 30-50 women, who are assigned numbers because he can’t remember their names. And he forgets their numbers. The guy is just asking for this infiltration. Mulan’s experience at the Lucky Cricket cabaret is now inviable. She drills the men on how to dress and act like attractive ladies, and the operation is soon underway.

Ling, Yao, and Chien Po giggle behind their fans as Zongchang boasts of his supposedly enormous masculinity. Meanwhile, Mulan and Shang quietly move to free the captured Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. Along the way, they rescue another prisoner, from Zongchang’s kitchen; the Dog Meat General’s name has several possible meanings, but he does indeed enjoy certain canine dishes. Mulan saves an energetic pup from the butcher, and names him Little Brother. Though not the brightest pooch in the word, Little Brother sniffs out Sun Yat-Sen’s holding cell.

Back at the harem, it’s time for the next phase of the plan. This requires the drag-queens to take out some guards, which means another distraction is needed. Luckily, the Dog-Meat General also fancies himself a poet. Mushu and the cricket take over the job of distracting him, by claiming to be his new typists.  Cri-Kee hops from ink to paper, taking down what the Dog Meat General dictates, while Mushu observes. The finished poem reads: You tell me to do this,

He tells me to do that. You're all bastards, Go fuck your mother.

"Poem about bastards" by Zhang Zongchang[b]

Instead of applause, this poem is followed by an explosion of fireworks detonating all around his military base. Mulan has finally destroyed Zongchang’s army beyond salvaging. The Dog-Meat General himself is killed by an officer avenging his father; Li Shang blows his smoking pistol with satisfaction. Shang follows Mulan back to Shanghai, where they begin a new life together in a unified China.

AN: This picture came out looking very similar to the design that Jacquelynn Harris gave Mulan in her Disney flapper series. I assume this is because we both based the outfit on Mulan’s matchmaker attire, and her hair on actress Anna May Wong. The background border is clipart.

On the story: In the old version of my Disney flapper series, I set all the stories in the U.S. Someone suggested that I look at non-Western fashion from the era, and I dismissed the idea, ignorantly assuming that the Roaring Twenties only happened in the West. This time around, I decided to check if anything interesting was happening in China in the 1920s…and wow, what a rabbit hole! So many things fit so perfectly with Disney’s version of Mulan, especially with that bizarre Zongchang character. I’d never personally create an Asian villain with “dog meat” in his name, but the Dog-Meat General is one of those “can’t make this sh-t up” historical figures. Of course I took liberties with how the history actually played out, as Disney often does; but all of the personal traits described, from the numbered harem to the literal dog meat to that poem, were real. And yes, he was killed by an officer avenging a relative.  To anyone so inclined, here are a couple of incredible time-capsul videos from China in around this time period.  Up the Wangpoo River to Shanghai (1920s)  A video with sound and color from 1929

#prohibition princesses #disney flappers #fa mulan #mulan #1920s #roaring twenties #feibo girl #flapper #china #chinese #chinese new year #qipao #cheongsam #sun yat sen #zhang zongchang #dog-meat general #chinese history #disney princess #digital art #fan art #art #roaring twenties au #feather boa #dragon #year of the dragon #shanghai #cabaret #warlord era #warlord #asia

[possiblyaworldbuilder]

Whoopsie it’s been a while

Don’t have any long essays or whatever but I do have the first bit of the creation myth translated into my proto lang!!

Tanè tòs tö, nàlàs imné kì fja tsän lòséhè. Fa lòrtá hundòs lìrtá sehè rinè tòs nànförìr. Ràn hundòs fja séhè shénè fja tèrsaróvar. Fa ngitsú, tö vuróva mé.

Roughly it translates to:

In the beginning there was nothing but a vast emptiness. And to this empty void the Faces (gods) were drawn, like an artist to an empty canvas. And (like an artist) they started to create.

Also the proto lang is now called Tèràlthun which means something like ‘giant speak’. It’s the ancestor of all the Tèràl languages and Tsekàn will probably be the name of one of its modern descendants.

Anyways that’s it for now :3

Havéja!

#my world #worldbuilding #yídràl #conlang #conlanging

[idontdohappyendingz]

When the World Caved In {S.B.}

[Part Two: Fools and Their Woes]

A/N: Another part?!? Two days in a row?!?

Warnings: Graphic injuries, depression, angst, mental distress.

Word Count: 1814

[1977]

“You just need to tell him,” laughed Lily from across the table. The library was practically empty except for the two girls working on Slughorn’s brutal potions essay. Anathema shot a glare in the red head’s general direction.

“Easy for you to say, James has been all over you since he first saw you on the train!” Anathema huffed, slouching over her sparsely done essay, “don’t start copying my paper!”

“Oh no, what ever shall I do without your,” Lily glanced down at her friend’s paper, “seven words.”

“Just shoot me,” Anathema groaned as she realized that the only words there were her name and the title.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Lily winked. A loud crash snatched her focus away. Sirius was sitting on the floor, having apparently fallen over, under a massive tome. He noticed Anathema’s lingering gaze and waved as innocently as he could, with his head tilted to the side and everything.

“For fuck’s sake, Sirius. Are you trying to give me an aneurysm?” Anathema scolded. Lily snorted as he painstakingly lifted the book and walked toward the two of them.

“Why darling, I’m offended that you would think such things of me,” Sirius teased. About 0.5 seconds later, the tome slipped out of his hands and slammed down on the table. Anathema nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Sirius. Black. I swear-”

“Sorry dear!” he cringed. Anathema looked away, hoping that he didn’t notice the blush spreading across her face. But it failed to escape Lily’s hawk-like vision.

“Y’know, Ana, Sirius is way better than I am at potions,” Lily said, her intentions poorly hidden.

“Do you need help with the essay for Slughorn?” Sirius piped up with a zealous grin. Anathema playfully kicked Lily’s shin with a straight face.

“Y-Yeah, actually. Lily is no help, to be completely honest,” Anathema stuttered.

“It’s the one on Amortentia, right?”

“Yep.”

“Well, good thing this monster of a book is about…” Sirius scanned the spine, “complex charms…” he bit his lip and slid it toward Lily.

“Ah, yes. Exactly the thing I need for my potions essay,” Anathema joked sarcastically. Sirius barked out a laugh as Lily gathered her supplies.

“I’ll see you two [lovebirds] later,” she winked. Anathema felt her face heat up as Sirius slipped into the seat next to her. When Lily had left, Anathema swallowed a lump in her throat. You could cut the tension with a knife.

“So, uh… what have you written down already?” Sirius asked, shifting awkwardly in his chair. Anathema glanced at her barren parchment before cringing internally.

“Well… do you want the bad news or the worse news?” Ana said meekly.

“Merlin’s beard, Nightshade, are you trying to give me a heart attack as revenge?” he teased. Anathema scrunched her nose at the nickname he had given her. Her animagus was a raven, a form she had apparently inherited from a particular ancestor of hers.

“I’m telling you, Padfoot, ‘Nightshade’ isn’t going to catch on. Not while I’m around,” Anathema said, sticking her tongue out at him.

“How about ‘Inkwing’? Hm, or ‘Darkwing’?” Sirius proposed with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Sirius!” she blurted suddenly.

“Yeah?” he asked, slightly furrowing his brow and letting the smile slip from his face.

“I want to tell you some-”

“PADFOOOOOOOOOOOT!” bellowed James as he ran past the library door closely followed by none other than Peeves the Poltergeist.

“Prongs…” Sirius groaned. He peered back at Anathema, who was trying her hardest to hide the disappointment on her face.

