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celiabowens · 5 years ago

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Adult SFF edition

High/Epic Fantasy

The Lies of Locke Lamora: heist fantasy following a band of misfits! It has morally gray characters, fun banter but heartwrenching moments and a pretty complex plot. It’s a classic to say “if you liked Six of Crows and want to try adult SFF try this” and it’s probably true.

Kushiel’s Dart: a political fantasy tome loosely inspired by Europe in the Renaissance. Pretty heavy on romance and erotica (with BDSM elements) as it follows a courtesan navigating the political scene. It has an amazing female villain.

A Darker Shade of Magic: probably the easiest way to approach adult fantasy. It has multiple Londons and a pretty unique magic system and concept, plus a crossdressing thief, knives and great banter.

The Poppy War: grimdark fantasy (TW: abuse, self harm, rape, drug abuse), inspired by Chinese history. It’s adult, but follows younger MCs and the unique blend of different historical periods/inspirations makes it extremely interesting. The characters are extremely fucked up in the best possible way, plus the use of shamanism is awesome.

The Sword of Kaigen: if you liked The Poppy War you could like this one. The Sword of Kaigen is an Asian-inspired militaristic fantasy, with elemental magic, a badass housewife dealing with her past and hiding a sword in her kitchen’s floor. It has interesting and nuanced family dynamics and a great reflection on propaganda and the use of narratives.

The Priory of the Orange Tree: high fantasy, featuring dragons, a F/F romance and pretty complex world building. The author reuses typical fantasy tropes and roles in a fresh way. Very readable in spite of its length.

Empire of Sand: inspired by Mughal India, this one focuses on culture and religion and has great slow burn romance (TW: abuse, slavery). It’s pretty slow paced, but the payoff is great. Also a good "YA crossover”.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms: first book in a companion novel trilogy, following a young woman who finds herself at the center of a vicious political struggle, as she’s suddenly become the heir to the throne.

Black Sun: first book in a new series by Rebecca Roanhorse, inspired by pre-Columbian societies and cultures. It mainly focuses on religious and political conflicts. TW for abuse, mild body horror and suicide (not very graphic). Nice inclusion of lgbt rep across the whole cast + one of the main characters is blind. Great world building!

Historical Fantasy

The Night Circus: perfect transition from YA to Adult for a reader, The Night Circus is a gorgeous historical fantasy romance. The author’s writing is amazing, the descriptions and the subtlety of the main characters’ relationship are to die for.

The City of Brass: political/historical fantasy tome featuring Middle Eastern mythology. It follows younger MCs (honestly another series that could be a good way to approach adult SFF) and has great character growth throughout the series. The first book has some more trope-y elements, but the payoff is worth it.

The Golem and The Djinni: historical fantasy (if you loved The Night Circus you could like this one), following two mythical creatures as they navigate New York in 1899. Slow burn romance, rich descriptions, fascinating combination of Jewish and Syrian folklore.

Gods of Jade and Shadow: a fantasy bildungsroman set in Mexico during the Jazz age. Another great way to approach adult SFF as it follows a young girl on a life changing adventure. It features Mayan mythology and a god slowly becoming human.

The Ghost Bride: set in Malaya in 1893, it follows the daughter of a ruined man as she receives the proposal to become a ghost bride. Lovely setting, rich in culture and extremely atmospheric.

The Bear and The Nightingale: a coming of age story inspired by Russian folklore. Another great way to start reading adult SFF: it’s very atmospheric and fairy tale-like. Also frost demons are better than men.

Queen of the Conquered: first book in a fantasy duology(?) set in an alternate version of the Caribbean at the time of Scandinavian colonisation. It follows Sigourney, a biracial woman (her mother was a slave, freed by her father) and the only islander who is allowed to own and use kraft and therefore has a position of privilege, which she constantly abuses, while telling herself she’s doing it for the islanders’ benefit. The book is hard to read, because the MC is no hero and her POV can be quite challenging to get through, but if you’re up for it I’d totally recommend this. (TW: slavery, abuse, death).

The Lions of Al-Rassan: this one has minimal fantasy elements, much like other Kay books, as it reads more like an alternate history. Using Moorish Spain as a template, it deals with the conflict between Jews, Muslims and Christians. Much like Under Heaven and most of his historical fantasy it shows common people being swept up in dramatic events.

Urban Fantasy

The Divine Cities trilogy: starting with City of Stairs, it follows a female diplomat and spymaster(!!). The whole trilogy features an interesting discussion about godhood, religion, fanatism, politics, without ever being boring or preachy. It has complex and rich world building and a pretty compelling mystery.

Foundryside: heist fantasy following a thief as she’s hired to steal a powerful artifact that may change magical technology as she knows it. Also, slow burn F/F romance.

Jade City: a wuxia inspired, gangster urban fantasy. Great family dynamics, very interesting political and economical subplots.

One for My Enemy: sort of a modern Romeo and Juliet, but set in New York, starring two magical gangster families. The female characters are to die for.

Trail of Lightning: inspired by Native mythology and the idea of subsequent worlds. It has a kickass MC and a good mix of original elements and typical UF tropes. You could like this if you liked the Kate Daniels series.

American Gods: a classic of the genre, pretty much brilliant in how it reuses old mythology in a modern setting.

Retellings

Spinning Silver: a very loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, with a gorgeous atmosphere. It mainly follows female characters from different social and economical backgrounds and reuses the original tale to challenge the antisemitic ideas around the role of the moneylander.

The Queens of Innis Lear: fantasy retelling of King Lear, very atmospheric and gorgeously written. Slow paced, but very satisfying build up, lots of backstabbing and miscommunication. (heads up though, one of the MCs is coded as aroace and I found the rep pretty bad on that. The book does feature casual bisexual rep though, which was great)

Lady Hotspur: genderbent retelling of Henry IV, set in the same world as The Queens of Innis Lear. Lesbian and bisexual rep. Heavy on political subplots, features ambitious women growing into their roles.

Deathless: sort of a retelling of Koschei the Deathless set in the first half of the 20th century. Brilliant reuse of Russian folklore to weave together politics and history. It does have pretty brutal descriptions of war, morally gray characters, unhealthy relationships and overall a lot of mindfuckery.

Space Opera

A Memory Called Empire: space opera inspired by the Mexica and middle period Byzantium. It focuses on topics like colonialism and the power of narratives and language. It has one of the best descriptions of what it’s like to live in between spaces I’ve ever read. Also very interesting political intrigue and has a slow burn F/F romance (and a poly relationship recalled through flashbacks).

Ninefox Gambit: a Korean-inspired space opera with a magic system based on math. It’s honestly quite convoluted and difficult to follow, but it also features some of the best political intrigue I’ve ever read. Plenty of lying, backstabbing and mind games. It also features lesbian and bisexual rep and an aroace side character (TW: mass shooting, sexual assault).

The Light Brigade: militaristic space opera set in a not-so-defined future in which corporations rule Earth and space in general. The book follows a newly enlisted soldier as they go through gruelling training and experience the side effects of being broken down into atoms to travel at the speed of light. It’s a heavy book, featuring raw descriptions of war, and quite difficult to follow (non-linear timelines...) but it’s also an amazing critique of capitalism and political propaganda (TW: death, mass shooting).

Gideon the Ninth: pretty much lesbian necromancers in space. Very loose world building, but a fun mystery full of banter. Can be quite confusing in the beginning, but a relatively easy and fun way to approach science fiction.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet: character driven space opera featuring a found family journeying through space. A fun read, that also deals with topics such as sexuality and race. Quite easy to go through, as the world building and plot aren’t particularly complex themselves. Also features a F/F romance.

Science Fiction-Fantasy that I can’t fit anywhere else

Vicious: college roommates put themselves through near-death experiences to obtain super powers, only everything goes wrong. Follows a great band of misfits (and pretty much everyone is morally gray).

Middlegame: a brilliant and complex tapestry of alternate timelines, following telepathically connected twins trying to escape the alchemist that wants to use them to obtain godhood (TW: attempted suicide).

