#the council. potentially the only beings other than god to have a high status than gabriel. are killed by him

[speedruntechnically]

I think hell might have killed god

#look. this isn’t founded on much the idea sort of just sprang out of nowhere but. listen #ultkl has multiple instances of creations killing their creators and inferiors killing their superiors #humanity was killed by machines. it’s own creations. #v2. the ‘superior’ model. was killed by its own predecessor v1 #gabriel experiences his first two defeats at the hands of something he clearly views as inferior #the council. potentially the only beings other than god to have a high status than gabriel. are killed by him #so if god made hell and later came to hate and regret it. and hell is alive whether intentionally or not #it wouldn’t be out of place for it to have killed. it’s own creator #maybe all of this should have been in the body of the post but it’s too late I’m not retyping it. read my tags boy #or perhaps hell and god are in some ways the same person #ultkl also has a lot of focus of transformation. prime souls and gabriels change of heart and even swordsmachine and mindflays and ferrymen #perhaps it is his corpse or hell is an extension of him. I don’t know I’m kind of rambling at this point #whatever. look at my theory boy #mine #ultrakill

[kaiju-emperor]

Genghis Khan (Rider) Servant Concept

Class:Rider

Parameters Strength B Endurance A Agility C+ Magical Power C Luck A

Born Temujin, the man who would come be known as one of the greatest conquerors in all of history. He is perceived many as a great villian and butcher but to others a national hero and great leader. Among servants Genghis Khan stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the most powerful and famous heroic spirits such as Iskandar, Cu Chulainn, and Artoria Pendragon. He qualifies for many classes such as Archer, Lancer and Saber but Rider is by far his best class. In terms of fame, notoriety, and accomplishments he is without a doubt a top tier servant. Personality wise he is proud, charismatic, and larger than life. He considers himself chosen by heaven and all above to unite all nations under one banner. He is eager to experience new things and finds value in others who have skills, beliefs, customs and so on that are not his own. A man who sees only merit and character, looking beyond ones station, and seeing them for their core self. 'A wise beggar with a good heart is worth more than a king placed upon his seat through lineage alone'. Whoever is Genghis Khan's master will find a stalwart and strong servant but he will not follow there orders and may even kill them outright if he does not find them of respectable character or beliefs. He is prone to acting on his own but may take his masters council should they earn his respect.

Skills

Riding A-Genghis Khan is an expert in all vehicles and mounts, especially horses. He even has the potential to ride some phantasmal species and divine beasts.

Magic Resistance D-Can cancel out low level or single incantation spells. As well as protect from low level mental effects

Divinity C-Among the mongol people, Genghis Khan has been deified and associated with an equestrian war god known as Sülde Tngri. This deification represents Genghis Khan's martial character and the more mythical side of himself rather than the historical.

Khan Of Khans A+-A skill that represents Genghis's status as the greatest to hold the title of Khan. It is a composite skill that grants him aa high level Charisma , Tactics , and Golden Rule

Mongolian Martial Arts B-A skill that represents his expertise in the traditional martial arts and skills of his people. Such as horse archery, falconry, and Bokh also known as Mongolian wrestling, and so on. HIs skill in wrestling in particular makes him a dangerous opponent even whent totally unarmed.

Blessing Of Tengri A-It was said in the text 'Secret History Of The Mongols' that a spirit known as Zarin Tengri sent a vision from the great sky god Tengri to the Khorchin mongols, of a cow mooing toward the moon and the words 'Heaven And Earth have agreed to make Tenmujin lord of the nation'. This prophetic blessing is what allowed Genghis Khan to unite his people. It is a skill that acts similar to high ranked Protection Of The Faith and can occasionally grant prophetic dreams similar to the Revelation skill.

Noble Phantasms

Khans Grand Conquest: All Under Heaven is Mine A+ -A crystallization of Genghis Khan's ability to conquer and create the largest contiguous empire in all of history. The noble phantasm allows Genghis Khan to claim areas as his territory. The condition being that he must either win over a majority of the population in that designated area or defeat a figure of authority within that chosen area. Such as using his raw charisma to draw an entire bar to him and want to follow him, allowing him to claim the bar and the nearby area or making the mayor of a town submit to him thus claiming the town itself. Once Genghis Khan has claimed a territory as his own he has a certain level of Authority within that territory, raising his parameters slightly and allowing him to better engage any enemy that enters his territory. This skill also allows him to temporarily use the skills and even mana of others within his territory, representing the khan's propensity to incorporate other cultures, and beliefs into his kingdom rather than quashing them.

Twin White Horses: Divine Steeds Of The Khan A-The twin horses of Genghis Khan who were immortalized in a folktale. They are brothers, and are the Khan's constant companions. The older horse is white with a golden mane while the the younger is the inverse. They are similarly deified along with Genghis Khan and as such are divine beasts, representing the horse as a symbol of mongol culture. The horse and its rider are one, and it is said that the spirit or the soul is called a 'wind horse'. This association with the spirit allows the horses to ride past the veil and into the afterlife temporarily before appearing back in physical space. Though this power is extremely mana intensive. This association with the spirit world also grants them advantages against ghosts and other spiritual beings but not servants. Genghis Khan usually rides one or the other horse but they can also be summoned at the same time to pull Genghis Khan's chariot.

Khan's Tumen: Army Of The Conqueror B+-Genghis Khan had a very specific ordering of troops. He believed that a massive singular army was ineffective. And that multiple smaller armies was more efficient. This noble phantasm is a crystallization of that philosophy and allows Gengis Khan to summon a entourage of his elite Calvary up to 1000 strong. Each one of them is a minor heroic spirit in there own right and have average parameters of C. Though it is not an army as grand as Iskandar's or similar noble phantasms it has quality over quantity. However, summoning such a massive force of minor heroic spirits requires immense amounts of mana. So it is often employed sparingly.

#fate #fate series #fate grand order #fate stay night

[hermits-that-craft]

In My Dreams (Will You Remember Me?)

Flower Husbands Fic - Chapter Eight - Stay a While, Stay a While

Ao3 in the comments

“Aeor give me guidance.” Scott prays, kneeling in the back parlor. “Because if you give me strength, Rivendell will lose her allies to my hand.”

Scott leans back on his heels, fighting not to push his head into his hands. “I know you chose me, as your champion and the king of Rivendell, but we have been allied with idiots.” Scott grumbles. “And they want to attack Jimmy for being your champion, so I’m pleading with you for guidance.”

Scott sits in silence as dawn breaks over the mountains, listening to the serenity that the break of dawn brings.

Or what is supposed to be the serenity of the break of dawn, because one of his guards is fighting with someone. Not a physical fight, from the sounds of it, but a verbal one. Scott stands from his position on the floor, leaving an apple under the golden deer that he parents claimed represented Aoer as an offering. Scott adjusts his cape, putting his crown on his head, ready to aid his guards in getting rid of whatever disgruntled merchant decided to go straight to his house instead of his council to air their grievances. 

“You cannot demand council with our ruler, even Rivendell’s closest allies cannot do that.” She snaps, and Scott shivers. Eloise is always harsh, preferring to terrify potential threats away than calm them. Though, its not often that she has to bring up their allies to send merchants down the hill, towards town.

Scott opens the door, ready to call Eloise off, when he sees him.

Jimmy stands in the doorway, nervously holding his hands in the air. He wears the stupid codfather head, but he also glows in the light of the early morning golden hour. The snow glitters around, and the fish hybrid shivers in the wind, but Scott can’t help but to blink. It’s too early to form thoughts about this.

Aoer he’s got it bad for this man.

“Stand down, Eloise.” Scott says, finally find his voice, though its stuck in his throat and he’s not going to be able to speak to Jimmy in private if he’s asked to. “He’s a guest here.”

“Of course, your highness.” Eloise says, lifting her hand from her sword. “Shall I escort him to your office?”

“There’s no need, we’ll be in the front parlor.” Scott smiles, and Eloise glares at him for a split second before she steps aside.

“Enter, Codfather.” She says, her voice saccharine. 

“Uh, thank you?” Jimmy says, walking into Scott’s home. Eloise rolls her eyes, shutting the doors behind him.

“I’m sorry about her.” Scott says. “She’s at the end of her shift. I assume your night guards are like her?”

“Um, sure.” Jimmy says. “They’re certainly something.”

“If they’re rude to you, you ought to fire them.” Scott says, but Jimmy doesn’t seem to be listening to him.

“It’s beautiful in here.” Jimmy’s voice is barely audible, a breath on the wind, but Scott’s filled with pride anyway.

Jimmy looks over the intricate carvings on the archways, the gilded railings that lead to the higher levels. The codfather runs his hands reverently over the embroidered tablecloths, as though nothing in his home is worth even the silver stitchwork. It fills Scott with a subtle pride, though his house doesn’t look lived in - what with the maids and cleaners ensuring that nothing is ever out of place, that dust never settles on the rafters, let alone the tables - Jimmy now knows that Scott could afford to take care of him, to give him a life that's more than comfortable.

“What’s this?” Jimmy asks, and Scott walks towards his potential partner. “It’s beautiful.”

The golden statue of Aeor rests on the mantle, glittering in the light. Jimmy holds onto his clothes, as though he doesn’t want to touch it. Scott fights back a soft smile at the gesture, its kind of the man to do, even if unnecessary. Aoer would not care if one of his statues was touched, even if it were touched by someone who knows not of the god.

“It’s a statue my parents gave me” Scott says. “It’s supposed to keep me and my loved ones safe while I’m at home.”

“This is your house?” Jimmy gawks. “These two rooms are as large as my entire house.”

Scott winces, turning to avoid offending Jimmy. Why would the founder of an empire live in a hut? Sausage and Fwip built their castles outside of the town that they were given to rule over, why didn’t Jimmy build himself a castle, something fit for someone his stature.

Jimmy deserves better.

“It is my house.” Scott admits. “I built it myself, when my parents told me that I was their heir.”

“Did they?” Jimmy asks, something sad infecting his tone. “That must be nice, your design skills are impeccable.”

Scott flushes a deep crimson, blinking a few times as Jimmy giggles. That damned giggle, that mad Scott stumble over his feet as they danced during the ball, the one that makes the words solidify in his throat, that he can’t get a single syllable out. He can’t even think, just focusing on that giggle.

“Do people not compliment your builds often?” Jimmy asks, cocking his head to the side, and Scott catches a glimpse of Jimmy’s eyes.

Ocean blue, and full of mischief.

“Not to my face.” Scott lies, not wanting to vocalise the words that fight to escape his throat. “Can I ask why you’ve come over? I’m fine with this being a social visit, of course, but we’ve never exactly had those.”

“I wanted to apologise for the ball.” Jimmy says, so quietly that Scott’s heart shatters.

“You have nothing to apologise for.” Scott says, softly, ever so softly. He needs to reassure Jimmy. No one should sound that upset with themselves over a party that they didn’t even ruin. “You made my night, it was nice to dance with you.”

“I promise that I would see you soon, after that dance.” Jimmy says. “And I didn’t. I’m sorry, King of Rivendell, please accept this gift as an apology, even if you do not accept the apology.”

And Jimmy offers him a flowering blue orchid, growing in a small, hand painted pot. It’s a strong plant, the soil is wet and the flowers bright. The pot has green paint around the borders, and a silver ribbon is wrapped around the pot, tied in a neat bow.

“It’s beautiful.” Scott says, carefully taking it from Jimmy. “How do I care for it?”

“Strong light, high humidity, periods of dry soil altered with periods of heavy watering and airflow around the roots.” Jimmy says, and Scott can hear the smile in his voice. “I’m sure you’ll be able to care for it well.”

“What if I kill it?”

“Then I’ll bring you a new one.” Jimmy offers, watching as Scott carefully puts it on one of his tables. Scott watches the cod hybrid rub his arms, as though he was cold, but its rather warm in Scott’s home - kept a perfect temperature for everyone, so why would Jimmy be cold?

“You alright?” Scott asks, looking at Jimmy. “You’re rubbing your arms.”

“It’s a bit cold in here.” Jimmy sounds embarrassed, and Scott watches as he nervously shifts his balance. “It’s alright though, I’ll be fine.”

“You’re from the swamp.” Scott realises aloud. “Take my cloak, as recognition of my forgiveness.”

Scott takes his cloak off, handing it to Jimmy. Jimmy holds it as though its made of the most precious material, running his fingers over the stitching in a way that screams reverence. As though this cloak means something else, something more to Jimmy. 

Scott didn’t just intrude on some Cod Empire custom, did he?

“I can’t accept this.” Jimmy says, pushing the cloak back into Scott’s hands. “It’s too good for you to hand away. I’ll be alright, keep your cloak.”

Scott frowns for a moment, the cloak in his hands. Jimmy is a guest, not even an elf who could adapt to the cold quickly, and he’s a cod hybrid. He needs the warmth, he’ll get sick rather quickly if he doesn’t accept the cloak. Then Lizzie would kill Scott, and take back her blessing. Not only that, but it could take months for Jimmy to heal. So Scott needs to improvise.

Without thinking, Scott wraps his cloak around Jimmy’s shoulders, pulling the other man close to him as he does the top button up, taking care to ensure that he doesn’t damage the silk thread that keeps the button on. He can hear Jimmy’s breathing hitch as he does, and Scott looks down into the man's eyes, watching as something unreadable passes through them.

“Now you’ll remain warm.” Scott says, slightly breathless as he steps back.

 Jimmy looks up at Scott, and pulls the cloak closer around his shoulders. The cod hybrid steals Scott’s breath away, even though Scott can’t see his face. The cloak pools at the floor around Jimmy’s feet, the arm holes slightly too low to be practical, but he looks stunning anyways.

“Could I offer you tea, or breakfast?” Scott asks, standing in front of a plush armchair. It’s his favourite chair, though due to the fact that it’s situated in the front parlor he doesn’t use it often.

“I had breakfast before I came, but tea would be nice.” Jimmy says. 

“I’ll have that arranged, if you want to take a seat?” Scott says, smiling. He waits for a moment, as Jimmy chooses a seat, before he walks into the back parlor.

Scott quickly crosses into the kitchen, watching as one of the chefs jump in surprise. He’s already had breakfast, and it’s far earlier than he would normally arrive for a snack or a break from meetings with stuffy officials. Scott offers them an apologetic smile, and they roll their eyes, smiling at him.

“How can I help you, your highness?” They ask, turning away from kneading the bread.

“Could I bother you for some tea?”

“Meeting’s going that poorly?” They ask, washing their hands in the sink as they turn on the redstone kettle.

“I have a guest over, and he asked for some?” Jimmy deserves nice tea, and Scott hopes he’ll like it.

“The codfather’s over for a social visit?” They ask, incredulous. “You never have social visits, let alone with one of our allies' enemies.”

“He’s nice.” Scott says, watching as they pour the tea into two tea cups. “I’d like him as an ally.”

“Considering how Arel saw you put your cloak on him, I think you’d like him as more than just an ally, your highness.” They smirk, putting four biscuits on a tray. “Are you able to carry this out yourself or do you need someone to supervise the pair of you?”

“You aren’t my father, Cyran, nor my mother.” Scott says. “I can carry this, and we don’t need a supervisor.”

“Don’t make a mess of the front parlor, my lord.” They tease, passing Scott the tray. “I may not be your parents, may Aeor guide them, but I am your eldest member of staff. You were so young when I was bought onto the staff, you’re still the boy who hide behind my skirt from your tutors.”

“Please stop telling people about that.” Scott mumbles, embarrassed.

“Stop leaving your guest unattended. It’s rude.” They say, ushering Scott to the door. “I don’t want you back here until your guest has left, Scott.”

And they shut the door on Scott, making him laugh silently. Of course they kick him out to attend to the guests, they’re so stubborn. He should give them a raise.

Scott carefully carries the tray of drinks and biscuits through the back parlor, silently opening the door to navigate to where Jimmy sits. Jimmy’s looking out of the front window, watching as Rivendell bustles about as families take their children to school and adults attend to their jobs. The sun beams down, reflecting off of the snow and casting a glow into the front parlor, just as Scott intended when he designed the build. Scott places the tray down, startling Jimmy.

“Thank you.” Jimmy says, as Scott passes him a cup. “I’m not keeping you from anything, am I?”

“Not at all.” Scott lies through his teeth. His guards will inform the advisors that he’s busy, after all. Potential allies are more important than sitting through another meeting that leads to nowhere. “Am I keeping you from anything?”

“Nothing that I can’t get done later.” Jimmy takes a sip of his tea. “This is amazing.”

“Thank you.” Scott smiles. “Are you doing anything important tomorrow? I have a meeting after lunch that I must attend, but I would love to give you a tour of Rivendell.”

“I have a meeting with Fwip tomorrow.” Jimmy says, and Scott’s heart stops. “I’m going to his base to arrange a trade agreement, but maybe next Wednesday?”

