#Eagle Huntress

[hilite-head]

Green Mask Project @ Currier Museum of Art

Green Mask Project @ Currier Museum of Art

[gnxshxt]

[hexsy]

In search of the eagle huntresses of western Mongolia

A follow-up to the state of eagle huntresses now. It's still not very common, but women have been eagle hunting throughout, not only in Mongolia.

In Kazakstan, 67-year-old Bagdat Muktepkekyzy is a former eagle huntress and retired journalist. . . . Committed to keeping the tradition of eagle hunting alive, in 1998, she established the first eagle training school in Kazakhstan, Zhalayr Shora School of Eagles, and off the back of its success started the Kyran (Golden Eagle) Federation Public Fund in 2005 - an organisation that teaches falconry skills and organises national and international falconry competitions. She also successfully lobbied the government in Kazakhstan to include the art form as a national sport, writing the regulations needed.

In search of the eagle huntresses - Al Jazeera, 2023

Teenage 'Eagle Huntress' Overturns 2,000 Years Of Male Tradition - NPR, 2016

[slowthypiglordblr]

Adventure Flock: AT Cast represented with Birds.

Jake the Duck...

and Finn the Dodo

Princess Bubblegum as a Pink and Grey Cockatoo

Her plumage befits her sweet yet limited morality.

Marceline the Marital Eagle

She's scary at first glance, but her rock'n talons and sharp beak beguile a warm downy heart.

Simon Petrikov the Crested Guan

Small, skittish, and unassuming, but this lil guy shines above all the rest in terms of quirky charm.

Betty Grof the Greater Roadrunner

Quick witted, swift footed, and unfettered even by rattlesnakes, this wacky bird will do anything for her boo.

Lady Cranicorn the Oriental Storke

Huntress Wizard the Great Horned Owl

Wise in the ways of nature and a skillful predator, but a complete birdbrain everywhere else.

Peppermint Vampire Finch

At first, one might think he's just a harmless dutiful servant. But this little nightmare is not to be trifled with.

Susan/Kira Albatross and Frieda the Tern.

Two travelers of the sky and seas, never to be parted again.

Lumpy Space Princess the Common Cuckoo

She's a lazy and apathetic moocher, but at least present when needed.

Prismo the Sarus Crane

Is there any wish in the cosmos greater than spending time with this dude?

Giuseppe the Sacred Ibis

The most wondrous and perplexing creature in all of Ooo.

Earl of Lemongrab the Barn Owl

Can be as quiet as a mouse, but has a voice that makes your ears bleed. This guy is just messed up in the head.

BMO the Junco

Who doesn't love a Junco in the winter?

Moe the Archaeopteryx

The wisest of all the birds and men in Ooo

Lemonhope the Yellow Warbler

Billy the Argentavis

The warrior ever, the hero the skies!

Flame Princess the Phoenix

The Mistress of the eternal flame

Water Nypmhs are various waterfowl

Canyon however is Pelegornis

The only one that can handle Billy's ride.

Magic Man the Peafowl

A magnificent bastard through and through.

Vampire King as the Roc

Former ruler of predators until Marcy came along.

Minerva Campbell the Caladirus

She's a helper to the end, even at the cost of her own life. (was a dove before her ascension)

Hunson Abadeer the Cassowary

The most evil of all birds.

The Ice Crown embodies the Snow Owl

Pretty self-explanatory.

The Lich in the leathery wings of the past

Killed off the dinosaurs of old, and now seeks finish off what remains.

[starry-bi-sky]

Clone^2 - graveyard shift

The dinging of the door alerts Sarah of someone walking in, and she barely glances up from her phone to see who it is. It's past midnight and somehow her coworker John managed to convince her to take over his graveyard shift at their convenience store. He owes her one, because she's been standing here for an hour and nobody's come in.

Not a surprise to her - nobody likes to stay out past sundown in Amity Park, even after nearly three years of ghosts appearing all over the place.

But still, it happens sometimes. So she doesn't look up. The dinging bell just lets her know that it's not a ghost, and that's really all she can ask for. The last time she worked late and a ghost came in, she was cleaning the shelves from some weird goo for an hour.

However, the lack of footsteps in the store after a few seconds worries her enough that she forces her head to lift. And a frown weaves its way onto her face when she sees no one at the door, nor anyone in the closet aisles.

...Shit, was there really a ghost here? Can they ring door when they come in? Normally she sees them just phase right through. And normally they glow, bright and jarring that leaves a migraine building behind Sarah's eyes.

Her eyes quickly scan the shelves again, looking for anything out of place -- anyone with too many heads, or too many teeth, or snakes for hair. She's pretty sure a coworker saw that once when they were working graveyard.

But she still sees no one. Apprehension raises the hair on the back of her neck, and she straightens up from her lean against the counter. Fuuuck. Was this one of those... marshmallow ghosts? An animal ghost?

Sarah really does not want to have to fight off a three-eyed raccoon looking-thing with eagle feet. She's heard the horror stories. And there was no way to contact the Phantom or the Red Huntress to come pick it up -- and she wasn't gonna try her luck with the Drs. Fentons.

Her fingers itch for the broom hanging on the wall behind her. It probably won't do much against a mutant raccoon-ghost-monster, but it'll make her feel better.

There's a rustle and crinkle in the candy aisle, and Sarah's hands are curled around the broom before she could blink. Her heart beating in her chest. She walks out from the counter, the bristled end raised like a bat in the air as she creeps apprehensively towards the noise.

There's nothing there when she peers around the side, and the aisle shelves are tall enough that she can't see over them.

She raises the broom higher. Sarah was in softball. She could take out a raccoon-eagle-hybrid.. thing.... easily. She just... needs to pretend its a golf ball. Except golf isn't softball so that's a terrible comparison.

Oh god she was gonna get her face ripped off, wasn't she.

John so owes her one. So much.

Creeping down the aisle, she keeps her ears perked for any new sounds. But all she can really hear is the soft pop music playing on the store speakers -- chosen by yours truly from her own personal playlist -- and the hum of the freezers. Ugh. This was not good for her paranoia. Like, at all.

Sarah's down at the end of the aisle when she feels a quick set of taps on her shoulder. Her nerves are already shot, so she shrieks and whirls around on her foot, swinging the broom blindly.

