#It's a garden full of life in the middle of a wasteland of death

[nelkcats]

Garden of Souls

There are people who, when they die, do not really want anything else. No reincarnations or second chances. People who did not wish to stay longer than necessary.

When they die, the universe usually grants their wish. And a flower is born in the Ghost King garden. Pariah Dark never paid attention to all the flowers (each one unique in its own way), and left them to die. Although many of them prevailed, a lot of souls were lost.

Danny was different. He loved and cared for each of the flowers. His own sister had become one of them after all. Every day the King went out to the garden and closed his eyes, listening to Jazz's voice speak to him, he watered the flowers and smiled. Danny knew that his sister was no longer in the Realms, that she was resting, but her memories were imprinted on the flower, and her soul had become something beautiful. It was nice to talk to what was left of her.

That is why when John Constantine dared to step on one of the flowers in his garden the King was enraged. The Justice League had reached the Infinite Realms, investigating about it; What at first was a casual conversation turned into a fight as the heroes became fascinated with his garden, one of them daring to pluck one of his beloved flowers while Constantine unceremoniously stepped on another.

Although they had just discovered the dimension, Danny didn't plan to receive them again for a long time. No more help or peace deals, no one messed with his garden, the poor souls must have been terrified.

[welcometomybraincomics]

The world is full of so much beauty.

Sunlight glinting off the edges of a crystal garden, filtering light through each flat prism and speckling the ground in miniature rainbows. (The shattered remains of a crystal garden, glistening across the ground. The glistening spires they used to be before the battle. Lying in the rubble between them, incapacitated and left with nothing to do but observe. They bounce and fracture under pedsteps, each movement creating a near imperceptible symphony of chimes)

The greying of paint as a mech dies, starting at the edges and encroaching on the spark in fractal patterns. (A youngling, tucked into a shadowed corner, frozen long after the mech's spark snuffed, unable to move, like watching a train wreck)

the way energon drips down plating, always seeking the lowest point and inevitably painting a tapestry across the plane as it finds pits and valleys imperceptible to the naked optic. (Watching the energon seep from wounds. On the battlefield, in an alley, in his home. It always seeks the same path, that vibrant pink fluid, regardless of frame type. He watches as it solidifies, as the solvent that makes it "processed" evaporates, leaving the crystalline structure of energon once more. There are patterns to it, there are differences, depending on where in the frame it's from)

The way optics dim when a mech offlines, always from the edges in as the bulbs burn out or lose power. (He hides as much as he can, tucked into a crevice nearly too small for him, and he knows his face is the last thing the mech sees before his spark is shot through by someone he makes sure can't see him. Just like the mech who starved in the gutter next to him, this mech's optics fade the same)

There's so much beauty everywhere, you don't see how everybody misses it. (Pink and grey and rust. There's so much of it, this must be what the world loves. He's been gifted with paradise and he's honored to be born there)

It's in the techno-moth evaporating in a flame, the way rust slowly eats at metal, the way cooling frames bend and pop as their plating settles for the last time. (Symphony of life. Symphony of death. The patterns, here, always. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful)

The splatter of arterial spray is beautiful when captured on a wall, but in the middle of the battlefield, all you can do is snap quick captures as its arc is backlit by the fading light of a foreign star just above the dust and rummage of battle. (A shot to the spark, a knife to the neck, so many beautiful ways to kill a mech. The battle a gallery and he an artist relishing in the majesty of it all. So much so much so much, he wants to capture it all: Every frame, every movement, every death. But he is one mech. It's all he can do to capture this beautiful moment, framed by the flailing limbs of battle, so dark against the setting star)

There's beauty in a field after battle. Some say it's a chaotic wasteland of ravaged corpses, but there are only so many ways a mech can fall, and you see its beautiful patterns spread before you after the dust settles from the air like an ethereal mist and grey frames are all you can see for miles. After you, others will come and pick them apart, scavenge them. Then, their frames will be left to rust, to become part of the landscape, to wash away an acid rain, to disintegrate and wither away and turn into dust on the wild wind of land with no life supporting it. There's beauty in that too. (Cyclical, cyclical, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. To rise from Primus and to return to him. Till All Are One)

-------

Pov you see double standards in action and go "Oh! So all the rules are a lie and there's actually a secret set of rules that I must figure out with my brilliant powers of deduction!" except you don't determine you're on the lower end of double standards, you determine EVERYONE is on the lower end of double standards and now you look like a lunatic

Ahahahhaha After getting into his head, I realize that Guillotine is a deeply traumatized mech. Does he think he's traumatized? No. But his vision of beauty is 100% an attempt to cope with the persistent horrors of the world that just didn't seem to stop. "If all this is so horrible, why is it still here? If it's still here, that must mean this is a good thing, that this is beauty. That must mean this is a utopia"

Anyway, Guillotine is fucked up in ways that did not initially occur to me and now I need to write a Vaporwave pov to see how the fuck their thought processes go together. Not bc my imagined thought process for Vaporwave doesn't mesh well with Guillotine, but because I've only got an outline and I'm super interested in seeing what mindset is compatible.

[kurt-wagner-official]

Post #42: Magik: Storm and Illyana issues 1-4

A lot of reading orders put this miniseries right after the first Limbo story, but it was published around this point, and I prefer it here as a flashback once we know Illyana better. It’s a great exploration of Illyana's history, with art by John Buscema and Tom Palmer. We open with Illyana watching the sunrise on her fifteenth birthday, flashing back to the moment she was separated from her brother. Belasco pulls her back into his domain and casts a spell to remove part of her soul and transform it into the first stone for her Bloodstone Pendant. For his plan, he must take a purely innocent soul and set it on the path of corruption. When the pendant is full, the Elder Gods of Limbo will be released onto Earth. Ororo is about to be killed by Belasco when the future Kitty makes her first appearance, now a sword wielding ninja called Cat. She and Ororo rescue Illyana and reflect on how they've changed time. In their reality, Illyana was freed while the X-Men stayed to be destroyed, but here, the opposite has happened, and they may have doomed Earth. Illyana, still a child, doesn't understand. She loves Ororo and Kitty, but she also loves Belasco, who from her perspective has been kind and taken care of her. Ororo tries to sever Belasco's link to her, but there's already an evil in Illyana's soul, taken the form of her older, more powerful self. Ororo has a new plan- train her in good magic so she can save herself. Cat, who we now learn has been transformed into a cat-like creature by Belasco, says it could corrupt Illyana the way Belasco wants, and that she'll kill them both before Ororo takes that risk. Cat flees and Ororo takes Illyana on a tour of her little paradise in the middle of hell. It's a garden, similar to her attic at the mansion. She shows Illyana the power of healing magic and tells her that humans possess both the potential for life and death, good and evil. Belasco seeks to bring out the evil in her and make her his slave, but Ororo believes they can avoid that. Late in the night, Cat returns to sneak Illyana out, saying Ororo is corrupted by Belasco in ways she doesn't yet realize, and she can get Illyana home to Peter.

Over the years, Cat has turned into something resembling Wolverine. She's a predator, killing demons and monsters and always on the move. Whereas Ororo wants to train Illyana in magic, Cat thinks that'll turn her into what Belasco wants, and decides to either get Illyana home or kill them both trying. She and Illyana make their way across the wastelands of Limbo, and Cat does her best to harden Illyana into a fighter like her, threatening to leave her behind or kill her if she falters. Illyana grows to fear both Cat and Ororo as much as Belasco, as the wonky time in Limbo begins to age her. It's been the equivalent of three years for her, one in Ororo's garden, and now two in the desert with Cat. They finally make it to Belasco's citadel, where they're confronted by the demonic Kurt. Taking Cat's lessons to heart, Illyana fights to kill, distracting him long enough for Cat to phase him into the floor and stab him through the heart. They almost make it to the portal, which Cat can phase them through, but Belasco stops them. He removes the last traces of Cat's humanity, making her his new slave to replace Nightcrawler, and invites Illyana to join him. She knows he's evil, but she's drawn to him, the corrupt part of her soul drawn to the power he could provide. He gives her a knife, and she cuts herself, filling the second bloodstone.

Under Belasco's tutelage, the now 11 year old Illyana masters a spell to shape souls. She tests it on a gentle demon called Squidge, her pet that she's raised from birth, transforming it into an evil beast. It attacks her, giving her a cut on her cheek, and Cat eats it. Illyana and Squidge are a reflection of Belasco and Illyana. Belasco is corrupting her by giving her a semblance of the power he has over her, but she and Squidge are both his pawns in the end. Cat is drawn to Illyana's open wound, and wants to eat her too. At the last second, she regains a little control of herself, and says Illyana's name, the first human word she's spoken in two years. But in fear of and grief for her friend, Illyana lashes out, blasting Cat through the door and out of her life. Along with the guilt from this act, Illyana is scared of the new revelation that power now lies within her. Belasco thinks her a tool, but his Elder Gods have "blessed" Illyana as well. She's now being pulled between the two parties, both of whom think they're the mastermind using the other. Illyana decides she won't be a pawn, and draws a spell circle. She's been taught by two instructors- Belasco, who's spells circles are red, and signify destruction, and Ororo, who initially learned from Belasco, but broke away and began drawing silver circles, the color of creation. Illyana's circles are still silver, and she casts the hardest spell she's ever attempted- the creation of an acorn. It's a symbol of hope for herself, but it's shortlived as it explodes into blood. She's discouraged until an astral projection of Ororo appears to comfort her. Illyana says she has a plan to sneak to the library and learn a spell of destruction to use on Belasco, but Ororo forbids it, fearing it'll complete her corruption. She leaves Illyana alone, and the young girl feels like all hope is lost again until her mutant power activates- she can control the stepping disks that bring people through time and space in Limbo. It's never really been explored whether being in Limbo influenced her powers, or if it was part of the reason Belasco chose her, or if it's just a crazy coincidence. Personally, I'd love to see a story where it's revealed that a future Illyana is the one who put the discs into Limbo in the first place so her younger self could use them. Anyway, she teleports through Limbo and briefly runs into the New Mutants, who are having their own stepping disk adventure in the future. When Illyana makes it to Belasco's library, she's gone back in time far enough to witness the downfall of Ororo. She was once Belasco's apprentice as well, and had the same plan Illyana did, but her destruction spell failed and corrupted her into Belasco's image. This is the first of many times in her life that Illyana is forced to confront her own hubris; if she tried to kill Belasco, she would meet the same fate as her mentor. She's pulled into the present, where Ororo is battling Belasco until Cat cuts her from behind. Illyana goes after Cat not with magic, but with the predatory hand to hand fighting that she taught her. Cat, who tormented her for years, was also in Illyana's words her best friend. But Illyana snaps her neck anyway. Ororo says it was what Cat would have wanted, and this is what she wants too- to join her family in whatever afterlife awaits. But Belasco has one final punishment for the only slave who ever broke from his control. He will use Ororo's death to conjure Illyana's third bloodstone before sacrificing Ororo's soul to the Elder Gods.

Illyana's corruption is still incomplete. In her narration (from the perspective of her older self) she goes from wishing she'd killed Belasco in one sentence to seeking his praise in the next. But she finally breaks free by killing Ororo before Belasco can steal her soul again, before teleporting herself to Ororo's garden sanctuary. But just like in the real world, the oasis represents Ororo's soul, only this time literally. It collapses around Illyana as Belasco takes back control and sends Illyana horrible hallucinations- first of Ororo condemning her, then of Peter saying it's her fault he died, and finally of her parents rejecting her for not being their little girl. Belasco himself arrives with the reanimated corpses of the X-Men and casts a spell over Illyana, creating the third bloodstone out of her pain. He then turns off her mutant power and casts her into the wilderness, placing another spell on her to ensure her survival in the most painful way possible. She makes it to the first tree Ororo ever created, and spends months on end drawing power from it, attempting to recreate Ororo's spell of creation. But there's too much Belasco in her, and in the end the tree dies and Illyana has accomplished nothing. But then she has an epiphany- the creation of an acorn was Ororo's master spell, because pure life was what was most important to her. But Illyana's deepest desire is for vengeance. She casts the creation spell again, but this time with that in mind, and conjures a sword- the same one she attacked Kitty with in Uncanny 171. Her circle is still silver, but her aura is tinged red. She cuts through Belasco's enchantments and summons a stepping circle that takes her to Belasco. She strikes down S'ym in vengeance for Peter and then begins her assault on her slaver. As she begins winning, the Elder Gods' favor shifts to her, and she begins to take on demonic aspects as Belasco reverts to his original human form. She beats him, but when she realizes what's happened, she rejects her place as the Elder Gods' champion and sets him free, reverting to human form. She looks at her pendant, now with three of the five stones filled. The Belasco part of her power now outweighs the Ororo part, but hope isn't lost. In the present, she turns away from the horizon to look at the New Mutants having a snowball fight, and walks towards them and her new life.

Illyana is another of my favorite characters, and this series is where her arc and decades of Limbo stories begin. She begins the series as the young, innocent Illyana, and Belasco hopes to corrupt her into Darkchylde. But by the end of this series, she’s somewhere in between as Magik. She chose creation magic over destruction, but her creation was a weapon used to destroy. She could be pulled in either direction, and soon will be pulled in both. A lot of the contents of this book won’t pay off until years from now in Inferno, and it’s crazy how far in advance they were foreshadowing years of New Mutants stories. Illyana’s story is about the question of whether she’ll be a pawn of evil, a pawn of good, or her own person for good or evil. This miniseries did a great job setting up those questions, and when she joins the cast of New Mutants we’ll start looking for answers.

[saturndivine]

The Ferality of Mars

»»————-　➴　————-««»»————-　➴

Feral: "Existing in a wild or untamed state"

When I think of Mars, I think of the Greek god, Ares. I think of the heart pumping blood throughout the body to keep it alive. I think of passion, ferocity, and rawness. Mars is the planet of emotion, similarly to the moon but with a more sinister twist. Mars wants you to feel everything and create with that energy, Mars wants you to be overwhelmed with emotion, so much so it consumes and guides you. Mars wants you to feel everything. It is known as a Malefic Planet because of its inability to be tamed and controlled but Mars isn’t about having control, its about intuition and allowing yourself to be guided by the invisible force that encourages you to nuzzle into your most primal and authentic state and honor that part of you. 

[Yes I will be using Hozier lyrics that represent the ferality of each sign]

Aries Mars [Mars in 1st]

When I picture Aries Mars at its most feral state, I visualize a forest fire consuming everything in its path, absorbing nature to feed as fuel. With Mars in its rulership, Aries Mars has no issue releasing, guided by their heart throughout it all to overcome whatever may stand in their way. They move quickly and harshly, striking first and questioning later. You mold life into what you want it to be so there is no need for you to even plan right? As an unstoppable force, you have to let your heart take control. 

“There's no plan, there's no race to be run

The harder the pain, honey, the sweeter the sun

There's no plan, there's no kingdom to come

Sit in & watch the sunlight fade, honey, enjoy its getting late

Theres no plan, theres no hand on the reign,

...As Mack explained, there will be darkness again”

Taurus Mars [Mars in 2nd]

When I picture Taurus Mars at its most feral state, I imagine a bear tearing its way through a beehive, grasping at the honeycombs and devouring it in a matter of seconds. With a venus-ruled mars or mars in detriment, you all look for the sweeter things in life and insist that you are worthy of goodness and don’t mind taking it for yourself. Conflict is stupid to you because you have your own morals and studies and firmly believe in what you desire and if anyone steps to you, you have the power to throw it right back in their face. You are the raging bull, undefeated once you’re committed. But you represent the tamer, earthy side of Mars.

“I have never known peace like the damp grass that yields to me.

I have never known hunger, like these insects that feast on me.

A thousand teeth, and yours among them, I know.

Our hungers appeased, our heartbeats becoming slow.” 

Gemini Mars [Mars in 3rd]

When I picture Gemini Mars at its most feral state, I picture the rebirth that spring offers. The energy of this mars sign matches the intensity of the rising sun and falling rain that causes the flowers to blossom and fill the earth with its aroma. It is quite impossible to stop a determined Gemini, they want to leave their mark on this earth and do so in many different ways as they are indestructible, powered by the combination of their mind and their heart which creates an explosion upon collision. To get in the way of this placement is to stand in the way of the changing seasons, impossible. 

“Each day you'd rise with me, know that I would gladly be the Icarus to your certainty.

Oh, my sunlight, sunlight, sunlight.

Strap the wing to me, death trap clad happily, with wax melted, I’d meet the sea,

Under sunlight, sunlight, sunlight.”

Cancer Mars [Mars in 4th]

When I picture Cancer Mars at its most feral state, I visualize the crumbling of the earth into itself, only to grow back in a healthier form. A resilient placement that can have the worst thrown at them and come back only more beautiful. In the introduction, I discussed how both Moon and Mars share a common goal but the Moon goes about it a different way, as Cancer Mars goes about martian energy in a different way as well. With mars in fall, Cancer takes the soft approach to ferality, embracing the harsh energy and converting it into tenderness. 

“And I love too, that love soon might end, 

be known in its aching, shown in the shaking,

Lately of my wasteland, baby. 

Be still, my indelible friend, you are unbreaking,

Though quaking, though crazy

That's just wasteland, baby.” 

Leo Mars [Mars in 5th]

When I picture Leo Mars at its most feral state I see a blinding white-hot light overcoming anyone and everyone in its path, forcing others to bend to its will simply by doing what it does naturally. As a fixed mars, Leos energy is continuous and bold, quite difficult to escape if a Leo Mars has you in their eye line. They are everywhere, they rule the heart so they rule ferality in a way, diving back into their lion roots and fully delving into the fact that they are the rulers of the jungle and rulers of the world.

“Be love in its disrepute, scorches the hillside and salts every root 

And watches the slowing and starving of troops

And, lover, be good to me.

Be there and just as you stand or be like the rose that you hold in your hand 

That will grow bold in a barren and desolate land

Oh, lover, be good to me.”

Virgo Mars [Mars in 6th]

When I picture Virgo Mars at its most feral state I can clearly gaze upon an open field, a deer nosing at grass only to be pounced on by a random predator, yet Virgo represents both the predator and the prey, enforcing balance and really honoring nature fully. Virgo Mars is one of the most ferocious and determined martian placement because they understand how to use the life around them to their advantage. Failure is impossible because they are always ten steps ahead of everyone else. They understand balance, both aggressiveness, and peacefulness. 