“Did Fwip arrange the meeting?”

“He did.” Jimmy nods. “I don’t want to spark a war between us by entering the Grimlands uninvited.”

“Do you know what you’re going to ask him for?” Scott says, ignoring the pit beginning to form in his stomach. Fwip is something, an enemy of the Cod Empire and someone who believes that Jimmy is Aeor’s champion, which means he could harm Jimmy.

But it’s just a trade meeting, and Fwip has honour. He wouldn’t harm Jimmy during a peaceful meeting.

“Probably some gunpowder.” Jimmy shrugs, before a ring sounds from his pocket. “Oh, I’m sorry!” Jimmy pulls out his communicator, looking at the caller id before wincing.

“Something the matter?”

“I was supposed to meet with Joel now.” Jimmy winces. “I should go.”

Jimmy moves to take the cloak off, but Scott stops him, gently moving the other rulers hands from the button. Jimmy looks up at Scott, and though Scott can’t see Jimmy’s face, he can tell the codfather’s surprised.

“Keep it.” Scott murmurs. “You can return it when you come back for the tour.”

“Thank you.” Jimmy says, taking his hands from Scott’s. “I’ll see you next week.”

“I’ll see you then.” Scott smiles, walking Jimmy to the door. “Fly safely.”

“I will.” Jimmy says, walking away from Scott’s home.

Scott shuts the door, leaning on it with a sigh. Something isn’t right about this, something is so intrinsically wrong with Fwip inviting Jimmy to his empire for a meeting that Scott’s stomach turns with fear for the other man. Jimmy’s naive, the ruler of the youngest empire in this world. Even Shubble’s empire is older - just from a different dimension. Scott needs to ask Aeor to protect Jimmy. Surely they will.

Scott wonders if Jimmy liked the bouquet of roses that he left for him.

#in my dreams (will you remember me?) #imd(wyrm) #flower husbands #empires smp fic #longer chapter pog #calm before the storm

[kagrenacs]

Explaining the Iceberg #4

I covered most things in this, but not everything. Every previous post I’ve made describing the tes iceberg I found on google image search can be found here x

Lorkhan’s purposeful failure: Lorkhan was the first spirit to go beyond the universe to see the tower, but didn’t achieve CHIM. He likely did this on purpose to show others how not to do it, and to demonstrate that it was difficult for et’ada to achieve this state because they simply don’t have the boundaries (such as death) that mortals do.

The World-Egg: The universe and the 12 previous Kalpas, everything within existence

The Khajiit Tower: this reddit thread https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/3oh7wf/the_khajiit_tower/ for everyone’s sake i’ll spare you the details of Jungian psychology, TL;DR the khajiit are a ‘tower’ made to hold up the universe and aspects of this

The Grabbers: Mentioned in the 36 lessons, a race of people in Lyg who are said to ‘have never built a city of their own’ there are theories that these are in fact Magne-Ge, due to their connection to Lyg by Mehrunes Dagon

AE: ‘is’ in ehlnofex, can be interpreted as a state of being

Shezzar became Akatosh: The only solid reference i could find was this thread, that immediately discusses how this is probably incorrect http://www.gamesas.com/could-lorkhan-have-jyggalag-t74581-25.html

The Monkey-Truth: Markuth’s teachings, also a website of tes fanfiction writers and roleplayers 

Red Moment: The potential Dragon Break at Red Mountain

The Provisional House: Mentioned in the 36 Lessons, called ‘a space that is not a space’ that Vivec observes the events of Nirn from. It may possibly protect Vivec from dangers associated with this.

Alandro Sul: The Shield-Companion to Nerevar. Sometimes called ‘the immortal-son of Azura’. After being blinded by Wulfharth, he went to live with the Ashlanders of Vvardenfell and is credited with spreading the idea that the Tribunal killed Nerevar

CHIM: To put simply, the process and state where a person realizes their place within the universe and is able to manipulate the laws of the universe as they see fit. Often associated with the concept of ‘Love’

Skaal Secrets: Discussed in the Dragonborn DLC, it’s unknown what their secrets are, but the Skaal report that they’ve kept them a secret from Hermaeus Mora for generations

The World’s Teeth: Mentioned in the 36 lessons of Vivec, sermon 17. Vivec takes Nerevar to the edge of the world, where they see ‘the bottom row of the world’s teeth’ as Vivec states. This may possibly reference a glitch in Redguard. (as a side note: The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, a game that’s confirmed to have taken inspiration from the Elder Scrolls, has an area on the map, near the edge of the world with a row of spikes similar to what’s described here. This might be just coincidence, but I sure enjoy it)

Dagoth Ur’s Endgame: Speculation on what Dagoth Ur’s final plans actually are. He speaks of his desire to remove the Empire from Morrowind, and unite the Dunmer under the 6th House, but beyond that there’s little to go off of.  Ultimately this is just speculation and theories, mostly on what he plans to do with the Anumidium, and how that could possibly have adverse affects on reality.

Pelinal Cyborg from the Future: Another bit of obscure MK lore that’s not implemented in-game. This derives from the description of Pelinal having a ‘left hand made of a killing light’  ‘PELIN-EL [which is] "The Star-Made Knight" [and he] was arrayed in armor [from the future time].’ and his survival of being decapitated. While the text directly states he is from the future, there’s no ingame canon text stating he is a cyborg.

Reymon Ebonarm is Reman: The thought that Ebonarm, a God of War is the same person as Reman, emperor of Cyrodiil. There’s several theories dedicated to this, with different variants on the specifics.

The Enantiomorph: Directly tied to the concept of mantling and the Fourth Walking Way. Put simply, there are three participants in this. Two combatants who are very much alike and trying to become the ‘Ruling King’ and an observer who determines who wins, this observer usually becomes maimed as a result of this. 

The Third Moon: Two different things, a metaphorical or literal secret moon important to the Khajiit that only appears when Masser and Secunda are aligned, preceding the birth of a Mane. The second option is the Necromancer’s Moon, the godly form of Mannimarco.

The Walkabout: A concept in Yokudan religion. The process of spirits surviving one Kalpa to the next, facilitated by Tall Papa

White-Gold Doomsday device: I remember reading this theory a few years back, unfortunately I cannot find the exact page for the life of me. The Tl;DR on this is the White-Gold Tower is a weapon of mass destruction, either literally or in metaphysical terms (being connected to Akatosh and it’s status as a Tower). The closest thing I can find to it is this thread which describes the motives of Umbra in the novels, and how it could potentially take over Tamriel using the White-Gold Tower http://www.gamesas.com/doomsday-scenario-t69430.html

Jiub was the Nerevarine: Self explanatory, headcanon that Jiub was the Nerevarine, similar to a headcanon on tumblr that stated Teldryn Sero was the Nerevarine

House Dwemer: Mentioned as a House within The War of the First Council (which is written by an Imperial for Western Scholars) and The Lost Prophecy (written by a Dunmer) This could be interpreted in a couple different ways. A) The first book was certainly written for western readers, while there is no evidence for this being the case for the latter, it can’t be ruled out. ‘House’ is used as a simplification B) The Dwemer were considered a house, but perhaps not in the way we would initially think (being on the Great House Council)  They were grouped into a singular entity, rather than distinct clans within a cultural group (either during the First Council or posthumously) 

When Dead Gods Dream: https://www.imperial-library.info/content/when-dead-gods-dream referencing this thread. Discusses the mechanisms of Dagoth Ur’s godhood, the thread explains it better than I can here, TL;DR Dagoth Ur is not alive, but he is within the realms of gods and therefor is able to ‘project’ himself onto Tamriel and the minds of his followers.

Khajiit ended the Metheric Era: Nothing found for this

Parabolic Kalpa: A parabola is a symmetrical U-shaped curve. This theory essentially tries to explain why Skyrim is so low magic, compared to it’s history or even ESO. The thought is that as time goes on, the world becomes less connected to Divinity. Towers are destroyed and the gods are gone, but eventually things will begin to kick off again, and there will be a rise in magic, technology and the connection to these beings. Essentially tries to explain why C0da and Loveletter from the 5th era are more high magic compared to the actual games. 

Sithis: Secret Lesson from Vivec: Connects the both Sithis with the 36 lessons by terminology (The Sharmat, false dreamer ect.) and proposes Vivec may have written the book

Bendu Olo: Colovian King, may have been related to Olaj Olo, nordic demigod of mead. Also used as a placeholder name for the player character in Oblivion and the name of the dev’s test character in Skyrim

Trinimac still lives: An ESO lorebook states the Ashpit, realm of Malacath, extends into Aetherius. Some orcs also believe Malacath is nothing more than a demon presenting himself as the remnants of Trinimac. A r/teslore theory states that Malacath wears two faces. While I assume this is the Iceberg author’s sole reference, I propose this could (should) refer to another theory. (Another theory is similar to this on teslore, proposed around the same time, but this one connects the dots)  https://boethiah.tumblr.com/post/621058598373588993/tsun-is-the-shield-brother-of-shor-and-trinimac 

The Aedra are Dead: Seemingly a common topic on teslore. A basic concept in tes, the Aedra gave most of their powers to Mundus to stabilize it.  Their bodies remain as planets, and they can only have limited interactions with Nirn. 

Divayth Fyr was the Hero of Battlespire: An old theory that looks at artifacts in Divayth Fyr’s possession and ties them back to the tes spinoff Battlespire. There are holes in this theory (Divayth Fyr was a seasoned mage at the time the hero was an apprentice)

Three Talin’s: The default name given to the Eternal Champion is Talin, a character creation scenario proposes that their father was also named Talin, and finally Uriel Septim VII’s general was named Talin Warhaft.

Pelagius I was killed by the Underking: The Arcturian Heresy states that the Underking appeared as an advisor to Pelagius I, who was assassinated by the Dark Brotherhood. This theory is a possibility considering the amminosity between Tiber Septim and both components of the Underking. 

Tsaesci Goa’uld: Goa’uld are a species from Stargate that are parasites towards humans. This theory proposes that the Tsaesci are similar, explaining the inconsistencies of their appearance within the lore.

Lunar currency: The thought that the Aedra and Daedra use mortal souls like currency

Historic Star Inconsistencies: Possibly referring to the variations of the number of days within the year in Arena, not sure about this one

Mnemoli/Star Orphans:Mnemoli is either a specific Magne-Ge (spirits that fled the creation of Mundus after Magnus), or a group of them that only appears during a Dragon Break (often nicknamed the ‘Blue Star’) MK states that they’re the writers and distributors of the physical Elder Scrolls (however this contradicts ingame books, so take it with a grain of salt). Star Orphans may or may not refer to Magne-Ge as a whole. Vehk’s book of hours state's them as a ‘group or tribe’ regardless, Mnemoli falls under this secondary classification (along with Merid-Nuda and Xero-Lyg, I have my own thoughts on this which would be better explained in another post) 

Bosmer Hircine worship: Seemingly referring to a thread on 4pleb, I will not be summarizing this theory here because I’m smart and not going onto 4pleb of all places. But from canon content, Bosmer do not worship Hircine, and consider him a force that goes against Y’ffre and wants to return everything to it’s original state of chaos before the earthbones (Y’ffre being among them) stabilized things 

Septimus Signus Zero Sum: The theory that the aforementioned zero-summed at the end of Discerning the Transmundane in Skyrim. Essentially Septimus is in a fragile state, delving into the secrets of the universe and is being pushed by Hermaeus Mora, who may see him as a lab rat, into discovering things he isn’t meant to handle as a mortal, and consequently Zero-Sums. There’s holes in this, namely Zero-Summing supposedly removes all trace of existence. 

The Soft Doctrines of Magnus Invisible: A very obscure text by Douglas Goodall, discusses the binding of various gods

Abnegaurbic creed: An overly fancy word basically meaning religious beliefs, seen in Nu-Hattia Exerpt 

Dunmereth: A Nordic term for the area of Morrowind, during their occupation of it

Fifteen-and-One Golden Tones: A Dwemer term, possibly referring to the spheres of the Daedra, counting Sheo/Jyggalag as a singular entity. Also, the Dwemer swear by these 

Ideal Masters are God of Worms remnants: As Mannimarco is often said to be the first Lich, the existence of the ideal masters seems to contradict this (similar story with Azidal) this tries to rectify this by proposing that the Soul Carin is the Necromancer’s Moon, and the ideal masters are remnants of Mannimarco. This theory doesn’t hold up when examined, but is cool nonetheless. 

Sermon 37: Found in ESO, an extra sermon to the 36 lessons, ties in concepts present in c0da like amaranth. (interestingly on this list Sermon Zero is never mentioned, despite it being older and more interesting imo, but to discuss that would require lots of work)

Flying Whales: Mentioned in Aldudagga. A now extinct species. The bone bridge of Sovngarde could potentially be a reference to this.

Joy-Snow: It’s cocaine 

Mankar=Tharn: A theory that Mankar Cameron is Jagar Tharn, doesn’t hold much weight and relies mostly on the connection of Mehrunes Dagon

Sharmat: A term used to describe Dagoth Ur, an opposite to the Hortator, a force uniting people for evil. Implied to mean or be associated with ‘the False Dreamer’ a person whose view of the universe is similar to someone whose achieved CHIM, but sees themself as the center of it all, rather than a droplet in the ocean of the universe.

Pankratosword: A forbidden Yokudan sword technique that could ‘cut atoms’ similar to our modern day Nuclear Fission. A bit of etymology here, ‘Pankrato’ seems to refer to the word ‘Pankrator’ meaning all-powerful or almighty. 

Landfall: A concept from MK, a future event where Nirn is destroyed by the Numidium, and the people remaining relocate to the moons. 

Cylarne: The oldest ruin in the Shivering Isles, rumored to be the original capital. Home to the Cold Flame of Agnon

#long post #tes iceberg #that picture of vivec is how i'm feeling after 12 hours of studying for my final and writing this

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch 97

We are inching closer and closer to the moment we’ve been waiting for in this story arc!  As a result, you may notice the chapters getting longer.

No worries, though. We will return to your regularly schedule fluff and nonsense soon enough ;)

Thanks go out to @baelpenrose, @zommbiebro, and @creakingcryptid for giving me such amazing ideas and characters to play with in this chapter, and extra thanks to Bael for beta reading and helping with this chapter and a few more to come.

The next gathering of Jokul’s ‘followers’ was roughly a week away.  I tried my hardest to focus on work, and if Tyche noticed that I was asking to spar much more than usual, she didn’t say anything about it. Maverick and Conor avoided asking about what happened at my meeting with Antoine, instead putting their energy into making sure I remembered to eat in the midst of everything.  I was more than halfway convinced that they were conspiring with Charly and Alistair, as well, due to the sheer volume of attempts made to offer me food while I was at work.

Further worsening my anxiety was the fact that I had no clue how much of it Xiomara knew.  She had been adamant that I keep my nose out of things, but here I was, neck deep in intrigue.  There was no way of telling in our day to day interactions, since she was as inscrutable as ever - businesslike and brisk in Council meetings, relaxed and friendly outside of work.  Even as I reminded myself that speaking about things openly would endanger me again, along with Antoine this time, I still found myself frustrated beyond belief. At no point in my life had I so much as fleetingly wanted to be, much less imagined being, a spy and yet here I was.

Halfway through my shift the day of the gathering, I sent a grateful Alistair home.  I wasn’t at all fooled by his forced patience: he had been one breath away from throwing a cup at me all morning.  Once he left, I signalled Simon, Arthur, and Parvati to my office. Ostensibly, this was a discussion of the potential for new Galactic courses being added to the curriculum.

In reality, we were planning a war of sorts.

Once everyone was seated, I nervously cleared my throat. “So, I know I invited you all here to discuss possibly adding Galactic Art History electives.  And I swear, that is actually on the books to discuss.” Carefully, I pulled out a device identical to the one I had seen Xiomara use, and switched it on. Simon’s eyes widened, while Parvati’s rolled freely. Arthur didn’t so much as blink. “Everything we are about to discuss stays in this room, no exceptions. I am not sure how much of this Xiomara knows, and nobody but us will know the entire plan. Is that understood?” I waited for confirmation before I continued. Once I had it, I took a deep breath and soldiered on. “Tonight, the four of us will be attending a gathering of Jokul Bjornson and his followers. I am doing this at the request of a member of that organization, whom I trust with not only my life but those of this entire ship.  However, contrary to past actions, I’m not an idiot. I negotiated to have someone there as backup, someone unknown to the member of that organization and unknown to be aligned with me.”

“We’re all three associated with you,” Simon ventured slowly. “Openly, even.”

I nodded. “Arthur will be in disguise. I’ve seen it, it’s good. I didn’t even recognize him.”

“But you need all three,” Parvati eyed me carefully.