“Go, Sirius,” she reassured him, “I’ll be here when you get back.” He smiled softly and stumbled over a chair.

“Oh! Before I forget or lose the courage,” he mumbled as he came closer. He swiftly lifted Anathema's chin with his left hand and gently pressed his lips to her forehead. Her eyes fluttered shut automatically.

[1981]

“Oh le Faaaaaaaaay,” Bellatrix’s shrill voice shredded through Anathema’s peace of mind. She peeled her eyes open and saw Rosier unroll a canvas. Whatever it was, its individual pieces clinked against each other. Anathema tried to summon a witty response, but her mind was too clouded and her mouth refused to move.

“Come on, Annie! No clever words to utter today?” Bellatrix said, jabbing at Anathema’s will. Her body was already battered with old cuts and bruises from the many days that had passed, and she just hoped she would pass out sooner this time.

“How embarrassing,” Bellatrix boasted, as if Anathema had already given in, “Rosier, would you be a dear and hand me the size 11?” He rolled his eyes and grabbed the sharpened scalpel. The pointed steel reflected the bright light hovering above the three of them. Bellatrix had relished the idea that if witches and wizards loved muggles so much, then they definitely wouldn’t mind if they used muggle methods to get their captives to talk. That day seemed to be scalpel day. Rosier sat down in the corner and leaned forward eagerly.

“Wait, wait, Rosier. We must always ask her before we begin,” Bellatrix's wild eyes flashed violently, “Who is the Potters’ secret keeper, Annie?” As much as she would hate to admit it, Anathema hesitated. Bellatrix’s smile became impossibly wide.

“Is she finally ready to talk?” Rosier asked, not even trying to hide his amazement. Bellatrix gently laid the blade on the small nightstand next to her.

“Go on, le Fay. Spit it out,” Rosier chuckled darkly. Bellatrix waved him off.

“S-S-S-” she coughed.

“Get her some water, Rosier!” Bellatrix shouted. He ran out of the room and shouted down the hall. Footsteps shuffled behind her until Rosier reappeared with a glass of water. He begrudgingly raised it to her cracked lips once Bellatrix backed up. Anathema gulped down the water, savoring the refreshing feeling in her throat.

“That’s enough,” Bellatrix clicked her tongue. Anathema almost cried when he pulled the glass back.

“Annie. Who is it?”

“S-” Anathema retched. Bellatrix leered over her, desperate to catch every utterance. Anathema’s eyes hardened with fury.

“See you in Hell,” she managed to whisper with a faint smirk. Anathema heard the slap before she felt the fire burning across her skin.

“You good-for-nothing BLOOD TRAITOR!” Bellatrix hollered. The unhinged witch grabbed the scalpel and thrust it into Anathema’s abdomen. Her screams would have made Voldemort weep. Bellatrix cackled maniacally as she twisted the blade and shoved it deeper.

“Bellatrix!” Rosier shouted, “you can’t just kill her!”

“Shut up, Rosier!” Bellatrix countered, her eyes never leaving Anathema’s, “I’ll let her cling to the edge of death and bring her back over and over again until she begs me to kill her.” Anathema barely registered Bellatrix’s words, her agony all-encompassing. It wasn't long until she lost her grip on consciousness, the only sign of life left was her dull heartbeat.

[1981]

When he finally awoke, Sirius struggled to see clearly, for his bleary eyes were still crusted with sleep. His forlorn gaze swept across the wrinkled covers, Anathema’s empty side was glaringly apparent in the afternoon sun. Sirius sighed and slowly forced himself out of bed, his only true motivation being the hope that her name wouldn’t be listed among the mounting list of casualties in the Daily Prophet.

Perhaps that wouldn’t be such a bad thing, Sirius thought reluctantly, at least she won’t be in pain… Sirius cursed aloud. How dare he even entertain such an idea. The solitude must have been getting to him.

By the time his kettle had whistled the anticipation of that wiry owl’s daily delivery had eaten him alive. Sirius took a generous sip from Anathema’s favorite mug and swirled the sweetened tea over his tongue before swallowing, the liquid burning his dry throat. He imagined James sitting down on his sagging gray couch, head in his hands. Lily would most likely be tucked into his side, drifting off to sleep while baby Harry caught some Z’s like tiny golden snitches. Sirius thought about how James had fought Dumbledore when he suggested using the Fidelius Charm and sending them into hiding. James was a fiery spirit, he wanted to fight but he had to protect his growing family. The only thing he could do was wait.

Impatient taps on the kitchen window brought Sirius back to reality. A scrawny barn owl perched upon Anathema’s ledge planter, the soil had been dry and devoid of life since she had disappeared.

“You ruddy owl!” Sirius exclaimed as he swung open the glass pane, “you’re going to shatter the bloody window at that rate!” The owl glared at him, its piercing yellow eyes were only mildly unsettling. Sirius huffed and untied the Daily Prophet from its leg. The owl squawked angrily once Sirius set the paper down on the tile countertop.

“I swear on Merlin’s beard! I’m going to pluck every one of your dodgy feathers and stuff me a pillow,” Sirius threatened.

“Are you yelling at… an owl, Padfoot?” a familiar voice called from behind him. Sirius nearly died at the sound of his old friend.

“Moony, you tosser! Nearly gave me a heart attack,” Sirius grumbled. He absentmindedly assessed Remus as he slipped a sickle into the owl’s leather pouch. Remus was sporting a new collection of newly healed scars across his pale face, though he seemed determined to hide them with his scraggly hair. He leaned against the door frame, heavily favoring his left leg, and strangely opted to keep his rather cumbersome overcoat on despite the obvious perspiration prickling his browline.

“You look like you’ve just seen a ghost, Pads,” Remus commented, his voice quavering. His face betrayed him, Sirius instantly knew that something was wrong.

“What’s happened?” Sirius interrogated as he swallowed a lump in his throat. The mutual distrust was bad enough, but the one thing Sirius would never tolerate was lies by omission, emotions be damned.

“Did Dumbledore not-. Uh, you should really read the paper before-”

“What?” Sirius interrupted, “what’s the paper got to do with…” he trailed off. His blood ran cold as the pieces slowly clicked together. Sirius’ hands trembled as Remus approached him.

“Pads…” he whispered.

“No. NO. It’s not possible,” Sirius argued, biting back a sob. Remus gently lifted the slightly wrinkled newspaper from the counter and flipped through the various stories until he came to the section dreaded reading every day.

“October 17th, 1981-” Remus started.

“Stop…”

“The Ministry of Magic has confirmed 17 deaths-”

“Remus…”

“Abigail Presley (40), Jonathan Meynard (64)-”

“Please…” Sirius cried softly.

“And… Anathema le Fay (21),” Remus mouthed, the air stolen from his lungs.

“Annie…” Sirius sobbed, “tell me it’s not true, Remus! She-she can’t be gone.” Sirius crumpled against the cupboards, sobs wracking his body. Remus lowered his head in shame, unable to watch his friend suffer as Sirius’ wails of agony echoed through the cold, empty flat

#sirius black #spooktheeditor #sirius black angst #sirius black fic #sirius black fanfiction #sirius black x reader #the marauders #marauders #sirius orion black

[nani-nonny]

Whispers of Distant Souls - Ch.13 Alternate Scene

So… I thought it’d be fun if I shared the alternate version of the F!turtles reuniting :).