“With the war of the fire, my heart moves to its feet

Like the ashes of ash, I saw eyes in the heat

Feel it soft and as pure as snow, fell in love with the fire long ago

With each love I could lose, I was never the same

Watch it still live in roofs, be consumed by the flame

I was fixed on your hand of gold, laying waste of my lovin' long ago”

Libra Mars [Mars in 7th]

When I picture Libra Mars at its most feral state, I see a person walking into a mossy lake only to never come out again. There is a slight underestimation when people first get to know the Libra Mars.  This martian placement matches up with tricky Aphrodite, Libra mars has secrets they dont want unturned, they have a hidden past that they want to be kept to themselves because they are never the people they were a few moments ago. They are evolving and healing, rubbing soil on their open wounds to grow into a new version of themselves. 

“I had a thought, dear, however scary about that night, the bugs and the dirt.

Why were you digging? What did you bury before those hands pulled me from the earth?

I will not ask you where you came from, I will not ask and neither should you. 

Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips, we should just kiss like real people do.” 

Scorpio Mars [Mars in 8th]

When I picture Scorpio Mars at its most feral state, there is a black burning tree in the middle of the falling snow, crackling and popping and falling to the pieces onto blankets of snow only to keep burning. Mars takes a different approach in this rulership, it is calculated, ready, and sure of whatever move is to be made as if it has been practiced for quite some time. There is no defeating a Scorpio mars, only succumbing, bending to its will, and praying that they will take mercy on your soul. 

“If I was born as a blackthorn tree, I'd wanna be felled by you, held by you

Fuel the pyre of your enemies.

Ain't it warming you, the world gone up in flames?

Ain't it the life you, your lighting of the blaze?

Ain't it a waste they'd watch the throwing of the shade?

Ain't you my baby, ain't you my babe?”

Sagittarius Mars [Mars in 9th]

When I picture Sagittarius Mars at its most feral state, I see the serpent in the garden of Eden sliding on its belly and offering an option of freedom, going against the grain of submissiveness. Sagittarius Mars tends to ooze this raw sex appeal that stems from their confidence & their need to question the life around them, never satisfied by what is given to them, instead they leave their own mark on the world before them by embracing individuality and moving along their own path. 

“I'd be the voice that urged Orpheus when her body was found. 

I'd be the choiceless hope in grief that drove him underground.

I'd be the dreadful need in the devotee that made him turn around.

And I'd be the immediate forgiveness in Eurydice,

Imagine being loved by me.” 

Capricorn Mars [Mars in 10th]

When I picture Capricorn Mars at its most feral state, I imagine the fall of an empire, a civilization, a society, forced to come to terms with the fact that its reign has come to an end. Mars in exalt, arguably one of the most powerful placements to have in the natal chart, there isn’t a way to prevent the energy of a Capricorn Mars, they are backed by Saturn, two malefic energies combining to create an unbeatable power and manifesting as strength in the native who claims this energy. 

“It's the light, and it's the obstacle that casts it

It's the heat that drives the light, It's the fire it ignites,

It's not the waking, it's the rising.

It's not the song, it is the singing.

It's the heaven of a human spirit ringing.

It is the bringing of the line, It is the bearing of the rhyme

It's not the waking, it's the rising.”

Aquarius Mars [Mars in 11th]

When I picture Aquarius Mars at its most feral state, I visualize a group of nude women, dancing around an intense fire, the full moon shining only for them as they howl out into the wind. Aquarius Mars is a placement that understands how to honor their roots and get back in touch with themselves to move to the future. They use their past to propel them into new opportunities and to become a higher version of themselves. There is no obstructing this futuristic placement, eyes steady on the prize that remains up ahead. 

“When you move, I can recall something that's gone from me

When you move honey, I'm put in awe of something so flawed and free.

So move me, baby, shake like the bough of a willow tree,

You do it naturally, move me, baby.” 

Pisces Mars [Mars in 12th]

When I picture Pisces Mars at its most feral state, I envision a floating sailor, sinking in with each song that leaves the siren’s voice only to realize that it is too late as the last of air leaves their lungs and they now become one with the siren. Pisces Mars has the gift of “innocence” that people project onto them and they understand how to use it to their advantage and come out on top. Deception is a mastered tool but doesn’t negate the fact that they are simply seductive and persuasive and hold power that many are unaware of. They should continue to move carefully and use their “faults” to their benefit. 

“Feeling more human and hooked on her flesh, 

I lay my heart down with the rest at her feet.

Fresh from the fields, all fetor and fertile

It's bloody and raw, but I swear it is sweet. 

In leash-less confusion, I'll wander the concrete,

Wonder if better now having survived.

The jarring of judgment and reason's defeat. 

The sweet heat of her breath in my mouth; I'm alive.”

Link to Website [Services, Blog, & More!]

[kryptsune]

Souly Damned Saturdays!~

🌼 Hello everyone! Welcome to another SD Saturday! Today is going to be another character profile, a timeline, and some info on one of the stories within the world! As always if you are interested in my original work please reach out! I love answering questions about all this work. Let’s get into it! 

~Prince Profile:~

True Name: Saketh Alias Names: Costello Nicknames: N/A (he usually rarely even uses his true name as he prefers Costello far more) Soul Flower Type: Rose in Full bloom          Color Type: Fire Gold mix with Burnt edges Infernal Hierarchy: Crowned Prince of Lust Age Order: 2nd Oldest Familiar Form: (Raven) - A large black feathered bird with eyes and talons of golden fire. True Form Appearance Description:          ~Skeletal in appearance          ~Prominent fangs (spiked teeth in true form)          ~White horns similar to an antelope (more twisted)          ~Fingers with black clawed tips          ~Golden eyes          ~Pointed gold tongue          ~ Stereotypical spaded tail with a black to white gradient          ~ Two sets of wings                          ~White to black gradient and edged with blue fire                     ~When in enraged they are fully engulfed in blue fire

Human Form Physical Description:       ~Hair Color: warm tone Platinum Blonde       ~Hair Style: Short, falls to ears, whip dip       ~Glasses or Contacts: From time to time, more Rectangular frames       ~Eye Color: Fire Gold       ~Skin Tone: Pale       ~Contract symbol mark placement: His left side, junction between neck                                                                        and shoulder.       ~Height -- 6’3”

Special Abilities or Powers --

        ~Mind reading         ~Can pull out deepest desire            ~Dream walking         ~Veritas (forces those under his influence to tell the truth)         ~Trust (will gain the trust of those touched)          ~Mental Suggestion         ~Lust Touch            ~Levitation          ~Teleportation         ~Fire/Dark element         ~Conjuration (more below cut!)

~SD Q AND A (These are all questions from you! Specifically those in my server):~

1. What was Costello like before he became an infernal?

💛 Costello used to be a Celestial of love just like Val. If you split love into two separate entities it would be the passionate romantic side and the side that is all about protection and devotion. These types also reflect in both Costello’s and Val’s Infernal sides. Costello is more about seduction and Val is about possession and obsession. As brothers they tend to work together in their celestial sides. When they fell they split a bit.

2. When he isn't busy what does he do in his spare time?

💛 Oh thats easy! During his time in the Mortal Realm he spent a fair amount of time in the 1920′s era. It is where his style comes from mainly and why the Lust kingdom appears to have that kind of influence within it. He used to be a charismatic bartender during prohibition and that has kind of stuck with him. He enjoys crafting new drinks both for mortals and Infernals (since they can’t get drunk off regular alcohol). He is also an avid reader.

3. What kind of stuff does he read?

💛 Hilariously he enjoys supernatural romance novels because they fascinate him. Why would mortals be interested in a being that could literally end their life easily? As one such being he finds it both amusing and curious. He also reading them to see what mortals are uh... "into". Other than that he likes reading anything supernatural/gothic fantasy based for “research”.

4. Does Costello share the same view on humans as Val?

💛 Val and he at one point help similar enjoyments fo mortal kind. They found that they were were entertaining and rather sweet to observe when falling in love. When they fell all they saw was darkness not just from mortals but also themselves. How lust overwhelms your thoughts and drives you to commit certain acts. Their opinions grew apart when Val was corrupted by their father, Darrius. They only were both brought back due to their brother Nas and the mortal they meet later in time, Evelyn Rodgers. Their nickname for her is Starlight.

5. Does Costello like animals?

💛 Yes he does! He has a specific affinity for the raven. 

6. Does Costello have a favorite drink? Alcoholic and non alcoholic.

💛 He enjoys most drinks but specifically a Galaxy Cocktail but with an Infernal twist. When it comes to non-alcoholic I would say that he is more of a coffee connoisseur so things like Mocha. He enjoys sweet things but not to the level that Val does. (btw that cocktail looks like this)

7. Would Costello be willing to befriend humans?

💛 Before the fall, absolutely but after the Fall and before Eve? No. Humans are just tools for his amusement and entertainment. I should mention that Costello while his father is in power goes off the rails... and is extraordinarily dangerous only when Nas pulls him back from that does he mellow out. During the 1920's he still has a superiority mindset and a master of emotional manipulation. He is however far...FAR more mellowed out at this time which is why he humors Eve the first time they meet.

8. What are Costello’s responsibilities in his kingdom? 💛 It really depends on when in the timeline you are asking about. If we're talking before Nas ascends to the throne of the realm? Then Costello's duties were much less. He assisted Nas who was High Prince of Lust at the time. He studied and learned, ready to take over for Nas if the other needed to leave or otherwise. Now that he is High Prince himself? His duties include the hefty amounts of paperwork ensuring every soul is accounted for. New souls that hold purity to fall under Nas' new ruling, getting where they need to go if they landed in his kingdom. He also handles some punishments for the wicked. He has to run the entirety of Lust kingdom. Valentine... yanno... somewhere... X’D (trust me he probably isn’t the best one to ask)

~Souly Damned Timeline~

Creation of the Realms: The Celestial, Infernal, and First Mortal Realm come into being. The Infernal realm is closed off leaving the Celestials to guide and shape humanity. There are intermittent wars with the Infernal beasts and Imps when they manage to break their gates. The garden of Paradise was also created at this time which houses those most loyal to their “gods”. It is also a fact that the Celestial blooded creatures were created at this time (unicorns are a good example, light fantasy creatures). They were placed in the Garden.  

The Celestial Civil War: Darrius and his sons rebel against the ways of the Silver City only to be stricken to the Infernal Realm. After this event the gates to the Celestial Realm are shut and mortals are forced to fend for themselves. 

The Rise of the 12 Princes: The now fallen Celestials begin to corrupt the souls of the mortals present being known as the Seven Deadly Sins. The mortals are easily swayed by their new rulers dubbing them King and Princes. Each one with its own people and territory to preside over. In this time the Princes begin to succumb more deeply to their darker sides, now shunning their once Celestial blood. 

Blood Moon: A period of time in between the rule of the Princes in the First Mortal Realm where 4 Princes began to experiment cruelly with their own corrupted blood and the mortal soul. The Infernal blooded hybrids come from this part of the timeline such as vampires, werewolves, and the fae.

The Vinculum Infernalis (Witches/Warlocks): With the Celestials gone the mortals were now forced to fend for themselves. In desperation they plead with their Fallen overlords to aid them. A blood binding contract was struck between them giving them magical abilities and a new tie to the Infernal Realm. This was also the creation of the first covens.

Maintaining the Balance (Hunters): Enraged by the tilt of the balance of the universe in Infernal favor the Celestials decide to form a similar bond with mortals creating the first Celestial blooded humans. They would eventually be called the Hunters as their “divine” task was to eradicate the First Mortal Realm of the Infernal Blooded abominations now that the Princes favored the newly created realm.

Long Live the King no more: After millenia of creating havoc and bloodshed without consequences the Princes begin to doubt the leadership of their father. They have slowly changed their mindsets about mortals all together after so much time. Instead of destroying everything in sight and soaking the earth with blood they begin to have an attachment. Their fathers' ways are despotic so in response to this Nasaros, the eldest, usurps his throne.  A second war is waged between those of Infernal and Celestial blood turning the First Mortal Realm into an almost apocalyptic wasteland filled to the brim with monsters and ruins. The Princes lose the war doing substantial damage to the Celestial Realm. It was no longer habitable and so a new balanced realm was created for the mortals to live in peace without fear of Celestial driven war or demonic influences.  

The Locking of the Gates: The gates of the three Realms are shut and locked in the beginning of the birth of the New Mortal Realm. The Princes are forced to make a new Kingdom within the Infernal Realm to which they have been banished. This forms “Hell” in which the decisions of a mortal's life determine where they go. If they revel in the original 7 sins then they are placed in the kingdom in which they over indulged in. The silver City was once again open to those of virtue but only after death. With no direct interference from either side the humans evolved and advanced on their own. This is what we know as the world today while the First Mortal Realm was now labeled as an in between realm. One that would eventually be called Purgatory, the realm of beasts, monsters, and the supernatural.

Bloodswap: A story set after the time frame of Blood Moon and the creation of the Hunters. It is about 2 brothers that become infected with a vampiric blood that is now turning their town to shambles. The gates have been sealed and those forced to live in Purgatory struggling to survive. The mortals have progressed slowly despite being an older realm. They are currently in what we would consider the middle ages with the help of Celestial technology. Once the gates are unsealed for the New Mortal Realm a new world order begins to form. (Crimson would be proud of his new vampiric race that has slowly taken over Purgatory, now more civilized as the rulers).

The New Mortal Realm and Purgatory: Purgatory remains in ruins though there are mortals that live in this apocalyptic wasteland of a world. That also includes monsters and hunters. Over the Centuries cracks within this forgotten realm have released some of its inhabitants into the New Mortal Realm (NMR). The original bloodline of the first covens also were able to make it into this new world fleeing from Purgatory with the help of their Infernal masters. The Mortal Realm is now in the modern day where many of the Infernal or Celestial blooded mortals or beasts hide in plain sight. Even some of the most vicious have adapted to this new apparently “magic-less” world.

Note: The gates are no longer locked indefinitely for either of the two main realms; this is why demons are able to make contracts with foolish mortals. The Celestials have been forbidden from interfering for fear of repeating the past but that does not mean that they do not do so. It is rumored that around the world are organizations created to combat in secret those Infernal blooded that lurk in the dark. Meanwhile the covens are more focused on their own material pursuits having been persecuted for centuries (Salem Witch Trials as an example).

Ossibus Inferni (1920’s; NMR):

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

Main Plot Synopsis: During the era of the 1920’s a young lady named Evelyn Rodgers finds herself thrown into a Hellish Civil War. She is a small PI (Private Investigator) hurting for cash and jobs in a place wrought with problems. In an effort to make a better name for herself she begins to investigate the rise of crime and strange occurrences happening in her city. There are suspicious disappearances, missing persons reports, and extra violence that couldn’t be missed by human eyes, right? It just does not seem to add up. Determined and with nothing to lose she is able to put together a series of connections by using some none to savory contacts. 

She finds out that the potential epicenter of these events are tied to owners of one of the swankiest and popular clubs in town. It is suspected that it is a speakeasy but that is not what has drawn her attention. It would appear that the family running the place have been a mystery to nearly everyone even though they have been around longer than they can recall. No one knows what the owners look like due to usually having their signature fedoras on. Ones that she can place all around the city through various photographs. It could be anyone, right?

Regardless of the information that she has collected she decides to go undercover to the club, Ossibus Ignem (Fire and Bone), in order to confirm her suspicions. She decides that auditioning for one of their most prized gigs is a good way to get into their inner circle and perhaps get a glimpse of her potential employers. Eve wants the truth and nothing but the truth though this plan is incredibly risky. Even if the brothers, as she finds out later, are not the cause of these events they could still be nefarious. No one likes a spy, especially one that’s gained their trust.

As she enters she realizes that it is packed like the rumors have told her. She does not get out much due to her job but she is dressed to the 9s in a beautiful dress of the time ready to put her plan into effect. Instead of waiting around she heads to the bar where she is spotted by the seemingly charismatic bartender which she manages to strike up a conversation with. She tries to pick his brain over a drink that he generously slides her way. It would seem that the establishment is already breaking the laws of Prohibition. That much is already confirmed.

He seems like the friendly sort, platinum blonde hair and a dazzling smile. Eve being a PI calls into question how perfect he actually looks but puts the thought off. She could have sworn his eyes were far more vibrant than what was humanly possible too. When she glances at him again however they appear to be a light brown instead. Things are already strange as she continues to speak with him only to find out that he is in fact one of the brothers that work at the club. It turns out to be a family business. He introduces himself as Costello -. 

Eventually their conversation is cut short by Costello taking her to the back of the house where presumably his brother is waiting for her to do her little gig. She paces back and forth nervously in her dressing room only to not watch where she is going, running into a tall individual. His pinstripe suit, fedora, and bright red tie cause her to pause only to be greeted with a shiny golden toothed smile. The strange thing about it is that it is shaped into a fang/ canine tooth. It is a little off putting but the stranger introduces himself as the younger brother of the group, Valentine -.

This is someone that she had no doubt is in all the photographs that she had collected. Ultimately he seems nice enough telling her that if she needs anything to let him know and to take her time with her audition. He does appear to have a mischievous flirty side to him especially with her which she tries to distance herself from. He does not make that easy as she can tell he has already taken a special interest in her. 

She performs and it would seem that she has a pretty singing voice that leaves the entire crowd roaring in applause. This obviously catches the eyes of the brothers and she gets the gig. Other than a few of the accidental slip ups the boys seem fine with her being around them. She doesn’t pose any threat. After all, she is only human. 

Eve begins to enjoy her undercover position but finds herself slipping further and further away from her original objective. The - family puts her up in the loft above the club and treats her well. She learns more about them and more about the family itself. They are pretty open with what they do not even hiding the crime lord status that they are under. Being associated with the brothers is dangerous and therefore they want to make sure she understands what it means to be under the name of -. 

She is surprised by their honesty and immediately they gain her trust and vice versa. That is until she realizes why she is there in the first place. After one of her performances she manages to get into Valentine’s room, snooping around. Only to find something she wasn’t expecting of a bunch of crime mafiosos. Instead she finds arcane symbols, tomes, and various other occult items that would lead her to the conclusion that they are in fact dealing with something far beyond the mortal realm. At least that is what she thinks. 

