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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 14 days ago

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Shaken and Stirred.

I was really inspired by this fan art and was plagued by thoughts of a pathetic whiny lil meow meow 🥺 I don't drink myself, but I love the mature aesthetic of it and wanted to... write a drunken confession... to close off 2024...

… DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT OTL wait no please J WORD I CAN EXPLAIN

***Content warning: Alcohol consumption, though Leona is the only one drinking. (The legal age is 20 in Japan; I’m going to assume this for Twisted Wonderland.) Everyone else is having sparkling juice :v***

Imagine this…

"Feel like joining us for dinner? For old time's sake.”

The invitation had come so casually, the same way a housecat might drop a mangled rat or bird at your feet. To them, an easy, everyday act. To you, a surprise you weren’t quite certain how to feel about.

You didn't have plans for the evening, nor a reason to refuse, and while you were busy weighing the pros and cons, you found yourself strung along in their outing. Muscular arms wrangling you into the herd, boisterous yells welcoming you back. An honorary member, the Savanaclaw students had branded you, recognized by their king.

Now you sit in a barstool, fingers on the rim of a cup clouded with condensation, absentmindedly swirling its contents. Juice, its sweetness stifled by melted ice.

Some would call you a lamb willingly waltzing into a lion's den. They're wrong. You are no beast, but a curious observer of them. This is a prime opportunity for that.

It’s dim, the glowing jellyfish set low, faint lights swimming overhead. The music is loud, a departure from the Mostro Lounge’s usual soft jazz. The bass is even louder, rattling your bones like a set of steel drums. Rowdy patrons clink cups, chant at their friends to chug, belt out laughter straight from the bellies. You can barely hear your own heartbeat. The sounds of nightlife drown it out.

Jack lurks in a quiet, shadowed corner, his back against the wall. Muscled arms folded, he has assumed a stern stance but wears a small, fond smile in spite of himself. Ruggie has climbed onto a table, raising a jet-black card to the waiting mob. It’s their golden meal ticket.

“All-you-can-eat food and drinks on Leona-san! Long live the king!!” he roars, and the others echo his excitement.

“LONG LIVE THE KING!!”

You chuckle to yourself. First he rents out the entire lounge, then he decides to feed everyone for the day? How generous of him. Guess the big guy’s going all out.

You scan the restaurant in search of him, seeking out his familiar visage. Long, wild tresses. Sharp eyes, emerald flecked with golden flakes, like the sunlight shining through verdant leaves. The scar that speared his left side. A noble aura, his lazy feline grace.

Leona Kingscholar always sticks out in a crowd, commands too much attention with his mere existence. “That man is only good for his face,” Vil would bitterly hawk, “his only redeeming feature.” And he was right, to some extent. Tall, dark, and handsome are all apt descriptors for Savanaclaw’s dorm leader. Leona is all that and more.

Your pulse quickens.

His shape—you can’t discern it from the myriad of bodies collected in the lounge. A puzzle piece missing from the box of your most treasured memories.

“Looking for someone?”

The question is low and nonchalant, almost musical in its own right, yet you can so clearly hear it rising above the bumping bass. Your blood hums in anticipation, already knowing who the voice belongs to.

Leona has slipped into the open seat beside you, nursing an Old-Fashioned filled halfway with a strongly scented amber liquid. An orb of ice chills it, so clear cut you can see through to the other side. He sits with an effortless confidence upon his throne, as though he—not Azul—owns the damn place. You'd believe it too, from how the patrons are shouting his name like a mantra.

There’s no greetings to exchange. No need to.

"I think I've found what I was looking for," you tell him teasingly. “Nice of you to throw this little get-together. What’s the occasion? Don’t think I remember when you were in this good of a mood.”

“Who said I was in a good mood?” he grumbles, leaning onto the counter. “Didn't feel like being left alone with my thoughts tonight is all.”

“You, brooding? Never."

He makes a sound as if repressing a dry laugh. “You think yourself clever for an herbivore, don’t you?”

“Maybe. Not as clever as you, though.”

“Hmph. You really know how to stroke a guy’s ego."

It’s comfortable, this trading of quips. Safe. The conversation flowing so easily, like wine poured. It is the only true way you can stand on the same level as him.

Leona lifts the glass and downs the rest of his drink. From the way he winces, it must burn on the way down. You wrinkle your nose at the sharp smell that meets it. Earth spiced with hypnotic smoke and the acrid pang of sorrow.

“They serve alcohol here? I thought those jars on the shelves were full of tea blends.”

Leona scoffs. “If you know the right people and the right strings to pull. The cephalopunk said his establishment was more than happy to provide for me as long as I shelled out and signed some liability waiver.”

“… Does the headmaster know about this?”

“He doesn’t need to know.” Leona smirks, placing his newly drained drink down. Immediately, a staff member appears and replaces it with a fresh glass. “What’s he gonna do, anyway? Sue me? I’m of legal drinking age, and ‘s not like I’m passing out alcohol to minors”

“Unbelievable.” You shake your head in disbelief. “You’re so bad.”

“The worst,” he agrees sarcastically. “And you choose to keep me as company.”

“I’m but your humble accomplice, sir.” You jokingly salute to him. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret. Rough day?”

He sighs in a way that gives the impression of saying, Like you wouldn't believe. But that tail of his swings back and forth like a patient pendulum, refusing to reveal his secrets. “This isn’t about me.”

“It literally is.” You pass a not-so-subtle glance at his second helping of whisky.

"I'm the host. It wouldn't do to bring down the festive atmosphere of this celebration with my feelings, now would it?"

You don't miss how he proceeds to take a swig right after his claim, how readily he consumes poison, even when it hurts him. Alcohol, insults. Pain, self-inflicted.

He has an arsenal of tricks and techniques to deflect—partaking in vices, one of them. Leona's magic rendered fortresses to sand, but he is an expert at building his own structures just the same. Studier, even. Imperious.

Attempting to scale the walls directly, you know, won't get you very far. Not when he has gone to such great lengths to guard his heart. There's a moat with leering crocodiles, barbed wire decorating the gates, a drawbridge firmly closed.

You attempt to breach the subject, toeing the line between testing his patience and challenging it. “What is it that you want then, Leona?”

He falls quiet, staring at the remains of his beverage. It’s like the sphere of ice the whisky swims with is a crystal ball, and he’s peering into it, seeking answers. His verdant eyes shift a shade deeper, darker.

When he’s solemnly silent like this, he’s contemplating. His next move in a game of chess, his next words in a debate. Plotting, scheming.

"A distraction," he declares at last, in that resolute tone he uses when he’s set on capturing a prize.

"A... distraction."

He nods, angling his head toward the noisy lounge. Ruggie is rallying some of the guys for a round of root beer pong. Jack’s trapped in a headlock, the hyena urging him to join in. They’re rowdy and ruddy from the exhilaration that comes with competition.

“Get my mind off of things. Take me away from all of this for a spell."

“How, exactly…?”

Leona drains his second glass. The server slides him a third. "Let's start with your day. From there, ramble about whatever.”

Amuse me, he seems to say, even if his mouth doesn’t. The twinkle has returned to his eyes, brightening them like the stars do the milky way.

You gulp, feeling compelled to obey.

Gathering your thoughts and wetting your lips, you begin. "This morning..."

The story opens like a newborn finding its footing for the first time: clumsily. Granted the space to expand, you do. Slowly, the conventions come to you. Balance, coordination. Each sentence is like a step, taken one at a time.

You run through your daily schedule and, reciting it out loud, you realize how terribly mundane it is. Classes, chores, chums. The usual. Worry flickers through you—Will he be satisfied with this?—but he only gestures for you to continue.

“Ah, so I picked up this new hobby recently…”

Leona props his face up on one hand, curled fingers resting against a cheek. He watches you with a look that isn’t quite predator on prey but isn’t quite human to human either. It’s intimate in a way that makes you feel exposed even when you avert your gaze, calculating enough to make you feel like a complex equation he has yet to solve.