But context, F!Leo originally wasn’t going to see his brothers kind of all at once. It was going to be gradual as the longer he stays with the present Hamatos, the better he would feel about his place within the family. As in feel a part of them rather than a bit of an outlier/outsider kind of ordeal. Although this would’ve been fun to write or witness, at this point I thought, “i made everyone wait long enough.” /j (and because the story went on a different route, that route being more ninpo involved)

So I rewrote the scene and threw the ghosty bros into the fray known as Ch.13. Anyways, in the original plan, F!Mikey was going to suddenly appear before F!Leo after the slider had recuperated/recovered from the whole Krang invasion fiasco. I think I’ve explained enough :) have fun reading this short snippet

vvvvvvvvvvv

Leonardo is seated in the middle of his room in a meditative position. His hands rest on his knees and his eyes are closed as he focuses on his surroundings. He listens to everything and nothing. Allowing himself to simply exist in this moment—in this timeline that he doesn’t belong to. And for this exact moment, it’s okay. It’s fine. He’s fine.

He’s allowed to be here. He is meant to be here. He gets his second chance—his one in a million.

But it’s so lonely without his brothers and sisters. So frighteningly lonely without his family by his side. There isn’t Draxum to scold him for not utilizing his mutant strengths to the best of his abilities as a superior life form. No Splinter to stop him from slouching and no Big Mama to call him turtley-boo. No Piebald to train silently with, no April to make stupid jokes, and no Cassandra to beat krang assholes to the ground with. No Donnie to bicker and tag-team with, no Raph to reassure him that everything is going to be fine, and… no Mikey to poke his cheek and tease him for growing a Raph-chasm.

For the first time in his life, he feels truly alone. And never had he ever felt so small.

He releases a heavy sigh that carries all his thoughts and loneliness. Then finally opens his eyes.

At first, he thinks he’s dreaming. Maybe he must have reached some nirvana state—that or he fell asleep. Either one works.

It would help explain why he’s seeing Mikey—his Mikey, Master of Mystic Arts and the strongest mystic warrior in the entire Resistance. Master Michelangelo Mikey. His little brother.

The mystic warrior is reflecting Leonardo’s meditative pose, hovering above the ground in front of the resistance leader. Michelangelo is covered in a familiar glow, the same glow that envelops their bodies when their ninpo activates. The box turtle’s ninpo is as warm and soothing as ever, emitting an orange light that calms Leonardo’s nerves.

Something in Leonardo pulses as if finally coming back to life. As if a missing gear within a machine has been found and fit into place. There are a few other missing pieces, but this is a start and the machine finally moves—breathes.

In a breathless whisper, Leonardo calls out to the mystic warrior, “Mikey…?”

Michelangelo’s eyes slowly open and a smile stretches onto his face when he sees Leonardo. “You didn’t finish meditating,” the warrior replies in a teasing tone.

Leonardo’s breath hitches and he can already feel the tears forming in his eyes. “Mikey…,” he mumbles.

Michelangelo leans forward to connect their foreheads which releases the comforting warmth of a miniature sun.

The machine’s gears are working fluidly, working in perfect tandem despite the missing pieces. It quickens the pace of Leonardo’s heart, rendering him almost breathless as he welcomes the feeling. It takes him a few seconds to recognize it, but he knows it. How could he ever completely forget about it? It’s the feeling when he’s connected with his brothers. It’s no machine but the Hamato Ninpo, his connection to his ancestors and his family. It’s the people he lost.

“How could you let yourself go like this, geez, Leo,” Michelangelo teased again as he lifts his head away from Leonardo, the connection weakening but still present.

Leonardo blinks and the tears finally fall, no amount of willpower could hold them back. Not when he no longer feels alone. He wipes his tear with his nonprosthetic hand and retorts, “Give me a break, Michel. It’s not everyday you see a ghost.”

Michelangelo snorts and says, “Ghost? I guess, but I’ve been here everyday. You just didn’t want to see me.”

Leonardo’s eyebrow raises, “‘Didn’t want to see you?’ I haven’t stopped thinking about you guys since I came here.”

Michelangelo’s hand mocks Leonardo by mimicking his mouth then says, “You kept ignoring us.”

“Ignoring you? Since when did I…,” Leonardo’s voice trails off as he connects the dots. The reason why he kept hearing those voices, the same voices that slowly became recognizable by the day but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. “That was you guys?”

“Uh, duh, Leo. Didn’t I tell you? ‘I’ll be closer than you think’,” Michelangelo retorts as he flips on his back but continues to hover in front of Leonardo.

“You knew… you knew this would happen. You knew you would… and that I’d be here,” Leonardo says as he connects the dots. He reaches for Michelangelo’s wrist, hoping to grab his little brother’s attention but the mystic warrior retreats his arm.

“Whoa, careful Leo! It took some time to manifest my ghost! Gram-Gram made it sound so easy but it’s so hard!” Michelangelo complains as he distanced himself from Leonardo.

“Mikey, did you know this would happen? Is that whh you said that before opening the portal?”

Michelangelo winces as he nods, “Surprise?”

“Mikey!”

#whispers of distant souls #rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt future leo #rottmnt future mikey #rottmnt fanfiction #future leo au #future leo returns to the past with casey au #I think I’ve finally hit another writer’s block #I haven’t written anything at all since wds ch.13 #I have summaries of what I know I want to write #but poof nada #my brain echoes from how empty it is

[sharffffff]

Taren Velas

I have finally gathered together enough attention span to be able to talk about my favorite child, my scion of Mephala, my Vestige - Taren.

Art by https://x.com/madnessdemon

Name: Taren Velas

Race: born Dunmer, got Soul Shriven, now is in a weird state of being thought of as mortal by some while keeping a lot of daedric traits

Age: 35 at 2e582

Gender: Agender, they/them

Backstory

Their story wasn't known to them as well until much later in their life, so the very fact of discovering their roots was almost overwhelming for Taren. But what are those roots?

Taren's mother, Feldsii Dres, was a House Cousin of House Dres and was stuck in that rank, while having ambitions to climb as high as she could until, to quote her, "one of those s'wits gets scared and sends Morag Tong after me!" This ambition, however, wasn't enough, and as she focused her attention on attempts to claw her way through House hierarchy, her saltrice farms weren't performing as well as before, and that stopped her from progressing even more.

Feldsii, however, saw only conspiracies against her, not her own faults, and decided to use raw power against them. Who were these "they"? I doubt even Feldsii knew an answer to that.

So, when 13th of Frostfall came around, Feldsii gathered everything needed for the ritual and prepared for her trade - her soul in exchange for a child from Mephala.

Now here's a thing - while demiprinces are not very well known, mostly only heard of from the mention of Fa-Nuit-Hen in 36 lessons of Vivec, the fact that majority of offspring of Princes don't gain any of their parents' properties is known even less. Feldsii knew of the first fact, but hasn't even considered the second.

Mephala, of course, knew why Feldsii wanted that child - to intimidate the neighbors with the threat of a demiprince - and found it very amusing that Feldsii was ready to seal the deal without even understanding the finer details of it.

But as much as Mephala found amusement in the future strife of these mortals, Webspinner also cared for dunmer, and blessed the child with heightened agility and stealth, knowing that the secrets this child gathers would make their way to her, in the end. After all, it would be just a mortal, and their lives are deceptively short.

Feldsii, however, now had a lot of time to spend hoping that her plan wasn't for nothing, all while her saltrice farms produced less and less, and talks around House leadership to actually derank her to Kinsman or even Lawman. Feldsii was ignorant to these talks, all of her plans hinging on this child, who she hoped would be a demiprince with enough power to instill fear into competition. She hadn't considered that an infant would have to grow, or that it could be not a demiprince at all.