Only to be met with sudden and blunt resistance. Blinking rapidly, Sarah stares up and sees a black gloved hand gripping the broom handle tightly, small white bandages peeking over the side around five fingers. Following the hand down connects it with an arm, and then a chest, and suddenly she's staring at a black hoodie and black jacket.

When she tilts her head up, Sarah comes face to face with the bone-white mask and the terrifying, unearthly green eyes of their local vigilante, the Phantom.

...Holy fuck. It was the Phantom.

He was taller than she initially thought. Was her jaw on the ground? Probably. It was flapping like a fish out of water. "I- uh, you-- buh--"

Slowly, the Phantom raised his free hand and wrapped it around the handle of the broom. Sarah watches, wide eyed still and stammering as he firmly plucked the broom out of her hands and turned to lean it against the shelves.

Something about him doing that must've kicked her brain back into gear, because the first thing that comes out of her mouth is; "Your eyes are really green."

And she was going to lock herself in the freezer in the back for that one. She feels her face grow hot with embarrassment, and the Phantom only looks at her blankly. Her eyes shift nervously. "Well, it's true."

It was! The green eyes of the Phantom was his most defining feature other than that unsettling mask he wore. Especially considering they were the same color as some of the ghosts. It was one of the many, many creepy things about the guy.

Looking at it gave her the same, faint headache as when she stared at a ghost for too long. So Sarah drops her gaze a little to avoid it.

The Phantom remains silent, but he raises his hands and signs something to her that she doesn't understand. Fuck, that's right. He didn't speak - and Sarah doesn't know any ASL.

Sarah cringes. "Sorry, I don't know ASL."

She can feel his burning green eyes boring into her, and he remains as silent as the grave as he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a phone in a plain black case. She watches him turn it on -- or at least she assumes he does, there's a privacy protector covering the screen -- and type something into.

He holds it up to her face when he's done, and she squints at the screen. In the notes app, a small text reads; 'We're ready to pay.'

..Oh. This wasn't Sarah's night. Embarrassment flashes hot through her and she forces out a laugh in order to try and quell it, Phantom shoves the phone back into his pocket. "Oh! Oh, right! I'm sorry, I'll uh- get up to the front--" She stops in her tracks.

Wait. Did that message say 'we?'

She smiles nervously, tilting her head up at the Phantom as her brows thread together. "Um," she swallows dryly, "we?" Didn't... didn't the Phantom work alone?

As if startled, the Phantom jerks. And for the first time since he showed up, he blinks and turns around. Which personally, doesn't bode that well as the Phantom swivels his head from side to side like he's looking for someone.

Sarah thinks, after the Phantom stalks up to the end of the aisle and looks around, she hears him sigh. And when he walks back, he snatches the broom with an elegant twist and knocks it against the shelves.

Thud, thud, thud!

There's very, very quiet shuffling that Sarah would have missed if she hadn't been looking for it, and then silence for a few seconds, before suddenly there's a small child pushing past her side and over to the Phantom.

And in the process, scaring the shit out of Sarah.

She squeaks and jumps, nearly tripping over her own feet as the child makes a spot next to the Phantom's side. "Where did you come from?!" She says, her heart pounding against her ribcage.

The child says nothing, just stares at her through a creepy bone-white mask reminiscent of the Phantom's. Although unlike the Phantom, he was wearing some... kind of... dark red ninja outfit?

Sarah really wasn't quite sure. It was partially covered by a jacket that clearly belonged to the Phantom and with the sleeves rolled up multiple times to his elbows. The jacket alone nearly obscured the sword attached to his hip.

...Why the hell did the child have a sword.

She looks between Phantom and the child, at a loss for words. Why-- why did the Phantom have a kid with him, why was the kid wearing a mask like his.

"You have a child with you." Sarah says bluntly, her voice flat. It betrays how shocked she feels. The Phantom doesn't say anything, as she should have expected, but he does nod shortly.

The child bristles slightly, but says nothing. Part of his mouth was uncovered, and she watched it twist downward into a scowl at her. Unlike the Phantom, his eyes were not green. She couldn't see his eyes at all, actually. They were shadowed by the mask.

There's the sound of paper thwipping, and like a magician pulling out a card, the Phantom holds out a note card to her. He stares, expectantly, and Sarah reluctantly takes it.

Written in neat writing and bold sharpie are the words; "This is Wraith."

...And that's it. Sarah glances up at Phantom. Then at the supposed 'Wraith'. Then back at Phantom. "You're bringing a child with you to ghost hunt?" She asks, and okay, maybe she's not able to hide all of the judgement leaking into her voice. "And you gave him a sword?"

The Phantom stares at her blankly, or well, probably blankly. All of his expressions are unreadable with the mask he wears. But the kid, Wraith, bristles again like a stray cat. His scowl deepens, he puffs up, and he opens his mouth like he's about to say something.

...Only for the Phantom to immediately snap his hand out and cover his mouth. Wraith makes an angry sound, and Phantom drags the boy into his side, seemingly nonplussed as he twists his wrist and pulls another note card out of nowhere.

"He is perfectly capable of handling himself." The card reads, and then continues; "I would not have been able to stop him anyways. Wraith would have followed me regardless."

Did he have these prepared?

Best not to question it, Sarah decides. The Phantom has always been strange. So she just nods mutely and stuffs the two notecards into her back pocket. "Okay," she says, and moves around the Phantom. "I'll check you out up front."

[leoruby-draws]

Bit of a late night posting, but wanted to do another batgirl post and what better way to do that than with the very first Batgirl(or Bat-Girl really) Bette Kane! Looks like Cass and Steph are curious about her, looks like Barbara has some explaining to do!

Bette Kane is a character that goes way back to the 60s (golden age), alongside with her aunt Kathy Kane. Only Bette reappeared post-crisis, Kathy wouldn't reappear herself til years later (and sorta replaced with Kate Kane, Bette's cousin.)

She's also part of her own team, Titans West (alongside Bumblebee, Herald, Hawk, Dove, Golden Eagle, and Beast Boy). It didn't last long, which is a shame really. I kinda wish that we did get an ongoing comic for this team, but it never really got the chance for that. I mean, doesn't Marvel have something like West coast avengers? It could've worked I bet.

