#'sister-tender'

[night-dark-woods]

ID. photos of the grimoire pages. first is a 2-page spread with a pale blue-tinted watercolor painting of the Guardian approaching Mara, kneeling on the ground with Uldren's corpse across her lap. the following pages show the script for a never-made cutscene:

NARRATIVE IN:

The player followed the whispers of Cayde-6 into the Dreaming City, a surreal shrine world that the Awoken claim to own.

EXT. SHORES OF THE DREAMING CITY - DAWN

Silver waves TOSS the GUARDIAN onto a spit of wet sand. They lay there, half-drowned, GHOST clutched in their fist.

Nearby, an ancient SALT-CRUSTED HIVE WARSHIP hangs suspended inexplicably in the air, blasted into dozens of plasma-charred pieces.

The shoreline wraps around a rocky coast. An elegant AMETHYST TOWER juts defiantly from the cliffside, a feat of gravity-defying engineering. EDDIES OF MIST obscure the horizon, but the ALIEN SKY of this place is undeniable: above, FOREIGN MOONS orbit the accretion disc of a BLACK HOLE.

Where are we…?

THE GUARDIAN STANDS, allowing GHOST to float out of their hand. They give their gun a quick once-over.

MARA SOV (O.S.) (grieving) Hundreds of my subjects died for this plan.

THE GUARDIAN SNAPS TO ATTENTION, readying their gun. Just up the beach, partially obscured by mist--

MARA SOV sits, hunched, KNEELING in the sand.

MARA SOV "Subjects." Hmph. My friends. My family…

Drawing closer, we see MARA is cradling ULDREN'S BODY in her lap, a mirror of the Guardian cradling Cayde's body.

In death, ULDREN looks frail.

MARA blazes with bitter grief. She loved her brother. She loved her people, too.

MARA SOV Hundreds of the Awoken are dead because of me. Hundreds, gone forever, or resurrected as a war drone for your Traveler. And you don't even realize we've done it all to help save humanity. (beat) You think we're enemies.

MARA GLARES up at the Guardian, unflinching. She's faced far worse than this since we last saw her. She's conquered death.

So has the Guardian. Still, THEY LOWER THEIR GUN

THE GUARDIAN I saw something that looked like you. Some kind of illusion.

MARA SOFTENS. She looks down at Uldren.

MARA SOV I know.

SHE STROKES HIS HAIR.

MARA SOV (CONTD) This -- (beat; a difficult truth) -- was not part of the plan… (forgetting her audience) It's my fault he went into the Garden… My fault he killed your friend…

GHOST (O.S.) (with compassion) That's not true.

MARA LOOKS UP. She SHIFTS ULDREN TO THE SAND, sister-tender, then rises, composed and imperious. The Queen of the Awoken.

MARA SOV I will set this right.

She STEPS CLOSER to the Guardian, chin tipped upward.

MARA SOV And you, the Chosen Dead, will help me.

The Guardian glances at GHOST, then NODS.

None of them notice the SHADOWY APPARITION OF CAYDE-6, watching from the clifftops…

NARRATIVE OUT:

The player will learn about the monster that lured them into the Dreaming City and drove Uldren to madness.

End ID.

sorry deleted cutscene script where we see Mara mourning Uldren??? where has this been all my life

I just tracked it down again and it was released in one of the grimoire anthology books like I'm insannneeee why wasn't it in the video game I love Mara so muchhhh (pics from this reddit post)

[simplykorra]

the way the world falls away when they look at each other

[stanford-photography]

Sisters, Oklahoma, 1980 By Jeff Stanford, 2024 Buy prints at: https://jeff-stanford.pixels.com/

[princington]

give me a few days of peace in your arms

[panncakes]

ming is such a fucking loser, absolute pathetic piece of specimen; i want ten more of him

[i-reallydontexist]

The hair... 🥹💕

[small-z24]

Shadows of Fate 4

Summary:

Y/n, Cassian's shy and quiet sister, prefers to keep to the shadows. Unbeknownst to her, she is Azriel's mate. His shadows are inexplicably drawn to her, and as they grow closer, a slow-burn romance ensues. Cassian, ever protective of his sister, watches over her as the bond between Y/n and Azriel deepens.