The concern only grows when she finds a secret room with even more devilish items. One such item is a series of documents showing the various victims she had been investigating. On top of that information she finds even darker dealings then she suspected and papers scrawled with a script she has never seen before. As she turns to leave the room she freezes to hear Valentine’s voice. He is none too thrilled as he interrogates her but she can’t see his face. All she can feel are skeletal like claws at her shoulders. It’s all in her head right?

When he turns her around she is faced with him looking quite human explaining to her the predicament she now finds herself in. As her confusion grows he keeps her cornered only to be given two choices. One is that she binds her soul to him in the form of a contract and the other, death. Obviously she chooses to live. After this event she is able to see the true forms of all the Infernals in the club, having a panic moment seeing them mingling so easily with unsuspecting humans. Valentine, Luciano, and Costello are the most terrifying in form as they are skeleton looking Infernals. From then on she works in the club learning more and more about their true selves.

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[green-t-ea]

Todaaaaay! On Orobor0's - Hard Reset

Session 2 is past us and it's time for the update on the goings on of the server!

The sun got so pissed it exploded! The ensuring nuclear fallout was disastrous and a new loop has started because of this. At first glance it appeared to be a post apocalyptic winter with dust from the fallout blanketing like snow and the nuclear winter in full swing. However a few days later the dust blew away revealing a mega taiga.

What happened to the sun? What sun? There is no sun anymore.

The moon is stronger!

Some commentary from The Loops local player populace!

Fleeting (2): I made a garden :>

Fleeting (2): What do they mean the Sun is Haunted? We don’t even have a Sun?

Brynn (4): Made a friend and found a shocking amount of stuff. Also we have a dog now. Nice.

Ser (5): I am trying so very hard to keep my roomate alive.

Honeydew (3): Note to self, don't walk behind w4rd3n while by a cliff! At least not with Many spiders at the bottom!

Boo (9): I miss the warmth of Home. Water burns and my roommate cares more for me than themself.

W4RD3N (7): accidentally killed my whole team today! 🥲

Salvi Sixe (6): no well, oh well. the cave im living in is bursting with life, and i have someone to keep me alive this time. thank the void

Our current groups are!

W4RD3N, Fleeting, Honeydew aka "Big Crew" (temp nickname) living in a oak Forrest building a house decorated with lush plants and foliage, are the most well set up.

Brynn & Salvi Sixe aka "The gays" (temp nickname) for the time being living in a lush cave, have a dog and somehow manage to be the richest on the server.

Ser & Boo aka "Moon Cult" (temp nickname) last seen in an underwater cave. First group the the nether, group with 2ed most deaths and most deaths of 1 person. Speedrun crew.

Kudzu & Jess aka "Divorced Duo" (temp nickname) won the "most likely to kill each other" reward. Living far out in the middle of a snowy wasteland. Have a villeger breeder and they keep getting into squabbles like a old married couple.

Things are moving fast but lives are dropping faster! Will the world loop back in the near future or will these struggling players drag this loop out for all it's worth? We will see in the next session of Orobor0's - Hard Reset

[blightarts]

Blades of Order & Chaos

Chapter Title: Prologue

Word Count: 4362

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Pixelberry. This is my version for the upcoming sequel of Blades of Light & Shadow. I am not claiming this to be the canon story of the book. This is only written to increase the hype for the actual sequel.

MC/Pairing: Kite (Blue Elf Male MC) / Kite x Nia

Taglist: @princessstellaris @mechaspirit @brightningstar @cal-north @mahariel-theirin @lxdy-starfury @tyrils-star @imturaxamara @kelseaaa

It’s a silent night in the capital city of Whitetower. Each member of the group is settled in their bedrooms. Some are asleep while the others are restless. Kite just woke up with a gasp, panting and sweating after witnessing visions in his sleep. Nia shoots awake next to him with an immediate concern.

Nia: Kite? What’s wrong?

Kite looks around, catching his breath. He looks at his beloved, worried.

Kite: Nothing… just a bad dream…

Nia caresses his cheek and gives him a reassuring peck on the lips.

Nia: That’s right, just a bad dream. Now, come on. Let’s get some rest.

She smiles at him and Kite smiles back with a subtle uncertainty in his eyes. The two lie back down on bed, with Kite spooning Nia, before drifting back to sleep. Kite can’t help but recall the visions he saw; that strange hooded figure, the ruined burning city… and of course, the creature above him, huge and terrible…

Meanwhile, something similar happens to the rest of the group.

In Kade’s room, he’s laid down on his bed, unable to sleep. He begins recollecting a memory from when he was still an infant. He recalls being in a forest with the sound of people panting and another child crying being heard nearby. He then heard people talking frantically around him.

Voice 1: How did we not notice his presence for two thousand years?!

Voice 2: I do not know, but what confuses me is why he had to keep himself preserved instead of slaying his own nephew.

Voice 3: Well, it matters no longer. We must find a safe place and remain there long enough for Estel’s son to grow and become the hero this Realm needs.

Voice 1: Riverbend should be nearby. Let us seek refuge there.

The two voices continue to pant whilst running to their destination. This is all that Kade can remember, but the fact that the two voices mentioned Riverbend, mean that two of them could be his own parents and the other being Kite’s. He ruffles his hair, trying to know more.

Kade: Ugh… what does this all mean?!

In Mal’s room, he is sitting by the balcony, playing with a coin and gazing at the stars. He looks at his coin, giving him vivid flashbacks of the day before his retirement from the Thieves Guild. He recalls being inside an ancient dungeon buried in the Zaradun Wastelands. He then remembers his fellow thieves yelling in despair whilst trying to escape the dungeon as it was crumbling.

Thief 1: That… thing is alive!

Thief 2: How is that even possible?! This dungeon has to be at least… thousands of years old!

As the group approached the exit, the stone floor below them started shaking before it broke apart, causing most of the members to fall to their deaths. Mal, however, managed to leap out of danger in time, but as he was about to head out, a voice called for his help.

Fledgling Thief: Mister Volari!

Mal turned to see the fledgling hanging by the edge of the collapsed floor. He ran back to grab the young boy.

Mal: Hang on, kit! I got yo—

But before Mal could reach the fledgling, the floor crumbled once more, causing the young thief to fall to his death, much to Mal’s horror. As the ground in front of him started to crack, the former thief immediately ran out of the dungeon as it buries itself deeper beneath the sand. After returning to the Guild in Whitetower, Mal retired, overwhelmed by his Survivor’s Guilt, and began his life as an adventurer instead.

In the present day, he grits his teeth and clenches his fist, gripping the coin given to him by the fledgling he failed to save.

In Tyril’s room, the elf is asleep on his bed, dreaming peacefully, but that peace won’t last long. He begins experiencing a vision of the past, not his own past, but the history of House Starfury. Tyril finds himself in the middle of a battlefield.

Tyril: This place…

He attempts to familiarize his surroundings, seeing corpses of elves around him, with almost half of them having pale skin and blood on their lips. Tyril then recognized them as the cursed elven race, the Vhampyrs, prompting him to realize where he is.

Tyril: This is the Battle of Cragheart, where Lady Farin defeated the Beast of Blood…

He sprints across the battlefield, looking for his ancestor, Farin Starfury. Eventually, he does so and finds her, with the Blade of Sol in hand, standing face-to-face with the Beast itself, a large gargoyle-like creature with long black hair and crimson eyes. But what happened next shocked both Tyril and Farin as the Beast just spoke.

Beast of Blood: F-Fa-Fariiiiin…

Farin is caught off-guard for a second but quickly regains focus.

Farin: Do not distract me, you monster!

A fiery aura surrounds the elf as immense magical power surges through her, ready to strike. But the Beast continues to communicate with her.

Beast of Blood: V-Vla… dussss….

Once again, Farin lowers her guard as she sees the Beast’s eyes switching colors, from red to blue and vice versa. Soon, she begins to notice the features present in the Beast’s face as she recognizes its true identity.

Farin: B… Brother…?

Tyril widens his eyes at this revelation. He tries to reach out to Farin but was pulled back by an invisible force, causing him to jolt from his sleep with a gasp. He pants, processing what he just saw, before staring out the window in confusion.

Tyril: Lady Farin had a… brother…?

The elf attempts to shake off this thought out of his head before returning to his slumber.

In Imtura’s room, she is fast asleep but her troubled expressions mean that she might not having such a pleasant dream. Like Tyril, she’s having a vision, but instead of the past, it shows an event in the future. The orc finds herself back home, in Flotilla, but she doesn’t have full control over her own body. It’s almost as if she’s seeing the perspective of her future self. She then notices, in horror, Flotilla falling apart in flames, with other of her kind panicking.

Orc Guard 1: Get the children to safety! I’ll join you once we secure the royal family.

Orc Guard 2: Wait, is that…? The princess!

Orc Guard 1: Princess Imtura! Retreat to the Wra–

Imtura’s future self grits her teeth and turns to the guards.

Imtura (Future): Prioritize the citizens! Let me secure my own mother!

The orc guards reluctantly nod and follow the princess’s orders. As Imtura’s future self gets closer to the throne room, the present time Imtura’s vision start to get blurry, as if the dream is about to end.

Imtura (Present): Wait… no… bring me back… I need to know if my mother is alive! BRING ME BACK!!

But her cries do not matter as she wakes up in shock followed by deep breaths escaping her mouth. Imtura looks at her trembling hands, wondering if what she saw was real or if her mother was even safe should the events become true. She then repeatedly and gently smacks her hands against her cheeks.

Imtura: Come on, Imtura! It’s just a dream. Everyone is alright back home.

With a calming sigh, the orc lies back down and falls asleep a few minutes later.

And lastly, in the prisons of Whitetower, Aerin is seated at the corner of his cell, contemplating instead of sleeping. However, instead of thoughts about regret for his actions or vengeance upon those who imprisoned him, memories fill his mind, memories that date back to his childhood.

When Aerin was around six years old, he was seated on a bench in the castle’s flower garden. Beside him was his older brother, Baldur, who was nine years old at the time. Baldur was holding a stick and raised it up high, pretending to be a hero, before turning to Aerin.

Baldur (Past): One day, Aerin, we shall trek beyond the borders of Morella, and make peace with the surrounding kingdoms. With your wits and my strength, we will become kings that will lead our people to the right path!

Aerin smiled shyly but looked down.

Aerin (Past): I am uncertain, brother. You are the eldest, the heir to the throne. Technically, only you can become king while I just stand beside you as your advisor.

Baldur grinned as he ruffled Aerin’s hair.

Baldur (Past): Nonsense! I shall make it so that we both become kings.

Aerin looked up at his brother with wonder.

Aerin (Past): Really?

Baldur nodded.

Baldur (Past): I cannot do this alone. We’re brothers. We have to stick together.

As the memory fades, Aerin places a palm on his head, riddled.

Aerin: …Have I always had memory…?

The night goes on and our heroes are lost in thought after what they had just experienced.

A new day begins, brighter than the last, and the group gathers at the main hall of the castle, preparing to say their goodbyes and go back to their normal lives, but after what they’ve experienced the previous night, it’s too soon to depart just yet. On the way to the main hall, Kite and Nia are walking down the stairs, hand in hand. Kite tries his best to hide his worried expression from Nia, but the priestess is too occupied with a slight headache. She gently places a hand on her head as her vision starts to blur. Kite notices this.

Kite: You okay, Nia? You look like you’re starting to get lightheaded.

Nia meets Kite’s concerned eyes but a vision flashes before hers. In this vision, she is seeing through the perspective of someone from long ago. Nia finds herself in some sort of tunnel and in front of her is a dark figure with swords hovering around them as they approach her. The priestess sees herself raising her hands against this mysterious figure ready to blast them with the power of the Light. However, the figure was too elusive as they quickly evaded the blast before plunging one of their swords onto Nia, prompting the vision to cease and the priestess to gasp and fall onto Kite’s arms. The elf’s expression turned from concern to fear.

Kite: Woah, woah… what happened…? Are you okay?

Nia takes a moment to breathe while Kite helps her stand.

Nia: I don’t know… I… think I just saw… a glimpse of the past…

Kite: What do you mean? From when?

Nia shakes her head and shrugs in uncertainty. Kite just nods and kisses her forehead, not wanting to put much pressure into her after what she just went through. After regaining composure, the priestess sighs and looks at her beloved with a reassuring smile.

Nia: I’ll be okay. The bad things are all over now.

Kite hesitantly smiles back at her, thoughts of last night’s dream not being able to escape his mind.

Kite: …Yeah, they are.

Suddenly, they hear someone at the bottom of the stairs.

Mal: Hey, are you two just gonna get married and spend the rest of your lives on that step? We ain’t got all day.

Kite and Nia turn to see their friends waving at them. Kade and Imtura are snickering because of Mal’s joke while Tyril shakes his head in disappointment. Threep and Loola flutter towards Kite and Nia with grins on their faces.

Threep: Come. There’s much to do.

The couple nods at the two nespers before descending the stairs to meet up with the rest of the group. As all of them head towards the main hall, Kite notices troubled faces on his friends, realizing that they must’ve seen something similar to what he saw last night. Knowing that they might be hesitant in sharing, he decides to share his experience.

Kite: Guys, I have something to say…

Kite halts behind his friends as they all turn towards him.

Tyril: Is something the matter, Kite?

Kite grits his teeth but reluctantly speaks up.

Kite: I don’t think we’re done yet… There’s still more about the Shadow Realm we do not know.

Everyone tilts their head on confusion.

Kade: What do you mean?

Imtura: Yeah, we kicked the Dreadlord and his goons’ asses while we were there.

Kite shakes his head.

Kite: It’s not just them… There’s something else in that damned place…

He clutches himself, shivering while the thought of Whitetower in ruins fills his mind. Nia steps up to hold and comfort him.

Nia: Kite, is this about that bad dream you had last night?

Kite looks at her and nods in terror.

Mal: What exactly did you see?

Kite gulps, trying not to hurl.

Kite: I was warned about a great danger coming from the Shadow Realm… After wielding the Blade of Light in there, I seemed to have attracted the attention of a far more threatening foe… the Empire of Ash, if I recall.

Threep and Loola’s eyes start to widen in dread.

Loola: D-Did you just say…?

Threep: The Empire of Ash…?

The group notices the nespers shivering in fear, as if they know more than what the others think.

Kade: Wait, what is the Empire of Ash?

Threep gulps and tries to speak but is too horrified. Loola steps up and speaks up instead.

Loola: The Empire of Ash is an ancient enemy that preceded the Shadow Court. Some stories say that they had fought against the first generation of the Elven Empire, but others say that they are the Elven Empire itself before being usurped by their foes who fought for righteousness. Whichever you look at it, they are far worse and more dangerous than the Shadow Court, nay, even the Dreadlord himself.

Threep coughs and finally talks.

Threep: And if Kite is saying that they are coming once again, then this Realm is in great danger.

Tyril: How come I’ve just heard of them now? Their history should’ve been written in the elven archives.

Loola shakes her head.

Loola: All records about the Empire had been erased during the war against the Shadow Court. All of them, gone.

Mal: And since you and Threep are the only ones from that era, only you two knew about it?

The two nespers nod.

Imtura: What else do you know about the Empire?

Threep: I heard that the Empire was led by the one called “Fateseeker”, an individual with unimaginable power, able to lay waste on a civilization within minutes.

Shivers travel down on the group’s spines upon hearing what Threep said.

Kade: How did the Empire fall?

Loola: Rumors say that a single elf who wielded the power of both Light and Shadows was able to push back their forces and eventually, banish them in the Shadow Realm.

Threep: The elves of our time believed that the Dreadlord and the Shadow Court were merely just pawns of the Empire.

After this huge revelation, everyone in the group is taken aback and tries to process what they’ve just heard. Gritting his teeth, Kite stands up straight and walks past the group.

Nia: Kite? Where are you going?

Kite: The prisons. I’m paying him a visit.

The group realizes who Kite is referring to and goes after him.

Mal: You sure, kit? We still don’t know if you’re dream is just… well, a dream.

Kite: I’m certain. He’s spent twenty years of his life in the Shadows, so he must know something about the Empire.

Soon, the group arrives in Whitetower’s lockup, standing in front of Aerin’s cell. He scoffs at them.

Aerin: Have you come here to mock me before you all return to your normal lives? That’s petty, even for me.

Kite: We’ve come here to ask you a few things.

Aerin raises his head with a smirk.

Aerin: Oh? What more can you ask from me? The Dreadlord and the Shadow Court are gone. You have nothing else to interrogate out of me.

Kite: What do you know about the Empire of Ash?

The prince raises an eyebrow.

Aerin: Ah, I see. I thought the Dreadlord was just exaggerating when he said that he serves a far greater power than his own.

He stands up and walks up to the bars of his cell.

Aerin: Alright then, Kite. I shall entertain you.

He then smirks before continuing.

Aerin: While planning for the Shadow Court’s return, the Dreadlord has mentioned about the Empire a couple times. He said how he needed a vessel who is prominent in Light Magic in order to act as the beacon, signaling the Empire.

The prince turns to Nia, who backs away while Kite steps between them. Aerin chuckles and continues.

Aerin: Even with the Dreadlord’s demise, he still was able to fulfill his goal… all because of your foolishness.

Insulted, Kite attempts to charge at Aerin but his friends hold him back. The former prince just laughs before sitting at the corner of his cell.

Aerin: That is all I can offer you, Kite. If you want to know more, you could pay the dwarves of Zaradun a visit, that is if you can find one at all, since they’ve been missing prior to the rise of the Shadow Court.

Kite grits his teeth before breaking out of his friends’ hold and taking his leave. The rest of the group follow him.

Kade: Kite, where are you going?

Kite: The Zaradun Wastelands.

Nia grabs Kite’s arm and stops him in his tracks.

Nia: Kite, why are you so intent on stopping the Empire?

Kite breaks into tears.

Kite: Because it’s my fault why we have to deal with them in the first place!

The group falls silent as the elf continues.

Kite: I brought the Light upon the Shadow Realm. The Empire is returning because of me. I have to make up for my mistake.

Kite clenches his fists as they tremble.