Piranesi: the long awaited return of Susanna Clarke, Piranesi is an odd, mysterious book set in a house with infinite rooms and endless corridors, apparently inhabited by only two people.

Bonus Novella recs: novellas are amazing and don’t sleep on them!

The Empress of Salt and Fortune: an Asian-inspired fantasy novella, it gives a voice to people usually silenced by history. It follows a cleric (non binary rep) as they chronicle the story of the late empress, retold through objects that she used in her life. It focuses on bonds between women and the power that lies in being unnoticed.

The Black God’s Drums: an urban fantasy novella, based on Orisha mythology and set in an alternate, sort of steampunk, New Orleans.

The Haunting of Tram Car 015: alternate steampunk Cairo populated by supernatural entities. It has a compelling mystery, starring a great lead.

This Is How You Lose the Time War: epistolary set during a time-travel war, F/F romance and gorgeous prose.

The Citadel of Weeping Pearls: a novella set in the Xuya universe (a series of novellas/short stories set in a timeline where Asia became dominant, and where the space age has empires of Vietnamese and Chinese inspiration), but can be read as a standalone. It’s a space opera featuring a disappeared citadel and the complex relationship between the empress and her daughter as war threatens her empire.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate: an incredibly heartwarming and yet meaningful novella about research and the meaning of it. It’s the tale of 4 astronauts on a crowdfunded mission to explore space, to observe and report without conquering. It’s written in lovely prose and is very casual in its lgbt rep.

The Deep: very good novella set in an underwater society built by the descendants of African slave women that were tossed overboard. It’s not an easy read at all, as it deals with trauma, both personal and generational ones.

Bonus short story collections recs

A Cathedral of Myth and Bone: 16 short stories featuring myth, legend and faith, that mainly focus on women reclaiming their agency.

The Paper Menageries and Other Stories: features plenty of different fantasy and science fiction subgenres. The Paper Menagerie in particular is an extremely moving tale.

Conservation of Shadows: science fiction-fantasy short stories that focus on topics like colonisation and the role of art and language.

Graphic Novel

Monstress: series set in an alt 1900s matriarchal Asia, following a teenage girl who survived a war and shares a connection with a monster that’s slowly transforming her. (TW: slavery, death).

#book rec #book recommendations #adult sff #book list #book recs #science fiction #fantasy #may add more later on rip #also i hope there's no typos lol #also this one will flop skjnkf

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heliosthegriffin · 3 years ago

Text

Of Man & Mamono

Summary: After a climatic battle with the Brother Gods, Jaune wakes up heavily wounded in a foreign land inhabited by man and monster’s alike.

Our hero must navigate a town caught between the forces of corruption and subjugation, with a crippled soul and mind. Will he fall into the grasps of the monster girls, will he become a force of genocide, or will he take a path unknown to both sides?

-----

Yes, it’s (sigh) a harem, unfortunately. (So many, damn characters to keep track of, damn it.)

-----

A crossover with Monster Girl Encyclopedia.

Genre: Psychological Horror/Mystery/Romance

Themes: Corruption and Free Will, Love and Lust, man vs self, and man vs world.

------

In the dark void of space that was housed in between Remnant and its Moon, an immense hundreds of thousands of miles above the farthest reach that any being on that planet had ever been able to dream of, let alone venture forth into, was a battle the likes not even the greatest witch or the wisest wizard, the fairest maiden or boldest huntsman, most cunning general or boldest terrorist could dream was happening.

A fight between a man, and the Gods.

Two Gods, Brothers of Light and Dark who worked as One to create the world and to give life onto it.

Divine Twins, one of Creation and the other of Destruction, who wiped the slate clean and started again.

Holy Creators driven by Knowledge and Choice, a pair who willingly abandoned their creation to it’s own devices.

Now, in their disappointment, they choose to act together to bring it’s ruin, to all life, all knowledge, all creation and balance.

They were opposed by one mortal, who’s soul strained and cracked with powers not meant to be brandished by one man’s hand alone.

Who has run the gauntlet of his life to what was surely his death.

He was leader at one time, and a follower during other.

Becoming a hero to some and a great evil to many others.

A boy who has grown into a man, but tempered by feminine qualities.

Fraud by poor choice, but Authentic by through experience.

He wore the title of Traitor of Remnant, so he could be their Savior now.

Jaune Arc, he was alone and determined, having chosen death so that all others could live.

Lightning, the color of the sky, sparked from his eyes while bloody tears rained from his eyes, blackened and burnt under the heat they emitted.

The knowledge of the Jinn had filled his mine to capacity, no more room was available to him, as his flesh and blood brain burned in excess as it worked overtime to make sense of the endless knowledge of his kind’s works.

It all working toward to use Remnants Wisdom.

To wield his sword with the technique of every master that had walked Remnant.

So he could use his Aura with the wisdom of every Guru and Sage, no skill overlooked, no piece of knowledge under-looked.

Overclocking his body, so he could fight with the tenacity of every martyr that had died.

On his brow did he bore a crown of gold and sapphire that burned with a unnatural light, hitting his center of head boring into his brain, directly hijacking his nervous system to guide it in response to the infinite visions of the future to avoid, counter, and strike the gods.

On his chest was a open wound, that poured forth with a endless golden white light of creation.

His heart was gone, replaced by a blue diamond like crystal that produce a energy that kept him living, that bled into his aura boosting his soul to the level of the gods, if just barely.

As his semblance burned with a righteous might of a million suns, keeping him just barely alive to take a hit and endure for as long as his will was there, given just a moment he could fight forever.

In both hands he wielded a weapon that blackened and corroded the flesh it touched with the powers of raw destruction, his hands touching it would crack open and bleed, only for it to evaporate into space, then heal and recover, as new skin was built only to be destroyed again and again, feeling the pain like a virginal child each time.

The sword he used was the blade of destruction reforged to a mortals broken ancestral weapon.

Deus Mors, a reborn blade of honor and death.

The only weapon fit to a kill a god.

-----

At speeds that defied the order of the universe, that ripped space and altered time did a man and gods battle.

Each strike had the power of a supernova, and speed that surpassed light itself.

Dodges where done in Planck Time, or through alterations into the fabric of space-time itself.

Each hit landed was recovered instantly, but shapes changed and the soul grew weaker.

Missed attacks traveled infinite distances instantly, backed by Divine Authority and Indomitable Willpower, that deleted stars and constellations, that expanded the void of empty space little by little, as the galaxy itself strained to handle the powers that be.

Yet, Remnant remained, protected by the shield of soul power generated by the only champion it had left, a mighty, but invisible field of power that surrounded it.

At this level of power, physic became more of a polite suggestion rather than law.

Time and space became meaningless.

For the fighters that warred for life or death, time itself stood still, as the equivalent of decades then centuries passed into millennium till a galactic year passed into a eon’s in a instant before a second had moved forward.

Meters were driven into miles stretching into planet sized races that turned into light-year long chases that covered parsecs became an irrelevant amount of distance, as one place swapped with another, a battle that traveled the universe like they were running across a map of creation itself.

As if the universe became a set of still frames, that they transported through from one to another, then disappearing from one to appear in the first and last at the same time.

As the gods went for a cheap shot on Remnant only to dodge a instantaneous counter, and appear in another galaxy that soon cease to be, under the impossible of amount of attacks that occurred.

Probability collapsed into chaos as everything became possible at once, rain flew upwards, star’s changed position, gravity inverted and revert constantly, light became a liquid and then a solid, darkness gain mass, shadows walked away from their masters, and existing in multiple places at once became real.

Remnant only surviving thanks to their Champion’s shield that cut them into a hole in space-time, that replaced them the instant they were affected with some other lifeless matter of similar size, or by deflecting the attack with space-time warping.

One soul of man, the color of pale gold, and two divinity's of White and Black danced back and forth in the endless void.

Tearing holes in reality, as endless copies of themselves fought in armies against each other, while their Prime-selves fought for decisive blows, that released attacks that destroyed billions of each copies, till only they remained as the singular possibilities.

