#10000 years of hatred begin now

[modormouth]

in some bloodborne-adjacent news i found this cute massive sweater that reminds me of the cleric beast fur. the texture looks bestial and personally i would d i e if i did not snag it.

bad news is im tilted about sony

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale’s Theories: Ganondorf is not the same Ganondorf

Now if you have read that statement, you are probably VERY confused

What do I mean by that?

Well buckle up kiddos, I’m about to drop my theory on you.

Demon king Ganondorf from tears of the kingdom

Is not the same as Calamity Ganon

In fact he isn’t connected to the other Ganondorfs in the Zelda Timeline.

So Spoilers for tears of the kingdom.

The Demon King Ganondorf came to be 10000 years before the events of Tears of the kingdom. Around the founding of Hyrule, in the Age of King Rauru and Queen Sonia.

He killed the queen and stole her sage stone to become the monster that he is. The demon king

With his power, he nearly destroyed Hyrule. But he was sealed away by Rauru.

And eventually the seal gets undone. That results in the Gloom leaking out and Link and Zelda going to investigate, thus beginning the events of the game.

Now how can I say for sure that this Ganondorf isn’t the same as the Calamity Ganon, or that Calamity Ganon is not just a manifestation of THIS Ganondorf’s hatred.

Well it’s actually quite simple.

It revolves around Demise.

Demise, the Demon king that made the cycle that always has his hatred follow the blood of the princess and spirit of the hero.

Whenever that incarnation of Hate appears to cause trouble, it’s because Link and Zelda are both around or are coming.

This is the case in each game, EXCEPT for Tears of the kingdom.

Ganondorf didn’t manifest, the DK Ganondorf was sealed away by another person for 10000 years. There was no hero to confront and fight this Ganondorf back then. In fact, Zelda only shows up in that past AFTER they met him in the depths, altering history and causing her appearance as a dragon in the game. Zelda and Link wondered into this Demon King’s whole agenda, his beef wasn’t with Link or Zelda. If it was, Ganondorf, who would have had the memories of his previous lives would have KNOWN Zelda and Link prior to meeting them. He would have probably gone after them first.

But he didn’t, this Ganondorf arrogantly fought Link not as a nemesis he clashed with before like with his other iterations, but as some sort of annoyance that his true enemy warned him about.

And there is an important piece of dialogue that was in breath of the wild.

“He has Given up on Reincarnation.”

This form is no longer human or any sort of mortal. Calamity Ganon was the incarnation of Demise’s hate and the evil being that the hero of hyrule and princess were bound to fight.

The Demon king Ganondorf and Calamity Ganon are not the same.

If we even want to go further. The evil miasma that DK Ganondorf is responsible for is called Gloom,

While the Dark miasma that Calamity Ganon makes is called Malice. Both treated as different things in the Zelda universe

But before you all say

“But Gale, in Botw, it mentions Calamity Ganon appeared 10,000 years ago and Demon King Ganondorf appeared back then.”

Both can be correct, because, Calamity Ganon, appeared before Ganondorf.

Totk took place 5-7 years after BOTW.

Meaning, that Calamity Ganon appeared and was defeated by the Link and Zelda of that time with the Shiekah tech.

It’s likely the fight decimated hyrule but was stated as a success since Ganon was defeated.

Then the Zonai appeared likely seeing the aftermath and brought their tech, resulting in the Refounding of hyrule.

Ganondorf appears and pulls his bulls*** and bam. The imprisoning war.

After Mineru vanishes there were no more Zonai to help with the tech and thus useless and likely the ancient sheikah tech was lost to time. Thus 100 years prior to botw, the rediscovery of that Sheikah tech. Which was less complicated so it was easier to rediscover.

And that tech was eventually scrapped After Calamity Ganon was defeated so the guardians and Beasts could not be taken advantage of again.

[ryoryeonggu]

After years and years, I admit that my opinions with TVDU have changed a lot. For example, I no longer feel the burning hatred towards Elena when I realize how suck her life is (and she did have her moments). But no one could ever bloody convince me that killing Kol wasn't a selfish hypocritical action on her and the MF gang's part, and only because of plot armor that she (and her friends) survived after pulling that shit. Nope. Not a chance.

Point number 1: "Elena only killed Kol to save her brother, that's self defense."

Like it wasn't her who lured him into her house in the first place. Like it wasn't the point of her whole plan at the very beginning is using the death of his entire sireline to complete The Hunter Mark. To get the damn cure for herself. Let's get a quick reminder of how she was fully aware of the consequences and what she's doing:

Elena: If you kill one Original vampire, their entire sire line will die with them. That's thousands, maybe tens of thousands of vampires.