Word Count: 803

Warnings: None

Chapter 4: The Protective Brother

The days passed in a tranquil routine, with Y/n continuing her self-defense lessons with Azriel. Cassian, though still wary, began to ease his constant vigilance, trusting Azriel more with each passing day. However, the protective brotherly instincts never fully faded.

One evening, Y/n was in the common room, sketching the flowers she had seen in the garden earlier. She found peace in drawing, her mind relaxing as her hand moved over the paper. Azriel was beside her, reading a book, his presence a comforting constant.

Cassian entered the room, his eyes narrowing slightly as he saw them together. "Y/n," he called, drawing her attention away from her sketch. "Can we talk for a moment?"

Y/n looked up, her heart sinking a little. "Of course, Cass." She glanced at Azriel, who gave her a reassuring nod.

Cassian led her out to a balcony overlooking Velaris. The night was calm, the stars twinkling above like scattered diamonds. He leaned on the railing, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"I need to ask you something," he began, his voice serious. "Do you really believe Azriel is the one for you?"

Y/n's eyes softened. "I do, Cassian. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. He understands me, and he makes me feel safe."

Cassian turned to face her, his expression conflicted. "I just worry about you. I’ve seen how harsh the world can be, and I don’t want you to get hurt."

"I know you’re just looking out for me," Y/n said, placing a hand on his arm. "And I appreciate it. But Azriel is different. He’s patient and kind, and he respects me."

Cassian sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I see how much he cares about you. I just... it’s hard for me to let go."

"You don’t have to let go," Y/n reassured him. "Just trust that I know what I’m doing."

Cassian nodded slowly, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Alright. I trust you, Y/n. Just promise me you’ll be careful."

"I promise," she said, giving him a hug. "Thank you, Cass."

They stood there for a moment, the silence between them filled with unspoken understanding. Finally, Cassian pulled back, his expression lighter. "Go back to Azriel. I’ll be here if you need me."

Y/n smiled, giving him one last squeeze before returning to the common room. Azriel looked up as she entered, his eyes filled with concern.

"Everything alright?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she replied, sitting beside him again. "Cassian just needed to talk. He’s trying to trust us."

Azriel nodded, a look of determination crossing his face. "I’ll prove to him that his trust is well-placed."

A few days later, a sense of unease settled over the House of Wind. Y/n felt it in the air, a tension that seemed to affect everyone around her. She couldn’t quite place it, but it gnawed at her, making her restless.

She found herself wandering through the halls, seeking out Azriel. She found him in the war room, deep in conversation with Rhysand and Cassian. As she approached, the conversation hushed, and the three males turned to look at her.

"Y/n," Rhysand greeted, his tone warm but guarded. "What brings you here?"

"I just... felt like something was wrong," she admitted, her eyes flicking to Azriel. "Is everything alright?"

Azriel stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We’re just discussing some security concerns. Nothing for you to worry about."

Y/n wasn’t convinced, but she nodded, trusting Azriel’s judgment. "If you say so."

Rhysand gave her a gentle smile. "We’re handling it, Y/n. But thank you for your concern."

She nodded again, squeezing Azriel’s hand before turning to leave. As she walked away, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was looming on the horizon.

That night, Y/n couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned, her mind racing with worry. Finally, she got up and made her way to the balcony, hoping the cool night air would calm her.

She wasn’t surprised to find Azriel already there, his shadows dancing around him like restless spirits. He turned as she approached, his eyes softening.

"Couldn’t sleep?" he asked.

"No," she admitted, leaning against the railing beside him. "I can’t shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen."

Azriel wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "I understand. But whatever happens, we’ll face it together."

Y/n looked up at him, her heart swelling with love. "Promise?"

"Promise," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

They stood there in silence, the night wrapping around them like a protective cloak. In that moment, Y/n felt a glimmer of hope, a belief that no matter what came their way, their bond would see them through.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Y/n and Azriel's story. Feel free to leave comments and let me know your thoughts!