Fighting in a near-endless cycle, The Dark Brother taking a form of a four legged western dragon breathing black fire that blackened a solar system, only for Jaune to streak through like a meteor landing a slash that took a wing off the Dark Brother then flying past him millions of miles away as the Light Brother grew to the size of a red dwarf, waving him hands summoning a quadrillions of spear of silver light that chased and followed Jaune like a pack of hungering wolves, burning with a holy light that left solid trail of light that block and harried him, before they exploded in a blast that destroyed everything in two hundred light years.

Bleeding, but whole, Jaune soared out of the blast at the Bright Brother, only for the god to disappear in a vortex of holy light, that was soon torn apart by purple lightning.

From withing came out a scaly arm armored with purple black scales the size of a continents, it emerged from the cosmic lighting storm followed by the other arm, that then palm slammed Jaune in between it’s planetary size hands that exuded a pressure that could be compared to a super black-hole.

In the void of darkness, resisting the pressure with all his might Jaune roared his defiant with a soundless wordless cry that shook even the Dark Gods essence, the Staff’s Crystal vibrated with energy as Jaune’s body swelled with might and raw power, till veins popped through his skin, like the mighty roots of a tree appearing from under the earth.

Then, the hands that tried to crush him were split in half as an eruption of gold power formed a eight sided star, that cut through the hands of the Dark One.

With a cry of agony that triggered supernovas and meteor storms across the universe, the Dark Brother disappeared in a storm of black lightning, leaving Jaune in the void alone.

Only for a uncounted portals of gold to open around around him, dragonic hands of silver emerging from every conceivable direction hitting him with a literal storm of blows.

Jaune bounced in-between quintillons of blows with the force to trigger the birth of suns, unable to guard from all the blows, but for every blow hit he cut off the hand that hit him, till all was left was one giant hand that palm slammed his entire being light years below his previous position.

A portal of gold formed beneath the diameter of a star, before a silver taloned fist emerged from, only this time he was prepared for it.

Jaune drug his sword against space itself to built up more power, than cut a line across the entire silver hand that created a scar that leaked golden light.

The Crown, then broke, disappearing into fragments off the champions head, letting his sun-colored hair into the deathly void, his skin flushing crimson red that darkened into a choking purple than a necrotic black.

His skin peeled away as he traveled faster and faster than ever, showing his blood and raw muscles to space itself, only for fresh new flesh grow over it.

His eyes turning redder and redder till they turned black entirely, the eyes swelling in the vacuum growing larger and larger till then they popped in a spray of gore in the vacuum before they regenerated back.

The Light Brother appeared behind him holding a red-giant, that he then threw at Jaune that engulfed him in a supernova, busted out in a explosion of red fiery plasma.

That then collapsed in on itself, leaving only a tens of thousands miles wide ball of molten iron. With Jaune stuck in it’s center.

Only for his blade to stab into it that dissolved into pure energy, rippling space into a depression that drew the Light into it’s pits.

Only for a hole in space to rip open like a hungry beasts jagged maw and devour the man.

But, he reacted driving his gold and steel sword into the endless creation inside and twisted the space around him into a bubble that revolved endlessly till it split apart, releasing infinite horrors born from pure Chaos outside Existence.

That squirmed and twisting, not native to this space, they began corrupting space around them as they moved in patterns and channeled chaotic energies, that would drive lesser entity's mad, or flatly kill them.

As they gnashed their toothless mouths made of eyes and teeth, spun their clawed hair in blended darkness of light and time, the tentacles existed in one part of reality only to be connected impossibly in another, moving in out of sync but together as one.

They were one but all are the many mouths that sing in agony of the Crimson Sultan-

They were deleted in-between the next clash in the battle of man vs gods, true existence dissolving their impure, superfical forms. Condemned to nothingness, true oblivion.

Like ants staring at the stars before being engulfed under the tides of burning lava burned to death in a volcanic eruption.

They flashed in frames of movement, as one fight was fought with Jaune narrowly dodging myriads of close-punches in-between the Brothers, the next he chased them as they avoided his killing blade, the next they fought inside the sun as his skin melted off his bones, like he was some cheap toy drown into a bonfire.

Only to return back to Remnant, and Restart the fight.

After what could only be described as hundreds of Eons by their perspective did anything change, and not for the better.

The Man could no longer sense anything.

His eyes having stopped regenerating, leaving only burnt black holes where they once shone.

It did not bother him, as there was no light to see anyway.

His ears could no longer hear, they were filled with solidified blood that exploded every so often in sprays of crimson-black crystals.

But sound was impossible to find here, so that was fine.

His nose, along with the rest of his face, had burned into charred flash, that had flayed away against the resistance of space-time weakly fighting against him. Not that he could breath up in space anyway.

His tongue was pulled out sometime ago, and refused to regrow at the moment.

And his skin? It had long since stopped regrowing some Eon’s to him ago.

Leaving Jaune Arc’s body as exposed muscle and bone, with popping blood sprays in the void that destroyed any weaker being.

His hair was still there some how.

Leaving him as a bloody flayed man holding a sword that corroded his flayed skin with hair that rippled in the solar winds.

Any doctor would say he was dead on the spot, any healer would point to a grave digger, and the gods themselves would rather make a new body than heal such grievous damage.

Yet he fought on with pure willpower, guided by instinct that were dormant most of his existence, the crystal were his heart should be was barely managing to flare one more time to heal him again.

Then shattered into countless pieces, embedding them into the burning muscles that caught fire from the speed they moved.

He should have just disappeared, right then and there, burned into nonexistence.

Jaune knew this at a fundamental level, that he was far gone, that his death was just delayed.

But, it was in this moment, this moment of straddling the boundary, his soul shone brighter then and there, growing faster and stronger than ever before, as he jumped and leaped higher and higher in levels of powers that eclipsed that of his previous might.

Time-Space collapsed, and One Possibility happens, and Jaune made his final choice here.

Ripples in reality emerged around him, as his flesh regrew and senses were restored.

If the brothers had true living bodies they would have shook and trembled in terror, as the mortal man grew above their individual powers.

So, they made a choice they both hated, but none the less was necessary.

Locking hands and pulling each other close, the two gods melted their immortal and divine energies into the other, the Light across the Universe flickering erratically and the Darkness began to glow and shimmer like a rainbow, then with a almighty explosion they disappeared.

In their place a mathematically perfect sphere, the size and diameter of a mountain, colored in infinite colors in every spectrum.

Jaune watched in awe in the void, as it had happened so quickly, he made sure his grip was firm on the his hilt and waited.

Then the Sphere cracked, showing while the outside was colorful, the inside was endlessly black.

It cracked, no not cracked, a line formed from the top to bottom, then from side to side, till the whole of the sphere was divided equally.

The pieces of the sphere falling inward then disappearing like dust into the wind.

Then a head emerged. A great and might head that fit the lords of the Universe, the head of a dragon with curly, light-drinkingly black ram horns, protected by purple-black armor of a some impossible metal fusing ontop of white-gold body .

It did not emerge alone into the void, as it was then followed.

Another Dragon’s head left the dark inside of the sphere, it was that of a dragon with silvery armor, but on night-black skin. Horns like that of deer, but as though wrought by a divine hand, and made of pure white light.

In spite of the day and night difference of the Dragon God’s two heads, they shared features, in that they had no features.

Their heads decorated in the finest colors and shapes, but there was no face, just enough shape for Jaune’s mind to understand what he was looking at.

It was a alien design that sent shivers through his will and mind, giving him pause in all the strangeness it exuded.

The rest of its body followed out of the self-deleting egg of the Dragon Gods, a long serpentine body that stretched endlessly like a rainbow in the sky that circle itself eternally, it seemed ethereal and fading, but also infinitely more physical than other shapes the gods had assumed.

From it’s back sprout four wings, two of black and two of white, of equal shape and size, gliding over unseen winds in the void, with veins of gold running through the black wings, and amethyst running through the white wings.

On it’s torso were latched four massive arms, manlike arms that they used as inspiration for making mankind's own. In their hands that ended in armored fingers was a Orb, a Scepter, a Varja, and Mirror.