So when the child was born a normal dunmer, not sporting any features that would relate it to Mephala, and had nothing special going on at all, Feldsii got mad. Very mad. She felt as if she was betrayed, and ordered the servants to get rid of the child - she didn't care how, she didn't care what was going to happen to it, she just wanted it gone.

Feldsii was found dead less than a month later. Morag Tong writ said that she has become a liability for the honour of the House and had to be removed.

The child, meanwhile, was given to one of the branch families under House Dres - Velas, to be exact. Ilen Velas was the only representative of this family in this part of Morrowind, and while always wishing for a child has been childless so far. So he took this as a sign from the ancestors, gave Taren their name and took them under his wing. He didn't know where Taren came from, and raised them as his own child.

Taren was raised well and their skills were recognized early on, with affinity to both magic and stealth they were taught the art of the nightblade, of how to become one with the shadows and how to gather information. Ilen Velas was one of the few members of House Dres who were not focused on agriculture and instead on espionage, and decided to teach everything about his trade to his adoptive child. Ilen was also strongly against slavery, although for all the wrong reasons, but this aversion rubbed off on Taren as well, and grew into abolitionist ideas later on.

After completing the base part of their training, Taren was sent to test out their skills, as gathering information is always important, and any missed conversation could spell catastrophe and ruin for the entire House. And the bustling port city of Davon's Watch was one of the best places to overhear any conversation.

What Taren didn't expect, however, were cultists of the Worm. They were captured while listening to the heated argument between two dunmeri nobles, got sacrificed to Molag Bal, and died.

But it's never that easy with the Worm Cult, is it? They imprint your Anuic Soul onto a Daedric Vestige and send you out into Coldharbour, no longer mortal. This was the first time Taren found themselves feeling... different, but they put it off as a side effect of becoming a daedra - which, you know, fair.

But each time they were exposed to Spiral Skein they felt more and more weird, as if the Chaotic Creatia within them wanted to sink into that fragment of Mephala's domain and emerge anew.

So, when the opportunity came, when they found themselves deep into Spiral Skein, they let go - and discovered a new piece of themselves. They felt a lot more... arachnid, with ability to sprout eight spider legs from their back - or, if they concentrated enough, to fully change form into a Spider Daedra. That, however, took way too much out of them, and that was here, in Spiral Skein - so they didn't risk using it in other places unless it was really necessary.

But now Taren knew something more about themselves, all while being left with more questions than answers.

And now time for a couple screenshots!

Taren and their nice Nix Ox Foyada

Taren in their armor, they are dressed like this most of the time to hide their identity, it is embroidered with runes that help Taren blend with shadows

#elder scrolls #elder scrolls oc #elder scrolls art #dunmer oc #eso #elder scrolls online #mephala #<- ? #just my lovely vestige who is very tired of their situation #and slightly immortal #cw spiders #spider #cw arachnophobia

[mxmajor]

Lore for Namor

I've been considering Nahmor's characterization and the early development of Talokan a lot, so I compiled it all here. For him, I am considering the persona based on ryan coogler's characterization & the peter pan parallels, some naymor canon, and research I've been gathering on here & elsewhere. I shared some of my yucatec maya resources I have found below. Also, i'm adding the h and y to his name to distinguish pronunciations btw mcu and canon.

When they first swam below, they did not live as deep as they do now. Barely a dozen, they were adjusting to a new environment and the offerings they used to provide were not working. They could barely cut their own skin. It was overwhelming to not see the sun unless they were close to the surface. They would sometimes come to the surface of pools in caves because kissing air could be grounding.

His mother, Fa, called him Kinich. He was her and this small groups' reminder of home. What they sacrificed for survival. Their golden sun when the blue eventually consumed their hearts. A light that reminded then transitioned into new life instead of death.

When they began to swim deeper, they found more of the plant and using the same mining techniques as above with the strongest fishbones they had, they discovered vibranium. They used the pulp of the plants and its fibers for everything. To create durable clothes that would not fade away and sustain the life of those who were struggling to remain adapted to their change. Even from the water that seemed to wash away who they were, the plants and vibranium helped them build Talokan.

They tried to bring others below. Earlier, before Kinich was allowed to join them, they would bring more pulp to the surface, have people drink from their hands. For a time they were able to bring others but the daytime became unsafe. So then, they would float to the highest surface at night and call out to folks but this brought more fear than salvation. Talokanils did what they could, but over time, legends around them grew, humans were less receptive. Blue demons from xibalba, hun came, demonio de infierno, that would call you to sleep in the waters if you were outside at night.

Kinich did not grow. He became a small boy and almost a young man but then he remained the same. Fa worried and people began to doubt the Shaman, but the Shaman maintained that they had witnessed the birth of a god many decades ago, as Chaac foretold. Kinich would not be like others because he was on the path to sanctity. Like planting a tree seed, they may not be there when the fruit was ripe or when his leaves would blow.

At first they subsisted from clams, shell fish and seaweed. They worked to grow some of their seeds they retrieved from above into the plants below. They made agricultural feats that a surface dweller could not fathom. Regrew and replanted until they made the plants they wanted with purpose. First grown in the soil of the ts'ono'ot that had not been discovered, nourished with the blue plant, and then eventually grown below the water. They were abundant and self sustaining and no went hungry; they had excess. Kinich favored the puut, iis, and ya'.

For a long time, he was the boy god. Still so young but able to tell the stories of their ancestors, he brought comfort and guidance to his people. But he was still mischievous, letting his curiosity lead him on adventure. He became a living legend in Kinich was strong and resourceful, going beyond the boundaries set by leaders but he always discovered something new they could all use. Like jet streams, he used them to travel and eventually found a way to use vibranium to direct the currents. with each new discovery and new generation, people longed for the surface less and less.

They did not keep up with the outside world but sometimes the outside world would come to them. They were content to live below the surface now, especially after what he saw when burying Fa. They allowed people to forraje, some of the older children had began hunting and could defend themselves WITH SUPERVISION (he had been young once). Maybe a sunken ship, chests with metals they could melt and distribute, or books that Kinich. Until one day their waters became troubled. This time some "technology" found them, something they called a "bomb". It took dozens of children and one of the the larger kaaj where many were injured, with the communities that lived there. They were strong people but not indestructible. He would tear the surface down before letting them take anyone from him again.

He was meant to be the one who remained. He preserved people's belongings from the surface. They would instruct him from the water on traditions. How to document their stories and history with paint, making sure who they were was not forgotten, even in this deep ocean. Unlike Fa, the other elders were buried in the caves where light reflected so they knew hot to ascend, able to shine on the jade so they could afford to cross over.

The boy without love knew a great deal but did not grow like those who learned from relationships. He was an outsider to that affect. An observer and recorder. Valued protector god, father of many solutions, not a lover or mate. No one his age saw him as a potential partner, for decades he appeared to be a fraction his age, 28 and and a few feet tall, 50 and voice just cracking. He grew up with his people's forefathers, assisted in their births, and taught them as children. Yes, these were his children. And he was their god of knowledge and invention. Protection and support; Aj K'uk'ulkan, a god that needed to receive no sacrifice to provide for his people.