“When something’s hard to get, it makes you want it all the more,” he had once told you. The memory surfaces like bubbles in a flute of champagne. Then it pops, fizzling away in a fine mist, and it is gone.

Moments like this are magic, you think.

You slip into a cadence, a rhythm. You lose count of how many stories you tell, how many whiskies Leona slams down in the span of them.

And still, the glowing green of his irises never seems to stray far from you. Vibrant and pulsating, like plants with heartbeats of their own, swaying in time with a stray breeze. Seeking something.

You don’t know if that concerns or thrills you.

"Ahahah…” You allow yourself a chuckle as you stretch in your seat. “This is so strange, isn’t it? I never thought I'd be rubbing elbows with a prince this time last year.”

Leona responds with a noncommittal “Mmmmm.”

He lowers his gaze to his drink number who knows?, his honey-colored reflection gazing back. When he blinks, his lashes seem to fall and flutter in slow motion.

You wonder what he's thinking, why he's thinking.

You reach for him. Carefully, gently, as if approaching a wounded animal. He is wounded--in that frightening way that leaves no visible marks, no scars.

"Leona..."

You hear your name being called before you can tap his shoulder. You look--there's Jack, waving at you. Ruggie has his hands cupped over his mouth.

"Wanna participate in an arm-wrestling contest? Jack's the reigning champ!"

"Oh, um--" you try to respond, to explain that you're preoccupied. The blaring music washes you out.

Ruggie makes a face of confusion and shouts again: "What?!"

You start to rise from your stool and turn to him, raising your volume. "I said..."

You stop. Your wrist is ensnared in Leona's grasp, cuffing you to the spot.

“… Don’t go." His command cuts through the noise, startling you with its softness, its contrasting clarity.

"It'll only be a second. It's too hard to talk over the--"

"You must've not heard me the firs'time," he interrupts, his words slightly slurring together, one melting into the next. Leona pouts like a child. "I’m orderin' you to stay. Stay here, with me."

"You've been awfully bossy today."

"Cuz you keep bein' a pain in my tail. How'm I supposed to..." The more the man babbles, the more confidence drains from his voice. His proud lion's roar shrinking and shrinking to a kitten's mewl. Tiny, vulnerable. "Don't go. Don't... leave. Everyone else has. They always do."

Non-sarcastic pleading? From Leona?

You eye him in concern. "Being serious for a sec, are you okay?"

He winces, like speaking or touching you is a considerable effort. You're set free, his body slumping as he lays down at the bar. His mane spreads out around him like a pool of chocolate. Leona cradles himself against the cushion of an arm, groaning into it.

Definitely not okay.

You pass Ruggie a firm shake of the head--a no to his offer--then settle back into your seat, returning to Leona.

"I'm here," you reassure him with a soft push against the middle of his chest. "See? I'm not going anywhere." Then you poke him on his forehead. "What's up? You're thinking of something."

He peers at you from behind an arm and snorts. "Thinkin' about how you run your mouth a lot."

"You told me to. I'm just following orders--don't you like that? You're so hard to please."

"I have high standards," he says simply.

"Well..." You lift a brow expectantly. "Am I meeting them?"

This manages to draw out a bark of laughter from him, however strained it sounds. He fixates on you, the start of a scowl upon his searching expression.

Assessing you.

“… Why?” Leona asks suddenly. No proper answer. Instead, an inquiry thrown back in retaliation.

“Why what?”

“Why d’you bother stickin’ around? Why d’you…” A pause, as if the verb that comes next is capable of killing if not handled correctly. “Why do you care so much?”

You shrug. “You don’t really need a reason to care about someone. Anyone with a heart would, right? You’d do the same for me or any of your dorm members.”

“And what do you know about heart?” He fumbles for his drink, but you slyly slide it out of reach. A growl of frustration. “All I got’s a big black hole where my heart should be.”

“That’s not true,” you protest stubbornly. “Your students say so many good things about their dorm leader. They all really look up to you.”

“Hah, as if.” He lifts his head and slams it on the table. “I failed’m. What good’s a king if he can’t produce results? What good’s tryin’ if all there is at the end of the tunnel’s darkness? Can’t even dispatch the damn lizard or beat ‘m at his own game…

You frown. “Hey. hey! Don’t talk about yourself like that… and stop doing that, you’re going to injure yourself.”

Leona doesn’t seem to register anything you say. He continues deliriously mumbling to himself, the alcohol having wiped away his inhibitions and all the cards he so often kept close to his chest.

“I never get what I want,” he complains, dragging himself up—but he sways and is forced to hunch forward on his chair, elbows on the counter for support. “Never, ever. No matter how hard I try, no matter how hard I work… It all comes crumbling down eventually.”

His hair covers his face the same way the strands of a weeping willow do. You can’t see what kind of an expression is making. Do you want to see it?

He’s sinking, you realize. The same claws that struggle for a firm grip on the rocky ledge he dangles from, the same claws that render enemies to ashes—they don’t help him against crashing waves, the swamp that drags him down, down, down, into its murky depths. No sunlight, no air.

“The crown… the interdorm tournament... love, respect, admiration... Everything slips through m’fingers like sand. It’s some cruel, sick joke. Must be m’fate as the prince with naught.”

“Leona..."

Is this what haunts you every time you're alone in your room? The thoughts that you're scared of visiting you every night... What you needed a distraction from?

“Get my mind off of things," he had said. "Take me away from all of this for a spell."

There's an ache in your chest. The dull, throbbing pain that comes at the end of reading a sad story. His story.

But it's not the end of it, right? It can't be.

Your fingers tangle in his tresses and brush them aside. From behind the curtain, he peers at you like some stray cat having retreated into its cardboard box. And you meet him without hesitation.

"... Hey," you manage. "I think you've had enough. You're starting to say all this... unkind stuff about yourself, and you're not having fun anymore. Can you walk? Let's get you back to Savanaclaw and have you lie down."

Leona sways slightly. Even drunk, his tone is haughty and shreds into you like claws. "You can't tell me what t'do."

"You're the host," you insist with a smile. The words are his, borrowed, sharpened, and repurposed in your possession. "It wouldn't do to bring down the festive atmosphere of this celebration with your feelings, now would it?"

He stares at you, eyes blown wide. Then his lids lower, lashes shading his view of you.

"Why... Why d'you hafta be like thish? This would be sho much easier if y'didn’t look at me like that."

"L-Like what?"

Leona inches closer. He usually smells of sun and soil, but all of that has been smothered by the reek of booze. Heat radiates from his face, flushed from liquid courage, and hits yours.

"Like there's still a chance for me." He speaks clearly and concisely, each syllable a brick laid out and sandwiched with mortar to the next. Pouring all his energy into them. "Like you still believe in me."

"Because I do. Is that so wrong?" You're unsure of the answer--a part of you, dreading it.

Leona counters with another question. It is tinged with anger, irritation. "Why can’t you be like the others and just give up already? It'd save you a lot of trouble."

"I can't bring myself to leave you hanging on the edge of a cliff. We all want a hand sometimes to lift us up when we're down, so... I want to be that for you. And it seems like you could use that hand to get you out of your troubles right about now."

His lip trembles. Leona's voice comes out huskily. "I hate that dumb, wide-eyed look of yours. So full of hope. When you look at me like that… it makes me think I might still be able to have you.”

“You already have me, dummy. I’m right here, remember?”

“No.” His gaze is intense, almost pulsating. He has a way of scrutinizing that lays you bare before him, pinning you in place and making you inadvertently squirm. “Not in the way I want you t'be.”

Your heart stops, as if he has seized it in his grasp. One squeeze, and he can crush it. It's a mercy he doesn't, even as you erupt into a flurry of confusion, an inferno engulfing you.

"What?" you whisper, scarcely believing your ears. "Wh-What do you mean by that...?"

THUNK!

His balance caves. Leona keels over, the weight of his large body toppling onto yours like a domino crashing into the next one in a sequence.

