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sh1-n0bu · 26 days

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Dear Judal/Judar, (From Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic),

Hello! How are you doing these days? I've heard from a source that you've been busy with your duties lately. It's not easy being a Magi, from what a little boy with blue hair told me.

Do you still take time to care for yourself, such as doing your makeup and hair? I remember it being really pretty the last time I saw it, though, my memory might not be the best. Years of working yourself as a slave in the slave trade does that for you, I suppose.

Right, the reason I'm writing this letter. Today is actually my last day of being a slave. I wish I could say that I'm finally being freed from my shackles from all these years, but that isn't the case.

Unfortunately, I will be killed tomorrow for the death of my master.

I'm writing this letter from my cell while waiting for the executioners to take me away, to the person I value the most. I still can't think of a reason why you helped me that day when I was attacked by those bandits. Perhaps it was for your own benefit, or you simply did it out of boredom. That seems like something you would do.

Or the occasional nights where you visited my barren room to accompany me. Those visits might've been small to you, but to me, they were more precious than any gold or gems I've seen. You made life feel like it was worth living a little longer in.

I may have only met you sparingly, but you've given me advice and wisdom that helped push me forward, to keep striving for what I wanted. Even if it was selfish.

In the end, all I truly wanted was you.

Sincerely, a friend.

I hope this letter finds its way to you, even after I pass.

𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜! 𝙣𝙤𝙗𝙪’𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚!

to: judar from magi

being a magi was, in all honesty, fucking boring. at least, to someone like judar.

he hated the constant bows and kneeling, the constant titles, names that are bestowed upon him. the duties of a magi, of having to choose a king so that one day, his chosen king would actually become a successful one rather than some pathetic excuse of a ruler. don’t even get him started on the annoying meetings, rituals, magoi training, diplomatic reasonings and travelings. ugh. at least he can run away from those boring, long, arduous meeting to have some fun in the gardens.

by fun, the arrogant magi meant slacking off as he bites into another random peach he stole from the kitchen on the way there. or even by running away from the castle’s depressing walls to see what was different on the outside world since the last time he visited. he could also hear some of those pathetic elder magicians cry out as they chase after him in a measly attempt to bring him back to his "duties" as they call it. duties, his ass. all the magi saw were bunch of papers, scrolls and more boring meetings with diplomats. he wanted to have some fun, y'know?!

it was during one of those usual running away from duty moment when he saw something that barely managed to pique his interest. a slave, judging by the chains keeping their feet together to not let them run away, but somehow protecting a kid as they face off against a bunch of hooligans looking to make names for themselves. judging by the lack of magoi fluttering around the adult slave, they weren't a magician, a dungeon capturer, a household vessel user nor even a fanalis. the slave was just some random human who was acting as a hero to protect the kid covering behind them.

judar should have left when the first punch landed and yet something compelled him to stay. to watch how the common, unlucky folk suffer while he goes on about his day and night like nothing is out of place within the safety and comfort of the palace walls. watch as how even when threatened with the most vile and terrifying actions imaginable against them, the human persists to keep a random child safe.

to intervene when the third punch landed.

the dark magi doesn’t know what compelled him to act out or to protect this random slave and a homeless child. they meant nothing to him, just some random poor folk that he saw. yet something felt weird. seeing how the unlucky get treated simply for being born unlucky caused him to stay and to protect them when they could provide him absolutely nothing. not even a fickle of entertainment. magis are the ones who have stayed at the top of the food chain since the beginning of time and will continue to do so. the magois and rukh of the world and people are at their disposal, ready to carry out their command at any given moment.

yet here judar was, protecting some two strangers whose rukhs barely flickered enough to cause some color. such fickle beings, such unlucky creatures and yet here he was… here he was reaching a hand out to help them on their feet, accompanied with a “are you two alright?”. what has gotten into him all of a sudden? whatever it was, it didn’t go away after saving their lives. no, it stayed and lingered on forcing him to do the same.

since there was nothing else to give the twisted magi some sort of entertainment at the time, he decided to continue to stay with the pair. and he continued to do so even at the following days when he no longer needed to save them. just his presence hovering around the pair was enough to shoo away any other assholes that wanted to cause them harm. and in a way, judar felt happy that no one was hurting them, at being their protecter in a sense.

everyday, judar would find himself running away from his duties at the kou castle to pay a visit to the slave he helped. the child had disappeared one day he returned and all the explanation he got was that the child had escaped. how? no one knows. but the adult who was left behind had an odd sense around them. their rukh was starting to dim and become more slower. were they sick? they didn’t look like it. but just in case they were indeed getting sick, he whispered a few health spells on them alongside a protection one before leaving.