Word translations ( please be nice, conjugations and grammar beat my ass in english)

Fa- to send

Kinich- Sun God

xibalba- the underworld

hun came- lord of the underworld

infierno- hell

ts'ono'ot- cenote

puut- papaya

iis- sweet potato

ya'- zapote

forraje- forage

kaaj- small town

#namor of talokan #namor #black panther wakanda forever #black panther wakanda forever spoilers #I wanted some some lore for this character more than anything #he's 454 years old what has he seen???? #how did he get to 2025?? I might write more #might put this on ao3

[oswincoleman]

The new issue of Amazing Magazine is now out! It features Jenna Coleman on the cover, and contains pictures from a photoshoot of her, as well as an interview with her about her roles as Lady Johanna Constantine and Johanna Constantine in The Sandman!

You can order it here:

Jenna Coleman is navigating new waters as Johanna Constantine in the Netflix adaptation of The Sandman. Here the Victoria actor talks comic books, exorcisms and how Doctor Who prepared her for the DC Comics fandom.

“In terms of a female comic book character, I love the fact that she’s rough around the edges,” says Jenna Coleman, talking about her role as Johanna Constantine in the highly anticipated Netflix series The Sandman. “From Allan’s scripts she just leapt off the page and felt so textured, and layered; the cynicism, the wit, being such a lone wolf warrior, having this empathy and big heart, but having to not let anybody in. It really lent itself as a female role and I feel like, in the comic book world, there aren’t many female roles like that either.” The Allan in question is showrunner Mr Heinberg; he developed the show alongside Neil Gaiman and David S. Goyer, adapting it from Gaiman’s comic book of the same name. Published by DC Comics, the original series ran from 1989 to 1996 and followed the often-dramatic adventures of Morpheus (aka Dream), the king of dreams. Coleman’s character was the male John Constantine, who first appears to help Morpheus locate his stolen pouch of magical dream sand and in exchange is cured of his frequent nightmares. Johanna was actually another character – one of John’s ancestors from the 18th century – but Coleman’s Johanna is confirmed to be a direct replacement for John. “We played a lot with costume,” says Coleman, who previously transformed into Queen Victoria for the ITV historical drama Victoria, and time travelled back to the 1970s in Netflix’s The Serpent. “The visuals were really interesting, because the original comic book character is a chain-smoking Liverpudlian, so we went down that path with a version of that and the iconic Mackintosh coat on. It made me look more masculine, I guess, and myself and Allan wanted to take those roots and make Johanna a more upgraded version. We kept her quite sharp and sleek.” Johanna did maintain some of John’s rough and tumble, though; she swears like a sailor, with some choice quotes including, “Jesus f**k”, “run along and f**k off back to hell,” and the cleaner – but no less comically delivered – “Get in line, bruv, can’t keep God waiting.” The character is a detective with the powers of a sorcerer and is perhaps most notably skilled in performing exorcisms. Reimagined for the screen several times, he was played by Keanu Reeves in the 2005 film Constantine and portrayed by Matt Ryan in NBC’s live action Constantine TV series, and in various animated Justice League properties. A new HBO series revolving around the character is currently in development, though casting has not yet been announced. For Jenna Coleman's full interview and shoot, plus other AMAZING women, fashion and lifestyle features, order your copy of AMAZING issue 2 now. 

Jenna Coleman wears Chloé Photographed by Guy Lowndes Styled by Toni-Blaze Ibekwe Words by Jennifer Lynn Makeup by Naoko Scintu at The Wall Group using Shiseido Hair by Bjorn Krischker at The Wall Group using ORIBE Nails by Sabrina Gayle at The Wall Group using CHANEL Le Vernis in Pensée and CHANEL La Crème Main Production Director Morgane Millot Photography Assistant Wilbert Lati Styling Assistants Yasmin Williams and Ellis Kerwood Special thanks to the Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square

#jenna coleman #jenna louise coleman #the sandman #sandman #sandman on neflix #johanna constantine #lay johanna constantine #interview #amazing magazine #photoshoot

[szif]

Quippe ubi fas versum atque nefas: tot bella per orbem, tam multae scelerum facies;… Vergilius

SHEPHERD

I haven't seen you for long, did the call of thrushes finally lure you out?

POET I listen, how much noise filled the forest is, spring is here already!

SHEPHERD This isn't spring yet, the sky's playing, just look at that puddle, now it's lukewarm smiling, but when night's frost hits its mirror it bares its teeth at you! since this is April, do not believe the fool - over there already frosted away the tiny tulips. Why are you so sad? Don't you want to sit here on the stone?

POET I'm not even sad, I got used to this horrible world so much, that it sometimes doesn't even hurt. - I'm only disgusted.

SHEPHERD I heard, true, that on the wild peaks of Pyrenees burning cannons talk back between the bloodied, frozen carcasses, bears and soldiers together escape from there, woman horde, young and elder runs with tied-together bindles and get on their stomachs, if above them starts to waltz death and there's so many dead laying there, that there's none to clean them up. I think, you knew Federico, did he escape, say?

POET He didn't escape. They already killed him two years ago in Granada.

SHEPHERD Garcia Lorca's dead! How come nobody told me yet! News spread so fast about war, and who's a poet disappears this way! Did Europe not mourn him?

POET They didn't even notice. And it's good, if the wind searching through cinder finds broken lines at the tip of the stake, and notes it to itself. This is how much will remain for a curious ancestor from the opus.

SHEPHERD He didn't escape. Died. True, where could a poet run to? Not even dear Attila ran, just waved no always for this order, but say, who's mourning him, now that like this he deceased from it? How are you alive? can echo come for your words in this age?

POET Between cannon blasts? between ash-turning ruins, orphaned villages? I write, and live in the center of this mad world, like how that oak lives; knows, they'll cut it out, and even then whitens the cross on it, which signifies, that tomorrow the lumberjack's destroying there, - it waits, but before that blooms new leaves. Good for you, here it's peace, even the wolf is rare here, and you frequently forget, that the herd, you protect, is somebody else's, since the owner hasn't come for you for months, May the sky bless you, the old night falls on me, while I go home, Twilight moth's floating now and flutters its wing's silver.

(from Radnóti Miklós, [Last Name, First Name] titled "First Eclogue", first part of his planned-to-be ten part poem series (which became 7, secretly 8 parts in the end), published in 1938)

#literature week #literature #antisemitism tw #translated by me #radnóti miklós

[black-rose-writings]

A post I saw recently made me remember an idea I had like a year ago: The Gaang (from AtLA) as Grishaverse characters.

All of the characters would be aged up by 6-7 years compared to their OG versions, to match up with their stories and the universe better, meaning that Toph and Aang are in their late teens and the rest is in their early 20s.

Also, I firmly support the Darkling and Grisha loyalists, so please avoid leaving anti-Darkling replies or I will block you, because I don't feel like arguing with yall on here. Feel free to send me hate asks if you want, but keep it off of this post.

So, in no particular order:

Toph Kir-Lao: The only daughter of an influential Shu noble family, born blind and a Durast, with incredible talent for working with both rock and metal. Her parents had her recieve some secret training during her childhood, but eventually, at the age of 12, she had enough of their overprotectivness and desire to force her into a life of hiding her true self and conforming to the expectations of a high-society young woman and an heir to an influential family, and decided to run away from home and to Ravka, joining up with the Second Army (as that was the only place she knew where being Grisha wasn't at best a shameful secret). Her parents did eventually find out she was at the Little Palace and though the relationship remains tense, they are in sporadic contact. (If anyone asks them, Toph is studying in Kerch).

