#when they know he's more than just the guy with a highlight and deity powers

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Nephele (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- Princess of Clouds, O Sosías by the people of Olympius

Neffy (affectionately) by her boyfriend and close friends

Hera Lite by Aphrodite

Age- 18 (immortal)

Location- Boeotia, Olympius

Personality- She's generally shy, quiet, & introspective. She's far more complex emotionally than a lot of beings give her credit for. Being quite temperamental at times, she can switch between being sanguine and phlegmatic to choleric & melancholic. She's in a relationship.

She has the standard abilities of a goddess. As the goddess of clouds (and also duality) her other powers/abilities include flight (through use of clouds), limited aerokinesis, cloud mimicry, nebula manipulation, being able to create a perfect cloudform copy of herself, shapeshifting into a nephelai form, nephelokinesis (cloud generation/manipualtion), shapeshifting into an almost perfect form of Hera, and caligokinesis (fog generation/manipulation).

Nephele resides on a cliffside mansion in the state of Boeotia. The mansion is built out of marble, crystal, & lucite. The color scheme inside are pastel shades of white, silver, blue, gray, pink, and iridescent. There's pure white elderdown feather centerpieces, a crystal & diamond chandelier overhead the main hall, soft and airy linen & cotton furniture, and crystal & lucite furniture pieces- with the flooring being snow white mink carpeting. Her bedroom has her favorite thing- her bed. The bed is a technological feat, hovering several feet off the ground due to the 1,500 pounds of magnets beneath it. The bed costs 1.6 million drachmas and is covered in many cashmere pillows & silk, cashmere, and satin sheets.

She has an animal companion- a male pegasus named Celeris. Their energies are inexplicably intertwined. Celeris is quite protective of his rider. He's her usual mode of transportation. Nephele doesn't like the polluting aftereffects of most cars.

Nephele starts off her mornings with sessions of aerial yoga and acupuncture before taking a swim in her olympic sized deep pool.

She's well aware of the controversy surrounding her mere existance with her also being a deity. Nephele doesn't like thinking about her life before she was able to call the shots in her own life. All of her negative emotions are directed towards her ex Ixion, a former lord of Thessaly. Her possible union with him came about as a reprieve for the gods- namely Zeus (god of the sky, thunder, & lightning) after Ixion commited an act of kin slaying. Just the though of his crazed eyes makes Nephele's skin crawl. Even though she was successful in seducing him, Ixion laid his sights on Hera (goddess of women & marriage). Nephele's ceremonial union to him didn't happen. Ixion ended up being struck from Mt. Olympus and straight into Tartarus- his eternal punishment being attached to a spinning burning wheel forevermore. There's more to the story that Nephele knows about that she refuses to divulge in, even to her most trusted friends.

She's considered a gem among the nephelai community!

Nephele loves listening to classical, pop, & country music.

A typical breakfast for her is scrambled egg whites (added with feta cheese & onions) with a few lightly toasted hash browns and a bowl of plain yogurt (topped with shredded coconut & banana slices). She also likes the Golly Grains frosted rice cereal.

Her favorite makeup products include the Museology lip gloss in "3D Hologram," an opalescent shimmer, the Museology UV liquid eyeliner in "Pyrotechnic," a glittery silver color, and the Olmorfia gel powder highlighter in "Sunstone."

Now Nephele's life is filled with effortless joy. She's in a healthy romantic relationship with a mortal guy named Athamas, a soon-to-be lord of Boeotia. She likes that he means what he says, his gentle light brown eyes, and how safe she instinctively feels when she's around him. Nephele also likes that Athamas respects her boundaries when it comes to sex, which she's not comfortable with doing. She finds him asking for consent before they kiss to be the sexiest thing ever!

A go-to drink for her is coconut water. She also likes Strengthify ionized water, ginger ale, lemonade, iced tea, vodka soda, mint tea, piña colada smoothies, white wine, bellinis, mimosas, & palomas. Usuals from The Roasted Bean includes a cafe au lait, a large chai latte, a medium pineapple lychee splash, and an olympian sized flat white.

Nephele's favorite piece of jewlery to wear is her white gold necklace that has a cloud shaped charm embellished with miniature diamonds.

She finds the constant comparisons to Hera to be more than annoying.

A favorite thing for her to snack on is white chocolate covered popcorn.

Nephele barely has a social media presence. On Fatestagram she rarely posts pictures and videos of herself. Instead, she posts inspirational quotes as well as some of her personal drawings & watercolor paintings.

A guilty pleasure for her are air fried tofu sticks. She gets a 10 piece along with ginger garlic dipping sauce from Garden Gatherings, a popular vegan restaurant.

She loves the Glory's Crown black vanilla products.

Nephele's main source of income and primary business is her nationwide cotton candy shops, Candycloud. There's almost 90 different flavors of cotton candy, an official website, & a makeshift store in the Mall of Olympius. She has also released a signature parfum called Cloudmist. The fragrance has notes of pear, lavender, vanilla orchid, and creme de coconut. A notable thing is the clear blue cloud shaped perfume bottle. A 3.4 oz bottle sells for seventy drachmas. For other means of income Nephele models for/endorses Sunshine Radiance, Aktinovolos Petalouda (is a fan of the winged heels), and etherealist (a fashion brand started by a nephelai named Nelina). The brand's fashion is known for it's light & muted pastel colors, dramatic lengths, and use of super delicate & sheer fabrics- like silk organza, satin, chiffon, lace, and tulle. Nephele even walked the runway at an etherealist fashion show in Thrace.

Her favorite frozen treats are marshmallow ice cream (topped with sprinkles, white chocolate sauce, & mini marshmallows) and coconut gelato.

She's also a fan of the La Petit Amour bralette tops!

In the pantheon Nephele's friends with Aerin (goddess of the ethereal), The Muses, Pasithea (goddess of hallucinations & relaxation), Aiode (goddess of voice & song), Pothos (god of longing & yearning), The Hyades, Auxo (goddess of summer, vegetation, & plants), Aether (god of the upper atmosphere, celestial bodies, & heavenly light), Carpo (goddess of autumn & fruits), Eos (Titaness of dawn), Thallo (goddess of spring & new growth), Hemera (goddess of the day), Pandaisia (goddess of banquets), and Aeolus (god of wind). Her official mentor was Tethys (Titaness of freshwater & clouds). They both bonded during her mentorship and remained close afterwards. They talk on the phone daily & Nephele doesn't mind traveling to Aetolia to visit her. She also admires Eváeros (goddess of air & the zodiacs).

Her all time favorite desset is the cipriani meringue cake from Hollyhock's Bakery. She also likes the marshmallow cream filled doughnuts.

Nephele's relationship with the King and Queen is complicated to say the least. She's been an odd, but welcome comfort to Zeus since Hera filed for divorce. One stormy night when Nephele came to the palace to check on him, she found Zeus high on lotus dust. In his drug addled state, he thought he was Hera and begged her to dance with him on the balcony- like they always used to. Nephele obliged and when the dance was over, Zeus kissed her. For a brief moment he saw through his trance that Nephele was not Hera. Zeus actually cried and apologized.

She recently bought herself an etherealist handbag. It's the crystal embellished cloud shaped crossbody clutch. It costs 700 drachmas.

At one of Pandaisia's brunch parties, Nephele nearly finished a couple of trays of smoked salmon macarons.

In her free time she enjoys flying (on Celeris), knitting, drawing, cloud surfing, reading, painting, spending time with her boyfriend, going to the cinema, ballet, cooking, hanging out with friends, and baking.

Her all time favorite meal is grilled chicken breasts (stuffed with goat cheese & onions) with garlic mashed potatoes and white rice.

"Clouds are on top for a reason. They float so high because they refuse to carry any burden."

#my oc #my character #oc character #my oc character #oc intro #character intro #oc introduction #character introduction #modern greek gods #modern greek mythology #greek myth retellings #greek goddess #greek goddesses #greek mythology #greek pantheon

[phantaloon-books]

Things about Tower of Nero that I want to highlight to remember them forever:

Lu being an absolute badass woman, I just love her too much

Piper McClean being canon wlw, she was actually kissing another girl, we really fell in love in october

Chaos being canonically female (just chaos being mentioned as a deity rather than what's below tartarus)

nobody DIED, like no one on the good side at least?? yes plenty of beings have died throughout TOA, but nobody died in TON?? so many died in TLO and BOO, I expected to mourn someone and I didn't have too??! it made me so happy

solangelo. that's it. solangelo makes me happy.

will being incredibly supportive of nico, and instead of stopping him, going with him on dangerous adventures because he doesn't want to leave him alone. also them treating Nico's PTSD for what it is

WILL SOLACE CANONICALLY GLOWS IN THE DARK. HE'S A GLOWSTICK BABY.

also will just appearing at the gates of the throne room, glowing in rage because someone touched his boyfriend (and tried to kill his dad), and him just marching through everyone (everyone else letting him), just to pick up his hurt precious boyfriend and take care of him.

meg McCaffrey got her happy ending. she's baby, she deserves her family and her happy ending. also Lu being the mother and the 12 children being siblings?? that's one hell of a way to tell nero to fuck off and right his mistakes. we love meg.

dionysus being the best olympian after apollo. the duo content we needed, and now will never get

nico mentioning bob and how he wants to go look for him, because he can still be in tartarus

rachel still being a Total badass and hitting people in the eye with her blue hairbrush thus being iconic

meg acting as lester's anchor and only reason why he didn't let go of the ledge, not falling into chaos, is top tier 'reasons why I cried reading', because if you think about it, Meg is the first ever friend apollo ever had, and them being best friends is everything to me

also apollo choosing to go looking as lester rather than apollo because lester feels like home is on top tier 'reasons why I cried reading' too

again, the only thing apollo did in the end (once he was god again) that could be described as 'godly' was be in several places at once, fly his chariot, and get meg her unicorn

but apollo shooting fucking fire out of his hands is crazy asf, it was so cool. he really got amazing godly powers this book.

rick being bold enough to showcase abusive parenting knowing that a huge porcentage of his readers are minors, helping many realize that they could be in abusive households, and giving them a tool to reach out for help

apollo defeating nero was so satisfactory, because you realize in the end, that nero wasn't really a monster, he was monstrous, but still very much human (if only with some godly power), and pretty useless once he couldn't hide behind props and weapons, his being wasn't powerful, he was just under layers of protection

the jackson/blofis scene was so warm and loving, they really are willing to put their family in danger, baby estelle in danger, to help 'percy's friends' even tho she knew percy didn't like apollo, but she still takes in everyone who needs help, and paul being a loving and accepting husband

sally working on her SECOND novel, she really is having her best life

none of the big heroes from other series having protagonism, besides nico and will, instead giving the other kids from camp halfblood their chance to show they're just as worthy as the "heroes of olympus"

(still I would have loved to see a scene with everyone else, like the heroes of olympus guys, fighting together one last time, just for nostalgia's sake - I legit hoped to see percy and annabeth arriving with chiron in triumvirate tower, but yeah)

the arrow of dodona may have been a dumb, cringey, and slightly ridiculous thing at first, and I personally rolled my eyes everytime it said anything, but it knew what would happen from the start, and without its sacrifice, apollo would have achieved nothing. we stan one arrow

nico wearing a white cowboy hat. idky but it makes my heart swell with joy. he a gay cowboy

y'all know I love Apollo's arch, and I just gotta point this out. his trials, his time as lester, started with him falling to earth, and ended with him getting up after purposely throwing himself off the earth, towards tartarus, almost falling to chaos. that's really clever writing.

the olympians watching over him, and some actually being concerned for him rather than his progress.

poseidon not really giving a fuck about the world or council meetings anymore because percy's not there anymore

athena being the only one apart from artemis who trusted apollo could do it makes me warm fsr

lester deciding that the best way to retell his adventures is by singing is hilarious to me, he really thinks it'll solve everything

Grover not telling percy and annabeth jason died seems so funny to me, he really said "nah it doesn't matter much, field trip, yes"

"hey man" my heart broke in twenty million pieces. like I don't know where I expected to see jason. but that wasn't it. and it hurt me as much as it hurt apollo man.

(also I kinda hoped we would see nico summon his spirit or smth, but I'm actually happy nico realized that jason went by his own choice, and he was in peace, so he decided not to summon him, because it was alright. that hurt too)

kinda love how lester passes out after literally every battle. it reminds you that even tho he's apollo, his body isn't. I'm sure we all would pass out too if we did a quarter of what lester did in the span of 4 days. his body isn't made to endure that, it doesn't even have a halfblood endurance, it's a weak mortal body

the trogs were fucking hilarious. their screeches and grrs, idk there's something ridiculous and so childish about them, it's so fun

really happy that apollo never had a /real/ love interest (reyna doesn't count), cause that wasn't what his story was about. instead he got to make so many friends, and have quality time with them and his children, it's amazing

apollo being thankful people were telling him he'd grown, and was more human, because he realized that was the best thing he could have learned from his time as a mortal

also him saying fuck you man to zeus and his speech, like "no asshole dad, I did learn, I'm not going to see this as punishment, it was a great time in which bad things happened but I enjoyed it." yes, we love apollo not letting zeus win

getting to see what everyone will do now. nico and will figuring out rachel's prophecy, probs saving bob. rachel living her best life away from her parents. leo doing what leo does, always helping those who have no one else. the hunters' open storyline about this fox, possibly hinting at content? piper settling down in a quiet life is what she deserves tbh, she's earned quiet life with a cute gf, wish her the best. Frank and hazel being the best praetors, and I bet they will continue to be so. And annabeth and percy, who chose their happiness over all, at last

kinda wish we got to see someone still really miss jason after apollo becomes god again tho lmao like apollo missed jason more than the others, nico and piper being the exception. I mean, leo is fine and dandy, hazel and frank are okay, percy and annabeth are done mourning... I just we got to see any of them really mourning, rather than reading they mourned. it would have made it feel more emotional

the last conversation and the last words in general. "the sun always comes back" and "we're friends now. call on me. I'll be there for you" that shit got me sobbing my heart out. rick really managed to do right by the books and end it like he should have, unlike BOO. he took what made TLO good and used a similar formula. it's very different from "and for once I didn't look back", but it still fills you with warmth and the feeling that even though it's over, it's okay.

I'm just really emotional, this is all I can think about, but you bet I'm gonna add more when I remember

#ton #toa #tower of nero #the tower of nero #trials of apollo #pjo #hoo #ton spoilers #toa spoilers #riordanverse #pjoverse #lester papadopoulos #meg mccaffrey #will solace #nico di angelo #jason grace #rachel elizabeth dare #luguselwa #percy jackson #annabeth chase #piper mcclean #camp halfblood #percy jackson and the olympians

[isaacthedruid]

I used to be really into writing at the start of quarantine and I wanted to get back into it, so have a little ✨ ✨ (platonic) Foolish and Eret, eternal duo, drabble✨ ✨  of my interpretation of the first little bit of lore they had together, cleaning up the red vines. 

TW// Swearing and brief mention of intoxication (one sentence)

[AO3]

Foolish dumped the last of the vines from his inventory into the blue flames, “You know what all this egg cleaning kind of reminds me of, Eret?” 

“What?” 

“It kind of reminds me of me and you back in the day. Like, cleaning up that mess from the Wither cult.” Foolish smiled at the memory. 

“What?” Eret asked softly. 

“What do you mean?” 

Foolish clapped his hands together, watching red powder fall. His pants and palms were coated in fine red dust from the blood vines. It burned slightly as the egg slowly sunk its teeth in, despite being a god, the man still felt pain. It felt sharp and prickly, the Egg’s strength danced across his hands, stinging through the fabric and staining his golden skin with a soft red blush. 

Eret froze, also wiping at the red dust that bled into their blood-red cloak.

“I-” Eret stuttered, “Are you thinking of a different person, or-”

“Nope, you, Eret. The one with the glasses and the one with the netherite armour.” 

The god gave the king a quick look over; glasses, armour, red cloak and--a crown. That was Eret, well it was Eret with a few additions but it was still Eret. 

Foolish was confident in that fact. 

“Uh,” Eret didn’t speak, allowing the god to continue. 

Foolish stammered, “It was- It was a- I mean, I guess time’s a little. It’s was a while ago,” the god fell into a back and forth pace as he finally spoke freely. 

“It was a while ago, I suppose. I’m surprised--” the god looked at the king with a slight pain in his gemstone eyes, “--You don’t know what I’m talking about?”

“I- I’m sorry, I have no idea, I-” the king trailed off. 

“Really, doesn’t ring a bell? Wither cult?” 

“I-I’m pretty sure I’d remember something called a Wither cult.” Eret spoke back.

“Okay, uh, okay. That’s weird. Okay, you don’t remember that. What about uh,” the god paused, trying to pick just a single memory from his hundreds of years of life.

“Okay, that’s weird. Well, there was that time we went on that little adventure like, in the mountains, and we fought off those trolls. And I don’t mean like, big green ones-” 

Eret cut him off, “You have to be talking about something-- someone else, man. I-I’ve been here for months-” 

“Oh yeah! I do agree you’ve been here for months. You’ve been elsewhere, Eret.”

The king’s heart dropped, they froze again. The amount of power in just one sentence, he had to be messing with them. Eret opened their mouth to reply but any words were trapped in their throat. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

The god looked at the king closely, “No, no, it’s Eret. You’re the guy,” as a friendly smile spread across his golden face. 

“Okay,” the king paused, “Have I shown you my eyes before?” 

Foolish came in closer to peer through their sunglasses, the glow from his netherite helmet sent moving highlights across Foolish’s metallic face, he meant well.

“Trust me, I know what your eyes look like, Eret. Feel free though.”

“Okay, just to double-check, you know, y-you’re talking about the right person, right? So of course, sunglasses. I wear them to hide-” 

“I was gonna say. The sunglasses are actually a bit of a new look for you, I feel like.” 

Carefully, Eret removed their sunglasses, the frames slipping down their nose to reveal their pearl-white eyes. That was the Eret he knew. 

That was Eret that fought giant trolls and armies of monsters by his side. That was the Eret he called a friend. That was the Eret he had danced with drunkenly at many parties and galas. That was the Eret he’d make sure that got home safely after a night out. That was the Eret who would smile when he’d make the thunder roar out just for them. That was the Eret he called his. 

“Yeah!” Foolish smiled bigger, his face glowing at the familiar sight in front of him. 

“You’re not scared?” they spoke carefully, the arms of the frames clutched tightly in their thin fingers with a bit of shake.

Philza yelled. Ranboo screamed. Tommy was nearly in tears. 

And Foolish, he smiled. 

“No, that’s the Eret I’m thinking of, actually.” 

Eret carefully placed the glasses back over their eyes, obscuring the pearls with a dark tone.

“Nothing?” 

“Foolish, I know nothing,” the king took a moment to find their words, “I know absolutely nothing. I am so lost. There’s- There’s- I’m sorry.”

“Now I’m lost too!” 

“If there’s something you know that I don’t, I-” 

“You know, maybe this is the Egg, maybe it’s the Egg messing with your head. Maybe-- I don’t know.”

Foolish didn’t want to admit that it hurt but god did it hurt. It pained him to think that Eret, one of his oldest friends, had no memory of their past adventures.

Their time together, wearing ancient clothes and fighting various mobs.

“Y-you just get some sleep.” 

An attempt to make himself feel better, put it up to be the king being tried or that the Egg was affecting them. 

“We can talk about this another time. We’ll catch up, old pal.” the god turned on his heels, playfully hitting Eret on the shoulder.

A soft wack between two friends but it was a lot more forceful than the god intended it to be, “That was a shoulder punch, by the way. It wasn’t me like, smacking you.” 

“It’s all good. Yeah,” the king trailed off again. 

Shit, this was awkward. Foolish needed to get out of here, he needed to get out of here now. 

“Nothing?” the god asked, once more. 

Foolish’s hands were about to shake as an ache grew in the deity’s chest.

“I- Nothing. Maybe there’s a reason why I hit it off with you so quick. I don’t know,” Foolish started to walk away at this point, “I feel like there’s stuff I need to learn about myself as well. Uh-” 

“Yeah, uh. Apparently- Apparently, it’s a lot. Okay, you get some sleep or something.” 

“Okay.” 