each day judar comes to spend some time with the slave — while also using it as an excuse to run away from his magi work — he started to look forward to these little moments in his life. a peach from the castle one day, a fruit on the market square he saw on another day, a beautiful yet a simple looking ring one of the merchants were selling. each time he brings a little gift, the slave always bashfully denies it at first, saying that they were a slave and not a worker. each time judar made them accept his gifts.

judar will never confirm it out loud but he loved the little meetings he had with them. they were… nice. kind to him. not the bootlicking type of kind that he runs into everyday but the kind that is genuinely coming from the bottom of the heart and he felt that. judar enjoyed the little laughs the slave would make whenever he tells a joke or a funny story from the castle. the little dimple in their cheeks and the bright smiles. judar liked the look of awe on their face whenever he showed them a small trick — a little show of rukhs swarming at the tip of his wand or the icy flower he creates at random before tucking it behind their ear.

the prideful magi would never say it, but… he loved this person. this kind person who just gotten unlucky.

“i’ll get you out of here, alright? wait for me. i’ll come back tomorrow to set you free”

yet where were you? the rooms that you usually clean were being cleaned by another servant. when the servant in the room saw him, they dropped their towel to the floor in shock. but judar didn’t care if the servant was about to drop to their knees to honor his title or anything. he had no time for it.

“you didn’t knew, high magi? their master was killed and so, all the master’s slaves must be killed as well” the poor shaken up servant explains, handing him a letter as well. taking the letter, the magi wasted no time in ripping open the letter to read its content. judar was seeing red. he always had a certain amount of hate towards those who worked in the slave trades. he may be egotistical at times but judar still had feelings and emotions.

and right now, he was enraged.

“where? where did the executioners took them?” he asked frantically, almost sounding like a madman as he forces the poor servant to answer him. if his past self had looked at himself now, he would have laughed at the look on his face. maybe even mock himself for even daring to become this soft. but he didn’t care for that or how soft he had grown since meeting them. right now, he was just focused on finding them. and this time, he will hold his promise and set them free.

#nobu.writes #magi the labyrinth of magic x reader #magi x reader #judar #judar magi #judar x reader #judal x reader #magi the kingdom of magic #magi the labyrinth of magic #5k followers

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sergeantkitty · 6 months

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Oh magoy it's Pomni from the funny haha circus show 😱................ Happy Halloween

#the amazing digital circus #digital circus #tadc pomni #tadc #tadc fanart #the amazing digital circus fanart #fanart #tadc art #digital circus fanart #pomni #the amazing digital circus pomni

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kyusakku · 2 months

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Mashle X Magi

Based off of @elvestoneanzelote1's post :D

Approaching from the eastern continent was a curious creature named y/n. Known as a magi, they wander the lands aimlessly in search of something more fascinating that catches their eyes. 'Perhaps another nation?' They think to themselves, riding their broom and gliding gracefully in the wind to wherever fate decided to take them for their adventure. However...

"You are hereby under arrest for suspicion of being lackmagic by the state."

Ah...

What an unpleasant first entrance to this new realm.

***

The first thing y/n notes is that there are strange markings on everyone's face, one that they themselves lacked. The architecture here was different than the one they knew. With buildings made from brick and plaster as opposed to the stone and gravel from their original home. Streets paved from stone as opposed to the sandy terrain, wooden doors that aligned their entrances as opposed to curtains and golden rods. It seemed like everything was different here. And despite y/n's best efforts, they couldn't help but feel oppressed despite their immense capabilities of magic and manipulating their magoi to an extreme extent. For one so beloved by the rukh, the people here certainly didn't think so even as the magical energy around them became visible to the naked eye with their mere presence. But such differences in culture was something y/n had grown to love in their various travels across the lands. Well...maybe except for their current situation.

"Lackmagics are illegal in this country foreigner." The officer in front of them states sternly with a certain gruff to her voice. Y/n couldn't help but be appalled at the accusation, placing a gentle hand over their chest with an uneasy expression.

"...But I *am* capable of magic."

"It would do you well not to tell such an obvious lie traveler."

The rukh fluctuates from around y/n in response to their growing concern. They tilt their head in confusion, wondering if a simple demonstration would help, but felt threatened enough to refrain from doing so. The pair sit in silence as each tries to come up with something to say to the other before the door opens gently, revealing a brunette man with a green robe. The clothing is rather unfamiliar to y/n, but with his refined attitude, he must be someone in a position of power.

"Lackmagics are to be purged, there shouldn't be any debate here. What are you doing wasting time on an interrogation?" The man says, adjusting his round glasses to sit properly on his face. Y/n sighs in despair as the rukh seemingly fluctuates once more, accumulating as if to protect our dear magi, who seems to have lost themselves in a foreign realm. Only then do the pair manage to see small flickerings of light coming into their view as the rukh around y/n in response to their weak protests, finding themselves too hungry and in despair at the situation at hand.