Zuko (He has both a Kerch and Shu family name, but doesn't use either because fuck his family, though his uncle gave him permission to use the name Yul-Iroh if necessary): Ethnically mostly Shu, grew up in Kerch. His father is on the Merchant Council and traces his heritage to the Taban family (their ancestors fled to Kerch after an unsuccessful power grab). The entire family are and have been Inferni for several generations, though it is not public knowledge, and Zuko, his sister and cousin were all trained to use their powers from an early age. Zuko got his scar in his early teens, during a fight with his dad. Iroh is his father's older brother who decided to cede his position as the head of the family business after his son disappeared, so that he could fully devote himself to the search/investigation - he would later find out that his brother was involved with the Kerch slave trade (and general gang shenanigans) and arranged for his son to get captured and sold. Though Iroh always knew about the dangers Grisha faced, it was only this that made him realize that being rich and powerful didn't exempt him or the people he loved from that. Combined with Ozai's escalating abuse of Zuko, Iroh decided to leave Kerch and seek shelter with the Second Army, partially hoping that his son had managed to escape and ended up there as well.

Aang (He has a Ravkan first and last name, but only uses his Suli middle name): Ethnically a mix of Suli, Ravkan and Shu, Squaller, grew up at the Little Palace. He comes from a Grisha family that has been part of the Second Army pretty much since its founding. His only living family is his grandfather Gyatso (who teaches at the Little Palace school), both of his parents were killed in the war when he was very young. Both he and his grandfather are deeply religious (to the point of being considered fanatics by most other Grisha) and refuse to kill because of it (which is why Gyatso ended up being a teacher) - despite this, Aang is the youngest known Squaller to have learned the Cut.

Katara and Sokka: They are Hedjut. Though the Hedjut are typically pretty accepting of Grisha, they still live in Fjerdan territory and their mother ended up getting killed in a Drüskelle raid (not decided if she was also Grisha or if she just took the bullet for Katara like in AtLA), after which their father decided to send them both down south to Ravka, as their home could no longer be safe for Katara (not decided if Sokka went with her because he wanted to make sure Katara was safe or because their father suspected he was also Grisha and didn't want to risk him, either). Sokka isn't Grisha, but he did end up joining with the Oprichniki to stay close (he typically is part of the Palace guard, because something-something-Ravka is racist). Katara is officially a Tidemaker, though she does have some Corporalki abilities (Hedjut, much like the Zemeni, don't view Grisha with strict order distinctions, so she didn't realize this was not normal until much later).

I do have some additional ideas for the characters (and for other AtLA (or other universe) characters translated into the Grishaverse), so feel free to ask about those. Or post your own extensions, if you want.

#grishaverse #atla #avatar the last airbender #grishaverse au #atla au

[foxghost]

Joyful Reunion

Translator: foxghost @foxghost tumblr/ko-fi1 Beta: meet-me-in-oblivion @meet-me-in-oblivion tumblr Original by 非天夜翔 Fei Tian Ye Xiang Masterpost | Characters, Maps & Other Reference Index

Book 5, Chapter 47 (Part 2)

Lang Junxia walks over to the entrance of the secret passage. Soon enough, they can hear a conversation going on outside.

Mu Kuangda and Han Bin are walking towards the room along the path, with Chang Liujun and Wu Du trailing behind them, their figures casting shadows before the gallery. Meanwhile, to either side of the gallery, it’s pitch black, so dark that it’s entirely impossible to see anything.

This scene is so familiar to the eye that it imparts a tremendous sense of deja vu — only that Zhao Kui’s place has now been taken by another military officer, and the two following at their backs remain Wu Du and Chang Liujun.

“I said whatever ought to be said,” Mu Kuangda says, “And what I ought not to have said, I couldn’t help myself and said them anyway.”

“There’s no such thing on earth as things that ought not to be said, to begin with,” Han Bin says, smiling, “Some things need to be laid out in front of everyone eventually.”

“Su Fa isn’t the one I’m really worried about. A scent of decay radiates out of the secretariat from top to bottom; the whole place is filled to the core with termites. Give it some time and it’s sure to collapse on its own. What I’m worried about isn’t the secretariat but that particular person. If he wants to pull something, it could lead to any amount of trouble. The Fifth Princess is also nearby, so dealing with him may be rather difficult.”

Han Bin replies, “All Marquess Yao is leaning on is this bit of inheritance passed down from his ancestors. Once this is over with, judging by what Fifth Princess intends, she’s actually hoping to stay behind to act as regent, so if we don’t make them leave as soon as possible it’s going to make things difficult. Chancellor Mu, I really wouldn’t want to clash with Yao Fu.”

“That is precisely it,” Mu Kuangda replies. “But before this is over, we can neither let him return to Huaiyin nor act against him. We must keep him in Jiangzhou.”

If they hold the funeral first and send Yao Fu back, then when they overthrow Cai Yan, Yao Fu will surely rush back with an army in the name of serving his ruler, thus adding an unnecessary confrontation; if they get rid of Yao Fu while they’re at it, Huaiyin will doubtlessly turn against the government, and as they still don’t know which side Xie You is going to take, when the time comes they’ll have enemies on both sides.

Mu Kuangda has no cards in his hand except for a pregnant younger sister who’s expecting a child whose gender is still uncertain, as well as the Xichuan gentry who currently occupies Jiangzhou. With so little under his control, he’s actually daring to try to contend with Yao Fu, Xie You, and Han Bin, who all have control over major armies — it is no different than trying to trap a wolf barehanded.

At the sound of their muffled conversation, Lang Junxia holds his breath. Duan Ling tries to pick up the long copper casket, but it’s too heavy for him.

“Never mind. Let’s go.” Duan Ling stuffs the letters in his pockets.

“We can’t leave anymore,” Lang Junxia replies.

Duan Ling looks up, turning his gaze towards the entrance to the passageway. There’s a light click as a door opens, and a spoken order from Mu Kuangda.

“Chang Liujun, go check on Qing’er and Wang Shan.”

Suddenly, everything goes quiet.

On top of their heads, Han Bin’s voice is asking, “What is it?”

Mu Kuangda doesn’t say anything, but Duan Ling is thinking, oh no.

“It’s nothing,” Mu Kuangda replies.

Above them, everything had gone completely silent, and Duan Ling feels a chill through his chest. But it’s only the briefest of pauses before Mu Kuangda continues the conversation.

“I had thought that with Fei Hongde here, he would be competent enough to take Chang Pin’s place, but I still can’t trust him completely …”

That moment’s pause makes Duan Ling come to an almost instinctive assessment —

Looks like Mu Kuangda has discovered them after all; when Lang Junxia opened the secret passage, they’d disturbed the bedding. It isn’t difficult for Mu Kuangda to notice that knowing how careful he is, and not to mention he may even have left some sort of marker.

He knows, Duan Ling writes in Lang Junxia’s palm with a finger.

Lang Junxia shakes his head gently. Duan Ling adds — trust me.

He knows Mu Kuangda’s manner of speech far too well, and can almost predict that Mu Kuangda is doing the exact thing he is doing himself at this very moment — he’s trying to give Han Bin some silent hint. If someone were to come to the door right now …

In the next instant, someone knocks on the door.

Mu Kuangda’s room falls into a brief moment of calm, and Han Bin walks outside to call for a guard he’s brought with him.

He’s mustering his forces and getting ready to capture us, Duan Ling writes.

Stay here. Don’t move, Lang Junxia writes.

Then with a shake of the Qingfengjian, Lang Junxia charges at the door to the secret passageway in a single step. With a tremendous bang, he crashes through the door and charges out of the hidden chamber!

“Someone help, quickly!” Mu Kuangda shouts.