Bette herself didn't really get much of a chance as a character either, she rarely appeared and when she did it always seemed like other characters just look down on her. Made me sad to read, she seemed to really want the chance to be a hero and help people. But I guess other heroes thought she was too vain or an airhead. To me tho, this came off as more 'tell, not show', since she appeared too little to actually show off her flaws.

But like I said, it seems all she want is to help people, I suspect her motivation to help is a combination of vanity, selflessness, and a desire challenge herself. Especially in the athletic sense, since it seemed being a tennis star wasn't enough for her. (Also I guess I should mention her crush on Robin, Dick, as well. It is important, but its not something I really cared about tbh.)

Anyways! Here's a couple more drawings of Bette:

Tennis star Bette! Probably just won a match here.

First draft I did of her, wanted to combine her Flamebird outfits for her. Love her flame cape!

Also, bonus Batgirls(or Batgirl adjacent):

Helena Bertinelli, the Huntress, she gives the best advice! She has her own interesting comic history, esp with the split between pre and post crisis. Btw that first pic of Helena is part of a larger pic but I can't post it till I 'introduce' other characters into the TrWh au.

Also Misfit aka Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, a chaotic teleporter that gives Barbara quite the headache. Cass and Steph have no idea what to do with her lol!

Well, hope you like all this!

[aroaceleovaldez]

do you have any hunters of artemis headcanons? like what do you think a day in the life is like for them? any customs or traditions? or any interesting ocs?

My primary headcanons for the Hunters are a.) Artemis' retinue in mythology has bird nymphs so. bird nymphs. bird nymphs are in there somewhere. and b.) I completely revamp the oath stuff and their dynamic in general because canon handles it extremely poorly, retcons it poorly, and I don't like the vibe.

The version I go with is that Hunters can be any age, species, gender identity, whatever, just as long as they're okay and comfortable that they will probably be referred to femininely a lot of the time. The Hunt is not just young women, and not even predominantly young women, it's a very diverse mix. And that the Hunt does not explicitly forbid relationships, it only forbids relationships if they are distracting and pose a danger to any hunters (i.e. don't be kissing in the line of fire of the arrows), and explicitly forbids having children while under the oath.

The reason for this being that Artemis is protector of youth, women, and a goddess of childbirth, and in her mythology usually the thing she gets pissed about is her Hunters hiding a baby from her - which makes sense! That's one of her aspects! It's kind of dangerous for a pregnant person to be running around in the woods with a bunch of hunting equipment, or to have an infant in that environment. So my interpretation is the specific thing she is getting upset about is her Hunters endangering themselves and/or a youth, cause that essentially spits in the face of what Artemis represents. If they wanna have a kid they're welcome to leave and come back once the kid is old enough (which is what I interpret Jo & Emmie's leaving the Hunt to be - they just wanted to raise a kid). Also there's myths that imply the Hunters may have relationships between themselves so I like to give room for that. And there's a good couple of myths about male Hunters of Artemis so I hate that canon just gives a blanket statement "no" on that one and is so weird about it.

I don't have many interesting ocs for them yet (I'm working on that - I have like fffffour? Hunter ocs right now I think? My goal is to make at least 10) besides thinking about bird nymph huntresses. And as for customs/daily routine, I haven't thought about it much. I mostly just presume training, hiking, camping stuff, following trails and etc, taking care of the wolves/dogs and hunting birds, all that jazz. I do think a lot about how they have hunting birds though and want the fandom to do more with that. Where's Thalia with a pet falconry eagle.

[freeusemuses]

The native huntress: Tallulah

Name: Tallulah

Age: 30

Race: Faunus

Faunus type: Eagle

Faunus trait: Feathers

Semblance: Air Walking/"Flight"

Weapon: Totem [Spear/Axe/Halberd/Rifle]

[lumi-klovstad-games]

Saorlaith Clannmorna, The Lost Primarch of the Eleventh Legion and Warrior Queen of the Black Eagles

In the annals of Imperial History, there stand heroes greater than any other. These are the Primarchs, the Sons of the Emperor of Mankind, the patriarchs of the Twenty Legions of the Adeptus Astartes who united a frayed and divided galaxy in a long ago age when people still looked to the stars with hope... and the events of the Horus Heresy had not yet doomed the galaxy to darkness, suffering, and despair. But of these, only Eighteen are remembered: The Nine who Turned Traitor, and The Nine Who Remained, steadfast and loyal. Here then is a tale, a tale of the Eleventh Primarch, lost to history and imperial records. It is the tale of Saorlaith Clannmorna, Queen and Matriarch of the Black Eagles Legion.

Saorlaith was always an outlier. As the sole deliberate attempt by the Emperor to craft a female Primarch, it is unclear what he’d hoped to achieve, or what role Saorlaith would have been intended to serve in had events played out their planned course.

Such plans, clearly, were not to be.

Scattered like her brothers by the furious winds of Chaos, Saorlaith was deposited by chance or destiny upon a misty and mountainous world. It was a primitive world not unlike the forgotten highlands of the ancient British Isles of Holy Terra, green with moss and heather, black with stone, and grey with numerous lakes that stretched like battle scars across its face. These endless highlands were called Dún na Badb, a name which carried beneath it the world’s dark and violent history.

Saorlaith was found by a local woman, Morna. Enigmatic and feared, Morna was a Queen of a great and remote land, as well as a respected and wise priestess of the Old Deer God and The Horned Huntress. Morna had powerful sorcerous gifts, and used her fell gifts to ferret out secrets from her rivals, deliver sickness and bad luck to her enemies, or heal her friends, and her wrath was swift and fatal if crossed, with powerful armies that crushed her opposition. Yet the imposing woman genuinely loved Saorlaith, and doted on her as a daughter. She inculcated in the young Primarch the ways of blood and sorcery, and the thrill of battle. Saorlaith grew up with many visitors paying homage to her mother or seeking her advice, but few for long term company, leading to a brilliant yet aloof and suspicious young woman who found difficulty connecting with others, especially as few if any ever sought to truly gain her friendship rather than attempt to leverage her position and title in some way. She was always "the Princess" or "the Heirress", and never simply "Saorlaith" to most. Despite her loneliness, or indeed perhaps because of it, she quickly learned the ways of a Warrior Princess, bonding well with her instructors, from whom she knew and understood the social equation and status quo. Never did they seek to use her connections, or use her to worm their way into her mother's favor; they were invested in her advancement and survival, and she was invested in the skills they had to teach her. Progressing quickly, eventually supplanted her mother at the head of her kingdom's vast armies by the age of 16, though Morna remained a close advisor to her daughter long even after she eventually abdicated the throne in Saorlaith’s favor. 