"W-What...is that?" The officer questions as she stares in shock and disbelief.

"Hm?" Y/n inquires before looking around them and taking notice of how the rukh is behaving around them. The man in the green robe hums, taking in the sight before y/n quickly dispels their magoi output and the rukh disappear from their sights.

"In my country, we call it the rukh. I am known as a magi, one who beloved by the rukh."

The two look at y/n with intrigue before the man takes a seat from across the table, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"Perhaps we were too hasty in our judgement. My name is Orter Madl, Divine Visionary, the Desert Cane. Please, continue...Magi."

#magi labyrinth of magic #mashle: magic and muscles #magi #mashle #x reader

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pumpkinrootbeer · 5 months

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Thinking about jafar and like. His just near unparalleled skill and talent and how he is consistently able to hold his own against metal vessel users as a household vessel, his willingness to throw down against judar literally at a moments notice.

like just someone who could have absolutely been a kings candidate. He had the physical strength, the intelligence, the magoi, the political know how, and absolutely had the determination. but he willingly chose not to be, because he didn't want to be king. he wanted a king to follow. he wanted Sinbad and went to the ends of the Earth for him. His loyalty to him unmatched and in the end. well.

#:v #jafar magi #magi #I just don't think there's really another character like jafar in the series #who so easily could have been a candidate sinbad was fighting against but instead was his greatest asset #jafar baby ily #Like think about how he was the first person to actually use the power of the household vessel!#It came so naturally to him!! BUT ALL HE WANTED WAS SINBAD.#AND SINBAD FUCKING LEFT HIM UGH

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blasphemecel · 2 years

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Ren Kouha — Pest Control

PAIRING: Ren Kouha/Reader WORD COUNT: 3.7k TYPE: Humor WARNING(S): Flabbergasting behavior

You were under the impression Kouha Ren is pleasant.

Sure, he's a little eccentric and immature and annoying and bloodthirsty, but you saw some charm in him, anyway. You'd see him for a few hours once every other month, so maybe that’s how he fooled you. Now, you find he's only good in small doses. The extended 'diplomatic stay' your kingdom's ruler came up with was a mistake and clearly the idea of a senile mind.

You're a mere magician, so your standing isn't that high, at least not compared to the imperial princes. The implication here is that to keep in the Kou Empire's good graces, you're to grovel and lick boots or even toes if you need to. If it weren't for Kouha, you wouldn't have to, you think. Kouen and Koumei ignore you outside of common pleasantries, but Kouha has some twisted fascination towards you for reasons you can't even rationalize. He acts like he doesn't have three dedicated personal attendants at his beck and call and as if he can't take a shit without you wiping his ass. (Which, at the moment, is thankfully just hyperbole.)

This leads you to now, eye twitching and legs hurting from standing too long. The civilian worker exchanges a weary look with you and you nod at him solemnly. Your shared pain has transcended past the need for words.

... Kouha contemplates the wall while rubbing his chin like choosing bathroom tiles is a big deal. Maybe this would've been fine if he hasn't been cycling between the same three designs for the past seven hours. Now you can't leave because you offered your help too naively, and the worker is stuck until Kouha buys something, putting you both in a hostage situation.

"I like this one," he says thoughtfully, extending a finger to pick at it. "But I think I should check out how the other two look one more time. Just to be sure."

He's smiling that shit-eating grin he does when he's doing something on purpose. What his motives are, you're not sure, but tension coils down your back and you can sense an outburst coming.

After you wave your wand for the nth time and all the tiles move back down, you can't hold your tongue any longer. "Prince Kouha, my magoi is running out and I'm about to die because of your fucking toilet home decor side project. And this poor man has been here for hours, waiting. Just pick one and put us out of our misery already."

He has the nerve to pout, as if he's in any position to be unhappy. "Aww! I didn't mean to try to kill you! I just wanted to spend some more time with you."

You stare at him in judgemental silence.

Kouha deems it appropriate to grab you by the shoulders and shake you back and forth. He even bawls his eyes out, but you know they're crocodile tears. "Forgive me! Forgive me! Forgive me! Forgive me! Sniffle, sniffle. Forgive me! Forgiiive me..."

Did this moron just say sniffle, sniffle?

The other guy glances between the two of you, uncomfortable, then back at the bathroom tiles with such keen interest, you'd think he hasn't been examining them the entire day.

Dizzy from his nonsense, you concede with a huff. "Fine. Just stop it already!"

If anyone else did this to you, you would've pushed them off and sworn at them, but you're not trying to get executed on one of his whims, so you just have to bear his attitude with grit teeth.