Imtura: Why is it that there’s something else you’re not telling us?

Kite gulps.

Tyril: Kite, tell us. Please.

Kite sighs and gives in to his friends’ pleas.

Kite: I… saw something else after being warned of the Empire…

Threep: What was it?

Kite looks around Whitetower then at his friends.

Kite: Whitetower… in ruins… burning… while a dragon looms over it…

There was a long silence as the group stares at Kite in horror.

Mal: What did you just say…?

Mal, knowing that his sister lives in the capital, grabs Kite’s collar.

Nia: Mal, what are you doing?!

Mal: What about my sister, Kite? Is she still alive in this dream of yours?

Kite doesn’t answer, uncertain of the fate of Whitetower’s inhabitants, further angering Mal.

Mal: ANSWER ME, KIT!

Tyril grabs Mal’s arm and gives him a concerned look. The rogue comes back to his senses before letting go of Kite.

Mal: I’m sorry, Kite. I don’t know what came over me… it’s just… I’ve already lost enough… I don’t wanna lose anyone else.

Kite shakes his head.

Kite: It’s okay. I understand your frustration. I think… we just need to clear our heads and plan out what we should do next.

As the rest of the group nods at what Kite said, Imtura is at the back, trying to connect the destruction of Whitetower in Kite’s dream and the destruction of Flotilla in her dream.

Nia: Imtura?

The orc is snapped back into reality as she looks at the group staring at her.

Imtura: I’m sorry, it’s just… I’m concerned for my family as well.

The group nods at what she said before Kade steps up with a suggestion.

Kade: Okay, come on. Group hug. We need to keep our spirits up in the fight ahead.

Kite smiles at his brother before placing his arm over his shoulder. The elf looks at the rest of the group.

Kite: Kade’s right. We’re all in this together.

Nia joins and places her arm around Kite. Tyril joins right after.

Nia: No matter the threat, we can handle it.

Tyril: We have done it once; we can do it again.

The four of them smile at Mal and Imtura, waiting for them to join. The rogue and orc roll their eyes before reluctantly joining the hug.

Mal: You all are hopeless optimists.

Imtura: But the same can be said for the both of us.

As the group laughs at the comment, Threep and Loola land on Kite and Nia’s shoulders, respectively.

Threep: We are all still millennia away from defeating the Empire…

Loola: But that shouldn’t stop us from saving the realm.

Kite looks at the determination present in his friends’ faces.

Kite: Let’s get this done!

Everyone: YEAH!

Suddenly, the moment was cut short by an explosion heard from a distance.

Mal: What was that?

The group turns around the corner to see smoke coming from the castle. They rush back towards it, curious and worried as to who or what caused the explosion. Upon reaching the throne room, the group spots King Arlan, surrounded by his guards, standing face-to-face against a dark figure. Nia’s heart sinks as the mysterious figure looks exactly the same as the one she saw in her vision. She begins to collapse but Kite catches her in his arms.

Kite: Nia, are you okay?

While the group helps Nia on her feet, King Arlan speaks with the dark figure.

King Arlan: Who are you?! And what business do you have against my kingdom?!

The figure unsheathes their sword and conjures five copies of it before having the swords hover around them. Tyril immediately recognizes the unique magic used by the figure.

Tyril: Impossible. How is he alive after all these years?

Mal: You know him, elf boy?

Tyril grits his teeth and unsheathes his own sword.

Tyril: He is a former member of the Shadow Court… Sir Laundsellyn, the Deserter!

The figure turns towards Tyril and grins.

Sir Laundsellyn: “Deserter”, eh? I am grateful that elven history gave me quite a title.

While Imtura and Mal join Tyril and unsheathe their weapons, Kite hands Nia to Kade.

Kite: Take care of her.

Kade: Don’t worry. Kick Laundsellyn’s ass.

The elf grins at his brother before joining the others.

Imtura: What’s this guy’s deal?

Tyril: Prior to the purification ritual two thousand years ago, all of the members of the Shadow Court were cornered and eventually banished to the Shadow Realm… All, but one.

Mal: Sir Laundry boy?

Tyril nods.

Tyril: He was tasked with hunting down the Priestess of Light and succeeded but was never heard from again when he was supposed to join the other members of the Court during the final battle of the war.

Imtura: Oh, so he’s not a “deserter”. He’s a coward!

Sir Laundsellyn scoffs.

Sir Laundsellyn: Spare me your insults. I’d known from the beginning that the Court will fail. So, I fled, avoiding my banishment. I was thinking far ahead than any of them, even the Dreadlord himself.

He starts walking towards the King.

Sir Laundsellyn: My purpose now is to serve a far greater power… the Empire of Ash…

Anger rises among the group upon hearing the mention of the Empire.

Imtura: Anything we should know about this guy, Tyril?

Tyrils shakes his head.

Tyril: No, the elven archives did not mention a lot about Laundsellyn, except only for being part of the Court and his betrayal.

Kite: I guess we’re on our own here.

Tyril: We need a distraction.

Kite smirks as he puts a hand on his waist, but Mal grips the elf’s shoulder.

Mal: Don’t. You. Dare.

(Author’s Note: Kite’s not much of a Seductive Skill combatant . 😅)

Kite chuckles.

Kite: Don’t worry. I’m not that type of fighter.

He then holds out his hand, materializing the Blade of Light in his grasp.

Kite: I’ll take him on easily.

Mal, Tyril and Imtura grin.

Mal: Oh, right. I forgot we have that now.

Tyril: An agent of the Shadows like him won’t stand a chance against your Blade.

Imtura: Go get ‘em!

Kite nods as he dashes towards Laundsellyn who turns to him.

Sir Laundsellyn: Oho? What do we have here?

Kite channels the power of the Light present within the Blade before swinging it at the former member of the Shadow Court.

Kite: This is your end!

However…

CLANG!

…Sir Laundsellyn stops the Blade with only his finger, leaving everyone in utter shock and silence.

Tyril: …T-That’s… not possible…

Kade: How?! He’s a soldier of the Shadow Court!

Laundellyn smirks and pinches the tip of the Blade.

Sir Laundsellyn: Ah, I’ve been wondering where my Blade has been all this time.

He then kicks Kite on his gut, causing him to loose grip on the Blade as he is propelled across the throne room.

Imtura: Kite!

Mal rushes to Kite’s aid while Tyril and Imtura ready themselves.

Mal: Kit, are you okay?

Kite coughs and glares at Laundsellyn.

Kite: Your Blade? What are you talking about?

Laundsellyn chuckles as he holds the Blade properly with its hilt.

Sir Laundsellyn: The Blade of Light has always been an heirloom to my House. Being a descendant of the one who wielded the power of the Light and Shadows, I cannot be harmed by the Blade.

Suddenly, something comes to Threep’s mind, as if he’s starting to remember a lost memory.

Threep: I remember now… You’re the prodigal son… of the House I once served!

Laundsellyn spots Threep behind Kite and squints his eyes.

Sir Laundsellyn: Tch! I thought I made sure you’d forgotten everything about my House, Pompedorfin.

Threep hisses at him.

Threep: Mind your tongue, traitor! You were the reason why House Nightbloom became extinct!

Upon hearing the mention of his own House, Kite’s eyes widen.

Kite: Threep, what do you mean?

Loola: Threep once told me about an heir to House Nightbloom, who is slothful, despite being skilled in almost everything. He stole their heirloom and left without a trace in pursuit of his own selfish goals.

Laundellyn sighs.

Sir Laundsellyn: Ah, yes, the nostalgia of those days...

He scoffs as the power of the Shadows surge through him.

Sir Laundsellyn: Well, if you must know… My real name… is Lucius Nightbloom.

----- END OF CHAPTER -----

[gremlinkweenarchive-blog]

Chasing Twisters

Part 1: The Garden of Eden 

A/N: Okay, here’s my first longer series on this blog! Idk how long it’s going to end up being, but let’s see where it goes! This is all about Michael receiving a vision that there is a woman meant to be the mother of his children and the queen of his new world, but she’s uh, not enthused with the idea at all. So, just let me know what y’all think!

Warnings: No smut yet, sorry. There is blood, death, abuse, the reader goading Michael to kill her, she’s lost everything in the apocalypse so her will to live is not very high right now. That’s about it?? 

Word Count: 2.6 k

Tagging List: @ccodyfern, @michael-lngdon, @michael-langdon-owns-my-soul, @langdonsinferno, and @duncans-donuts

Without further ado: 

The moon looked pure, gleaming white and full, filtering through the branches of a dead forest. It was once green, but when he stepped foot in here, all of the life wilted away. Michael didn't remember this place, but he wasn't one to doubt these visions. A flash of movement caught his eye. A feminine figure dashing through the dry foliage. He felt a pull towards her and he took after her. No matter how fast he ran, she seemed just to get further from him. It was a maddening race that it seemed like he was destined to loose. He felt a branch whip up and snap across his face, a thin but constant line of blood falling from it.

She lead them to a barren clearing in the field and stopped in the middle, making Michael stop at the edge of the clearing in fear that he was going to make her run off again. She turned to him finally and he saw what a wild creature she was. Her skin was bare and kissed by mother moon, all of her edges soft with femininity, her face soft, yet her eyes burned with fire, a passion for life, a stubbornness that didn't compromise, a wild fire that consumed everything. Michael didn't know if he could breathe looking at her.

Her arm raised and she beckoned him to approach, but he did so cautiously, not trusting something so wild and beautiful, something so savage and breathtaking. Yet, she stayed in her spot, allowing him to approach. He towered over her, but she stood tall against him. She reached up and wiped the blood from his cut, the stinging soothed and he realized the cut was healed. She then licked her thumb clean of his blood. He didn't want to speak, in fear of frightening this magnificent creature.

Grabbing his hand, she held it to her face, her skin warm and maddening to the touch, but he let her move his hand down, only running briefly across her chest and down to her abdomen. She placed his hand there firmly and suddenly it was like an outburst of magic, of energy, that flowed through out the field and forest. He watched in wonder as life bloomed everywhere. The field was luscious with life in just mere moments, and he came to understand that the bump under his hand was firm. This wasn't just the soft belly of a woman, but life grew inside of her, and came to understand it was his. It was his seed that took root here. There was something even deeper though. The life radiated from her. It was his seed, yes, but she was the divine energy that fed it. She was the one that restored the life to this place.

She then stood on her tip toes and leaned up to whisper in his ear. "Find me. Woo me. Fill me. I'm your's."

He went to respond but suddenly he was darting up in his bed, not in that magical clearing. The silk was sticking to his sweaty skin and he was gasping like he had just run a marathon. He looked around his dark room, everything was as it should be here. He fought for control of his breath as he thought about the dream, the vision, he just had.

With a huff, he threw the sheets back and got out of bed, flicking his fingers for his robe to fly to his hand. He'd have to think on this. Of course, this was only the next logical step. A queen for a king. A bloodline for a dynasty, but he had no idea where to start. He figured it was time to figure it out.

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

The barren wasteland was her home now. She learned how to exist here just as well as she did before the end of the world. She's alone now, the only companion is the cat that co-habits her bunker that she didn't even bother to name. Names meant that you were attached, meant that the holder of the name had sentimental value. Sentiment gets you killed in this world. She stopped caring about her own long ago, if she ran into anyone and names were demanded, she just gave them the name Odie, short for Odysseus for the famous no one trick. She didn't even bother to explain that much, people were either gone or dead in a week.

Today's expedition was for looking for copper, hoping to be able to wire her bunker better. Just because the world ended didn't mean that home improvements had to stop. After all, she had that greenhouse that needed the best wiring to keep everything at a good temperature and get the proper uv exposure. At least, that's what she told herself. The real reason was something closer to not allowing her brain to rest and think of all that she's lost.

She slipped on the mask and stepped out to the bright day. The sunlight harsh, blinding, and garish. God, she hated it out here, but it was either go out here, or slowly go insane in there. So, time to take her chances out here. The trip was going well, she was able to raid some copper wire from an abandoned Home Depot in the skeleton of a town. This would definitely go far, and she would even go as far to say she was excited about this find. Plus, there was a Pet Smart there, and she was able to nip in and grab a toy for her friend. This would make him happy. It was going to be a good day for the both of them.

In hind sight, she should have known that having a good first half of a day meant that everything was going to go to shit later. So, seeing a guard from that stupid fucking outpost or whatever bullshit as she turned the street corner shouldn't have been that much of a surprise, but still, she was surprised. They both looked at each other before she reacted quicker, grabbing a knife from her side and let it loose, finding it's new sheath in his neck.

She took off, feet pounding against the pavement, but didn't get far before a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind. She shouted, but drove her foot to the inside of that one's knee as hard as she could, hearing the tendons and ligaments tear as the man screamed loudly. She then brought her elbow into his face as hard as she could, hearing the screams stop. She kept moving, hoping to get away, and it looked like she just might before someone hiding behind an abandoned car jumped out and grabbed her arm, pulling her roughly and suddenly there was a loud crackling sound and a searing pain in her shoulder, the smell of burnt flesh, and then the world was black.

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

The guards dragged the limp body between them to Michael. He turned on his heel, looking annoyed with them, but seeing the limp person between them, he was curious. He hadn't slept since that dream last night.

"Well?" He asked impatiently.

"We found this loner out in the wasteland. Took one man out, and we're not sure if Thomson's ever going to be able to walk the same."

"A feisty one," he remarked emotionlessly. He didn't need anymore stragglers here.

"We're just not sure what you want us to do with this one." One of the guards ripped off her mask and Michael suddenly forgot how to breathe. It was the woman from his dream. Of course, a bit more rough around the edges and with a busted lip. She looked just as beautiful and wild as ever.

He regained his composure and looked to the guards. "How did the injury to her lip happen?"

"I hit her after I subdued her for what she did t-" He didn't have a chance to defend himself anymore before Michael as cracking his own hand against his face. The only reason he didn't kill him then and there was the fact that he was holding her up and he didn't want anymore harm to come to her.

"You ever touch her again and I will make you regret ever being convinced, do I make myself clear."

"Yes, Sir."

A groan from you interrupted any other communications and Michael knelt down to be at eye level with her, cupping her cheek. "Have no worry, my sweet. You are here with me now. I will protect you from all harm."

Eyes blinked open, but they were still unfocused. There was only a small mumble, "My sweet? Gross." Then her head lolled to the other side away from his touch. Michael felt a touch of rage and confusion at the rejection, but he decided to be reasonable and chalk it up to you still being delirious.

"Take her to my room, I'll speak with her when she wakes."

The guards, having seen what this woman was capable of, looked at each other then to Michael again, unsure, but his mouth forming a hard line gave them the motivation to follow orders.

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

She, Odie, No One, awoke hours later in a large bed covered in satin. She sighed, but then confusion over took her. This was not her bunker. She shot up and looked at her surroundings. This was like the wet dream of all the teens that shopped at Hot Topic before the world ended. She was really confused now.

"Oh good, you're awake."

Odie whipped to the source of a voice that looked like he was either an angel or a member of an emo band, but figuring with the current state of the world, neither existed. "What the fuck is this?"

His mouth was open to speak, but then closed at her words. "It's a rescue of sorts, you could say. I have a proposition for you."

"Cool," she stated as she threw back the covers and slid out of the bed. She had to admit it was gorgeous and oh so soft. She was wearing a silk robe that she had to admit that was much more comfortable than her old clothes. She took a seat in a plush chair and looked at the other with an arched eyebrow. "So?" She motioned with her hand, like she was giving him the floor in his own bedroom, "Get proposing."

He was taken aback by her attitude. A wild thing, she truly was. He took the one across from her, and studied her for a moment, before speaking. "I'm Langdon."

"Good for you. Get to the point. I've got things to do."

He blinked, dealing with a rising bewilderment and rage towards this woman. He took a deep breath, "And what may I call you?"

"Odie. Now we're friends, yay. Please, the point." She looked bored and maybe mildly irritated at worst. He had never met anyone that had this reaction to him. It was odd, though, that wasn't the name he was expecting to hear from such a beauty.

"I want to offer you a life of luxury and comfort in these times. A chance to live like a queen."

"Sounds like there's a royal catch to this offer."

She wasn't even letting him work his words, spin her into a fancy. She had no use or desire for words such as those.

"I had a vision last ni-"

"Don't we all." Okay, she would admit that was just to be a jerk.

He gritted his teeth. "You demand the point yet you interrupt."

"Yes, I'm sorry, continue Langbong."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, he found himself asking his father for the patience to deal with this woman. "Langdon. It's Langdon."

She was about to say something, but he held up his hand and she did give him the decency to let him continue. "I had a vision last night of you. A peculiar one. Something that leads me to believe that we are meant to be one, to create one."

Her eyes narrowed, she didn't like where this was going. "Create one?"

"I do believe you are meant to be the mother of my children."

Her jaw dropped, she stared at him in disbelief. Then she scoffed and shook her head and then she started laughing. His brows knitted together in confusion.

"This is a joke, right? Like you really aren't some random guy asking to get me knoc-" She stopped, seeing no trace of humor in his face. "No-" She scoffed again, no offended. "No. No fucking way. You aren't not baby trapping me because you're lonely! Get the fuck out of here. I'm-" She stood up. "Thanks, but no thanks. I want my shit back. I've got a cat to go feed. That's my kid. The cat. He's soft and lovely," she was clearly not taking this well, "And he purrs and even better yet! He doesn't scream and cry! It's great, I get love and affection and I don't have to deal with children. It's amazing, you should try to find a cat instead of kidnapping random woman and proposing that you be their baby daddy. Just a fucking thought."

She was grumbling now as she pulled the door open but it slammed shut. She gasped and tried to open it again, but it wasn't locked, it was like a force as pushing it closed much harder than she could pull it open. She let go of the handle, and turned to face the man. Seeing the rage glowing on his face. She was scared to her bones, but she kept a steady face.

"You are the mother of my children that my father intends for me. He set this up from the beginning. Just like I took over the world," it was like electricity stirred in the room and she was expecting lighting to strike at any second, "You are to be my queen."

It made sense now, her eyes lit up in recognition, but they stayed lit with a hatred and rage that gave pause to his rage, and she started stepping towards him like a stalking predator. "You. You're the one that ended the world?" She scoffed, "This is it?"