It is said that the day before Saorlaith assumed the throne, she heeded her mother's wisdom and traveled alone into the misty crags and moors to seek the blessing of the old gods and their court. She traveled unarmed and undressed, wearing just a simple and undecorated gown, a mark of humility before the great powers whose favors she hoped to win.

During her wandering, Saorlaith came across a great and vast lake she had not seen before. Taking a moment to rest, she was engaged by a mysterious man and woman. The man was dressed in furs and moss, and his hat was rimmed with the teeth of mighty predators and crested with antlers from a mighty deer. The woman was clad in leather and hides, and a hauberk of green mail. Saorlaith spoke for some time with the travelers, who claimed to be acquainted with Morna. Upon learning that Saorlaith was Morna's daughter and heir, the two became delighted, and engaged the young princess all day and night with conversation and games of riddles and clever wit. As morning came, the travelers thanked Saorlaith for her hospitality, and the woman waded into the waters, and drew from them a mighty shimmering spear, Géar-Anail, the White Breath, bestowing it upon the princess as a coronation gift fit only for the true heir of Queen Morna. As the travelers passed back into the mist, Saorlaith could not help but feel as though perhaps she'd known them when she was very young. Taking her prize back to her home, she was crowned by her mother, and took her place as Queen of her mountain realm and commander of her army.

Saorlaith became known as “The Unbreakable”, as her campaigns claimed triumph after triumph, and though her skills as a strategist and tactician were certainly fitting for her labors when required, her victories came more from her wild and savage charges, overwhelming her enemies in a stampede of relentless violence in simple pursuit of glory and the win, pure battle and conquest for its own sake. Saorlaith was a warrior at heart. A capable queen, yes, but her heart ever longed for greater battlefields beyond. She ached for new battles, new foes, and greater glories. It was not in her restless nature to simply sit on what she had already accomplished, for she knew in her bones that it would be in that way that her victory itself would be the one to finally defeat her.

Having conquered her own world, Saorlaith grew despondent that such incredible success would be the end of her. There were no further gains to make, no great foes to keep herself sharp against. While Saorlaith reconstructed her newly unified planet into a mighty and glittering kingdom where the druidic sorcerous ways of her ancestors ran like blood through the lowest levels, upholding everything, she began to fear that her greatest triumphs might be behind her. All that lay before her had been conquered and reshaped. The occasional rebellion offered no challenge, no real chance to prove what else she might do.

One day, the magic whispered to Saorlaith that a stranger from afar would soon arrive, though her attempts to scry specifics went maddeningly unanswered. Whoever this stranger was, her blood raced at the thought of it. Some great warrior, perhaps? Some mighty challenge to overcome? Perhaps the Old Stag God had finally answered her prayers.

The day the Emperor came to Dún na Badb, Saorlaith was beside herself with anticipation, warmly welcoming the stranger and treating him to the finest hospitality of her people. She could tell at once that glory rode in this man’s wake, and that it was his destiny to show Saorlaith hers. She told him she would follow where he led, but formality required him to defeat her in the holy Carnfēth, the War Judgement – a sacred battle rite to determine leadership. As Queen, she would be shamed if she knelt before another warrior who had not defeated her in battle. Either the Emperor would defeat her in single combat without sorcery, or be denied his Primarch. The duel was the stuff of legend, and it is said to have lasted for nine days. Saorlaith was not the type to show quarter, and nor was the Emperor willing to relinquish his Eleventh to this backwater world. From the lowest valley to the highest peak, the two clashed, neither showing the slightest hint of false judgment or failed skill. Eventually, however, Saorlaith began to worry that the battle might have no end. Perhaps they were equally skilled, and the battle might last forever… neither fit to command or to be commanded, neither able to cow the other. In this moment, the battle was decided, for Saorlaith, distracted for the slightest measure, lost her footing and fell upon the sword she had given the Emperor. Yet Saorlaith was delighted – in having lost, she found renewed purpose. She had not finished her list of glories, and this loss symbolized that for her. The Emperor promised her an army unlike anything she had ever seen, and he promised her not simply a planet to conquer, but a galaxy in which to seek her glory. Saorlaith would never have refused such an offer.

During the ritual ceremony in which Saorlaith returned governorship of Dún na Badb to the Queen Mother Morna, the Emperor visibly recoiled, startled, in the Queen Mother’s presence as she caught his eye. It is not known why. The two leaders spoke no more with each other than the ceremony demanded, and the Emperor uncharacteristically left with barely-disguised haste, as though being in Morna’s mere presence was either panic or pain-inducing.

Returning to Holy Terra with the Eleventh Primarch, the Emperor was pleased to see her eagerness to take up the Great Crusade, and even more pleased to see that she had healed from her battle wound quickly. He judged, correctly, that she would indeed be a force to be reckoned with once paired with warriors who matched her skills and ferocity.

The Eleventh Legion, the Storm Sovereigns, was indeed a fine army as promised, but the largely Terran recruits disgusted Saorlaith. Clean-shaven Astarte warriors and standardized livery made them all look identical in the eyes of the Mountain Queen, and she immediately set about instilling her way and her image among her new army, just as she’d done at Dún na Badb. Her warriors would decorate their bronze-colored armor with personalized and intricate highland knotwork emblematic of her home world. Their hair and beards would be encouraged to grow wild, often being elaborately braided or otherwise decorated with feathers and beads. Before battle, they performed ritual war chants, songs, and dances, and decorated their flesh with blue paint. This was no mere physical affectation, but a vow to become as beasts who knew no retreat or surrender. The act of painting focused the Astarte’s resolve, steeling them for the blood and carnage to come. Further, like her brother Primarchs, she began to draw new recruits for the legion from her homeworld, filling its ranks with boisterous and passionate, but highly skilled, barbarian highland warriors she knew the measure of and trusted more than the "outsiders" she'd been saddled with. These warriors now had the technology and the means to follow their Queen to the cosmos, and to elevate their kind of warfare to a scale and level they had never previously dreamed possible, and the newly forged “Black Eagles” legion took wing to the stars, taking their appetites for blood and battle with them, ready to find glory and conquest wherever they landed.