[gingermintpepper]

I spent something like six and a half hours in the hospital today so day 6 of my challenge is being further postponed but, in the lieu of not doing any drawing, I did end up rereading Ovid's Metamorphoses in between waiting and I just wanted to offer some of my favourite underrated bits.

Cadmus and Harmonia's twin transformations into snakes is so gentle? Cadmus goes first, transformed mid plea for his wife to caress him one last time before his face is completely covered in scales, then he rests gently between her boobs and wraps around her neck and shoulders like a big snake gorget. Harmonia follows him shortly and the two snakes intertwine with each other before gently slithering off into the bushes and I love that actually mwah mwah mwah (I also appreciate the sweet irony of Cadmus who slew a snake for his glory becoming a snake, toothless and gentle in the last of his days)

Everything about Perseus was hilarious. Like, I'm sorry - I've never done a lot of reading into Perseus but I did always remember the banquet massacre and the Andromeda rescuing and like, bro I know it's not meant to be funny but Perseus is funny. I think it's his politeness honestly? He goes up to Atlas and is like "hello kind sir, may I please stay a night in your lands? I've travelled an awful long way and I am weary and hungry. If you only accept noble guests, rest assured, I am of noblest birth and have completed the noblest of deeds. 🥺" and Atlas takes one look at him, has a That's So Raven vision about the one time Themis gave him a prophecy about a son of Jove stealing his apples and then told Perseus to kick rocks. So Perseus, like the well adjusted and noble individual that he is, turns Atlas into a mountain with Medusa's head. This is how a great many of Perseus' stories unfold. It is actually hysterical.

I am going to give a special shoutout to Athis and Lycabas who were two young lovers in attendance at Perseus and Andromeda's blood wedding. Athis died first - a skilled archer who never got to shoot and was burnt and bludgeoned across the face with a wedding brazier. When Lycabas saw that his dear friend's beauty was ruined, he picked up the fight against Perseus himself in Athis' name and was slashed to strips by Perseus' sword. Lycabas managed to drag himself over to Athis in his last moments and died beside him, so I thought that was a particularly touching bit of beauty in the otherwise extremely tragic blood wedding.

No one can ever make me feel bad for Niobe. In a lot of the Greek accounts I've read and heard, because they tend to be much shorter or references in a wider narrative, it's hard to really grasp how insanely disrespectful she was to Leto (not that her boasting she should be the goddess of motherhood to the actual goddess of motherhood isn't worthy of death and destruction enough) but Ovid really did go the extra mile to dig it home how far down her throat this lady put her foot because even at her sons' seven way funeral she did not stop boasting about how she was still glorious. I did find it interesting that the seemingly innocuous detail of Apollo killing off the boys first and then Artemis killing the girls was kept cross-culturally, I assume it's because boys were more auspicious than girls in both cultures.

The detail of Athena bonking Arachne constantly with a wooden box and her being transformed into a spider because she begged to not be bonked to death. Also very interestingly, in Ovid's account, it's not a clear victory for Athena against Arachne - she gets flustered at the depictions of her relatives' affairs and rips the tapestry up - the judges didn't actually get a chance to opine. This is in contrast to the contest the Muses sang about where their representative Calliope unilaterally won against the daughters of Pierus.

The account of Apollo and Marsyas was much shorter than I remember it being. I recall it being touted as one of the more vicious and visceral tales in Metamorphoses' collection but it included neither the details of Marsyas' contest against Apollo, nor Apollo's feelings (or even any dialogue from him!) throughout his peeling of Marsyas' skin. Instead it is wholly focused on Marsyas - on describing the physical gore of his exposed veins and contracting muscles and the grief of the rustic crowd as they mourned his loss - which is curious indeed since the entire theme of the poems of Book 6 is divine punishment and it is otherwise filled with rather full accounts of these contests and insults.