Suddenly, she went flying into the wall, and there was a pressure on her throat. He was the one stalking towards her now. "Don't think I won't cut you dow-"

"And kill your broodmare?" She taunted with an edge.

He glared at her, and she just laughed before the force around her throat cut off all noise.

There wasn't fear in her eyes, just amusement, a dare. A defiant wish that he'd do it. Snap your neck, keep the air from your lungs until you turn blue, anything. Only air flooding your lungs came when the corners of your vision became blurry.

He was right in her face now. "Are you going to continue this fit or-"

"Or what? What will do, Antichrist? I have lost more than you could ever imagine with your little game that you decided to play with humanity," venom dripped from her words like honey, somehow both hurtful, deadly, and erotic to Michael. "A little piece of me has died with everything you've taken from me. So, what will you do? Kill me? Then go ahead. Tell me how you plan on killing a shell? An empty husk that is only capable of surviving anymore. Go ahead, kill no one and put no one out of her misery." He could see the hot tears in her eyes, burning with hatred, rage, and a sadness he realized he was responsible for.

[overwatch-does-stuff]

Overwatch Discusses Their Early Life

(Remember what I said about the selection screen update? Me neither. This will be in current selection screen order.)

Offense: Doomfist's early memories are mostly involve his parents; he grew up wealthy and in a large estate. He remembers learning how to fight with his father, training in the traditional martial arts of his homeland; and his mother, who instilled him with dignity and pride, as the son of a wealthy CEO. He had to betray his parents when he became the next Doomfist; he could not be limited by sentimental values. Still, he allows no one to know how much he misses them. Genji remembers Hanzo, first and foremost. His big brother was his idol. They were inseparable. They played together, learned together, and occasionally fought, but they always made up afterwards. Oh, how the times were simple then. McCree remembers a small homestead deep in the southwest of Arizona. He remembers a family, vaguely. His ma and pa are only blurry faces now, overshadowed by the flicker of flames. He was so small when the Omnics started pouring out of Mexico, overrunning the border within weeks. What happened after is blurrier still. Pharah's memories are of Overwatch. She remembers them all: Jack, Gabe, Reinhardt, Torbjorn, Mercy, and of course, her mother. They always smiled when she came into the room. She likes to think that they were always like that; smiling and happy, untouchable by the trauma of war. Pharah knows better now, having become a warrior herself. Reaper remembers nothing. Death does not have a place where it came from. However, in between blinks, he can see it clearly. A small home in the city, always smelling of cinnamon, and an old woman, kind, telling stories of the spirits that looked over this world. In a blink, it is gone. He remembers one thing clearly, however: a barn owl means death. He touches his mask. Death walks among you. Soldier 76 remembers the farm where he was born and raised. He remembers playing with his cousins in the fields, raking hay in the barn, caring for the animals that his family raised and weeding the garden when his mom asked him to. It was idyllic, but boring, at the time. He remembers wishing for something more. That's why he enlisted when the Crisis broke out. The rest, as they say, is history. Sombra knows nothing of a family; only of bouncing in and out of foster homes. Sometimes, if she was lucky and if she played her cards right, a family might keep her for more than a couple months. But no matter how much they said they liked her, they always handed her off sometime thereafter. She learned a lesson early on: trust no one, for they never really care. Tracer was born to a wealthy family in London. Her mother and father were both former RAF pilots that met and fell in love during active duty. She remembers traveling the world for her father's business trips, seeing many places that instilled her with a sense of wonder and curiosity. She also remembers learning how to pilot; her mother helping her learn the controls, and then finally allowing her to fly for the first time. She'll never forget that moment. Defense: If Bastion could speak, it would tell you of the peacefulness and beauty of the forest that it awoke in, and a small, yellow bird that built a nest on its shoulder. It would not tell you, however, of the sound of explosions, bullets whistling through the air, some finding their targets deep within metal or flesh; of fire and blood staining what was once grass beneath its feet. Hanzo remembers his father vaguely. The man was always busy with business somewhere. When he was home, however, he was soft and kind. Hanzo then remembers when Genji was born. His father became much harder on him. Responsibility was thrust upon him. He did not want it. He has never quite forgiven Genji for that. Junkrat knows very little about his past- it never seemed very important to him in the long run, and forgetting what was before made it easier to accept what he had now. All he remembers consciously is the big blow up, flashing across the sky in full glory, that irradiated the wasteland. That giant explosion was beautiful, extraordinary. It makes him sad that he'll never see an explosion of that caliber again. Mei was born and raised in China. Both her parents worked for the government, one a news reporter and the other a specialist in utilities. She grew up hearing news of increasing energy demands and failing coal plants. She also remembers her first visit to Beijing, for her parents' jobs. The city was choked with smoke and pollution, unlike anything she had ever seen before. Through all this, she was inspired to work for the bettering of the environment. Torbjorn remembers growing up in a middle-class family in Sweden. He loved designing things from a young age: from marshmallow cannons to footstools that would unfold for you when sent down (for his mother, who passed on her dwarfism to him,) their house was always alive with his inventions. He did not like school very much, however, for his classmates always harassed him for his height and his ideas. Home was where his heart was. Widowmaker remembers very little of Amelie, and what she does know is very impersonal. She grew up in Chateau Guillard, her ancestral home. She had a mother and a father. She liked to dance. In dreams, she remembers details; dancing in the garden, sunlight streaming down her face. The sound of clapping as she finished the routine. Smiles from two people that are otherwise shadows. After dreams like this, Amelie Widowmaker must report to reconditioning. Tank: D.va was born in Seoul, the capital of what was once South Korea. She remembers glancing out her window to see the big gray walls that protected the city from the Omnic that came from the sea. She remembers the drills that were held every month; evacuation orders, stay calm and orderly, proceed to the shelters. She played videogames to get her mind off of what could happen. The digital world was her escape, a chance to fight back against the monsters. When MEKA showed her she could do the same in real life, she jumped at the chance. Orisa remembers when she first woke up. Her optics onlined to first see her creator, Efi, and the first words that she heard were that of her name. She also remembers seeing her city, Numbani, for the first time. Everything was silver or gold, and the skyline sparkled just for her, or so it seemed. Immediately she knew her purpose was to protect it. She is still in her childhood, technically, only being one month old, but she is eager to grow beyond that stage. Reinhardt remembers being the oddball. He never quite fit in with his peers with his larger-than-life personality and his penchant for the pretend. He remembers playing Dungeons and Dragons with his family on the weekends for hours on end. In school, even though his grades were not the best, he was the star of the drama club and always tried too hard in PE. And from the very beginning, Reinhardt knew that he was destined for something more than a normal life. He wasn't wrong. Roadhog doesn't remember much at all. Whether it's the radiation, or perhaps the drugs he takes for it, he doesn't know. What he does remember are the Omnics. He lived right next to the Omnium when the Crisis started. He barely remembers someone distracting the robots, allowing him to escape into the wilds of the outback. He's been on his own ever since. Sometimes it helps not to try and remember. Winston could never forget Dr. Winston, the scientist of his namesake that practically raised him. When the Dr. showed him the Earth for the first time was a particularly impressionable moment. However, things on the Horizon Lunar Colony weren't all so wonderful. Vaguely, he remembers the tests where they would electrocute him when he got the answer wrong, or the painful shots that made him so nauseated afterwards that he couldn't eat for several days. He was lucky to have Dr. Winston, who helped regulate the tests on him. The other apes were not so lucky. Zarya does not remember the Omnic crisis; she was only a couple months old when the Omnics poured out of the Siberian Omnium. What she does remember is the aftermath. Her village was devastated, and from a young age she worked repair it. This required a lot of heavy lifting, and even though the adults told her she couldn't help, she did anyway. Nearly every building in her village now has been rebuilt by her hands. Support: Ana's parents were always in and out of the house. Both of them were soldiers in the Egyptian military and were in the reserve. Her father was a war hero in the army and her mother was in the air force. She grew up target shooting and learning self defense martial arts, the former being an activity she enjoyed immensely. Her parents encouraged her to join the military when she was of age. Looking back, she wishes that she had more of a choice in the matter. Brigitte remembers entering her papa'a workshop for the first time. All the machinery looked so amazing, and she was pointing to everything and asking how it all worked. Her and papa spent several hours in there, nearly missing dinner. She remembers her first welding creations; nothing could have looked uglier, but her mamma still hung it up on the wall anyway. And, of course, she remembers making jetpack cat. Poor kitty. Lucio remembers the close-knit community of the favela he grew up in. No one had much, so everything was shared. One person had an old MP3, and they would invite everyone that could come to listen to the music that was downloaded on it. He remembers those evenings quite fondly. Things only got better when he finally earned enough money to buy a music player of his own. With the basic programs on it, he started making his own music and sharing it with his family and friends. Music helped distract them from their harsh reality, if only for a little while. No one asks about Mercy's early life, not that there's much to share. Both of her parents died in the Crisis.. She was in and out of foster homes and she threw herself into schoolwork to take her mind of things. She excelled in her classes, skipping several grades and graduating from college at younger than she should have been. One of the only highlights of her youth was visiting the Swiss Overwatch base, where she met Torbjorn and they stayed fast friends. Moira does not like to think about her childhood. Her parents were absent and the other kids in her neighborhood were afraid of her. She loved to take apart things to learn how they worked, whether that be the vacuum cleaner or the neighbor's pet frog. Her destructive tendencies aggravated most adults to the point of giving up on her, and she struggled through grade school. She learned to be self-reliant. As a result, she will do anything to satisfy her curiosity. She looks upon this as a triumph, not a mistake. Symmetra remembers what her life used to be like before Vishkar gave her a better life. It was horrible. She was always hungry and dirty, and her bed was raggedy and itchy and uncomfortable to sleep on. She does not remember a mother or a father, only distant faces screaming. Vishkar told her that her parents did not deserve her, and for the most part, she agrees. The rest of her childhood was spent at Vishkar facilities, where she saw true order and harmony for the first time, and she was at peace. Zenyatta is happy to tell you about his early life if you ask, as most people are curious about where Omnics come from. He was made in an Omnium near Numbani, one of the few still allowed to operate after the Crisis. In the Omnium there is a school set up for the newly formed, run by both humans and Omnics, and he spent several years there before he left to gain his own experience in the world. From early on he sought to define what living was about, and he journeyed his way through Asia before meeting up with other Omnics that shared his same ideas. They would become the Shambali.

[juspeczyk]

i wanna know all about your ocs!!

cRACKS KNUCKLES.... RUBS MY HANDS TOGETHER.... SO

spooky boi over there is the prince ?? king ?? lord ?? ruler of a dead province, which died out from (1) him practicing magic/experimenting on his own people and (2) him becoming so preoccupied with learning magic that he completely ignored all of his actual duties. he was trained to use magic by death itself. he’s like a thousand years old at the very least, nobody really knows how long he’s been around for sure and at this point he exists more as a spooky legend than an actual like... menace or anything... like, he’s just There. Being Spooky. his castle is surrounded by miles and miles of wasteland and by wasteland i mean creepy dark scrub-plains filled with brambles and vague ruins of a civilization long since gone. his name is kilmalkhan [said kil MAL kan] because that’s the scariest fantasy name i could come up with lmao

sunshine baby girl is belanthea, she’s from a village relatively close to the wasteland, like, they can see the castle and supposedly the village was started by some emigrants from that province who left when they realized their king dude had just ollied out to have the biggest emo phase in the history of existence. she wants to be the world’s best healer!!! slash doctor!!! idk it’s a fantasy world and i feel weird calling her a doctor because she Specifically Wants To Learn Magic To Heal People Better Than Anyone Else. (side note: fuck outta here with that laws of magic bullshit. sure it’s fun but it defeats the entire purpose of magic being magic. magic works however the fuck magic wants to work in this world my dude. if belanthea wants to say abracablessyou and cure the common cold then she’s gonna do exactly that.) she goes to kilmalkhan because he’s the most powerful witch (wizard? warlock? sorcerer? why aren’t there any cool gender neutral terms for magic users @ d&d people fix this please) like... ever, at all, in the history of everything. again, this guy apprenticed under death and basically shirked all his responsibilities to nerd out over magic for 1000+ years. (what kind of goals, tbh...)

so yeah belanthea makes this arduous and mostly just really fucking annoying and inconvenient trek out to his castle in the middle of buttfuck nowhere and she’s like “hey i wanna learn magic” and he’s like “if you think i can just teach you magic then you’re an idiot. i’m the leonado da vinci of magic. the gordon ramsey. the lady gaga. you gotta start with some small shit like magical wax on wax off first, get outta here, stop wasting my time, i have brooding to do” so of course she is Not Happy and she’s like “first of all, i’m clearly exhausted and dehydrated and starving and you haven’t offered me any food or lodging, so fuck you, second of all, i know for a fact that you’re bored out of your mind because you’ve just been sitting around in a castle for hundreds of years, so fuck you, third of all, it’s your duty as the former political leader of my village’s ancestors to make a formal apology for the shit you pulled ages ago and you can do that by teaching me magic to be their doctor, so fuck you”

obviously. this is unexpected. and of course he’s bored out of his mind and lonely as absolute hell. he’s an idiot man who automatically shoos everyone away because he places no value on relationships. the fool. the absolute nincompoop. so he finally agrees to teach her after realizing that (1) he would be a MASSIVE prick not to (2) to even make the trek out here she probably does have some innate magical abilities so it’s not like he’d be starting from scratch (3) she really did just tear into him six ways from sunday and he doesn’t want this cute girl he just met to go back to her village and tell everyone what a fucking sad doofus he is. so they get to it and it turns out that she’s The Most Magical Person He’s Ever Met In His Entire Ridiculously Long Life?? just?? naturally??? she’s just Like That??? like what the fuck??? what the fuck???? he had to go through all these crazy summoning spells and ritual bargains and make sacrifices and she can just smile at some flowers and they start blooming????? what the FUCK

in the beginning he’s really hesitant and doubtful because his studies focused a lot on like... evading mortality, drawing life from one thing and giving it to another, summoning things from other planes, like he focused a lot on “dark” magic, and her focus is much more on nurturing and growing and healing living things and “good” magic. pretty soon though they both realize that there is a middle ground, because the core idea of both their studies is preserving life! so that’s cool and they get along a lot better after that. at one point they have the following discussion

mal: so you want to be the world’s greatest healer

thea: yes

mal: so your boyfriend is cursed?

thea: no?

mal: oh so your village has a terrible magic affliction then

thea: no

mal: then why did you come all the way out here???

thea: because i just want to make life better and easier for everybody? i want to be able to set broken bones instantly and painlessly? i want to make potions that ease pain without clouding the mind? i want to be able to save mothers and children and grandfathers who aren’t ready to die?that’s it? i just want to make the world a better place? why do i need some kind of greedy ulterior motive for that???

mal:

thea:

mal:

thea:

mal (internally, realizing he has now fallen head over heels in love): oh no

so yeah they teach each other stuff, belanthea becomes an amazingly powerful witch, possibly even more powerful than kilmalkhan, because her power comes from her altruism and her faith in people and Boy Howdy Does She Have Oodles Of That!!!!

fast forward and it’s been months?? maybe a year?? a long time... mal comes to her eventually and is like *mr. darcy voice* these past months have been a torment, end my agony, i love you, most ardently, please do the honor of accepting my hand!!! and she’s like..... (inhales) BOI............. of course you’re in love with me i’m the first person you talked to in centuries!!!! no!!!! i’m not marrying you!!! go walkabout!!! travel the world!!! spend a year or two learning to talk to people like a normal human being you dumbass!!! THEN come propose to me if you still feel this way!!!

so he does that-- but before he leaves he passes on his Official Title to her, which means she gets his castle, and all his cool magic shit, and his political influence, and his direct line to death in case she ever needs help with her sweet magic stunts-- he Humbles Himself and Goes Amongst The People and re-learns how to do normal human shit like carry a conversation and hold doors for the person behind you and make funny noises at cats in the hopes they don’t run away from you. she goes back to her village and starts healing people, and soon she is able to start traveling and working in other villages as her reputation (and power) grows.

after his ~year of socialization is up mal goes back and tracks thea down and probably does some extra goth nonsense shit like takes the form of a giant crow-vulture-man-monster and stands outside the wall like “hey is belanthea there”-- because listen. the guy is a terrifying inhuman monster witch. of course he’s gonna do something like that. but he’s also an awkward geek who just wants to say hi to his friend and apologize for being an asshole to her, so like, he’s not gonna DO anything, he’s just gonna stand there and look spooky. some guard sees this and is like HOLY FUCK THE DEVIL IS INVADING and shoots mal with arrows or whatever and it’s super dramatic and of course mal just pulls them out and bleeds his green blood everywhere like “bro what the fuck” and then belanthea shows up and if y’all thought spooky vulture boy was scary then HOOOOOOOOOO WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THIS TINY WITCH... she goes full-on avatar state on this poor guard like “WHY ARE YOU SHOOTING THE SPOOKY IDIOT!! HE DID NOTHING YOU FOOL!! THIS IS WHY I’M TRYING TO INSTALL MANDATORY PUBLIC EDUCATION!!!!!!”

mal is more or less fine because he’s an immortal being of inhuman nature but belanthea heals him anyway and he’s like “hey this is probably a bad time but uhhhh i still have like a huge crush on you” and she’s like “honestly even if i didn’t like you back i’d still marry you because you’re a disaster who needs supervision”

so they get married and move back into the castle (her castle now) and she keeps all his cool titles and abilities and the wasteland flourishes and people move back and she heals everyone and there is free school and everything rocks forever

they’re mainly an amalgamation of dracula (specifically anime dracula from hellsing and castlevania lmao) and hades and persephone but there are other characters/narratives i tossed in there (see: the legend of holly claus, howl’s moving castle) because I Am Always So Weak For This Type Of Narrative And I Wanted To Combine All My Favorite Things Into One Cohesive Storyline

also this post just crossed my dashboard and i feel like “a necromancer is just a really late healer” sums up their entire relationship dynamic lmfao

other miscellaneous fun facts:

kilmalkhan has a crow/vulture motif because obviously those are carrion birds but they are also beautiful and i love them, and although they look spooky, they tend to just go about their business and be chill, which is a big mood for him

belanthea knew she was gonna marry that idiot the moment she met him but she also knew that she loves and respects herself and wasn’t going to marry that idiot until he stopped being an idiot

he thinks he kills every plant he touches because of his magic but he’s actually just a really shitty gardener. she fixes this

she lives almost exclusively on cheese and bread if left to her own devices because she’s an awful cook. he fixes this

they both are immortal because the basic mechanic of magic is that it comes from death, the earth, the stars, etc. and all of those are undying things, so the more a person uses magic the more “celestial” they will become. some people are born with the ability to channel magic, some learn it later in life, some can’t do any magic at all. belanthea and kilmalkhan were both born with ridiculously op magical abilities

when i say “no laws of magic” i mean it but like. certain ingredients do certain things, certain rituals have certain outcomes, it’s not like magic is this crazy deus ex machina force that people can toss around willy nilly. it takes discipline and study but it’s a lot less“you take the rock and soak it in moon-charged water on the third of june at 3:33 pm exactly and sprinkle seven grains of salt on it and leave it in a chicken’s nest for seven days and when you come back you must fish it out with your eyes closed and only then will it be gold” and a lot more “you point at a rock and wish really hard and it turns to gold”

mal has been using magic so long that he is completely inhuman. he only keeps the human form because it was what he was born in and what he’s used to. his blood is green. his skin is very cold (but he grows warmer the more he learns to socialize and be happy again). sometimes he inadvertently turns into a giant vulture-wolf-monster-dude. sometimes belanthea just wakes up in the middle of the night and finds said vulture-wolf-monster-dude curled up on her tummy like a cat

kilmalkhan would absolutely raze a nation if one (1) person looked at belanthea funny but everyone loves belanthea so it’s much more likely that someone will look at kilmalkhan funny and belanthea will turn into a terrifying angelic dryad to angrily lecture that person on not judging people by their appearance

[junsojung-text]

Standing before dazzling novelty Ahn Soyeon

Sojung Jun’s oeuvre imbues a sense of unraveling a single ‘universe’ each time. The reason why her video running for several to a few dozens of minutes gives an impression that it configures a universe – without being confined to dealing with some scenes or incidences – would be because it has led us into a life of somebody. Facets of daily banalities shown by characters of nothing extraordinary used to immerse the audience as if to confront their life. Such transference is made possible because their life exists in a temporal flow which is nothing like ours. Unlike us that are being swirled in the ‘contemporariness’ by being consciousness of somebody’s stride in the middle of the common time slots that are huge, abstract and undoubtable, they maintain a single ‘universe’ because they live through their own solitary time.