The Black Eagles were much changed by Saorlaith’s leadership – she brought with her not just the battle traditions of her people, but also their sorcery. Those who she considered the most capable and trustworthy of her “Sons” were inducted into secret rites and taught a kind of magic that exposed weakness in the enemy, by revealing secrets or bringing flaws to the surface where they could do the most damage, in a way that simply appeared to be a horrific “run of bad luck” when it could be least afforded. The mystic chants of the highland marines’ sorcery and eerie bellowing of their animalistic war horns presaged doom to a thousand worlds that dared defy the Legion and the Great Crusade as their imminent assault would batter and break an enemy that was never as ready to face them as they might have believed or hoped.

Despite Saorlaith’s incredible battlefield successes, she found few friends among her Brothers. Angron was too much of a brute in her eyes; she was all for testing her mettle in battle and achieving glory, but Angron was simply about slaughter, like a rabid war dog Saorlaith would have happily put down herself had she been allowed to. Mortarion was perhaps her first real rival among the Primarchs, detesting her and her legion for their Druidic Craft, while Lorgar Aurelian saw in their rites and traditions the mark of heresy. Fulgrim she dismissed as a preening peacock too concerned with glamor to find true glory, Alpharius as a fool and a tryhard leader too clever for his own good by half, wasting his and the Imperium’s time on his overly complex schemes instead of simply winning when a simple win presented itself, and Pertuabo and Ferrus Manus confounded her with their hatred for weakness rather than their love of strength. Roboute Guilliman, Horus Lupercal, and Rogal Dorn all but outright hated her for her unwillingness to yield to their strategies and authority. Even Vulkan’s legendary patience and compassion met its limits with Saorlaith, who was far too independent to listen to his counsel. And in Sanguinius… Saorlaith saw something worrying. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but in Sanguinius she saw a lurking darkness that terrified her, and she avoided her angelic brother to no end. She made an effort to befriend fellow outsider Konrad Kurze, but his growing instability brought their friendship to an early end. Corvus Corax’s secrecy and tendency to favor subtler means, as well as his favoring of loyalty and obedience, grated on Saorlaith’s nerves. Jaghatai Khan rubbed her the wrong way, simply by being too much like her for them to have ever gotten along. While she didn’t dislike Magnus the Red, she felt his focus was too much on the mysterious and the ethereal, and the way he regarded her almost as a puzzle box to solve unnerved her. Ironically, Lion El Jonson, who had an upbringing relatively similar to hers, and in many ways might have been considered the other side of her coin, and therefore might have understood her better than any of the other Primarchs, held her in disdain for her “Barbarian ways” even if she secretly admired his results and composure. It was Leman Russ who was perhaps the most kindred of spirits, a true brother to her when all others grated, drifted, or avoided her. The Eagle and the Wolf, the Celt and the Viking, the Queen and the Chieftain, frequently fought alongside each other and for a time, they shared a close friendship, and the Black Eagles and Space Wolves accomplished great things together, but like all good things, this too was doomed to come to an end. Finally, Ailani, Saorlaith’s lone sister, and Primarch of the Imperial Hospitallers, never gave up hope on the wild warrior queen. Despite their frequent disagreements as Ailani’s peaceful healing ways clashed wildly with Saorlaith’s violent lust for conquest, Ailani was always there to listen to Saorlaith’s grievances and frustrations, and while they never saw eye to eye, the two sisters grew close as the Crusade went on.

However, the fate of the Eleventh Legion was already sealed, and they would not see the Horus Heresy play out. With her growing frustrations with her brothers gnawing at her, Saorlaith had become more headstrong and reckless than ever, and Leman Russ began to see her as a liability. Further, Russ began to question her loyalty, as, ever the soul of tact, Saorlaith bitterly complained of the Emperor's crackdowns on the Druidic Craft of her people and their worship of the Old Stag God. In her mind, this was not what she had signed up for. She had been promised glory for her and her people, not this... colonialist cultural censorship that threatened to eradicate keystones of her culture and heritage. As the Emperor began to make increasing strides towards banishing religion and sorcery from the Imperium, Saorlaith chafed more and more, becoming bitter and paranoid towards her brothers. She knew they disliked and even mistrusted her, and some like Mortarion and Alpharius were already claiming they could handle her campaigns more effectively than she could. Saorlaith deigned to let them try.

As Saorlaith and the Black Eagles outright began to refuse orders in pursuit of chasing their own glory independently, Leman's already waning patience wore out, and he brought his case to the Emperor, who advised the Sixth Primarch to “chastise” his sister and her legion. Unfortunately, by this time, Ailani had already begun conspiring with her sister to leave the Imperium entirely with their respective legions and peoples, with a dream to establishing their own free realm in the wilds of space, far apart from an Imperium both had gradually become increasingly disillusioned with. The gentle Ailani's blood boiled at the Emperor's treatment of her; she had never particularly willingly agreed to his Crusade, and for hundreds of years he had taken her home world hostage to ensure her continued compliance. Seeing in her so-perfectly opposite sister such incredible similarity, the two had plotted to desert. Let the Emperor have his Grand Vision. In some back corner of the universe, the two sisters would have theirs: a place where they and their people could live free from the Emperor's tyranny. Saorlaith began pulling her veteran warriors from the lines and assembling a small but elite force meant to safeguard and evacuate Dún na Badb. These were marines recruited from the planet, who had ties and roots and loyalties there. Her Terran recruited marine veterans remained on the front lines, mentoring the youngest and least experienced Marines to allay suspicion that her dedication to the cause might be lacking until she had already left. Let those wayward sons of hers know nothing of her plot, that way they might be kept safe, or as safe as possible, from the consequences of her decisions. Perhaps there would even be room for reconciliation in the future, should the winds of destiny blow in that direction.