Elena: Think about it. Kol's sire line must stretch to the moon by now. If Jeremy kills Kol, every vampire that he's ever turned, not to mention everyone that they've turned, will die, which means the hunter's mark will be complete and we'll have our key to finding the cure.

Some would argue that it's after Kol compelled Damon to kill Jeremy. But please don't say that there's no other choice since there's Klaus trying to dagger him! For the girl and people who have deluded themselves into thinking her planning a genocide was to protect her brother, she sure did a good job protecting him by having Jeremy fight an Original with some guns and crossbows (like it could've worked in a making-sense world).

Btw hey, how about using the dagger that bloody Matt stole to use it on Rebekah, how about using it to dagger Kol instead? It's still utterly stupid and reckless to challenge an Original vampire either way, but at least could've "protected your brother" without murdering 10000 and more innocent person who did nothing to you. How about that?

#dontwannakill100letskill10000ppinstead #elenaslogic

Point number 2: “It’s not plot armor, Elena is smart and capable than people giving her credit for”…

Okay that could’ve been debatable... if her plan wasn’t stupid af.

I already read those arguments about how Kol isn’t the greatest fighter out of The Originals squad (can’t blame them since the writers kept letting him get bested ridiculously). About his strength might be numb and his skills might be affected after centuries spending on the coffin. About how Kol was cocky, arrogant and underestimated Elena and co. And you know what, that’s fair. That’s some good point I could get behind to explain why Kol didn’t just tear Elena and her brother apart in a few seconds as soon as he entered The Gilbert house.

But let’s not pretend when you saw with your own eyes, that Kol wasn’t in the upper hand in the whole fight. Even they did prepare themselves with all those hunter equipment, attempted to trap him or attack him with surprise. Kol, with all possible inconveniences listed above, still managed to overpower Elena and Jeremy, throwing them away with no sweats like some rag dolls. Not to mention Kol had several chances to just kill Elena and be done with it, like when he pinned her to the wall, and stabbed her. Why didn’t he just rip her heart out of her chest? When he stated clearly on the phone with Klaus that he was going to kill Elena? Why stopped there? No reason. (And why did he froze like that in the kitchen scene as if he was waiting to be killed? 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️) Kol didn’t underestimate Elena, it's Elena who underestimated Kol. And now we all agree that she and her brother would’ve eaten sh*t and dead, or been armless if it wasn’t for all plot armor, stop fooling yourself.

Another hole of Elena’s “smart and capable” plan is… HOW? What tf was she thinking how she’s gonna kill him??? Like, we all know the only way to kill an Original is the white oak stake… which they didn’t have. The only ones who knew Kol had it were Klaus and Rebekah. And I doubt they just casually mentioned to their enemies in very short of time that their brother had the murder weapon which could kill them all. And let’s pretend they did for some reason, how could they be sure Kol would just bring the white oak state along to the house? He could've kept it somewhere safe, he could've destroyed it already. And there’re no indication or hint that they knew where it was. They planned to steal a dagger to use on Rebekah, to deal with the aftermath, but they didn’t bother to find the crucial weapon for the plan? And Kol just happened to bring the weapon to their door, how convenient. How clever.

Conclusions? Being with poor Elena and defending her all you want (like I couldn't careless with all other matters) but please don't pull the self defense card in this case or go as far as she really just survived purely on her "skills" or her "intelligence". Like, sure. She made a plan, lured Kol into her house to murder him, planned to kill 10000+ people and dgaf about the possibility of the world ending just because she couldn't handle being a vampire. The entire mess afterwards was because of her doings. And don't get me started on how the hell she thought she could get away with killing Klaus and Elijah's little brother and planned to dagger their baby sister later. But yeah, of course, somehow she did. Plot armor. Pointless.

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Answers To Unexpected Questions:  chapter 3 [end]

“Juudai!” Yubel knocked him down, wings spread wide, avoiding the battery of crossbow bolts shot through the tent. One of them slammed into the man chained up to a pole, sending him spinning as far as his bonds would allow him.

It wasn’t Johan. Sparkman had been tricked. Either illusion or just making a mistake, which wasn’t that surprising.

It wasn’t a mistake that Juudai or Yubel would’ve made. Both of them knew the difference between Johan and his twin brother Rune on sight alone.

Yubel tried to tell me and I wouldn’t listen.

Juudai had enough time for that alone before he brought himself back to his feet and checked Yubel. The crossbow bolts did nothing at all save force them to step back. Their wings remained spread in front of him.

Ancient Elf stepped into the ruined tent, giving a very disapproving look as he did.

“I truly did not believe you would come for this ruffian,” he said, brushing his coat off as if Juudai’s very presence dirtied him. “Now, his brother, that would’ve been understandable. But why him?”