“We’ll- We’ll, I-” the god quickly stuttered out, “There’s some other matters I’ve got to attend to, you know? Kingdoms rising and stuff.” 

You’ve gotta get out of here, man. This hurts you just as much as it’s hurting them. 

The pair mumbled their goodbyes, promising a fight against the monstrous egg that attacks their lands and wishes for others to get rest. 

And with that Foolish ran, he didn’t know how long he’d been running for. Down the path, through portal and the Nether, through another portal and into the desert. His legs burned as they pushed his body forwards, faster and faster towards the temple.  

A series of the same four words fell from his lips, over and over again.

“He doesn’t remember me.” 

“He doesn’t remember me.” 

“He doesn’t remember me.” 

Somehow and in someway, Eret had forgotten him. 

So I haven’t written in a really long time and I’m quite out of practice but what did you think? I kind of what to write about the red banquet next if people enjoyed this :) 

Any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. 

#foolish gamers #foolishg #eret #the eret #eternal duo #isaac's writing

[ssaltbending]

Ok, guys, hear me out: Zuko is a Capricorn, Katara is a Cancer —and here’s why (it would be so poetic).

Part 1: Zuko

TW: explicit mentions of child abuse.

I know this statement might seem weird and out of place, but in the last couple weeks I’ve been digging a lot into astrology and, in order not to forget my roots, I thoroughly felt the need to combine both of my most recent obsessions in one post, given that this headcanon hasn’t been able to leave my mind ever since I came up with it: if we applied astrology to the Avatar world, I’m sure Cancer and Capricorn would be Katara and Zuko’s signs, respectively. And I don’t say this in a superficial way, just by looking at zodiac memes and associating Katara with the crybabies Cancers are portrayed as or saying Zuko is a Capricorn buzzkill as people who know astrology on a surface level would assume they are —those are some of the most common stereotypes about the signs. No, I’m saying that they embody those signs on an archetypal leve: in the way their stories, especially Zuko’s, resemble the myths that originate the zodiac signs and their respective traits.

Therefore, without further ado, let me explain.

The Capricorn archetype: the sins of the father...

As any casual astrology enthusiast may probably know, the sign of Capricorn is connected to qualities such as perseverance, integrity, resilience and ambition, typically treated as the CEO or boss of the zodiac. However, the sign itself has a richer and much more complex story as we look at the deities it is associated with as well as the planet that rules it: Saturn, linked to the Roman god of the same name and the greek gods Cronus, Zeus, Hestia and Pan. Some astrologers choose Cronus as Capricorn’s patron god and others prefer his children, but that can be explained very easily.

The myth goes like this: Cronus, a giant and father of what we would know as some of the main greek gods (Hestia, Demeter, Hades, Poseidon, Hera and Zeus), was actually the son of Uranos, who he subverted thanks to the advice of his mother Gaia to use an agricultural tool to kill him. But as time went by and Cronus had started having children with his partner, Rhea, the fear of his descendants becoming stronger than him and doing the same thing he had done to his father took over him, which led to his decision of swallowing them all whole. He started with Hestia all the way back to Zeus, whom he couldn’t swallow right after he was born, unlike his other children, because this time Rhea had hid him in the island of Crete to protect him from his father. To deceive him, Rhea then covered a rock in cloth to make it resemble a baby for Cronus to eat it, thinking that it was a newborn Zeus.

Time passed and Zeus grew stronger until he was ready to confront his father and save his siblings from his womb, and when he finally did it, he managed to force Cronus into disgorge them one by one, in the reverse order they had been swallowed —which left Hestia as the last sibling to be disgorged.

After that, Zeus was left with a prophecy, where he would also be possibly overthrown by a son of his. And after Métis, the woman he was told would bear said child, gave birth he swallowed the newborn whole just like Cronus had done with his brothers and sisters. The child in question, however, started giving him headaches as it grew older and bigger inside of him and would become the goddess we know as Athena. What Zeus did with her was the repetition of a cycle perpetuated by his forefathers, a cycle of abuse and trauma that seems inescapable. What this part of the duality of the Capricorn archetype shows one of the ways in which those ideas of tradition and legacy can be carried on (a very negative one, to be honest), but that’s not the only way they can manifest, which gives the archetype this… almost cinematic quality, in my opinion. (And if we take this into account, I might headcanon Azula as a Capricorn rising due not only to the archetypal coincidences but the overall mastermind outlook she has and how much of a natural, domineering and calculating leader she is, but that’s besides the point.)

Now, let’s talk about the other side of the archetype, which gives it this incredible dual quality: Hestia’s path. Unlike her brother Zeus, Hestia was the one who not only had been devoured by her father, but she had spent the most time inside him as well. This is often associated with the emotional isolation many Capricorns experience in their youth, the lack of warmth and love by one of their parents, along with the desire not to become the abusive parent they were exposed to. Hestia is the other side of the story, the unspoken leader of the Olympians, the one who broke the toxic cycle running in her family for generations, vowing to become an eternal virgin and protector of the earth. Besides, Hestia means “hearth”: the inner fire, the one that is never allowed to go out.

(art by @elisebrave​)

That is the soul of the Capricorn archetype: the crossroads of destiny, the moment when the child decides whether to become like their parents, or forge their own path like Hestia did. Do you guys see what I see now? Are the similarities clear enough?

As my dear friend @persephobeee​ points out in her Capricorn essay (a crucial source for this one): “The Capricorn archetype is a cycle of stuck parents putting stress on their children at such a young age so then their kid ends up making money in retaliation, but then treat their kids the same as well due to the lack of warmth and freedom they had in their own childhood. The intense pressure put onto them as a child [then] leads to isolation and depression. It’s a cycle. ‘I don’t want to be my parent, but also… how they have ruined me’. The chain can continue with Zeus (projecting sorrows and nightmares onto their own children) or it could break with Hestia (the path of love, light and protection).”

This is why Capricorn’s planetary ruler, Saturn, is also associated with ideas found in this myth: restriction, limitation, order, boundaries, leadership, responsibility… pretty much dad vibes, to be honest. Do you guys see what I see or do I have to dig deeper?

“But isn’t zuko a firebender?? Why would he be an earth sign??”, you may ask.

The way that I might be making headcanons about the Gaang’s western zodiac signs isn’t gonna be based on which element they bend, because that would be quite reductive and restrictive for me as an astrology junkie, but their similarities to each sign’s archetype and overall characteristics. And yes, I do see Zuko as an earth sun, but that wouldn’t be his only sign, there is also the moon and the rising sign, which also have an important impact on the individual. In my opinion, Zuko’s personality embodies the qualities of fire signs as well: competitiveness, drive, passion, impulsiveness and loyalty. But to me those qualities are better shown in his character through his moon sign: an Aries moon, to be specific. See those anger outbursts? The “I don’t need any [fucking] calming tea!!”? The “you never think these things through”? Aries moon behavior, right there. But I’m not going to focus on moon signs right now. Let’s get back to the behavior I am the most well-versed at: Capricorn behavior.

So, the sign of Capricorn is also a cardinal sign, a leader, since they are the ones that begin each season. In the Northern Hemisphere, Capricorn season starts right on the winter solstice, and the opposite happens in the South. However, since all the astrology lore comes from the North thanks to the Greeks, Babylonians and more, the seasonal connections are related to the seasons there. As a consequence, Capricorn is the cardinal sign that brings the coldest, darkest season of the year: winter. And incorporating that into Zuko’s character would be incredibly fitting, in my opinion, because of some stuff I’ve read here on Tumblr saying that making him being born during the coldest time of the year would make it a terrible omen for a firebender, worse in this case due to him being born into the royal family, symbols of the power and “supremacy” of the Fire Nation. The fact that he would be born in winter, if we follow this reasoning, would have made him seem as a disappointment to his father ever since birth. 

… or maybe I’m just cruel, guys.

Moreover, I think Zuko embodies many of the Capricorn qualities in the way he carries himself (because no, not all Capricorns are confident managers with the world in our hands) and how hard he has to work to earn everything he gets. A key part of what this sign represents is “the path of hardships the goat has to overcome in order to reach the top of the mountain”, which along with the myth I have described before, could easily be applied to Zuko. It describes values of endurance, hard work, discipline and drive in order to achieve your goals, something that can be seen in Zuko all throughout the series, but changes its focus as the seasons go by. Besides, uhm… have you guys seen “The Day of Black Sun, Part 2”? That is literally the positive outcome of the Capricorn myth made into animation: the confrontation between an abusive father figure and his abused child who has decided to part ways with him in order to become a better person.

On another note, I think it is important to highlight how the Capricorn in Zuko could be seen based on how the rest of the Gaang treats him as well when he changes sides and he’s accepted into the group. How?, you may be wondering: as a father figure, but in a positive way. In many scenes it can be noticed how he naturally takes a position of leadership within the group as well as he takes care of the younger members such as Aang and Toph but, especially in Aang’s case, tries to ground them and teach them. As examples, take the following: Zuko reminding Aang that soon he will have to face the fact that he might have to kill Ozai, him trying to get everyone to train when the comet is about to arrive; how when Aang gets lost, it is him the one people look to in order to lead the group, etc.

Another thing that is well-known in Capricorns is our resilience and perseverance and, honestly: do I even need to explain that? When it comes to the guy who would get his ass beaten again and again and again for one season straight in order to get what he wanted which would also give him the approval of his father, what he craved most? It screams earth sign behavior to me, but with a heavy saturnian influence due to Zuko’s background which, to me, can be quite an interesting reflection of the Saturn/Cronus myth with his children. Said tenacity could also be exacerbated by the willpower and energy brought by the possibility of him having a fire moon, I don’t know, think about it. I stick to that headcanon.

That perseverance can also be seen when it comes to Zuko’s firebending, given how much he’s always trying to improve his skills. Although it could be argued that in reality he’s doing so due to the expectations put on him to be a proficient bender just like his sister in order to be accepted by his father, and his constant training to the point of exhaustion is just a manifestation of that toxic behavior. I am sorry to tell you, but that’s textbook Capricorn behavior, associated with the symbolism of the hardworking goat in general: working the hardest in order to get what you want is always on-brand when it comes to important Capricorn placements, and in my opinion Zuko is no exception.

Final thoughts.

Anyway, what I think would be most relevant is what I mentioned before about the Capricorn archetype and how it could tie in nicely to Zuko’s character arc with him as a representation of Hestia, who could grow out of the abuse she experienced and got a chance not to make her father’s mistakes and break that horrendous cycle she had been a victim of. I would go into this more deeply, but I think it has been enough for now. However, I’ll be back soon with a part two, talking about my water queen Katara. What do you think about this headcanon? Do you agree? If not, why? 

Thanks for coming to my weird-ass TedTalk at 1am. I needed to vent and I haven’t been able to put the computer down since 9pm, I literally only stopped to eat, lol.

See you soon, 

a Capricorn sun.

#zuko #atla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar #meta #atla meta #astrology #capricorn #mythology #yes i had to combine my biggest obsessions of the past nine months #what about it? #i can't believe my debut in the atla meta community was AN ASTROLOGY POST #WTF #I DIDN'T EXPECT IT #but here we are #i was inspired #zutara #zutara meta #my favorite tags #yaaaaay

[lairofsentinel]

Mystra

I'm so new in the Forgotten Realms lore that everything I read needs always further research. So far, what got me between disbelief and mistrust was Mystra stuff meddling with humans to such deep level. Because, really... what the fuck these Gods? I always have problems with Gods in fantasy worlds. I don't like them when they are like Greek mythology entities. I prefer them when they are a mere illusion of mortals.

However, here, in the Forgotten Realms, we got them as entities like Zeus... so they can have mortal fun. UPDATE April 2021: What it’s said in this post about shadow weave and shadow weave magic and shadow magic are incorrect. In 5e, shadow weave is not mentioned, apparently a non used concept anymore. In 4e it was collapsed with the destruction of the Weave, and Shar attempted to recreated it, failing at it because she never “was” the Shadow Weave. Shar always rejected that level of commitment. However, according to bg3 [Ethel’s words] shadow magic currently is the same as netherese magic, described by Gale/Narator also as “Primal weave” or “blackest weave”. No book from 5e says a word about shadow weave anymore. 

According to what I've read, Mystra was, in fact, a young peasant girl with non-trained skills in magic, but somehow, she became the Goddess of Magic when Netheril fell. [I need to read a lot of Netheril because apparently everything bad comes from there. It's the Tevinter of the Forgotten Realms. I honestly don't understand how you just become a goddess out of the blue. One day a mediocre mage, the next one, Goddess of the Magic itself. What a gap there.]

As a Goddess, she has a system to determine who is her “Chosen One” (hence why Gale explicitly said that word, it was not by chance). The Chosen Ones have unique access to the Weave and therefore they cast powerful magic. Among their responsibilities, they need to research new magic, wander the Realms fighting the evil (and/or doing research), and to stop the abuses of magic and the imbalances of the Weave. This makes Shar followers an easy target for them to strike so far I understand, since Shar crafted an alternative Weave (Shadow Weave) from where she drags the power that infuse into her followers. However, it's a mirror Weave, extremely dependable of the normal Weave. Like Gale explained, when Mystryl died, the Weave stopped existing, and with it, the Shadow Weave fell apart too. It seems that Shadow Weave is an aberration, an imbalance of the Weave itself. [So, Shadowheart and Gale may have strong discussions on the matter.]

The man who was Mystra’s first Chosen One was a lesser god called Azuth (we found some books of this guy in BG3). The man was his devotee (despite being a low rank deity as well), his servant, his chosen one, and later, his lover (when Mystra was still Mystryl). It seems he shifted his role to a more fatherly one when Mystra was reborn [Oook]. He also was in love with another Mystra's chosen, so... divinity polyamory we have here.

Then she proceeded to accomplish a strange plan [details of this atrocity here]: to have seven immortal Chosen. So she possessed a sorceress who conceived seven immortal women with her husband [thanks god it was with her husband and not with a random man that Mystra fancied]. These women are known as the Seven Sisters, all of them are “chosen ones” of Mystra, and in a sense, they are also her daughters. [oh, boy. Greek Gods-like stuff.]

She also named Chosen One a necromancer called Sammaster who was doing research related to metamagic and dragons. The story says that Mystra appeared before him and they “spent 10 days together”, turning him into his Chosen One for a while. She apparently had a whim to choose him because soon a previous chosen one was going to die in battle, so she wanted to sort this out sooner than later. The story also says that this encounter made the necromancer feel as though they were in love. [I see the pattern now....] What it's worth highlighting: this man went into deep undead research all his life showing that Mystra has a weird moral sense of what is good from evil, which makes sense, since (magical) knowledge by itself has no alignment. Magical knowledge is never good or evil, it depends on the use you give to it (It’s also worth noting that the previous Mystra was True Neutral while the one reborn in Midnight was Neutral Good. There are two different Mystras in history.). But returning to the necromancer, the guy, in the end, manipulated by a priest of Bane, abused of his powers of Chosen and Mystra removed them. He concluded that most of his problems have been caused by accepting Mystra's role as Chosen One. Soon after that Sammaster became evil and succumbed to madness.

In short, Mystra is a goddess who loves to play favourites, and encourages research in a competitive way using a certain degree of seduction for that. So that, the Arts and the arcane knowledge will be always expanding via competition [she has such a neoliberal-magic ideas]. So, being her Chosen One seems to bring a lot of responsibility and troubles. However, it also grants you fancy benefits:

Casting more spells with less effort. 

Natural detection of magic (maybe some residual effect of this ability is what makes Gale able to sense shadow magic in Shadowheart or in the Main Character if they are a user of magic. Hence his “that gust of weave”. Gale also presents sensitivity to detect magic via smell (mirror) and taste)

Development of magical immunities, and sometimes even poison and disease immunities.

The chosen ones become harder to kill, kind of tank-wizards. [Which feels like an oxymoron, lol.]

And the most important blessing: silver-fire [this is the fire Gale speaks about when his spell failed] Which is an overpowered ability in the Forgotten Realms. It can destroy any barrier and does massive damage. It can be cast once each hour, which is... wow. It can destroy “dead magic zones”, which are zones disconnected from the Weave and therefore, places where no common magic can be cast. With Silver-fire, such zones are reconnected to the Weave and become part of Mystra's influence once more. And finally, it allows precise teleportation once a day.

What we can infer now from this info and Gale, is that... when he got Mystra’s attention, it was not just because he was a prodigy alone. It had to be whether he was doing some research that interested her (probably not) or his fate was going to lead him to unknown knowledge in a future. Considering what he did with the netheril orb, one would say that maybe Mystra saw that event in a future, and considered it interesting enough to choose Gale as the one dealing with that bit of hidden and dangerous knowledge. Because so far I read, it’s clear she can see future or potential in a certain degree, and determine who replace her chosen ones. We also saw she favours those who explore the unknown without moral issues, and she has no reserves to exploit that by seductive ways. 

Now, unlike Sammaster, why did Gale stop being his Chosen one if his fate was to retrieve that netheril orb? I believe she removed his title of chosen one when Gale got that orb stuck in his chest, not because his action was an aberration before her eyes (we remember she is quite flexible in her morals) but because the artefact was dangerous to herself. That orb looks to me like something that imbalances the Weave in great escale; it’s basically a necrotic black hole which feeds on Weave. Maybe she removed her favour on Gale because now the man had a power that could consume her. Remember the Chosen Ones are constantly in “touch with her body/weave” [lol, horny gods these gods], and considering that thing sucks all Weave... it seems obvious that could eat her up. So, maybe, all this stuff of Gale being Chosen One was just another of her plans to access to the knowledge of that tiny bit of primal Weave, completely hidden from her, and she is expecting for Gale to resolve it in order to recover his benefits as Chosen one. 

She certainly is a super smart goddess, basically a mastermind, who doesn’t care to whom she uses and discards in order to obtain knowledge. So, using Gale this way, without explanations.... it could be one of her plans. Turn into her lover a young man that would be desperate enough to risk reaching dangerous spaces to offer her precious unknown knowledge. The plan became too dangerous to Mystra, so she severed the deep link between them out of preservation, and now she is waiting for him to solve it, offering her the knowledge obtained from the process. Absolutely possible.  

But we’ll see. So far, I know a little bit more of Mystra.

Update of several days after writing this: The more I think about all this info, the more I wonder if Mystra’s Chosen One system splits her champions into two different groups: The “valuable” Chosen Ones, where Elminster and her seven daughter fall; they are the embodiment of the good use of magic in favour of neutral or good uses. And then, you have the “disposable” Chosen Ones, who seem to be more like victims of a certain degree of manipulation of the Goddess. In this category falls the necromancer Sammaster (and potentially Gale?). They can have more grey morals, but as long as they provide new knowledge and advance in the Arts, she favours them anyways. I mean… so far I read, Elminster was never “in love” with Mystra, and all that crappy dynamics between Goddess and mortal was never part of his relationship with her. His lover, though, was one of the Seven Sisters, so maybe that’s why Mystra controlled herself. I don’t know xD [These horny gods]. But when it comes to the necromancer’s story… it feels as though she encourages this seduction so the wizard will take all the necessary risks to go beyond the limits of knowledge to get her attention and favour. There is something manipulative there. 

More content of bg3 in general [here]

#mystra #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #forgotten realms #forgotten realms lore #a bit of spoilers of Gale #gale

[writing-for-me-at-this-point]

Firstborn | ii. pact

Summary: You make a pact with a demon, in exchange, you give him your firstborn.

Word Count: 2838 words

Page Count: 8 pages

A/n: hope you guys like the second part!

Tags: none :) feel free to ask to be tagged.

[ F I R S T B O R N  M A S T E R L I S T ]

       "We're doing this outside?"

        "Yes, [ Y/n ], outside. Don't worry, you won't melt in the sunlight. The sun is setting soon anyways." Solomon mused, taking the old path to an opening where he used to hold any summonings when he was younger, his excitement was radiating off him. The large Cajvana and Mercheasa trees clouded any vision past 6 meters, and the large roots had made the walk turn into a workout that even Adonis himself would struggle with, the fact that you carried the bag with all the materials needed as well didn't help your mood either.

        "After this walk, I better have thighs rivaling Hermes- Solomon! Don't laugh! I don't have gigantic legs like you!" You yelped, trying to catch up with your cackling younger brother, if he wasn't so tall you'd slap him upside the head.