There was no legs, only a massively wide and monstrously strong tail that side winded to and fro in the vacuum of space that formed at the ending a spear-like tip.

The Dragon God roared at him, and despite the vacuum of outer space, it shook Jaune and the fabric of dimensions around him.

It would have caused extinctions via proxy on any unprotected worlds, and even the greatest heroes that had come before would be sent running in fear of the beings they faced.

But, the fear inside of Jaune was not for them, it did not belong to the gods, it belonged to his people and his world. He feared what would happen to them, to his once comrades and all those he had come to know in his journeys, and to world he loved.

That pushed him forward more than any fears of damnation ever could.

Thus in the hundreds of thousands of miles between Remnant and it’s shattered moon, did a man see the most mighty being in the Universe, and mouth to it. ‘Bring it.’

And so they did.

-----

They crashed on the moon, no fanfare, no excitement, just tiredness.

The power had faded out of both combatants now, exhausted by their brawl.

Using up power to remake the universe itself, creating another dimension, and bring life from nothing.

Their perceptions shrunk, time sped forward, and distance was diminished.

What was once a battle across the universe, that moved so fast eons had pasted mentally, now shrunk to a fight across a small crater on the moon, the battle now having caught up with the regular flow of time, fighting in the cycle of days rather than in the infinity of seconds.

The back of the dragon landed on rocky surface of the moon with not a crash, but a gentle collapse, floating down like a feather coming from high above. What little momentum from before disappearing as they landed.

Jaune lay on on the torso of the beast, it’s body fading as his sword plunged into the hilt in it’s chest, his own broken body covered in blood and pale as snow despite his extended stay in cosmos.

His face was turning paler and paler as his own power start to fail him, his mighty soul shrinking and diminishing like it had reached it’s own half-life. His blue eyes still shone, weakly.

As the power that he had fought the master of his world with finally left him, his semblance taxed and used beyond what should have been possibly, unsuable now, along with it his soul damaged beyond the ability to heal by himself.

There would be no great peace for Jaune, his soul too broken to pass from the material realm. No salvation to the greatest heretic, no one to save him as he lay dying on the moon.

Cracks appeared in the breaking body of God Dragon and in the sword known as Deus Mors, cracking deeper and deeper, till with a slightest movement they fragmented into infinite shards.

Jaune was thrown off the dragon as though he was launched off of a diving board backwards into the weak gravity of the moon, that gently tied him back to it’s surface. Shining particles of soul energy shone around him as his aura broke, the infinite fragments of Deus Mors stabbing through his skin into the muscles and viscera underneath.

From the disappearing body of the Dragon God, two bodies floated to the surface, the mono colored bodies of the Brother Gods.

Impossible to tell if they were alive or dead, if such concepts applied to them.

But, undeniably they were injured, possibly to an extent they never knew possible, tiredness was a new feeling to them too.

It was possible they would never recover as well, the damage to their spiritual beings so great.

A respect was formed, a bond of sorts.

The brothers lay on the moon’s ground, and connect mentally, a thought shared, as they understood the frailty of the man who fought them.

‘Not like this,’

The fight would not end in such a anti-climax.

With the last vestiges of their power, the gods transformed the space around them, creating a barrier that’d let their opponent breath and live, if briefly.

There was no great gasp, or eyes shooting open, as Jaune staggered back to consciousness.

He merely stood up, tired and his eyes drifting a inch away from sleep, he was on his last legs, one good blow and he was gone for good.

The same could be said about the brothers, too.

It was not a great fight that would go down in legends, it was not a legendary fight that would inspire generations to come, in fact no one on Remnant would know of this fight, as to them the fight ended once they landed on the moon.

It was a drunken slugfest.

Jaune was the better fighter, but the brothers had twice his number.

One would hit the other and be sent flying, not by herculean strength or masterful technique, but by the low gravity of the moon.

Jaune would dodge and trip the brothers into each other, then merciless knock them away.

One brother would hold him down and the other would wail on him with the skill of a raging toddler.

They bit and scratched, yelled and cried.

They fought like men.

It ended quickly, the whole fight taking less than a half hour.

One last clash, not with the blinding power of the stars, the crushing weight of a black hole, that of a erupting volcano, or a atomic bomb, but with just that of a fist of a mortal man, tired and near death did the battle come to a end.

Jaune landed a cross across the head of the dark brother and fell down to the stones, and with a sluggish turn he landed his last hit of the light brother with a hook to the chest, sending him tumbling ontop of his brother.

Jaune fell to his knees, exhausted, the brothers behind him out for the count.

He smiled, tears falling from his eyes, staring at Remnant so far away from him.

The man had done it, he had protect his world and his people.

Jaune could feel a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath, his vision fading to black, his body taxed to beyond it’s limit and it was breaking down.

The light was fading from his eyes, his skin was corpse like and he could feel the last of his energy disappear into the coldness of space.

Despite it all, it felt peaceful, and with the view in front of him, he couldn’t complain.

It was time to rest.

His eyes closed, the last sight that of his world, followed by memories of his friends and family.

Behind him, though.

The brothers still lived, if not aware.

Their powers melted together, all conscious thought gone.

Just a pure desperate hope for survival.

Their power pushed on the worn and abused fabric of reality, and it caved, a hole forming for the brief couple seconds pulling the brothers through, and one dying young man.

Then closed, leaving the world, the universe with out gods and masters, and without it’s champion, free to the chaos of Mortal kind to rule it now and forever.

#Jaune Arc #Of Man & Mamono #Brother Gods

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belovedblossoms-m · 2 years ago

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More tags to add on to

#( crossover. )┊new navigations to follow great minds.#( main. )┊something familiar to delve into new discoveries.#( thread. )┊sharing a brand new story.#( character study. )┊observations to improve & master the skills.#( roleplay. )┊fantasies transform.#( au. )┊traverse amongst new dimensions.

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belovedblossoms-m · 1 year ago

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Once their meals were finished up, Chiaki had taken a moment for the pancakes to digest before she was so tempted to get back into her game. Of course she wouldn't return to it immediately, considering she has Minato here at the moment as her guest (even if he didn't mind her gaming at all), but she genuinely just enjoyed him being her company as well. A lot of things had changed for her since she met him even before attending Hope's Peak. She still smiles at the fond memory and kept being rather grateful to see him practically every day that she could. Along with her classmates who have opened her eyes to see that so many things in life can be enjoyed with other people, Minato was certainly the one who truly brought more of that to light for her. And it just made everyday more fun and enjoyable than she thought it could be.

As she cleaned what was left remaining at the table before returning to reach for her handheld, she nodded willing to listen to whatever Minato were to ask her. "Oh? Sure, go ahead. What is it?" As he then offered the idea to have breakfast together on certain days be it here or his dorm before classes, it would be a lot nicer getting to wake up and share a good morning together to start the day off well. Chiaki smiled, rather eager about the idea as she nodded. "Yeah, of course we can do that! It's something for us to look forward every time, right? Especially on days if it gets hard to get out of bed, this would be another good motivation for me. And it would mean more breakfast for you when you get hungry again!"

The pancakes had been a complete success, he could tell not only by the satisfied feeling in his stomach and delicious taste but also by Chiaki's clear indication of also enjoying the breakfast he had cooked for the both of them. Strawberry wasn't the usual kind of berry he had very often. Although he did like these pancakes, he was definitely going to make the blueberry variation of this particular breakfast food, a type of pancake that he thought Chiaki would come to appreciate even more than strawberry the next time they would do this again.

He hoped this would become a new routine for the two of them, even with the risks of being in the other dorm, it was worth it if it meant he could wake up next to her again, opening his eyes to the sight of Chiaki sleeping peacefully, her pale porcelain colored skin glowing from the thin rays of sunlight that would poke through the curtains every morning -- it was a sight that flawlessly beat waking up to his overly blue wallpaper in his dorm that he had seen every other day in his life here, it really made a difference having her next to him at the start of his day, starting his day with Chiaki and not alone.