His head lands on your shoulder, neatly nestling into the junction of your collarbone and neck. Arms loosely snake around your hips, hugging them, his tail wrapping around a leg like a ribbon decorating a pillar. A throaty groan escapes him.

Panic bolts through your muscle and bone.

Your immediate instinct is to shove him off—but he’s heavy and inebriated, and it’s hard for you to fend off the warmth pressed against you. He’s not playing fair. Is he doing this on purpose? You shouldn’t be surprised; he never does.

His low purr tickles you, his breath feathering across your bare skin. He sounds half asleep, caught in that magical twilight realm between the waking world and dreams. “Is it okay… for someone like me to fall in love with someone like you?”

Love?

Four letters, one simple word.

Your surroundings dullen, the chatter and the laughter and the music floating far away. You become acutely aware of all of the places where he touches you, of every spot where you connect. There are so many people gathered in the lounge, but all you can perceive is him: Leona, Leona Kingscholar.

Your mind races, set to a frantic pace like wildebeests rampaging.

Love, the thing with wings that soars high above the clouds. Love, the golden light that brings life to the lands. Love, the wellspring so many drink from.

He feels all of that for you?

It feels like I'm dreaming. Am I dreaming?

"D-Do you really mean that, Leona?" You need to know. You must confirm it. "That you... love me?"

Silence.

“L-Leona…?” you stutter, lightly tapping his back. It rises and falls, rises and falls, like the tides lapping the seashore. Soft, at ease.

But not a response.

One, two, three.

Three seconds. Three seconds is all it takes for Leona Kingscholar to knock out--and he is out like a light.

The party and its twisted beat carry on, the bass blasting in your bloodstream, uncaring. And you remain, cradling a snoozing cat in your arms.

... Ah, seriously. How did it turn out like this?

Upset, annoyance--you think that these are, perhaps, what you're meant to be feeling in the moment. They are missing, not so much as a phantom present. Instead, there's an excitable fluttering that doesn't have a name to it yet.

You swallow, still slightly shaken. The confession, raw and revealing, stirring emotions you didn't think possible before. Emotions that burned red hot, with serrated teeth and talons.

A hand goes to the back of his head, stroking his mane and smoothing it out. It's comforting to him, you imagine, but it's comforting to you as well. Grounding.

You're here. He's here. The both of you are here, together.

There is it again, that unnamed, excitable fluttering kicking up back up. It fans out from your core, from your head to the tips of your toes. You feel like you're lighter than air, flying to the moon and playing among the stars.

He loves you.

Leona Kingscholar loves you.

The fingers trapped in his hair stiffen.

You draw out a sigh. It mingles with the music and stretches thin, a string of fabric pulled from a spool.

Until the clock strikes midnight… Let’s just stay like this for a little longer. That much would be okay, wouldn’t it? We can figure out the rest of the story once the sleepy prince wakes from his slumber.

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apiswitchcraft · 6 months ago

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altars for greek heroes

ACHILLES: hero of the Trojan war, son of nereid Thetis

Colors: gold/bronze, red for Trojan War. blue, white for his mother Thetis

Offerings: yarrow, gold/silver, shells, gull feathers, olive, laurel, gemstones

Crystals: aquamarine, sodalite, jaspers (red, yellow, ocean especially)

*to honor Achilles you must also honor Patroclus*

PATROCLUS: hero of the Trojan war, son of Argonaut Menoetius

Colors: gold/bronze, red for war. purple for royal birth

Offerings: incense/fire, oil, olive, laurel, gemstones, gold/silver

Crystals: agates (moss, tree especially), amethyst, lepidolite, rose quartz, citrine

ADONIS: lover of Aphrodite, became god of rebirth and beauty

Colors: pink, purple, red for beauty and association with Aphrodite

Offerings: fast growing plants (lettuce, fennel, barley, wheat), anemone and other flowers, dead plants, cake, honey

Crystals: flower agate, rose quartz, amethyst, rutilated quartz, jaspers (specifically rainforest or other green ones)

ARIADNE: helped Theseus to defeat the Minotaur, later married Dionysus and became goddess of labyrinths

Colors: gold for noble birth. purple for association with Dionysus

Offerings: grapes, puzzle toys, spools of thread or fabric art, wine, herbal tea, saffron

Crystals: grape agate, celestite, star jasper, pyrite, amethyst, scolectite, selenite

ASCLEPIUS: god of healing, son of Apollo

Colors: yellow, white for association with Apollo. red, pink, orange for healing

Offerings: snake skin, clay/bronze humanoid figurines, cypress, pine, olive trees, medicinal herbs

Crystals: quartz, rhodonite, amethyst, fluorite, selenite, citrine

ATALANTA: one of the Argonauts, devotee of Artemis, killed the Calydonian boar

Colors: brown, green for the hunt. white, blue, grey for association with Artemis

Offerings: pork, boar hide, apples, laurel, forgeables, lion/bear imagery

Crystals: jaspers, moss/tree agate, petrified wood, amethyst, rose quartz, selenite

CASTOR AND POLLUX: Pollux was a son of Zeus who shared his immortality Castor, they were turned into the Gemini constellation, saviors of seafarers

Colors: purple for noble birth. white and grey for association with zeus. black for the night sky

Offerings: shells, laurel, olive, meat, wine, two things conjoined (like two cherries or two grapes on a vine)

Crystals: star and ocean jaspers, sodalite, aquamarine, obsidian, hematite

HERAKLES: went mad and killed his wife and kids, did 12 labors as penance, god of strength and heroes

Colors: red, gold for strength and heroes

Offerings: hellebore, olive, laurel, meat, alcohol, yarrow

Crystals: bloodstone, carnelian, garnet, red jasper, smokey quartz, pyrite

HYACINTHUS: Spartan prince and lover of Apollo, became god of vegetation

Colors: pink, yellow, green for vegetation. yellow/gold for association with apollo

Offerings: iris (they were called hyacinths by the Greeks) and other flowers, grain, yarrow, clove

Crystals: tree/moss/flower agate, jaspers (especially bumblebee), citrine, carnelian, pyrite, honey calcite, amber

ODYSSEUS: clever hero of Homer's "The Odyssey," favored by Athena

Colors: gold, purple for royal status. grey, white for wisdom

Offerings: owl feathers, shells, boat imagery, poetry/speeches, laurel, olive, cypress

Crystals: jaspers, obsidian, quartz, aquamarine, turquoise, sodalite, bloodstone

ORION: lover of Artemis, was turned into a constellation after death. Sirius is his dog and Scorpius the scorpion that slayed him

Colors: black, white for night. brown, green for the hunt

Offerings: forageables, apples, hides/leather, mugwort, cypress, moon shaped items

Crystals: star jasper, bloodstone, selenite, celestite, howlite

ORPHEUS: son of Apollo, famed musician and poet of the Argonauts, travelled to Haides to try to save his wife Eurydice

Colors: yellow, gold, white for Apollo. black for the Underworld

Offerings: music (especially lyre), poetry, hymns, honey, laurel, wine, meats

Crystals: aventurine, obsidian, black tourmaline, smokey quartz, selenite, yellow jasper, honey calcite

PERSEUS: son of Zeus, slayer of Medusa, has a constellation

Colors: gold and red for hero status. white, grey, blue for association with Zeus

Offerings: meat, laurel, snake shed, alcohol, fruit, honey, milk (to honor his mother Danae)

Crystals: jaspers (red, star especially), bloodstone, serpentine, quartz, obsidian

THESEUS: slayer of the Minotaur, united Attica, completed six trials for the entrances to the Underworld that he passed on the way to Athens

Colors: blues for ocean, being a son of Poseidon (in some stories)

Offerings: ship imagery, meat, olive, yarrow, gold

Crystals: pyrite, sodalite, lapis lazuli, coral, blue aventurine, aquamarine

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queenlucythevaliant · 1 year ago

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harder than you think

i. When the Narnians stole Edmund away from beneath the Witch's blade, they told him he was safe. This wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either.

ii. They brought him to the Stone Table. It was night. Edmund doubted very much that he would find safety there, for he still recoiled at the name of Aslan. He slept fitfully and woke the next morning before the sun was up.