        "Oh, I can't help it! Watching you struggle adds years to my life!" He laughed loudly, dodging the hand that swung at his head, only to run into the clearing that you finally managed to get to.

        "Hey! That's abuse! Why would you hurt your baby brother like that?" He joked, throwing his hands out to his sides, twirling around the open area.

        "I'll show you abuse! Get back!" You laughed, your intimidation falling through quickly, chasing the snowy haired man around the area. He managed to avoid you a couple times, checking you when you got too close, before he ended up tripping and falling on his ass- essentially causing you to die of laughter while you messed up his hair.

        It was a warm moment, something you were sure to think of whenever a mention of Solomon comes by, he always made you smile. He made even the worst of situations lighter, draining the dark grim smoke from the air and allowing you to breathe- your light. While you both chuckled and set up the large summoning circle he had planned, he made it seem so... natural. 

        You don't know how to explain it. This idiot- your idiot- always eased you into the wildest situations and made it seem normal.

        Like summoning a Prince of Hell.

        The second strongest one to be exact.

        Because he would be the nicest.

        What the fuck, Solomon.

        "Are you okay?" He asked, his hand pushing lightly on your back, the large bowl in your hand groaned in your grip.

        "Huh?" Looking up, you noticed the sun was going down at this point, the honey mixing into a delicious peach tone- before being kissed by the dark tears of the universe highlighted with the light of the heavens. So much color at one time, you always loved when the sun woke or went into its slumber, it was like looking at everything the universe had to offer for this short time.

        It calmed your mind. The stars never changed, they never left, always unchanging- never moving on.

        Moving on.

        Fuck, what are you going on about again? The stress must have been getting to you, making you have lucid moments that leaked into the manic ones, you just wanted this to be over. Have your family all right again. You wanted them to be safe, healthy, and live their lives. Get their jobs up and running, find someone, get married and have some kids. Live full lives.

        You wanted to move on. And you're working to it.

        But moving onto what? This new chapter in your life, in debt with a demon- tied to you with a promise to fill his greed, but that was better than now. Now it has no color. It's a cloudy night sky. Solomon is the wind, pushing away the clouds to allow the stars to bleed into the eyes of all the living beings here, he's doing what is natural to him.

        If Solomon was the wind, what are you? This demon you're summoning?

        "It's just, hitting me now, the shock has left and I'm understanding everything- this pact and what comes with it." You continued, looking up, wanting the concern to just... vanish.

        "Do you want to do this? You don't nee-"

        "Yes. I do." You cut him off, looking to the soft grass at the candles placed down sat firmly, the giant sigil decorated to accommodate the needs of Solomon and Mammon.

        "I'll light the candles, where are the matches?"

        "I usually use... magic... to light them." He laughed awkwardly.

        "Ugh. Alright." You closed your eyes, practically feeling the excitement radiating off Solomon, the man was shaking at the thought.

        "Calm down. It's simple-"

        "It's magic. Your magic. And you're using it, on your own, after all this time. I..." He trailed off, looking around as his eyes glossed up, his smile wavering slightly.

        "You've taught me so much, and after what happened with Mother, seeing- feeling your magic again just-" He took in a deep breath.

        "It's comforting. Like a warm hug, a Mothers love that I only found in you, something that makes me feel safe. You were always so beautiful when you used magic. So powerful, yet, gentle. It was- IS everything to me." He was trying to calm himself, breathing deeply as he turned from you, swiping any tears from his face harshly, turning his head down quickly to stare at a lone candle.

        You didn't know what to say, with a deep and soft sigh, you flexed your fingers lightly- warmth erupted from your nails and filled your blood, flames flickered in the air, a small figure dancing from candle to candle lighting the wicks as she went, another smaller form followed the other quickly before meeting at the candle Solomon was staring at. 

        "[ Y/n ]." He smiled, watching the two figures fly up as their flames trailed behind softly, both going to kiss each side of his cheek before fading into a small white smoke. The kiss from your pyre had him giggle, and you saw your baby brother again in a flash, before seeing the man in front of you.

        "I'll... make sure you feel that way more often. I promise." You looked at him with a smile, his eyes meeting yours, relieved you had him back.

        "Now, let's summon that demon."

        "Damn. Lay it on thick."

        "Heh."

        "Stop."

*****

        "You've been chanting for an hour now." You sighed, playing with the wrap on your palm, the cut that you had made was needed though. Blood is needed for any pact, Solomon told you, and is always spilled in any formation of one. He had told you about one demon he made a pact with, Asmodeus, who made one with him by kissing your brother and biting his lip- leaving him breathless and bleeding for the demon. 

        He didn't go into detail, but the red of his ears and pink dusting his cheeks spoke for him, you only smirked.

        At least your brother had taste.

        Literally.

        "He's a bastard! God!" He yelled in anger, before yelling the summoning again, hands in his hair as the pact marks on his body started to glow a deep, bloody, red once again. For what? The seventh time this night? Was this Mammon demon always late? Or just doing so because of Solomon's reputation? 

        "God? Ironic." You mused, moving the bowl over and laying in the middle of the circle, your tiredness had finally gotten to you and you're not fighting the bitch today.

        "Agh!" He yelled in exasperation, his body shivering while the cold nipped at his exposed upper body, all the candles flaring up into the air a few meters high before settling down again. The flames only lived for a few seconds before getting snuffed out by a harsh wind. Darkness enveloped the both of you and neither even dared to breathe in again. You stared at the darkened sky, Solomon stared at the ground, and the change in magic was felt. The weight on your stomach was nothing with adrenaline pushing your body to run or fight, though, fainting sounded like a good option too.

        He's here.

        There's a pull. Your heart is tugging forward, your eyes wanted to follow so desperately, but you didn't want to. There's a muffled sound.

        "Hello? You humans deaf or something? I'm here! Mammon! Your deity! Your god!" His face moved to yours quickly, his lower body sat comfortably on your stomach as both of his jeweled hands came to either side of your head. 

        Oh lord, and as ironic as it was, he had the face of an angel. Well, maybe a fallen one?

        Snowy white locks were messily placed on his beautifully tanned skin, icy blue eyes sparked with a flash of gold looked straight into your eyes, his face sculpted with love and adoration. Inky black horns twisted into themselves, contrasting from his hair, you noticed the small white markings that decorated the smooth flesh under his eyes. Your face flushed heavily, and your hands found each other as your left hand thumbed at your palm, your voice in your throat.

        "You came..." Wonder was in your voice, though quiet, it was heard. A large smile came onto his face, his eyes closed, and his head tilted much like a puppy.

        "Of course! You have something to offer up right? As long as I get my payment, I'll come running, loyal as ever!" He laughed, and though it was cute, you couldn't help but deadpan just a bit. He really lived up to his title, with the demanding aura he gave, though his personality seemed... off, but he is a demon, a demon who was greedy. The air around him felt heavy, lightening up the farther away you are from him, and yet it was so alluring. His presence demanded attention, good or bad, he wanted all eyes on him and everyone to listen to what he had to say.

        "Mammon! Off my sister, you moron!" Solomon's voice cut through the moment, grabbing him by the thick gold choker on his neck, his wings fluttered and flared as his air supply was cut off. Not that he needed it. He wore long black pants, very loose and made of silk, and they hung low on his hips, being held up by a tight golden scarf to keep them in place.

        "Stop being dramatic. You're immortal." Solomon sighed in irritation, having the demon land on his ass a few feet from you, his shirt back on his torso. Rolling his eyes, he helped you up, checking you over before going to collect the items used to summon Mammon. You noticed the ivory claws that were his nails, his bare feet held the same sharp nails as well, you couldn't help but look at Solomon.

        "Solomon, because you have a pact with Asmodeus doesn't mean you can treat me as you please, be glad I'm not like my brothers." The growl in his voice was evident as he stood up. The markings covered his entire body, and what didn't have white markings was covered in jewels and gold, his body was toned and defined quite well.

        'You're not thirteen. Stop. You've seen men naked before.' You thought to yourself, looking between Mammon and Solomon, you didn't know exactly what to say. You felt the irritation between the two of them, Solomon staring Mammon dead in the eye, almost uncaring of what he could do to him, but the last thing you needed was an angry demon and a brother who practically got high off his own magic.

        "I'm sorry about him, he gets a bit protective, are you alright?" You asked him, looking to his neck to see any irritation, which he lacked. You brought your hands up in a surrendering manner, not needing a fight right now, you would play mediator if need be.

        "Eh? I'm fine. Anyways, I was summoned, and quite crudely. Meaning you need something important, and you need it quickly. At any price." He mused, walking up to your smaller form, glaring down at you with a mischievous look. Your stomach dropped, it feels like so much has happened, but here you are.

        So close. 

        You're here. This is it. You pay a price and you save your sister.

        "I need you to cure my sister. She's deathly ill, I've tried everything, and now I need your help. Can you do it? Can you save my sister?" You stood your ground, staring up at him with intensity that shifted the mood, it was so quick it almost gave the poor demon whiplash. His brows raised and the smile dropped.

        "Oh." It was soft, barely there, but you heard it. He looked into the fierce fire that flickered into your eyes, but he saw it, the familiar begging look that he saw in his brothers- in himself the most. Wanting your sister to come back, to be okay, alive and well. His heart ached for a slight moment as he thought of his brothers, his late sister, even Diavolo and Barbatos. His entire situation. 

        Damn it. He needed to stop it. Being emotional always got him into trouble, and he needed to stop, but hearing your voice.

        Oh father, he felt a tug towards you, and this wasn't good.

        "What do you have to offer?" He didn't know what to ask for, curing a human and bringing them back from an inevitable death was expensive in the Devildom, and he wouldn't let his powers go for free.

        That wasn't in his nature.

        No matter what.

        He is a Prince of Hell. 

        He is greedy.

        "I have money, some status, I... have a lot. Though, it's in the family name, not directly to me- it belongs to my siblings and I." You thought out loud, realizing, everything you had- you shared. You all shared the money, the status, the knowledge. The only way someone could gain power from your family was to be in it- something your family had done for generations, to be sure that if one person died the entire family fortune and name wouldn't disappear and be stolen.

        Damn it.

        "So, you offer me your money and status, though, it all belongs in the family, hm?" He asked, a hand coming to his chin, the other holding his elbow. The wind blew and you shivered, Solomon came up behind you keeping a distance as you spoke with the demon, everything you two needed was in the netted bag.

        You had a lot, and he wanted it all, no doubt. He wasn't going to tear a family apart though, he's a demon, not a fucking monster. He knows what it's like to have a family torn apart, and having each other is the only thing that kept them going, he was the second eldest. While Dear Old Luci was to protect their physical well being and their status, Mammon cared for them emotionally for as long as he could, trying to mend the wounds that weren't shown to the world.

        He knew that burden.

        So how could he get what he wanted?

        Well, he needed someone in the family to be his.

        "Your firstborn. I want the first child you give birth to."

        "Mammon, what the fuck."

        "That's a thing?" You asked, surprised at the request, though you did feel your heart start up again. The shock was on your face and Solomon didn't look pleased. The wind blew harshly again, and you knew it was your brother, you sighed before turning to give him a look.

        "Solomon, shut up for a moment. I'm making a pact with your sister, not you, you don't get a say," His voice was low, and the magician looked at both of your eyes, the wind calmed just a bit. You still shivered.

        "I want the right to your firstborn." He spoke again, crossing his arms, golden chains and bracelets clink together as they met.

        "The right? As in? There are many rights you can have, you need to be specific." You said.

        "Every right. The right to marry them. To take them as my own. Any right you can give me, I want it." 

        "Why? Don't you want money? Or something else? Why a child?" You were curious why he would want your child.

        "I didn't think I'd have to explain it, damn it. Think, woman. If I have every right over your child, I can use them for my needs, so that when the time comes your debt is paid." He spoke nonchalantly.

        "Your needs?" You perked up a brow, wondering if your mind just had a habit of going to dark places quickly.

        "I am not making them a slave for my sexual pleasures, if that's what you're asking. I'm Mammon, not Asmodeus, I work with money." He looked a bit irritated, though the pink that flushed his ears spoke for his embarrassment. Was... he a demon that was shy about sex? Was that a thing?

        "My firstborn, and every and any right that comes with that, am I correct?"

        "Yes."

        "Then we have a pact."

#obey me x reader #obey me imagines #obey me x you #mammon x reader #mammon x mc #om! mammon x reader #obey me mammon x reader #obey me mammon x mc #x reader #reader insert #demon x reader

[dailyaudiobible]

10/6/2021 DAB Transcript

Jeremiah 6:16-8:7, Colossians 2:8-23, Psalm 78:1-31, Proverbs 24:26

Today is the 6th day of October, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I am Brian, it is wonderful to be here with you today. As we continue our journey and settled into this 10th month of the year, as we continue our journey through the book of Jeremiah and the letter to the Colossians. We’re reading from the Common English Bible this week, Jeremiah chapter 6, verse 16 through 8 verse 7.

Commentary:

Okay so, we’re reading in the 2nd chapter of the letter to the Colossians in the New Testament. And, what Paul lays out today is our reality and in describing that reality he’s kind of coming against some other behaviors that have been taught, like this is what will lead you to righteousness. So, he says don't let anybody judge you about eating or drinking, or about a festival, a new moon observance or sabbaths. These religious practices are only a shadow of what was coming. Don't let anyone who wants to practice harsh self-denial and worship angels rob you of the prize. And so, what is the prize? The prize was described today. Literally, I can't say it in another way that's better, or teach it, like Paul teaches it out of this letter exactly as it's intended to be received, so I simply want to reread about five verses while highlighting this is supposed to be the reality, we live in. This is supposed to be what normal looks like to us. And so, Paul says “See to it that nobody enslaves you with philosophy and foolish deception which conform to human traditions and the way the world thinks and acts rather than Christ. All the fullness of deity lives in Christ's body. So, all the fullness of God lives in Christ's body. And you have been filled by Him who is the head of every ruler and authority. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision not administered by human hands. The circumcision of Christ is realized in the stripping away of the whole self, dominated by sin. In other words, that was cut away and discarded, the self, dominated by sin. You were buried with Him through baptism and raised with Him through faith in the power of God who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead, because of the things you would done wrong and because your body wasn't circumcised, God made you alive with Christ, and forgave all the things you had done wrong. He destroyed the record of the debt we owed with its requirements that worked against us. He canceled it by nailing it to the cross.” Oh, that is our reality. And it's not like we have encountered these concepts in Paul's writings, but here it is laid out concisely, we aren't who we were. Things have changed. We have changed. In fact, so much so that who we were is well, dead, no longer existing. We have been resurrected into a new life. Again, this is kind of, I mean it's a mind blowing, let's not, let’s not take that off the table, its mind blowing. But it's also essential Christian teaching, like 101. It's the basic understanding. But man, if we could get the fundamentals, if we could get the basics down, because if we look at this and this is the reality, then why don't we live like this is the reality? Like, that’s the question, right? If this is the reality and we’re now living in reality than what are we doing, besides living in a false reality that is considerably less then what the good news offers us? On one hand, we can make this really encouraging and bolster ourselves and rise up, and yeah, we’re going to do this, but on the other hand, this is not really just about us. This is how the world will know, this is how Earth's people, who do not know Jesus will come to understand. We have been entrusted; we’re supposed to be living this reality. Anything less is just less.

Prayer:

And so, Holy Spirit, come into that. We confess that we have elected to live less, more of the time, then is easy to admit. The letter to the Colossians tells us that the fullness of God is in Christ, and we are filled by Christ who is the head of every ruler and authority, that's hard to get our mind, it's so big and so good, it's hard to get our minds around. And yet we choose to ignore things like this when there, they change everything. You change everything and we just try to moderate that which essentially makes us live less than You've offered. And we don't want to do that anymore and we need to not do that because we are the light of the world, a city on a hill, the salt of the earth. And so, come, Holy Spirit, not only let this message transform our own hearts and encourage us but give us a sense of purpose and understanding about why this reality has been offered to us in the first place. Come, Holy Spirit into this we ask You to lead and direct us and guide us. Lead us into all truth. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here, so be sure to check that out. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can check it all out with the drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner. Places like the Community section which is well, that's where different links are to get connected on social media, provided social media platforms are up and running but it is also the home of the Prayer Wall. The Prayer Wall is there and available day or night, no matter where you are in the world and no matter what is swirling around in your life, you don't have to be alone, which is one of the things that we worked so hard around here on as we come around the Global Campfire, to know that we’re not alone. Just that one thing, that one piece of knowledge, even if it's just knowledge that we’re not alone is so helpful sometimes when we feel nothing but alone. And the Prayer Wall is always there and so you can always go and ask our brothers and sisters to pray for us. We can also go and pray for our brothers and sisters. And that's how works right, we give and we receive and we give and we receive from one another in so many different ways, so don't be a stranger to the Prayer Wall.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if this mission to continue to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and offered to anyone who can hear it, anyone who will listen anywhere on this planet, any time a day or night, and to build community around the rhythm, as we call it the Global Campfire. This rhythm, the next step forward together. If that is meaningful to you, then thank you for your partnership, we wouldn't be here at all, if we weren't in this together. So, thank you. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And of course, if you have a prayer request or encouragement; certainly, the Prayer Wall is a place to go but you can also hit the Hotline button in the app, that little red button up at the top, or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hey everybody, Tony the Narrator here. Just a big shout out to everybody just to let you know that I’m praying with you and for you. I love all of you but yeah. Quick prayer request if possibly; my Mum’s come down with COVID for the second time. She's had both of the Oxford shots and she still come down with it and she's got a cold at the same time and it's really, she's, she's going through it, bless her, she's going through the ringer. She actually got it in November 2019 before we all knew what it was. So yeah, it was, it was, she was one of the very early cases and she picked up a new version of it so, if I could just, please beg your prayers over my mum. I’ve already told her that your all praying because I know that I can trust you guys in DABC. I’ve told her that she's got hundreds and hundreds of thousands of Christians around the globe praying over her right now because time is irrelevant when you’re speaking to the Lord and she also said to say thank you and she said all that’s lovely, which is very English thing, don’t worry.  And so, yeah, please hold my mom up in prayers she’s going through it and this is a really beautiful opportunity for me to be able to share the gospel with her and to let her know that actually she's got a Jesus who is caring for her. So, guys, I love you so much. I'm going to be able to share the gospel with my mom because of you and I love all of you. You’re all mine.

Hello beautiful family this is Susan calling from Albuquerque. I just wanted to lift a couple people up in prayer. The first one: Mark the teacher in Australia, he called about his brother who's been missing in the Outback for a couple months now and can’t imagine how, how worried you must be. I'm just kind of speechless. I can’t imagine. And the other is Bonnie from Virginia who has managed, who came here from another country and I'm assuming it's from a culture that, where women are thought of as no less important than dogs. And I, you came over here and managed to escape from a very big abusive situation. Oh, my goodness, you are so courageous and I'm so grateful you are here, there is no accident you came here and we're just all loving you and supporting you and I just wanted to say that and I'm so glad you called in. So, Father I wanted to lift up Mark and Bonnie today and we come together because Your family we love you very much and we love Your children and our brother and our sister. Please encourage Mark. Please help him find his brother-in-law. I know that they're terribly worried and they need peace of mind, please comfort this family and help them find an answer very soon. And Bonnie, please continue her recovery from this abusive marriage. I'm all out of time now. Love you all.

Good morning my DAB family. This is Judy from Georgia. This message goes to Victoria Solider. Victoria, I'm so sorry my sister to hear about your brother passing. May God comfort and keep you in His care and comfort the rest of your family and give you the strength to get through this time of mourning. We’re all praying for you my dear. Have a great day everyone. God bless you all.