Juudai wasn’t going to let him know the truth. Instead he just tossed his head.

“You should know that I protect all life. Doesn’t matter who it is.”

“Yes, yes, of course. But this world is going to be destroyed and you will not be able to stop it.”

Juudai drew in a very long and very deep breath. “Could you save your speeches for after I’m dead? I really don’t have the time now.”

Rune was bleeding. Rune was dying, because Juudai’s powers didn’t include healing and Johan’s did, and Johan wasn’t there and they needed to get out as soon as they could.

He made no move at all. He couldn’t find Rune’s shadow, not with all the other light in the room. It had been by great good luck that none of the bolts hit any of the candles or lanterns there and set the tent itself on fire.

Maybe that would’ve been better. There would’ve been shadows there for sure. And the tent would’ve burned down. Maybe all of them would have.

Ancient Elf smiled. It wasn’t the kind of smile that would make other people happy in the slightest.

“If you wish to die, then we can most certainly accommodate you.”

“Not as long as I’m around.” Yubel growled, arms and wings spread to defend Juudai at a moment’s notice. “No harm will come to my Juudai.”

The old sorcerer turned a very disapproving look upon Yubel. “No one asked for your opinion, malformed one. But since you insist upon it as well, we’ve made plans for you.”

Fear coiled itself all around Juudai and he started to back for Rune. Even if he died, Johan wasn’t going to leave him here. Johan would need to know about this. “Yubel, we’re getting out of here.”

“Oh, I think not.” Ancient Elf tsked before raising one finger.

Many things happened at the same time.

A net of glowing green materials dropped down from above, wrapping all around Juudai. No matter how much he strained at it, he could not break it, despite how fragile it looked.

Another bout of crossbow bolts shot, arching over the elf’s head and burying themselves deep into Yubel. Each of them carried a malevolent white sigil written upon them, one Juudai only belatedly recognized as something intended to bind the effects of magic, sealing them off from the user.

Aodh had said that Yubel’s power wasn’t unstoppable. For that matter, neither was Juudai’s. Whatever this web was made out of, Juudai couldn’t so much as get a firm grip on it, let alone get it off of him.

Ancient Elf stepped over and stared down at him, a sadistic tilt to his lips.

“Oh, Herald. You thought it would be so easy, didn’t you? That you would just come in here, rescue this piece of offal, and dance away with your misborn creation before any of us noticed you. We knew you were coming from the beginning. It’s what someone as foolish as you does.”

He nudged Juudai with one foot. Juudai twisted away from it, trying to get hold of Yubel, to do something that wasn’t lay there like a lump.

Yubel lay against the far wide of the tent, a thick dark liquid coming from the half-dozen crossbow bolts still lodged within. Slowly, as if feeling his attention, Yubel opened their eyes and turned toward him.

“Beloved...” Yubel tried to reach for him. Juudai tried to reach back. But warriors in white armor trooped in and one of them wrenched Yubel away, not caring how much more damage was done in the process.

“First we dispose of the misborn. Then we dispose of him,” Ancient Elf decreed. He glanced toward Rune. “Throw that in the deadpile. It can be burned with the others.”

Juudai had time only to see that Rune still breathed, if shallow and unsteadily, before they dragged all three out. Yubel and Juudai were taken to a clearing he’d ignored on the way in, where a white marble altar had been spread out, and the strongest and most skilled of the Army of Light’s warriors awaited them.

The altar had been marked with those sigils that kept Yubel’s power bound, ensuring that there wasn’t anything Yubel could do to protect Juudai or anyone else as they hauled Yubel onto it, wrapping thick chains all around to keep them in place.

They’d bound Juudai tighter with the power-nullifying web, which also carried those marks, he noticed when he had a moment to stop fighting. A full two dozen of them stood guard on him, while Ancient Elf moved over to the altar and Yubel.

“Once you’ve both perished in honor of the Light, your souls will be cleansed by its power, and will nevermore be able to touch the unholy Darkness. Should you return to a mortal form, you will belong to the Light.”

Juudai struggled harder. He knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere, but he didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, if this went through, then he’d be dead forever. Being part of the Light embodied all that he stood against.

Ancient Elf raised a sharp, long-bladed dagger, marked with emblems of the Light. Clearly he wasn’t taking any chances at all.

“In the name of the Light, by the Power of the Light, by the Cleansing of the Light, let you be freed of your misborn form and your foolish vows to the Darkness! Let there be nothing more that binds you, nothing more that keeps you from serving the Light, as all things must!”

He brought the knife down, sharp and deadly and reeking of magic that made Juudai sick.

“I don’t think so.”

A different kind of light filled the clearing, one that Juudai squinted against, but it caused no fear in him. Instead, it drove all fear out, and he found it in himself to hope that this wasn’t the end.