Wu Du, who had been waiting outside, turns around abruptly and comes into the room at his voice, and Han Bin also returns. Lang Junxia didn’t bother covering his face again this time, as he’s dressed in the clothes he was wearing to the banquet so there isn’t any point in masking his face. He thrusts his sword towards Mu Kuangda, and anticipating the attack, Mu Kuangda backs away.

Qingfengjian follows him like a shadow. Wu Du draws the Lieguangjian, instinctively running in to stop Lang Junxia, but then an idea occurs to him.

“Who’s there!” Wu Du shouts but doesn’t make a move; holding his sword out in front of him. It is Han Bin who shouts and draws the sword he wears at his waist to block the Qingfengjian heading for Mu Kuangda’s chest.

“Wuluohou Mu, how dare you!” Han Bin bellows.

Han Bin parries Lang Junxia’s Qingfengjing and deviates it from its path, yet Lang Junxia’s sword show no mercy, and its tip slides forward almost gently to run right through Mu Kuangda as easily as cutting through paper!

Mu Kuangda stares almost incredulously at his predicament, his eyes wide open, his fingers reaching out to wrap around the blade. Lang Junxia then withdraws his sword to turn his blade against Han Bin’s throat. That’s when Han Bin’s men arrive, charging into the room weapons in hand; realising that he won’t be able to kill Han Bin, Lang Junxia can only abandon the battle and retreat.

But just then, Wu Du is turning as though he’s about to go after Lang Junxia, putting himself right into the way of the path of the soldiers trying to rush into the room. Lang Junxia spins around and crashes towards Han Bin, his momentum pushing them both through the wooden window and out into the courtyard.

“Protect Chancellor Mu!”

The soldiers rush in, getting Mu Kuangda out. Wu Du doesn’t have time to finish the kill; he immediately turns around to head to the secret entryway Lang Junxia had charged out of, turning to his side so he can slide into it.

About to peek out of the room himself, Duan Ling ends up smashing into Wu Du instead. Wu Du grabs him right away, and Duan Ling whispers, “Hurry, take this with you!”

Duan Ling holds up the copper casket in his arms with great difficulty, but Wu Du simply picks it up with one hand and flips it around to carry it on his shoulder.

The study is in utter chaos by then. Han Bin had taken his men to go chase down Lang Junxia, and Mu Kuangda may or may not be dead. Wu Du opens the window and leaps out with Duan Ling.

“Over this way!” Duan Ling says. “Let’s head to Master Fei’s courtyard, and then come over with Mu Qing. That way they won’t suspect anything!”

“Chancellor Mu is dead!” Wu Du says.

Duan Ling is stunned within an instant. “Dead? Really?”

“I didn’t see him die with my own eyes, but Wuluohou Mu ran him through with a sword.”

Duan Ling thinks to himself, Damn it, Lang Junxia really is too rash. If Han Bin is still alive, then Mu Kuangda’s death is only going to force him to revolt. After all, Lang Junxia’s appearance already signifies that the Eastern Palace had obtained evidence that Han Bin and Mu Kuangda are working with each other!

“What is this?” Wu Du halts his steps and asks.

Duan Ling runs his fingers over the copper casket on Wu Du’s back, and as he gasps for breath, says, “I don’t know. Could it be …”

At the same time, the two of them think of the only thing it can possibly be. Their eyes meet.

The long gallery is well-lit, and the Mu estate is in chaos. From a long way away, they can hear the distant sound of people wailing.

Duan Ling is still worrying about Lang Junxia’s safety. He wonders if Lang Junxia can escape successfully with Han Bin and so many men chasing him down, but they can’t go back there anymore.

“Let’s go!” Wu Du grabs Duan Ling’s hand. On this pitch black night, in a brightly lit long gallery, they run towards the unknown.

In the side wing where Fei Hongde is staying, Mu Qing had already fallen asleep on the bamboo recliner. Chang Liujun is driving off mosquitos and other bugs for him with a fan while conversing with Fei Hongde in hushed tones.

Duan Ling and Wu Du charge into the courtyard and stop abruptly.

This place is rather far from the garden and the main house, so the noises haven’t made it this far. Duan Ling walks over to check on Mu Qing, but Chang Liujun is saying, “What did you guys put in the wine? He’s so drunk.”

“Nothing harmful,” Wu Du says. “He’ll be awake soon enough. Something huge happened in the estate, and people will be coming by to check on us soon. I’m going back to my room for a bit. You should go check on the front courtyard and find some way to help Wuluohou Mu escape to the palace.”

Duan Ling says, “Just make sure he gets away and then come back here to keep Mu Qing company. Do not leave his side.”

Chang Liujun’s eyes narrow. Duan Ling hurries him, “Come on, Master Fei and I will take care of the rest.”

As long as Han Bin can’t catch Lang Junxia, then this won’t be that much of a problem. Wu Du and Chang Liujun split up, leaving in opposite directions; Wu Du takes the Zhenshanhe so he can hide it, while Fei Hongde hasn’t been told what happened yet, so Duan Ling leans in close to his ear and tells him what happened.

Fei Hongde says, “Oh how fortunate. Han Bin is going to make his move now.”

Duan Ling meditates on this a moment before turning to look at Fei Hongde.

“You believe Han Bin will stage a coup, Master Fei?”

“If Han Bin knows that his letters have fallen into the hands of the Eastern Palace, there’s no doubt he will do so this very night,” Fei Hongde says.

A deep furrow appears between Duan Ling’s brows. It is right at this moment that he hatches an audacious plan. If he’s successful, the winner of this match may be decided right away.

“I’m going to go check on things,” Duan Ling says.

Someone tried to assassinate Mu Kuangda, so the estate is in a state of pandemonium. As soon as Duan Ling makes his way into the garden, he walks right into Huang Jian’s chest.

“What happened?” Huang Jian says, “Where’s Mu Qing?”

“He’s drunk!” Duan Ling replies. “Let’s not worry about him for now. What happened to Master?”

“He’s been stabbed! Some assassin came out of nowhere, and everyone’s saying that it’s Wuluohou Mu!”

Duan Ling had thought Lang Junxia rash at first, but after some careful deliberation, he realises that this one stab is downright a brilliant stroke of the brush. Mu Kuangda had only just hinted that the crown prince may not be real earlier in the evening, and the Eastern Palace’s already sent someone over to assassinate him. Anyone would tie this assassination to an order from Cai Yan, yet Cai yan’s real purpose was nothing more than to send Lang Junxia over to eavesdrop!

“I’m going to go take a look at Master,” Huang Jian says. “You go see General Han. He must still be here in the estate.”

Duan Ling grabs Huang Jian’s sleeve. “Please be careful.”

Duan Ling doesn’t want Huang Jian to get dragged into this. Huang Jian nods before leaving hurriedly.

Once Huang Jian is gone, Duan Ling spends a long time contemplating his next move before taking a letter out of his pocket. It is, just so, one of the letters between Han Bin and Mu Kuangda.

“What’s going on?” Zheng Yan’s voice rings out next to him, scaring Duan Ling half to death.

“What are you doing here?” Duan Ling asks.

“I took a detour on my way back to report to him. And he asked me to come over to see what’s going on,” Zheng Yan replies.

Duan Ling understands that Zheng Yan had told Li Yanqiu what transpired earlier this evening, and since he can’t stop worrying about Duan Ling, Li Yanqiu asked Zheng Yan to come back to see if he can be of any help.