Good morning Daily Audio Listeners all around the world and here in the United States. This is Maurine from Alexandria. I want to call myself Dr. M, because that's how many people refer to me. So anyway, I wanted to let you know that I am so grateful to all of you for your contributions, for your prayers and I want to say a quick prayer for everyone today, Sunday. For your healing, for your deliverance, for God's peace and for God’s protection in your life. For all those who are suffering from COVID, I pray for God's healing. For all those who have lost their loved ones, I pray for God's comfort. For all those who are finding strength in the word of God, may you be strengthened in every area of your life. Father, thank You so much for my brothers and sisters all over the world. Thank You so much for this place where we can come together to pray and to study Your word. May Your divine presence strengthen, encourage, provide, protect and heal. In the name of Jesus, by the way, thank you for such a beautiful, beautiful time together daily. And we ask that your blessing continue on Brian and his family. Lord, we love You, we bless You, we worship You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Good morning everybody, it’s Susan from Canada, God’s Yellow Flower calling. I just want to lift up Victorious Solider in prayer today and her family, over the loss of her loved brother. Dear God, dear God, I am so thankful that her brother has been saved and is enjoying the benefits of his faith here on earth. I am joyful that his heart and soul and mind and body are with you, right at this time. But for those left behind God, it's hard. And I pray Your arms of comfort about each and every one of them and that You would strengthen them and guide them and lead them through this hour of grief. I pray dear Lord that You would especially bless Victorious Soldier with leadership she needs in guiding this family through this terrible time. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

[dragonkeeper19600]

What is the Medicine Seller?

The subjectivity of Mononoke is a large part of what makes the series unique. But, one of the biggest mysteries that the show leaves unanswered is what exactly the Medicine Seller is supposed to be. From his weird powers, traits, and appearance to the fact that he clearly doesn’t age, it’s an understatement to say that this isn’t a normal guy. All kinds of theories have been floating around about the Medicine Seller’s true identity, that he’s a onmyōji, a god, or some kind of benevolent mononoke. 

However, for my money, looking at all the evidence combined from the show and Japanese mythology, I’ve concluded that the Medicine Seller is most likely a kitsune. 

Now, I feel like most anime viewers have at least a cursory idea what a kitsune is, but just to recap: “Kitsune” (狐) is the Japanese word for fox. Traditional Japanese folk beliefs attributed all sorts of mysterious powers to foxes, including shapeshifting, creating illusions, and warding off evil spirits. Taking cues from ancient Chinese lore about fox spirits, kitsune have captured the imagination of Japanese artists and storytellers for centuries and continue to do so in the present day.

I’m far from the first person to come up with the “Medicine Seller is a fox” theory. It’s the only theory cited on the admittedly bare-bones Mononoke Wiki, and numerous commentators and Tropers have speculated that our favorite flamboyant exorcist might be a fox in disguise. So, allow me to take some time to display all the compiled evidence as to why I think this is the most plausible theory.

Let’s start with the obvious: The guy looks like a fox.

The red markings on his face are very reminiscent of the red paint you see on the traditional kitsune masks people wear around festival time. These markings are highlighted in the anime’s opening, so you can really see the similarity.

His long ears and fangs could also be considered vulpine.

The literature is rife with examples of foxy traits showing through a kitsune’s human disguise, especially when they’re startled or caught off-guard, such as ears, a tail, or canine teeth. We’ve never seen a tail on the Medicine Seller, but who knows what he’s hiding under that robe? I’ve also seen some sources claim that the tail will be revealed if you see the kitsune’s reflection or shadow. We haven’t seen either, so who knows?

Secondly, there’s a hierarchy to keep in mind when thinking about Japanese foxes. Some kitsune are holy messengers while others are malignant spirits that bring ruin to humans. Some are merely pranksters, using their powers to pull hilarious tricks on unwitting humans, sometimes to teach them a lesson but often just for shits and giggles.

Holy, high-ranking foxes are said to be messengers of the Shinto god Inari, the rice god and the patron deity of merchants and sword smiths. 

Pictured: A merchant with a sword.

Fox statues like the one pictured above can be seen standing guard in front of Inari’s shrines, where they are said to ward off evil. The A-to-Z Online Buddhist dictionary has this to say:

“[T]he fox is associated with the concept of Kimon 鬼門, literally “demon gate,” a Japanese term stemming from Chinese geomancy (Ch: feng shui). In Chinese thought, the northeast quarter is considered particularly inauspicious. It is the place where "demons gather and enter." This belief was imported by the Japanese and is referred to as Kimon. Kimon generally means ominous direction, or taboo direction. In Japan, the fox is considered a powerful ally in warding off evil Kimon influences. Fox statues are often placed in northeast locations to stand guard over demonic influence, and two foxes typically guard the entrance to Inari Shrines, one to the left and one to the right of the gate.”

He may not be a statue, but “warding off demonic influences” is basically half of the Medicine Seller’s job description. He often uses seals, salt, prayer, and other methods accessible to humans, but the Bakeneko arc of Ayakashi clearly shows he can keep a mononoke at bay just by flexing really hard. 

Yokai.com goes into some detail about the various ranks of kitsune, from the lowliest trickster to the most divine guardian. One rank of kitsune of particular interest to me is called the Kiko (気狐), a servant of Inari that has evolved to the point where it no longer has a physical form. Many Kiko adopt human disguises, but they have not yet ascended to a heavenly plane and so remain on Earth serving Inari’s will. 

We have never seen the Medicine Seller eat, drink, or sleep. There is, however, one physical need that he does indulge in.

If you get my meaning.

Pictured above is the Medicine Seller’s extensive shunga (春画) collection. Shunga is Edo period porn, and it wasn’t exactly uncommon for merchants to be carrying volumes of shunga on their person. However, 20+ volumes seems a bit excessive to me.

It’s a trait that doesn’t come up all that much in Mononoke, but the first episode of Ayakashi’s Bakeneko arc reveals that the Medicine Seller is a bit of a horny bastard. He trades info on various virility and fertility medications with Kayo, a conversation that involves a lot of whispering into her ear. He was about to share his porn with Kayo before they were interrupted. I’m convinced that if Sato had entered the kitchen ten minutes later, she would have found the two of them fucking on the floor.

As anyone who's watched Naruto can tell you, kitsune are often associated with sex. Inari, among other things, is also a fertility god, and there are many stories of kitsune adopting human form and seducing unwitting mortals, running the full gambit from the horrific to the romantic. A good chunk of these stories involve the kitsune marrying their human beau and even bearing his children in some cases. 

Most stories of this nature center on female kitsune, but it’s not like male kitsune don’t exist. The popularity of sexy fox women can probably be chalked up to male-dominated Edo society, but more and more male kitsune have been sighted in modern anime.

I believe we can add Mononoke to this number. Practically every woman in the series creams their pants at the mere sight of the Medicine Seller, and it doesn’t seem that their attraction is one-sided. The Medicine Seller has all kinds of sexual tension with Kayo in both series. And, if you look closely, you can spy some romantic tension with Ochou as well. There’s little doubt that the Medicine Seller is attracted to human women and is even capable of falling in love with them. However, due to his role slaying mononoke, it is unlikely that he can ever settle down and marry one the way many other kitsune do.

Personality-wise, the Medicine Seller is also reminiscent of a fox. Like I mentioned above, kitsune are often tricksters by nature. Although the Medicine Seller never acts in a needlessly malicious way, he does like to dick around with people. A lot of the aforementioned tension with Kayo takes the form of teasing banter. 

Keep in mind: It wasn’t him who changed the compass. Which means he’s being vague for no other reason except to mess with Kayo.

He also spend a good portion of his arc in Ayakashi trolling the Sakai household, especially Odajima. And do we even need to mention his gambit in the Nue arc? 

So, his appearance, relationships, and personality are all decidedly fox-like. What about his powers? Well, in the Nopperabou arc, we get a pretty clear hint that the Medicine Seller’s physical form is just an illusion.

The Masked Man’s attempt to take away the Medicine Seller’s face failed because that wasn’t his real face. He outright compared his face to a facade. Since it was just an illusion, it was easy for him to change it back. It should also be noted that the Nopperabou, the faceless ghost, often appears not as an independent spirit but a hilarious prank that other yokai like to pull on humans. Tanuki, Manji (badger spirits), and, yes, even Kitsune have used the image of a faceless human being to scare humans. This is getting into fan wank territory itself, but it is entirely possible that the Medicine Seller is all too familiar with the art of face removal, having pulled that trick himself in his younger days.

That the Medicine Seller’s body isn’t real could also explain the nature of his Other Self. During his first transformation sequence in Ayakashi (which is repeated in the Nue arc), we see the markings on his face and robes disappear.

Before gold markings reappear on his Other Self.

It might be possible to think of this “transformation” as more of a body surf. The flowing markings could indicate the presence of the fox spirit as it moves from one body to the other. This is a good time to point out that gold eyes are said to be another common trait of kitsune, and white fur is indicative of an Inari fox. The Other Self’s long white hair may be a hint as to his divine nature. 

Now, with all his powers and religious motifs, is it possible that the Medicine Seller is not a fox but in fact Inari himself? I did briefly contemplate that possibility, but I ultimately decided it probably wasn’t true. The Medicine Seller’s powers have limits that I feel a high-ranking god like Inari wouldn’t have. It looked like he did serious damage to himself trying to hold back the bakeneko in Ayakashi.

Ouchies.

Rather than being a human avatar of Inari, I find it more likely that the Medicine Seller is a kiko carrying out Inari’s will. In his first appearance in Ayakashi, some men spot the Medicine Seller standing outside the Sakai household, apparently talking to himself.

At the beginning of Mononoke’s first episode, he does the same thing outside the inn. His mouth is moving, but we don’t hear what he’s saying.

In both cases, the men who see him try to call out to him to get his attention, and in both cases he ignores them. He never says who he was talking to, and nobody ever asks. It is strange, however, that he always shows up just where a mononoke is going to be, even when he doesn’t seem to know anything about the mononoke before he arrives. Could it be he is actually receiving instructions from Inari? Inari might be telling him where to go, and the Medicine Seller figures out the rest from there. He can’t know about the mononoke’s form, truth, or reason yet, otherwise he’d be able to slay it right away. How else would he know where to go unless he was being told?

Of course, there are other possibility as to who he could be talking to. It could be his Other Self, if you hold the theory that the Medicine Seller and the Other Self are separate entities (which I don’t, so much). I also contemplated whether it was the sword he was talking to, but the sword is in the trunk. For my money, communing with a god seems the most fitting. 

According to Shinto beliefs, foxes can live for up to 1000 years, which would explain why the Medicine Seller is still around after centuries have passed. But, what happens after the millennium is over? At that point, a kitsune sprouts its final, ninth tail and ascends to the heavenly plain, leaving this earth behind. I personally believe that the Medicine Seller has been tasked to wander the earth for 1000 years, slaying mononoke until his time is up. At that point, he’ll become a being as powerful as a god, but until then he must learn to truly understand humanity. Only once he has become thus enlightened will he be able to ascend. 

This, I believe, is why the Sword of Exorcism can only be drawn once he’s learned the mononoke’s form, truth, and reason. He can only slay the mononoke if he comes to truly understand it and sympathize with it. It’s all part of a thousand-year long learning process in addition to aiding humanity.

And once he’s done, some day centuries from now, perhaps another young fox will take up the sword and walk through man’s despair, putting the souls of the anguished to rest. 

It’s a lonely destiny, but it has its perks.

頑張ってね。

#mononoke #medicine seller #kusuriuri #theory #kitsune #fox #shinto #inari #ayakashi samurai horror tales #headcanon

[amplesalty]

Christmas 2020: Day 5 - Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

FIVE EVIL KINGS!

“Christmas...in July?!” I hear you scoff “What a preposterous idea.” Well, maybe not. After such an unprecedented year as 2020 has been, governments around the world find themselves in the delicate position of trying to further the public health whilst trying to stimulate their economies that are circling the drain. Plus, do you want to be seen as the Grinch figure who cancelled Christmas? That’s going to look real good come next election season, isn’t it? Well, what if we didn’t cancel Christmas..just postpone it instead. Did you know that the retail industry does 50% of its business between December 1st and December 25? That’s half a year’s business in just one month’s time. But with the inherent risk of everyone piling into stores and the already lost time from all these lockdowns, why not delay things slightly to allow us all time to get this new vaccination. Seems to me that Boris Johnson would be wise to legislate a second such gift giving holiday. Create, say, a Christmas 2 next Summer to stimulate growth.

Thank you, Danny Trejo. I’m just surprised it took me this long to mention COVID-19. It took me like the very first sentence of the October marathon. I suppose the Christmas season doesn’t really lend itself to it as much, though Kevin McCallister was doing pioneering work in that whole social distancing thing back in the day.

But yes, Rudolph and Frosty. After seeing both their specials over the past couple of years, why not watch them together in some sort of superstar tag team in their own feature length motion picture epic? I’m jumping ahead slightly in the Rankin/Bass cinematic universe which apparently was a little unwise as I missed a couple of important plot points.

Like, apparently Frosty had kids at some point? How does that work? Do snowmen fuck? I mean, Frosty was always a little dim so it kinda feels a bit weird like Buddy the Elf having kids by the end of Elf. Did kids build him a wife, bring her to life and then their combined magic allows them to have sentient children? Or do they have to be built and brought to life too? How many magic hats to these kids have access to? Is there just a factory somewhere pumping these things out? I can’t believe I have so many questions about an anthropomorphic snowman.

Nevermind that shit though, there’s a whole backstory going on that we need to dive into full of evil wizards and deities appearing on Earth in human form. Many years ago the wicked King Winterbolt ruled over the land with an iron first and a frosty sceptre capable of great magic. But against him stood Lady Boreal.

Queen of the Northern Lights! Oh for God’s sake, first It’s a Wonderful Life comes back to haunt me and now this. Why do so many Christmas movies have so many instances of the goddamn aurora borealis?! Anyway, she rocks up and is like “Stop all this evil tyranny business.” and he’s like “lol, no” and tries to shoot her with his magic missile, to which she’s like “Bitch, please.” and puts him into a deep slumber. But nothing lasts forever and eventually Winterbolt awakens and finds like the North land has a much more jolly leader in the form of Santa and vows to overthrow him with a rather longwinded scheme involving him winning the love of all the children of the world by making Santa get lost in a great snow storm. Then, Winterbolt can emerge with his own supply of toys and become the new Santa!

But with her last ounce of strength, Lady Boreal transfers her remaining magic into baby Rudolph’s shiny nose. Or maybe this is some Biblical level shit and she put Rudolph upon the Earth to be the saviour of Christmas, that he might grow up to lead Santa’s sleigh through the dark and stormy night. Where was this angle in the original Rudolph?! Kinda re-writes that whole part about him being shunned by Santa and his own Father too. Does kinda take that whole ‘embrace who you are’ thing to a new level when you were pretty much created by a God to have this one seemingly life altering feature about you that actually means you’re destined for greatness. Bit of a test of these other reindeer too, this is how you treat he I have delivered unto you?!

So, now that we have some meddlesome reindeer getting in the way, Winterbolt sets off on some longwinded and convoluted plan that involves Rudolph and Frosty going to a 4th of July circus in order to trick Rudolph into committing an evil act that will void Lady Boreal’s magic. Plus, he gives Frosty and family some amulets that will prevent them from melting but only up until the last firework fades. And to do all this he uses some sort of magic snow which can implant ideas in peoples heads? So he gets this ice cream guy to encourage Rudolph and Frosty to be in the show to boost ticket sales and help his girlfriend. This guy by the way rides around in a hot air balloon and keeps a supply of ice cream at the North Pole. Dude, it’s called a freezer.

I love how they make this big thing about what an attraction Rudolph will be but his act is literally him standing in the middle of the tent, they use a fog machine on him and he uses his nose to shine through the fog. Then he just flies away. I mean, I suppose just having a flying reindeer is pretty spectacular in and of itself but give them a little more for their money, tell a joke or something.

This whole middle portion of the movie is a bit of a drag though. Just really boring and full of filler songs about the circus. I don’t know why this movie is as long as it is at like 98 mins. If you trimmed it down you’d have something a lot more solid. I’d say the one highlight in this portion is when Winterbolt goes to what seems to be this movies equivalent of a doss house and finds this really shady reindeer he can use to trick Rudolph. Just seeing this evil genius in Winterbolt interacting with this scuzzy landlord and finding this bum reindeer is just really weird.

There’s a neat version of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree too. Has this slight country, Dolly Parton feel to it and is a bit more uptempo than the original.

I was pretty disappointed during this whole section and was worried that it would end up like Frosty but it won me back again in the end by tapping into some of that uncharacteristic dark Christmas feel that Rudolph had. Where that was more cynical, this gets oddly morbid.

Like, the plan is for Santa to swing by and pick up Frosty and family in order to take them back to the North Pole before the fireworks finish so they don’t melt. Frosty is still really antsy though and is keen to duck out, even if that means missing the fireworks. Bizarrely, his kids question him on this and ask him what kind of patriot he is. I guess I never really thought of Frosty being American like that but I guess they did refer to him as having just being born when they put that hat on him. Plus he’s always saying ‘Happy birthday!’ when he wakes up so you could say he was born in America. Only trouble is, Winterbolt has whipped up a ferocious storm that means Santa is heavily delayed.

So you get these scenes of Frosty, his wife and kids all coming to terms with their own fragile mortality as they watch these 100 fireworks going off one by one, with each rocket flying into the sky acting like another grain of sand in the egg timer of their life, another second ticking away toward their impending doom. Just these kids looking up to their mother and telling her that they promise they’ll be brave...oh my God.

Or Rudolph having to give a false confession to stealing the takings from the circus in exchange for Winterbolt keeping the amulets powers going so that Frosty wont melt. Only Frosty knows the real truth, so everyone just shuns Rudolph. His friends turn their back on him, the crowd boo him and his nose wont light up anymore. Cue a mournful Rudolph solo which culminates in him crying as he sticks his nose in some glitter trying to replicate the beaming light it once gave off. Poor little guy.

But apparently not everyone has given up on Rudolph becomes he comes... a whale with a clock on it?! Apparently this guy was in one of the Rudolph films that came before this, just what in the hell did I miss?

Even after a showdown between Rudolph and Winterbolt where Rudolph gets Frosty’s hat back, Winterbolt is still out for vengeance and comes to the circus for a final showdown. To which the lady that runs the circus has the most appropriate response possible...

Reach for the skies, pilgrim! Only, her guns are just props that fire blanks so she just hurls the guns at Winterbolt and they promptly shatter his magic staff and he turns into a tree. Ooooooookay then.

I feel like Lady Boreal could have saved us a lot of hassle if she’d put Winterbolt to sleep and then took his staff away rather than just leaving it laying around for him to use again when he finally awoke.

For a second there in the middle I thought that this would be more of a Frosty than a Rudolph but it redeemed itself a bit by the end. Probably not quite to the levels of Rudolph but I enjoyed the bookends of it. If they’d cut some of the middle out and kept it under an hour, I’d be a lot happier with it. Apparently there’s another Rudolph movie that came out in the early 2000’s that revists a lot of those characters from the first one so I’m really tempted to watch that as well but I feel like I already rode my luck here and I’d really tarnish my positive memories of the original by watching a cheap cash in. I probably will just watch it anyway though so I guess we’ll find out next year.

#Christmas 2020 #Rudolph #Frosty #Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Does Spider-Man NEED to be in a shared universe?

As of right now it seems as though Peter Parker is going to be out of the MCU and in his own entirely separate universe.

Most people have reacted negatively to this and one of the most frequently cited reasons for that is the inability of Spider-Man to interact with the wider MCU.

We can talk a lot about whether from a production and audience interest POV, there is any steam behind the idea of Spider-Man in his own separate universe again.

However I want to take a different angle with this and talk more broadly about the character rather than strictly just the movies.

Essentially I want to address whether or not Spider-Man truly NEEDS to be in a shared Marvel Universe at all or not?

Now look I’m not advocating Spider-Man pull a Transformers or ROM Space Knight and be pulled out of the Marvel Universe.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut from a creative POV strictly speaking...he really, really, really does not NEED to be in that universe.

There are advantages and disadvantages to that.

In a shared Marvel Universe Peter operates as the ‘heart’ of that universe as was the intention with Civil War 2006. He also has close ties to the F4, the First Family of the Marvel Universe and to Captain America who is more or less THE leader of the whole Marvel universe. His kinship with Daredevil in particular is a joy to behold and has rarely been used badly. His status as an outsider in the eyes of the more publically accepted Marvel heroes like the Avengers offers a great parallel to his initial life as an outsider in high school and helps to highlight part of Lee and Ditko’s conceit with the character, that he was atypical of the heroes who’d come before him.