“Simon is a decoy: someone known to be associated with me, very recognizable,” I gestured to him. “However, Simon, I just need you to be yourself, ask questions, look interested. If you see me, ignore me openly. Worst case scenario they will either ask you to leave or be forced to let you stay as my ‘backup’, okay?”

He nodded firmly with a determined look on his face. “I can do that.”

“Awesome,” I smiled before turning to Parvati. “Parvati, you’ll be the wild card. Yes, you are dating my fellow Councilor. However, you are also well known for speaking against the status quo, and that’s what this bunch thinks they are doing. Dazzle, keep your ears open, and keep them confused if you are there as my backup or not. Got it?”

She nodded solemnly before flashing a grin. “Performance art. I like it.”

I winked at her. “Got it in one. Arthur will be my actual back up, in disguise, being disgustingly friendly and agreeable with Jokul’s followers to the extent he can keep from vomiting. Something isn’t right in this so-called organization, so the goal behind this meeting is that my contact thinks that they and myself can talk some sense into Jokul.”

“Good luck on that,” Arthur muttered.

 That evening, Antoine and I approached the location where Jokul’s ‘followers’ were gathering.  Despite myself, I expected it to be some secret, dimly lit and clandestine location in the lower levels of the ship, near the Archives.  My mind even supplied it with a dirt floor and flickering torches, cult members gathered in robes, muttering chants or prayers.  Exactly one of those things was accurate, and I was surprised even that much was.  We arrived on one of the lower levels, at least. But we arrived at a rarely-used general mess.

Jokul’s group was gathering in a public cafeteria. It didn’t even have doors.

I bit back a groan and made a mental note to let Xiomara know her intelligence agents sucked.  Anyone could have just wandered past here, found them, and been done with this entire situation.  I scolded myself and focused on the fact that anti-climactic was good.  Less hurty, less dying involved.

Casually, I glanced around the room, making sure to take everything in and not let my gaze stop on any one person.  I had to trust that the others either had already arrived or would soon enough. “This isn’t quite what I expected,” I told Antoine quietly.

He smiled. “You have a very active imagination, so I am sure the reality did not measure up.”

“I’m going to remember that comment. My ‘active imagination’ is where some of your favorite meals come from.”

“So long as I am invited to family dinners again, I will eat whatever you put in front of me,” he sighed before glancing over his shoulder when a peal of laughter rang through the air.

Following his line of sight, I saw exactly what I expected: Parvati, this time in white slacks and a sweeping purple vest with gold details, holding court and charming suspicious cult members with what I presumed were tales of her days abolishing institutions. “Somehow I am not surprised she is here,” I muttered.

“She is dating Xiomara, is she not?”

“I think so? They don’t talk about it much,” I shrugged before reminding him. “However, she also was a guerilla protest artist and very vocal opponent of both the Baconists and the plutocracy.”

He arched a brow at me. “Is she the person you insisted on bringing?”

“I’m not even sure she can fight,” I evaded carefully. “And I would hardly invite someone so high-profile to be my super-secret back up.”

“Hmm,” he mused before just a bare hint of a smile. “No, but she is a wonderful distraction.”

He’s on your side, I reminded myself as an icy trickle of fear shot between my shoulderblades. “She’s not my back up plan, Antoine.”

That annoying half-smile stuck around, unfortunately. However, before he could say anything, a booming voice rang out. “Sophia Reid!  How daring that you walk directly in here, like a rabbit wandering into a wolf’s den!” I cringed at the awkward simile. He was trying so hard to be impressive. “Have you finally swallowed your cowardice and come to confront me without your human shields to save you?”

As Jokul approached, I glanced at Antoine.  Before I could say anything, I was cut off. “Oh no, Sophia, Antoine Costa is mine now. I have prized him away from your side, showing him the truth of what you are doing to him and everyone on this ship.”

“Feeding them?” I asked in confusion, leading to a scowl from Antoine. “What!?”

“Jokul, I brought Sophia here so the two of you could speak, face to face. My hope is, if the two of you understand each other better, this conflict can be resolved,” Antoine explained in his most calming, matter of fact tone.

Jokul spoke again, but I barely paid attention. I was distracted by a rolling gait rapidly approaching, paired with an ominous and excited - gods I hope that’s just excitement - chuckle. If “Solozo” wasn’t rubbing his hands together in pure glee, I knew he at least wanted to. “ - cannot even deign to pay attention to her betters!”

I snapped my gaze up to his face, which had nearly purpled in rage. “I sincerely apologize,” I ground out. “I have hearing problems, actually, so I was trying to figure out what you were saying without asking you to repeat yourself. It’s embarrassing when I have to do that, honestly.” I frowned and tilted my head to emphasize my point. “It helps if you speak slower and don’t raise your voice, unfortunately.”

Jokul startled, though whether it was at my admission of a potential weakness or the fact that I had pretty much asked him to talk to me like I was an idiot, I wasn’t sure. Gathering himself and resetting the sneer on his face, he carefully enunciated. “There is no conflict to resolve.  You want to be a tyrant, and this harmless mask you wear will not fool anyone for much longer.”

He really did think he was the hero, and my heart actually broke a little bit. “All I want to do is meet with you, in relative privacy. You and me, obviously, and two witnesses each to prevent any accusations of undue influence. You pick yours, I pick mine. And we talk.  Just that.” I tried. I really did.

“Pah!” he spat. “So you can try to poison me with your words like you have so many?” The irony of that statement actually caused me physical pain when I restrained my laughter. “If you want to negotiate with me, you may either surrender and step down from Council and any other positions of leadership, or you can fight me as equals.”

Before I could respond, laughter erupted to my left. When I turned toward the sound in time to see Solozo bracing himself on my shoulder with one hand, the other clenching his chest. “I can’t, I just can’t… Stop, please.  This is… Fuck. Just stop. Oh gods,” he gasped for a couple breaths before standing straighter. “I just can’t keep watching this. For starters, ‘equals’ is not the same thing as ‘intelligent woman who got elected without her knowledge and the moron who saw Vikings and based his whole life and personality around it. Number one. Number two, she came in here offering an olive branch, and you are reacting with fucking claymores. Very tacky. I’ll offer you one better, though: I heard from your followers here - they are chatty, by the way, wow - that you want to fight Sophia Reid’s pet warlord.”  He stood back and spread his arms. “I’m right here.”

Jokul looked confused, and I admit it was a fair reaction. Arthur still had his prosthetic stomach on, along with his makeup. To add to the air of ‘slob’, his button-down shirt was now untucked and hanging up to show an undershirt. “This? This is your champion, Sophia?”

Arthur glared before glancing down. “Right, you still think I’m overweight.” He reached behind his back and under his shirt slightly before the stomach deflated.  After tugging it loose and dropping it, he tried again. “I am Arthur Farro, Warlord of the Pacific Northwest. ‘Solozo’ is just a pseudonym I took from a character in The Godfather, and the fact that literally no one caught me on that says all of you have shit taste in movies.”

“Warlord of the Pacific Northwest?” I hissed. “Really!?”

He shrugged. “Guy’s file says he was a warlord, so it’s worth a shot. Maybe he’s heard of me. Or we had a skirmish.”

Jokul sneered some more, although I was starting to think that was just what his face looked like. “I will fight you, Arthur Farro, if only to show Sophia that she can hide all she wants and it will still never be enough.”

Even Antoine looked pained at the over-the-top antics.  I managed not to roll my eyes. Arthur didn’t even try.  “There is one catch,” he pointed out, holding one hand up to stop Jokul from speaking. “I win, you agree to have that chat Sophia specifically came here for.  If you win, she agrees to step down from the Council.”

I turned, eyes wide in alarm. “I can’t - “

Arthur just grabbed my wrist gently and shook his head. “She’ll step down from the Council if you beat me.”

Jokul considered this before adding, “And all positions of leadership. She can never hold one again.”

“Agreed,” Arthur nodded, sticking his hand out to shake on it.  As soon as that was done, he started to usher me toward the door. “Five days, Joke-kill?”

“It’s Jokul,” he growled. “And five days is suitable.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” I hissed as we made it through the door.

“Five days is traditional, Sophia. Travel time, rest, all that.”

“You are being - “

“Deliberately obtuse, yes. You’ve told me several times on various occasions. That idiot,” he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Doesn’t know you aren’t allowed to just resign from the Council without an elected replacement.  You’ve certainly tried enough times. Second, come ON! You can’t honestly tell me you don’t want to watch me humiliate him in full view of the ship.”

“Oh, this is not going to be public,” I shook my head hard enough to make myself dizzy. “We are keeping this quiet.”

“Which is exactly why everyone will know and want to see it.” When I groaned, he scolded me. “You can’t honestly believe that a challenge that was issued in front of at least a hundred people is actually going to be a secret.”

“Fuuuuuuck,” I groaned loudly.

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#the miys #found family #humans are weird #humans are space orcs #apocalypse #original scifi #original writing #my writing #hfy #humans are space fey #aliens #intrigue

[sdvbrsb]

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[roll-for-world-building]

The actual process of casting the spell Find Familiar requires only that the wizard casting it be able to clearly focus on the form they want their familiar to take, with no impetus or influence upon the wizard to pick one form over another. For many wizards, there is nothing more to the process than choosing which form they like best. Other magical traditions, however, consider the specific form the familiar takes to be important or meaningful enough that the chosen form is determined by a special process, or else by some quality of the wizard or their role in that society.

Among wizards trained at the Academe Arcanum, the form of one’s familiar is a mark of where their particular specialty in magic lies. The first familiar summoning marks the middle-point where a wizard has finished their general studies and is about to begin focusing entirely on the school they have chosen, and their familiar thus becomes a symbol of their commitment to that field. These associations arose from the founding members of the college, with each familiar being linked to the school that their respective wizard was known for.

For all but one school there are two available options; the student chooses the form based upon where their particular talents lie and what they hope to accomplish with their magic. For example, the options for wizards specializing in the school of divination are a bat or an owl. Owl familiars are chosen by those who specialize in divination spells that contact gods and spirits, detect magical energies or foresee the future. Bat familiars are chosen by wizards who wish to focus on divination that interacts with the immediate, physical world, allowing them to locate objects, see through traps or illusions, or commune with the natural world. Necromancy alone has only one potential familiar: the raven. The raven is chosen by those who wish to take the only path of study for necromancy that the college supports, which focuses on communicating with and serving the dead through spells like Speak With Dead, Gentle Repose or Astral Projection. Legend has it that there was another founding member of the college who specialized in all the most forbidden aspects of necromancy, casting curses and raising undead. They were driven out of the college, however, with their teachings abandoned, and whatever form their familiar took has been stricken from history.

Other orders focus less on status and academics and more on the individual wizard when it comes to determining the right familiar. The Wavesingers choose their familiars based upon the star sign they were born under. Wizards of the Wheelstar, whose practices emphasize the importance of being guided by fate, perform a ritual involving the casting of carved bones to determine which familiar they are meant to have. Dwarf wizards (who are more common than most non-dwarves realize) customarily have their familiar chosen for them by their mentor, or sometimes by a presiding council of elders. Different traditional familiars each have certain qualities associated with them, and the mentor or elders will choose based on which qualities they feel the younger wizard has shown during their training.

In societies where magic is heavily present at all areas, the choice of a familiar may take on a significant social meaning. Among drow wizards, for example (which is to say, those who have devoted themselves specifically to the practice of wizardry—nearly all drow know at least a little of the art), the form of one’s familiar shows which group or institution the wizard is a part of. Every noble house has an iconic animal form which all wizards serving that house will use for their familiar, serving as a constant symbol of their loyalty and ties to that house. Likewise, wizards who are in service to their city itself will adopt that city’s symbol for their familiars. Only those who serve in the clergy are allowed the high honor of having a spider as their familiar.

#d&d #dnd #dungeons and dragons #cat: magic (technical) #cat: magic (cultural) #cat: schooling and scholars #ch: academe arcanum founders #org: academe arcanum #org: wavesingers #org: the wheelstar #tag: post series #topic series: familiars #races: dwarves #races: elves #class: wizard

[officialwagnerrant]

Again, Some Lohengrin Thoughts [or: Why Lohengrin is shady af]

Because I heard it for the third time yesterday and today is Official Klaus Florian Vogt Appreciation Day™!!!

So, I saw Lohengrin at the opera yesterday and idk maybe it’s just me but... Lohengrin is kind of a drama queen, isn’t he??? He takes so long to finally arrive at Brabant, if I would have been Elsa I would have had a heart attack before my Knight in Shiny Armour™ had come to safe me lol. 

But anyways, what I actually wanted to talk about is some medieval stuff because Wagner took this plot from several medieval sources and I think knowing a little about this background helps understanding some Details. So, now to some aspects of medieval society, the way how fiefs worked at that time and why this concept makes Lohengrin even more shady than I already considered him.

Why Lohengrin is shady: very short, he arrives in Brabant and the first thing he does is to offer his help under the condition that nobody should ever ask him practically anything of importance. Nobody knows [and is allowed to know] who this knight actually is, and the only “proof” of his supposedly high reputation and good intentions is his victory in the Divine Judgement. 

Sure, you can say that winning a fight because God wants to proof your point must count for something. And it does, after all most people in Brabant are more than ready to follow Lohengrin to war and König Heinrich makes him the Protector of Brabant™. But on the other hand there are some who do not trust him. Yes, these people are the ones who follow Friedrich von Telramund, and the persons who actually voice complaints against Lohengrin are Friedrich himself and his wife Ortrud who mainly want to avenge themselves.

But the arguments they bring forth are super valid, especially in a medieval context. In fact, by now it rather surprises me that anybody trusted Lohengrin ever xD And these arguments are:

Your future husband has no name [none we know of] and no orign. You practically don’t know who he is. He is nobody.

A person you don’t even know has become your feudal lord and now you’re supposed to follow him to war

1. the “he is nobody”-concept

In medieval society the concept of identity was a different one than the one we have now. Our modern identity defines itself by how we differ from others and what makes us as individuals unique. In the Middle Ages, being an individual was far less important than being part of something. [And there are several medieval stories where the loss of identity is caused by loss of status symbols, like knights who lose conciousness and wake up naked and without their armour they do not remember anything of their life before or think it must have been a dream. Because their identity is defined by their status as a knight, and without their weapons and armour they no longer can be knights.] 

You practically defined who you were by the “groups” you were a “member” of. And the first and most important group one belonged to was their family. For nobles, this was even more important as with your familie’s name there also came power and prestige. Others would naturally judge you by it, just as you judged them by their familie’s names. “Nam und Art” [name and orign] were important parts of your identity, if not the most important ones, and therefore they are things you just tell people when you meet them. It means more than just introducing yourself. It means telling people who you actually are.

So, when Ortrud accuses Elsa of knowing literally nothing about her husband, she really got a point there. Lohengrin has told nobody his name or orign, and why should someone with a noble background hide it? [Yes, Lohengrin has his reason, but nobody knows of it!] On the other hand, she emphases that her husband Friedrich has had all this [before he was defeated in the Divine Judgement]: an honored name, a good reputation, a noble orign. The only problem is that he has lost the combat against Lohengrin. 

2. The trust issue in a feudal system that is based on mutuality 

When the herold announces that the unknown man has become his vassal and he gave him Brabant as a fief, Lohengrin is at least clever enough to renounce the title “Duke”, but goes as Protector of Brabant instead. Yet, the oath of fealty between them is a difficult matter. It is not really reliable - as Lohengrin is basically nobody. The king doesn’t know who the man he just gave the fief to really is, and neither do the man’s subjects. And in a system based on mutual trust and loyalty, this might very well become a problem.

If a feudal lord gave a fief to a vassal, the vassal obliges himself to serve his lord - by aiding him in council, handing in taxes, administering the fief area and caring for the people living there. But the lord does not only gain, he also has to give. The lord is obligated to protect his vassals in case of war and to care for them, just as his vassals have to care for their subjects. Of course, they were not equals, the feudal lord was still above his vassals and the vassals above their subjects. But the ones from lower rank still could make claims against their lords, as they owed them protection and care.

Now this whole system is mainly based on mutual trust, as you had to trust your lord/vassal to be loyal to you. And how are the people of Brabant supposed to trust someone they have never met and who does not even tell them his name?

Sure, the audience knows that Lohengrin is good and Ortrud is evil. But from a medieval perspective, Ortrud's accusations against Lohengrin are at least as credible as Lohengrin’s victory in the Divine Judgement. Not telling your name might sound strange to modern recipients, but in a pre-modern society [in which Lohengrin takes place] such behaviour is not only strange but suspicious. Not telling people your “Nam und Art” makes you a nobody, as you apparently do not belong to any social group, and at the same time it makes you suspicious because why should you try and hide your name and your orign? Honorable people with good reputation have no need to hide who they are, so by not telling you lable yourself as a potential criminal, oath breaker, outcast, etc.