After your reluctant acceptance of his apology, he stops the theatrics, letting you go. Kouha's demeanor changes in the blink of an eye. "Alright then," he says, addressing the craftsman in the flattest tone possible. "I'll buy the red ones. Bye-bye, Mister." He finishes his commission with a little wave.

Your jaw tenses again. You clench your fists until your knuckles hurt and you think you're about to pop a blood vessel. The bastard has been saying they've got the ugliest design this entire time, arguing with you after you said you thought they fit the most. You don't know what game he's playing, but what's even worse is, you do not know how to oppose it.

___

Kouha is creeping you out.

He keeps looking over at you and laughing to himself during dinner, occupying the seat opposite yours. You wonder what's so funny and if you have a chunk of food stuck in your hair or something like that, but every time you snap up your head to glare at him, he just smiles. Koumei is ignoring him, on the brink of dozing off with his cheek stuck to a plate, while Kougyoku seems to find this endearing.

"What is it, Prince Kouha?" you ask, trying to sound as civil as possible.

Kouha squishes his own cheeks and averts his gaze before he looks at you again and breaks out into a huge smile. "Nothing." Cue more obnoxious giggles.

You decide not to pay him any mind for the rest of dinner and instead fixate on your food. After a while of chewing, you hear more laughter, some whispers and then Kougyoku's 'aww,' so you figure he's up to something again. Still, you continue ignoring them since you're sure he'll get bored if you stop entertaining him with your bemusement.

You don't get the opportunity to dedicate yourself to this 'pretending Kouha doesn't exist' gig because he slides his dish towards you. With the meal's red sauce, he has drawn two stickmen standing over a dead body — with lots of unnecessary and possibly incorrect blood spurts — while holding hands.

You thought he was mocking you, but this looks like a... threat, maybe?

In your desperate search for an explanation, you meet his eyes again, and instead of providing anything of substance, he winks at you. At first your eyebrows disappear in your hairline, but then you pull them together harshly, resulting in a constipated and wrinkled expression which makes it look like you're struggling to shit.

???

___

Kouen had told you attending this wine-tasting event with someone from Kou would be good for the two kingdoms' images. You're not sure how this is beneficial, but regardless, you agreed, since you know how much royalty cares about appearances. The thing he conveniently forgot to warn you about was that the other person attending would be Kouha.

He looks giddy, but you're not sure why. He has all the wine he could want at his disposal in the palace, yet he seems all too happy to talk your ear off while the two of you make your way around tasting the samples. You keep silent, only offering short answers when prompted, but it doesn't stop Kouha from rambling about this or that.

"I have an idea," says Kouha.

You're not sure you want to know, but you humor him anyway, asking him to continue with his proposal. Instead of elaborating, though, he hands you the glass he's been drinking from. After you take it from him, you can only look at him with confusion.

"Well, finish it."

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

"Prince Kouha, this is very generous-" it isn't, "-but there are just a few drops left at the bottom."

"Come on. I'll start crying in front of everyone if you don't," he says. "And stop talking to me so formally! We're close." At the last word, Kouha's face twists into something more licentious for emphasis, which you've noticed is a gesture he only aims at you. You theorize you're his current social experiment.

Annoyed, you roll your eyes at his threat, which you're sure he'll fulfill, and at his caprice regarding the way people refer to him. Lifting the glass, you examine it while you wonder if it's poisoned, then bring it up your nose to sniff it. The chances aren't high, but you can never be too safe.

Kouha taps his foot, impatient for you to do this. "What's with you?" he demands, like your blatant display of paranoia has somehow inconvenienced him.

You're not sure why he's so eager — it's a little gross, exchanging germs, isn't it? If not off-putting, it's at least unhygienic. However, you set aside your inhibitions and commit to it since staying on his good side is in your best interest.

He claps at you like you're a circus attraction and then grabs your glass too, downing the rest of your drink like you had done with his. When he has finished his ministration, Kouha offers you his serial killer grin before he covers his mouth with his hands and lets out a strange noise.

"I don't get it," you say, disregarding his obvious loss of sanity. Though, now that you think about it, he has always been rather shameless. "What was the point of all this?"

Kouha winks at you. Again.

"You know that doesn't substitute for an answer, right?"

"Well," he says with a harsh laugh before gesturing grandiosely around the room, "I think you ask stupid questions, [Y/n]. Anyway! We have more wine to try."

"I think you ask stupid questions, [Y/n]," you mumble under your breath in a snotty tone, trying to imitate him. When he doesn't show hearing any of that, you continue with your hateful muttering, though it devolves into incoherent gibberish.

___

It's too late at night for any Kouha-esque shenanigans. You're trying to reach your temporary chambers, walking down the hallways as quietly as possible until something jumps out of nowhere and rams into you at full speed, and there's the distant screech of your name that you register a tad too late.