On the other hand though...The Marvel Universe of the comics at least demands a shitton of suspension of disbelief because you have all this huge concepts co-existing with one another but also within a context of trying to keep the world relatively similar to our own, the world outside your window.

Sooner or later though this presents a challenge to the suspension of disbelief for guys like Spider-Man who’re not merely supposed to exist in a world relatively like our own with heroes, but in fact be relatively normal within it besides the fact that they are heroes.

But if Spider-Man is a superhero, lives in a world of heroes, and has interacted with so many of them inevitably you have to wilfully ignore the obvious facts that so many of his relatable problems in life could be fixed through the fantastical elements of the universe he lives in and is aware of.

Just one example would be if Aunt May was dying there would be at least half a dozen solutions to that problem. Magic, clones, suspended animation, time travel, healing factors, transferring her mind to a robotic body, extra terrestrial medical care and if all else fails resurrection and higher deities are a fact of life in the Marvel Universe and Peter knows it.

Now the way around this stuff is, in the context of the story you are telling, to simply treat such things as not existing and thus side step the issue.

Suspension of disbelief might stretch to ignoring all the older appearances of Reed Richards or Doctor Strange in Spider-Man’s history, but if they show up in an issue where Aunt May’s death is also a factor then having Peter ignore their abilities to obviously help is nonsensical.

All of this is leading me to saying that, for the most part, Spider-Man is actually able to be MORE realistic and cohesive if in his own isolated universe than if he is in the same universe as magicians and aliens.

When you watch the Raimi movies or the Spec cartoon you never really have to scratch your head over why Spider-Man couldn’t just do this or that to solve his problems because other than his own fairly grounded cast and villains those other solutions don’t exist.

Even having other heroes exist but still be fairly grounded presents problems as you always have to ignore or contrive a reason for their lack of help when Spider-Man needs it.

Moving on, let’s talk about Spider-Man’s ability to team up with other heroes.

Of course there have been whole ongoing series specifically about that...and they mostly suck.

Don’t believe me?

Okay, ask yourselves this, how many New Avengers, Avengers, Marvel Team Up, Avenging Spider-Man or Superior Spider-Man Team-Up stories starring Spider-Man make it into most top 10 or even top 20 Spider-Man stories of all time?

Not many if any at all.

How many of the top 10-20 Spidey stories could be regarded as team ups, as in Spider-Man himself is actively interacting with figures from the wider Marvel universe as opposed to people introduced in his own series? And we aren’t talking cameos either.

Again, not that many.

ASM #1 perhaps.

Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut, but that’s just giving Spider-Man someone to fight he’s not really teaming up with anyone, a juiced up Rhino could’ve done basically the same thing.

The Alien Costume Saga arguably

The Death of Jean DeWolff

Spider-Man vs. Wolverine.

Spider-Man/Human Torch

MAYBE ASM #500, though that was mostly a background feature a means to an end (sending Spidey time travelling) that could’ve been achieved by numerous other means.

Arguably the first Carnage story though that was also a background feature, the main focus was Spidey fighting Carnage and teaming up with Venom.

...I honestly can’t think of any more off the top of my head.

You see what I mean. Sure, providing villains for Peter to fight is a real advantage the wider Marvel Universe holds for Spider-Man but actually milking great stories from his ability to interact with other heroes, not so much.

In fact Daredevil and the Human Torch or F4 are the most reliable examples of Spider-Man team ups working out but not for nothing there are quite a few similarities between them and Peter.

It doesn’t help most of these stories happened so Marvel could grant exposure to lesser selling characters by having them show up with their A-list hero.

I think more significantly the reason there are so few great Spider-Man team up stories is because of the core concept powering Spider-Man as a character and a lot of his appeal.

He was created in large part to be the hero who could be you, the average joe, the character for whom Peter Parker and his regular life was as much, if not MORE, of a draw than the superheroics of Spider-Man.

The nature of superhero team ups though are that they emphasis the costumed identities over civilian identities. This is a limitation of page space a lot of the time, but it’s also because the characters look iconic when they are dressed in their outfits and seeing them together in their outfits is really the main ticket draw of team up stories. How many people want to see Cap, Iron Man and Spider-Man interacting but it’s just in their civilian identities? Not many I’d wager, it wouldn’t make for a very eye catching cover that’s for sure.

The end result is that at best you focus upon an explore merely one half of who these characters are (and in Peter’s case it is arguably the less interesting half) or it becomes incredibly generic, it’s just heroes with different outfits, powers, maybe speech patterns hitting each other or hitting bad guys together with no exploration of their personalities bouncing off of one another.

And hey that is fine as a change of pace but not as the default setting, hence MTU usually was the lesser of the Spider-Man titles.

If you look at most of the team up stories I listed, noticeably all of them DO explore who the characters (or at least Peter) are and involve a lot of page time to them out of costume, their personal lives and such.

This brings us back to Spidey’s appeal. Like I said a huge part of it is his regular life and a huge part of what makes that appealing is his personal life dramas with his amazing supporting cast. He is said to have the best supporting cast in comics and that’s absolutely true, but when combined with one of the best rogue’s galleries in comics is it any wonder he was so successful?

Because Spider-Man has such a robust group of characters to interact with in both his identities his world is already pretty populated and can already do a lot of character exploration. And honestly when you have so many options to explore the human condition in a way so similar to the lives we lead are you really worse off if you can’t also have Spider-Man go on wacky adventures to the Negative Zone too? Are you really going to tell me that any of the psychedelic crazy scenes from Doctor Strange 2016 are as impactful or as meaty as May and Peter just talking at a table in Spider-Man 2?

 Whether in the movies or in other media so long as Spider-Man has supporting cast and a strong villain pool to explore he’s got a universe to play in no matter what. This isn’t the case for a lot of Marvel heroes. Iron Man for instance does not have a great rogue’s gallery or villain pool, it’s why in every TV adaptation of the character he is either lumped in with other heroes so that collectively they have a lot on offer or in his solo shows the wider Marvel Universe plays a significant part. In Iron man’s 1990s cartoon Force Works were regular characters, in Iron man Armored Adventures Nick Fury and SHIELD were recurring characters and the finale of the show involved them, Black Panther, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Hulk and others working together. The consistency of this with Iron Man points to his own series not being able to sustain itself without the wider Marvel Universe to support it.

 In contrast the majority of Spider-Man adaptations (which are much more numerous than any other Marvel character’s) either don’t feature characters outside his own series or they are relatively minimal. Even the 1994 Spider-Man cartoon which did feature a lot of guest characters and even did a Secret Wars adaptation, didn’t have most of it’s episodes involving guest stars.

 To return to the topic of Spider-Man’s concept and appeal, because the character was supposed to be more realistic and relatable, smaller scale more street level stories have been the preference by writers and fans and indeed his most celebrated outings have usually been cut from that cloth; even a lot of the well regarded team ups.

Because of this doing more personal stories works better for the character and a wider Marvel universe hurts that. Having Spidey be the ONLY hero in NYC and the scale be citywide creates if anything much greater dramatic impact in a story than saving the world or saving the universe. Big fish in a small pond situation I guess you could say.

Finally I’d add that Ditko himself didn’t really care for Spider-Man being in a wider universe.

In conclusion the notion that it would be inherently bad for Spider-Man to be ‘stuck in a smaller’ universe not connected to anything else is wrongheaded.

At best it simply offers some advantages but also some disadvantages.

However you wanna slice it though it’s absolutely not something Spider-Man NEEDS

#Spider-Man #peter parker #Steve Ditko #Iron Man #Tony Stark #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #Avengers #fantastic four #The Fantastic Four #fantastic 4 #the fantastic 4

[theothersideofhim]

Stan Figures it Out: Part 2 (or, Lets Do The Time Warp Again) (or, Somebody)

It took me WAY too long to get this transcribed but here it is! The continuation of Part 1, and where Stan kind of comes to terms with the feelings he has for Lucifer. Again, this was all over discord so I hope y’all don’t mind it not being in drabble format. 

Notes for additional context: “Fenton” is the name of Stan’s host. (He’s the one who looks like Steven Buscemi~) “Eli” is the name of the Creator God in this universe.

Warnings: Stan and Lucifer’s relationship has been, historically, unhealthy. Like turbulent and violent and abusive, to put in mildly. But lately it’s been calming down???? Kind of. This has been literal years in the making lmao.... They’ve been at a point where “I hate you” meant “I love you” for a little while now. So there’s a bit of a toxic dynamic going on here that I figure I should warn people about. 

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Stan:

[Stan popped into Lucifer's existence, in host and absolutely livid. Eyes actually glowing red as he stalked up and punched him across the jaw without so much as a "How do you do." Didn't give him any time to recover before jumping on him trying to get claws in his face.]

Lucifer:

[Sometimes Stan appeared and this was normal. Just popping into each other's lives with nothing more than a punch in the face for a hello. But it had been a little bit since that happened and maybe he relaxed like two whole fractions. 

 He was almost stunned enough by the punch not to get arms up between scrambling fingers and his PRETTY FACE??? He managed though!!] WHAT CRAWLED INTO YOUR ASS?????? [Swinging a fist into Stan's face back when he could make the swipe.]

Stan:

[The fist hit with a loud smack but didn't seem to deter him any. He kept bearing down on Lucifer till he could get him stuck up against the nearest wall and start kicking him, since the face was being blocked and he didn't have the mental stamina to think beyond hatehatehatehate.] 

I DON'T KNOW. WHAT'S BEEN UP YOURS HUH????? MAYBE THAT FUCKING ASH GUY HUH???? YOU LIKE THAT SHIT??? YOU FUCKING LIKE THAT HUH??????????????????

Lucifer:

[At this point? Glad he's out of host and Duncan's off taking a nap because wow this was a TANTRUM. Also, could manifest two extra hands to help fend some of the worst blows off with. Though some were still going to land and enough of them would take a good bit of strength out of him. 

 And he sure was going to tap a powerful hit or twelve back into Stan at choice locations and times. Not actually getting half a second to really understand what Stan was mad about to try and calm him down. Better to weather the tantrum out.]

Stan:

[Four hands were better than two, and eventually one of those defensive punches was going to clock Stan right in the nose. Breaking it and getting him dazed enough to finally stop. Just dropped to his hands and knees, face dripping blood, catching breath he didn't even really need. Still seeing red and trying not to let ANY OTHER EMOTION creep in there in the aftermath.] 

I HATE YOU. I FUCKING HATE YOU. I WISH I NEVER FUCKING MET YOU.

Lucifer:

[Took that moment to BREATHE. Like two whole breaths with aching ribs. Wiping at his split lip and hunching with back to the wall until he could piece something together about what just happened. Then snorted, winced, and smirked.] You're jealous? [Ash mention+hate=jealousy baby explosion???? He panted a little more.] Everyone hurts everyone in Hell, Stan. You set the system that way.

Stan:

[He raised his fist again to that but only sent it slamming down into the floor. Put enough Force behind that one to crack it.] I'm not FUCKING jealous. I'm not... 

[But he couldn't keep it up. He was already on his knees. He'd already given it all away in more ways than one. Despite his desperate attempts to keep them out, other feelings started crowded in around the anger and turning it different colors. Black instead of red. Sad and empty and reminded of how goddamn lonely he'd been for 99% of his entire life. Bitter.]

Lucifer:

[Lucifer watched him closely for danger--he had to--but sensed the shift soon enough. Decided not to...get snarky. Not pounce the bit of weakness showing. Instead he reached down, after letting Stan stew a little bit, he straightened his clothing out to grasp his arms and draw him back up to his feet. Quiet. Leaning up on toes to not so gently knock his forehead to Stan's and stay there. Okay.]

Stan:

[He deserved exactly zero of the mercy being shown him, but still couldn't appreciate it correctly. Still couldn't think outside of the way his thoughts were swirling. Keeping his eyes shut against the close proximity, keeping his mouth shut for once and that was how you knew it was bad. Finally muttered out through gritted teeth.] This is stupid. It's gone too far.

Lucifer:

[Lucifer didn't like those words. Not one bit. But he knew what they meant. They meant that Stan was scared and genuine and scared because it was genuine. He did not know what to do about that. Or what was spurning the deity on to say it. Even as a frantic small voice in his own mind started to make him brace, physically, against the inevitable. The big toss. Which garbage can came next? There were no more, right? So where did he go this time? 

 His hands slid off of Stan's arms and down to his wrists. Bringing hands up to settle around his neck. Then leaned his forehead away and dropped his own hands away from the other entirely. Maybe if he just...stopped...he wouldn't be tossed. So he closed up and looked down. And didn't say anything.]

Stan:

[He'd probably say something about Ash's taunting being the catalyst but in reality it was him realizing just how deep his feelings ran. He was scared, he was fucking terrified, and just like when he'd tried to cut Lucifer out of his life after nearly eating him in a jealous rage, he found himself standing at a precipice. He could either acknowledge what was happening and accept it.... or try to cut ties again. 

 But cutting ties hadn't worked the last time. They'd still just gravitated back to each other. 

 When he realized what Lucifer was offering it felt like someone reached up from his stomach and grabbed his heart. (Which was strange because he really didn't think he actually had one.)] 

 NO. 

[He snarled and snatched his hands back away like Lucifer's throat was pure fire. Then a second later they were back again, squeezing this time, the unspoken words ringing through Stan's head: if you don't want me then just kill me if you don't want me then just kill me if you don'twantmejustkillme--] 

I CAN'T. OKAY???? I FUCKING.... 

[Stopped just short of squeezing hard enough to crush his windpipe, pressure finally releasing as actual fucking tears gathered in his eyes. That was the worst thing of all. He felt like he was in his own little hell that someone had made just for him. He felt like dying. He was so fucking scared. 

 Fell forward and rested his head on Lucifer's shoulder in defeat. Snuffling a little.] I can'tIcan'tIcan'tIcan't. I couldn't before, you fuck. I couldn't even do it before and it's WORSE now.

Lucifer:

Hck! [The squeeze was good. The squeeze was good. Stan hadn't left. Hadn't thrown him away. Lucifer hadn't conceptualized more than 'then hurt me', but he'd be a liar if he said 'if you don't want me just kill me' wasn't somewhere in the murkiest and blackest parts of the still fractured depths of his psyche. 

He was ready for his hyoid to snap and for his tunnel vision to turn dark in the second before his neck was released and none of that happened. Took a second for enough air to reach his brain to have a constructive thought about Stan's head on his shoulder. 

 No, that wasn't quite right. Not quite the time for it. Stan was supposed to be hurting him. Not on the verge of collapse and tears. He tried to help Stan. By manifesting dagger made from the deity's stolen tooth and plunging it into his side. Growling in his ear. Twisting.] Don't make this difficult. [He hissed. Only a slight crack in his voice. He was trying to turn the clock back. Turn it back or kill Lucifer. He didn't know what else he could do for Stan. Trying to do anything for him.]

Stan:

[What Stan really needed was just what Lucifer had teased him about when they first met. 'I know... You just want comfort...' The words had been a weapon then, poking at some soft place in him, but they had been true. They were true now. He needed to be told is alright to feel this way, it was okay to be a little vulnerable. To be Known and Seen. He needed to feel safe. 

This was a kind of safe. It was the only kind he could see right now and he clung to it, even though Lucifer's words were like a death knell. The pain in his side from his own goddamn tooth, from the tooth that Lucifer had taken as a token and a trophy and a keepsake, only fed into the renewed sense of anger and bitterness. Only rekindled the rage at himself and at Ash and at Lucifer that threatened to eat him up whole, and even though his host body felt like dropping to it's knees he held it up. Forced Fenton to stand even as mouth in his stomach manifested through the human's skin, even as it stretched open and uncoiled it's long tongue to wrap around the hand that stabbed him and yank. 

Gonna pull that arm in up to it's elbow and CHOMP. Still so close he could smell that scent Lucifer always had in his shampoo. Could see the highlights in those gold eyes. Could hear that little minute break in Lucifer's voice but still not understand it's betrayal.]

Lucifer:

[Stan would be safe! He'd be safe! From even Lucifer! It's a feverish thought that flashing through him when his arm is taken off by that mouth. Rending a scream of pain from him. It was not often his lost limbs. The pain blinds him a moment.

The clock moved back. 

Before the tongue had gotten him, he had let go of the knife in a hair split decision. That was his knife. He wasn't losing it. Left it in Stan's side as the arm had been taken from him. The secondary hand snatched the knife out of Stan's side to keep it. Frantic in grip even as he stabbed him again with it. This time with a hard momentum driven push to get him to back up. To get space. 

Other two hands clutching at the stump of his arm. A wild look in his face. What had he done? Did he do the right thing? Was this better or worse? Golden gaze flicking over Stan's face to know--was he still afraid? He would take angry and vengeful and hateful--hate can be a kind of love. Eli and Stan had both taught him that.] It's better. It's better! Safer! [Little shocked delirium making his mouth run.] No one will hurt you! [Oooh, fuck, Stan would hurt him, though. He'd hurt him. But he could take it. He always had. His stare went off Stan and down to the knife in his hand. Slippery and black coated. The Fallen eyed it a little too much like someone with a one bullet gun might. Like he might stick it in his mouth. 

Whole head racing. Anything for Stan. It's an echo of the last day of the civil war. Comes from somewhere in his Heart that just wants to Do Anything for Them. Sadly, it was often the Wrong side.]

Stan:

[The clock ticked backwards with each passing second. Stan had forgotten what Angelic blood tasted like. It always tasted like Eli. It made him want to weep. It made him want more of it. 

The second stab hit somewhere vital in Fenton and he stumbled back a step or two. His face was wracked with anger, with pain. With the kind of surprise that only mortal wounds bring about in a person. But no fear. Not right then. 

Right then he was operating off the same kind of adrenaline and despair fueled mania that Lucifer seemed to be caught in, only barely able to register the meaning of the Fallen's words. They made sense, in a way. They made sense. He couldn't kill Lucifer though. Couldn't kill him but he could hurt him. He could hurt him over and over and he'd just keep coming back for more, he'd come crawling back, begging for more, and Stan would feel nothing while he violated him. 

It wasn't true of course but he believed it for long enough to manifest his pitchfork. Use the space that Lucifer had created between the two of them to skewer the tines of the weapon into Lucifer's chest. Aiming for his heart gem with the middle one.] 

That's right. 

[He was quiet.] 

No one's gonna hurt me ever again.

Lucifer:

[Lucifer, upon seeing the pitchfork driving toward him, had enough damn intelligence to move to one side. Enough to defend himself. As much as his mania wanted to die there's other parts of him that wanted to live. Because Rook. Because his children. Because Raphael. Because Stan. 

He didn't evade it entirely. The tine hit the gem at a glance and a chip came away. Cleaving off the whole from a fissure that had been there from Lucifer's own deliberate actions some centuries ago. 

The memory of it did not gentle the excruciating agony of the separation. It far over shadowed his arm and the  pierce of the other two prongs. 

Dimmed his eyes and he lost his own ability to stand of his own accord. Hanging limply on the pitchfork. Barely keeping hold of the knife in one of his hands. The scream that came out of him was a rare one. He had the advantage of warning when he'd done it to himself. This was sudden and would take more than a moment to recover from. 

Shard still in the meaty parts of his chest. Throbbing to the same beat as the heart gem. Not yet fully far away enough to become more rigid. 

Lucifer couldn't barely breath. Velvety blue blood aplenty on his clothing, his cracked armor under, his copper skin, the ground. The blood pooling on the ground was about all he could see. His head was too heavy to keep upright.

Happy? About it. Stan was safe again. No one would question the deity. Not while Lucifer was painted in that blue blood again. He couldn't muster hate for Stan again, but he could love him like this too. He was sure.]

Stan:

[Sure enough, the thousand and one prying eyes that followed every notable figure in Hell caught every detail. The secret finders, the path makers, the souls who gossiped too much as humans and got Karen from across the street in trouble with her husband. They would spread the news like wildfire and soon everyone would know; Lucifer was as good as dumped. 

They'd had fights before but no one had ever heard of Stan actually going for a killing blow. They'd never seen Prince Lucifer hanging limply from Stan's Fork like a broken rag doll. What few words had been said just solidified the rumor. The entire pit of Hell would be buzzing within hours. 

Stan was safe again. 