“You!” Ancient Elf spun backwards even as that familiar voice spoke.

Standing on the back of a beautiful winged unicorn stood Johan, in his full power as the incarnate Light of Hope. His arms folded over his chest and he stared down at them like the very wrath of the gods, clad all in armor of white and trimmed in silver.

The rest of his guardians stood near him, a tiger and a great cat, a mammoth and a turtle and an eagle, and on his shoulder, a tiny little squirrel-ish creature that chirruped at the sight of Juudai.

“Johan!”

Johan gave a quick, quiet nod, before gesturing to Amethyst Cat and Topaz Tiger. “Get Rune out of here. I’ll take care of this.”

They didn’t argue, even as Johan turned back to Ancient Elf. “I could ask a lot of questions but I’ll save them for when people aren’t waving knives at my friends. So, let them go.”

He added nothing else. He needed to add nothing else, not with the way the rest of his companions stared down alongside of him.

Ancient Elf moved towards Yubel, knife still in hand. “Of course, of course.” His lip curled in hatred, no matter if he looked at Juudai or Yubel or Johan. “How could we ever disobey you?”

More crossbow bolts, but Emerald Turtle moved in front of them and they clattered harmlessly off of his shell. In the intervening moments, however, Ancient Elf struck down at Yubel, the tip of the blade piercing Yubel’s very center.

Juudai had heard Yubel scream before, but never since becoming his guardian and taking on the form of a dragon. The scream struck into the deepest part of his heart and he could see Yubel’s form shimmering before it shattered altogether, breaking into untold points of light, and then fading away with one last cry.

“Juudai...”

And then Yubel was gone.

Juudai writhed and screamed in rage of his own, rage enough to end the world, and he could see Johan running towards him and he didn’t care, Yubel was gone, destroyed, and it was all his fault, he could blame no one else and wouldn’t have even if he could, if he’d just listened and not rushed off like this, if he’d just so much as waited for a second check…

Yubel was gone.

Yubel was gone and Juudai’s heart bled and power that he’d known he had surged upward, shattering the bonds that held him.

One could hold the Darkness incarnate but only for so long. Darkness always fell and always rose again.

There was a voice that called a name. Then other voices. None of them meant anything to the Darkness.

It rose. The Light was there. It needed to be extinguished.

Yubel needed to be avenged.

The world needed to be saved.

The Darkness reached and all those warriors of the Light fell, screaming, and it was pleasing to the ears of the Darkness.

To the ears of Haou.

He smiled and terror spread among all those who gazed upon him and so would it be.

He would protect that which was his. If that meant to destroy all things, to crush them underneath his heel so that never again would the Light harm them, then so be it. Without Yubel, what did he have?

Juudai. Juudai.

Little more than a whisper on the wind, but it was enough to catch his attention and he turned to where the broken body lay. Standing next to it, transparent as a soap bubble, was… Yubel?

He spoke their name. The world shook at the sound of one word and he heard other voices again, and they still meant nothing at all to him.

I’m … I’m still here. I don’t know what happened. But I’m here.

He tilted his head. Did Yubel wish him to stop, then? He would stop at their will and theirs alone.

No, Juudai. I don’t. Yubel bared their teeth and it was not a smile and he returned it. Destroy it all. Let their folly be known throughout the land. Let the Light know what it threatens and what will happen when it fails.

Haou liked how that sounded. The screaming voices still meant nothing. He turned toward one and tilted his head a bit. The screamer meant nothing but Haou recognized him anyway. He just wasn’t what Haou wanted right now. Nor did he want anyone else to have it.

Hope gave people a promise. The only hope and promise he wanted the people here, the servants of the Light, to know was the chance for a quick death. It was the only promise he would fulfill.

He turned another way to recognize his bodyguards. The ones who weren’t Yubel. They kept on yelling, but nothing they said made any sense to him. Well, no matter. It was time to finish this once and for all anyway.

All the elements lay under his command. Fire rained from the sky with little more than an exercise of will. Water rose up from the river, ten times that of what Bubbleman caused, and the earth underneath their feet rocked and cracked open, sending legion after legion of the Army of Light screaming into the depths.

Winds roared, a tornado touching down in the center of their camp, shredding survivors and tents and all their equipment into useless junk.

“Juudai! Juudai!”

Hope again. Haou flicked a finger and a wave of energy knocked him to the side into one of the few still standing trees. He didn’t move.

Haou moved onward. He had a great deal of work to do and he would like to finish it before sundown.

Pain beyond pain tore into his back, ripping through his armor and sending him crashing to his knees. Haou pulled himself up and around to stare behind himself.