At first you think it's a creature, but soon you have a mouthful of Kouha's hair in your mouth as the two of you tumble around in a ball of limbs and you're irked to understand he body-slammed you for no apparent reason. When you hit the wall and he doesn't let you go, but tightens his hold against your waist, you spit out his pinkish tresses and grunt before kneeing him in the abdomen.

"What was that for?!" he yells in a shrill voice.

"For attacking me in the middle of the night," you say like it's obvious, which it should have been. It's hard to resist the urge to shush him.

"I wasn't attacking you. Do you not know what a hug is?" Kouha occupies himself by stretching the flesh of your cheeks, mimicking a smile through your often neutral face, and then he jabs your forehead. "You're going to get an angry crease right here if you keep frowning so much."

"Whatever, let it wrinkle." I'll crease you in two if you keep annoying me, you little troll, you want to say, but the more honest part of you hasn't subscribed to the idea of free speech yet.

Kouha then amuses himself by pinching your nose, hovering his face right over yours. You're not sure if he's trying to suffocate you or if he wants to instigate a fight — since that's what his behavior suggests at all times — but you slap his hand away once it gets difficult to breathe.

"Seriously." You scoff. "What's your problem?"

"I just wanna hang out with you. Is that a crime? Well, if it is, I guess I could overturn it." Kouha seems to find himself hilarious. You consider his question, then shrug like you don't know, which was apparently the wrong choice since Kouha grabs and shakes you again while weaponizing his fake tears. "Stop being cold! Stop being cold! Stop being cold! Stoooop being cooold!"

"No, stop doing this bullshit," you say, resisting the urge to push him off. "I'm going crazy in here."

Kouha laughs at that before his arms fall down to his sides. "Oh, I understand. I really do."

"What?"

Instead of answering, Kouha uses his fingers to twist your lips closed and smiles at you with irrational glee. You try to tell him something, but it comes out incomprehensible. Your babbling gone disregarded, Kouha stands up from the way he was straddling you and runs away with a bounce in his step. He spares you no clarification.

You stare at the ceiling for a few minutes of silence, wondering what's wrong with him.

___

The next morning, there's a knock at your door. You groan out something unintelligible until you hear what sounds like the voice of one of Kouha's maids. "Great Magician, it's me, JunJun."

"Oh yeah," you say uselessly before you stumble your way out. After you open the door slightly ajar, you see she's holding a bouquet in your direction. "Uh, do you need help with something... JunJun?"

"No, no!" Like you just uttered blasphemy, she shakes her head at you, frantic. "That's ludicrous. Prince Kouha wanted you to have this." She then thrusts the flowers at you and shuffles away, missing your displeased frown.

You close the door behind yourself and stare at the bouquet with incredulity, then you touch around the stems and wrapping, trying to feel for anything suspicious. Perhaps a smoke bomb or something that'll spurt acid in your eyes or a poisonous spore hidden in the arrangement. When you find nothing, you wonder what else might be wrong with it.

Why would Prince Kouha give me this?

You scratch your head, deep in thought. Still wary of them, you throw the flowers on your bed and make yourself presentable before you rush down towards the library.

The reading choices are extensive, and you take a while to find what you're looking for. You're still not convinced the bouquet is innocuous. Kouha does no kind gestures without making the situation weird. (And fine, maybe you've felt bias against him ever since you witnessed JunJun begging him to hit her 'again' with a strange amount of desperation, which is a Pandora's box you don't want to pry open.)

You open the textbook about floriography and begin searching for the explanations that don't go into too much detail.

Black rose — death.

Petunia — resentment, anger.

Butterfly weed — you must leave.

Your eyes widen, and suddenly you're enlightened, and revelations are coming to you. It all makes sense.

I've overstayed my welcome, and I didn't understand his hints before. He gave me a chance, and now he's plotting my assassination. I knew it! I knew he wouldn't just do something nice and normal!

When you're done with your investigation, you run back to your room, trying your best to avoid being seen by anyone. You throw out Kouha's bouquet and start packing your things. You think you might also jump out from a window on the first floor and try to escape the palace by climbing the fence. Since you haven't worked out your plan yet, maybe it could use a few tweaks.

___

In the garden, something falls on top of Kouha's head mid-sentence. Kougyoku stares at the flowers with curiosity, though before she can comment, Kouha picks it up, and a scandalized gasp escapes him. "Huh? Why'd [Y/n] throw my gift away?"

Kougyoku puts her hand to her mouth, scrutinizing it in silence. Glaring, assessing. She seems serious, which is unlike her outside of battle.

"Why are you looking at it like that?" He tilts his head to the side, then turns prideful. "Anyway, I made it myself, you know? It has a note and everything."

Unimpressed, Kougyoku says, "You made this? For the magician?"