iii. A sliver of gold just beyond the tent flap captured his attention, there in the dark. Unaccountably, Edmund felt the urge to rise and go towards it.

iv. And there was Aslan, who was supposed to be fearsome, supposed to be dangerous, supposed to be powerful, and he was he was he was. Dimly, Edmund felt himself hitting the ground.

v. But then Aslan said, “Come, Son of Adam. Let us walk a while, and reason together.”

vi. And as they walked together, in the cool dewy grass of early morning, the Lion told Edmund everything that he had ever done.

vii. They were standing in front of the Table when the conversation turned. Aslan spoke a riddle of a house blasted into rubble which he would piece back together overnight. He spoke of flesh being pierced, blood being shed, and of rejected stones being used for new foundations. He spoke about water welling up forever, washing you clean of everything you ever did wrong, all the blood that you ever thought of shedding, everything you ever tried to steal, and a river that carries you home when you can't walk anymore and spits you out brand new when it reaches the sea.

viii. Edmund's head swam. Silently, he yearned for the wisdom to understand what he was being told; or, failing that, at least to remember it for as long as it took him to puzzle it out.

ix. And then, the Witch. Then, the battle. The thrones. A year passed, and winter came. In its time, it melted back to glorious spring.

x. “Edmund,” said Lucy one day. “There's something we need to tell you.” She and Susan were cloaked in springtime gossamer, like fairy queens in poems he only half remembered. They sat on the window seat in his study, holding hands white-knuckled: his two beloved sisters.

xi. “It's about Aslan,” Susan said. “And the White Witch, and how he made her renounce her claim on your blood. The night before Beruna, he went back to the Stone Table.”

xii. “He let her kill him,” Lucy cut in. “Instead of you. And then, because he hadn't done anything wrong, the Emperor's Deeper Magic brought him back to life.”

xiii. “We've been arguing all year about how much to tell you,” said Susan wryly. Then, a little gentler, “We don't want to hurt you, but we feel you ought to be told what he did for you.”

xiv. And Edmund, who had never forgotten what Aslan told him on that cool, dewy morning before the sun came up, shut his eyes and whispered, “I know.”

xv. I know, he said. I know that he died. I know that he did it for me. I know he lived again because I saw him the next day, and the next, and the next. I think I know what it means - or at least, I know the shape of it.

xvi. “Oh,” said Lucy. “We should have realized that he would have told you himself.”

xvii. “Yes. But please, tell me the story all the same.”

#finally returning to this little character study series thing #I really like this one #bc Edmund pretty clearly knows about Aslan's sacrifice in later books but as of the end of lww the girls are still debating #what if anything he should be told #and like. imo that was what the early morning talk was #the gospel presented in that Jesus-y way where he's like 'this is all gonna make sense to you in a little bit once it gets fulfilled'#in addition to some of the more specific stuff about Edmund's specific sin probably #in my head the closest parallel for that conversation would end up being the magician's book with lucy #anyway #this whole series is being posted together on ao3 just so you know #narnia #the traitor who mended #reading fairy tales again #pontifications and creations #leah stories

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panpanghost · 1 month ago

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Part 9 of this au (I think 'Corrupted king' is nice, I've thought about other names but I like this one most.)

Macaque fallowed Wukong, keeping a few steps between them, looking around and studying this palace, searching for the exit. They went up the stairs then to the end of the hall.

Maybe I can try something in the shower- DUMMASS!!! That's Macaque you're thinking about! He'd punsh me if he didn't want to but that's him with powers, so if he didn't want it now, he'll just take with a smile because he thinks I'll kill him then he will never forgive me. So staying neutral is the best thing to do in his condition... Until he falls in love with me again.

Wukong opened the doors, and Macaque could see a swimming pool with hot water falling in it from a hole on the side walls shaped like a lion's face. With a huge glass wall in front to show the beautiful scenery outside.

This place is really nice. My only problem is the king. It's good that it's big, I can keep a distance between us. But... it's like I've been here before.

Macaque was looking around the place, but then he looked back at the king to find him already undressed and staring at him.

Shitshitshitshitshit! I almost forgot about him! That took me completely off guard.

_"Are you ok?" the king asked,

_"I'm fine, go ahead first, I'll undress and go after." Macaque smiled. He won't ask me to serve him, right?

_"It's ok, I'll wait for you... Do you need a hand?"

_"NOPE- I got this." Is he going to watch me all the time?!

Macaque took off the rest of his clothes feeling his heart beating faster and faster, his cheeks burning as the king never took an his eyes off him.

Does he need to watch so closely? It's not like I'm going anywhere.

As Macaque finished he glanced at the king, who was looking at him puzzled, like he was trying to read Macaque and the more he read him the more puzzled he got.

This is embarrassing, can he please stop staring.

Then it looked like a light bulb lit in the king's head, he gave Macaque a smile then ran to the water and jumped high yelling, "Cannonball!"

He made a splash as he hit the water.

The Macaque froze for a second then smiled, almost wanted to laugh, what a silly guy.

It worked! He doesn't look so stressed now. I knew it! Acting like myself is the best choice.

_"Try and beat that!" Wukong challenged,

Macaque was shocked for a second, then smiled, he ain't backing off a challenge. Even without powers, he ran to the edge of the pool, jumped high, did a few turns like a professional diver then hit the water gracefully.

Macaque got his head out the water and gave Wukong a smug look,

_"Mine had more splash in it so we'll call it even."

_"Yeh. Sure." Macaque said, still smug. He knows he won. Then it hit him again-

Why did I do that?! He could've felt offended! Damn it! I really need to be more careful. My head could go flying any second now.

Wukong turned and swam to the edge of the pool, then sat on one of the big stairs underwater so only his head was out, he put it back on the edge and relaxed.

Macaque swam to the same edge but kept a distance between them. Sure the king didn't seem mad but it doesn't mean he can relax just yet.

Macaque sat there for a second thinking, then he got colser to the king, almost close enough for Wukong to reach him.

Wukong glanced at him but didn't move, he knows Macaque is more like a cat, he needs to let him get closer on his own or else he'll scratch and bite.

Macaque started grooming his hands.

What the- Not a single entanglement, my furr isn't as silky and thick and I guess that's because I'm sick, but it's clearly well taken care of, my furr's been groomed, maybe yesterday, but I was out for a couple days...

Macaque glanced at the king who looked like he was having a hard time with his own furr.

Was it him? Was he taking care of me while I was out? But he's a king, he could've told someone else to do it, still... I haven't seen another person since I woke up. I can hear others outside but no one in the palace.

_"Doesn't seem like this'll take long." Macaque broke the silence, hinting at the question in his head,

_"Well I've washed you two days ago when you were out, but didn't do it after because I was afraid you'd get a cold. B- But, you know- I'm not saying you're weak, I'm- It's just in this condition it's better not to tempt fate. But don't worry I know how much you love your furr so I groomed all of it and made sure it's good as new." Wukong answered without looking at his moon, still struggling with his own furr.

_"That's.. a lot of work for a king..." that didn't come out as rude, right?

_"We can't help it. You can't use your glamour for now, so I ordered everyone to stay outside. I know how much you hate others seeing your ears. Don't know why though, I think they're cute. But, you know, I respect your decision."

_"Thanks..." Macaque said, glancing back at the king.

Damn it... Every time he opens his mouth, I feel butterflies in my stomach. Stop that! ... So no one's been taking care of him because of me... He must've been having a hard time...

"Come here. I think it's my turn." Macaque said, turning to face the king.

What am I doing?

_"O-oh!" Wukong understood, "Well, it's been your turn for the past two times, but I'll take what I can get." he joked moving closer to his moon.

YES YES YES!

Fluffy...

Macaque started his work and the king relaxed to the touch, his tail swishing happily next to him.

_"Your- Wukong."

_"Yes peaches?"

_"Umm, my eye, is it yours?"

_"Nope, it's yours now."

_"I meant did you give it to me?"