The joke about them sounding like a married couple hit differently than any other joke, while it was funny, it also made his heart flutter a bit like a quick wave of warmth in his chest overcame him as quickly as it left. After something like that, most might think it felt awkward, but for Minato, it was the opposite, and something told him Chiaki felt the exact same given that she had been the one who brought it up -- but he didn't mind at all, in fact, he found that it sounded pretty cute coming from her.

As she agreed with him, he nodded, good, she really did know what he meant, he was glad it wasn't just him, then it would have been awkward for sure.

[{ 🦋 }] - "That's how I feel when I spend time with you, regarding that I wanted to ask you something." Setting the dishes down in the sink for a moment, he turns to face the gamer girl to propose his question to her.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Chiaki, I was wondering if you wanted to make having breakfast together our new routine? We can meet up in our rooms some days, and meet up on others, and after we're done, we'll always make it in time to walk to class together? So what do you say?"

#dxfiedfxte #( ic. )┊communication is the key to success.#( crossover. )┊new navigations to follow great minds.

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belovedblossoms · 7 months ago

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"I beg your fucking pardon?" (for Elsa)

"You should mind your mouth, I've already warned you and your disturbance here!" Elsa scowled, mist of frost rose from her fingertips as she was prepared to scare away this stranger--to fight back and attack even if she must. She was told about such an unusual stranger wandering about the kingdom, definitely someone out of the ordinary and it wasn't like he was visiting from another far away kingdom. From another continent, perhaps, yet upon his arrival he was already causing a clash amongst the guards hence why she was called over. Despite her tame of her magic and mind, there are still moments where her emotions can take part in the magic. And that is already being demonstrated as though the frost and ice was warning him as it began to creep from her feet through the ground towards him. "And if you didn't realize already, I am the queen of this kingdom. Now answer me: who are you and where did you come from?! And watch your words carefully this time..."

Answered: Tumblr texts posts prompts (@thuganomxcs )

#thuganomxcs #【 crossover. ❀ ║ new navigations to follow great minds. 】#【 answered. ❀ ║ heed the call to new beginnings. 】

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magicalhideoutengineer · 3 years ago

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Q:Everything about Queenie has changed from when we met her in the first film. Can you share a little bit about her present circumstance?

ALISON SUDOL: Queenie made a choice to take marrying Jacob into her own hands in the second film, which set off a chain reaction of unfortunate events that ultimately left her vulnerable and alone. Ultimately, she made a choice to cross over to Grindelwald’s side. It was shocking for a lot of people, but she was wounded and reckless. There was a lot of chaos around that decision, and it happened in a split second. Now in this new film, things have calmed down and the sobering reality of the world that she now lives in has descended. It’s not a world that she fits into, but she’s had to assimilate. Grindelwald sees her as a valuable asset for her power to read minds, which puts her in an important position among Grindelwald’s minions. That doesn’t mean she��s safe. She’s navigating this as best as she can, and it’s intense!

Q:Queenie is a witch who clearly doesn’t agree with Grindelwald’s views on Muggles, given the man she fell in love with. Can you offer some insight about why she chose to follow Grindelwald?

ALISON SUDOL: Well, Grindelwald told her what she wanted to hear, didn’t he? I mean, anyone with a little power of observation could see that she was desperate to be with Jacob legitimately, which was a much bigger deal at that time than it is today. She would do anything to be able to be with him. And because of the restrictions by the wizarding world, the narrow mindedness, the prejudice towards non-magical people, she was vulnerable to anyone who would say it could be different. Grindelwald pretended to be sympathetic to non-magical people to get her on his side. If the wizarding world had been more open-minded, she never would’ve been in this situation.

Q:So now that some time has passed, can you talk about her feelings for Jacob? Is she still in love with Jacob, and does she still hope for a life with him, or is that hope lost?

ALISON SUDOL: I think that there are certain things that you’ll have to watch the movie so I don’t spoil. I don’t know that a love like theirs can ever just go away, but there’s a chasm between them at the moment. On both sides, choices have been made that have pulled them apart. Not at their foundation, not because they don’t love each other, but because of the restrictions and the different ways they reacted to them, and fear, which drove them both but in opposite directions. So it doesn’t necessarily matter how they feel, because that’s not what it comes down to really. She’s made her choice, so making a different choice isn’t really an option…or is it?

Q:Queenie does find a kind of kindred spirit in Credence. Can you talk about their relationship and also working with Ezra Miller?

ALISON SUDOL: They both are newcomers in this world and they both have come in with broken hearts so there is a kinship. But with Credence, he’s in so much pain that he is like a wild animal. And as in pain as Queenie is, there is still a part of her that knew who she was—although whether she knows who she is anymore is to be discovered. But she hasn’t been searching for an identity like Credence. She has been loved, has loved in return… There is a stability in her from that that Credence sadly doesn’t have. Working with Ezra is wonderful. Ezra and I are friends. We didn’t really have much crossover in the past movies, so it was really nice to have scenes together and to have time to discuss the real-life versions of these quandaries that these characters are going through and how it relates to our lives. That was great. I really enjoyed it.

Q:Can you also share a little bit about working with Mads Mikkelsen and what he brings to the role of Grindelwald?

ALISON SUDOL: Mads is one of the truly greatest actors out there. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. When I found out that he was coming into the role, I was super intimidated because he is a serious, serious actor and most of the time I am just winging it. But he is very disarming and normal. Just being able to be in a scene with him is like an acting masterclass. He brought a wonderful energy to Grindelwald. Wonderful maybe is not the right word, because it’s terrifying, but wonderful to watch as an actor. He brought a kind of menace to Grindelwald which is subtle, but scary, and he imbued the scenes with a powerful sense of authority and danger—you really don’t want to cross him. And he was also really great to work with personally. I was pregnant during this film and he knew before I told anybody—I guess I was rubbing my belly without realizing it—but he noticed because he’s got children, and he was looking out for me on set in an incredibly thoughtful way. I really appreciated it.

Q:From the trailer. We know that Queenie and Jacob do see each other at some point in the film or at least he sees her, what is she thinking in that moment? And can she hear his thoughts?

ALISON SUDOL: Well, what he’s thinking is no mystery because she’s always going to be able to hear him and read him. They’re so connected. But what she’s thinking is the mystery. It is a very key moment in the film, a turning point. Which direction things turn from that moment is something that I can’t say, but it’s a big moment.

Q:What do you hope audiences take away from Queenie’s journey?

ALISON SUDOL: Well, most people—I mean, maybe not everybody, some people might have made only good choices, lucky jerks—but yeah, the majority of people have made choices they regret. In my life certainly, I’ve made decisions that were really hard to reconcile with who I think I am. And I’ve dealt with shame and the inability to forgive myself for years over certain things that I’ve done. It’s interesting and painful to watch somebody in that state. I guess what I would hope is that people can reflect upon their own lives and their own past and see if they can shine some empathy on their own lives through watching Queenie’s journey. Like, can you find forgiveness for yourself for things that you’ve done that were out of character? What do you do in the aftermath of a mistake, how do you respond? Can you grow? Can you learn? Can you evolve, or does the past define you? Is there any possibility of reconnecting with yourself going forward? These are all questions I think that are good to ask ourselves, because I think we all need to evolve and grow in order to cope with the future. And that requires a tremendous amount of empathy. It’s an opportunity to dig into that with Queenie’s journey. Or it was for me, at least.

Q:The change in Queenie is also visually apparent. Can you talk about collaborating with costume designer Colleen Atwood, as well as the hair and makeup people, on her very different appearance?

ALISON SUDOL: In the last film, the hair and makeup team and I discussed what would’ve happened to her visually when she went through the fire. And there was this sense when she went through it, that something of her had been burned out of her, that it was painful crossing through. So visually we explored sort of the loss of pigmentation in her hair that she used to have this very warm, rosy, curl mop. And when she came through the fire, it became much more sleek, much more contained and colorless. And as far as costumes, Colleen broadened her into a much more sophisticated, more sort of contained look to the dresses as well. It is dark obviously, but there’s mystery in it. And we wanted to reflect that in everything that she wore.