Then why the absolute FUCK did he feel like his entire world was falling apart? Why did it hurt so bad to see Lucifer like that, to think he might have actually skewered that gem? He knew, he knew, and he tried to rail against it even then, but despair completely consumed him then. A kind of darkness passed over his mind because Lucifer really did look dead. Close to death. He didn't know oh Eli please help him he didn't know he couldn't think, he could only pull those metal spikes back out of Lucifer's chest and let the body fall to the ground. Blood flowing much quicker and freer now. Royal blue staining everything. It's all he could see. 

His own blood was dripping down his legs at a volume that should have been concerning. It wasn't. He didn't have enough energy to do much about it anyway. That darkness passed down from his eyes to his heart and all the way down to his feet. Those feet decided standing up didn't matter anymore either, and the room was spinning too much and his hands were shaking, so he fell clumsily to the floor beside Lucifer.

Managed to get his head laid down on Lucifer's chest. Wanting to cry but unable to after six thousand years of holding it back. Breath coming out ragged and broken though, and fingers curling into Lucifer's torn shirt. 

Soon there would be lower demons coming in to make sure Stan got an emergency soul or two, enough to keep the host alive anyway. They'd probably realize Lucifer was still alive and bring him one too, since that respect was still afforded him. Even if he wasn't Stan Favorite Pet anymore. If anything Lucifer had just earned a few more honor points of his own, especially from those who were already favorable of him. He was the scorned lover. The underdog. The survivor. 

That would all be for later though. For now the messengers were all running to Tell and Stan was left on his knees again. Whispering the same thing he'd said not too long ago, in the same intimate voice, but broken.] 

I hate you.

Lucifer:

[The other two prongs had punctured his lungs. He was having trouble breathing when they were gone. Much more wet and wheezy. He'd fallen down on his side when the fork was taken away. 

He didn't afford the helpful demons any kindness, but he ate the soul given. He had to. He was damaged on an unusual, in the last few years, scale. 

He didn't say a damn thing until the room was empty. When he felt that it was. Then one of his cleaner hands (aside from his own blood) came up to his chest. And he jammed into flesh. Fishing around with winces and swallowed back sobs. 

The pain was not comparable to the cracking. He found the broken away chunk. Rattling for air as he pressed it into Stan's palm while the man was speaking so quietly to him. Exhausted by then. Soul or no soul to eat.]

Stan:

[He didn't want it. He'd already eaten half of one of Lucifer's arms. He didn't want any other reminders of the fact that they used to-- that they were-- 

That they were. 

He kept it anyway. Usually a sadist through and through, it was one of the most masochistic things he'd done in a long while in a long while. Everything was only made marginally better by the slowly dawning knowledge that Lucifer wasn't going to die. He choked back a couple souls himself, taking no pleasure in them, and got to the point where Fenton wasn't having a mini panic attack in the back of his head. Got to the point where he could finally think a little.] 

I wish I never met you. I wish you never Fell. I wish-- I fucking wish that it could just be okay, but it's not. It can't be. We can't be. Not like that. So it has--it has to be like this I guess. It has to be. I know... I know what you fucking did. And I wish I really did kill you for it because even now you're-- Even fucking now you're the only source of fucking light in this god forsaken place and I-- 

[Voice started breaking again and he curled his hands into fists. The shard poking into his palm and drawing blood and making him squeeze harder. After a moment he lifted his head to Lucifer's. Pressed lips against his forehead. Not to kiss, but to feel them move in an absolutely soundless lip sync to the words that had been Singing brokenly inside him for the longest time and never able to get free of his damn mouth because demons didn't Sing. They had nothing to sing about. But these words were free now, even though they fell into silence and (as far as Stan was concerned) a burned bridge. 

'Thank you. I love you.'

When he stood up again his face had lost all emotion. Drained out of him and into those words. Shard still in his hand as he swayed a little on his feet, and then finally righted himself. Pointing down at Lucifer and saying in a voice that everyone could hear, whether they were listening attentively or not.] Now leave me. The fuck. Alone.

Lucifer:

[Oh, oh boy. Stan thought he understood. Thought he got it. Maybe he got part of it. But that piece in his hand? He was ignoring the fuck out of that, wasn't he. 

Every bit of his glamours dropped. Scars to the wings to the mismatched horns. 

Stan could say all that, but it only bolstered Lucifer in the long run. The Fallen hauled with remaining hands and wings up to his feet. Unsteady and stepping in close to Stan again. A certain glint and fire in his gaze. If a little unfocused for pain and exhaustion.]

No.

Stan:

[He sure was ignoring it. Mixed up between what Should Be and what Had to be and what Might Be Said or Not Said between them. But Lucifer standing up like that... he couldn't ignore that. Couldn't squeeze that in his hand, that strength that love was staring him straight in the face and finally 

FINALLY 

he couldn't run anymore. He thought he'd made his decision about what to do when he'd chomped down on Lucifer's arm. When he'd ran him through and potentially shattered him. But apparently... apparently he hadn't. Because instead of strike Lucifer back down to the floor again, he cast squinted and equally exhausted eyes to either side of them. Extending a little Will to make sure they were still really alone. Bit his lip a little and squeezed his hand again, feeling the shard bite into his flesh a little further as if to say "Uh, duh." 

He closed the distance between them in a swift motion to actually kiss him this time, but with teeth. Sharp teeth in his throat, in a bite that was as vicious and possessive and furious as he'd ever been. A bite that could easily be mistaken as a further attempt to maim Lucifer rather than mark him. That was all the indication he was going to give of his final thoughts on the matter. He loved him. He loved him and he couldn't run from it anymore, and even if they had to fake a few things and even if Lucifer had been ready to literally sacrifice himself and EVEN IF THE MULTIPLE PITS OF HELL HAD TO THINK HE DIDN'T IN ORDER FOR HIM TO FEEL LIKE IT WAS OKAY... 

He did. It was a hateful, angry, spiteful love but it was a love and it was only for Lucifer.]

Lucifer:

[The kiss told him that Stan got it. He got it. Lucifer returned it with anger of his own, but ultimately lacked the strength to keep being vicious and vehement. 

He made a reflexive grab at Stan's shirt, but he was soon on the ground again. In a boneless heap. Not able to even leverage a wing under himself. 

The damage to the heart gem was not inconsiderable to his over all ability to function. Not something he could bounce back from right away.]

Stan:

[Stan went off to nurse his own wounds. The clock that had previously went back a year or two bounced right back to the present with a swiftness that had him nauseous. Already regretting the loss of Lucifer's arm. Tentatively letting himself feel that regret for a moment or two instead of finding something to scream mindlessly into and going back to cut another arm off, just to spite his heart. 

Maybe Lucifer thought that they'd reset things but that wasn't the case at all. Something had been very violently birthed and, from this point on, there was no more turning the clock back.]

Lucifer:

[Maybe, then, Lucifer was under a type of delusion of his own, but he couldn't...curse it. He hadn't been thrown away. (Again.) That was all he could hope for. 

It would take several hours and many souls for him to retreat himself into his Palace. Where he would be resting for a while more. A bath somewhere in the mix. And being glad it was the arm he didn't usually manifest that got chomped on that side. (He felt a little less attractive under his glamour, but there was little to do about it.) ]

#burningfeathersx #long post #discord shenanigans #TL;DR: STAN: WHY THE FUCK AM I IN MY FEELINGS??? WHAT IS THIS??? #LUCIFER: THAT'S LOVE BOY! #STAN: @_@)) #ooc

[gaperezmakes]

Original Fic Fest Day 1 – Characters (Iblan Light)

It is Day 1 of @originalficfest! Today’s prompt is about characters. As I said in my Intro, I’m going to deliver two entries for each prompt. Let’s get into it!

Era of the Iblan Light

While the Iblan Light series is mainly about Iblis’ journey, there are four characters who generally drive the plot along. Here’s the Big Four, a little about them, and where they stand between Rebirth and the next book in the series.

Iblis of Light: The powerful deity whose consciousness has been sent into the past. With his knowledge of the future, Iblis has accidentally created a new timeline, that he must keep under control if he wants to return to his proper future. After the terror of Emergency Order 52, Iblis has spent much of his time helping to establish the new Tribunal Council government, as well as strengthening the position of his church in Capital City and the Union.

Cerina Burmen: Iblis’ longtime girlfriend, capable of using the rare floraemancy (plant magic). Currently attending Suramen National University in Uwaye, the jungle nation south of the United Nations of Iblis. In the new timeline, Cerina is studying a powerful magical substance she calls the “Verdant Essence,” a crystal of distilled and condensed plant life essence she intends to use as a counter to the deadly Crimson Essence.

Swift: The orphan and vigilante has become a faithful ally to Iblis of Light ever since the end of Emergency Order 52. Although he has declined to become an official steward of the Tribune like Iblis and Dusk, he has put forth his own efforts to keeping Capital City safe as the new government establishes itself. With nowhere else to go, Swift has moved into the Burmens’ old home with Iblis.

Dusk of Iblis: Iblis’ spiritual brother who keeps him focused on keeping Capital City safe. As a former steward and protector for the Consulate, Dusk has also taken up the charge to help establish the Tribunal Council. Dusk has taken up a position as leader of the ARC, doing his best to keep the space station an international neutral ground. In accordance with the wishes of Iblis the Enlightened (Iblis of Light’s predecessor), Dusk has banned all military research on the ARC, opting instead to put its considerable resources into focusing mainly on medical research instead. When he can, Dusk assists Iblis (and Swift on occasion) in keeping the peace in Capital City.

And here are a couple of characters I’ll be talking about tomorrow:

Joseph Burmen: The alias of a powerful biomancer, a mage who utilizes the innate power of the human soul to cast their spells. Joseph mysteriously disappeared after Cerina left for school, later sending her a letter explaining the conditions of his disappearance.

Helen Burmen: Joseph’s wife, also living under an alias. Rescued from the hermit nation, Nobe by Joseph many years ago, Helen has become a strong and courageous woman. She disappeared alongside Joseph and has not been heard from since.

And here’s a short little bitty-bit with the Big Four together.

The boys waited at the docks impatiently, waiting in disguise. Swift’s was the simplest, with him just wearing a thin hoodie underneath his now-signature red jacket (”But I like it!” was his excuse for ruining the point). Iblis and Dusk had magically shifted their appearances. Dusk, more limited in his abilities than Iblis, had changed his short hair to a dirty blonde color and softened his naturally strong jaw. His now jade-green eyes were locked on the sea before him. Iblis had decided to match Dusk in height, but opted instead to change his hair to a medium-length chestnut color, except for a single green highlight that ran across his head. He gave himself a rounded chin, and put on a few pounds. His warm brown eyes were constantly scanning the horizon to see if the ship was arriving yet. She was supposed to be here hours ago. What was taking so long? Iblis wanted to start pacing. What if something had happened? What if the ship ran into something and sank? What if pirates attacked? What if--

“She’s fine.” Dusk’s voice was flat as he looked over, annoyed, at his brother. “You know she’s fine. Stop making up scenarios in your head where she’s in trouble. You know Cerina can handle herself.”

“I know that,” Iblis replied, his gaze never breaking from the horizon, “It’s just--why wouldn’t she let me teleport her?”

“Because she doesn’t want to always depend on you. You know these things.”

“I’m faster.”

Dusk shook his head, “You’re a child.”

Swift caught their attention by pointing out the ship rising from the horizon. It wouldn’t be long now. Not unsurprisingly, Dusk could see Iblis starting to twitch and fidget. He gave Iblis a less-than-polite nudge and a cold stare. Iblis returned his own and returned his focus to the ship. Swift just chuckled and shook his head.

“I have never seen a man get so worked up for a girl he doesn’t even get to sleep with.”

“Sex isn’t everything, Swift.”

“I know that,” he shrugged, “I’m just surprised, is all. You two have been together long enough, I’m surprised you haven’t.”

“We’re going to be together for the rest of our lives. There will be plenty of time for that later.”

“Whatever, dude, I’m just sayin’.”

“We don’t all look for the loosest women around, Swift,” Dusk interjected, looking over his shoulder down at Swift.

“One, I don’t look for the loosest women around. Two, I don’t always sleep with them. Sometimes I just spend the night and make them eggs for breakfast--unless they’re vegan. In which case, I panic and escape before they wake up.”

“I’m pretty sure they’ll have an egg substitute you can use.”

“It’s not. The same.”

Iblis stifled a laugh at his friend’s expense as he continued looking out to the seas. It was the first time Cerina was actually returning home for one of her breaks. He had popped in to check on her every once in a while, and she always looked run down and tired. But he could see the determination burning brightly in her eyes, even on her worst days. She wasn’t going to quit. This was her dream, and she would do whatever it took to accomplish it.

Soon he could see her standing behind the guardrails on the bow, looking right down at him and smiling warmly. She knew who he was no matter what disguise he wore. The minutes passed quickly before the boat docked. A security team from the docks was quickly dispatched as the passengers prepared to come ashore. They pushed the throngs of people back (something that was not a problem for the trio standing far away from the crowds of people), leaving a wide open space for the passengers to disembark quickly and efficiently. The ramp off the boat was lowered, and a small team of customs agents quickly moved aboard, setting up a makeshift checkpoint just before the ramp.

More time passed as Iblis started fidgeting more and more. The urge to pace around was growing unbearable. Where was she? She was here. He saw her. Dusk, once again, nudged Iblis. With a near-silent whisper, Dusk told him to calm down. She would be here any minute.

“Hey, guys.” They all turned and saw Cerina standing there, pulling a pair of suitcases behind her. She looked rested for the first time in a long time, a peaceful glow surrounding her. Her long, grass green hair was braided, although her bangs still covered one of her baby-blue eyes. Cerina was wearing a long blue skirt and a plain white t-shirt. Several thin bracelets or various materials dangled from her wrists, most of them not even matching.

Swift was the first to greet her, giving Cerina a big hug. “It’s good to see you!”

“Oh my god, you don’t stink anymore!”

“Yeah!” Swift responded with a big, doofy smile on his face, “I bathe regularly now! I hate it! Buying soap is the worst!”

Cerina laughed as she turned to Dusk, opening her arms for another hug. Declining, Dusk extended a hand instead. She sighed and returned his handshake, “Still a stick in the mud, huh?”

“My brother insisted that I come along,” Dusk replied, returning Cerina’s smile, “I am glad to see you’re safe, however. You look well.”

“I did a lot of nothing on the ride over. It was relaxing.” She flexed her arms, “I also managed to get myself a bit of a tan for once!” She gave Dusk a small hug (which he awkwardly returned) and turned her attention to Iblis.

He could feel his face getting warm. His eyes darted away as he quickly turned his head to look somewhere else. Cerina just walked up to him and grinned, putting her hand on his cheek and bringing his attention back to her. Their eyes met.

“Hello, love,” she said soothingly. Iblis just took her in his arms and surrounded Cerina in his embrace.

“It’s been a while,” he whispered. She just looked at him with a smirk as he let go of her.

“Y’know, for a being who can travel the world in literal seconds and can see me whenever you desire, you are awfully sentimental.” Iblis just shrugged off her observation.

“Alright, well we don’t have all day.” Swift walked over to Cerina’s luggage and grabbed the handle on the larger suitcase, “So let’s grab these and--” The suitcase fell to the ground with a very large, very noticeable thud that caught some people’s attention. Swift just stared wide-eyed away from the accident, as if not acknowledging that he did, in fact, drop the suitcase would make it as if nothing happened. “I hope there was nothing important in there.”

Cerina just laughed and shook her head, “That one is just for my textbooks for next year. Things are getting serious, and I need to be ready for when school starts again.”

“Well, we don’t have time to waste, then,” Dusk hauled the heavier suitcase over his shoulder and grabbed the smaller one, “It’s time for us to go home.”

“Of course!” Iblis opened a portal leading back to the Burmens’ house just outside of Capital City, “There’s so much I can’t wait to show you!” Abandoning their disguises, the group walked back home, the portal closing behind them.

And that’s where we’ll end for today! I, of course, am making two entries. If you’re interested in seeing something else, feel free to check out my Black Empire entry! And if not, that’s cool too! I hope you’ll come back tomorrow when we’ll have a nice little story with Joseph and Helen.

#originalficfest #original fic fest #character #day1

[bentenharuki]

Haikyuu Chapter 292 or... when you get at once a Beauty Sleeping Lord & A Naked and Washing His Silky Hair Lord, plus a SAKUSA and a Bokuto... and that’s a lot of BLESSINGS right? *.*

So... this interlocutory chapter was really cute for a series of reasons, even beyond those already listed above... 

The plot in nuce to develop from here onwards in the Nekoma face off seems pretty much solid and confirmed, beside the fact we have learnt that the incoming games are not THREE, but FOUR (this makes Kyriuu’s team to have to appear somewhere? or will Karasuno lose THE SEMI-FINAL with Itachiyama, instead than the final? It would be more believable, but Furudate has thrown the “believable” long time ago off the window so...), and that makes me think if at some point other than Nekoma, Kamomedai and Itachiyama we will also get to see something else.

Anyway...

We start with DARLING BOKUTO!!!!

Everyone knows I ADORE Bokuto, because he is the kind of powerful spiker my Lord deserves and also because he is a golden soul, so into his own world I cannot avoid to love him. But he is FAR from being the idiot people think he is. Bokuto is the one who gave Tsukki THE SPEECH (not Kuroo... Kuroo is practical while Bokuto is actually charismatic so what he says means MORE), he is the one constantly analyzing games, and he is a great player. He is childlike, but that is because he is a teenager after all, and when you have such skills, WHO CARES (and in fact, his team doesn’t care at all).

So Bokuto appears THIS way:

I always laugh at the intense thinking Akaashi has constantly on/about Bokuto. It’s also always clear to me that more than being a babysitter to Bokuto, Akaashi is MOVED INTO WHATEVER BOKUTO IS INTO, too. Bokuto is a leader. Even when he doesn’t want to. Akaashi is COMPLETELY depending on him, and that is also clear later, when it seems that Bokuto is dim about Fukurodani’s incoming chances at the tournament, and Akaashi PANICKS, searching for confirmations Bokuto is fine.

Because if Bokuto won’t work, there is no way Fukurodani can win, anybody knows it.

Another pleasant discovery was THIS:

SAKUSAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAAA *.*

I am already IN LOVE with Sakusa and he has appeared like five times only. Still, Sakusa IS THE LORD’S FATED PARTNER, so I just have to adore him.

They are destined to cross, meet and being one pair together. FULL STOP. Any Sakusa panel will have me squeal, therefore. Get used to it ;)

Anyway... the chapter goes on with the reaction at Karasuno’s victory, and the forecast about how Nekoma is meant to be considered WAY INFERIOR to Karasuno (they are, but not as much as Karasuno hopefully won’t think of, now that they have beaten Inarizaki). Please, incidentally appreciate little Akane (so badass!!!).

Appreciate also how tv states CLEARLY who is the pinnacle of Karasuno (like anyone could doubt it ;))...

 I like how the team is clearly made by teenagers, and how all the players reactions in front of the tv tell this very naturally. They are funny as a group, even tho with some exceptions (Sugawara is really annoying, Boku No Hero Karasuno simply doesn’t exist for me and Yamaguchi... Yamaguchi is a HORRID LEECH whose role is to lick Tsukki’s butt while being mostly useless at anything else. I despise Yamaguchi 120%, so I will try to not consider he has whatever part in the team or in life as it goes. Losers like him REALLY are the kind of type I loathe.

The reactions in front at that screen are totally hilarious...

Tsukki as usual is someone who is ME a lot.

The more Yamaguchi is irritatingly behaving, the more he shuts him off.

I LOVE Tsukki.

Words cannot express how much *.*

But is my Lord who takes the cake (had doubts there?).

Look how unfazed he is when it’s clear that he is mentioned on tv, and the rest look at him like he shall manifest his pride...

My Lord just stands there, as cool as a bean, dominating everybody with his aura. He doesn’t need “compliments”. He just sees his target and goes after it. His only reward is knowing he has done what he had to.

Lord Kags is sport perfection. Awww *.*

After all that we get back at Bokuto...

...and while back to Bokuto, the whole speech he gives in this chapter is so melancholic, it looks clear something is anticipating how Fukurodani is gonna be the next (bad) surprise in the tournament. After Inarizaki, it is plot-worthy for Fukurodani to lose quite soon.