_"Yeh, but don't worry about it. I can regenerate."

_"That's not- Just because you regenerate doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, so thank you, don't know many kings who'd do that."

It's him, it's still him, that's my moon, but...

_"Weeeelll. If you insist on thanking me. Can you stop that?"

_"I'm sorry, stop what exactly?"

_"THAT!" Wukong turned, "Exactly that."

_"What?" Macaque was confused and a little scared,

_"Being so- so.. so, respectful!"

_"You are upset because I'm being respectful?"

_"Yes! It's like you're walking on eggshells around me and it's driving me nuts!"

_"I'm.. sorry?"

_"Noooooo, ugh! See what I'm talking about?! You wouldn't apologise, you'd say 'deal with it, sweetheart' or-or 'Wukong you smell like shit, get your ass in the water' or 'Wake up, I'm hungry' then you'd kick me out of bed to get you something to eat."

_"I said that?" past me I'm gonna kill you!

_"Yes. You did. You'd even say worse but that's not the point."

_"I- I.. Ummm.. I'm sorry, I don't, I-"

_"AAAAGH!" Wukong let out then dived under water, yelling and swearing but all it came was bubbles on the surface.

What is happening right now? Is he telling the truth? He might be. But there's this feeling like he's hiding something. I want to leave but I'm scared. I can't survive on my own, I need his protection, but am I safe with him? I feel trapped. I want to get out! I want my powers back! I want my memories back! GET THIS FUCKING CROWN OFF OF ME!

"aaah... Sorry about that- Macaque?" Wukong got out of the water only to see his moon pulling the crown forcefully, he was pulling hard with all he got,

"Macaque stop, you'll hurt yourself." Wukong said anxiously,

_"Get this thing off of me!" Macaque yelled as he kept pulling, and before he knew it, his tears started falling, his vision blurry and his heart pounding faster, "Get it off of me! Get it off!" Macaque was pulling too hard his claws started ripping his skin, blood falling on his face and dripping into the water,

_"Macaque stop!" Wukong grabbed his hands and forcefully pulled them away, he put them down and hugged him,

_"Let go of me! let go!" Macaque tried to pull away, scratching the other, his claws did little to nothing but that didn't stop him.

Just how weak is he?

_"It's ok. You're ok. I've got you." Wukong whispered into Macaque's ears while stroking his head.

It took a few minutes before Macaque finally calmed down.

I didn't know it'll get to this, I should break the curse and remove the crown. But he'll leave forever. No, no, he wouldn't. He will, he did it before and he'll do it again. It doesn't matter, he's hurting himself. And he'll get himself killed out on his own. You'll find his corpse abodened in the middle of nowhere. He'll die before asking for your help. Is that what you want? To wait all alone until you hear he died because you took off the crown? Because you didn't want to take care of him anymore? Because you got bored of him? No! nononononononononono, what was I thinking?! I can't take off the crown, I have to protect him! Yes. He'll only be safe here, with me. I'll protect you my love, my king.

_"Are you feeling better?" Wukong asked, still hugging/tieing his moon,

_"I don't know..." Macaque muttered, his voice hoarse from all the crying and screaming.

_"Can I clean you up so we could get out of here?"

_"I don't know..."

_"I'm gonna let go now, ok?"

_"mm.."

Wukong let go slowly, looking down at his moon's face, it was painted red with his blood, the sighy made his heart beat shards of broken glass into his chest, it was too painful for him.

He looks exhausted...

Wukong started to carefully clean the other's face, he'd already healed him when he was hugging him, but he couldn't help but be gentle.

_"There you are." Wukong said softly as he finished cleaning, holding his love's face in his hands.

Macaque didn't answer, his face blank. Wukong has never seen him like this.

Why? Why does he look so.. broken... I can't see him like this, I have to do something. Think Wukong, think! What would make him happy?

... shit.

"Let's get out of here. I don't know about you, but personally, I'm starving." Wukong spoke cheerfully as he held Macaque up in his arms.

Macaque didn't react, the same blank look on his face, it's like he gave up.

Wukong tried to stay optimistic, he dried himself and Macaque then brushed his love's furr, it was a bummer he didn't get to use all the creams he bought him, but he can do that another time.

He then held Macaque up all the way back to the bedroom. He gave him new clothes, a black hoodie with red marks and cat ears on it and some black sweatpants, Macaque put them on and it messed his hair, still he kept quiet.

Adorable! No! He's depressed, I should cheer him up not think he's cute! Well he's always cute- Damn it! Focus Wukong! Calm down you stupid heart! I'll carry him to the kitchen, he likes being carried around, I don't even think he wants to move. The little ones should be done with our breakfast, so the kitchen should be empty by now.

_"Alright, up you go." Wukong smiled as he held Macaque up once again in his arms,

Macaque didn't react, he just wants this to be over already.

Wukong took him to the kitchen and sat him at the table. The monkeys did finish their job and leave. Good job guys.

The king filled a plate with pancakes and honey and a few grapes, the way Macaque likes it, then he took a few plums, bananas and mangoes and placed them in another plate and put it closer to Macaque.

_"Is there anything else you want?" Wukong asked sitting next to him, it looked like he was about to feed him himself,

_"No, I-" Whatever, I'm dead anyway. "I want to leave."

_"I'm sorry moon, but it's dangerous for you to go out now." When the king finished his sentence, his moon looked even more depressed.

No no no no! I hate this!

"Buuuuuuuut," Wukong said with a big grin, "It's not dangerous for someone to drop by." Macaque looked at him confused,

"How about I call Princess Iron Fan and invite her over? Would that make you happy?" I'll kill her if she tries to take him away.

Macaque finally lit up.

I can see my sister? I last saw her a few weeks ago before I went on with my travels. She can help me!

_"She's coming?!" he missed her, and the fact that the king knows about her means Macaque told him himself, which means he wasn't lying!

_"Maybe, I mean I'm not sure if she has time with her kingdom, and son and husband-"

_"SHE HAS A SON?! AND SHE'S MARRIED?!"

_"Yeh! Her son is Redson, and her husband is Demon Bull King, you've met them before, don't worry. I'm sure she'll come when she knows you're.. umm... cursed."

_"Wow. What else don't I remember?" Macaque sat straight with his head high,

_"Start eating and I'll try my best to tell you. Also a little side note, your sister hates me."

_"She hates all my suitors."

_"WHAT?!" What suitors?! Who dares!!? I'll kill them!

Shit- I guess I never told him about that.

Macaque started eating, shoving pieces of pancakes in his mouth,

_"You know when you hear suitors with an S you'd think there are many, but it's not actually." That's a lie. I could've built an army with them. If I had a golden coin for every proposal, oof!

_"How many? Who are they?" They are dead to even think about taking my Macaque!

_"Awwwyou know, it's not like they proposed because they loved me, most of them just wanted me for my powers and all." This should calm him down, right?

_"Most? What about the rest?"

Damn it!

_"Well, not to brag but I am good looking, at least I used to be."

_"YOU ARE FUCKING GORGEOUS AND SMOKING HOT! Also I want names." I WILL SKIN THEM ALIVE!! HOW DARE THEY?!!

_"Wha- e- hehe- shit," Macaque covered his mouth and couldn't help but blush holding his growing smile, he took a deep breath to calm down then talked again: "They are most likely dead by now. Forget about them."

_"I need to make sure." I'll teach them what happens when they try to take what's mine!

As he heard it Macaque laughed. What kind of mate did I choose?

_"It's ok, I don't think about them, actually I don't even remember their names." Macaque looked at the king, who clearly wasn't satisfied with the answer, then smiled softly, "I'm just glad I made the right choice in the end."

Macaque meant these words, he found someone who'd do anything for him, he gave up his eye, his house, his subjects, maybe more and asked nothing in return, he just wants to see Macaque happy, and that's all he ever wanted, someone to be happy with.

_"Oh.." Wukong felt his face burning red, he couldn't stop it, how could he? His love chose him and him alone of who knows how many others. It healed something in him. He loves me.