Q:This is your third film directed by David Yates, beginning with the first Fantastic Beasts movie. Can you talk about working with him and how your collaboration has evolved since your debut film?

ALISON SUDOL: We’ve known each other a long time now and David is wonderful and continues to be very kind and gentle. He held space for me as I asked a lot of questions. I was pretty fiery this time around—I had a lot of questions—but he held space for me to do that and listened. Even though I was an adult when I started making these film, to a degree I’ve grown more in the past six years than I could possibly say, and I’ve grown with this family. It’s a cool and unique thing to do that alongside other creative professionals. And I feel those years in our relationship and the journey we’ve been on together is unlike anything else I’ll ever experience. It’s very, very special.

#fantastic beasts #secrets of dumbledore #fb3interview #alison sudol #queenie goldstein #jacob kowalski #jakweenie #gellert grindelwald #credence barebone

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ash-and-books · 3 years ago

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Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb: From the brilliant mind of A Touch of Darkness's bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair comes a YA crossover in a darkly unique fantasy world.

Anora Silby can see the dead and turn spirits into gold coins, two things she would prefer to keep secret as she tries to lead a normal life at her new school. After all, she didn't change her identity for nothing.Hiding her weirdness is just one of many challenges. By the end of her first day, she's claimed the soul of a dead girl on campus and lost the coin. Turns out, the coin gives others the ability to steal souls, and when a classmate ends up dead, there's no mistaking the murder weapon.Navigating the loss of her Poppa, the mistrust of her mother, the attention of gorgeous and enigmatic Shy, and Roundtable, an anonymous student gossip app threatening to expose her, are hard enough. Now she must find the person who stole her coin before more lives are lost, but that means making herself a target for the Order, an organization that governs the dead on Earth—and they want Anora and her powers for themselves.

Review:

A girl who can see the dead finds herself dragged into a world of ghosts, shapeshifting warrior crows, a forbidden romance, and a murderer on the loose. Anora Silby can see the dead... and she can turn their spirits into gold coins. After a horrible incident in her old school her mother has moved her to a new one, far away from the incident in hopes for a new start. Anora keeps her abilities a secret but it’s kind of hard to remain calm when you see dead bodies and ghosts... and it doesn’t help that the new school she transferred to use to be an asylum and on the first day the ghost of a dead girl is following her. Anora wants nothing more than to be normal but when she accidentally claims the soul of a ghost of a dead girl on campus and turns her into a coin... only to lose the coin things go wrong. Turns out the coin gives otheres the ability to steal souls and when a classmate ends up dead, Anora knows it just has to be the coin. It doesn’t help that she doesn’t know who she can trust with her secrets and who is actually trying to use her. Throw in a handsome but mysterious boy named Shy, a girl who absolutely loathes her name Natalie, a sad boy who smokes and has ghosts of his own named Thane, and a new friend named Lennon... but who among them can she truly trust? Betrayals, romance, and friendship all come together as Anora must navigate who she truly is and what her abilities actually mean. Also she’ll have to decide if she can trust the one boy that she can’t seem to stay away from who seems so familiar to her despite them never having met. This is the first book in the series and I actually really liked it! I enjoyed the mystery and the magic system was fun, and the romance was a pretty sweet one, and thankfully there was no love triangle (gosh I was so worried there would be one haha). Overall, a great read and I can’t wait to see where the next book goes and what happens to Anora and Shy!

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, Bloom Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #romance book #ya romance #book #scarlett st. clair #when stars come out

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pynkhues · 3 years ago

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(1/2) Hey, I'm the anon from the last request. Just have a few follow up q's if you're alright with that (dont have a tumblr to message directly rip)? With Gerri, its strange that she's Shiv's godmother yet both Shiv and Roman dont really know her in the pilot- was there a prior schism? Also did not know about St Andrews, if its not a military school then do you think it adds another layer to the dog kennel story?

(2/2- sorry!) I get what you mean when you say he also coddles Roman but to me its the emotional detachment thats striking. Like in the car post-slapgate, its obvs awks from the slap but they also don't seem to have natural connection or conversation vs Logan and car scenes with the others. There's also the references to him beating Roman (not to say he didn't beat the others but its only Roman mentioned). I think in s3, his new status as fave son might bring up some old wounds for Roman.

(x)

Hey! Ooo, these are really great follow ups, thank you! I hope you don't mind me breaking them into sections!

Is it strange that Shiv and Roman don't really know Gerri well in the pilot?

It is strange, but I also think it's just the result of a few things being shuffled around post-pilot. Pilots are usually shot months if not a whole year before the first season is as the point of them is to sell the network on the show. In that sense, they're effectively proof-of-concept tools and so it's common for things to change. I'm not sure if you're a crossover anon, haha, but I talk a lot about Good Girls as well, and the pilot of that even had a completely different lead actress they had to do re-shoots around for 1.01.

Jesse Armstrong, the Succession showrunner, has said that a few things were shuffled around after the pilot – one of the biggest things for instance is that Roman wears a wedding ring in the pilot and Grace is supposed to be his wife (she's even listed as Grace Roy in 1.01 on IMDB!) and Isla their daughter together. They changed that after the pilot though because they thought it worked better with Grace as just his girlfriend, and Isla as Grace's daughter, not his.

I think Gerri's role in the show really bulked up between the pilot and episode 2, and that's why there's more distance between the Roy kids and Gerri in the first couple of episodes than there is later in the season. Gosh, even the fact that she's not at Logan's 80th birthday party in the pilot feels so weird now with how much they've shifted her role in the family, haha.

Rest of the answers under the cut!

Does St. Andrew's not being a military school when Roman attended add another layer to the dog kennel plot?

Yeah, I think it does, but I also think more than anything, it's reiterating what's already there. That entire subplot is really steeped in how Kendall, Roman and Connor all have different memories of this same game. For Roman it's formative, for Kendall it's just a memory of a childish game, and for Connor, it's seen as through older eyes and, more than anything, an insight into their father, not an insight into Roman and Kendall.

In a lot of ways, Roman stressing that St Andrew's was a military school when it wasn't undermines his own memory of the game, just as Connor telling him it wasn't dogfood it was chocolate cake does, just as Connor telling him he asked to be sent away does. Does that make it any less real for Roman? I don't think so. It's obviously something he's remembered as traumatic, and it resulted in a very real, tangible removal of him from Manhattan, where Kendall and Shiv stayed and went to school. Regardless of whether or not it was military school, it was a boarding school, and I think that feeling of distance and isolation was likely very real.

I'm really curious though about Connor's different stories to Kendall and Roman. He tells Roman that he asked to be sent away, and Kendall that their dad sent Roman because you separate fighting dogs and you send the weak one away so that everyone knows the hierarchy. The interesting thing though to me is that I think Connor was telling the truth in both instances, but the former does make the latter read differently.

If Roman wanted to go, it undermines Connor's memory of Logan, because Logan was not only giving Roman what he wanted, but he was giving Roman greater freedom, greater independence, greater agency at an outdoorsy boarding school that wasn't actually a military school at all. So does that mean that Logan saw Roman as the weak dog, or Kendall? Who he kept close and on a short leash in the comfort of home?

Kendall obviously takes Connor at his word, but I'm not so sure that we're supposed to as an audience. I think the story can be read in a lot of different ways, and more than anything, I think it can be read as Logan understanding that Kendall and Roman were not (and are not) the same, and needed different things as children. How that can be spun though is anyone's guess.

Are Logan and Roman emotionally distant?

That's an interesting point about the emotional distance there. I think there is and there isn't? Logan obviously dotes on Shiv and pendulums between coddling, controlling and bullying Kendall, but I think both of those things are more just indicative of really different dynamics. Roman's clearly got a 'class clown' sort of personality that Logan obviously doesn't appreciate and struggles to deal with, particularly given he's a pretty humourless guy (gosh, I think a lot about the fact that one of the only times we've seen Logan actually laugh was when the kids didn't want to see their mum, haha).