The image of an old man fasting a fishing rod in the glittering sea under the sunlight is attuned to the slow speed of Mother Nature to the point of being described to catch the years (The Old Man and the Sea, 2009). Those that tacitly fulfill their given roles despite being out of spotlight for long – laborers in a kimchi factory (Something Red, 2010), a mechanical embroiderer (A Day of A Tailor, 2012), the last theater signboard painter of the kind (Time Regained, 2012), a clown doing tightrope walking (Last Pleasure, 2012), a taxidermist (Angel of Death, 2014), a haenyeo (a female diver who dives into the sea without any equipment to harvest seafood) (Treasure Island, 2014), and an earthenware artisan (The Poem of Fire, 2015) – are people that have sublimated their career out of the spotlight into a domain of art through repetition and skillfulness.

Sometimes, those that are exiled into a different tempo-spatiality from us by being trapped in unexpected restraints in life are on Jun’s radar. They are a foreign immigrant worker that has a lot to say about their life (Story of Dream: Suni 2008), an overseas adoptee (Interval Recess Pause, 2017), a refugee or a blind (The Ship of Fools, 2016) or those that are distinguished or excluded due to the race (Specters, 2017).

That their life is sublimated as an exclusively meaningful shelter – instead of a shabby wasteland – is attributable to Jun’s endeavors to step closer to the meaningful moments that only exist in their dreams and memories. Efforts to step into somebody’s time and space by mobilizing all possible media and senses connect us to their world – albeit temporarily – although complete restoration and sharing are impossible. They become the main characters in their own play on the stage that is sophisticatedly set by the artist.

Jun’s act of art paying attention to those that are pushed out of the contemporary movement in today’s world replete with novelty and change is an act of resistance to show her will of not being swirled by the entire and violent flow in the fancy name of ‘progress.’ Unstoppable curiosity over discovery of novelty seems to take us to innovation and a better future, but a rosy future is inevitably the stage of capitalism behind which remain the voices of those that are excluded from the history as well as endless ruins that are no longer new. It is the reason why we expect the view of ‘Angelus Novus’[1] from artists despite the storm pushing us to the future.

Her interest in a forgotten domain has been supplemented by literary reference, but recently, she has further deeply contemplated over the point where modernity and avant-garde dreams disrupt before capitalism in the era of colonization through her research over early-day poetry of genius poet Yi Sang (1910-1937), the icon of the modern avant-gardism of Korea. By encountering multinational researchers of Yi Sang during her stay in Paris, the breeding ground of the modern culture, she searched for possibilities of hypothesis with Yi Sang in mind by escaping from the present through intersection of heterogeneous axes of time and space.

The starting point of her research and exhibition is Yi Sang’s poem <AU MAGASIN DE NOUVEAUTES>. It is a title piece among poetry series titled <Architecture Infinite Hexahedron> (1932) first released by literati and architect Kim Hae gyong in the penname of Yi Sang. It is also an enigmatic poem under the French title with combination of Japanese, classical Chinese characters, Chinese and English. The 22-line avant-garde poem translated as <A New Store> is full of knowledge and imagination over the concepts of physics and figures, and hatred towards cultural colonialism in the modern times and harsh criticism against consumptive capitalism.

The motif of the poem as a contemplative place is Mitsukoshi Department Store opened in Gyeongseong (the original name for Seoul) in 1930. Yi Sang conjured up ‘Architecture Infinite Hexahedron’[2]where squares are endlessly repeated as he encountered a flashy and complicated structure of the space. The new five-story store had numerous square-shaped showcases, and people realized a space of infinite repetition by repeatedly ‘going up and down’ on escalators/elevators. It is expressed as a recreational place in a rooftop garden – a modern architectural dream - for shopping-loving mademoiselles, which is filled up with the scent of a French Coty perfume.

Yet, most of the poetry is written to reveal that a department store representing novelty is a symbol of colonial ideas and is nothing more than an imitation of the Western modernity. A department store is not only an abnormal place to arouse Joseon (the former name of Korea) not equipped with modern production technologies to consume more but also a place to transplant the Japanese culture. Even Japan as its subject prioritizes the West, and points out a paradox of ‘self-colonialization’ as a cultural translator. A fad that starts in spring in France reaches the Eastern world in autumn, and even the main branch of Mitsukoshi Department Store in Tokyo – like a globe as a ball-shaped miniature of the earth and mademoiselles as mimicking monkeys in the rooftop garden – is just a copy of Bon Marche Department Store built in Paris in the 1850s.

Japanese’ craze over Germany’s renowned aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin[3] known as then largest of its kind was strong enough to be applied to various ads including that of an anthelmintic drug. The poet pinpointed a phenomenon where even the victory of a technology that frees up humans ends up being dissolved in capitalism. Violence hidden behind the charm of novelty in modern times strides on the street like ‘military boots’, sweeping away precious small stuffs of the past. The poet compares himself to a helpless canary in a multilayered cage of mockery, confessing that there is nothing he can do to the horrific reality, simply saying ‘Ggood Bye’ pitifully.

Poetry acts as a source of inspiration for flexibly forming reasoning as a means of empathy and imagination despite the time gap of almost about one century. Yi Sang’s universe of poetry being indefinite, temporary and subject to a broad range of interpretation must have been an intriguing motif for Jun that takes an interest in the relationship between avant-garde aesthetic experimentation and political practices. The exhibition unfolds in multiple layers including a video where documentaries of the past and movie clips are montaged with the present moment in Seoul, Tokyo and Paris where sounds & texts, sculptures & publication of research paper, and spatial structures strike a harmony. Each piece of work is mutually interlinked, yet detached, which in turn exchanges a serial impact to one another. The process of repetition and a sort of violation amongst works is a methodology that is closely aligned with Jun’s goal of seeking for a runway from obsession with novelty.

A 25 minute-long video titled <Despair to be Reborn>(2020) as a center of the entire exhibition uses <AU MAGASIN DE NOUVEAUTES> as a prism to reflect the journey of an amplified light. Contemplative tempo-spatiality derived from the department store is expanded into the day and night of the past and the present, and also into skylines, subways, parks and back alleys in Seoul, Tokyo and Paris. The structure of the video is vaguely divided into such paragraphs as “In my dream where I was absent”, “In your dream where you were absent”, and “In our dream where we were absent.” Each of them brings in the present, past and some future. Yet, it’s not clear because – as the word ‘absent’ suggests – of the absence of a memory substituted with imagination and omission of a subject. A narration that is out of sync with each scene – just like the nonlinear spatial movement – and usage of Korean, Japanese and French is out of context with the subjects along with cacophony of a harp and gayageum (a traditional Korean zither-like string instrument with 12 strings) heightening the tension. Such an incidental encounter with inconsistency causes a chasm between images and words, which in turn approaches Jun as a chasm of a precious possibility who is to re-write the memory.

That the video is involved with a commercial space of <AU MAGASIN DE NOUVEAUTES> is reminded through an advertisement that opens up the work, yet cutting out middle parts. The unfamiliar voice of a narrator informing on “product information” presents Seon-bawi, Inwang Mountain's holy Immortal Meditation Rocks (or maybe some other similar looking rocks) as an item for sale. The voice also promotes new usages of the rocks as decorative gardening item or a storage space for one’s house keys. Just like how aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin – as the amalgam of science and technology of the humankind – being appropriated as a capital on the signboard for an anthelmintic drug, the video jokingly predicts a formidable future of capitalism where even treasure-like mountains of the people of Korea could be traded as garden decorations. Yet, mentioning of a ‘storage place for hiding keys’ is conveyed as a secretive command. Jun recalls Yi Sang’s message to be awakened again in a new aspect through the arousal of despair by appropriating some phrases[4] from the work of Yi Sang: “Be in despair people, Be reborn people, Be reborn people, Be in despair people.” The artist seems to find a hope in ‘Child of the Night’[5] and this child does Parkour by traversing the contour lines of a city, denying a predictable future and seeking to inscribe his presence.

Her publication project <ㅁ> is directly derived from a repeated square as the key image in the poem, but it comprehensively indicates such signs as Korean Alphabet consonant ㅁ (mieum), Chinese character ㅁ (Ip Gu), a square screen and four dimensions to deal with the issues of space, language and image. An ad-hoc publication gathering was formed with her suggestion, engaging 11 specialists in various fields – architecture, art history, mathematics, film, music and language – and explored the past and the present, and Asia and Europe with a focus on the 1930s when Yi Sang was active along with his poetry. They have broadened up the possibilities of interpretation by using multi-languages and irregular meanings – features of a poem - and frequently utilizing signs. The participants suggested various outcome ranging from critical research to creative fiction and new ideation by using their own mother languages or special languages in each field – drawing and score, etc. Discussed were the following topics: the history of Passage, department stores, and the World’s Fair, aesthetics of avant-garde montage, irregular language usage and translation of literature during the Japanese colonial rule, political features of post-colonial and East Asian avant-garde poetry, surrealism and strategies of strolling, leaps and resistance of science and technology, dichotomy in the modern times and reasoning of reverse perspectives.

In a chapter among them all, Jun released <Diagrammed Robot>(2020) in a new format of a critical fiction. It is an interpretation of Yi Sang’s poetry and a handbook on her own video works where she suggests a method deviating from a newly established code system or a perspective view: an anatomical map of a robot in the name of a ‘drawing in a reverse perspective.’ While her prior works were dominated by a perspective view in the form of a scenery, this time, she reversed it to suggest an anatomical map of a robot with limbs and organs. The robot as a scrap metal and chunk of meat is a surrealistic monster as a result of ‘ad-hoc cross-breeding of the past and the future.’ And surrealistic reasoning is the artist’s authority to make a crack in the reality.

The first part of the video embodies a peculiar image of Seon-bawi rocks in Inwang Mountain and Guksadang Shrine as a religious furnace that embraces all sorts of beliefs within. It is considered as a ‘head or a mass.’ The movement of escalators in a department store or in a subway in Paris is revealed as the ‘torso or chest.’ The ‘eyes or nose’ would reject a single view, and the ‘ears or mouth’ connected in Mobius strip is based on the reference of Ritronello which follows the disorder in chaos. Graf Zeppelin in modern times and drones in the contemporary period are compared to the ‘legs or toe nails’ realizing the magic art of shortening distances and warp, while ‘arms or hands’ establish a temporary pathway as a tactile sense of identifying the world of night. Hypothesizing a runway by combining the ironical and connecting time and space is what the ‘genitals or pelvis’ related to the reproduction of robots is to do. Lastly, the duty of redefining the perception of time and memories to ‘multiplicate a single one’ and ‘delete what is fixed’ is imposed on the ‘heart or viscera.’[6]

Jun reintroduced the medium of sculpture, which she has not used for long, to this exhibition, further diversifying and giving a volume to the layers within. She explored the primate form of sculpture as a chuck being reminiscent of stones or rocks. These were made out of melted plastics – PET bottles, globes, straws and disposable cups – and plastic sheets. They are suggested as dissolved consumptive capital and scenes of a destroyed city, reflecting Yi Sang’s dream world: he imagined a city where everything would boil and melt down when sirens ring at noon, dreaming of wings to grow under armpits. Visualized is a world that has been converted into the world of pure and transparent chunks after the existing values and systems break down by embodying the lines reminding of globe fragments or roads and remains of daily living. It could also be a pathway connecting the time from the past to the future – from one end to the opposite end in space. Moreover, this primitive chunk derived from a scenery – interestingly enough – is reorganized into <ORGAN> of heart, knees, hips and eyes, moving forward as a dynamis of new birth while forming a fragmented body.  

Yet, would the sign of this birth be realized? Would there be a valid key hidden in Seonbawi rocks in Inwang Mountain – the center of modern Seoul, yet the epicenter of irrational and premodern beliefs – to reverse the historical flow after the modern period? Jun made <Storage>(2020) resembling a miniaturized Inwang Mountain with precious silver, under which she hid a suspicious key inscribed with <AU MAGASIN DE NOUVEAUTES>. Silver is a capital that flew in from the Orient enabling the modernization in the West, thus is an ironical historic evidence. While the operability of the key is unidentifiable, the small mountain plays a role being ‘disguised’ as a precious product on the shelf in a showroom resembling either a temporary scaffold or a new store.

[1] Walter Benjamin that owned Paul Klee’s printmaking work of <Angelus Novus> (1920) called it the ‘angel of history,’ diagnosing the historical scene driven by a storm of progressiveness.

[2] It is the name of a spatial diagram used in architecture. The diagram called ‘tessère’ in French was first suggested by Dutch artist and architect Theo van Doesburg in 1925. It is a theory where the internal and external parts in a space are determined by the shape of a square, and the shape is infinitely expandable in all dimensions. A similar idea is found in paintings of Mondrian engaged in De Still movement. Kim Jiwoo, Lee Soojong, ‘Intellectuals who diagnoses modern society including himself’, Journal of the Korean Poetics Studies, no.57 p.174

[3] LZ No.127 sailing out for a world travel in August 1929 departed from Germany, and arrived at Tokyo, Japan as a stopover site before crossing the Pacific Ocean after travelling the Eastern Europe and Russia. It achieved a travel time which was 22 hours faster than expected by finishing off the sail in 102 hours for 6,600 miles. It is said that the Japanese were utterly shocked and overwhelmed by the dominant science and technology of the West, and acclaimed for a narrower geographical gap between the East and the West.

[4] Last line in <Notes to the Lines 2> in Yi Sang’s poem series <The Third Angle Design> (1931)

[5] “Topologists are children of night. Algebraists deal with the knife of strictness with absolute clarity.” It is a comment of French mathematician and philosopher René Frédéric Thom(1923-2002) pinning hopes on topologists that imagined connection of tempo-spatial continuums and organisms, instead of algebra as the basis of modern technological development through absolute clarity. Emmanuel Ferrand, “Child of the Night”, <ㅁ>, organpress, 2020, p.284  

[6] Sojung Jun, “Diagrammed Robot” <ㅁ>, organpress, 2020, pp.305-315 ⬅︎

[welcometomybraincomics]

The world is full of so much beauty.