Lohengrin is shady. From a modern perspective already, but even more so when you look at him from a medieval point of view. He only can hope that people will trust him because he won the combat in trial. Of course, there will be some people who don’t. If you live in a society where trust and honour are of great importance, it is not bad to be trustworthy and honorable yourself. And hiding who you are does not really help with that.

~ Melian12

#opera #Lohengrin #richard wagner #Lohengrin™ #rant

[rosalind-of-arden]

Sword and Pen Reread, chapter 3

Khalila chapter! With some Santi awesomeness and a couple tantalizing Wolfe tidbits.

Ephemera: Archivist sending out spam mail to anyone who might side with him.

Archivist’s throne is very old and made of wood. Not especially fancy. Or comfortable.

Receiving Hall: a vast marble space with lotus columns marching into the distance.” One automaton: a two-story Horus statue. Throne is on a gold platform on the backs of gold sphinxes. Seven steps up to the throne, four braziers at the platform corners that burn herbs. Some kind of passive cooling in the design. The room is fig enough to hold tens of thousands of people.

Archivists have always been elected by Conclave. 

Conclave consists of thousands of Scholars, tens of thousands of librarians and staff - and this is just those in Alexandria, not counting those working outside Alexandria and anyone who sided with the former administration. So that makes a fairly democratic election - has it always been that way? Probably not?

Not clear if High Garda counts as part of the Conclave or not.

The crowd is parting for Santi and it’s promotion time! This is just such a good moment for him. In Smoke and Iron, he didn’t even feel he could give orders to his own company because he gave up his position to rescue Thomas. He’s got to still be hurting from Zara’s betrayal. But this whole time, the packs has survived in part due to the loyalty he inspired in the High Garda. All the friendships and connections that he built over a 20+ year career have gotten him here. And here’s the payoff. He’s not only restored to his former position, but promoted to the top of the High Garda.

The first two members of the new Curia, Murasaki and Santi, are people who, in one way or another, refused to participate in the old administration’s corruption. They’re both respected for being good at their jobs and they both get along well with the people who work with them. That’s the kind of leadership the new Library chooses right after throwing the corrupt Curia out.

Santi’s oath: “I swear to serve the Great Library with body, mind, and blood for as long as it pleases the Archivist. I swear to defend it against all enemies, within and without. I swear to uphold the laws and covenants of the Great Library, and when ordered to direct and lead the High Garda in battle. I swear to protect knowledge and its servants wherever they may be threatened.”

I am totally writing a fic in which Santi gives Wolfe a modified, more personal version of this oath. When? It’s hectic for a while after they run in Paper and Fire, then Santi’s injured... maybe in the camp after Philly? Or later, after they rescue Wolfe in Smoke and Iron, before the battle? Or maybe they did this ages ago - they might not want to get married, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have sexy, sexy loyalty oaths.

Another thing that needs to happen in fic? Wolfe and Santi borrowing the throne room for some roleplay. You know Santi would enjoy kneeling with Wolfe on that throne.

Lord Commander’s promotion is voted on by the captains of the High Garda.

“Partner for years, though I don’t believe they have formally married.” A few things here. First, this is an insight into how relationships are viewed. Wolfe and Santi, as we know, think of each other as partners and lovers; those are the words they use to describe their relationship, and they seem to use those terms interchangeably, with equal weight (they might use “lover” more? don’t have digital copies to search it). Khalila, however, feels the need to clarify that they are “more than that” when Saleh asks if Santi is Wolfe’s lover. So there’s an increased degree of respect for a long-term partnership, and Khalila wants to make sure Wolfe and Santi get that.

But also, notice Khalila’s qualification that she doesn’t “believe” Wolfe and Santi have formally married. That means they could very well be married and not have told her, or anyone else. Khalila’s the fucking Archivist’s assistant now and she’s known Wolfe and Santi for over a year, so by the standards of our world, it would be really weird for her to not be 100% sure whether Wolfe and Santi are married. Could be a bit of rhetorical humility on her part, sure, but it also implies a certain level of privacy. Is that an indication that Alexandrian culture treats relationship status as something private in general? Or a sign that Wolfe and Santi are unusually private about the details of their relationship?

And also, “formally married.” As contrasted with what, informal marriage? Which would be common law marriage. So we can say common law marriage is an option in Alexandria, and given how long they’ve been together, there’s a pretty good chance that Wolfe and Santi are common law married. But if they are, they’re not saying so.

And, yeah, gay marriage as a legal thing in Alexandria is totally confirmed.

So put all this together, and we have a bit of a social hierarchy of relationships. We might have a higher expectation of privacy surrounding relationships. Or we might just have Wolfe and Santi, within this system that’s totally open to gay marriage, being rather queer in how they define their relationship. They’re 100% committed to each other, but they’ve opted out of formal marriage, they keep their relationship private, and they call each other lovers even though they could use language that implies a higher level of commitment.

Wolfe talked to Santi while hallucinating in prison. Wolfe was even less ok there than we saw in Smoke and Iron. This wouldn’t be his first time hallucinating Santi - he did it in Rome, too.

 And Saleh heard it. If Saleh heard him, so did others there. Wolfe is not going to be happy about that when/if he finds out. Santi is going to be worried as fuck if he finds out, too.

Saleh is worried about Wolfe. Maz, do something with this please.

Wolfe isn’t there for the big oath-taking ceremony. Yes, hunting the ex-Archivist is important, but is there more to it? Consider his discomfort with the Scholars in chapter 1, and his later discomfort with the Curia. Would he be comfortable standing there with all these people who did nothing when he was taken and swearing loyalty to the Library with them? Or even Murasaki herself - she said she knew Wolfe, well enough that she was worried she would be targeted when Wolfe disappeared. And as far as we know, she didn’t do anything to help him. He might feel the same about her as the rest of the new Curia.

High Garda captains take their oaths individually. Scholars, librarians, and soldiers take oaths as a group.

The Alexandrian Merchant Council is a political organization of some sort that Murasaki has to meet with. For those looking to develop Alexandrian politics more.

Oath for Scholars, librarians, soldiers: “In the name of sacred knowledge, in the eyes of every god in every corner of this world, I swear my allegiance to the Great Library of Alexandria. I swear to protect the knowledge of this world against all enemies, within and without. I swear to nurture and share such knowledge with all who wish to learn. I swear to live, teach, preserve, study, fight, and die in this cause.”

Khalila worries that Eskander might not be planning to swear allegiance to the Library. She’s also worried he has too much power. Post-canon conflict potential?

Murasaki says the Library will protect the Archives “as we have for three thousand years.” Just in case we needed yet another number to throw around when discussing Library timelines.

Cleaning and catering services are based in the middle level of the Serapeum.

Career servants get silver collars.

The ambassadors are in the “Seventh Great Room.” Its a big room with windows and lots of seating. Just for an idea of the capacity of the Serapeum for meetings.

#sword and pen reread #the great library #long post

[courtingstars]

Notes for The Vanishing Prince, Chapter 4

It’s Chapter Four, hurray! This one turned out a little differently than I expected… Mostly because the scene at Rakuzan ended up being so long. But I decided to keep it as is, because I just love Rakuzan’s team SO MUCH. <3

So as promised, this was Rakuzan’s turn to have a cameo (and by cameo I mean a super long scene, with loads of love for the Uncrowned Kings and especially Reo).

Also, I ended up including screenshots from the anime in this post! So if you’re interested in a basic breakdown of my theory about why scenes like this one prove that psychic phenomena were included in the show from the beginning:

Well read on, friend. BECAUSE OH DO I HAVE THEORIES ABOUT THAT.

(Cut for stuff about Rakuzan, a little about why I love the Uncrowned Kings so much, even more love for Reo, a brief explanation of some of the supernatural/psychic references, and a seriously epic yudofu restaurant because tofu is Akashi’s first love, obviously)

On Rakuzan’s Campus

It was fun to try to figure out what Rakuzan as a school would be like… I’ve had a headcanon for a while that each member of the Generation of Miracles chose a high school (and a team) that generally reflected their personality and priorities. So my version of Rakuzan has a lot of Akashi-esque qualities to it. XD

Canonically, Rakuzan is supposed to be a prestigious school that excels in multiple areas. That’s one reason why I included OCs in this chapter, to show that Akashi is far from being the only overachiever at his school. Which, as Furihata realizes, makes his status at the school that much more impressive! (Plus I like to fill out different areas of characters’ lives that we don’t get to see in canon, sometimes by coming up with new characters… I try not to overdo it too much, though, because I know it might only be interesting to me? //laughs)

As a side note, the Rakuzan students are shown preparing for their school’s cultural festival, which is a common event in Japanese schools, and pops up in anime a lot. It frequently involves each class and/or club designing a different booth or event for the festival (like selling food, putting on a play, etc). I’ve read a few series where the festival occurs in late summer to early fall. I don’t know if that’s the typical time of year or not, but that’s why I included the student council working over their vacation to prepare! From what I understand, it’s not uncommon for Japanese students who are really involved in extracurricular activities to continue participating in them over summer vacation (like sports practices, for example).

I Just Really Love The Uncrowned Kings, Okay?

Hopefully I wasn’t the only one looking forward to seeing how Furihata would get along with Rakuzan’s three Uncrowned Kings! I find their canon relationship with Akashi really fascinating, so I wanted to explore some of the implications of it in this chapter. (And then it went on WAYYY longer than I expected. But I was just having too much fun and too many feelings to stop? XD;)

For me, one of the most interesting questions about Rakuzan in KnB is why the other players elected Akashi as captain in his first year… I have a lot of headcanons about it (and a one-shot fic that I started ages ago, that I still really want to finish!). It’s especially interesting because the Uncrowned Kings had a history of competing against the Generation of Miracles in junior high.

So in this chapter, I ended up hinting at some of my theories about why the Kings in particular would decide to make Akashi (and specifically Bokushi!) their leader. I also implied that Akashi wasn’t the only member of Rakuzan who was forced to reevaluate his priorities because of the events of the Winter Cup. (To me this is portrayed really well in the last few episodes, through Reo’s reactions especially.)

Basically, one of the reasons I love Rakuzan so much is because I think of all of them as hyper-competitive people who originally decided to go after victory and focus on dominating the competition, at the cost of everything else… And then were forced to face the consequences of that decision, and realize it was ultimately unfulfilling, at least in part because they came to genuinely value the bonds they’d formed as a team. <3 So I tried to show this in how they explained the situation to Furihata.

… I’m also kind of surprised that I managed to fit in references to all five of the Kings in this chapter? I did not expect that. (And I definitely did not expect how Kiyoshi and Hanamiya would come up in the conversation. //laughs)

Also, I do headcanon Reo as wearing makeup sometimes! I just feel like he would be amazing at it, honestly. (Or maybe I’ve just spent too much time watching beauty gurus on YouTube or something, lol.) In any case, I’m SO HERE for Reo in general… Especially Reo the Love and Sexuality Guru, finally telling it like it really is? //laughs (Oh my god I worked SO MANY self-indulgent headcanons into that silly conversation… Though interestingly enough, Reo flirting with Takao is from some of the anime outtake/bonus scenes. XD So I didn’t make that part up, at least!)

I should probably also mention that some of Furihata’s assumptions/uncertainty about Reo’s identity are related to Japanese culture… In KnB, Reo is depicted as the type of person who would probably be thought of as an “okama,” which usually refers to a gay man who’s also very feminine in their gender expression. (It can also refer to a drag queen, for example.) I think the term was used in the KnB manga, but I wasn’t able to verify that? (And I should also mention that the term itself can be offensive or positive/reclaimed, depending on who uses it.) So gender and sexuality are distinct aspects of a person, but Reo’s choice of self-expression and honorifics, at least to someone who is Japanese, would tend to imply certain things about both. I tried to make that as apparent in the scene as I could, without going into the cultural concept behind it?

(Also a special shout-out to anyone who figured out why Reo asked Furi his date of birth, and why Furi’s answer intrigued him… Because OH HOW I COULD RAMBLE ON AND ON ABOUT THAT.)

On Empaths, Mediums, Clair Senses, and Auras

So for those of you who wanted to see more supernatural stuff in this fic, I really hope you enjoyed Reo’s little conversation with Furi! (I’ve been looking forward to these two finally interacting for SO LONG. I’ve had a million headcanons about them, ever since I wrote that one chapter of Giving Chocolate ages ago… I even hinted at it in several of my other fics, mostly the Christmas ones. XD)

I won’t go into a super-detailed explanation of supernatural abilities here, since the terms I used aren’t culturally specific to Japan, and are pretty easy to research. But since I see Reo as someone who likes to use knowledge from lots of different modalities of the supernatural (like tarot divination, for example), I figured that I would give a quick overview of some of the stuff he mentioned.

An empath is basically someone who is supposed to be able to sense supernatural “energy” in their environment. The idea is that things like a person’s mental health and emotions manifest as energy—in their aura, for example—and empaths can sense this energy and even absorb some of it. (Sometimes to the point that it’s difficult for them to tell the difference between their own feelings and someone else’s.) Empaths can get very overwhelmed and anxious around crowds of people—or a specific person who is emotionally intense or even toxic—for the same reason. Basically, an empath is naturally affected by outside energy, and tends to let that energy in, more than most people. Even though they themselves may not realize it.

A medium, on the other hand, is someone who can connect with spirits, like those of people who have passed on. (I didn’t mention the term in the chapter, but seeing ghosts could potentially fall under this category.) The ability to do this is believed to manifest in a lot of different ways. Some of the possible ways are sometimes called “clair senses.”

“Clair senses” refer to different types of psychic/supernatural perception. The most common term is clairvoyance, which is being able to “see” supernatural phenomena. (From what I understand, it can be literal seeing, or more of a “in your mind’s eye” type of thing.) There are other types of clair senses too, like clairaudience (hearing supernatural things, like a spirit’s voice), and claircognizance (knowing something supernatural, kind of like having a “hunch”).

And finally, an aura is a form of supernatural energy (or light!) that surrounds a person. Some people think it reveals everything from your overall health to your current emotions. (I’ve always been kind of fascinated with the concept, and I even had my aura read for fun once. //laughs) In Chapter Four, we find out that while Akashi’s aura is more or less a single color (red), Furihata’s aura has multiple colors. Believers in auras often claim that the appearance and colors of a person’s aura can tell you a lot about them, and what they’re going through.

So it might seem like a stretch, to be including this stuff in a fic about a basketball anime… But weirdly enough, the canon of Kuroko no Basuke has a lot of intriguing moments that could be interpreted as referring to stuff like auras and clair senses? I could probably ramble on about my theories on this for FOREVER, so instead I’ll just leave a couple of screenshots here:

(Subtitles/translation courtesy of Crunchyroll)

… Yeah. I definitely did not come up with the idea to include this stuff on my own. XD (You can interpret these moments as symbolic too… But I feel like the story actually makes more sense if it’s literal, at least on some level? //laughs)

(Especially since that’s not even counting all the aura-like visuals in the show. And the weird eye stuff. And characters who can apparently predict the future in various ways. AND THE TRIPPY DOOR VISIONS AT THE END. SERIOUSLY DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THE DOOR VISIONS. Anyway.)

On Platform Dining in Kyoto

I might talk about this in more detail for an upcoming chapter, but yes, the part about dining on platforms in Kyoto in the summer is a real thing! You can find a general overview about it here.

Basically, since it gets so hot and humid in the valley where Kyoto is, some of the restaurants have a tradition of putting up special wooden platforms over the river and serving their customers on them. It’s called “kawayuka” dining when it’s done over the Kamogawa river, inside the city. (An area outside Kyoto called Kibune also participates in the tradition, where this style of dining is called “kawadoko.”)

On the Yudofu Restaurant

Finally, in the longstanding tradition of me doing way too much research about the places in my fics, I did indeed pick out a real place for Akashi’s favorite restaurant!

First off, I should probably mention that yudofu isn’t just Akashi’s favorite food. It’s also one of the most famous regional dishes in Kyoto. (Maybe THE most famous!) Kyoto has a ton of restaurants that specialize in making high-quality tofu, so a boiled tofu dish like yudofu is extremely popular, both with locals and tourists. Yudofu itself was also created in Kyoto, because the monks working in the temples needed vegetarian dishes for their Buddhist diet.

Yudofu is thought to have originated in the area around Nanzenji temple. That being the case, I wanted to choose one of the most traditional, famous restaurants there to be Akashi’s favorite. I had a couple of choices, like this restaurant, which is one of the oldest restaurants in Japan. But in the end, I chose a place called Nanzenji Junsei because the atmosphere of the garden, the ability to reserve a private dining room, and the elaborate set meals all struck me as something Akashi and his family would appreciate. (Plus it seems to be highly rated as well as famous.) You can learn about the history of the restaurant, and see tons of pictures of the buildings, garden, and the food on the absolutely gorgeous official website here.