"I'm lucky you did." Wukong felt his body relax, like he's flying yet somehow tied up to his heart, he could never explain how he felt being with Macaque. He'd give everything he has just to hear his moon say I love you again, just once, just to know, to know what he's doing isn't wrong, that it's worth it, that he's forgiven.

There was a moment of silence where they just looked into each other's eyes, simply happy to be there.

What was that???!!! CALM THE FUCK DOWN!! At this rate I'm the one who's gonna do something to him.

_"Ehem- At this rate we'll never be done with our breakfast." Macaque joked, turning back to his plate, his face still a little red.

_"Oh right!" Wukong snapped back to reality and grabbed a plum to eat, "We better finish this if we wanna- WAIT-"

_"What?! What is it?!" Macaque asked surprised,

_"You don't know what musicals are!" Wukong was basically about to blow from excitement,

_"By the name I guess it contains music?"

_"OOOOHOHOHOOO! This is gonna be great!!"

_"... o-ok?" Macaque smiled nervously. What did I get myself into?

part 10

(Many of you will hate me after the ending, I just know it.

I'm not a 100% sure that's the ending I want though... We'll see what happens.)

#macaque #lmk macaque #six eared macaque #sun wukong #lmk sun wukong #shadowpeach #shadowpeach au

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multi-lefaiye · 8 months ago

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i could ask you to elaborate on why purple boy is slowly turning into a lion monster. and you can answer that. but what i really wanna know is what killed him the first time.

:3c oh i am so glad you asked this question

short answer: his mother. or at least, the creature that used to be her.

long answer: WELL. (cw under the cut for non-graphic descriptions of body horror, discussions of ableism and terminal illness, and also just. straight up. i'm telling you how eden died. not going into graphic gorey detail but yeah </3)

so, eden's mom died when he was 12. famously, that's an event that really helped shape his life, second only to abdiel leaving six years earlier. however..... it's important to know that those two things are related.

y'see. eden doesn't know this. but hannah had been sick for a long time, and part of why abdiel left was to go find a cure for her. that's not what she wanted him to do, of course. hannah wanted him to stay with her so they could enjoy the time she had left. but he was determined to cure her and that he'd have to leave her in order to do so. so. welp. her wishes in this situation would have to wait.

another important part of this puzzle is that abdiel is a necromancer by trade. he knows other schools of magic as well, sure, but necromancy has always been his focus. and he specifically is a major proponent of the idea of using necromancy for healing, rather than simply resurrection. that's what much of his life's work was focused on.

so, abdiel sought to find a way to use necromancy to help cure his sick wife, and he failed, and she died. and eden, who was left feeling worthless and alone after his father abandoned him (and after basically all the adults in his life failed him, one way or another ), decided that part of his revenge would be destroying that work and making it his own.

eden would become the only dr. linnaeus remembered by history, by doing what abdiel had failed to do. by not only reviving hannah, but curing her illness entirely, and then using that to cure anyone else suffering like her who wants to be saved.

of course, by the time eden knew any necromancy magic himself, hannah was long dead. and... from a purely practical perspective, eden was nowhere near skilled enough as a spellcaster to be able to use any traditional necromancy to revive her. so eden decided, instead, to try something new.

he was going to revive his mother through transmutation magic, through the alchemy and artificer infusions he was already learning and showed a great affinity for.

i'll skip ahead in this explanation, but basically eden's idea was to create a new body for his mother's soul to inhabit. he wouldn't be reviving her in her original body, no, he'd be reviving her in one free of the pain and illness she'd suffered from for much of her life.

(before i continue, i'll just go ahead and establish this now: no, eden did not consider whether or not hannah would want to be resurrected. by this point, his tunnel vision on beating abdiel, one way or another, was beginning to consume him. ethical concerns didn't matter so much at that point.)

skipping ahead again. when eden finally succeeded at the ritual he'd created, it... backfired, putting it nicely. the creature he created wasn't hannah, not really--it had her face and it spoke in her voice, but it wasn't her. it was a mass of limbs and teeth, with too many eyes and an enraged howl that shook eden to his core.

he tried to reason with it at first, to get it to recognize him and calm down as it thrashed around his lab. and it lashed out at him, slashing him across the face and throwing him to the floor. and for a moment eden just... lied there, shaking and staring at the monster he'd created. it hurt. that thing wasn't his mother, but it was her face and her voice screaming at him, cursing him for creating it.

and then he was just... angry. how fucking dare this thing attack him? how dare it be such a failure? how dare it ruin everything he was working for? how dare it act like this was his fault?

before he really knew what he was doing, he grabbed a hammer from his artificer tools and lunged at the creature, intending to put it out of its misery so he could try again. clearly, he needed to refine the ritual, but he was on the right track. he just-

(eden managed to kill his creation, but it fought back and mortally wounded him in the process. he shoved its body into the open fire at the heart of his lab, where he'd brew potions and boil water when he needed it. and by that point, he was too exhausted to keep going and try to find help. so he just... lied there, and bled out slowly.)

(as a not-so-fun aside to this. when eden's body was found a few days later, there was an investigation launched by the university. a recent graduate dying brutally in his university-funded lab? yeah that raised some eyebrows. ultimately, though, said investigation determined that eden had killed himself, as by then the creature's remains were burned until they were unrecognizable. everyone assumed it was just some... *thing* he'd been studying.)

(very few people were surprised by that news.)

#talk to the bunnykitty #jaye!!!#eden linnaeus #ask to tag #content warnings on post #cutting myself off there before i start rambling about how his death affected the people in his life #especially kader. ohhh kader sweetheart i'm so sorry #his life fell apart in the wake of eden's death. because he blamed himself #absolutely devastated. unable to stop wondering what he could've done to stop this from happening #anyway haha yeah so this is why eden is afraid of fire and hates the smell of cooking meat. very bad associations.#also i love eden dearly. it's fucked up and shitty of him that he did not consider his mother's feelings in any of this #i'm not denying that #after his resurrection he's eventually going to take the step back from that situation to recognize this

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timeturner-jay · 1 year ago

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So for a few days now, I've been trying to puzzle out what memories Monkey King was seeing in those brief blink-and-you'll-miss-it glimpses we got in the broken memory scroll. Maybe you guys have some input?

Let's start out easy - these two flashes are very straightforward. He sees the Jade Emperor bearing down on him, either in battle or in punishment. Simple enough! (Though the way he's holding his head in pain is breaking my heart a bit.)

The next one is a bit trickier (and my shoddy picture quality isn't helping, so if anyone has any higher-resolution screenshots, I'd appreciate it!) - we can make out Wukong fighting someone, staff in hand. His opponent seems quite large and bulky, and their head-shape might suggest the Demon Bull King - but I don't think we ever see DBK in such long, flowing sleeves in this show. Though maybe this is their encounter during the Journey, and those sleeves belong to the green silk dinner jacket the Bull King was then wearing in the original tale?

Then there's the next one, which just has me utterly nonplussed; it's nearly impossible to make out much of anything in it, since the memory flash is so faint. Those two darker shapes might be a pair of eyes? But if so, they'd be set in a truly massive head, so I'm not sure. Whatever it is, the shape seems to be bound with glowing ropes - so maybe we're looking at our dear Great Sage Equal to Heaven, bound with the diamond snare at his own execution? It's the only thing I can think of, but if you guys have any better ideas, I'm all ears!

And then there's the last memory flash, which is a lot more straightforward again, but very interesting in its own right. 😌 We see someone's bare, muscled torso, and judging by the overall build and those hair tassels, I'm going to assume it's probably Azure Lion, so-

...soooooo, hey Wukong! Any reason in particular why you remember seeing Azure Lion's naked tiddies? 👀 Anything you want to share with the class, o Great Sage?