The same blade used to kill Yubel now sank up to the hilt in his own back. Far too close stood Ancient Elf, with another in hand.

“Even if I can’t kill you for the Light, I can still kill you!”

Haou reached for his own last bit of power: he knew what a dying body felt like, and this one was dying. He lashed outward with it, and Ancient Elf was no more, falling backwards with a twisted smirk in the last moments.

Juudai sank back down to his knees, stumbling even then, falling forward. One hand reached for Yubel. The other, for Johan. He spared one breath for the Elemental Heroes, even as he could feel the last of his life fading away.

“I’m sorry.”

He didn’t know who he spoke to, but he meant it to all of them.

All my fault...

Juudai sat up, panting, before he wrenched around and threw himself into Yubel’s arms, holding onto them as if they would vanish if he let go for a single moment. His heart raced, tears spilled down his cheeks, and he whispered two words over and over again.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Yubel wrapped their arms even more tightly around him. “It wasn’t your fault, Juudai.”

“Yes, it was! Just like last time! This time! I’m always too stupid and I never listen and people get hurt because of it! First you and I … I … did I… Johan? Then? Did I...” Juudai didn’t know how much sense he made, but it must’ve been enough for Yubel.

“No. He survived and helped put Kuragari back together again after that.” Yubel tilted Juudai’s head up. “He made a very good King after Aodh and Kaien passed away.”

Juudai swallowed. Somehow, that didn’t surprise him at all. Then he blinked. “How do you know?” He hadn’t known that. He hadn’t been around to see it.

“Because I wasn’t dead. I didn’t know then what was going on. But because of what Ancient Elf did, I haven’t had a physical body since then. I can mimic one now, especially since you and I fused and I’ve learned more about the power I have. It took me over a century to learn just how to communicate with other people.” Yubel’s lip curled for a moment. “Not that I wanted to communicate with anyone but you.”

Juudai nodded, holding onto Yubel still. No matter what they said, he wasn’t going to absolve himself so easily. Then he lifted his head up and turned to where the Elemental Heroes stood.

“You all knew, didn’t you? About me? And about what I did back then?”

Featherman spoke. “Of course we did. We’ve been by your side almost as long as Yubel has. But why would we blame you for something that you did when you were pushed beyond coherent rage?”

“And why do you think that Elemental Heroes can take on so many different fusion forms in the first place?” Sparkman asked. “We resonate to you as much as the Neo-Spacians do, Juudai. Our fusions reflect what’s in your heart. That means we understand what it can be like when things like that happen. And like what happened in Dark World.”

“You don’t need to be afraid of your power or what you can do with it. Control is all you need, and you’ve been working on that,” Burst Lady told him. “You’re much better about it, too.”

Juudai eased back down into Yubel’s arms. “I don’t deserve all of you.” Nor did he deserve Johan, who’d risked so much to try to help him even when Juudai wouldn’t listen to him.

“So, you were different because...”

“Because after a few thousand years of not having a proper body, of not being with you at all, and what Ancient Elf did severing my connection to you in the first place, I… wasn’t entirely sane at the time, even before the Light itself got hold of me.” Yubel’s fingers tightened for a heartbeat. “I think this time it intended that I make certain you couldn’t fight back against it, instead of trying to take us both out at the same time.”

Juudai shuddered at how close the plan had come to working, both times. If it hadn’t been for Johan’s arrival, then they both would’ve been sacrificed to the Light. And this time, if it hadn’t been for him getting his memories back…

“I really should do something nice for Johan,” he murmured, starting to feel weary all over again. That had not been a restful nap.

Then he recalled Rune, and realized that he’d seen him before: in this lifetime.

“Yubel… that guy in Dark World. The one that I met before I fought Zure.” He winced at the thought of all else that happened then, before forging onward. “That was Rune, wasn’t it? The guy who was Johan’s twin the first time.”

“And still is now. He’s in Dark World somewhere, I presume. That’s where I sent him, anyway.”

Juudai whipped his head around to stare at her again. “You saved him?”

“I saved everyone you cared about. You cared about him, even for those few moments, didn’t you?”

He could not say he didn’t. He hadn’t thought of it at the time, but perhaps some vague memory recalled Johan’s twin brother. Then he sat up even more.

“Come on. I’m going to find him and he and Johan are going to get a family reunion!”

He stood up, all weariness falling away, and reached for Yubel’s hand. Then he leaned up and forwards to kiss her. “I really am sorry.” He would spend all of time making it up to Yubel if he had to. And to Johan as well.

Yubel returned the kiss, with interest. “You’re forgiven.” As simple as two words and his heart sang for joy, and he carried them away into the shadows to find a brother.

The End

Notes: And that's it. Though there will be other tales that involve Juudai and Yubel and Johan and maybe Rune.