Sunlight glinting off the edges of a crystal garden, filtering light through each flat prism and speckling the ground in miniature rainbows. (The shattered remains of a crystal garden, glistening across the ground. The glistening spires they used to be before the battle. Lying in the rubble between them, incapacitated and left with nothing to do but observe. They bounce and fracture under pedsteps, each movement creating a near imperceptible symphony of chimes)

The greying of paint as a mech dies, starting at the edges and encroaching on the spark in fractal patterns. (A youngling, tucked into a shadowed corner, frozen long after the mech's spark snuffed, unable to move, like watching a train wreck)

the way energon drips down plating, always seeking the lowest point and inevitably painting a tapestry across the plane as it finds pits and valleys imperceptible to the naked optic. (Watching the energon seep from wounds. On the battlefield, in an alley, in his home. It always seeks the same path, that vibrant pink fluid, regardless of frame type. He watches as it solidifies, as the solvent that makes it "processed" evaporates, leaving the crystalline structure of energon once more. There are patterns to it, there are differences, depending on where in the frame it's from)

The way optics dim when a mech offlines, always from the edges in as the bulbs burn out or lose power. (He hides as much as he can, tucked into a crevice nearly too small for him, and he knows his face is the last thing the mech sees before his spark is shot through by someone he makes sure can't see him. Just like the mech who starved in the gutter next to him, this mech's optics fade the same)

There's so much beauty everywhere, you don't see how everybody misses it. (Pink and grey and rust. There's so much of it, this must be what the world loves. He's been gifted with paradise and he's honored to be born there)

It's in the techno-moth evaporating in a flame, the way rust slowly eats at metal, the way cooling frames bend and pop as their plating settles for the last time. (Symphony of life. Symphony of death. The patterns, here, always. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful)

The splatter of arterial spray is beautiful when captured on a wall, but in the middle of the battlefield, all you can do is snap quick captures as its arc is backlit by the fading light of a foreign star just above the dust and rummage of battle. (A shot to the spark, a knife to the neck, so many beautiful ways to kill a mech. The battle a gallery and he an artist relishing in the majesty of it all. So much so much so much, he wants to capture it all: Every frame, every movement, every death. But he is one mech. It's all he can do to capture this beautiful moment, framed by the flailing limbs of battle, so dark against the setting star)

There's beauty in a field after battle. Some say it's a chaotic wasteland of ravaged corpses, but there are only so many ways a mech can fall, and you see its beautiful patterns spread before you after the dust settles from the air like an ethereal mist and grey frames are all you can see for miles. After you, others will come and pick them apart, scavenge them. Then, their frames will be left to rust, to become part of the landscape, to wash away in acid rain, to disintegrate and wither away and turn into dust on the wild wind of land with no life supporting it. There's beauty in that too. (Cyclical, cyclical, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. To rise from Primus and to return to him. Till All Are One)

Pov you see double standards in action and go "Oh! so all the rules are a lie and there are actually a secret set of rules that I must figure out with my brilliant powers of deduction!" except you don't determine you're on the lower end of double standars, you determine EVERYONE is on the lower end of double standards and now you look like a lunatic

Ahahahhaha After getting into his head, I realize that Guillotine is a deeply traumatized mech. Does he think he's traumatized? No. But his vision of beauty is 100% an attempt to cope with the persistent horrors of the world that just didn't seem to stop. "If all this is so horrible, why is it still here? If it's still here, that must mean this is a good thing, that this is beauty. That must mean this is a utopia"

Anyway, Guillotine is fucked up in ways that did not initially occur to me and now I need to write a Vaporwave pov to see how the fuck their thought processes go together. Not bc my imagined thought process for Vaporwave doesn't mesh well with Guillotine, but because I've only got an outline and I'm super interested in seeing what mindset is compatible.

[aion-rsa]

Xbox Game Pass: New Games for July and August 2021 Revealed

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft’s subscription service for Xbox One owners. It’s designed to be like a “Netflix for games,” where you pay a simple monthly rate and get access to loads of games for download. It’s not to be confused with the Xbox Live Gold membership, which gives users a selection of free games each month.

There has been a huge surge in popularity and profile for Xbox Game Pass since its launch, mainly due to the diverse list of games and first-party exlusives on the service. In fact, Microsoft drops new releases from its own internal studios onto the service on day one! Sea of Thieves was the first example of this, followed by State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3. Since then, the service has seen the day one launch of several other high-profile Xbox exclusives, including Gears 5, The Outer Worlds, and Halo: Reach on the Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Membership to Xbox Game Pass will set you back $9.99 per month. You can now also get an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for $1 for the first month and $14.99 every month after that. The subscription includes an Xbox Live Gold membership as well as all of the games offered on Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass for PC. Plus, with cloud support, you can play a selection of Xbox Game Pass titles on your Android phone. And now you even get access to titles on EA Play, the third-party publisher’s own on-demand service.

New games are added each month to Xbox Game Pass. Here are the latest games coming to the service (with descriptions courtesy of the Xbox team):

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Xbox Game Pass: Games for June 2021

The Wild at Heart (Cloud) – June 1

Explore a beautiful, handcrafted world full of charming puzzles, and deep secrets in The Wild at Heart, a whimsical story centered around two children that escape to a fantastical land filled with magical creatures to befriend and an oddball order of guardians who’ve lost their way. Welcome to the Deep Woods.

For Honor (Cloud and Console) – June 3

War marches across the land of Heathmoor as heroes from rival factions clash in unending visceral battles. Use your finely honed skill to emerge victorious in a variety of thrilling single and brutal multiplayer modes. Grasp destiny in your hands and fight… for honor.

Backbone (PC) – June 8

Raccoon detective Howard Lotor is not a hero. He can barely make rent. And yet he has stumbled across something so massive that it will shake the very fabric of society. Stunning visuals, an evocative soundtrack, and a daring narrative bring a dystopian Vancouver, BC inhabited by animals to life in this highly anticipated, post-noir adventure. Get to it, detective.

Darkest Dungeon (Cloud, Console, and PC) – June 10

Darkest Dungeon is a challenging gothic roguelike turn-based RPG about the psychological stresses of adventuring. Recruit, train, and lead a team of flawed heroes through twisted forests, forgotten warrens, ruined crypts, and beyond. Not only do unimaginable foes await, but stress, famine, disease, and the ever-encroaching dark.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Cloud, Console, and PC) – June 13

Now you can play all eight games in the mainline Yakuza saga from Yakuza 0 to the latest installment, Yakuza: Like a Dragon! Become Ichiban Kasuga, a low-ranking yakuza grunt left on the brink of death by the man he trusted most. Take up your legendary bat and get ready to crack some underworld skulls in dynamic RPG combat set against the backdrop of modern-day Japan in Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

Arx Fatalis (PC) – June 13

This critically acclaimed first-person RPG from Arkane Studios takes the player on an amazing journey into the fantasy world of Arx. As your quest unfolds you will explore ancient temples, bustling cities and abandoned mines; unearth legendary artifacts and face terrifying foes.

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (PC, Cloud, and Console) – June 13

From the award-winning developers at Arkane Studios comes Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, the third adventure in the critically acclaimed Dishonored series. Explore the dark underbelly of society to pull off the ultimate assassination.

Doom (Cloud and Console) – June 13

Relentless demons, impossibly destructive guns, and fast, fluid movement provide the foundation for intense, first-person combat in Doom, 2016’s Action Game of the Year and lead-up to the critically acclaimed Doom Eternal. Become the Doom Slayer and experience visceral intuitive push-forward combat as you obliterate Hell’s armies.

Fallout (PC) – June 13

The first entry in the beloved Fallout franchise. Explore the devastated ruins of a golden age civilization. Talk, sneak or fight your way past mutants, gangsters, and robotic adversaries. Make the right decisions or you could end up as another fallen hero in the wastelands…

Fallout 2 (PC) – June 13

It’s been 80 long years since your ancestors trod across the wastelands. As you search for the Garden of Eden Creation Kit to save your primitive village, your path is strewn with crippling radiation, megalomaniac mutants, and a relentless stream of lies, deceit and treachery.

Fallout 3 (PC, Cloud, and Console) – June 13

An expansive world, unique combat, shockingly realistic visuals, tons of player choice, and an incredible cast of dynamic characters. Every minute is a fight for survival against the terrors of the outside world.

Fallout: New Vegas (Newly added for PC, Cloud, and Console) – June 13

Welcome to New Vegas. It’s the kind of town where you dig your own grave prior to being shot in the head… and that’s before things really get ugly. It’s a town of dreamers and desperados being torn apart by warring factions vying for complete control of this desert oasis.

Fallout: Tactics (PC) – June 13

In these dark times, the Brotherhood – your Brotherhood – is all that stands between the rekindled flame of civilization and the wasteland. Your squad mates will be dearer to you than your kin and for those that survive there will be honor, respect, and the spoils of war.

Rage (Cloud and Console) – June 13

In the not-too-distant future an asteroid impact left Earth ravaged. You emerge into a vast wasteland to discover humanity working to rebuild itself in a treacherous world. Survive and explore an expansive environment teeming with bandit gangs, mutant hordes and an oppressive government’s soldiers with exotic guns and gadgets.

The Evil Within 2 (PC, Cloud, and Console) – June 13

Experience visceral survival horror as you descend into terrifying domains in search of your missing daughter. Use weapons, traps, and stealth to survive an onslaught of horrifying creatures determined to rip you apart. Return to the nightmare to win back your life and the ones you love.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (PC, Cloud, and Console) – June 13

You are BJ Blazkowicz, humanity’s last hope for liberty, on a mission to recruit the boldest resistance leaders left. Fight in iconic American locations, equip an arsenal of awesome guns, and unleash new abilities as you kill every Nazi in sight and spark the second American Revolution.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance (PC, Cloud, and Console) – June 13

Gather your party, choose your adventurer, and get ready to set out on an epic brawl through Icewind Dale on June 22 with Xbox Game Pass. Forget character sheets and math for the night, Dark Alliance is a third-person action brawler that drops you and your friends into the unforgiving frozen hellscape of Icewind Dale to take on iconic Dungeons & Dragons monsters and collect epic loot. You can venture on your own, but with the addition of cross play on PC and Xbox featuring up to 4-player co-op, why would you?

Xbox Game Pass: Games for July 2021

Atomicrops (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – July 22

Atomicrops is an action-packed, roguelite, bullet-hell game where you must defend and cultivate the last farm in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Tend to mutated crops (be careful, some have teeth), marry townsfolk (ooh la la), collect cats (because who wouldn’t?!), and kill every mutant creature that tries to invade! This ain’t no ordinary farming simulator.

Raji: An Ancient Epic (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – July 22

Take on the role of Raji, a young girl blessed by the gods to defend the human realm from an onslaught of demonic beings that seek to destroy her world. Brother and sister, Raji and Golu, separated by the attacking demonic hordes, now find themselves in the middle of a great war. Raji has taken it upon herself to find her brother and put an end to this reckless conflict.

Last Stop (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – July 22

Developed by Variable State, creators of the award-winning Virginia, and available with Xbox Game Pass on day one, Last Stop is a single-player, third-person adventure set in present-day London, where you play as three separate characters whose worlds collide in the midst of a supernatural crisis.

Blinx: The Time Sweeper (Cloud and Console) – July 26

Coming to Xbox Game Pass to celebrate 20 Years of Xbox, Blinx: The Time Sweeper is a fast-paced action game featuring a cool, clever character in wild, warped worlds. The ability to control the flow of time provides a classic 4-dimensional gaming experience.

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (Cloud and Console) – July 26

Celebrating 20 Years of Xbox, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge combines thrilling aerial combat with the swashbuckling style of a Hollywood action-adventure movie. Set in an alternate 1930s world of gunship diplomacy and sinister intrigue, pilot powerful aircraft against nefarious air pirates and behemoth war zeppelins.

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Xbox Series X|S) – July 27

From Xbox Game Studios, available with Xbox Game Pass on day one of its release for Xbox Series X|S! From light planes to wide-body jets, fly highly-detailed and accurate aircraft in the next generation of Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X|S. Test your piloting skills against the challenges of real-time atmospheric simulation and live weather in a dynamic and living world. The sky is calling!

Lethal League Blaze (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – July 29

An intense, high speed ball game with unique characters, outta sight sounds, and none of that weak stuff. In Shine City, the anti-gravity ball game has long been illegal. The group who kept playing was dubbed the Lethal League. Even now, with their sport pushed underground, players and crews compete for challenge and respect.

Omno (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – July 29

Available with Xbox Game Pass on day one! A single-player journey of discovery through an ancient world of wonders, created by solo developer Jonas Manke. Full of puzzles, secrets, and obstacles to overcome, where the power of a lost civilization will carry you through forests, deserts, and tundra – even to the clouds.

Project Wingman (PC) ID@Xbox – July 29

In an immersive flight experience, you’ll dogfight, strike, and fly your way to conquering the skies. Strap yourself into the cockpit of over 20 unique aircraft and become a true ace in Project Wingman.

The Ascent (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – July 29

Available with Xbox Game Pass on day one, The Ascent is a solo and co-op action-shooter RPG set in a cyberpunk world. The mega corporation that owns you and everyone, The Ascent Group, has just collapsed. Can you survive without it?

Xbox Game Pass: Games for August 2021

Twelve Minutes (PC, Cloud, and Console) – August 19

In Twelve Minutes, you play as a man coming home for what should be a romantic evening with your wife. The night twists into a nightmare when a brutish policeman breaks into your home, accuses your wife of murder, and beats you to death… only for you to wake up, suddenly returned to the moment you opened the front door. Your wife is blissfully unaware of what is about to happen, but you… you remember everything.

Psychonauts 2 (PC, Cloud, and Console) – August 25

Psychonauts 2 is an exciting journey through the mind filled with the signature Double Fine humor and heart, and a touch of next-level platforming. You play as Razputin Aquato, a trained acrobat and powerful young psychic, who has realized his lifelong dream of joining the international psychic espionage organization known as the Psychonauts. But these psychic super spies are in trouble. Raz must use his powers to bring the murderous psychic villain, Maligula, back from the dead! Check out the video above and get psyched!

Hades (PC, Cloud, and Console) – TBA

As the immortal Prince of the Underworld, you’ll wield the powers and mythic weapons of Olympus to break free from the clutches of the god of the dead himself, while growing stronger and unraveling more of the story with each unique escape attempt. 

Xbox Game Pass: Games for September 2021

Aragami 2 (PC, Cloud, and Console) – September 17

Aragami 2 is a third person stealth game where you play as an assassin with the power to control the shadows. Join the shadow clan and fight the invader armies to protect your people. You are one of the last elite warriors of your kin, the Aragami. Victims of a supernatural affliction which corrodes the body and devours the mind, the Aragami control Shadow Essence – a mystical power which grants the ability to control the shadows. With this power the Aragami carry out their tasks and quests – assignments made all along the valley to ensure the subsistence of the village and to free the Aragami enslaved by the invader armies.

Sable (PC, Cloud, and Console) – September 23

Embark on a unique and unforgettable journey and guide Sable through her Gliding; a rite of passage that will take her across vast deserts and mesmerizing landscapes, capped by the remains of spaceships and ancient wonders.

The post Xbox Game Pass: New Games for July and August 2021 Revealed appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3e8utqM

[christopherscorner-blog1]

What I’ve learned throughout 70 organizations across 4 continents, 18 countries...

...and nearly every U.S. continental State, with experience spanning virtually every industry (Military, Construction, Healthcare, Property Management, Transportation, Telecommunications, E-commerce, Food Service, Entertainment, more) to include dozens of Churches, and more than three years volunteering between 5 nonprofits/causes, even experimenting for around a year as homeless literally living the veteran struggle while sleeping the streets and beaches from SoCal to Miami and a dozen homeless/transitional shelters in between.

First, I want to share one of my most interesting and profound observations throughout my life’s journey in yet another obvious and concrete testament to the power and reality of God concerning the amazingly stark contrast between the Church and secular world. Between the several dozen Churches I’ve had the privilege of experiencing across half a dozen States, I can honestly testify to witnessing a very happy, healthy, successful, purpose filled/driven, and inspired people across the board, with unemployment, homelessness, and suicide virtually non-existent. It’s true, you won’t find one homeless or unemployed person who is part of a Church (for long), because there are plenty of successful homeowners and business owners in (nearly) every Church who are happy and able to help. These observations have also led me to the realization of how bad the homeless situation would actually be if it were not for God’s Church. Between Jacksonville Florida and Miami alone there are more than several dozen Church organizations providing temporary shelter, meals, and other services for the homeless, and they are all taxed to the max. How ironic, yet amazingly odd, how tens of thousands literally depend on our God while rejecting Him… Think about how much worse the situation would be if these Churches disappeared! Which brings me to another observation.

Having lived and worked amongst the secular world much of my life, I can tell you from experience that the picture for the majority of those who reject our Creator is absolutely miserable and depressing. Sadly, it has been my painful observation that most secularists are living meaningless enslaved tortuous lives, almost completely void of love, creativity, or inspiration, under crushingly overwhelming and seemingly hopeless (without God) problems. A look at every facet of our society also reveals this truth to be dreadfully obvious. Take modern art, music, entertainment, and architecture, for example. If you haven’t noticed, our entire culture is now almost completely void of creativity, inspiration, or beauty. Stats don’t lie either. Health and mental problems (40% of Americans are obese –literally destroying body and mind, 1/6 take psych meds./1/33 born defective), addiction (20+ million -200+ die every day from drug overdose), and suicide (120+ daily suicides) are at epidemic levels, with rampant poverty (13.5% = 43+ million Americans), homelessness (600k Americans), unemployment (real unemployment = 20’ish%), parasitic infestations (25+/-% among poor black communities), diseases (1/4 w/STD), viruses (33 die daily from AIDS), and cancer (1/3 will get cancer). It’s too bad no one has been separating these stats by religion, or you would know my observation to be true. Granted, any stat would be muddled by a majority of fake proclaiming Christians, particularly Catholics. However, there is more definitive evidence to support my observation, which brings me to my next related observation –weather.

Consider the increasing natural disasters which devastated numerous U.S cities and entire states last year costing our country 300+ billion last year alone. Yet in another display of Divine Protection, out of the 31 Billion plus-dollar natural disasters which struck all over the country the last 2 years, amazingly, America’s ‘Bible-Belt’ was barely been touched. Is it any coincidence that our modern Sodom and Gomorrah cities (L.A. & Vegas) are desert wastelands literally on fire and in severe drought, with California on the verge of bankruptcy as people and businesses leave in mass, while the ‘Bible Belt’ flourishes with both green and industry? Nope. These areas are great examples both of God’s blessing and judgment. Which is why no one should be surprised if California is hit with the ‘Big One’ and slides off into the ocean, or is struck with drought and famine devastating the economy. Still skeptical? Consider Israel and her surroundings, another stark contrast of economies demonstrating both God’s blessing and judgment. While the Middle East is a desert wasteland plagued with conflict, stagnant growth, poverty, and famine, dominated by the evil enslavement of Islam’s death cult factions, Israel, a baby country, flourishes in every way, literally turning their desert into a blossoming garden while leading the world in growth and technology and as a beacon of freedom, prosperity, and hope -and all this despite the fact that Israel is literally surrounded by vicious and merciless enemies who are hell bent on her destruction, even winning battle after battle against the odds.