#djfgs you can't tell me that the dynamic between Azure and Wukong wasn't fruity af #But until I saw this memory flash I kinda assumed it was one-sided lol. Now though... hmmm. 👀#Anyway I really would appreciate your input if you can make sense of any of these pictures!#LMK Sun Wukong #LMK Monkey King #LMK Jade Emperor #LMK Azure Lion #Lego Monkie Kid #analysis #theory #LMK season 4 #LMK s4 spoilers #LMK s4 special spoilers

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imhereformysciencefriends · 4 months ago

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Day 7: Clear Day Fair

Tags: @loturaweek2024 Clear Day, festival/carnival/fairgrounds, background Shiro/Keith, background Hunk/Shay, background Matt/N-7, food and carnival prizes, flirting

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“It’s hard to believe that just four decaphoebes ago, we were all at war,” Allura said, sliding her hand into the crook of Lotor’s elbow and resting her head daintily against his shoulder. No use getting too cozy: they’d resume walking soon. But for the moment she held onto her betrothed, (the talsean chain he’d gifted her burning a hole in her pocket, not quite yet ready to tell the others, and Altean engagements started out private, anyway) and enjoyed the sight of people walking about, smiling, laughing, eating, playing carnival games and riding contraptions.

“It is,” he breathed. Harder to believe for him, than her, some small piece of him, she knew, believing that he would never quite get this far, his father’s empire an endless and unkillable thing.

They stood together in companionable silence a long, long moment. The breeze rustled at the hem of her dress, a scandalous little thing that went down only to her knees, fluffy and ruffled, and left her collarbone and shoulders bare. He’d dressed nice for today, too, still anxious about setting aside his armor, but today was a day of celebration and joy. He was wearing an old Altean tunic Coran had found somewhere in the castleship’s storage, his arms as bare as hers were, and she enjoyed the sight and feel of his unarmored biceps quite nicely.

He turned to her, gently dislodging her from his shoulder, and smiled, just a little bit of fang poking out. “Shall we join in?”

She smiled back, warm and with a little happy twitch to her ears. “I think we shall.”

What to do, what to do though? They were surrounded by so many options, it was a little hard to choose.

Shiro and Keith were at the arcade, racing against one another on a level so high they had a small gaggle of children surrounding the mock pilot chairs, their one token stretching much further than the arcademaster might like. That was well and good for them, but Allura had spent quite enough time piloting the Blue Lion these last few decaphoebes, and Lotor agreed that such activities were more work than pleasure in his mind.

Hunk and Shay were on a slow moving ride, cozied up and cuddling in the lovebird-shaped railcar while they were serenaded by wacky mascots and bright colors. They traded back and forth gentle knocks of their foreheads, Shay guiding Hunk through the motion, and embarrassingly public kisses, Hunk showing Shay how. The cuddling definitely seemed pleasant, but the loud music and very public shows of affection weren’t exactly what the two royals would count as a nice (or romantic, in terms of the mascots) time.

Matt and N-7 were wandering the displays, children’s 4-H projects and adolescents’ experiments and community members’ quilts and crochet and knit works and artistry and sculptures and technological wonders and photography and baked goods and insect collections and mushroom displays and favored livestock all out on display, discussing what looked to be some sort of mechanical puzzle or contraption. That looked fun, also, but felt a bit underwhelming when they were at a fair. Maybe later, Lotor and Allura agreed they wanted to do something a little more fun first.

They began to wander, perusing their options, when Allura stopped him with a sharp tug on his hand. “Oh Lotor, look at that!” she said, pointing at a cute plush toy with giant marble eyes and soft fuzzy fur.

“Would you like it?” Lotor asked, cocking his head at the thing like he wasn’t quite sure what it was.

“That’s a tier three prize right there,” said the carnie, leaned back on their chair, “gotta get thirty points; you a good shot?”

“I am,” Lotor said confidently, walking up to the stall and paying for the game. Allura fluttered a bit to have him so willingly indulging her, and also to see him lift the mock gun with those pretty pretty arms of his.

His first shot went wildly off-mark. “Hm. The balance is off,” he murmured to himself, and corrected. The second was just shy of the center of his target, earning him two points instead of five.

Every shot that followed hit the dead center of their marks, and the carnie whistled, impressed. Allura could feel herself grinning, and extended her hands with a giggle as the carnie handed the stuffed animal to Lotor, who then promptly turned and handed it to her.

“Thank you,” she said sweetly, hugging the toy to her chest.

“Of course,” he said, looking quite pleased with himself, and a little flushed beside. She raised her eyebrows, then ducked her chin into the soft fuzz of her gift.

“And does my paramour enjoy providing me with gifts?” she asked, sweet and cheeky and looking up at him from under her eyelashes, shoulders drawn close to her ears.

At “provide” she actually witnessed his pupils dilate, and he licked his lips briefly before returning, “Only if my dearest enjoys receiving them.”

Giggling, she took his hand in hers again, now having discovered how they would spend their time. She pulled him to the next game with a prize she liked—not far indeed, as there was an abundance of plushies, shining trinkets, cheap plastic jewelry of absolutely no value, and kitschy souvenirs that caught her eye.

The ring toss went fine from the first throw, winning her a long-limbed plush that had magnets sewn in its hands so it could hang around her neck, he had to try twice at the game where he filled a thin tube with water but successfully perched a little plastic tiara on top of her head, making her giggle at having two, he tossed balls into baskets and flicked marbles precise distances, looking more and more smugly pleased with himself each time he handed her whatever it was that she had pointed at. They were burning through their tokens rather quickly, but eh, they could always purchase more, and Allura was certainly not going to stop him from piling her high with stuffed toys and assorted knick-knacks.

He struggled the most at stalls run by Unalu, surprising Allura not at all, but although she insisted that she didn’t need the prize that had drawn her eye, he insisted on victory before they left. It was sweet, and deeply charming, and as Allura’s arms grew more and more full of the prizes he’d won her she found herself gigglier and gigglier.

“Voltron plushies, toss a ring, win a plush,” another Unalu hawked at passerby, and this time Lotor was the one to stop them.

“A… purple lion?” he asked, one eyebrow as arched as she’d ever seen it. “That does not exist.”

Allura bent to observe the lineup closer, the five colors she was used to, yes, but also a pink, white, and purple lion propped up at the end of the line, many more clustered on the wall of the back of the stand.

She looked up at him, just a motion of her eyes, face still close to the purple offender.

“I do want it though,” she said through the fluff of three different plush toys.

Lotor hesitated, then blushed, then looked away. “Well. If the lady wants.”

“Then the lady shall receive! Very good, sir, ten tokens to play!” the Unalu prompted, and tried to hand Lotor a set of rings much smaller than the ones scattered about the display.

“These are not correct,” Lotor said, derisive and with the low tone that made her shiver.

“Of course they are! They just look small in your strong, masculine—hands…”

Lotor loomed over the swindler, scowling impressively.

“You know, I think I did actually hand you the wrong set, here you are sir, enjoy!”

The carnie swapped the rings out for the actual size, and Lotor relaxed. Observed his targets. And made every single toss.

“Woo!” Allura cheered, jumping a little, her hands full.

“Ah. Well. Erm, according to the sign, which is in your line of sight so I wouldn’t ever tell you anything differently, nine successful throws is three small prizes or one large one. So if your lady here wants the purple one, you get two mor—”

“The pink one! The pink and blue ones!” Allura interjected excitedly, and the carnie handed them over.

“This one’s for you,” she said, setting the blue lion on his shoulder like a cat would perch. The pink and purple one she settled beneath her arm, almost immediately losing them in the mass of the other plush gifts.

“Ah—your—”

“My lion, the one that is real, and actually exists. Not these silly fakes,” she teased, smiling up at him.

“Ah,” he said, and oh, she did far too thoroughly enjoy her ability to render this man speechless. It was intoxicating, seeing her beautiful, eloquent Lotor reduced to a pleased smile half hidden by his hand, ears tinged with his blush.

The smell of funnel cake, made of ground tubers instead of grains, as she might have had on Altea, yet still unmistakable, wafted through the air.

“Oh! We must have one!” Allura insisted, dragging him away from the games and into the hall of food vendors, ciders and grilled skewers and breaded pockets of meat and air-puffed ground tubers that also should’ve been grains if this were Altea and sweets and cloudsugar lining them on either side, and Allura joined the first of the lines.