Byblis and Caunus made me want to reread Euripedes' Hippolytus for the twelve thousandth time. Caunus made the right call of course but I also very much hoped he would have a huge big speech about incest being bad instead of just smacking the messenger.

And lastly, for now, Jove's speech as Hercules lay burning atop his death pyre where he addresses the host of his gods and goes "Man, wasn't Hercules a great guy? Look, there goes all his mortal attributes burning away in the fire, now he is all my son and surely we are all in agreement that any divine son of mine deserves a place on Olympus :)" was very endearing. I always feel quite bad for Deianira because she truly didn't mean any harm by her gift and I've always wished for an account of Heracles/Hercules' death from her perspective. There could scarcely be a thing more awful, especially given how long and drawn out and incredibly painful Hercules' death was.

Lowkey, I want to take a day and compare Ovid and Euripedes' Medeas. They're both very different women and they both handle their situations very differently. Partially for my own vindication - I adore Medea and Jason equally and since popular fiction cannot speak about Medea without flattening her or making Jason completely monstrous, this is just one of those things I'll have to do myself sometime.

[lunareiitic]

Moments From Firefly + Silverwolf's 2.3 Conversation That Are Going To Make Me Explode

[athinginmotion]

Smiling women and girls in art history

Mère Poussepin Seated at a Table, Gwen John, oil on canvas, 1915-20

Portrait of the Artist’s Sisters Playing Chess, Sofonisba Anguissola, oil on canvas, 1555

Portrait of a Young Woman, Frans Hals, oil on canvas, 1655

Portrait of Isabella Brandt, chalk on paper, Peter Paul Rubens, 1620

Self-Portrait with a Camellia Branch, Paula Modersohn-Becker, oil on canvas, 1907

Self-Portrait with her Daughter, Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, oil on canvas, 1786

[chimchiri]

Build A Butch (poll 4)

Crow already has some minor details (like her little moles) but I wonder if she should have some hair detail as well.

What about little antennas? Do they make her look too cute? Does she simply have them no matter what she does? Well..

[bechloesupercorp]

on the days that they don't work together (rare), bea takes the wicker basket that ava impulsively bought at the very beginning of their stay in the alps. ("like from the movies bea!")

two blankets, sandwiches, and an orange to share.

the first time, ava tramples around the fields for a solid 40 minutes, returning with a bunch of hand selected flowers. "thank you," she whispers, tucking a blossom behind bea's ear. the breath is stuck in her throat.

bea has to drop her off at work again before she can even take a breath.

walking back to their apartment over the cobblestones, she cradles the flower in her palms. edelweiss. noble and white. l'étoile d'Alpes. the star of the alps. but with ava beside her, she doesn't think anything shines brighter.

it gets pressed that night, soft and gentle, between the pages of her leather bound journal.

--- --- ---

the next time, night has fallen as they stroll away from the strobe lights of the bar. this time it's quieter, huddled under a blanket by the lake.

"do you think," ava murmurs, facing the water, "that people can feel the love we leave?" will you feel it when i'm dead and gone?

beatrice's heart aches. "i think they do. and all the love we've yet to give." if only you could feel the love in my heart that rests in your hands, my dear, she wants to say, and the things i would give for you to live, but the words stick in her mouth.

"i like it here," ava breathes, here with you.

"i do too," bea responds, eyes fixed on ava's face. l'etoile d'Alpes, she thinks, is sitting right here with me.

tears glisten on her cheeks in the moonlight. and beatrice has never seen anything brighter.

[ohio-thestate]

I have an unending hatred for those microwave dinners like why are the bbq ones the only ones that taste like anything

"spaghetti and meatballs" oh you mean starch noodles with tomato water and flavorless pieces of meat?

[junkosblunt]

thinking about how mukuro’s most human quality is her unconditional love for her twin sister and what a beautiful thing that could’ve been on its own if junko hadn’t turned it into something so monstrous and so hideous

people view mukuro’s love for junko as some sort of sickness or abnormality when in reality it’s something beautiful about her individual character that junko made ugly

[otrtbs]

tender curiosities, baby! ch. 5 snippet