(Yeah. I want to go there. SO BAD. You can also see more pictures of the restaurant in the TripAdvisor reviews, including more shots of the private dining rooms.)

And while I haven’t been lucky enough to try it in Kyoto, I have made yudofu before! It’s an ultra simple dish that relies on the highest possible quality ingredients. So it’s definitely an appropriate choice for Akashi. (That being said, it does amuse me that his favorite food is basically just, well, tofu cooked in water… Like what teenage guy would say that was his top favorite food EVER? Oh, Akashi. You are such a Kyoto boy. XD)

On a side note, if you want an idea of how old some of the restaurants in Kyoto really are, I thought this article of the top ten oldest restaurants in Japan was interesting! Kyoto still has restaurants in operation that date all the way back to the middle ages.

The city’s culinary fame also inspired a longtime headcanon of mine that the Rakuzan players initially bonded over restaurant hopping… So that’s why that keeps popping up in my fics? //laughs Well, that, and this screenshot from one of the third season endings that literally shows them eating together in a place that looks like a Kibune kawadoko restaurant, and wearing yukata no less:

(Oh Mayu, I miss you, why did you have to graduate before this fic takes place? XD)

(And seriously don’t get me started on the shots of each team from that ending, they’re all adorable with great little geographical/cultural references AND I CAN’T)

Well, that’s it for my notes! I have a draft of the next chapter completed, and while my goal is to work ahead in the story first, I hope to be posting it very soon. (I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say… IT’S A TRIP.) I’ll also be sharing my Pinterest board for the fic then, so if you enjoyed the ones for Storming the Castle, that’s coming up!

#long post #really long post #vanishing prince #the vanishing prince #kat writes fanfic #knb fic #kat writes about basketball dorks #kat writes about ADORABLE BOYS AND THEIR ADORABLE FRIENDS HELP ME #I want to go restaurant hopping with Rakuzan XD #actually I just really want to try yudofu in Kyoto #also can I just say I was a mess just from rewatching the few episodes to get those screenshots #I STILL LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH #THE EPISODES ARE SO GOOD #I FORGET HOW GOOD THEY ARE SOMETIMES #anyway bless any of you who actually read this #good lord will I ever shut up about these basketball kids #the answer is probably no

[obsidianarchives]

Game of Thrones Recap: S8E2 - "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"

Let me get this out of the way up top, I am and have always been a sucker for bottle episodes. While your mileage may vary and I can understand being disappointed if you were expecting more plot than character payoffs, this was everything I could have asked for in a prelude to the devastation we all know is coming. Only one location this week, so let’s get into it.

Winterfell

I don’t know what Jaime thought was going to happen, but the Kingslayer showed up about 19,999 soldiers short on the bill and was immediately hemmed up and brought to trial after arriving in Winterfell like a thief in the night. Daenerys was ready to feed Drogon the man who killed her father (and if he kept pushing it, a side of Tyrion), and Sansa was all too ready to help before Brienne of Tarth stepped in to vouch for him. Finally giving respect to the depths of their relationship, her word was enough for the Lady of Winterfell and Jon, who wants NO smoke between his sister and his love, is just happy to have another hand in the fight. He exits stage left, giving Dany the cold shoulder as soon as she bangs the gavel, ignoring his beloved like he’s 1995 Dumbledore.

Ratbag, slave trader, creepy old pervert Jorah, who for some reason is still hanging around, managed to convince Daenerys to save Tyrion’s head and job as Hand for now and also advised her to have a direct conversation with Sansa instead of ruling by exchanging petty looks. In an overdue change, we’re getting to the point and having characters act like adults instead of talking about each other this season. There is a thawing of relations, as the two powerful leaders find common ground and Sansa explains that her standoffish nature is less about Dany specifically and more about ensuring the protection of her people.

She knows men do stupid things in love (and out of love) and while the Dragon must have three heads, Sansa wants to make sure her people are protected should Jon make decisions with the wrong one. She apologizes for the lack of formalities last episode, but isn’t here for the kiki and wants to know what will happen to the North after the battle with the dead. Dany is as non-committal as Stevie J, but her answer is cut short by the arrival of Theon back in Winterfell. I didn’t like the looks Sansa and Theon were exchanging here, but hopefully it’s just the bonds of friendship and not a more romantic suggestion. I have never seen it for Theon, his redemption arc, shipping him with anyone other than death, or as a staff, record label, and a MFing crew and I’m not about to start now.

The Night’s Watch and Brotherhood Without Banners holdouts (primarily Tormund and Dolorous Edd) made their way to Winterfell from the disaster with the Umbers at Last Hearth less than a day ahead of the army of the Dead. With all the expected players finally assembled, the armies of the living try to come up with some sort of strategy, and their plan centers around setting up Bran as bait to get the Night King in the open. For the first time we begin to get some sense of what the White Walkers may actually want, and chief among that is killing Bran as the holder of living memory. Theon volunteers to guard him, which means he’s as good as dead, but no great loss there. Breaking up the war council, Jon avoids Dany again, still having not told her about being first in line for the throne.

After experiencing even more microaggressions, Missandei and Grey Worm realize they’ll never be welcomed in Westeros, and being disgusted with the racism, make plans to retire somewhere warm and safe when this is all over. Which means they’re going to die. BUT THEY’D BETTER NOT! I need someone to rescue them and fly them to Wakanda. By the old Gods and the new.

GHOST BYKE! They finally remembered Jon’s closest companion and friend was not one of the direwolves they needlessly killed, as Winterfell is transformed to the Wall South. We see Jon, Edd, and Sam once again as the Watchers on the Wall, this time atop the Starks’ castle, reflecting on all they’ve seen and mourning their fallen brothers Grenn and Pyp. Inside, Jaime and Tyrion are also going down memory lane, which turns into a fireside chat joined by Brienne, Podrick (who Neville Longbottom’d ALL the way up), Tormund, and Davos. Tormund tries to measure his dick against Jaime and teaches the children about the virtues of calcium.

Trading war stories and all this unlikely group have survived to this point, Tormund — ever the feminist — is disgusted that Brienne is not yet a knight. After she downplays how much the honor would mean to her, Jaime realizes it’s past due and as an anointed knight himself, commands Brienne to kneel as he confers the honor upon her. There’s a touching bit of hesitation on her part, as a woman who has been taunted all her life has to pause to see if this is just another mockery, but in a stirring and surprisingly intimate scene, she finally attains her lifelong goal. Which, unfortunately, means she’s also going to die.

Atop the walls, the Hound and Arya are having another one of their stilted, yet loving conversations, during which Sandor Clegane admits fighting for her changed him. However, being interrupted by Lord Beric reminds Arya there’s somewhere she’d rather be and goes to find Gendry. After stalking her prey and realizing Gendry is here for her murderous ways and still as fine as ever, she drops all pretense and asks his body count as she starts stripping, deciding she wants to celebrate Easter Sunday by hopping on that boy right there in the forge. Our little baby psychopath is all grown up and made good on six years of lust.

Outside, Lady Lyanna Mormont read her cousin Jorah for filth for even fixing his mouth to tell her anything. Unfortunately, the scene did NOT end with her banishing him from the North and our sight, but with Sam rewarding the worthless weasel with the Tarly family’s Valyrian steel sword “Heartsbane” in memory of Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. Back at the fire, Podrick channels his inner Pippin from Lord of the Rings and uses his gifted pipe, er…pipes to sing on the verge of battle. As we see a montage of loving couples (and Sansa x Theon) spending their last night together, we end with Daenerys finally walking up on Jon in the crypts as he stares at his mother’s statue. Jon finally tells her the truth about Rhaegar and Lyanna, and by extension, himself. Instantly, the love leaves Dany’s eyes and she looks at Jon now as a threat and rival, growing colder than the winter outside. Before they can finish their conversation however, they are interrupted by horn blasts. The dead are here. It’s. About. To. Go. DOWN!

With next week’s “Battle of Winterfell” bearing constant comparisons to the Battle of Helm’s Deep in Peter Jackson’s The Two Towers, it’s interesting that this episode should share so much in common tonally with The Return of the King: a kingdom on the edge of war, awaiting its inevitable destruction before the dawnless day. The episode posits that life is intrinsically linked to memory and history. What better way to spend a last night with the forces of the living than by reminiscing. The last enemy that must be defeated is death, but the battle is not lost as long as the memory of what was lost is preserved.

Book-Specific Notes: I try to keep theories and predictions (at least those informed by the text) separate for the particularly spoiler-averse, so read on at your own discretion. The choice to use Jenny of Oldstones for Podrick to sing before the battle was potentially telling. For a refresher, this is also the song that Tom of Sevenstreams sings as payment to the Ghost of High Heart for her visions. The song laments the Tragedy of Summerhall, which saw the death of several legendary figures, but was also the night Jon’s father (and Daenerys’s brother) Rhaegar Targaryen was born. The Jenny of the song is the wife of Duncan Targaryen, who gave up his claim to succession and chance to rule the Iron Throne out of love. It's also strongly hinted that the Ghost of High Heart is the same witch who made the prophecy that The Prince That Was Promised would come from that specific Targaryen lineage.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say the show is tipping its hand yet, but there are a number of interesting parallels. But also, the lyrics might spell trouble for those that we saw in the montage as Pod sang:

High in the halls of the kings who are gone Jenny would dance with her ghosts. The ones she had lost and the ones she had found And the ones who had loved her the most.

#Game of Thrones #Winterfell #Winter Is Coming #Recap #Season 8

[ganondorfthedarklord]

Gerudo Traditions - Holidays, Funerals, Etc.

Notes: The Gerudo (in this headcanon) do not distinguish between plural or singular without an additional word. They often use possessive forms of words instead of words such as “of” or “from” as well as being used for actions currently being taken instead of an “-ing��� suffix.  Possessive forms usually place an e at the end often replacing a previous letter. Most words end with a vowel and the possessive form usually is signified by an e at the end though not always. Z sometimes sounds like sh. W sometimes sounds like a combination of w as in woe and v as in vector. V may have a “fveh” sound. Gerudo r’s are sometimes rolled, symbolized in the pronunciation by ɹ. Bós’hartina [boose-hart-inah] ( Roughly: “Sand Goddess” Literally: “God-Sand/Grit-ess” The Gerudo name for their deity, the Sand Goddess as Hylians know her. She is worshiped as a god of strength through adversity and challenge, sand having a near synonym with hardship in Gerudo culture, of survival and succeeding despite scarcity as the one who grants them the strength to overcome the desert and the fire inside that keeps them alive and conquering. In this particular word for sand it has a strong implication of blood and dange. Gerudo also engage in a form of ancestor worship as they ask the deceased for guidance. This word is a compound of the Gerudo words bósina, meaning goddess, and hart, which has a literal meaning of sand but more of a spiritual inference that focuses on grit, determination, and fortitude. Sand when referring to literal sand is usually the word ‘sek.’ Swectienaq [swveckt-yen-ahck] Roughly: “Holiday” Literal: “Sacred day” From the words swecta (sacred) and dienaq (day). A day that is important and blessed. Saarqube Kordaz [sahR-coo-bey core-dah-sh] Literal: “Preparation of Strength” The Winter celebration, it marks the end of the Gerudo year and new beginnings from what would be December 18th to the 24th. During these six days the Gerudo withdraw from the world as much as possible to prepare for the coming strife, their fortress and outposts ablaze with small fires to ward off the extremely cold nights. Gifts are exchanged across the first few days, it’s a period of rest and relaxation from the duties Gerudo usually endure. The gifts are usually very functional in focus such as weapons, tools, pieces of armor, though some entertainment items are exchanged such as wooden dolls for the children. For rare and expensive gifts one might see full plate metal armor usually reserved for the most elite or a highly decorated and very well made weapon, or for the few that focus on form perhaps a high quality musical instrument, usually stringed as preferred by most Gerudo. Military promotions are also handled at this time, the final trials for those growing into adults occurring just a few days prior to the celebration’s beginning. At the end of the five days if there is a comfortable amount of food left a grand banquet is held where all who can attend eat together in the gathering hall of the fortress. Those who have only just become adults are often seated with the leaders and elite of the Gerudo for their first day in part to encourage them to reach their fullest potential, as well as to forward an idea of equal status as part of one whole in the Gerudo. Age is counted by the second last day of this celebration rather than the individual birth dates of each Gerudo. Saarqube Asang [sahR-coo-bey ah-sang] Literal: “Preparation of Birth/Births” The Spring celebration, it occurs on the equivalent of March 3rd to the 6th. Saarqube Asang is when the Gerudo send off daughters and sisters to seek mates for the next generation. It is primarily to give blessings of fertility and to have strong children and prepare for the travel. It is a large send off and the reduction in workforce must be carefully prepared for and planned. This also usually marks an end to the actions taken to rapidly refill their stocks after winter and a point where the Gerudo can become somewhat more relaxed in their supply acquisition. Saarqube Zirsa [sahR-coo-bey zear-sah] Literal: “Preparation of Spirit/Spirits” The Summer celebration, a primarily religious one and often considered the most important, in many ways it is a reflection of the Winter celebration. During this celebration there is a focus on the spirit and meditation within the Spirit Temple to convene with their ancestors. During the night massive fires are lit to attempt to guide any lost souls home, with guards carrying bright lanterns patrolling the path to the temple. Security is also heightened during this period as it is a time that might guide those less savory to the most sacred of places. Saarqube Venae [sahR-coo-bey fvehn-A] Literal: “Preparation of Hunting” The Fall celebration, occurring on what would be our September 22nd as the other nations grow more tired and lax with the cold reducing farming and the hunt reaches its most numerous with the fawn no longer dependent on their mothers, the animals fattening up for the winter, the Gerudo increase their hunting and raiding to fill their own stocks. It lasts two days as preparations are first made, weapons checked, snares prepared a massive hunting party led by the king himself, or absent a king the highest capable warrior of the Gerudo with some of the finest hunters and warriors of all their people. The children expecting to pass their final trials and move on to adulthood also join the king in this hunt under the guidance of one of the leaders. Diene Kormore [d-yen-eh core-more-A] Approximate: “Day of Crowning” The coronation ceremony, a grand event that, unlike most other promotions, occurs during Saarqube Zirsa rather than Saarqube Kordaz. The prince is expected to remain outside in full uniform during the entirety of this hottest of days, to prove a test of strength against a great beast or most capable fighter, and endure whatever else may be chosen to be thrown at him on this final day. At sunset the Council of Elders cast judgement upon the Prince and, assuming he is determined worthy, present the crown. This is usually complete by the time he has turned seventeen. Kormor [core-more] Literal Approximate: “crown-gem“ A massive orange-red gem that has been worn by at least a dozen kings, though the crown holding it is often changed the gem itself is considered sacred and impeccable. It is the item which declares its wearer rightful ruler and is said to be the burning heart of the ambitious Gerudo and shall sear any hand which tries to take their rule. Until the day of crowning a prince will generally wear a smaller, dimmer yellow-orange gem. The symbolizm is that the fire is yet to be passed, but the kindling awaits. Diene Beyos [d-yen-eh bay-ohss] Literal Approximate: “Day of Maturation” Coming of age, a small scale event for the individual girls succeeding in their trials and becoming adults during Saarqube Kordaz. They are given a full set of Gerudo equipment in preparation for service, a final, largely ceremonial inspection by the highest leaders of the Gerudo. This occurs on the second to last day of Saarqube Kordaz. They also receive additional personal gifts and recognition from trainers and those close to them, and during the feast on the next day they are sat among the leaders of the Gerudo. Nozbe Sehe [nosh-bey say-heh] Literal: “Night of Long Resting“ The funeral ceremony. It occurs as dusk falls on the Gerudo whenever a body has been recovered. The body, or bodies if there is more than one dead, is/are brought to the mouth of the Spirit Temple, treated with dry herbs, spices, incenses, cleaned as best can be done, usually without water but instead using powders and such to attempt to at least cover the smell, bits of fruit juice may be used sparingly to try and change the smell of the smoke to come. The body is then carried deeper into the temple and burned at its heart, the ashes spread throughout the halls. This is done to, according to Gerudo religious beliefs, release the soul to connect with sisters who will guide and aid those they left behind. Gerudo worry that those not laid to rest within the Temple may become lost, eventually forming into wrathful phantoms cursed to roam beyond the warmth of their home. Cel’asa ne Vahsa [cell-ah-saah neh vah-sah] Approximate: “Journey home to (our) Sisters” The process of recovering a body and bringing it to the Spirit Temple or of a spirit finding its way to the Spirit Temple. Igiendas [ig-yen-dahss] Approximate: “homely fire” The name of the torches, candles, bonfires, etcetera used to light a home, it is also often heavily associated with the Spirit Temple, Nozbe Sehe, and Saarqube Zirsa as it is also the name given to fires lighting the way for spirits returning to the Spirit Temple. Zirs’asa [zears-ah-saah] Approximate: “Spirit’s Home” The Gerudo name for the Spirit Temple Acinas [ah-C-nahss] “Guardian“ The Gerudo term for Iron Knuckle. Iron Knuckles are a holy creation among the Gerudo as armor possessed by their ancestors. Only the best of craftsmen and finest material available could be used for the thick plates of the massive armor and axe, cast in a forge within the depths of the Spirit Temple. The spells to bond it with a spirit are cast by the greatest of magic users available among their ranks. These creations guard only the most important locations and rarely move beyond the fortresses. Occasionally a live person will be sealed within and bound, it may be a way to redeem the souls of criminals condemned for the worst of crimes or for those who are frail but wish to give their lives for their sisters through the many enchantments on the armor. It ignores physical frailty relying instead on the will, on the soul of the one within its plates. A living person will usually have the suit forged around them as a permanent armor, only possible to be taken off by breaking the metal itself. It takes magical weapons powerful enough to damage the bindings between material and spiritual or brutally cracking the armor to where it either cannot contain the spirit or is so damaged it is unable to move in order to disable one. Living Acinas are generally treated as if they are already but spirits, though are rarely venerated the same way as those possessed by the truly dead. The possessed ones are rarely capable of vocal communication, but are intelligent and fully capable of giving instruction through other means, not all are beyond communications either, it is merely extremely difficult, even more so for those who left the mortal world longer ago. Balme Cel’asa [balm-A cell-ah-saah] Literal: “Bath of Journey Home” Literal meaning: A preparation for death To put on armor is a deeply personal thing to the Gerudo, to put on metal plates is to accept that there will be blood spilled this day, either yours or your enemy’s. To don a full chestpiece is to expect war. This tradition is grim and solitary, a deeply personal action. It is done when one prepares for death and battle, before putting on armor of war, typically during the morning. The person strips him or herself, either down to the waist or entirely, and washes his or herself in a thin layer of fatty alcohol and oil. Such is used for two purposes, temperature regulation and embalming a body, it is to preserve the dead until they return to the Spirit Temple, for it is quite possible no one will be able to recover the body in any timely manner.