[lejendarydreams]

The Muse - Episode One - Lockheed Streetstar

In a far away land past the Devil's Sea...

There is an island unknown to the rest of humanity.

Saikan.

A beautiful land that sprouted a nation.

It is a myth and no invaders ever attempted to come to Saikan for nobody knew outside that they exist.

A thousand year ago,

Sunken ships, wrecked and lost, washed ashore to the mysterious land. The people that survived a thousand year ago began a new civilization. Years after years, not only shipwrecks but planes crashing landed to their history.

But in their legends, it is believed that a giant sea creature saved them, placed them in Saikan for a purpose, and protected the land.

In Saikan, thunderbolts paint the sky day and night. Sometimes it is cloudy, sometimes it would rain. It is the norm and it is their friend. The humans adapted to Saikan's cruel weather and took it to their advantage. As the civilization grew, they developed high end technology and system, a little more advanced than what we have.

The four cities, places to remember are named KM#05, Earheart, Xi, Lockheed. Each has stories to tell that are yet to unveil.

And I will unlock these as you read along.

Now before the real story begins, I shall brief you more about Saikan.

In Saikan, the citizens are classified as:

Maruns - people who work for MARU (government)

Theurgists - people who believe and worship mysterious beings, believers of supernatural and divinity

Teknikiin - people who develop and work on technologies

Ediin - agriculturists, economists, businessmen

Undergrounders (UGs) - rebels, and underground independent orgs

J.O.P - Just Ordinary People

Currency:

Points. All citizens are monitored and microchipped at their pulse. The installed permanent device is called SRAM.

With the help of SRAM, the citizens were monitored by Maru (government). The SRAM holds a person's entire biodata, entire web, entertainment, currency, entire life.

Technology:

They are able to turn a 3D holographic form to a physical object.

Economy:

Between the cities, there is a river connected to a lake, and the lake connected to the sea. Its water was mysterious, and it was the main source of power, oil, and minerals of Saikan. The economy was greatly dependent on it. But underneath the blessing was an equivalent price. The lake is called "The Cursed Lake" and river was called "The Dark River", for the water coming from there brought a plague. Anyone who touches it will be cursed. So the river and the lake were glass-sealed. Only selected personnel and machines were allowed to harvest from it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Episode One: Lockheed Streetstar

Let us begin with a prophecy.

All gathered, the cult in white hooded robes, recited the eminent future through a song. They sang:

"Time... when the moon

turns blazing blue;

Time... when thunders no longer roar

and land thirsts dry;

Time devours the dead,

And the dead devours the living;

Time of destruction and of revolution;

Time... is power... and power is born

in the hands of the Clairvoyant."

These white clothed men are Theurgists. They devote their lives unveiling the mysteries of their land. Their faith is grounded and built on solid foundation, influencing the culture and tradition of Saikan.

The central city, Lockheed, is the place of the core believers. The theurgists here are influential. They are storytellers, magicians, actors, musicians, and media. They are the attraction and trendsetters.

The cult is lead by Kingsbirth.

Kingsbirth is a powerful man in the country. He lives in the biggest cruise-mansion called The Royal Voyager at Lockheed bay. He is greatly pleasured by art, performances, and divine powers. He is one of the richest people in Saikan, and one of the councilors of the governor.

Meanwhile, on a street in Lockheed, there was a young girl who captivated the attention of the crowd by performing. She was playing ERHI -- a musical instrument device interface that can record, playback, and loop beats and melodies -- projected in holographic form. She was busking for points.

The parks were lovely. The town was as sparkling as New York city. Tall buildings in peculiar architecture, flying vehicles, holograms everywhere. The girl, though in the lowest ranks of the J.O.P., stood out amidst the crowd... for no one was as good as her in their generation.

The girl is a streetkid, 13 years of age, one in the smallest percentage of the population who lives in poverty. Most of them are abandoned children. But among them, she was oddly blessed in maneuvering the SRAM.

It was a dim orange day as the sun's neon light rays peek in tiny holes of the clouds. After earning quite an amount of points through busking, the girl returned home -- a ruined infrastructure filled with street children. She distributed points to each of them, in which after, they ran, with gratitude and excitement, they ran to purchase their needs.

She smiled as they run away. And the smile faded when she heard a noise.

A child crying. She went to the little kid.

"Cicilli? Cicilli, what's wrong?"

The little kid continued to cry.

"I feel... I feel sad." The little kid said before she fainted. She was burning sick.

She carried her to the hospital nearby. The doctor checked her up, tied her, and told her that Cicilli might have caught the dark plague. It was very alarming.