"Is something wrong with it?"

"Let's just hope [Y/n] doesn't know anything about flower symbolism."

"Kougyoku! Tell meeeee! What's wrong with it?" Kouha jumps up and down, already whining, shaking his fists at his sister.

Pointedly ignoring his tantrum, she snatches the bouquet from his grasp and fishes out the note he wrote. After unfolding it, she reads the contents.

Kouha sways from side to side, though he makes no move to take it back. "Hey! That's an invasion of privacy." Despite his words, he seems curious about what she'll say.

"Nevermind." A prolonged moment of silence passes. She tucks backs the letter before she turns to address him with a forced, close-eyed smile. "Let's just hope [Y/n] can't read."

"Hey. Hey, it can't be that bad, right?"

...

"Kougyoku, say something. Anything. Please."

___

Your escape doesn't turn out too successful, though maybe wording it like this is your trying to save face. You were about to jump and disappear when JunJun, JinJin and ReiRei appeared out of probably Kouha's asshole and ambushed you, leaving you restrained. It would've been easy to get rid of them with a spell if they were regular maids, but you know they're considered witches.

Like in a movie, Kouha ambles towards you, taking his sweet time. Halfway through his stroll, you feel irritated at him, though you figure he's doing this for dramatic effect before he lets you face your imminent fate. Sweat runs down your face in copious amounts.

You don't expect him to cry out your name in a way that's not as disingenuously upset as usual. "Where are you going?" he asks, voice hoarse and broken.

"Erm, I was trying to head for a ship back home before I got rudely interrupted." The three attendants don't react to you implicating them to their faces.

"Why?" He turns angry then, quitting the sniveling act and choosing to point in your face and hurl strange accusations at you. "You're just trying to spite me!"

"What?"

"Well, why else would you want to flee?"

You don't understand what this has to do with miffing him, but you decide to explain yourself anyway, on the off chance they let you go alive. "I've been here for almost half a year now. I don't want to intrude," you say, not revealing you're aware of his scheme to kill you. You don't even want to bother imagining what torture methods his sick head might have come up with.

"Noooooo," Kouha says before lying down to take position and roll around on the floor in one of the most embarrassing frenzies you've ever seen. "No, please, please, pleaaaaaase intrude! Please! Come on. You can't do this! Please."

"Look, [Y/n], you've made the prince cry!" the one you think is JinJin says.

"Yeah. You should keep being invasive, forever and ever! Really, I thought we were close."

What's with these mixed signals?! you think. First, he writes you a cryptic murder message with flowers, now he's begging you to stay? Bullshit. Wanting his shameful display to end, though, and not having any desire to be found at fault for it, your resolve to run away wanes.

"Okay, fine. Don't cry, Prince Kouha. If it really isn't a problem, I can stay."

The three attendants release their iron grip on you. Only Kouha stays behind, rubbing his eyes and wiping away snot on the back of his hand, which you don't find very prince-like. Still, you're confused. This suggests he wasn't faking his sobbing a few minutes ago.

You look at him with down turned lips, full of inner questions, and you expect some justification for his actions. At least, you think, he should come up with a silly excuse for why he'd overreact to the idea of your departure — which will have to happen sometime, either way — so severely.

He winks at you as if nothing happened and walks back, and all you can do is stare at the place he'd been standing in like a cretin.

"I told you it's just Kouha," he calls back where he came from, now with something lighthearted in his tone. This irritating man is playing you like a fiddle, and you don't see the point.

___

This time, he doesn't ask any of his maids to come for you and instead goes through the tedious process of knocking on your door until you wake up. You get ready in a daze, finding it best to go along with whatever Kouha says to smooth out the awkwardness between you two, which first arose after you randomly decided he's trying to murder you. Still, you don't know what to expect when you let him drag you along.

No amount of direction, mediation or imagination would've prepared you for whatever this is. There it is, an enormous ice sculpture of you, with perhaps exaggerated proportions — you're aware your jaw isn't that strong, and your muscles aren't this pronounced if at all — already melting and dripping all over the floor during the heat of the summer.

JunJun, JinJin and ReiRei stand beside it, saying nothing.

"Well?" Kouha prompts. "Do you like it?"

"Kouha, what's the meaning of this?"

"Alright," he says. You think he's about half-serious since he drops the playful lilt of his tone, but he's still smiling at you in a manner that's wannabe suave, observing you with half-lidded eyes. "Let's cut the bullshit."

Yeah, you think this sounds good, but you're not sure what it entails. Maybe this time he'll really exile you and tell you the Kou Empire has cut off all contact with your kingdom. Or maybe he'll ask you to curse the craftsman who delivered his new bathroom tiles all these months ago. He could even suggest you join his servants in his weird sadomasochistic circle. There's a chance he might wink at you again, forcing your hand to diagnose him with blepharospasm, and then leave without ever speaking of this. With him, it could be anything.