#▲~Stories & Legends~▲

[xladyalaeria-ht]

The images above are not mine. I found them on Pinterest and Tumblr. 

( katie mcgrath, 23 (30), cisfemale. )  ♟  raise your glass for ( alaeria hightower ), the ( lady ) hailing all the way from ( oldtown ). the word on the kingsroad is that they’re known as the ( wildcard ), and apparently they can be ( - subserviant ) and ( - secretive ), but at least the gods blessed them and made them ( + charming ) and ( + creative ). no one is positive as to their intentions but they’re loyal to house ( hightower & targaryen ), so they can’t be all bad.  Hello my lovely friends, it tis I, the slowest turtle in the planet finally finishing up and posting my bio for Alaeria. If anyone wants to plot a connection or a thread with her, please do feel very free to hmu, sweethearts!! <3

Ok, so let met first start off by saying what some/most of y’all might have suspected or guess by now, that my girl's  no.1 biggest secret is that she's actually not the real Alaeria Hightower! XD But, she is a Hightower by blood though, as her dad is the current ruling Lord of Hightower. Now let the story begin...

So about 2 yrs before she got married to Drogon Targaryean, she was actually the very secretly unknown, bastard child of Lord Dietrich Hightower from an extremely discreet liaison he had with a woman (who is actually a descendant of the Free Folk & also from another land/kingdom ( i haven’t really decided which one just dfghjklkjh ^.^”). He was a lustful dickhead of a guy who basically just wooed and charmed her mother with fake promises of love and he hid his true identity from her. When she got pregnant and thus found out her lover's real identity, she then immediately left, (to his relief as well as he didn't want to fuck up his marriage and spoil his shiny & extremely proud reputation) because she didn't want her child to known as a bastard and also to prevent her from getting gossiped about , bullied, etc...And also cos her mom still hopelessly cared for that idiot lover of hers despite knowing better. XD

Alaeria and her father never once met until one day, 2 years ago, thru a chance meeting and it was hard to not believe that she was his child as she had a unique birthmark which only members of his line would have, and she was the exact spitting image of her paternal great-grandmother XD They also eventually came to find that she also possessed quite a mixture of a few physical & non-physical traits of Maris the Maid, one of the most legendary Hightower ancestors.

Dietrich Hightower’s  only legitimate daughter with his legal wife, the current ruling Lady of Hightower, was the real Alaeria Hightower. She was a rather sickly and a pretty weak child. She also had the misfortune of having some facial scars and horrible looking birthmarks on her face and neck, and was also slightly disfigured due to a terrible accident while growing up. Her overly-proud and image conscious/ shallow parents were pretty dismayed by her appearance and was extremely fearful that she might not be able to make a good & strong match with other great houses. So from when she was 8 or so, onwards, they kept her carefully hidden in Hightower and she hardly went out of their fortress of a home. Plus whenever she had to be presented out for public events , they covered her face with pretty but dark-coloured veils and spread word that it was "prophesied that she had been both blessed and cursed with great beauty upon her 5th birthday and whoever who caught any single glimpse of her face from that point onwards, before she was married, would be struck down with  a great misfortune at a major point of their lives." So yeah, they managed to make many people believe this bullshit fake prophecy with asking a few servants to spread rumors that she was an incredibly beautiful baby & toddler & a few daredevils who had tried to sneak a peek of her face properly when she was 10/ 11 had been afflicted with horrible accidents and disastrous illnesses. The ruling couple also were planning to tell their in-laws after she managed to be wedded, that “this gift of beauty of her was also two-edged curse as she would be struck with a minor harmless affliction (ugly facial marks and stuff) after her wedding night”  XD rofl

They also obviously never told anyone that her health wasn’t that strong and constantly on a see-saw condition ;)

Ruling Lady Hightower was overly-protective of her poor little girl and devoted a lot of her time to pampering and spoiling her daughter so much, that the real Alaeria Hightower, grew up to be quite the brat : shallow, entitled  & extremely lazy young woman that was only interested in material items and frivolous matters, never bothering to study much or read nor get well-versed with current political events (despite having pretty sharp brains). She was also pretty selfish, never genuinely concerning herself at all with the welfare of anyone but that of herself and her beloved mom. She never ended up being close with her father at all as well.

In the meantime, my baby ( who I’m still struggling with deciding on her real, original name asdfghjkl, forgive me ^.^”) had been growing up in a pretty nomadic lifestyle with her loving mother, who had quite of a wandering soul in her. Despite never truly having a proper home or a long-term abode, she was pretty happy with her life as a travelling low commoner. She adored her mother and her mother cherished her right back, always making sure that she felt safe and secure. During all her many years of growing up, she had travelled to many & all sorts of lands and kingdoms & had a very rich past filled with memorable experiences and cultures as well as meeting all sorts of people. Her mother taught her to always be kind, loving and to be compassionate no matter what, as well as to always hold on to the hope that there will always be a light shining in the darkness in end. Her mother also always(!), highly stressed on filial piety and thus her daughter become an extremely dedicated & very dutiful daughter, that rarely counteracted nor really argued with whatever decisions her mother made ( even if very secretly sometimes doesn’t really like it nor agree with it :p)

In the end through it all, Her personality is that of a warm, genuine, sincerely charming and pretty affectionate woman. She's also pretty gentle sometimes. She's happens to be quite witty and pretty knowledgeable as she has a huge thirst for knowledge and was always very eager to learn as much as possible about anything & everything from when she was a child till now still. She's very loving and always tries her best to smile a lot no matter what, and also is very generous. Her flaws are that she is pretty naive towards the noble-people’s  manipulation, cunning & wicked ways since she's so open. She gets anxious(TM) easily at times and can be quite the worrier over some matters. She's also too docile/ overly-fillial towards her elders which would be her dad, his wife and all the older relatives of Drogon's family. ( this would give them a bit of power over her and it's kind of second nature to her to feel obliged to obey whatever they demanded of her...for now) She  is actually rather clumsy on some occasions, but now she has to try her best to be elegant & graceful  as much as possible ( so hard tbh XD) . She actually doesn't like the idea of battles and war and doesn't fully enjoy being a royal.  All she ever wants in life is to just live simply, happily and peacefully with her loved ones and that's it. Poor gurl. She likes spending time outdoors a lot and her hobbies more lies with cooking on her own, making small herbal soups/drinks (which she learned a great deal from her mother), swimming, riding and wood-crafting and playing with animals. She also has a pretty curious nature and high penchant , nay desire(!), for exploring all kinds of new places.

Now back at Hightower: (3 and a half years ago, before everyone came to King’s Landing) ;D: Shortly after Drogon's mother & his privy council and the rulers of Hightower came to an agreement & set arrangement to wed Drogon and (the real) Alaeria in the near future, the real Alaeria unfortunately got infected with a fatal and incurable, long-term, disease. Lord Hightower was panicking hard over what to do with the marriage arrangement as he really wanted to strongly bind their house with the great House of Targs, (cos despite whatever their current status may be , he wisely deemed that this powerhouse could potentially rise up to take over the Iron Throne again in the future & if not, well, it was better to be allies with this formidable house than be enemies ryt incase of any future wars?)

And this is when he unexpectedly & finally met with his bastard daughter at this critical emergency time. Upon meeting her and seeing some potential in her, he then had this brilliant but crazy & extremely risky solution, that my baby should take over her royal half-sister's place and pretend to be her for the benefit/good of the kingdom.

My baby had been seeking hard for her biological dad a few months prior to that life-changing event, as her beloved mom had just recently died but she managed to tell her daughter the truth of her real-parentage and told her that if her dad ever accepted her as his own & welcomed her  , she (my baby) must promise to be an obedient and filial daughter to him as my baby had been to her all these years.

However, when her father revealed his plan of deception to her, she immediately didn't  wanna do that plan with her dad as she was so damn scared that it would quickly derail and go wrong and they'd be exposed within the first day of her setting foot in Dragonstone XD Plus, also she ever truly wanted was to meet her biological dad and get to know him, not to be powerful lady! She was fearful for both hers & her dad's lives if they were found out and that she might either be facing life imprisonment , exilation or the worse of all, death, if her future husband and his council was so enraged over the whole major deception and wanted to punish them badly. BUT because of her promise to her mom and also because her dad eventually managed to sway her with lots of showers of affection and eager interest to bond and get to know his bastard daughter, which Dietrich quickly detected that she longed for fatherly love and acceptance ( half of this stuff he did,  was subtle manipulation which my poor baby will not realize until later) she then eventually did reluctantly agree to go with the whole plan.

Thus they spent that two years, before the day she was to step foot into Dragonstone for the engagement party and the wedding, coaching her relentlessly on how to become  perfect princess. The becoming Araelia part was easier to get into bcos,  nothing much was really known about the real Araelia outside of Hightower, since she was kept hidden most of the time by her parents, and had minimal interaction with folks during any major public feasts & events happening there and only a handful of highly trusted folks in Hightower knew of this whole matter. SO basically my baby could really be her own character & personality when she was and is still, now going about as "Lady Araelia.”

Atm, my poor gurl feels so conflicted internally, cos she loves Drogon so, so much and she's so torn over whether to  finally tell him the truth rn or continue holding it a secret to her grave. Cos she doesn't know how he is going to react!  She's in so much agony over her current dilemma right now, because the one thing she's no.1 scared of,  is losing him and his love . She's felt so happy, secure and at peace with him eversince the day they got married till now hence, she's so scared of losing him & this happy marriage forever if she confesses.But then again, she feels so horrible for still continuously lying to the man she loves, every single day.

Also, eversince arriving at King’s Landing for the past few days, she’s been holding an ever-persistent anxiety  at the back of her mind  over her true identity being discovered out. She’s been trying very hard to hide and keep her anxiety & stress at bay as often as possible. The current occasion she was attending and the place where it was held was the most riskiest of situation to be in at the moment, as there was the fearful possibility that someone from some other place which she could have bumped into during her past life of nomadic living with her  mother, would chance upon her and recognize her. Thus, inadvertently exposing her real identity and bringing the dreaded drama that was sure to follow.

#crown.intro #biography #about #death tw #anxiety tw

[fountainpenguin]

Wanted to actually outline the hierarchy system in my FOP fanfics rather than juggling it all in my head. Those on the same line are more or less considered to be of equal rank. Fuzzy gray areas may apply. Details under the cut.

Fairy Elder - Only mentioned in the Season 8 episode “Timmy’s Secret Wish”, although no details were given about her apart from the fact that she “had [the Hocus Poconos] totally redone”, and turned the Giant French Doors of Time into the Window of Time. She wears yellow robes. She appeared in my one-shot, “Minion”, and will later appear in Origin of the Pixies.

Wise Ancients - Extremely powerful nature spirits. Some of these would be Mother Nature (“Balance of Flour”), Father Time (“Timmy’s Secret Wish”), The Darkness (“Wishology”), the Grim Reaper (“Man’s Worst Friend”), and the Cycling Hen (“Chicken Poofs”). The spirit bears are also considered Wise Ancients. They were most notably discussed in “This Is Halloween”.

Zodiac spirits - The seven nature spirits who represent the seven elements on the Fairy zodiac. I discussed them each in detail HERE. The days of the week are named after them. They were first mentioned during Sanderson’s shrine song in “Grand Father” and are frequently mentioned in Frayed Knots.

Supreme Fairy Council - Four Fairies and three Anti-Fairies who are elected to sit on either the Fairy Council or Anti-Fairy Council. The seven are collectively referred to as the Supreme Fairy Council. Each member is called a Robe, and wears a robe in the color of the region (political state) they represent. I named and briefly discussed them HERE.

Eros family - Cupid’s bloodline. Always cherubs, always triplets, and allegedly tasked by the gods to maintain Fairy genealogies and prevent any species in the universe from truly going extinct. I discussed their social status HERE. In Origin, H.P. was captured by the Eroses for study for several chapters starting in “The Chapter With Nine Snakes In It”.

Keeper of Da Rules - Jorgen’s position, obviously. The Keeper of Da Rules maintains order in the cloudlands by ensuring Da Rules are followed. Following the War of the Angels (“Balance of Flour”), the Keeper of Da Rules also became ambassador for the common fairy subspecies. H.P. and Sanderson encountered Adelinda von Strangle, the former Keeper of Da Rules, in “Minion”.

Lower-ranked nature spirits - The children and grandchildren of the zodiac spirits. Some are more powerful than others. Some notable ones include Twis and Sunnie’s daughter, the winter goddess Beira (Wikipedia / Fanfic mention), and Sunnie’s grandson, Fergus Mór mac Eirc (Wikipedia / Fanfic mention).

Alien ambassadors - Aliens who represent other worlds, including entire planets. Venus Eros hosted several alien ambassadors during “Snowflake”. Technically speaking, Jimmy Neutron is also recognized as one of these due to the events of “Power Hour”.

High Count and High Countess - Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda’s positions. Politically, they are complete legal equals, and have the authority to override each other’s orders. In practice, Anti-Cosmo is more commanding, and is widely considered to be ranked above Anti-Wanda (especially by Fairies). While the titles imply separate male and female positions, they can be filled by a same-sex pair. Although equals from a political standpoint, the High Count is still considered head of the household, mirroring the creche father rank in actual bat colonies.

Head Pixie - Obviously, the rank from the show. The title is often abbreviated H.P. Only the reigning Head Pixie has the authority to make drastic changes to the Pixie social structure, and he rules until his death. Following his death, he is succeeded by the Vice President of Pixies Inc. H.P. set the social structure precedent in “Playing With the Big Kids”.

Fairy subspecies ambassadors - Ambassadors of various races under the Fairy umbrella who attend Council meetings. Some are elected, while others are kings and queens born and raised in royal families.

First General - The follower drake of the High Count- AKA, a high-ranking male Anti-Fairy who was allowed to stay in the Blue Castle colony upon coming of age instead of being run off, or choosing to leave and join a bachelor colony. As the High Count’s follower drake, the First General organizes and oversees troops in war. In times of peace, he also performs ceremonies, and breaks gridlock arguments among the camarilla. This position is always filled by a male.

Temple acolytes - High-ranking Anti-Fairies seemingly akin to shamans who reside in and care for the Zodiac Temples. Considered experts in matters of architecture and feng shui. They spend decades studying such things in Zodiac Temples before they can design monuments to the nature spirits or offer their designing services to clients. They’re so renowned for their skill that hopeful Fairy architects will train beneath them instead of attending the Academy.

Head Anti-Pixie - Leader of the anti-pixie race. Generally given the cold shoulder and not taken seriously considering that anti-pixies are stereotyped as constantly-drunk party-loving lunatics. Holds very little political power.