In that sense though, I think Logan doesn't understand Roman. It comes back to what I said in the other post – I actually do think Logan sees Roman's strengths, and the fact that Roman doesn't utilise them is, I think to Logan, unforgivable. Logan had to claw his way out of abject poverty through whatever it was he could get, and while Shiv, Kendall and Connor lack, I think Logan looks at Roman and sees waste.

It's why he doesn't have a stomach for the jokes, or the immaturity, and I think contributes to this failure to connect emotionally because he doesn't understand Roman in the way that he understands Shiv's rebellion and Kendall's foibles.

The aftermath of him hitting Roman is interesting too, because I actually think Logan's not trying to create distance in the aftermath, I think he's trying to re-write history to preserve his sense of self. He offers the untruth to Roman as an opening – a map for them to navigate unstable and uncertain terrain, and Roman takes it and follows his lead because he doesn't know how to navigate it either.

Does that make it right or forgiveable? Absolutely not – Logan hit his son, and trying to make everyone pretend that that never happened is an awful example of gaslighting – but I also find it really indicative of the cycle of abuse. We know that Noah was horrifically abusive to Logan, as seen by the scars on his back, and I actually get the impression that Logan tried not to be abusive to his children, but sometimes was because of his temper and his health.

Like, I think when he struck Iverson in the thanksgiving ep it was the first time he'd ever raised a hand to one of his grandchildren, especially given the reaction of people, and even hitting Roman summoned a pretty huge reaction from people, and seemed not to be something Roman was prepared for. It also I think stems back to that point of Logan not knowing how to handle Roman (or Iverson!) and resorting to violence he very quickly regrets because for a man who runs the news, he very rarely utilises words.

Logan was raised in violence, and I think it's a language he's both fluent in and has tried to reject, but one he falls back on when he can no longer communicate.

It's wrong, and awful, of course, but I think it's really interesting because I think it's deliberately a part of this broader theme with the Roy's about how fractured their communication with one another is. They don't know how to connect or talk to each other, and so frequently that breaks down into violence, whether to each other or themselves or to the collateral damage - the NRPIs.

I totally agree though that I think some Thoughts around all of this is likely to resurface for Roman in season 3, especially as Logan no doubt starts to lean on him as the new heir.

#these were v meaty questions to answer haha #i've been thinking sooo much about the communication on this show it's f.a.s.c.i.n.a.t.i.n.g.#roman roy #logan roy #logan + roman #gerri kellman #kendall roy #connor roy #shiv roy #hbo succession #succession 1.08 #succession 2.06 #welcome to my ama

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belovedblossoms · 6 months ago

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"I know, I know, it may be cheesy but I'm being honest too. There's times I'll think about you, worry, laugh...it'll happen but I don't think there's a reason for me to not want to be with you just because you'll be away." At least he was taking this seriously, her feelings and all. It could be an upsetting feeling or a painful one when he does leave again, but it's only temporary--plus she wouldn't have too much of distractions now that she's in college and focus on her studies. In a way it would kind of work out in the end with the two of them. "As long as you don't get caught coming back then I guess it shouldn't be a problem. After all, you always find some way some how to come back to me."

Hiyori then thought about the memory he mentioned of an old house during a winter storm. It took her a bit until she remembered it all, especially the moment they have to huddle close for warmth until the storm let up or passed. It took a long time but nonetheless it was worth it getting to be there in his arms. "Yes, I remember! And...yeah, I know I was stubborn to join you back then. I know it was stupid of me to do that while you were on the job..." She bowed her head in apology. But then he admitted that's when he started falling for her--if she hadn't done so, maybe it wouldn't have happened. "Really...? That's when you felt it? Aww hehe...it was pretty cozy getting to warm up with you."

━━ ❝ 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐲𝐚? ❞ He said with a grin on his face as shoulder shook slightly from little chortles that escaped his lips every now and then..oh she was cute when she spoke like this, the blush never disappeared from his face despite the words he said. “I like it though, you bein’ with me wherever I go.” It was a sentiment he did not take lightly. He will come back to her every time.

“Hey if ya happen t’ find a dorm at your college, I can sneak in with ya and we’have the place t’ ourselves.” He gives her a wink, as if this would be the first time they’d be together behind closed doors. Or at least it would be a first for them as people who’ve discovered their feelings for one another. “I’m not sure if you remembered…but there was a winter when I was working on a case…you being your natural stubborn self came with me and we were forced to break into someone’s old house t’ get away from the harsh winter. It’s that night we huddled closer together is where I think I caught myself feelin’ for ya.”

#thuganomxcs #【 roleplay. ❀ ║ fantasies transform. 】#【 crossover. ❀ ║ new navigations to follow great minds. 】#//omg we DID do that brief thread!! woww I can't believe I forgot that >.<

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yamayuandadu · 4 years ago

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Rider of Clouds

A a loose adaptation of the Ugaritic Baal cycle of myths, with some changes and the holes patched up with other myths and historical trivia. It will probably go on and on as some sort of silly “myth crossover” thing. Mount Saphon, the spiritual center of a large but poorly defined area spanning from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates and the residence of many gods, needs a new king. While the former king of the gods, El, favors his distant relative Yam, this decision is not popular with the other deities and would be a disaster for their human followers; however, few dare to question El decisions in public. The exception is Baal, the heir(ess) of El's popular but not very ambitious rival Dagan, determined to take Mount Saphon to the bright future of the late bronze age.

Protagonists

Baal (Hebat) – the eponymous Rider of Clouds (a real title used in myths and cult texts), a young weather deity born to Dagan and Shalash (not pictured), semi-retired agricultural gods who settled in Tuttul on the Euphrates shortly before Baal's birth. Dagan hails from Mesopotamia proper, while Shalash is Hurrian. While the mythical Baal Hadad is male, my version is a woman – the idea started as a joke about conflating Baal from the Baal cycle with Baalat Gebal, a female figure associated with another levantine bronze age city (BG's actual identity is an object of much scholarly debate) being more valid than conflating him with much later Baal Hammon from Carthage (or rather with Roman hot takes about this deity), which happens a lot online, but I got attached to it o now here we are. She nonetheless uses a male title inherited from her father, much like a few historical female rulers did. In my version “Hadad” is only a title (or rather a me, eg. divine attribute), and her real name is actually Hebat. Irl Hebat was, among other things, the name of a goddess mentioned in one inscription as Dagan's daughter, and thus a featureles sister of Baal. As the levantine/syrian Hebat lacks a defined character in real mythology (”another” Hebat was regarded as the Hurrian storm god's wife but was at times replaced in this role by the more interesting sun goddess of Arinna and that's about it; I'm not going to use that one in my story) it should be fine to conflate her with Dagan's best attested divine child, I think? Baal is impulsive and follows a moral code which, depending on the point of view, might be either naive or heroic, which means she's not exactly the optimal person to get involved in n-dimensional divine politics (the ideal person to be the protagonist of an Ugaritic epic poem, as evidenced by history), but that's not enough to stop her from trying; the popularity with humans helps, too. The story documents her rise to the position of the head god of the pantheon residing on Mount Saphon, ruling over Ugarit and other surrounding areas.

Astarte (it should be Ashtart for maximal accuracy but everyone knows the later form of the name better so...) – a goddess of humble origin and no particularly well defined attributes, who attaches herself to Baal initially in hopes of advancing own career, though the two eventually develop a more genuine relationship. She patterns herself after the much more famous Mesopotamian Inanna, seeing her as an ideal to strive for. While Baal has the name recognition and disposition fitting for a major deity, Astarte is the part of the duo actually capable of navigating politics, and takes the title of Face of Baal, negotiating support for Baal's bid with other gods. The image of Baal she projects differs slightly from reality, though not enough for most onlookers to notice. Astarte is also a connoisseur of foreign clothing (as pictured above) and art.

Anat (art courtesy of my girlfriend who sadly isn’t on tumblr but who helped a lot with figuring out a lot about this story) – the younger daughter of the ruling couple of Mount Saphon. Her philosophy differs greatly from her parents' and as a result she isn't really seriously considered for succession. Her hobbies include bladed weapons, gambling and heroic epics; in the past she attempted writing her own self insert one. Her temperament means she was never considered for succession, which she doesn't particularly mind. She's deeply invested in Baal's ascendance, and is probably the god Astarte wants to recruit for their cause the most.