This won’t please many, but among those “many” not a good number have the faintest idea of what is a good narrative plot so they are even forecasting a Fukurodani win of Nationals which is completely out of question.

They are side teams.

Their role won’t ever get moved past that and there is no way they can be the center of National Tournament.

Mark my words freely: Fukurodani will lose against somebody Karasuno will face after them.

There is no way I am wrong.

Back at Karasuno HQ, the three years know who among them is the perfectly polished diamond who has given the team the whole boost switch.

Of course, the one and Only Lord Of Volley.

Glad their age has taught the three of them where the class is (still, Sugawara is creepy. Take your hands and hopes off my Lord. Stay put in your place, as the Lord would never care of your push for popularity. The Lord would never think he has to give autographs. The Lord only thinks about PLAYING).

Then the scene of my death, as in “death” being the reveal even deities wash their silky hair.

NAKED.

And “naked” is a GREAT way to do anything, especially when your body is perfect, like Lord Kags’ one is.

Enjoy his skin, his amazing shoulders, and that pointy nose highlighting his still cold face:

Enjoy also Tsukki’s savage displease of Hinata.

Again, Tsukki is ME. Because unlike the Lord, who is so high above he can forget the midget exists, Tsukki still get bothered by his stupidity and nuisance, and like I would do, he tries to counteract that with salt.

But the Lord still is more perfect in his complete dismissal of Boku No hero Karasuno, so Tsukki, have my applause there, while the Lord has my admiration unmatcheable.

Then take a look at what lies ahead for Karasuno in the next panel.

Kenma is FULL ON  and he wants Karasuno (Hinata)’s BLOOD.

Karasuno is WAY better than Nekoma, BUT Nekoma has Lev, and Nekoma has a setter who is very smart, very unreadable, and very scheming.

Karasuno WILL WIN, but it won’t be easy, also considering Karasuno is way more tired and might feel overconfident after having defeated Inarizaki.

ça va sans dire that the Idiotic Midget has no idea about HOW MUCH Kenma wants to win. Hence his totally out of point claim here...

How stupider can Hinata get?

No, really...

WHY has my Lord to stand such a scrub in his life?

All hinata pompous claims “he will defeat this and that”... how much more annoying can he get?

But at least, in all his senseless blabbing, we still have The Lord once more referring to that nuisance in his head as “THIS GUY”.

Gosh, how I love Kageyama.

So long for the supposed “bond” right?

I don’t think anyone I could have a bond with would ever think of me as “this or that guy”.

LMAO.

My perfect Lord... Thank you for once more confirming to me you really don’t get Boku No Hero Karasuno and, even better, you DON’T WANT to get him at all.

Thanx. This made me very happy.

But not quite as happy as your sleeping  face HERE:

So beautiful.... and also all the images around my favorite Sleeping beauty.

I will look forward to all the people I have left in this panel when the Nekoma game will happen.

I know how it will end, but I hope along the way I can still have some fun and see Kenma finally develop into the great setter he can be, and I want to see Lev become DEADLY, because he has gotten ALL a great ace has to have. Reflexes, Intuition, Will, Determination, Power and HEIGHT. Too bad he will have to lose to a midget, but that’s Furudate, not real volley, so before the demise, I know I will appreciate what Lev will bring to the game.

The other setter from the game, you know, the one who rules them all... well, he is already perfection, so that’s not in question. Still Lord Kageyama can learn tricks from Kenma too. I look forward to that as well, because anything which improves Kags, makes my heart blossom.

And he can improve, no matter how much of a genius he clearly is already, because in sport, to improve day after day is THE ONLY THING TO DO.

See ya, happy weekend.

#haikyuu!! #furudate haruichi #chapter 292 #kageyama tobio #the lord #karasuno #nekoma #fukurodani #sakusa kiyoomi #bokuto koutaro #kozume kenma #tsukishima kei #lev haiba #alisa haiba #the annoying orange #hinata shouyou

[avisalaencantadia]

If you’ve followed me from the very start, you guys would notice that I’ve never published my own reviews or opinions over the show (except for some asks). This is because I prefer giving my opinions when a show is over. This gives my review some sense of finality.

But yeah... Anyway, just in case you want to read my rambles and opinions, feel free to click the “Keep reading” link below :) and yes the comic sans is intended

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’ll be dividing my feedback on certain aspects and then I’ll say what the Enca team did good and bad there. Brace yourselves, this is a very long post :))

Story/Plot

The Good

Modernizing the existing Encantadia plot - If you’ve watched Encantadia since 2005, you would know most of the 2016′s version plot derives from the original. But what I really liked with Encantadia 2016′s plot is how it was adjusted to reflect current day sensibilities and moralities like with how Amihan still loved and treated Mira as her own daughter after learning the truth, not making Mila/Lira into an archetypal abused maid, Lira and Mira being best friends and literally #cousin goals instead of love rivals, Ybramihan with their realistic and slow burn romance, Alena breaking out of the “first love never dies” trope, and so much more.

Book 1 - Book 1 (Episode 1 - 148) is the best part of Encantadia 2016. To be very honest, I really wished that the requel just ended with Book 1. Book 1 is, for the most part, well written. I like how little backstories were added from the start, the story was pretty much cohesive, most of the plot deviations from the original were logical (the fall of Amihan and the banishment of Pirena were superb), and the mortal world was less shown than from the original. Speaking of the mortal world, please see below :)

Involvement of the mortal world - Perhaps one of the best things I really liked from the plot of the requel is how the setting of the mortal world was used more logically. What I really didn’t like about the original is how around 50% of the scenes (until Lira returns to Encantadia) was divided into Encantadia scenes and then mortal world scenes and I was like, “this is a show about Encantadia right??” In this version, Mila/Lira’s growth in the mortal realm was not extended (they really did great in doing away with the maid-and-master-romance plot for Lira), Danaya and Alena’s exiles to the human world are sensible, Encantados - like Enuo, Mira, Lilasari and Hitano - choosing to live in the mortal realm was interesting, and the concept of “taong ligaw” as well. Seriously, if you know your migration and trade theories well, it’s very very logical that some Encantados would choose to live away from their motherland because y’know, it ain’t exactly peaceful in Encantadia. Or like the Bandidos who choose to go to the mortal realm to dabble in some trade... although of course human slave trade is definitely not right.

The Bad

The plot being obviously dragged out - All popular Philippine dramas are victims of extension due to public demand and it isn’t a secret that Encantadia was extended until Mulawin vs Ravena was ready. While I totally understand that GMA wanted to capitalize on the ratings success of Encantadia, unfortunately, the plot really suffered and Book 2 (together with the “Finding Lira” arc) looked like it wasn’t thought of very well. 

Plot handling - *ehem* You mean Book 2? *ehem* Ok, on paper, the premise of Encantadia is great. The problem is, most of the plot devices they introduced became too big for them to handle and the prime example was how they handled Book 2. Actually, Book 2 started well in showing what happened after Amihan’s death: 3 kingdoms flourishing, the threat of Etheria, the introduction of the 6 guardians-in-training, etc. But unfortunately, it fell apart: Lireo is great but why did it look that Ybrahim and Pirena were spending more time meddling with Lirean affairs than with Sapiro and Hathoria respectively? We all know that Etheria was a great kingdom but why didn’t they explore its history well and why did they make it fall again just to give way to Hagorn’s return? Oh and the 6 guardians in training? You know what? I really really loved it at first because it showed that not only royalty can become guardians but also normal Encantados (or a mortal like Pao Pao) as well. But after the massacre at Cassiopea’s island, all the remaining guardians-in-training became useless character scene fillers. Marami silang sinayang tbh...

Amihan-centric plot - For a show that used to highlight the four sisters, Book 1 revolved and highlighted mainly Amihan. From episode 1 until her death, we were made aware of Amihan’s significance due to Cassiopea’s prophecy and Hagorn’s obsession to kill her. If you watched the original series, you will see each Sang’gre was given enough air time and importance in the story. But since Amihan was given so much importance in the requel, this led to major plot issues when Kylie left the show. This was partially fixed in Book 2 where we see the three remaining Sang’gres united against Avria, Hagorn and Ether. However, it makes me wish they had an opportunity to do this with Amihan still alive. Which leads to...

Plot handling for actors who leave the show - For the requel we saw 2 major plot changes due to actors leaving the show: Kylie’s and Sunshine’s. Naturally, Kylie’s departure left a bigger hole in the plot and in our hearts than Sunshine’s. Of course I understand that the actors’ departures come from valid reasons (Kylie’s pregnancy and Sunshine’s schedule due to Ika-Anim na Utos) but I wish their character’s deaths and aftermaths were handled better, especially for Adhara. I had huge hopes for Adhara’s character only for her to die a very meh second death. No huge build up whatsoever nor any major revelations about her character. I’d really love to know the story they originally intended for Adhara. Was it taken over by Lilasari’s character? As for Amihan’s death, yes, it was handled very beautifully and logically but it’s the aftermath I had huge issues with. You can obviously see it in Book 2 :)

Worldbuilding and Lore

The good

Expansion of the existing Encantadia world and lore - In this requel, we were given a more solid Encantadia in terms geography: there’s a nice map and cultural distinctions between the different kingdoms were more apparent (I love the sigils and the aesthetic differences between the kingdoms). What I really love as well was the Nchan and Hathorka writing developed and explained to us. It gave us an excuse to write our names and words using these wonderful fictional but working scripts.

Limitations of the Sang’gres’ powers - Ok, some fans had issues with this but I really liked it when it was shown that the four Sang’gres only obtained special elemental powers when they have the gems in their possession. It was also a nice touch when they showed the Sang’gres not wearing their trademark warrior gears when the gems are not in their possession. This shows the Sang’gres do have weaknesses unlike their previous counterparts who can still manipulate their elements (albeit weaker) even without the gems. Because of this, it further emphasizes the gems’ importance: whoever obtains can become extremely powerful.

The deities backstories - In this requel, we get to find out there are actually 5 deities (bathala/bathaluman) instead of 3. It also showed that these deities are not all powerful and have weaknesses almost just like an average encantado. Instead of acting all-omnipotent (except Emre during Book 1), these deities acted a lot like the fickle and full-of-human-emotions Greek/Roman gods.

The bad

The fifth gem - I know a lot of people were asking about adding a new element but I did not like how they handled it. I mean, seriously, how can Cassiopea not know about its existence until the fall of Amihan? Was it because the one who obtained it was not an encantado but a batang ligaw? Speaking of batang ligaw, I did find it cute that the one who will first wield this gem is not an encantado but a little human boy. Paopao’s innocence highlights the fifth gem’s power, quintessence. However, what I highly disliked about the fifth gem is how it just became an accessory after Hagorn forced Paopao to give it to him. An extra gem to grab with no major significance unlike the four elemental gems and an alternative to the Earth gem for healing, that’s what it became. If only they let the grownup Paopao wield it again, then perhaps this gem could’ve become as significant as the others.

The deity involvement - While I first raved about adding the expansion of the deities and their backstories, I will rant about their incessant meddling (or the lack of it). For the first parts of Book 1, I liked how they maintained Emre is the Christian God-like deity, Arde is the guardian of Balaak (or hell) and Ether is the all-around mischievous meddler. I also found it cool at first that Arde and Ether both chose their champions (Adhara and Hagorn respectively) in their bid to regain power over Encantadia. However, I found it really annoying when their meddling became too much or when the encantados (*ehem* Avria *cough* Hagorn and to some extent, Lira) cannot do anything anymore except rely on their godly powers. Deus ex machina much? On the other hand, I generally thought the addition of Keros and Haliya was ok. I liked how Keros’ treachery brought about Emre’s downfall. Too bad he was killed even before he could have a total change of heart. I think it could’ve been cool if he aided Emre and gained followers after that. While Haliya was pretty useless, at least she still had some involvement in Emre and Cassiopea’s sidequest and to explain the origin of the double moon and Lilasari’s curse. It would’ve been cool if she did more. Anyway, long story short: I wish the deities meddled less and just maintained a certain distance from the encantados. Let the encantados do the work with some very occasional sprinkling of their divine blessings.

Adamya - Ok, so why was Adamya demoted from a kingdom to a protectorate territory of Lireo in the requel? I don’t get it why they made Adamya weaker than it is. Adamya had more relevance in the original series where the Diwatas usually seek refuge and get really sound advice from Imaw and his staff. However, in the requel, Imaw and the humanoid Adamyans (except the Gunikars and Nymfas) just stay with the Diwatas all the time. Is there really no desire in Imaw to return to his own homeland, see it flourish on its own and without the Sang’gres’ (especially Alena’s) help? It seems not because this is the vision of Memfes, the leader of the Gunikar tribe. While I had huge problems with him pursuing Alena, I just wished that his vision of a strong Adamya was shared by Imaw and its traditional denizens. I also wished that it was made clearer that the Gunikars and the Nymfas are technically Adamyans.

Characters and Relationships

Since Encantadia had a lot of characters, I will not be commenting on them all.

The good

Lira and Mira - Without any doubt, the Lira-Mira tandem proved to be one of the best things that happened to this requel. Like I’ve mentioned, I’m so glad they did away the love rivalry between the two cousins from the original series. It was utterly refreshing to see these two being close and doing their own adventures and shenanigans. One minor critique though, I just wished they had more character growth especially in Book 2 where they were promoted to Sang’gres.

Ybramihan - Ah, the pairing that launched a thousand ships in the requel. While I wasn’t a huge shipper myself, I really appreciated the slow burn romance between Amihan and Ybrahim. These are two leaders who are dealing with their own political and emotional issues yet still found themselves falling for each other. This mature and bittersweet kind of romance is a breath of fresh air in the sea of “pabebe” romances. I wonder if the Ybramihan endgame would still push through if Kylie did not leave the show.

Alena - Alena’s character started out as being really problematic. Lovestruck, pabebe, immature, shallow, weak - these are words I read from frustrated viewers on how they described Alena. I will also admit that I was really frustrated with Alena’s character because they made her so much weaker than her counterpart from the original series. However, thank Emre, the Encantadia crew seemed to our heard our prayers and wrote a strong and beautiful Alena in Book 2. Alena shows that despite all the hardships she suffered and endured, she learned from them and emerged a woman with the voice of reason and wisdom. I also think it was awesome that she didn’t rekindle her relationship with Ybrahim despite still having feelings for him. We really need to show less of this “first love as true love” trope and more of this “never wanted the crown but ended up as a deserving and independent queen” narrative. Alena’s character growth was one of the few things right in Book 2.

Hagorn -  Hagorn is proof you can write multi-dimensional villains. Coupled with John Arcilla’s excellent acting, I think Hagorn was beautifully portrayed. Here, we saw a king who became consumed by his rage over the injustices he experienced: Mine-a breaking his heart, his father whom he idolized being killed and falsely believing Raquim (a friend turned enemy) to have done the deed, the once mighty Hathoria being cursed, Lilasari breaking his heart and Deshna hidden from him. While yes, all of his actions can be called evil but in its essence is Hagorn’s desire to be respected and loved. Pirena is indeed very similar to her father but the difference is Hagorn let anger harden his heart completely. Although one major critique I can give of him is... why must he be so damn overpowered?? I get it that antagonists need to be more powerful than the protagonists at first but as the series progress, why must Hagorn be always gaining powers all the time??

The bad

The Etherians - I was first excited about the news they were going to bring back the Etherians in the requel since I loved the Etheria arc from the original series. However, this excitement turned into frustration when we saw flat villains on our screen again. So we know Avria and the gang are power-thirsty encantados whom Ether revived because Hagorn was presumed to be dead. However, what was their story? What really happened in the Great Etherian War? Unlike in the original series’ Etheria, we find out the reason they antagonized the Diwatas was because of a prophecy that predicts their downfall. However, for the requel, nothing was explained except their desire for vengeance against the races that brought their first downfall. And that’s it. Added to the fact our beloved Sang’gres know nothing about their history which added to my eye-rolling moments.

Aquil - You may know me as an avid Danquil shipper but I highly disliked how they handled Aquil’s character for the requel. Gone was the Lirean mashna whose loyalty and dedication was at par with Danaya’s but was replaced by a lovestruck man whose character was mainly hinged on the stubborn Sang’gre. While we did see glimpses of Aquil’s loyalty to the Lirean crown but it was really lacking compared to the original. If Muros and the soldiers did not call Aquil “mashna”, I would think of him as a normal soldier who happens to be in love with Danaya. While yes, as a Danquil shipper I am satisfied with their scenes, but as a character he fell flat. And sorry Aquil, Muros made a better mashna. PS: I have no issues with Rocco’s acting. He did well. It’s the characterization I have issues with.

Ariana - Oh Ariana... So much has been said about Ariana but I’ll say this. On paper, the sarkosi/reincarnation concept was nice but it was the execution that fell flat. I will not touch upon Arra’s acting but there were so many plot holes that came along with Amihan’s reincarnation as Ariana. So when Ariana died and Amihan’s ivtre came in, why were Ariana’s memories retained? Where did Ariana’s ivtre go? It was answered in the finale since Ariana’s ivtre came along in the Devas bunch. But I thought the memories and consciousness of an encantado lie in their ivtre/spirit? I guess not. Also, the Ariana we saw is already the Sarkosi!Amihan version. Who is the real Ariana? Would the real Ariana still be chosen by the Air Gem as its next guardian? Will she still have feelings for Ybrahim without Amihan’s ivtre in her? So many questions about this tbh. I would’ve really preferred if they went with the typical reincarnation route where a newborn encantada will grow up discovering she was Amihan in her past life.

Production

The good

Special effects - While it still has room for improvement, I must say it has HUGELY improved since the original series! The transformation sequence, ivictus scenes and even the gem wielding scenes were very smooth. Just a bit more refinement especially in the rendering of creatures (ex. Arde’s dragon form, Ether’s snake form, etc.) and I truly believe we can be at par with other fantasy series. 

Fight scenes - This is what I really loved in this requel. The fight scenes are quicker and smoother compared to the original. Kylie’s martial arts skills were in full display and were duly appreciated by the fans in return. Even Sanya’s arnis skills did not go unnoticed. I also appreciated the fact that even the actors who didn’t necessarily have martial arts skills refrained from using stunt doubles (for most part I guess). At least you can see their dedication in really embodying their characters.

Costumes for Book 1 - I may be one of the few people who’ll say this but I loved the warrior gear for this version. Yes, it may looked less detailed or bongga than the original but I think it suited this requel’s modern fantasy feel. It also enabled the actors to move more freely (thus better fight scenes). I also appreciated the fact the Sang’gres were not shown in highly sexualized scenes despite their costumes being revealing (thank you Direk Mark for not doing what male Western fantasy directors usually do). As for the gowns, I was in love with the Francis Libiran gowns. I just wish that kind of costume aesthetic was maintained throughout the whole series... (more on that later). 

Kingdom throne room set design - I liked how unique each kingdom’s throne rooms looked like. From the airy Lirean throne room to the dark and ominous Hathorian throne room, it added to the emphasis of culture differences between each kingdoms. 

Soundtrack - Who here is getting goosebumps when you hear the remixed Tadhana at the start of each episode? Or the ethnic chanting during burial scenes? I think the Encantadia crew did a good job in composing unique music to use for the requel. I’m also glad they didn’t seem to reuse music from existing teleseryes. 

The bad

Too much studio filming - While I understand logistical constraints in shooting outside the studio but it contributed to the “fake” feel of the scenes. There were many scenes that could’ve been better if they were shot outdoors. There are times when the studio sets looked obviously fake. 

Costumes for Book 2 - In Book 2, we saw a time skip and naturally, we saw costume changes. However, a lot of them looked awkwardly stitched or ill-fitting to the actors. The general aesthetic also changed and sometimes out of place. I understand not all costumes can be “Francis Libiran level” but I wish the costume aesthetic was given more attention by the production crew. We also saw costume recycling within the actors especially with Sanya wearing Marian’s Mine-a gown (not a new occurrence though since Diana also wore Dawn’s Mine-a gown).

Overall

While there are many things to left to be said, overall, the Encantadia requel still proved to be a general success. Not only did it manage to rekindle childhood fantasy emotions from the fans of the original series but had also brought in a new generation of fans. 