Secondly, considering my extensive experience both as a homeless veteran and across America’s Work-Force, with a 99% hire rate and 12+ resume repertoire, I believe it’s safe to refer to myself not only as an American Work-Force and Employment Expert, but an expert on the veteran struggle. Based on my experience and observations across America’s work-force, it’s no wonder to me why most Americans are so absolutely miserable, or even suicidal. Without God I certainly would have ended my life several times by now: 1.) after giving up on a military career facing a stale economy with no money, and 3.) as a transitioning veteran-civilian experiencing mostly failure, disappointment, and misery for nearly eight years now. Praise God He has pulled me through. There’s no other reason for my hope and positivity. Maybe it’s to eventually help others experiencing the same difficulties, but I digress. Tragically, I’m here to report that employment conditions are absolutely horrendous across the board, almost unrecognizable from slavery, and the system is broke and in dire need of fixing. (If this does not describe your experience, consider yourself blessed!) First off, there’s something seriously wrong with a system when those who do all the work live in poverty working like slaves just to eat and sleep in a bed, with many now not even able to afford housing with a full-time job, while those who do virtually nothing reap all the rewards living in luxury. It’s absolutely ridiculous, and it’s wrong. However, this is the evil reality of Capitalism and things will never change until we identify & accept this. Secondly, work conditions are just terrible throughout virtually every industry. From mandatory 70+ hours, to criminally pathetic pay, to weekly mandatory unpaid detentions/days/hours, to mandatory weekends, to virtually ZERO holidays, to mandatory cancer-inducing sperm-killing cell phones without reimbursement, to mandatory transportation without reimbursement, to dangerous or unhealthy conditions (sitting down 8-10+ hours driving or staring at a computer screen daily), stuck doing the same painfully mind-numbing monotonous tasks day-in & day-out, to mandatory requirements eliminating both industry newcomers and those without money, to random/political firings, to lazy firings ( too unintelligent or impatient to train), to entire industry/chain layoffs as technology takes over, or mass lay-offs from criminal activity/criminal negligence/incompetence, to turnover rates of around 100% (trucking), to sub-human treatment (pissing on demand/verbal abuse), to thefts of last paychecks (I’ve personally been robbed of thousands of dollars by nearly half a dozen companies), to a vast majority of businesses being ran by someone who has NO BUSINESS running one (likely why 80% fail), the situation is not only just absolutely atrocious, but very, very bleak. I’ve seen entire industries comprised of desperate workers literally destroying their health just to earn a buck. Virtually zero industries have any program to help integrate the poor and/or uneducated, let alone military veterans, so virtually everyone is stuck where there at, even if it’s nowhere because they couldn’t afford schooling and have no money. The rare few organizations who do have something of a housing/training/employment program are not expanding or expandable as they are restricted by a poor and very narrow business model. Virtually every corporation cares more about making a buck than they do this country, which is why many jobs have been outsourced. And every buck we do make is ripped off by Uncle Sam who literally throws it down the drain towards interest which shouldn’t exist in the first place (debt = new age slavery), or other ridiculous expenditures, including a military which should NOT be a full-time thing -destroy evil and let soldiers get back to normal lives! It’s quite amazing what people are willing to put up with. Worst of all, somehow most everyone seems to think all the above is normal, ‘just the way things are,’ and there’s something wrong with those of us who choose not to accept this atrocious ridiculousness. None of this should be normal! Life is what we choose to make of it! I, for one, refuse to accept this status-quo. All of which brings me to the most important revelation of my experiences; there is a God who cares about me (us individually), and He is good!

Almost unbelievably, the crazy and amazing reality for me is that much of my experience (between 34 companies/organization) was acquired after randomly relocating thousands of miles away, several times (from Ohio to California to Florida), into a strange city, not knowing anyone, with no money, no phone, and no transportation, just a backpack, my Bible, and God in my heart, literally throwing myself into deep holes which only God could have pulled me out of. And pull me out wonderfully God did so that in each case, in no time at all, I was working multiple jobs (7 at one time in California), with owned beautiful transportation, rent-free living, and the love of a beautiful and sweet woman. However, the journey has been anything but easy, and due to a recently evolved spiritual and intellectual maturity, I’m now forced to carve my own seemingly impossible way.

God knows I have tried to fit into a ‘normal,’ or any, job. How many can boast employment opportunities with 70 companies/organizations? How many could have picked themselves up half as many times? 70 just happens to be the number I finally decided it’s time to figure something else out. I’m just not a corporate sheep-drone, and I value freedom, health, and life more than paper/materialism. To be clear, I’ve NEVER been fired for performance. My work ethic never lets anyone outwork me, and I’m always there, first in last out. There’s a reason I was filling an E-5 slot as an Army team-leader in record time. Most opportunities ended for me either due to relocations or because I walked away. The ‘issue’ has been that I refuse to tolerate verbal abuse, I refuse to be miserable, and I refuse to destroy my body or health for little green paper. Life should not revolve around work! I would rather be poor, healthy, and happy, than have money while miserably destroying my health. How many have dedicated their lives towards companies or cities only to be eventually screwed over either right before retirement because the company went bankrupt or laid you off for one reason or another, or after retirement because the company/city went bankrupt (my neighbor is one victim) due to criminal negligence or technological developments? How many more near retirement are likely to be laid off due to technology taking over entire industries? Transportation, Cashiers, and Banks are all soon to be automated, and these industries employ tens of millions in America.

My recent evolution of mind leaves me in an even worse pickle now because I now also refuse to A.) pee on demand, B.) pay for a cancer-inducer (cell phones) strapped to my hip at some strangers beckon call, and C.) pay for transportation, which is always a money-hog, just so I can work, just so I can afford the transportation, while paying half a dozen unconstitutional taxes just to exercise my God given freedom to travel, in my property along public roads no less –which, even worse, is also patrolled by Nazi-thugs who are likely to randomly harass, steal, kidnap, and even kill me for no reason at all (it happens!). To submit myself to this slavery would be insanity. 

Is not my God King? It would certainly appear so. Despite the overwhelming odds against me, while many in the same boat commit suicide by the dozens DAILY, not only am I still here, but I’m living better than most, so much so that I don’t even have to work. Not to brag, but I eat like a King, I have zero bills or expenses, I’m averaging 45+ days of paid vacations annually, including paid trips to Europe and elsewhere, and most would envy my women, rides, and current home. Not that I deserve any of it, I absolutely do not. This isn’t about pointing a finger at me, it’s about pointing a finger at God. I'm living proof that ‘with God, all things are possible.’ The fact that God has given me, not one, but two, potentially multi-million dollar books about to launch is also a great consolation prize.

[cherriesink]

Chapter III – The Empress (Night) Symbolism

The Devil dines in Hell.

The Painting

Inarguably, the most important object of symbolism is this chapter is the oil painting that hangs above the Countess’s long dining table. It features richly-dressed anthropomorphic animals before a luxuriously spread feast, with a red-eyed goat in the emphasized center. There are eight background characters, but presumably only five are important: the ox, cow, dove, wolf, and Death. When adding in the goat, it balances quite neatly in count with that of the main human cast.

This composition parallels The Last Supper, twisting similarities between the divine and the demonic. The goat is representative of Lucio, as mentioned by Nadia, which is…not a good sign. If sheep are traditionally innocent, loyal animals, then goats are disobedient and a metaphor for sin. They are associated with the satanic, diabolical, and wicked. Baphomet is a good example. However, goat gods transcend further back in mythology than Catholicism, as evidenced by Pan of Greeks and the Horned God of the Wicca. Their ties constitute to the more neutral areas of nature, wildness, sexuality, hunting, and/or revelry, of which we know Lucio enjoyed throwing fanatical fantastic parties with even the lowest commoners. This painting is, in theory, one such a scene.

However, it is putting the Devil (or Lucifer, because Lucio is a derivative any Granblue player knows) in the place of Christ, complete with holy illumination and proffered hands. Nadia mentions that he liked to view himself as a “provider,” an entertainer, and was loved by the people, in contrast to how they fear her. But if Lucio is the Devil disguised as a savoir, then his generous offering is to partake the food of sin, meaning that the characters surrounding him at the table are all sinners in some shape or form. Is that wine or is it “the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:17–20)? Why are there animals eating other animals? Quite alarming implications when dinner can be your first action in the palace, with one of the dishes being lamb…

The other easily identifiable creature is Nadia, as the dove. This is due to a) placement to Lucio’s immediate right and b) her dress style. Her hands are clasped demurely, and her head is tilted upwards in admiration, which is already a blatant diversion from her present character (she’s tall and would probably cut off someone’s legs before having to look up at them). Perhaps it is a sign of her past temperament, before she became a Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask. The symbolic opposition between her and Lucio has never been clearer, as doves are associated with peace, grace, love, messengers, and God. It was obviously a rocky marriage, as God can be ruthless and the Devil can be cunning, which subsequently ended terribly for at least one party.

The dove might also be propaganda of Nadia’s innocence in her ex-husband’s “death,” as it is starting to look like she’s hamming it up in recent chapters. She may not have killed him, but it’s obvious she is also not harboring any goodwill. Her tarot reading of I, the Magician, implores her to enact a plan “years upon years in the making,” her intention being to hunt down the so-called-murderer Julian and hang him in the gallows before the Masquerade. Besides Nadia, no one else knew about the scheme (evidenced by Portia’s shock), implying the number of people who know the truth of the Count’s death is limited. Did she arrange to kill her husband? Her disgust at his frivolity, pride, and self-worship seem to point towards that, but we’re only on Chapter III and thus can’t conclusively judge.

The other four characters are rather murky and unclear at this point, so I’ll refrain from making assumptions. But, I’m going to throw out there that Julian is likely not Death, but rather the wolf with the popped collar. Despite drawing XIII in his tarot reading, he stated “Death cast her gaze on this wretch and turned away,” that it had no interest in him. He implies that Death is an outside force to him, not an internal one. Plus, he directs his rage at Asra, not Lucio, which would not make sense if Julian did indeed purposefully murder the Count.

What IS abundantly certain is that the Devil and Death are separate entities. The former ironically gives holy sustenance, while the latter is a betrayer placed in the position of Judas if one wants to compare placement with da Vinci’s Last Supper. It signifies that Death was someone Lucio personally knew as a friend, and that Lucio also was/is above Death and mortality, and ultimately was not permanently killed.

What is also worth mentioning is that Nadia hates the painting to bits, but has never had it removed due to “sentimental value.” Is it a trophy over subjecting her ex-husband? Is it a warning for her own hubris? Is it a reminder about secrets that still need to be buried six feet under? Her motive is unclear, especially since her reply to your response on the painting veers into at least four directions depending on her mood.

The Dogs

These two lovelies have names, Mercedes and Melchior, which both have biblical ties to the Gospel of Matthew. Mercedes is of Spanish origin, meaning “mercies,” and consequently is used to refer to the Virgin Mary as “Our Lady/Mother of Mercy.” Melchior is the name of one of the Magi of Bethlehem who appear before Christ after his birth, bearing gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The “gold I bring to crown him again / King forever, ceasing never / over us all to reign” (We Three Kings of Orient Are hymn) is attributed to Melchior. Both names are only present together during the birth of Christ (Matthew 1:18-2:23), which has unusual connotations on the dogs’ natures and the steps they are guarding, especially considering they are most likely hellhounds.

The myth of the hellhound arises from folklore, not Christianity, and is likely a tie to the game’s overall duality of the occult. A hellhound is an ominous being of Hell, which traits including black fur, glowing red eyes, super strength or speed, ghostly characteristics, and a foul odor. They are often assigned to guard the world of the dead and act as protectors to the supernatural. Mercedes and Melchior are obviously not black, but a rather beautiful white, and likely aren’t smelly (as befitting of palace pets) since the narrative text doesn’t mention it; however, they each have one red eye, confuse those that stare at them, and never slow in chasing you down the corridor at night. Time also plays a key role in their response to you, as in the day they will snarl and act aggressive, while at night they will sniff your hand and wag their tails. Their obedience or interest toward you (depending on choice) certainly doesn’t bode well thematically.

The steps themselves are described as dark, cold, and smelling of ash. We don’t know what this means quite yet, but it probably has something to do with Lucio, as he was killed by being burned in his own bed. On the other hand, vampires disintegrate to ash, and there ARE vampire eels swimming in the moat. Heck, Lucio might be a vampire himself. Regardless, there is death, or some form of undeath or rebirth, beyond those steps.

Faust in the Garden

Despite her cute face, Faust’s potential symbolism is not one to take lightly. The narrative at the end of Chapter III (Night) is fairly straightforward: you wake up in the middle of night, eventually wander your way into the palace gardens, find Faust in a tree, and contact Asra via fountain. That conversation goes in circles, of course, but it’s the setting that is more important here. The garden is described as “lush” and “teeming with life,” with “many eyes, from every corner of the garden” whose owners comment on how Faust has grown bigger. Rather eerie and frightening, especially since there should be no one else awake.

We’re in Eden, arriving from the surrounding wasteland that is human civilization. Faust is our Serpent, dangling invitation and the opportunity for knowledge (the water) from a tree. If you arrived late for the dinner, you eat before the fountain. However, your food is bread, not an apple, which is quite a contradiction. Bread is seen as sacramental, humble, and good in Christianity, not temptation. Faust is also a white snake, which are connected to purity, good feelings, positive intentions, or a clean heart in most mythologies. She provides comfort, and alleviates Asra’s worry over your situation. The surrounding garden, in contrast, is dark and strange and unwelcoming. The devil goat is common iconography again, considering it’s on the fountain. An Eden for monsters, perhaps? You leave before outstaying your welcome, with hints that Faust, and consequently Asra, have been there before.

Conclusion

This chapter is full of examples of twists on Christian symbolism. These religious themes are stronger around the palace, while occult folklore is stronger in the city. It seems Lucio is only main character to fall under religion (he commissioned a Last Supper portrait, his pets have biblical names, he has a biblical name), while the rest of the cast dwells more in the realm of miscellaneous magic: Nadia has precognitive dreams, Portia visits fortunetellers, Julian is tied to alchemy, Asra is a magician/witch, and Muriel is…something. It stacks the rest of main cast against Lucio, and he likely “died” because of one or more of them were furious over being tricked by his different “generosity.” 

As in Chapter III (Day), Muriel warns, “He will return uninvited. He will offer you a gift, when you need it most…Turn it away. Or you will fall into his hand…Just like the rest of us.” This quote could reference either Lucio or Asra, since a) both are not around you this point, b) both are disliked by other characters, and c) both are seen as bestowers (i.e the feasts and Julian’s curse)—but, Lucio has a higher chance of being the prophesied Big Bad due to the “uninvited” phrasing. And, well, Asra bums off your shop, guilt-sulks, and admits to being weaker, so 99% chance he’s not going to have something to offer you that is otherwise unattainable.

Of course, this post is assuming all of Chapter III’s symbolism was deliberately picked and that I’m interpreting it correctly. Who knows, maybe Faust is the true Chessmaster.

Personal notes:

I want save slots /cries

This game now has time-based events. I played it once in the afternoon, and arrived on time to Nadia’s dinner; then I replayed it at night with the same choices, and was late to dinner.

The dogs’ responses are also time-based.

[maned-cerdae]

House Cildrvengrove

Pinglist: @jadedragons @pyrouge-fr

“finish one story arc at a time” nein

/next>>

The garden was one of the Begonia’s favorite places. Ever since she was a child she loved to run through the flowers there. Her two favorite flowers had to be the begonias she was named for, and the cildrven.

It was such a pretty little flower. A pale pastel pink with specks and streaks of orange and yellow like a sunrise with fuzzy golden leaves. The berries were small and a bright magenta. It was so soft and unassuming, no one at first glance could possibly know that it grew on corpses.

Her father had once shown her the place where the bulk of the cildrven was grown for export. She had been young, too young. Barely more than a hatchling. He showed her that vast room, filled with lights and the bodies of dead dragons. And covering the bodies like a delicate blanket was thousands upon thousands of cildrven plants. Begonia had had nightmares for weeks afterward of waking up to look down and seeing that layer of cildrven covering her too. Eventually she had learned to no longer fear, and even to like, the little plant. It was the reason her family’s trading company was so successful after all.

She couldn’t even remember who had eventually explained it to her. They were just a natural part of the cycle of life, really. Cildrven was merely a decomposer, but its part was recycling the specific magic that dragons held in their blood, even after death.

That didn’t really explains why it was only found here, in this tiny piece of the Scarred Wasteland.

Begonia tried not to think about it.

Once you put aside how it grows, it was actually quite an amazing little thing. When grown correctly, even one tiny petal had nearly as much magic as some full grown dragons. Ground up and diluted in water it could bring a dragon dying from severe lack of magic back from the brink and return them to normal levels. It was incredibly useful on battle fields where mages were in heavy demand and..

Wow, she really was starting to sound like her father.

Begonia looked up from her sketchbook where she was trying and failing to sketch some strange new plant her father had brought back from a business trip to… somewhere. Shadow maybe? It looked shadowy. She couldn’t remember the name of it for her life. Well, this was getting nowhere. She stood with a sigh and thought about what to do. Things were always so boring around here. Visiting the library was an idea; she had heard that her father had brought back some new books as well that she hadn’t gotten her hands on yet.

But only halfway there, she meet an annoying obstacle.

Her mother.

She was just standing in the middle of the hall, looking to the world like a lost hatchling in a market nervously searching for their parents. Occasionally she would glance up and down the hall like she was waiting for someone. Begonia briefly considered finding another way to the library, but her mom didn’t look as bad as she usually did when these sort of episodes happened and it would save a lot more effort later…

She gently touched her mother’s arm and put on her most convincing smile. “Hey Mom, everything alright?”

Her mother blinked and stared at a point behind Begonia. “L-love, is that you?”

“It’s Begonia, Mom, not Dad. I’m your daughter, remember?”

“I. Think I remember having a daughter. Are you her?”

“Yes, I am. Now how about we go back to your room so you can sleep for a bit? You seem tired.”

“I. Guess I’m tired.”

“Let’s go to your rooms then. No, this way…”

After forty fucking minutes, her mother was finally in her bedroom and asleep. Begonia leaned around the hallway wall and pinched the bridge of her nose. That... was the other thing she tried not to think about in regards to cildrven.

How easy it was to use wrong, and how easy it was to get addicted after using it wrong.

She sighed and pushed herself off the wall. Well, she probably still had enough time to visit the library tonight. Almost as soon as she thought that a servant, a Spiral it looked like, came scurrying down the hall.

“Oh, Miss Cildrvengrove! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Your father wants you in his study.”

She resisted the urge to scream and looked down at the servant. “Ah, thank you…”

The servant’s grin faltered. “Thilia.”

“Thank you then, Thilia. He’s in his study, right?”

“Er, yes.”

Begonia started on her way to the study reluctantly. Luckily his study was near the library, so she might actually make it there some time tonight. She hoped so, anyway