"If anyone is infected by the dark river, the dark plague causes the following symptoms; at first, sadness, depressive thoughts, fear, and then insanity, and extreme hatred. Physicalizing, upon the next few hours, the skin will start to rot. They will bleed, drool excessively, and they will feel hunger, extreme hunger. They will eat food and not be satisfied. Until they eat flesh, their own and of others. The virus will then spread." Explained the doctor.

"We have to cut the parts that were infected. We have to cut her hand. If not, we'll go with euthanasia." The doctor added.

"How much... for her to live?" The girl asked as if she can afford.

"The operation costs 10000 points. That's already discounted." The doctor answered worrying.

"Do it. I'll come back with points." The girl said.

Believing the impossible, she agreed to pay for the operation and decided to go out and busk again.

After several plays she haven’t reached even close 10000...

“You need that much of points? Try to go to the Royal Voyager, maybe you’ll loot enough from the upper ranks.” A stranger suggested. And she went her way to the big mansion ship. She sneaked in to the lobby of the luxurious venue. She walked to the huge dining hall were higher ranks gathered. She opened her ERHI and began to play. The people laughed at her at first but then... something about the music changed the way they feel. They became so drawn to it that they started seeing images and memories.

And right there, Kingsbirth was watching.

After the song, Kingsbirth, as if heard an angel, walked towards her astonished and gave her the points she needs.

"My darling, little sweet darling, would you like to live in royalty? You are divine! You are a goddess!" Kingsbirth exclaimed.

"My friend is in a hospital right now and I need to go. Thank you, Kingsbirth. You have a good heart." She responded politely.

Then she hurriedly ran to the hospital. After an exhausting race, she got to Cicilli's bed and saw the kid lying pale, her skin rotted.

"She has ascended to the sky.” said the doctor. And the girl cried non-stop on the floor. She cried for two things; she cried for being low ranked; and she cried because despite having the points now, she is powerless to change the situation.

The doctor, crushed in sympathy, embraced her, like a mother.

"My name is Doctor Mishuno. Do you have anyone coming?" She asked.

"None." She answered.

"It's okay. You can stay with us. We will keep you." The doctor said.

At the height of the moment, a young boy, her son, called to her and saw the young girl.

"She's... she's that girl at the park! I saw her, Mishuno, she's the singer!" The boy claimed.

"Ah... this boy, he's my son, Clio." Said the doctor.

"Clio." The girl repeated. "I'm going home".

And the girl walked her way out. She returned to the ruined infrastructure, but nobody’s there anymore.

It rained. She sat on the sidewalk waiting for everybody, soaking. Then an umbrella appeared above her, preventing the water to soak her anymore. There was Clio.

"Hey, sorry I followed you here! Mishuno said your friend ascended.... and you don't have to pay anymore." In quite a long silence, the young girl didn't say anything, instead, she sang.

“Your voice resonates like thunder." The young boy said.

"They're gone... all of them. I think they're not coming back." Said the girl.

Then a luxurious vehicle stopped by them. Kingsbirth goes out.

“Come with me.” Kingsbirth invites the young girl, whom he knew was homeless.

"Hey, is that Kingsbirth, the theurgist oldman?!" Clio asked.

"Hold on, little boy. Let me talk to my little lady." Kingsbirth excused the girl to an isolated talk. He persuaded her by claiming that she has a divine purpose and that purpose is to go with him and start a new life. Clio wondered what was happening.

“Go home.” The girl said to Clio. Then she went inside the vehicle without looking back.

She left with Kingsbirth, seeking a better life.

Clio walks home alone. He encountered a strange man begging for food. When he couldn't give him any, the man bit him.

NEXT EPISODE: 

https://lejendarydreams.tumblr.com/post/622974112746422272/the-muse-episode-two-clairaudient

[witchofeindor]

Rebecca Bunch - Miserable Jewishness* vs. Cheery Christianity?

I can’t wait for this season’s Jewish(tm) episode (if there is one this season, but based on this show’s patterns, I’d say it’s safe to assume there’ll be) because like,

During 1.08 ( “My Mom, Greg's Mom and Josh's Sweet Dance Moves!”) we see Rebecca  being miserable to Kley Zemer music (=Jewish music) playing in the background (’Where’s The Bathroom?’, as well as at the beginning of the episode when she removes all evidence of Christmas decorations and replaces them with Xanuka decorations and symbols instead), but being actually cheery and happy for a while to Christmas music playing (’California Christmastime’ but also the cheery Christmas music playing at the beginning of the episode).

Conclude from that what you will, but Rebecca seems to be miserable with anything related to Jewishness (see also 2.10) whereas she has, well, more positive feelings to anything Christian-related (’California Christmastime’, that cheery X-mas music at the beginning of 1.08, and also that line she says to Valencia about feeling happy as a child would feel @ Easter bunnies or smt** ‘If I were only allowed to believe in Jesus!’ in 2.05.)