Encantadia reinforced the notion of girl power and has once again showed us kickass and multi-dimensional women on TV. Encantadia also proved we can produce a successful fantasy series of our own aside from the ones Americans, Europeans or Koreans produce.

Do I want a Season 2? Of course but only if it can be better than the previous season with better commitment to the plot, character and actor handling :)

Avisala eshma to the whole Encantadia crew and to fellow fans who made the watching experience more colorful. If you managed to read the whole review, thank you as well. Feel free to leave comments or messages if you wish. I’ll be open to discussion :)

#encantadia #encantadia review #AE posts

[yetanotherbuffyblog]

Back like a bad Watcher!

The Watchers are back in town! They want to put Buffy on review to see her progress, and...that’s kind of it. I mean other stuff happens, but I’m not going to go through and do a full summary. I’ll hit the highlights.

Buffy is clearly not thrilled with the Watchers coming into town, especially since she doesn’t want them to know about Dawn. They’re immediately super-critical of Buffy, making it clear that she doesn’t think she should involve civilians as much in the Slaying business, figuring she should know how to respond to Japanese judo commands, and other ridiculous tasks. All the while they interview her friends to see if they’re up to snuff.

Oh, and Glory is still looking for the key. We see exactly what she’s been doing--she seems to get crazy sometimes, and she sustains herself by sucking the sanity out of people? How that works isn’t clear, but it does. She gets word that she’s got to find the Key, and she’s certain that Buffy knows where it is. She tries to get the hospital intern to tell her where the Slayer is, but he doesn’t want to cooperate. She finds her anyway, and shows up at Buffy’s house demanding to know where the Key is, and even talks to Dawn, but leaves.

Buffy, realizing that her house isn’t safe anymore, takes her mother and Dawn to Spike’s place, and he agrees to protect them. Spike and Joyce bond over a soap opera they apparently both watch regularly.

Also there’s another group called ‘the Knights of Byzantium,’ and they think that they Key should be destroyed. They don’t know who the Key is, but they think allowing it to exist is bad, so they attack Buffy. She lets them live, on the basis that they’re human, and it’s clear that they also hate Glory (they call her ‘the Beast’), but she does kick their butts.

Buffy at the end of the episode decides that she knows what the Key is, and everyone, including the Watchers wants it, they’re all just playing hard to get. She’s the one in power, so she demands that the Watchers back off, tell her what they know and reinstate Giles and give him back his salary as a Watcher. They agree, and inform Buffy that Glory isn’t a demon...she’s a god.

Notes!

-The Watchers say something like that they’ve always been the ones to guide the Slayer which is...odd, given that the Watchers seem to all exclusively be English without exception, and the original Slayer is implied to have been ancient African from the earliest days of humanity.

-I’d heard there was some sort of evil deity on the show, and I had some clues it was Glory because...well, we’re running out of seasons/Big Bads, and she seems to fit the bill.

-The Knights of Byzantium are all...very stereotypical medieval knights, despite being associated with the Eastern Roman Empire, huh? Still very cool, I thought. Also a good thing that Buffy didn’t sword any of them since they turned out to be human.

-Spike watches soap opera! I mean I think we knew this beforehand but it’s still amusing.

-Buffy’s history teacher seems a bit like a dick? She mutters something curiously while he’s talking about how Rasputin was famously hard to kill (he actually wasn’t, he was just really drunk, and the guys killing him were really, really bad at their jobs), suggesting that maybe he was a vampire. The teacher just berates Buffy for pointing out conspiracy theories that he was cited in the 1930’s, and tells her he’s the teacher not her. What a douche! Buffy takes out her frustrations on a vampire later on, who is confused why she’s yelling about history class while beating the snot out of him.

-Why would knowing the Japanese words for attacks help at all? It’s a formalism, and besides, it’s not even as if the Slayer needs to know Japanese martial arts as long as she’s mastered some sort of fighting style. Fun fact! Not all martial arts are Asian! Capoeira, for instance, is Brazilian, and Savate is French.

-Tara is surprised that the Watchers are such douchebags, as they’re English and she expects that English people are just...more polite? Which is funny, but it’s also kind of stupid because some English people have done some pretty terrible things throughout history.

-Xander still has his arm in a sling from last episode. Nice touch.

-One of the Watchers seems to be a fangirl of Spike when they interview him (how did they know to interview him???). She said she did her dissertation on him, so like, how does that work? Is there a Watcher school? Where you have to give a dissertation?

-Again, I ask, what do the Watchers do other than set themselves to take care of Slayers? This episode has them threaten to have Giles deported, and Giles later makes comments that their real power lies in bureaucracy and having their hands in many systems to pull strings. But why? If their purpose is to use Slayers, or guide them if we’re being very generous, why would they need all that power? It seems...superfluous.

-They interview Spike while holding a crossbow and a cross. Tee-hee.

-Nigel, one of the Watchers, asks Tara and Willow if they’re ‘registered witches’? Which...uh, registered with who? The Watchers seems to take the policing of the supernatural world seriously, but also through the Slayer? So with them? Or is there another governing body that witches are supposed to be registered with?

-Of course there are Prussian vampires! I knew this from reading BPRD.

#Buffy The Vampire Slayer #5x12 #Buffy Summers #Rupert Giles #Spike #Dawn Summers #Willow Rosenberg

[dishonoredrpg]

Congratulations, HAYLEY! You’ve been accepted for the role of THE EMPEROR with the faceclaim of REMY HII. I think that The Emperor can be easily misinterpreted -- he’s selfish, and snotty, and altogether arrogant, and I worried when writing his skeleton that people might try to make him likable, or perhaps redeemable. What a joy, an honor, a delight for me to realize that Reynaud was not even remotely close to likable! What an asshole! An idiot sandwich! His haughtiness was so well-embodied, and when you combined that with his spite, and his strange mix of love-and-fear he feels towards his father, I knew I was set. He’s going to absolutely wreak havoc, assuming he learns to grow up a little bit, and I’ll be waiting in the wings when it happens.

Please review the CHECKLIST and send your blog in within 24 hours.

OOC NAME: Hayley PRONOUNS: she/her AGE: 23 TIMEZONE, ACTIVITY LEVEL: EST, I’m on daily and for a few hours usually. If I’m not on the dash I’m usually easily reachable on discord for plotting! ANYTHING ELSE?: Questions? Comments? Concerns? IN CHARACTER SKELETON: The Emperor NAME: Reynaud Septimus Galien Valmont FACECLAIM: Remy Hii, Daniel Kaluuya (though I’m open to many more options depending on his relatives!) AGE: 33 DETAILS: What about this character interested you? Who are they to you? This can be as long or short as you want it to be, in whatever format you prefer. The Emperor is an ass. He’s pompous and selfish and arrogant and prideful and cruel and just. Overall not a good guy. He’s everything his father is wrapped up in a beautifully woven blanket of daddy issues and neglect. He’s terrible and perhaps, in a sense, helps to highlight how bad of a ruler Septimus is simply with his existence. I love the antagonistic role he brings to the group, simply because he’s cruel for little reason other than he can be, other than it’s one of the only ways he can display the power and influence that he has (or that he thinks he should have) as a prince. Silver spoons aren’t enough - he wants gold. But at the same time, I’m so drawn to him because that’s not all there is to him. Sure, he’s the worst and there’s no excusing that, but there’s also this complex sadness and fear that’s been brewing inside of him for years, mostly thanks to his father. He could easily be dismissed as the rich kid with daddy issues trope, but I see much more to that. I don’t see him as someone who acts out for attention from his father. I see him as someone who has adopted cruelty and acts on it because he wants some sort of following from the kingdom. He’s cruel to command fear, because it seems to be the only thing that’s worked for his father, and he has adapted it as his own. He takes up space to turn heads, of course. Instead of acting out for attention of Septimus, he’s adopted his father’s likeness, hoping instead it will make Septimus see him as an equal. It doesn’t, of course. There’s a lot of emotions that can be played at within him, as well. There’s the desperation to find some sort of appreciation from his father. There’s the frustration at not getting any respect from those around him. There’s the jealousy and anger towards his cousin and sister for taking on appearances he believes were meant for him. All of these are volatile things that fuel the plain and simple fact that he’s not a good person. But there’s also the fear of not being good enough, for his father and for the kingdom. There’s the trauma of the war and how it haunts him. There’s the numbness to loss that rots at his heart. But there’s also a shred of curiosity, like how he looks at the Wheel of Fortune. There’s realization of what he’s done and how he can proceed. There’s soft touches of light that would be difficult to hold onto and even more difficult to follow, if he was committed to doing so - what I mean to say is there’s potential there. But for now he’s an absolute awful person parading around, showing off his wealth, and taking candy from small children. What I find most interesting about how I’ve envisioned him is that there have been a few times there could have been a turning point but there hasn’t. His mother dying could have made him want to live more like her, rather than like Septimus. Losing his wife and child could have made him want to strive for better. Of course, none of it did, because so much of his deity hinged on his father, who never wavered through all of this. I think that’s a driving force in what has made him, too, numb to tragedy. But now he has this piece of identity that is wholly his and is not his father’s - the trauma of this war and his actions - and there is perhaps change that has the potential to stem from this. After all, it’s mixed with fear, and he is realizing perhaps fear is not the answer any longer. I think real change will come from the fear of having to take the throne because it stems from hs fear of not being respected (of course, he’ll never let anyone know that this is a legitimate thing, but still). He could buy anything he wants and hold all the power he wants and still that doesn’t mean that anyone has to admire or respect him for it. He is learning that fear doesn’t work. Fear and anger towards King Vasily only ended with his head in his hands. Fear has never made his home nation the greatness it swore itself to be, and he’s only just starting to realize that. BACKGROUND: What is this character’s history? Where do they come from? What makes them the way that they are? When Reynaud was born, there should have been a celebration so grand it shook the castle. For a king to learn he now has a son, an heir to the kingdom, someone to follow in his footsteps, King Septimus should have rejoiced. There was a celebration, and the kingdom did feel excitement at the image of a bright-eyed baby boy upon the balcony. But his father? Nothing, barely a smile as he raised a glass. Because to Septimus, Reynaud was another acquisition, yet another possession to draw attention to him before he placed it on the shelf to gather dust. But Reynaud didn’t allow himself to gather dust - he was worth too much to not receive the finest polish upon his armor. He received all the finest things a young prince should - the best tutors and the finest gifts and the strongest horse and whatever else he could conjure up in his mind - but he lacked the one thing he truly needed: guidance. And yet, it appears as if he got it, for the lack of his father’s presence in his life made him only strive to be more and more like him, not by following guidance Septimus gave him (for there was none of that to be found) but by studying the intricacies of the glances of his father he could steal. He watched as cold hands wrapped firmly around the arms of the throne, and taught his own to be just as tough and cold and cruel as they wrapped about a sword. He listened as a voice demanded with authority and so he demanded and demanded until whatever he could want was thrown in his lap, if only to shut him up. He studied the way his father held his chin high and shoulders back, and pumped arrogance and pride into his own muscles, while simultaneously pumping gluttony into his belly the same way he watched his father do evening after evening. And still, none of this got him the audience he wanted. Reynaud was still a child to Septimus, after all, and children were to be obedient, not demand respect of their own. Responsibility had to become him, and that was really the only other time his father gave him more than a moment’s glance, when sending him off to war for the first time. The only other instance he was given a shred of the attention a father should give was when his mother, a queen several marriages ago, passed, and it was only in the form of that same cold grip upon his son’s shoulder. Reynaud did not realize Septimus gripped him the same way he gripped that throne. Reynaud did not realize Septimus gripped him to wield him just the same. And yet, wielding him did not make him feel as useful as he should. Every moment, he adapts the cruelty of his father, pushing judgment the same way Septimus did upon those around him. He’s earned it, after all, for few have been kind to him. His mother, though nurturing and soft-spoken (weak, he would call it in others, but never in her), was gone, and with her, any kindness that could have been fostered in him. His first wife, Eleanora, a darling dutchess, was also gone, and with her the child they’d been expecting together. She was not so loving to him, for he was not so sweet to her. She rarely looked at him with adoration. She was, however, the only person to look at him with respect. She was the beacon of a bowed head that highlighted the refusal of others to do the same; where she vowed to respect and honor him, no one else was held to such standards. He mourned her, but silently. Instead, Reynaud broke every bit of identity in his bones to mold himself in the shape of his father, only for Septimus to show obvious favor towards his cousin. After all, Eleanora’s death only drove a wedge between the kingdoms it was supposed to unify, and for that, Septimus blames Reynaud. It fills him with anger. It boils golden ichor in his veins, for there is much that is rightfully his he fears he does not have the hands to claim, for his father trained the hands of another to grasp it swifted than he. So he goes to war, again and again, returning with triumph after triumph and trophy after trophy, desperate to prove himself - and when it doesn’t, at least it strokes his ego, already big enough to fill the castle. He goes to Koldam, and on that hill in the distance, he appears a pillar of strength upon his horse. He watches colleagues die beside him, bodies bloodied and brutalized - he should be used to this, he knows. And yet, there is something different about this war and this battlefield. He is numb, and yet it’s as if the spirits of the men who died take shelter inside his mind, whispering constantly, reminding him of images he cannot escape. He wonders why, never stopping to think it was his actions that lead to their deaths, it was his brash decision in a battle that got them all killed. They plead and plead every time he closes his eyes and he isn’t quite sure what they’re begging for, but all he knows is that he wants them to stop. He was never in the business of serving others and he wasn’t going to start now, but perhaps the silence is more self-serving, and so, the battle wages on. It’s his gritted teeth and cruel disposition that lead the army to storm the castle. It’s his determined footsteps and pride that march him down the halls to the throne room, making a grocery list of the lavish items he’d like to claim along the way. Face to face with the King of Koldam, he defeated him in battle. But it was his trembling hands that delivered the final blow, for there was a moment when he held the King’s sweat-soaked hair, neck exposed and primed for his blade, that he did not see Vasily’s face on the brink of death. Instead, he saw his own, and his eyes began to water and blink furiously, trying to change the image. They were close in age, after all, foolish and brash and wanting all the same. Instead of seeing an adversary, he saw a mirror, or perhaps a future, and the sight was nearly enough to make him release the King in horror. But he knew what he had to do, and so he swung, and finally Vasily’s face dangled lifeless from his white-knuckled grip. The others returned with silver and silk and the warm glow of victory, but not Reynaud. He returns with the head of a king and the demons that follow, a pandora’s box of horror he’s unleashed. And yet, that was still not enough. His father can barely look him in the eye, can’t even meet him in the throne room like this matter deserves, and what does he get for all of his work? For ending this war and bringing the prizes back to his father? A sigh. His hands still tremble, but now it is anger and desperation that makes them shake. Why won’t he look at him and see his equal? Why won’t he look at him and see someone even worth acknowledging? Now, the tides can turn. They haven’t before, no matter how many storms have passed through, but they could now. After all, most people would expect a prince in his position, greedy and spiteful and arrogant, to dream of the day they can snatch the crown from the cold, dead head of his father. And yet, even as he put another man’s bloodied crown on display, he still could not wish for this day - in fact, he almost feared it. No one looked at him as he put the trophy of his victory in the case, just like his father could not meet his eye, and Reynaud fears this is all that awaits him. No one to listen. No one to respect. Fear, he thinks logically, is the only option, as that’s what his father has done for as long as he could remember. But now, he begins to wonder if that’s what’s right, if that’s what will do this kingdom any good, because God knows Septimus hasn’t. Still he fears a kingdom crumbling in his own hands. Midas turned everything he touched to gold, but Reynaud only knew how to turn everything to ash, to nothing. PLOT IDEAS: What developmental plots could you see yourself pursuing with your character during your time in the group? It’s recommended that you list at least 3. The idea of making Reynaud come face to face with a very real possibility of having to take the throne is something I’m really interested in exploring! Obviously he knows this day must come eventually, but with recent events, I think he’ll come to realize it may be sooner than he thought. I want to see him gear up to do this, to try and make others respect and fear him at first. But maybe somewhere down the line he’ll realize this isn’t working, this never worked, and seek this change that’s been bubbling in the pit of his stomach since the war ended. I want to see him grapple with the greed and pride he’s been spoon-fed his entire life, as well as with the jealousy and anger towards the favoritism his father always showed towards the Chariot and the real threat he poses to the throne. I’m interested to see how Reynaud reacts to this growing fear of possibly taking the throne as well as the self-evaluation he’s started. He’s beginning to wonder if fear is the best or only option, and if things haven’t been working for him (let alone if the things he’s mirrored from his father are working for the kingdom, but he’s selfish and only thinks about himself) if this is cause for change or for doubling down. On one hand, he could progress and learn there must be another way to earn either his father’s attention or just the general respect of others, taking bits of advice from others and lots of clumsy missteps along the way. On the other, he could just double down and try and be the biggest asshole possible, sinking further into cruelty and arrogance and pride in the hopes of making others fear him. It’s what he knows, it’s who he was before all of this, and familiarity is comfortable, after all. I know the above two plots sound really similar, but the first is about his external reaction and his physical plans about taking the throne, while the other is more about internal searching and a growing response to fear (which also includes the trauma he’s experienced on the battlefield recently) I’m curious to see what, if anything, could drive Reynaud to rebellion, or at least his response to rebellion. I know things are fragmented right now, and neither allegiance is united or even really aware of one another. But as things ramp up, and depending on his development in the prior two categories (in his success or failure in trying to prove his worthiness of being heir to the throne (either by his father’s standards or in the eyes of the citizens) and/or how well (or poorly) he’s understood or faced the fears that swim in his mind), I want to explore if there is anything that his father could do, or anything anyone could say, to convince Reynaud that perhaps Septimus isn’t fit for the throne any longer. I also want to see how he reacts to these rebels, in turn, whether he could be convinced into at least sympathizing with their task or even joining it (be it because it’s the right thing to do or because of selfish reasons), or if he would lead a force against them, be it to secure his father’s approval or of his own fears of not being ready to take the throne should they succeed in their desire to see Septimus removed from it. CHARACTER DEATH: I’m comfortable with this! I completely understand the consequences and as the heir (and not exactly the best choice to be one), it’s fair to say his life could come into play. So yeah off him babey who’s rly gonna cry for this jerk (me it’s me I’m gonna cry) WRITING SAMPLE On the ride back from Koldam, everything is different. The air smells different, the smell and taste of iron sticking to his nostrils, his throat, his lungs. The grass looks different, red in the places others have perished and brown in the places where it, too, has died. It was as if the death of King Vasily had brought to the surrounding area a plague of even more death, the ground grieving for the man who once ruled it. There’s a fog that settles over the land, as if the sky, too, grieves. The weight of the moment settles in just as humid as the fog, and Reynaud finds himself choking on the thickness of it all. The thick fog. The dense realization of what he has done. His horse moves slowly, the head dangling from a grip turning pale his bloodstained knuckles. Where there should be haughty celebration and a braggadocious tongue, there was only silence. Pride and arrogance were the Prince’s two most prominent flavors, with gluttonous and cruel trailing not so far behind, so one could imagine he would have much to say and even more to parade around about. And yet, he is still, the weight of the head dragging down more than just his hands, but rather weighing down upon his shoulders and mind, as well. For a moment, he saw himself. Foolish, arrogant, young. While he tried to be the mirror image of his father, Reynaud only succeeded in seeing his reflection in Vasily’s fearful eyes in that moment. This could be his fate. This could be his head. The thought of his eventual throne becoming a guillotine ties a knot in his stomach. He feels sick. He’s jolted from his thoughts at the repeated question from a fellow soldier, riding on his horse a few meters away. They ask if something’s wrong. They poke and prod for weakness in a man who believed he showed none, or at least refused to do so. He will not be made a mockery of. Reynaud reminds himself that he is the hero of this story, not its tragic victim. “I’m fine,” he replies, abrupt and cold in his tone. “You’d be wise to keep going, lest you want to be next.” The threat is empty. He knows that. They know that. A prince can only hold so many heads in his hand and survive the journey home. EXTRAS Pinterest! He’s definitely told someone (or multiple people, for that matter), “you’re more convincing when you’re on your knees” and I hate him for it. I’m not gonna put this in the app but just know he doesn’t know where the clit is. I hate him.

#accepted #accepted: the emperor