Vice President of Pixies Inc. - The pixie intended to be the Head Pixie’s successor; until then, he helps the Head however he is instructed to. He’s also a forager who keeps the grocery stores stocked, and he takes on a lot of child-rearing duties. Only pixie gynes are intended to hold this rank, although if no gyne pixies can be found, a drone can take up the position instead. This is Longwood’s current rank, much to Sanderson’s chagrin.

Chief Pixie of PixieCo - The gyne who oversees pixies in the Hawthorn Haven cloudland colony. The title is also abbreviated C.P. of PixieCo; as there are no other Chief Pixies at this time, the title “Chief Pixie” can be used without the PixieCo clarification. The C.P. is still subject to the Head, like a manager to a larger company. We’ll hear about this position for the first time in the upcoming “The Other One” Prompt.

Pixie ambassador - H.P. became Pixie ambassador to the Supreme Fairy Council by default. However, he can elect to pass the position to someone else if he wants to. He attended his first Council meeting in “Cotton Candy Oatmeal”.

Keepers [of Da Rules] - Not to be confused with the singular position. These would be the folks dressed in light blue uniforms whom we saw assisting Jorgen in “Fairly Odd Baby”. They’re essentially the Fairy World police force, and are trained to organize as militia if necessary.

Camarilla court - Six Anti-Fairies selected by the High Count and six selected by the High Countess who weigh in on matters of political and social importance. While the High Count and High Countess technically hold seats on the camarilla too, the name “camarilla” is colloquially used to encompass everyone else. In total, there are two people on the camarilla court representing each of the seven elements on the Fairy zodiac. Most of the Anti-Fairies seated around the dining table in “Fairly Odd Baby” are on the camarilla. I identified them HERE.

Heir to the High Seat / “High heir” - A child of either the High Count or Countess (sometimes both) born with the “iris virus”- colorful eyes instead of dull red. A potential heir born without the iris virus would automatically be rejected as the heir for not carrying “the sacred blessing of the nature spirits”. Foop is the heir to the High Count seat in present day, although his title could be revoked if he is deemed unsuitable before his coronation. In times of desperation when no legitimate heir can be produced, another color-eyed child of nobility (most likely an extended family member) could be adopted into the bloodline instead. As the iris virus is actually an STD, it can be transmitted to intimate partners.

H.P.’s alpha retinue drone - A gyne’s primary drone; the drone who oversees the other drones, and can assist his gyne in distributing his pheromones through the ranks. This is Sanderson’s current position. He was given this title in “Cotton Candy Oatmeal”, and he discussed it more in “Grooming”. An alpha retinue drone ~technically~ has the same rights as a service animal regarding where he can and can’t go.

Vice President of PixieCo - Simply, the pixie who succeeds the Chief Pixie of PixieCo, and assists him until then. Like the Vice President of Pixies Inc., the V.P. of PixieCo should be a gyne. Again, we’ll be introduced to this position in “The Other One”.

Other von Strangle family members - Nana Boom-Boom. Invisible Leonard. People we saw in “Cosmo Rules”. You know what I mean.

Creche fathers of other colonies - While there are some exceptions, colonies of Anti-Fairies are naturally patriarchal; the creche father is the highest-ranking male in the colony. While leadership skills are valued, his main role consists of caring for the young pups in the colony. If you’re a lower rank than they are, it’s polite to greet them with an honorary rather than expecting them to greet you. It’s worth noting that a creche is a group of baby bats.

Heir’s betrothed - The intended mate to the “High heir”, and therefore the assumed new High Count or Countess. This person doesn’t hold real legal authority, but is treated with respect. As it stands right now, Anti-Coriander seems to hold this position unofficially; while not officially betrothed to Foop, she is certainly the girl his parents have urged him to woo.

Chief Sunchosen - A self-proclaimed, unofficial title currently held by Dame Artemis Cairo. The intention is that one day, this position will be for Refracts what the High Count and Countess are for Anti-Fairies. There’s still a long way to go. Dame Artemis first appeared in “Think Positive”.

C.P.’s alpha retinue drone - Same as H.P.’s alpha retinue drone, but he belongs to the Chief Pixie of PixieCo.

Other celebrities - The Tooth Fairy, famous actors like Blonda, TV show hosts like Billy Crystal Ball, successful writers, and so on.

Mates of camarilla members - Nobles simply as a result of who they marry. Obviously, they lose this title if their mate is removed from the camarilla. Generally, camarilla mates will contract the iris virus from their mate.

Other irises - Other carriers of the iris virus. Generally nobles and former nobles who are treated with a hint more respect than commoners. This is actually sort of a fuzzy area; prostitutes selling the iris virus are an actual problem that causes headaches for the higher-ups.

Successful farmers - If you lived in a magical cloud world with limited ability to farm nutritious food, you would value farmers who provided you with high-quality crops too.

Most Refracted - An angelic, pious race of gold and white bird-based people, quite opposite of the stereotype of the evil blue and black Anti-Fairy. The Refracted manage many of the Daoist shrines and ceremonies, and are generally well-liked even though they can be pompous and annoying.

Gynes - Large, freckled Fairies - always male - who ate a lot of jelly as children. In actual insect colonies, gynes are the “princesses” who take over from the queen, often by killing her in a battle to the death. Likewise, Fairy gynes are naturally very territorial and often fight each other. Gynes with more dominant pheromones have the ability to suppress the reproductive systems of subordinate gynes. Gynes with many dark freckles are considered more attractive than those with few. The actual rank of a gyne varies in regard to other social status factors, but people generally give them respect.

Upper-class Fairy citizens - High-ranking people who aren’t considered celebrities, per se. The Whimsifinado family would fall into this category. I suppose the Fairywinkles would too.

Kids of camarilla members and their mates - Children of nobility, often considered nobles themselves. They’re likely to carry the iris virus.

Average Fairy citizens - Self-explanatory. Regular, non-celebrity folk. Fairy culture is still largely dominated by their caste system / social ladder, although they’re starting to move away from it in present day. (Ladder Part 1 / Part 2)

Anti-Fairy commoners - Average Anti-Fairies who aren’t considered nobility; as a result, they’re highly unlikely to carry the iris virus, and probably have red eyes. Those who live in colonies are considered more socially acceptable than rogues. Many males travel in bachelor colonies during their adolescent years.

Tourists (Aliens) - Cloudland foreigners. Aliens don’t typically settle in the cloudlands since there’s really nothing to do there if you’re not magical, and the buildings tend to be very small. Several tourists were seen in “Think Positive”.

Genies - Generally looked down upon; profiled as dirty, manipulative trouble-makers who enjoy laughing at the expense of others. Technically, it’s difficult to officially rank them since there just aren’t very many in the first place, let alone freely wandering the cloudlands.

Drones - Stereotyped as natural-born servants, always male, and born only if their father is either a gyne or a drone. Despite the name “drone”, their natural behaviors are most similar to those of worker bees. They’re attracted to gyne pheromones, so gynes tend to form retinues of drones who take pride in serving him. A drone will be born sterile approximately 75% of the time. Pixie drones, being infected with Wolbachia pipientis, are an exception to this rule.

Will o’ the wisps - Stereotyped as gorgeous temptresses akin to sirens who seduce males and keep harems. Universally, they fear floods and come out of their underground tunnels when it rains. Goldie Goldenglow is a wisp.

Anti-will o’ the wisps - Stereotyped as prostitutes (“Mistresses” in Anti-Fairy World) and generally looked down upon for having insect wings instead of bat ones; also known as mothdames. Foop’s friend Anti-Marigold is an anti-wisp.

Finfolk - Very similar to will o’ the wisps, although they live underwater. They capture potential spouses from land and drag them underwater, where they’re often treated like servants. That’s the stereotype, anyway. Sort of like reverse selkies.

Redcaps - Stereotyped as psychotic hillbillies. They’re looked down upon because they need to coat their hats in blood regularly in order to survive, or they’ll die. Kind of like vampires. They have five eyes and are immune to all poisons and venoms, and are just generally considered really creepy.

Brownies - Highly shunned for their venomous saliva. Generally considered meek servants without much brain power; to call someone a brownie-kisser implies that they’re so incapable of wooing anyone that they took advantage of a poor, dumb, innocent creature instead. However, brownies aren’t inherently less intelligent than other Fairies- they just keep ending up in disadvantaged situations. Still not the type of person you’d want your child to marry, considering their deadly kisses and all.

... That is that. Thanks for playing!

#FAIRIES! #ridwriting #Bat cube and associates #We're Pixies! #Frayed Knots #Origin of the Pixies #130 Prompts #Devil's Backbone #The toughest tag #Pious gold and white bird people yep #Sanderson is neat #The bat with the hat #The best bat queen #Nerdy blue bat son #Cedar toothpick #Chief Sunchosen #I'm wasp dad trash #Golden butterfly girl #Burnet moth queen #Lava lamp dude

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 34

Okay, we finally hear from our saboteur, and why she did it.

Once Conor was escorted from the room to wait in the corridor, I braced myself for what was to come. Where the other members of the Council had their assistants standing behind them to locate and send them relevant information, I was surprised to see my sister standing behind my chair. “It’s temporary, until we can find someone else to fill the role,” she responded to my questioning glance.

Translation: I don’t trust anyone else to be here right now. “What did you have to promise to be allowed in here?” She had previously injured herself pretty badly trying to break down the door between her and the woman who would shortly be standing in the room with us.

“No assaulting her, no talking to her, I can’t even walk on the same side of the room where she will be,” Tyche rolled her eyes and sighed before perking up. “But, if she comes over here, I’m allowed to take any action necessary in defense of myself or my sister.” A shiver trailed down my spine at the feral and bloodthirsty grin on her face.

Time to change the topic. “Did you really have to sedate Conor?”

She just shrugged. “He was shouting, and it was upsetting you even worse than you already are. When your nose started bleeding like that, I thought you ruptured your sinuses again. I would have sedated you if I was one-hundred percent sure it wouldn’t have reacted badly with the medications you’re already on.”

“Fair enough.” Wait. “What d’you mean, rupture my sinuses again?”

“Short answer is: your sinus cavities were crushed when you were assaulted, plus internal soft-tissue damage.  At one point while you were unconscious, your blood pressure spiked hard enough that several of the blood vessels in there ruptured because they hadn’t healed enough. Noah induced a coma to keep that from happening again. You almost both drowned and exsanguinated, which I didn’t even know was a thing, but they got you right again.”

I shook my head carefully. “When am I going to get the full list of what all needed fixing?” I gestured to my head.

“After the trial, which is about to start,” she shushed me, nodding to the opposite side of the table.

Some cruel trick of fate, or possibly putting my sister as far as possible from her potential victim, had placed me directly across from the space where Arantxa would stand for her trial. I tried to remind myself that, while I would have to face my attacker and traitorous former friend, she would also have to sit directly across from the person she failed to kill.  There was at least a little sense of drama from whoever decided the seating arrangements. Eino called for us to stand as ‘accused’ was ushered into the room.  Once she was escorted, hands bound and head held high, to the empty space, the charges against her were read.

“Arantxa Bidarte,” Eino intoned. “You are here on trial for the charges of attempted murder of a sentient being, conspiracy to commit murder of a sentient being, conspiracy to sabotage a rescue vessel, and conspiracy to exterminate the human race. Evidence of your actions has already been provided to those present.  Under Galactic Law, which we have chosen to exercise here, you are allowed an interval of time equivalent to no less than twenty Terran minutes, unless you waive the minimum, and not to exceed six Terran hours in which to make a statement in your defense.  After your statement has been given, you will be questioned in regards to the crimes of which you are accused.  Do you understand what will take place here?”

“I do,” she answered crisply.

“Council, be seated,” Eino allowed.  I noticed that Arantxa was forced to remain standing and had not been provided a seat. I made a mental note to ask about it later.  Once seated, he nodded once more at Arantxa. “You may begin.”

Head still high, she looked around the table before her gaze fell on me. She had the decency to look ashamed once she saw the purple and green splotches making up much of my face. “Ladies and Gentlemen of the Council,” she began. “I stand here today accused of several atrocious acts against this ship and the community within it. I was caught in the act of one such act by two of the Councillors in this room, and I am sure you have already spoken with the others involved while I was convalescing, so I will not insult your intelligence by claiming innocence.”

“Humanity is a plague,” she spat, her tone changing from one of righteous dignity to one of disgust. “We made the planet we came from unlivable.  We gave priority status to the rich, the same people who exploited Earth’s resources for profit, again and again.  Hundreds of species of plants and animals, none of which did anything to deserve what we did, were driven to extinction when we stole and destroyed their habitat. When the Global Parliament was instated, we told ourselves that everything would be better.”

“We lied. We lied to ourselves, to those who trusted us to lead them, and to any future generations. The only thing that changed was that we spent all the time we previously used to wage war on each to wage war on our own planet.  The sheer amount of processing and production of materials needed to complete the Icarus Project caused irreversible climate change. More animals driven to extinction, more plants.  Millions died from heat waves, droughts, floods… and we promised it would be okay! We told ourselves, over and over, that we could fix it by solving the problem of overpopulation. A new world, we said.”

“An entirely new world for us to destroy and exploit.  And again, the rich were given priority, allowed to leave the planet they convinced us to ruin in the first place.  We could not allow that; yes, Earth was already past the point of supporting our lives, but we could not allow humanity to spread like a virus to other worlds, drive whole new species into extinction.  So yes, we sabotaged the ships headed to Goldilocks.  And yes, we fully expected it to cause all global power and information systems to go dark. Humanity was supposed to die on that planet, quarantined to protect any other species out there.”

“But even then, as Councillor Reid has summed up so well when recounting waking on the Ark for the first time, we can’t even die properly.  Instead of the inevitable decline that a plague deserves, our gracious hosts have decided to spread us around to the rest of the known universe.  How kind of them!  Imagine my horror waking up here, realizing that all the hard work my people had done was for nothing!  Ten thousand plague-bearers, chosen for how robust we were and being taken to a new world to grow like a bacterial culture. Everything I had worked against, coming to fruition.”

“I was not the only one, as you already have discovered.  I was assigned as an Administrator, and cultivated a relationship with Tyche Reid.” I could hear my sister growling from behind me. “Imagine how fortuitous it was for me when I was assigned to her sister, the newest member of the Council.  I knew the gods were smiling on me when I was given a perfectly solid reason to have access to human staffing for every portion of the Ark.  I already had a friendly working relationship with Sophia’s sister, and further ingratiated myself into her little so-called family at every opportunity.  Ridiculous woman just adopts people,” she scoffed.  I felt like I was being stabbed; I realized that part of me still hoped that our friendship had meant at least something to her, but here she was practically admitting I was nothing but a tool she had used.

“Yes, my conspirators and I made a plan to hopefully destroy the ship, or at least throw it off course far enough that we would have time to take more drastic measures.  No one anticipated the Ark would immediately drop out of FTL when the sensors went offline. Then, that damned pilot was on board. How did a pilot who was supposed to be dead get on board this ship!?  Can we not just die properly!?” she practically shouted before taking breaths to calm herself. “Even drugging everyone on Level One could not work properly, because Tyche Reid had to be allergic to a drug that has been in use for centuries, and that damned idiot pilot wouldn’t fucking eat!”

“And then,” she blew a harsh breath out through her nose. “Then, Sophia had to start figuring things out, connecting all the dots. As soon as I heard her talking to herself in the shower, I knew something had to be done.  It was already known that someone on Level One was responsible, thanks to the slip up with the drugged food being found out.  If she reasoned out that I was primarily the one behind all of it, she would have stopped us. I realized no one would ever suspect me; I was her best friend, her sister, and all that nonsense.  Yet again, she wouldn’t just die. Oh no, she fought back, and by the time I thought she was dead, they had to walk in while I was trying to get my hand out of her fucking hair.” She gestured at Xiomara and Grey before shaking her head. “You have to understand, we cannot be allowed to spread into the universe.  We are death incarnate.  We killed a planet that, by all rights, should have killed us first.  We wiped out several entire animals on our home world that should have eaten us alive, but we domesticated them and killed off the rest.  Being allowed to start all over again is a mistake. Please do not allow this.”

I was stunned.  She had just admitted to acts of global terrorism, two attempts at genocide on humanity, and two attempted murders. And she wanted us to listen to her?

What the actual fuck.

Looking around at my fellow members of the Council, their faces betrayed the same thoughts.  She apparently saw the same thing, because she started speaking again. “Do not discount my words because of my actions.  Instead, take my actions into evidence of how barbaric we are, deep down. Take into account Derek Okafor’s actions against me, as well; if a kind, shy boy can deliberately inflict pain, deliberately break bones, what does that say about humanity?  Tyche Reid, as well, in regards to her attempted actions when her sister was injured: instead of waiting by her bedside, her first instincts were to attempt revenge and damage herself in the process.  We are savages,” she growled.