"Sure," you say warily.

Much to your befuddlement, Kouha... drops on one knee? And the maids who are obsessed with him swoon in the background, though you pretend they're not there, watching this fiasco. The hand of the ice sculpture made in your likeness breaks and shatters somewhere behind him.

???, you think again. You also wonder what kind of blackmail Kouha has on Judar to convince him to take part in this, even if indirectly.

He pulls out something. "Can I get the honor of being your boyfriend?" You're pretty sure asking someone out doesn't include expensive rings, but whatever.

By the way he's looking up at you, you think he's waiting for you to be in awe, but all that comes out is, "Huh… Where'd that come from?"

"What do you mean, where did it come from?! I've been courting you all this time!"

#magi x reader #magi imagines #ren kouha x reader #kouha ren x reader #kouha ren imagine #one shot

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pan-magi · 3 months

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*posts random rukh thoughts over a month late b/c I forgot about it*

Are the rukh an actual light source? The things my mind gets stuck on repeatedly while working on shit.

The answer would appear to be yes. This is shown when there is enough gathered at one place, usually in a relation with one of the magi using enough magic and producing magoi at a rate to be visible to everyone who can't usually see them. With the exception of Judar, but I'll get to black rukh in a minute. This is usually conveyed through light even if the surroundings are dim. The first time Aladdin is seen really going off is one such occurrence.

I keep thinking to myself. How does rukh produce light when magi using magic isn't involved? Do magicians constantly see hundreds, thousands, of light sources no one else can see? Or is the light so minimal it doesn't make a difference? I like to know what light sources I'm dealing with.

The closest we get for this is with Baba. She sees the world directly through rukh; it is her source of sight. Though tbf, the anime doesn't really touch on her being blind outside of her interaction with rukh. The manga is only a little clearer. Point being, light source or not, it is a way to see and experience the world.

Does that mean that it acts as a sort of passive night vision outside of Baba? Who knows. The one time I can think of an example is that while exploring the fifth district there isn't much light shown outside of some lanterns and dim lights, but Aladdin, Titus and Sphintus don't seem to have much trouble. Meanwhile, Marga and the rest of the citizens there are used to the level of light and don't work really as a control group. So I dunno.

The other conclusion is that it's not the rukh that produce the light. It comes from the magoi that they produce. When Judar explains the magic system to Aladdin (imo, a condescending smartass doing an exposition dump is a surprisingly effective way to deliver information to the audience in a quick manner), he produces magoi to deliver his point. It acts as a bright beacon that everyone reacts to and sees, especially when Judar starts attacking people with it.

I don't really have concluding thoughts on this. It's more of a ramble dump. Good place as any to switch to talk about black rukh.

I kinda dislike in the anime that black rukh is also shown to produce light. A dim purple light typically, but a light nonetheless. One of the reasons I think of to why is so that each is distinguishable in a way. That a mass of black rukh isn't shown to be a massive black blob and nothing else.

(left about normal, right darkened slightly to show point of black blob)

It isn't how I ever imagined them to be though.

I'll end this on a headcanon of mine. I always thought it made more sense for the black rukh to absorb light or at the very least cast a massive shadow. The first impression Aladdin gets from seeing Judar is describing him like a black sun. What would be the cause for someone to come to that conclusion? Mine was that the overwhelming amount of black rukh from Judar would be a blot of darkness until Aladdin can focus on him properly. If it is only dozens of black birds surrounding the guy the description will be less extreme.

An eclipse (what I can attribute to being like a black sun, outside of blackhole) doesn't just cast ordinary shadows. It is putting out the main light source of the planet. It isn't a cloudy day, a storm, or night time during a new moon: the closest other comparison. The darkness of an eclipse hits different. Plus, when Aladdin gets memories about the fall of Alma Tran the sun there looks like it is permanently eclipsed. That's the quickest shorthand to show that it is nothing but darkness all the time.

Anyway, that is how I see Judar and the black rukh in general. They are opposites and out of spite literally and metaphorically counteracts the light from the white rukh.

Yup, no closing thoughts. Thanks for reading this word vomit if you did!