However, upon returning home to Dún na Badb to evacuate it, Saorlaith was shocked and angered to find the Space Wolves already assembled there, with Leman Russ at the head of his force to deal with Saorlaith in person. Her heart sank, and her anger soared, as she assumed Leman Russ had already discovered her plot to desert. In fact, he had not, and he had simply been hoping to resolve what to him was a disciplinary matter that had far exceeded an allowable scale. Two clashing sets of intentions and views of reality among leaders neither of which being particularly known for diplomatic restraint is seldom a pleasant matter, and it was not long before an unforgivable mistake was made. Who fired first is both unknown and unimportant, but it was held that the battle was titanic; indeed, it was the most ferocious either the Sixth or the Eleventh legions had ever partaken in, for no Space Marine had ever faced a threat quite like another Space Marine. Yet for all the battle’s horror, it was ultimately mere prelude to the nightmares of the Horus Heresy to come. It is generally held that the Space Wolves emerged victorious. To her own shock, Saorlaith lost a second time, this time to Leman Russ, who gravely wounded her in single combat, though he was either unwilling or unable to complete the kill. Arriving in the Primarch's greatest moment of need was Medrawt, the feared First Captain of the Black Eagles, and her mightiest and most favored champion. Medrawt was a peerless warrior in the legion, long rumored to be the Primarch's biological son. Whatever the case he was among the first to be recruited to the Legion at Dún na Badb, and it was also at Dún na Badb that evidence suggests Medrawt proved his mettle and did the impossible by managing to distract and hold off Leman Russ long enough to facilitate Saorlaith's retreat from the battlefield, and then retreat in turn. Despite her escape with Medrawt and a host of survivors, her legion’s numbers were significantly culled in the battle. Three out of five Black Eagles who took part in the battle perished, crippling the Legion, and the novice Black Eagles and Terran veterans carrying the Legion's part of the Great Crusade elsewhere in the galaxy with no knowledge of the betrayal were no safer, being swiftly turned on by their supposed allies and eradicated without ever receiving an explanation why.

While Leman Russ and his legion purged Dún na Badb, he was puzzled to find Morna, the Queen Mother, completely absent. Reporting his findings to the Emperor, the Emperor showed a rare and fleeting moment of genuine fear upon hearing that the Old Crone Queen had vanished. But, this soon vanished, as, coupled with his rage at Ailani’s much more successful rebellion and rout of the World Eaters, in part due to the survivors of the battle of Dún na Badb arriving to assist in the evacuation of Ailani’s homeworld of Takiko, the Emperor turned his formidable psychic prowess to burning the errant women from history, along with their traitorous sons. The two had dared defy him. They had made a mockery of his power and authority. Their rebellion and flight from the Imperium threatened to undermine all he hoped to build by showing that ways other than Imperial Unity might be viable. It could not stand. It would not. Even Leman Russ, who personally fought his sister at the climax of the battle, forgot her in an instant. The records were purged. The monuments were destroyed. The Second and Eleventh Legions’ victories were “assigned” to other legions. All evidence of them was destroyed, except for the hole they left behind.

It is no wonder that the Eleventh Legion and their Primarch failed to aid Terra during the Horus Heresy. Of course, they had fled so far it would be ages, thousands of years, even, before they learned of the Heresy. Saorlaith’s feelings on the matter are unknown, but most assuredly complicated as she weeps for her lost people and quintimated sons.

Among those who are able to intuit the existence of the old Second and Eleventh Legions, and their Primarchs, doubtless a sense of wonder must set in.

What must have happened, that nobody can remember their names, their faces, or their deeds? Could it have been even worse than the Horus Heresy? Obviously it must have been, for the Traitor Primarch’s names are still remembered and the Second and Eleventh have been totally buried and forgotten.

Do these Primarchs live still? Do they regret their rebellion and treason? And perhaps… might they one day return? Surely if Guilliman and Jonson have returned in the Imperium’s darkest hours… all things must be possible. What redemption might lie ahead for Saorlaith Clannmorna of Dún na Badb, the Weeping Eleventh?

[malsfefanfics]

OC Profile: Rosamund

art by @/nessiemccormick, edited down to icon size by me

"You wish to know more about Rosamund? She's rather easy to talk to, once you get past that Vestra pride. Though I honestly don't know her that well, given how Hubert didn't even tell me of her existance until recently. She also tends to keep people at dog's length from her at all times. Yes, I mean 'dog'." -- Edelgard, about Rosamund.

Full name: Rosamund von Vestra Nicknames: Rosa (Raphael, Mercedes, Caspar, Constance, Claude), Rosebud (Hapi), Rosie (by Dorothea), Petal (For Hubert Use Only), Little Rose Wolf (Yuri) Birthday: Day 6 of the Harpstring Moon, 1165 Age: 15-16 (Pre-TS), 20+ (Post-TS) Crest: None Family: Marquis Iason von Vestra (Father, Deceased), Medee (Mother), Hubert (Older Brother), Tancred (Younger Brother), Rigel (Best Hound) Nationality: Adrestia Titles: Master of the Hounds, The Thorn Huntress, Devoted Bloom Voice Claim: Jeannie Tirado (leaning more towards Rose from Resident Evil Village in tone)

Interests: Hunting, History of Fódlan and surrounding nations, Weapons and training, Singing Likes: Sweets, Dogs, Her brothers, Fish, Healthy Competition, Saint Cichol Dislikes: Her father, The Church, Saint Seiros, Noble Society, Liars, Formal Dresses, Herself

Favorite Meals: Super Spicy Fish Dango, Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Pickled Rabbit Skewers Liked Meals: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Trio Bun, Grilled Herring, Sautéed Jerky, Small Fish Skewers, Fried Crayfish Disliked Meals: Daphnel Stew, Bourgeois Pike, Cheesy Verona Stew, Gautier Cheese Gratin

Tea Preferences: Lavender Blend, Almyran Pine Needles, Mint Tea, Rose Petal Blend

Liked Gifts: Hunting Dagger, The History of Fódlan, Fishing Float, Smoked Meat, any flower, Stylish Hair Clip Disliked Gifts: Gemstone Beads, Goddess Statuette, Blue Cheese, Book of Crest Designs

Lost Items:

Book of Hunters' Fables: A hand written book of fables and folk songs shared by hunters from across the continent. Looks well read.