“Go inform Marquess Yao,” Duan Ling says. “Make sure he and Fifth Princess move out of the palace immediately and rendezvous with General Xie. Tell Xie You not to stop Han Bin no matter what happens. Go now! Hurry!”

Zheng Yan seems to hesitate. Duan Ling pulls up the corner of his robe to show him the White Tiger armour he’s wearing underneath, and only then does Zheng Yan stops hesitating and turn to go. As soon as Zheng Yan is gone, Chang Liujun is approaching him through the gallery.

“Wuluohou Mu is gone,” Chang Liujun says. “He said he won’t be going back to the Eastern Palace, and told you not to worry.”

Finally, Duan Ling can stop holding his breath. He orders, “Go stay with Mu Qing then. I’ll call for you if we need you for anything.”

This translation is by foxghost, on tumblr and kofi. I do not monetise my hobby translations, but if you’d like to support my work generally or support my light novel habit, you can either buy me a coffee or commission me. This is also to note that if you see this message anywhere else than on tumblr, it was reposted without permission. Do come to my tumblr. It’s ad-free. ↩︎

#queued #相見歡 #fei tian ye xiang #joyful reunion #xiang jian huan #fox translates things

[isfjmel-phleg]

@fictionadventurer was curious about background for the adult OCs' names, so here it is! Plus Josiah's siblings since they didn't make it into the other post.

Marielle Tietra Valencourt (nee Mariella Philene Gremondi): All the Gremondi sisters, like many Otionovian women, have the first name "Mariella" and use their middle name instead. Philene was named for her great-grandmother. That name didn't translate well into Faysmondian, so she chose "Tietra" as an anagram of her fiancé's name.

Etriat Donatien Odilon Valencourt: As the only son of his parents, ended up with a high-pressure name, in honor of his grandfather, father (named for one of Faysmond's patron saints), and a deceased uncle.

Antavia Edella Ellaset Phemister: Lots of pressure here too! She is named for the descendent of Gearalt III from whom the Phemisters get their claim to the throne, her grandmother (a much-beloved and -respected queen consort who did a lot for Corege), and the arguably greatest reigning queen in Coregean history. Probably went by Tavie in childhood. Since taking a different title after her abdication, she encourages people to refer to her as "the Duchess." Hardly anyone gets to call her Antavia anymore.

Andras Marbert Adrend Phemister: Named for an obscure early king of Corege, the king who founded Hollingham College (his mother, Edella, was of course very interested in education!), and one of Edella's many brothers who died young. As a second son, he didn't have expectations of inheritance placed on him, so his parents could use names with more personal significance for him.

Bethira Catrin Liddick (nee Goswick): The Goswicks gave their daughters names that were stylish among their peers. Bethira's common name has made her seem more approachable to Coregeans.

Talfrin Gearalt Stamwell Liddick: His middle names are for his father and Gearalt III (the common ancestor of the Phemisters and Liddicks), but I have no idea where his first name came from. His mother might have just liked it.

Edmara Nelsie Melbray (nee Delford): The family names were all used by the time she was born (fourth of five), so she has a normal, down-to-earth Coregean middle-class name with no more to it than her parents' preference. As a child, she was Edie to her siblings; Elystan is literally the only person who calls her Mara.

Levico Dermond Melbray: Probably the same goes for him. He was also fourth of five (all brothers!), so who knows where his name came from. I don't think he's ever cared much for it though, hence the use of initials professionally.

Odren Linnaf Norlo Adrend Callon: Named for his father, because the Liennese are big on carrying on tradition. His middle names are for his uncles who died young (yes, that's the same Adrend Andras was named for--Edella was Odren's paternal aunt), a sentimental choice on his father's part. Maybe the association with lost brothers had a subconscious effect on the elder Odren's reluctance to get close to his heir.

Mariele Liane Rosanna Callon (nee Marielle Liane Rosanne Valencourt): Liane, as the youngest of a large family, was given fashionable rather than dynastic names (Faysmondians often use "Marielle" as Otionovians do "Mariella"). When she married, her name was simply translated into Liennese; lee-AHN became LY-uh-nuh.

Nyella Josefa Callon (nee Mellsbach): Her middle name (pronounced yo-ZEH-fa) was chosen for its resemblance to her father's first name, Josia.

Ayra Liane Edonora Callon: Named for her aunt, mother, and great-grandmother. All safe, conventional choices, with dynastic significance in case this child ended up having to inherit.

Ateva Edella Rika Callon: Named for her paternal grandmother, great aunt, and distant cousin Rietta. The first name was an attempt on Liane's part to mend a damaged relationship, and the others were useful for pleasing international connections.

Nyel Mikaiah Tilo Callon: Named for his mother and her two brothers. Nyella and Odren had not chosen names before the birth. Not knowing what his wife would have wanted, Odren chose all names of significance to her. No one has been able to bring themselves to call him Nyel, so he has always been Mikaiah, or Miki.

#The Blackberry Bushes #The Blackberry Bushes OC facts #Tietra Valencourt #Etriat Valencourt #Antavia Phemister #Andras Phemister #Bethira Liddick #Talfrin Liddick #Edmara Melbray #Levico Melbray #Odren Callon #Liane Callon #Nyella Callon #Ayra Callon #Ateva Callon #Mikaiah Callon

[silverloreley]

Do you have any Li family headcanons?

A few.

They're rather close-knitted, as their kind of families often is. Grandma Fa had been ready to adopt Shang from the very first day and we know from the second movie they welcomed him wholeheartedly and supported the marriage (even pushing for it, in a way) so Shang suddenly found himself in a brand new family who loved him lots after he lost his own (his father canonically died but I headcanon his mother had died when he was a boy), that explains why he decided to move under the protection of the Fa ancestors.

Remember the thing about how many kids Mulan and Shang planned to have? She said one or two tops, he said a dozen. They agreed on three, but the third child never seemed to arrive. At least until Lonnie graduated. It was a big shock for everyone as they had somewhat lost hope, a welcome one though.

At the same time, all the kids in the village rely on Shang and Mulan so it's a bit like they do have a dozen children. Plus, they have a pretty great relationship with the imperial kids who consider them as part of their family.

Fa Zhou did his best to be equal and fair to his grandkids and not push them too far. He and Shang take a day a week to speak alone about how to deal with some issues about fatherhood, as Zhou knows Shang must miss his own father terribly, and even more so when in need of advice.

Fa Li learned not to push Lonnie to be a perfect girl too, after all, Mulan had gained the greatest honors for the family by doing things her own way, so Lonnie can certainly do the same. In fact, the thought of having Lonnie meet with a matchmaker, despite it still being a tradition in their land, never even crossed her mind. (but she does have ideas for the wedding dress, she'll wait to share them until Lonnie talks about it first)

The whole family knows of Mushu and his presence became perfectly normal to them, to the point he even has his own spot at the dining table and all. It was inevitable ever since Shuang was born, as Mushu was frantic about helping take care of the last arrived. He was even more attached to Lonnie, if possible.

Mushu tried to follow Shuang at Auradon Prep. Mulan caught him in time and he grumbled for weeks that "oh, sure, I could follow you during a war but I can't go to a school?!".

He managed to sneak in her luggage when it was Lonnie's turn, though. Fairy Godmother caught him three weeks after the start of the lessons and asked Mulan to take him back home. Both the Li siblings missed him but not the way he tried to meddle in their social lives at Auradon Prep.

Shang, Mulan, and the kids have their own secret code to communicate without anyone understanding. Grandma Fa figured it out on her own, but they have no idea she did.

#question answered