#magi #i wrote did photo edits and then completely forgot about this #uh so have a random post over a month and a half late i guess #magi: the labyrinth of magic #magi labyrinth of magic #includes photo edit #long post #i wanted to get edit of alma tran in there to show final point but just now thought about it #this has been sitting in my drafts for way too long anyway

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dionysianfreak · 2 years

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I have a question if hecate is a goddess of witchcraft and Circe is a goddess of sorcery what’s the difference between those two things? I’m having a hard time finding information on the difference between those. so if you know anything or could direct me in the right direction that would be lovely. 😊

(I’m not too familiar with the two goddess but the two different titles had me a bit curious)

hello friend ! i don't think I can put it more clear than this excerpt from this research paper published in 2019 on Greek Magic:

The term magic, from its earliest roots, indicates something out of the ordinary, since the Greek terms, magikē or mageia, refer to the activity of magoi, the Greek word for certain Persian priests. The terms first appear in Greek texts around the time of the PERSIAN WAR, but although some sources (such as HERODOTUS) seem to be referring to actual Persians, many of the earliest witnesses use the term to describe a Greek ritual practitioner whose extravagant claims to extraordinary power are viewed with suspicion....Other terms are applied in Greek in similar ways and often to the same phenomena (pg. 1).

Goētia, the work of the goēs, refers to extraordinary thaumaturgical power but usually has a negative connotation. Epaoidē is an incantation, a song or spell with performative efficacy. The word pharmakon is used to mean drug or poison, but also magic spell or incantation (that is, something that creates a powerful effect in an unknown way), and the masculine pharmakeus and (even more often) feminine pharmakis are terms for those who use magic spells to harm others. All these terms are used in Greek to label people and actions that fall, in the opinion of the speaker, outside the normal order. Such people and actions, whether explicitly so labelled or not, may thus fall under the modern rubric of magic (pg. 2)

— Magic, Greek, Radcliffe G. Edmonds III, Bryn Mawr College. please let me know if I linked it wrong, it's a pdf so i did my best.

the word sorcery first appeared around 1200-1300 AD. wayyyy after the ancient practicing helpols. you see people refer to Kirke and Hekate as a goddess of sorcery/witchcraft just because those words now carry the definition of the old words the Hellas used. or at least, they're close enough. so, there is no difference besides in terminology. pharmakon and some baneful curse tablets are about as close as the Hellas got to what we now see as witchcraft.

Hekate, historically, is very rarely a Goddess of witchcraft as we know it today. She was known to be invoked in the aforementioned curse tablets occasionally, and as a Kthonic psychopomp She would have been associated with the oracles of the dead and the art of nekromankia/necromancy or the summoning of the ghosts from the underworld. She was also a Goddess of spirits and was one of two main Gods to lead the dead to the underworld (this is where many of Her torch-bearing epithets come from in my experience).

the idea that She's a Goddess of modern witchcraft, i believe, comes from the conflation of the modern definition of "witchcraft" and Hellenic pharmakon. we see this in this excerpt which Theoi.com lists under Her "witchcraft" associations:

"[The following is a rationalisation of the Hekate myth :] We are told that Helios (the Sun) had two sons, Aeetes and Perses...and that both of them were exceedingly cruel. And Perses had a daughter Hekate, who surpassed her father in boldness and lawlessness...Being likewise ingenious in the mixing of deadly poisons she discovered the drug called aconite and tired out the strength of each poison by mixing it with food given to the strangers. And since she possessed great experience in such matters she first of all poisoned her father, and so succeeded to the throne, and then, founding a temple of Artemis and commanding that strangers who landed there should be sacrificed to the goddess, she became know far and wide for her cruelty. After this she married Aeetes and bore two daughters, Kirke (Circe) and Medea, and a son Aigialeus (Aegialeus). Although Kirke also, it is said devoted herself to the devising of all kinds of drugs and discovered roots of all manner of natures and potencies such as are difficult to credit, yet, notwithstanding that she was taught by her mother Hekate about not a few drugs."

— Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 4. 45. 1 ff (trans. Oldfather) (Greek historian C1st B.C.)

and we see this emphasis on herbal brew again here in Maeda's play:

"There is a girl [Medea] living in Aeetes' palace whom the goddess Hekate has taught to handle with extraordinary skill all the magic herbs that grow on dry land or in running water. With these she can put out a raging fire, she can stop rivers as they roar in spate, arrest a star, and check the movement of the sacred moon.’"

— Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 3. 529 ff

so it isn't wrong to call Hekate a Goddess of craft, but its important to understand what "witchcraft" even was to the Hellas. it was very herbally focused, at least in Hekate's more common association. I'd never rule out that some polis may have indulged these associations more heavily, but we still have to look at it through a critical lense. to understand Hekate's associations we have to understand how the Hellas saw and used them.

it bothers me a bit that She's so conflated with the modern definition of witchcraft, but that's me. I think new associations are fine, but many times this is taken out of context and spread as complete historical fact, which isn't really the case. at least, not for a majority of the historic Hellenic world. I hope this helps, and if anyone has anything to add please do !

#hekate #hecate #helpol #hellenic polytheism #hellenic pagan #polytheist #hekate goddess #theoi #witchcraft #pharmakon #maeda #kirke #circe

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