Family Dagger: A dagger with a pink blade and a green handle. Reminds you of primroses.

Children's Music Box: A silver music box that plays an unfamiliar lullaby. There's the coat of arms of an Adrestian Family on the lid.

Starting Class: Noble Preferred Class Path: Noble --> Fighter/Myrmidon --> Archer/Thief --> Sniper/Assassin Strength: Bow, Sword Weakness: White Magic, Black Magic, Dark Magic Budding Talent: Authority Personal Skill: 'Howling Shot', increases power against Demonic Beasts by +5.

Weapons Starting Levels:

Sword: D Lance: E+ Axe: E Bow: B Brawling: E Reason: E Faith: E Authority: C Heavy Armor: E Riding: E+ Flying: E

Base Stats:

HP: 25 Str: 7 Mag: 1 Dex: 8 Spd: 6 Lck: 7 Def: 6 Res: 7 Cha: 9

Learned Faith Spells: ??? Learned Reason Spells: ???

Recruit Requirements for Canon-Compliance AUs: Crimson Flower requires C-support with Hubert and Edelgard, and B-support with Petra or Bernadetta. Verdant Wind requires B+ Rank or Higher of Flying, Faith, and Reason, and must have majority of Black Eagles and Ashen Wolves recruited. Cannot be recruited on Blue Lions or Silver Snow.

Potential Supports:

Byleth

Hubert

Tancred

Medee

Edelgard

Petra

Linhardt

Caspar

Dorothea

Bernadetta

Ferdinand

Jeritza

Mercedes

Felix

Sylvain

Ashe

Annette

Claude

Leonie

Raphael

Lysithea

Yuri

Hapi

Constance

Seteth

Flayn

Shamir

Hanneman

Manuela

Crit Quotes:

You wish!

For my brothers!

How annoying.

I'll never lose!

You call that a shot?

I thought you'd be a challenge.

I'll cut you down!

Time for the hunt!

No goddess can save you.

Defeat Quotes:

I can't fall here. Best to pull back for now.

That...could have gone better.

I'm sorry, brother. I failed you.....

Your Majesty, please....look after my family.....

I guess I truly am....the weakest Vestra.....

Skill Level Increase Quotes:

I can use this on the hunt.

This is easy as pie.

Another day, another lesson.

I can do that? Explains a lot. (Budding Talent)

I....I actually do that? (Magic)

Level Up Quotes:

As to be expected of a Vestra.

Excellence comes with hard work.

Getting stronger and wiser.

Missed the mark, it seems.

I can hear the old man scoffing from the grave.

Not sure I have much left to learn.

Gift Quotes:

Liked Gifts: Oh, I love this! How did you know?

Neutral Gifts: Thanks. This will be useful for later.

Disliked Gifts: You might have better luck elsewhere.

[hilite-head]

Sharing culture through film+food

Sharing culture through film+food

[ilsebet]

TWILIT DAUGHTER OF BLUE-GLINTING SNOWS SLICING DOWN POWDERED SLOPES, FAITHFUL WOLF-PACK IN HOWLING TOW, UNLEASHING HAIL OF ARROW ON MERCILESS ARROW FROM THY DREAD-SONG BOW SUNNA'S LAST KISS IN GLOAMING FAREWELL LIMNS FAST-FALLING FOES. SKAÐI, EAGLE-EYED HUNTRESS OF WHITE-CAPPED PEAKS, PEERLESS IN STRENGTH, SHE WHO DELIGHTS IN BLIZZARDS BLEAK, THE VERY MOUNTAINS QUAKE TO ONLY HEAR THEE SPEAK. ALL ASGARD FEARS THAT WHICH THY WRATH WREAKS.

[bow-down-to-rara]

I don't really know anything about technology, so Leo named the blog. I'm going to fucking kill him.

I think some of the seven are on here????

Repair boy @team-leoo

Repair boy's girl @calypso-daughter-of-atlas

Staplers. @the-best-superman-on-olympus

🎶Athena, badass in the arena, unmatched wittty and queen of the best strategies we've seen🎶 @annabeth-is-a-wise-girl

I have adopted you. You're stuck with me. @nico-the-ghost-king

You too. @hazel-the-diamond

Eagle two. @percy-jackson-is-a-seaweed-brain

Sunny boi @sunny-boy-solace

... @lukemessedup

Shares my love for baseball bats @theonlycoachhedge

Pipes!!! @the-argo-ii-resident-matchmaker

Dam... @best-dam-huntress

Bad Haiku Man @why-did-i-get-acne

Chinese Canadian baby man @the-amazhang-teddybear

Grover eats cans. @grover-eats-cans

Me out of character @pyromaniac-on-caffeine

[alcida-auka]

Star Wars and myths, various wonderings

The triquetra is a common symbol in mythology, and it often a symbol of triple goddess figures. In Star Wars, it could refer to the Mortis gods.

But it may still be a call back to the triple goddess, or it may simply refer to Hecate, the goddess of witches, also represented as a 3 part goddess.

Maiden, Mother, Crone.

Since episode 1 of episode Ahsoka features three female protagonists, it's not hard to gravitate towards them as such a triad, but I'm not sure who would be the crone here. Ahsoka isn't THAT old. But Sabine would be the maiden, Hera the mother.

The triple goddess is also Luna/Diana/Hecate, Moon/Huntress/Underworld[witch]. It is common in Celtic mythology as well.

Star Wars Rebels in particular mixed mythologies, and we see wolves in everything as Filoni is fond of them. There is Skoll and Hati, the wolves of Norse mythology. Marrok the Inquistor is named for an Arthurian knight who was a werewolf.

Mythologically, the wren is the King of Birds, clever and bold and outwitting the larger eagle. The Irish word for wren is dreolin, meaning Druid's bird.

[alchemical-astrology]

Do You Seek Excellence? | Dark Academia Astrology 🏵

Do you seek excellence in your field? This can depend both on the element of your sign, but also on whether it is cardinal, fixed, or mutable.

♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎ ♠︎

🌼 Cardinal Signs: seek to be a pioneer in their field. May choose to lead a research team, propose a new theory, or may kickstart a project. Will try fields they are not necessarily good at. Can start things and not finish them. Need a strong team to back them up but can also be headstrong and power through projects through sheer force of will.

🌼 Fixed Signs: Can have a tendency to be perfectionists. This is a different kind of excellence to the cardinal signs; fixed signs will pursue a project to the end and ensure it is up to standard. They may be the ones who put the finishing touches on a competition entry or fine tune the research of a new paradigm.

🌼 Mutable Signs: Can seem disorganised but their excellence tends more towards creativity and variability. can take over others projects. Will notice gaps in the market that others won't. Tend to be all rounders or adaptable across media e.g. A visual artist who works equally well both digitally and physically.

🌻 Fire Signs: may start projects but not finish them. alternatively have a strong sense of comparison and competition e.g. caring about grades. may fail to plan and bite off more than they can chew. alternatively can be 'freak achievers' for example succeeding in a field with no prior experience. no idea if she's a fire sign but Aisholpan Nurgaiv (eagle huntress) fits this pattern, it can apply to other signs, it's just a tendency

🌻 Earth Signs: often identify established hierarchies and climb to the top of them. have a motto of 'slow and steady wins the race'. can tend to achieve for material gain, not necessarily in a bad way. good at strategy. great at getting into locked or gatekept places e.g. elite universities or think tanks, circles, etc.

🌻 Air Signs: can connect excellence with novelty. Need lots of creative freedom. Are more interested in designing new theories than perfecting old ones. may have their ideas show down at first but then prove their critics right once they find the right team. alternatively thy may have a lot of ideas but not know what to do with them.

🌻 Water Signs: can fall victim to judgement, perfectionism, and high standards for themselves. Seek excellence but may lack the moderation to realise 'pretty good' is also something to be proud of. achievements can be emotionally driven, tend to dwell on failure but also sensitively emboldened by success.

[atla-genderbender]

ATLA Gender Bender: "Himekawa" and "Kayuu"

As I mentioned previously, the concept behind "ATLA Gender Bender" is to swap the genders of the main cast, and to only swap the genders of adult characters when it enhances the story. Unlike Ursa and Ozai, I don't think the story is enhanced by swapping the genders of Hakoda and Kya. Due to her untimely death, little is known about Kya's personality and history. In the TV series, Hakoda is a pretty simple character, though he is given more focus in the comics. In ATLA, the Water Tribe is arguably the lowest of the four nations in terms of gender equality index. If Hakoda was a woman and Kya was a man, it is likely that Hakoda would have been inside the home when the Southern Raiders invaded. Instead of Kya, female Hakoda would have suffered a noble death at the hands of Yon Rha. Since the position of "chief" is elected in the Southern Water Tribe, male Kya could have become the chief in Hakoda's stead. This seems to be a realistic scenario if the genders of Hakoda and Kya were reversed, but it does not interest me that much. For these reasons, I would rather leave Hakoda and Kya's genders unchanged.

Still, I wanted to try a rough sketch of male Kya and female Hakoda, just for fun. In Hakoda's case, I think it would be interesting if female Hakoda was a rare example of a female chieftain. In designing her, I was inspired by the description of a "powerful woman chief" of the subarctic Kaska (see: books.google.com/books?id=iBIS…). I was unable to find a physical description of this woman chief, so I also referred to information about the Greenlandic Inuit. This culture was selected due to its similarities to Southern Water Tribe culture with respect to gender. Both cultures display a clear division of labor between men and women, yet transgender persons could be found in both cultures (see: avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Souther…). Indigenous Arctic cultures also had a degree of flexibility in the gender role of women, who would be taught to hunt and perform masculine activities to ensure the survival of the community. This seems to also be the case for the Southern Water Tribe, given the non-bender warrior woman "Lirin" and Katara's reaction to the more rigid gender roles of the Northern Water Tribe. I gave female Hakoda a masculine, but not totally masculine, style to match the description of female huntresses of the Greenlandic Inuit. These huntresses were not restricted to the typical gender roles of Inuit women, as they were trained to hunt by their fathers. They are described as girls who "behaved and dressed like men", and it might be appropriate to describe them as "transgender" (see: monoskop.org/images/3/34/Mead_…). However, here I did not intend for female Hakoda to be transgender, but to be like the female chiefs "Running Eagle" and Bíawacheeitchish (see: "Men as women, women as men : changing gender in Native American cultures" by Sabine Lang). Her appearance is also a little inspired by the woman chief shown in the Great Divide. Her hair is meant to suggest that at some point in her past, she wore "hair loopies". Her hairstyle is also inspired by the adjacent culture of Kyoshi Island, where woman warriors like Suki cut their hair short and tie it in a wolf's tail.

With Hakoda reimagined as a female chief, I think her relationship to "Sanaaq" might be similar to that of Toph's relationship to Lin. "Sanaaq" would be an aspiring female warrior who endeavors to live up to her warrior mother's legacy.

Hakoda's name is actually Japanese in origin, where he is named after the Hakkoda Mountains. As such, a potential name for his female counterpart could be "Himekawa", the name of a Japanese river.

Since the men of the Southern Water Tribe were all trained as warriors, male Kya wears a warrior's wolf tail like the other men of the tribe. Would he be an impressive warrior or an unimpressive warrior? I'm not sure. Either way, the idea is that he is still the one found in the home, who sacrifices himself when the Southern Raiders invade. In real life, Inuit clothing was styled differently for men and women, where men's reached to the middle of the thigh, while women's reached below the knees (see: books.google.com/books?id=dQcW…). This generally seems to be the case for Southern Water Tribe men and women. However, the comics "North and South" show Thod and Gilak wearing clothes that extend past the knee (see: avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Thod?fi…). This is why I chose to also give male Kya clothing that extends past his knee. It is also supposed to be something that he might wear while inside the home, rather than fighting a battle. I think a good name for him would be "Kayuu", an Aleut name meaning "his strength" (see page 66 of "Ancient Aleut Personal Names": library.alaska.gov/hist/hist_d…)

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