Grey Hodenson was the only person who could unclench their jaw long enough to speak. “Do you have anything further to say, Ms. Bidarte?”

“There is nothing that will convince you people,” was the response. “So, no.”

Grey nodded and stood. “Under Galactic Law, intended victims of the accused who are aware of the crime committed are allowed to speak.  Miys has waived their right to such a statement due to need for impartiality, which is customary for their kind.  Sophia Reid, would you like to make a statement?”

I took a deep breath to brace myself before nodding and standing. “Do I have the same time constraints as she did?”

Grey nodded. “We cannot stop you before twenty minutes have passed, and you may not exceed six hours.”

“I won’t need six hours,” I shook my head. “I doubt I will need twenty minutes.” I turned my head to where the fuming accused stood. “Arantxa Bidarte.  You were one of the first people I met on this ship. We worked hand in hand for several months, two parts of a whole.  I welcomed you into my home, shared my family and dreams of what humanity could become with you. I watched one of my dearest friends fall in love with you, with no reservations. Yet you stand here today, admitting that it was all a lie on your part, that you used us.”

“As much as that hurts – and it does, worse than being cut in half did – what hurts even more is knowing that you listened to nothing that we talked about in all that time.  The entire reason that Noah and their people tried to save humanity is because they saw something worth saving.  I do not deny that the wealthy and corrupt held power for too long, and that is a mistake we have all recognized.  You yourself said to me that you thought I would be a good leader because I did not want to lead.  Maybe that was the problem on Earth; we allowed those who wanted to lead to take the reins, but that is something that we can fix, if we have the chance that you want to deny us. See, for all the evils that you stand there accusing our entire species of, there are amazing things that we have accomplished as well.  We always try to better ourselves, to learn from our mistakes.  You mention Derek’s reaction to seeing what you did to me, but you cheapen it.  Derek is not a vicious monster, like you try to make him sound.  Despite the fact that he doesn’t like touching people, he overcame that to protect his family rather than stand there helpless and watch me die. That’s not barbaric.  Tyche’s actions as well: she was willing to injure herself to make sure you could never hurt me again, and from what I understand she hurt herself pretty badly.”

“Yes, we made our planet unlivable, but we are trying to learn as much as we can to prevent doing that once we reach Kepler 442b.  How can you have spent so much time around Conor and not noticed how we are trying to adapt our plants to Kepler’s environment, if and only if the native vegetation will not sustain us?  And all of it is being engineered to prevent it from becoming invasive and killing local species off.  Animals will not be released into the wild, not even the aquatics, for the same reason. Giang’s people are trying to create sustainable structures that require minimal natural resources.  But all you see is what you want, that we wrecked one planet and presumably will wreck this one.  No one on this ship wants that to happen, except you.  We just spent a decade surviving a slow apocalypse that you admit you caused, on an already dying planet, because the rich and wealthy left us nothing.  We are so much better than you think we are, and we deserve the chance to prove that.”

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#the miys #humans are weird #humans are space orcs #earth is space australia #aliens #science fiction

[coreshorts]

Mine

Her mind turned again and again to the sight of the younger girl, slowly withering, her normally plump, hourglass figure starting to shrink, her eyes heavy with dark bags, porcelain skin almost ashen. When she felt her, it was was even worse. Her aether slowly draining away, she felt as though she was constantly slowly dying, something dark and vicious welling up within her to take her place.

The first time the shinobi had noticed her Moon begin to wane, she had frantically begun searching for answers. She needed options, ways to combat what was being done, that she could grasp and bring to bear against this panic-inducing problem. She was given a small number, some of which were far more preferable than the others.

Hali was forced to settle upon an option which was the best she could hope for in such short notice: She had been told by a close friend - an incredibly accomplished mage by name of Naoh Tayoon - that her best bet without outright killing the girl she had come to so adore was to obtain a charged Amdapori Wardstone. However, the ruins of Amdapor were heavily-guarded and access strictly forbidden. She, herself, had one, but it was not charged, and the only person who came close to knowing could not remember.

"...charge one...” Fiona had muttered over the private line, “I- I think I remember. Just- nnnh. I remember doing it. I don't remember how."

The only other solution would be to use an Onmyouji ritual which not only required multiple practitioners, but would cut the girl off from her aether use entirely - forever - even though it would mean that she could never be possessed again. It was beyond that last thing that Hali wished to do, and the half-elezen’s response chilled her blood.

"...we should keep it in mind. Just in case."

Thus, she turned to Naoh, who instructed her on where to search in the ruins to find Wardstones. She was, after all, not only a shinobi, but one of very high aether sensitivity, which would help her not only infiltrate the ruins, but potentially locate a stone, as well. Loathe to go alone, however, she brought her former teacher - her best friend and sister in the shadows - Kaori, seeking her help to sneak in and out while keeping one another safe.

It was a fortunate thing that she had. The ruins of Amdapor were crawling with horrible creatures. Due to the way the entrances and perimeter were guarded, the two were forced to take a back route through the abandoned keep in order to access the city. 

Though it was suspected that the keep ruins might hold what they sought, it was quite the opposite. The absence of long-established Amdapori artefacts of white magic to stave off the Mhachi void magic and wild beasts that roamed the area has left the entire structure to be overrun by the void in the wake of multiple attempts by the Lambs of Dalamud - some of whose reanimated corpses they had found, already slain - to summon their god back to the star.

Hali found it funny. If Dahlia truly was Dalamud incarnate - if she was some kind of god, they were all wasting their time. She almost thought to tell the mage upon her return, but not knowing her relationship with the cult, she assumed to likely be negative.

It was rough going after they’d fought their way through the maddened flora and fauna both, both of which fought them at every turn in the overgrown keep. She had visited once before, but it had never been quite as overgrown as it was then, she’d thought. By the time they reached the passage needed to slip through catacombs and into the city, Hali had wound up sick nearly twice due to the sheer amount of corrupted aether in some areas. Guarding the passage, they had even encountered a powerful voidsent who struck Hali as mildly familiar. A man she had met before, named Resh, who had been heavily voidtainted and even possessed, bore a very similar voidsent which could materialise separately from his body. Fortunately, the two shinobi made short work of most things in the keep, void included.

The passage put them right by the entrance to the city, and the two made their way down. Mould assailed their lungs, giant insects assailed their bodies, and doubt assailed Hali’s mind. The investigation of the keep had proven fruitless, but her initial scouting of the area around the Lost City had some promise. Deep within the city, she could feel something, and it was very close to what she sought. For a mercy, it had begun to rain, clearing much of the spores in the air, but bringing out insects much larger than either of the two Au Ra. However, they managed to dispatch most of them with ease, even having moments to admire some of those less hostile.

Despite their skills in combat, it was no easy task. In what Hali regarded, in hindsight, though not at that time, as a stroke of irony, Kaori had been assaulted by a massive moth - a creature almost resembling the guardian spirit of their village - and stuck down. Thankfully, Hali had managed to bring supplies enough to complement her admittedly-weak conjury, which, she had found, grew significantly easier and more potent in the ruins, which gave her some hope. Once Kaori was healed properly, her arm set and functional again, and Hali’s panic abated, they moved on.

Continuing deeper in, they were best by ever-increasing wonders. A seemingly-bottomless chasm surrounded them with platforms that connected with aethereal bridges, old wards still present, lingering from when their source stones were once in place, though nothing remained within them for them to protect. Hali’s hope grew again at that, and ,especially,when they found a host of voidsent and reanimated magi who had been attempting to breach a heavily-warded door. After having cleared them out, the two were able to set to work on breaching the door, themselves, seeming unaffected by its protecting wards.

What they saw on the other side was something akin to another world. Blissful, pure, and almost heavenly, they had found themselves in something akin to another world, constantly shifting ivory and gold pillar surrounding bridges and platforms that seemed to manifest from nothing. Sprites of pure light and torches of white fire that sang melodically lined the bottomless - and skyless - expanse of pure radiance.

The two shinobi found themselves almost unnaturally enraptured by the purity and bliss of it all, resolving themselves, one day, to return, though their aims were significantly different. Kaori wished to calm herself and to find inner serenity to better herself, but Hali found herself giggling at the thought of a pocket world created by mortals; it was her ticket to unlocking secrets that would allow her to shape reality to her whim, and she would, one day, have those secrets.

They, finally, reached what seemed to be a council chamber of sorts, empty of all things but a massive winged statue, armed with stone sword, shield... and three charged Wardstones - smooth, red, fist-sized stones that emanated a pure aether - set in its breast and behind both hands. In her excitement, Hali rushed in headlong, Kaori on her heels. The statue, like many others, was a gargoyle, enchanted by Amdapori magic, inset with Wardstones to make it effective against voidsent in the War of the Magi, she assumed. Fortunately, between their skill with ninjutsu, despite the stone being highly resistant to their poor blades, dinged and damaged from assaulting stone creatures, they managed to exhaust the statue’s animating magicks.

Prying the still-gleaming stones from the statue, Hali made one last attempt to contact Naoh, asking how to work the stones, and what she could do with three, rather than one. There was no response. Wherever they were in Amdapor, they were cut off entirely from the outside world. She and Kaori decided to beat a hasty retreat, vowing to return in the future in order to pursue their goals in that wondrous place.

When they neared the entrance to the Lost City, Hali’s heart jumped into her throat as a familiar presence became apparent in the patterns of aether around her: Dahlia. However, it was not simply her Moon. Her aethereal presence had all but winked out, and swirling about it in a writhing, chaos mass was the void-tainted aether of the voidsent that had possessed her, driving Hali to their task in the Lost City in the first place. Kaori and Hali immediately followed their shinobi instincts and made themselves scarce, watching the warped woman, clad in a strange outfit and mask, descend the stairs toward the landing where Hali has used her Vanishing jutsu to hide herself from him.

“Naras... wasn’t it? Come out...” the possessed woman crooned in an unmistakably male voice.

Hali’s heart pounded in her hiding spot. Dahlia’s form had shifted ever-so-slightly in the imbalance between her aether and that of her possessor. Her normally-mis-matched green and brown eyes had turned a deep red, one darker than the other, the edges dark and almost sunken. Her nails had grown into long, sharp claws, and she had a terrible, deathly pallor to her. The voice that came from her was not her own. It was Mirseleiris.

Securing the stones to herself as she frantically called Naoh for help over a linkshell that she knew Dahlia did not have, she was given an idea: all she had to do was get them close, so if she could grapple Mirseleiris, the stones would be able to do their work and suppress him, forcing him into stasis within Dahlia and giving her back her body and her control so long as they remained near. From time to time, she threw a small rock, skipping it on the stone stairs to make it seem as though she was sloppily fleeing further into the city. Fortunately, it seemed to distract the voidsent.

“[Kaori,]” she had said in Hingan over that same shell, “[I am going to do something very stupid. I am counting on you to back me up.]”

“[I will do what I feel is necessary,]” the other shinobi had said, adding, “[Trust me.]” Trust was something Hali had learned to put in Kaori. Though she could hardly trust the whole of the world - it was, after all, most assuredly out to get her in any way possible - she trusted Kaori to be able to handle things, every time.

Having slowly climbed atop the archway above the city’s entrance, she leaped from it, using a Shukuchi to rapidly get closer to Mirseleiris as he searched for her, taunting her. Arms wide, one Wardstone tied tightly to each of her palms and one affixed to the chainmail beneath her ningi, she attempted to embrace Dahlia’s possessed form, only to have the voidsent controlling her move her quickly away.

“Another new trick?” he crooned, then, realising what she had attempted to use, the proximity alone causing his head to spin, hissed, “Wardstones...”

Kaori, however, had been ready, and popped up from a ledge below the landing on which they had engaged Mirseleiris. Grabbing Dahlia’s ankles, she wrenched the Ishgardian’s legs from under her, causing the voidsent to tumble and temporarily release his grip on her. When she landed, it was Dahlia’s voice again, claws and eyes changing back slowly as Mirseleiris‘s presence faded.

However, when Hali straddled the girl, beginning to affix the Wardstones to her, she wound up in, she realised, a trap. Mirseleiris quickly took control of Dahlia again, one hand shooting forth to try and slash at her face and the other attempting to take her by throat. Thanks to Kaori’s quick reaction, smascking the first strike with the spine of her katana, the swipe only managed to tear part of Hali’ hood. However, the voidsent managed to take the heavyset Raen by the throat, choking her with vicious claws sinking into the skin at her neck.

Hali did everything she could not to lose control. It was chaos. It was fear. It was pain. It was rage. The thoughts had started to become murmurs, voices telling her what to do.

Kill her. Kill them both.

Knock her out.

Kill yourself.

She could hear Kaori, but no matter how she tries, she could not understand what she said amongst the din. Then, it got worse as a scream shook her very soul: Dahlia was screaming. Before her, Kaori had thrust the tip of her blade into the mage’s abdomen and drawn it clean, causing her to begin bleeding profusely.

“WHy... WOn’T... yoU... lEavE HeR?!” her body screamed in a disturbing dual voice, one belonging to Dahlia, the other to Mirseleiris, his grip slipping between the mageling’s intense pain and the Wardstones weakening him.

“W... why w- won’t... youhhhh...” Hali wheezed amongst the chaos and pain, before finally being released as Dahlia wrested control once more from her possessor. 

With the time the distraction gave her, she began fastening the second stone. The chaos in her head reached another crescendo as, Dahlia now fully in control and aware of her state, began screaming in agony again.

“Hali... Kel... help...! GahAHAhAHAhAhAHAHAAH!” she pleaded before Mirseleiris began to emerge again, mad dual-toned cackling beginning again, “She’s mine, mine!”

That tipped the scale in Hali’s head from fear to blind rage, and she screamed in response, “SHE’S MINE YOU WORTHLESS SHITSTAIN! SHE’S MINE! I’LL SODDING KILL YOU FOR THIS!” She couldn’t help, after the fact, remembering what she had yelled and how, deeply embarrassed at such melodrama, but she couldn’t help herself. Her mind was slipping, and fast.

“TheN If I cAn’T HAVe hER, I’Ll taKe hEr WIth mE!” the dual voice cackled maniacally, and the claws that had gone to Hali’s throat when, instead, to Dahlia’s poised to tear her own throat out in desperation.

Kaori had busied herself with activating pressure points and calling out to Dahlia, given Hali’s panicked and addled state, in order to try and help. At the same time, despite the start of a protestation from the other Raen, the hand holding the third stone rose, abandoning attempting to tie it to the girl’s choker, and came down hard on the side of her head, immediately knocking her out, as Hali, too, attempted a rather desperate manoeuvre, giving in to the voices as they screamed at her to do it, do it, do it, DO IT. 

Mirseleiris could tell what was coming and, instead of attempting to prevent it, lashed out one last time with claws and a kick, sending Hali reeling backward as not only did she gain two deep gashes across her nose and an eyebrow, she was hit in the death wound at her stomach, sending a massive cramp through her that caused her to lose her breath and fall over.

Silence, however, was the next sound, rain falling lightly upon the three, heavy breathing from them all following the struggle. Hali recovered just enough to carry Dahlia, and they managed to return to the Bountiful Chest. All three were in dire need of healing. Kaori’s arm was still in poor shape from the behemoth moth’s awful bites, and she had some minor wounds and inhalation of mould besides. Hali, too, suffered from inhaling the mould, though not as much, but the slashes across her face and puncture wounds around her neck required treatment. Dahlia’s were, thankfully, only superficial thanks to Kaori’s skill with her blade and proactive tactics, save for the concussion from Hali’s desperation.

Hali, once healed, could only lay in her bed in the medical ward and cry, her mind racing. They had done it. Dahlia could be safe - or even just relatively so while the stones were near or on her - until they had a more permanent solution. They had discovered in their hunt amazing things beyond description. Hali had a new lead into bettering herself, even to the point gaining the power to alter reality to her whim as she had seen done in Amdapor. Yet, she still could not stop panicking.

"Oh, gods, what did I do? She's going to hate me. This is all my fault... Fuck! Why did I say anything?! I knew he was listening! I shouldn't have done any of this... I should leave her alone, but... is she okay...?” she thought to herself on and off in a mad train of thought between bouts of panicked crying.

Slowly, eventually, once she had overheard that Dahlia had been healed and her concussion faded in the process, she shakily got up from her bed, sniffling, to move a few beds down toward hers. Silently padding across the floor on the other side of the curtain, she carefully climbed into the bed in which Dahlia slept. She curled up next to her and just cried, silent and shaking, almost afraid to touch her but still wanting to be close. Everything was still chaos. She needed something.

She’s not yours, you worthless creature; she is my Moon, and, with any luck, will always be mine.

#hali #hali naras #asashio no haruhi #dahlia de bellechier #dahlia blake #fiona delaine #naoh tayoon #kel lin #asashio no kaori #kaori morningtide #mirseleiris