In addition to that, we see Rebecca refer to her Jewish side of the family on the East Coast as ‘dark, sad and miserable’ in 2.10 (or smt along those lines) and she grows really frustrated when Josh cannot see how miserable everything with us Jews is.

Now, one might think her association of Jewishness with misery as purely based on rationale and logic, and as a Jew myself and a child to Jewish refugees, I definitely can see where that thought might come from and why (partially) she associates Jewishness with misery; our entire history, our personal family stories, our /culture/ is all about survival and mixing misery with happiness, without really being allowed to /chill/ for a second, we must keep on fighting, we must survive, we must stay alive out of spite or all of our dead were murdered in vain. They died so we can survive. 90% of our holidays really ARE about ‘They tried to kill us, they couldn’t, let’s eat’ [the other 10% are ‘we have wronged both god and humanity, let’s repent to god whose own existence we doubt bc we are Jews and we are miserable, bitter cynics who doubt everything and to the ppl whom we’ve wronged (who, magically, happen to be every fucking one including ourselves bc there’s no Tikkun Olam yet but let’s not delve into that rn)]. (And 5 out of 6 of our fasts are about ‘they tried to kill us, they succeeded, let’s fast to remember all of the dead Jews’.) 

From a young age, we are raised to stories about our people being persecuted and our parents pass on their own traumas from antisemitism and persecution unto us. We are raised with the notion that we have always been persecuted, which is, sadly, not inaccurate historically. Rebecca herself mentions to Rabbi Shari that Jewish trauma is passed through genes. (2.10) (Op can tragically confirm).

As a culture, we do mix happiness with misery, and the wonderful ‘Remember That We Suffered’ captures that spirit perfectly. (I’ve shown it to every Jewish person who understands English I know, and we all felt extremely called out by this song bc it is so very true.)

But, that being said, I beg to differ, I don’t think that Rebecca’s misery with her Jewishness (and cheeriness regarding Christianity) comes from, well, our tendency to darken up things alone. I believe a lot of her hatred and rejection towards her Jewishness is projected from her hatred towards her mother, she associates her mother with anything Jewish, and just like her mother makes her miserable, ANYTHING even remotely Jewish makes her miserable.

And then there’s her garbage piece of father (to quote Paula, whom I agree with 10000% in this case), who, we know from 1.08, is an Irish catholic. Even though he is a piece of trash and probably the one of only characters on the entire show with whom you just cannot sympathise, we know that Rebecca loves him and desperately hopes to reconcile with him (at least up to 2.13); and just like she associates anything Jewish with her mother, she probably associates everything Christian with her father, and everything even remotely Christian reminds her of him, and probably makes her feel as if she’s reunited with him again, which might explain her cheeriness around anything Christian.

However, then 2.13 happens and Rebecca finally takes a huge step and makes a healthy decision and finally gives up on her piece of shit for a father and cuts him from her life. 

While Naomi certainly does not deserve Mum of the Year award and has wronged and hurt Rebecca multiple times (most, if not all, wrongings were well-intended, without realising that this is not what Rebecca really needs), she does really love and care about Rebecca and we see it throughout the show (1.08, 1.15, heartbreaking 3.05 and on plenty more occasions) and while she refuses to admit or even acknowledge it, I do believe she realises it somewhere deep inside her. (Yes, even after the tragic aftermath of 3.05).

Now that Rebecca has finally given up on piece of trash for her father, she might no longer associate Christianity with the cheeriness she used to, which makes me think, will it make her reconsider her attitude towards Jewishness?

So yeah, if my predictions are right and this season has one Jewish(tm) episode, I am certainly looking forward to it, even more than before, because it’ll be interesting to see Rebecca’s attitude towards Jewishness.

Tld;r - Rebecca used to associate Jewishness with her mother and therefore with misery, while Christianity was associated with her dad and therefore with cheeriness and maybe hope, but now that she no longer wants her father in her life, will it make her reconsider her attitude towards Jewishness? We don’t know yet and therefore I am looking forward to the seasonal Jewish(tm) episode, even more than ever.

*I’m using Jewishness and not Judaism on purpose here bc I’m referring to Rebecca’s Jewishness from a cultural and ethnic point of view and not from a religious pov bc we know how Rebecca feels about god. (Always questioning, like the true spirit of the Jewish people.)

**I don’t remember the exact line and I’m too tired to rewatch it rn to write it down exactly but you know what I mean.

I apologise for any mistakes, English is my 3rd language, I’m terrible at expressing myself even in my mother tongue, AND I’m after like 16 hours of being up/working only on one hour of sleep, so oops if this makes zero sense.