Gupan and Ugar – two minor gods who might be some of the only allies Baal recruited herself rather than with Astarte's help. They play a minor role in the story as her messengers and heralds (just like in the real myth!). They're also a couple. The cuneiform on their coats says “Baal.”

Kothar-wa-Khasis – a craftsman god who, by own admission, only works part time in Ugarit and travels the world for the rest of it. He's kind and dependable and his wares are both affordable and of great quality, but his real motives are hard to ascertain. His real identity is likewise a subject of much speculation among other gods – while his preferred manner of clothing hints at an egyptian origin, nothing is known for sure. His true name is that of the god Ptah of Memphis; he spends most time outside it and incognito because he thinks smaller pantheons on the periphery of Egypt's influence offer more artistic freedom. He speaks in a very poetic pointlessly complex way (basically... imitating the style of ancient poem translations). While an architect first and foremost he a reneissance man - architect, sculptor, engineer, armorer, musician. He isn't very fond of Yam due to the latter's lack of aptitude for art and cost cutting suggestions.

There are actually two gods hiding behind the title “Kothar-wa-Khasis,” with the second one hailing from Caphtor (Crete) from where Kothar arrives when commissioned to build Baal's palace in the real myth. She's shy and refuses to reveal her real name and hides behind the title “Mistress of the Labyrinth” and the labrys symbol. Her arrival is generally a sign of the duo taking a project particularly seriously.

Shapash – El's firstborn daughter, serving as “the torch of the gods”, a royal herald and solar deity. She also handles her parents' “foreign policy” on their behalf, which in practice means figuring out how to placate neighbors whose decisions aren't guided by the need to avoid angering various reviled figures.

Antagonists

Yam (right) – a sea monster more than a god, presiding over the nearby section of the sea and all that dwells in it, including the commercially significant sea slugs. He's also the son of the formerly influential Anatolian god Kumarbi, banished to the underworld by the current head god Teshub due to his many past misdeeds. As a result of his father's past influence over the world (and current influence over the ruling couple), Yam gained El's support and received many titles, which de facto makes him the most likely to succeed El as the king of local pantheon. He's capricious and inconsiderate, but maintains a larger than life public image meant to make him palatable to potential backers. The exact circumstances of his arrival in Ugarit are shrouded in mystery, and may or may not be responsible for his unusually strong hatred of Baal. Mot (left) – profoundly unpleasant and unsociable being kept around by Anat's parents for unclear reasons. He resides in the great offering pit in the abandoned city of Urkesh, formerly the center of Kumarbi's sphere of influence, reduced to a ghost town. While his equivalents in neighboring areas generally view themselves as impartial or as a necessary evil, Mot gets his kicks from posing as a personification of death itself, and is notoriously corrupt. El and Athirat – the ruling couple of Mount Saphon and parents of Anat and Shapash, currently pondering retirement, which stirs many contenders to the throne into action. El is a lifelong opportunist changing views and allegiances as he sees fit, though he pretty consistently favors his distant relative Yam as his main underling ever since the latter arrived in the area.

El was originally Amurru, a courtier of the sky god Anu, overthrown by the nefarious Kumarbi. For unclear reasons Kumarbi made Amurru his vassal and bestowed the name Elkunirsa, or El for short, upon him.

Athirat is largely responsible for El maintaining his title for so long, and is a much craftier politician than he is. She comes from an influential dynasty of sea gods, but lacks dominion over the sea herself.

She and Yam are related, as seen here.

Abduyam – an attempt at developing an obscure figure from the original myth, Yam's nameless and seemingly rather rude and infuriating messenger, into a full blown character. The theophoric name he uses (there are real theophoric names invoking Yam, surprisingly) is just a pseudonym, and his real identity is a mystery. He interned under a variety of famous mythical villains in order to gain a greater understanding of their ways, and currently serves as Yam's messenger, adviser, doorkeeper and punching bag.

Ashtar – a feeble opportunist who sides with Yam, hoping to receive a share in the gains he's making thanks to El's blessings. He's pretty content with playing the role of a toady though his aspirations might be different, as Baal and Astarte suspect due to his love of gaudy imported textiles. Megalomania doesn't necessarily equal malevolence, though. He also loves sea slugs.

Foreign dignitaries

(ignore the ?, it’s just Baal) Marduk (right) – the tutelary deity of Babylon, a prominent and internationally renowned god. While technically the area encompassing Mount Saphon, where the events of the story take place, isn't directly under the control of the Babylonian pantheon, as one of the oldest in the world and the source of the writing it nonetheless has a tremendous impact on smaller neighbors. Formally Marduk is merely a representative of his father Enki and the assembly of the gods in Nippur, but as the old gods are not very mobile, he's the de facto acting head of the pantheon in foreign relations. He doesn't have a unified mythical narrative about himself yet at this point in time, despite his position, which is a source of insecurity for him. During travels, he's assisted by his personal aide and biographer, Nabu (not pictured), and his pet mushussu, Tishpak. Seth (left) – in real life, ancient Egyptians equated many gods of their neighbors with Seth; therefore in Rider of Clouds Seth serves as an ambassador of the Egyptian pantheon, usually residing in Gebal near Mount Saphon – a city whose gods (and human rulers) take pride in trying to be more Egyptian than the Egyptians themselves, and regard Seth as their spiritual liege (under the title “Lord of Lebanon”). While ultimately Marduk's judgment matters the most, Seth gets the right to veto his decisions when it comes to validating claims to local thrones. On good terms with Kothar-wa-Khasis, which is a subject of much gossip among other gods. Teshub (center) – the head of the Hurrian pantheon, technically capable of projecting the most power in Mount Saphon politics due to the Hurrian influence on huge number of other local pantheons, including that of the Hittites, thanks to his marriage to the Hittite sun goddess of Arinna; however, as the local gods for the most part share closer affinity with Mesopotamia than Hatti, he competes with Marduk for political influence. As he and Baal are a very similar type of god, he's the most outspoken supporter of Baal's ascension to the throne out of all 3 foreign dignitaries. El’s support for his nemesis is probably a factor, too.

Kubaba – the head goddess of Carchemish; much like the king of Carchemish served as a Hittite viceroy taking care of affairs of the vassals irl, she acts as Teshub's ambassador in the southeast, mediating between the Anatolian and Syrian gods. She hopes that Baal's rise will normalize foreign relations to the benefit of her human followers – El's erratic behavior and sympathy for a number of widely detested figures made that rather difficult. While she's not much older than Baal, she poses as an ancient deity and dresses like someone twice her age. She also seeks opportunities to insert herself into suitably ancient narratives. In another time and place she'll be known as Cybele, and eventually as the Roman Magna Mater, but this is not the story about it.

Plot-relevant but not present in the story physically

Inanna – the celebrity superstar of every pantheon from Hatti to Elam. After being elevated to one of the foremost positions among the gods she started a profitable franchising business, offering help with setting up own cult system and the right to use the title of “Ishtar” and the eight pointed star emblem in exchange for a share in potential profit and a spot in the franchisee' home pantheon. As her fame is unique even among the greatest of the gods, this isn't that bad of a deal. Other benefits of the franchising program include free tickets to the annual Ishtar meetup in Uruk and a 24/7 tech support line ran by her sukkal Ninshubur. Asides from Astarte, prominent members of the franchising program include the Hurrian Shaushka, the Elamite Pinikir, and the night goddess of Kizzuwatna.

Kumarbi: an agricultural god of the Hurrians who seized the kingship of their pantheon violently before being overthrown himself by Teshub and his allies. Now he resides in the underworld and plots, aided by a network of allies – some opportunistic, some stupid, some simply malevolent. His will is usually carried out by an unspecified number of identical fate goddesses, possible to differentiate only by the numerals on their veils. At the core he and Baal's father Dagan are very similar gods in function, but not in temperament.

#Rider of Clouds

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