“It’s sweet!” Lotor remarked when they got theirs, a dusting of sugar falling on his chest as he bit into the fried delight.

“Of course!” Allura agreed joyfully.

“It’s good.”

“Do you not often enjoy sweets?”

Lotor snorted, taking another bite. “You might recall that standard Galran fare involves uniquely bland off-beige paste and little else.”

“Well, yes, and we Alteans have our exceedingly green goo, but surely you must eat regular food when you are planetside?”

Lotor gave her a look.

“Lotor. Only eat half of that. We are going to try everything in this aisle.”

He laughed at her sudden seriousness, but Allura was not anywhere even close to joking. He dutifully waited with her in every single line, trying out savory meats and spicy candies and more sweets and buttery tubers at her prompting, eating whatever they’d just purchased while they waited in the next line. They bumped into Pidge, Hunk, and Shay in one of the lines, chatting happily while Lotor gnawed on a well-sauced bone of meat, and Hunk reminded them to hydrate while they were here. When they finished with their final shop (a meat skewer place with crisped alliums and bell peppers that smelled divine) she decided to play another little ploy on her intended, and guided him away from the crowd.

“This is good, as well,” he praised, seeming to enjoy the meat dishes the most out of everything they’d tried.

“Good! Give me a bite,” she said, resettling all her many plush gifts in both hugging arms, so she could not reach out and take it. Instead, when he began to extend the skewer to her, she opened her mouth and leaned forward.

“Allura?” he choked, eyes blown so wide they were nearly all pupil.

For her part, she blinked her eyes as big as they would go and stared up at him innocently. “My hands are full,” she commented, high pitched and sweet, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Won’t you feed me a bite?”

Feeding one’s partner was not quite so scandalous as kissing them in public, but it wasn’t nothing, either. She opened her mouth again, doing her best impression of guileless but probably blushing, herself, and watched her fiance visibly struggle with his composure before feeding her a bite.

“Mm! It is good!” she agreed, smiling for an entirely different reason.

“You are a wicked, devilish woman.”

Allura giggled, grinning wide, and spun on the ball of her foot with a little flounce of her dress.

“That’s me! Now, whatever shall we do next?”

#loturaweek2024 #allura #lotor #lotura #vld #flirting #gifts #Clear Day #festival/carnival/fairgrounds #background Sheith #background Hunay #background Matt/N-7 #food and carnival prizes #vt #haro writes #my writing #I DID IT!!! ALL SEVEN DAYS!!!! And everyone clapped

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khapaleaf · 2 years ago

Text

A compilation of puzzle solutions for the Relics of the Lost Age series

Relics of the Lost Age

Chapter 1 — The Oracle of God

1. The very first puzzle

First seal: South then North

Second seal: East then West

Third seal: West then South

Fourth seal: West then East

Chapter 2 — Shambala

N/A

Chapter 3 — Devil Music

1. The Objection! achievement

What did you learn at the museum that contradicts the theory making Elliot out as the robber?

It was something related to the Satanic imagery in the gallery --> a. it was the written message “Hail Satan”

What did you learn at the precinct that contradicts this evidence?

It was something we saw at the precinct. --> b. it was the register of detainees on the front desk

2. Strange box puzzle

Open the drawer depicting the man with his finger to his lips.

Chapter 4 — The River

N/A

Chapter 5 — The Eye of Kali

1. The clock puzzle

7 : 44

Chapter 6 — Hong Kong Crazy

N/A

Chapter 7 — Endgame

1. The relics puzzle

First podium: King Manuel’s amulet from the Congo

Second podium: The Stone of Shambala from Tibet

Third podium: The Eye of Kali from London

Fourth podium: The dragon figurine from Hong Kong

Fifth podium: The high priest’s breastplate from Palestine

Sixth podium: Chantelle LaValle’s amulet from New Orleans

2. The tree puzzle

Acorn / patch of earth / sun / raindrop

Relics 2: The Crusader’s Tomb

Chapter 1 — The Quest

N/A

Chapter 2 — A Canterbury Tale

1. The organ puzzle

D - E - A - F

C - A - G - E - D

D - E - C - A - D - E

D - E - F - A - C - E - D

Chapter 3 — City of Light

1. The map puzzle

Direction from Paris: Southeast

Associated saint: St. Mark

Associated animal: Lion

Chapter 4 — La Serenissima

1. The tome puzzle

The Life of St. Esther of Bingen: the saint’s name

The Life of St. Benedict: the saint’s revival of the dead child

The Life of St. Scholastica: the saint’s relation to Benedict

The Life of St. Jerome: the story about the tame lion

The Life of St. Matthias of Westphalia: the death of the lion

Note: the sequence of Benedict / Scholastica / Esther / Jerome / Matthias also grants the achievement for solving the puzzle.

Chapter 5 — Pilgrims in an Unholy Land

1. The coat of arms

Deer / stag

A lion

Chapter 6 — Blood of Dracul

1. The altar puzzle

The tree / the scorpion / the boat / the peacock

Chapter 7 — The World’s Desire

1. The chalice puzzle

Turn the third cylinder left.

Turn the middle cylinder left.

Turn the first cylinder left.

Turn the middle cylinder left.

Turn the third cylinder left.

Turn the middle cylinder right.

Note: a shorter solution should also be possible, but I lost it.

2. The column puzzle

4th column and 7th column

Chapter 8 — Endgame

1. Geometric shape puzzle

Circle / triangle / square / pentagon / cross

Relics 3: Ashes for Gold

Chapter 1 — Showdown at Rattlesnake Gulch

1. Geometric shape puzzle

Single line / two parallel lines / the triangle / the upper-case M / the pentagram

Chapter 2 — The Temple of the Sands

1. Safe combination

Find the concealed note in Baillard’s office (“Behind the Sphinx. The answer is in the Good Book.”). Return to the guest bedroom and consult the bible to find the safe combination (Mark 10:43).

2. First temple puzzle

Press Jamanu, meaning “Amun”.

Press hotep, meaning “satisfied”.

Press the empty cartouche name-ring.

3. Second temple puzzle

Khonsu symbols: moon, crook and bandage.

Mut symbols: mother, water and crown.

Amun symbols: farmer, ram-headed sphinx and two vertical plumes.

Chapter 3 — The Doctor’s Demons

1. The alchemy puzzle

The scythe-bearing angel: an offering of earth.

The torch-bearing angel: an offering of fire.

The trident-bearing angel: an offering of water.

The trumpet-bearing angel: an offering of air.

Note: follow the given order otherwise it will become bugged (on dash, at least)

2. The code puzzle

Fill in a letter for the symbol ' = T

Fill in a letter for the symbol < = H

Fill in a letter for the symbol - = R

Fill in a letter for the symbol > = O

Fill in a letter for the symbol ~ = D

Fill in a letter for the symbol : = C

Fill in a letter for the symbol " = F

3. The identity of the traitor

Solution 1

What was the key piece of information about?

It was about me.

And what was it that Becker said about you that gives Winter’s identity away?

That your cover story involved working for the Smithsonian.

Solution 2

Winter’s gender: uses traditionally male pronouns

Winter’s title and position at the university: is an academic with the rank of full professor

Winter’s employment at Magdalen: has been involved with the college for a long time

Chapter 4 — Dead Man’s Chest

1. The museum puzzle

The three ships that called into Barros’s harbor (The Jocasta out of New Orleans, a French ship carrying sugar and tobacco, and an English ship bound for Portsmouth).

2. The ship voyage puzzle

1. New Orleans, Louisiana / St. John’s, Antigua / Bridgetown, Barbados

2. Veracruz, Mexico / Saint Augustine, Florida / Cartagena, Colombia / Le Havre, France.

3. Havana, Cuba / Santo Domingo, Hispaniola / Portsmouth, England

3. The bomb puzzle

The yellow wire / the blue wire / the green wire / the indigo wire / the red wire

Chapter 5 — Path of the Condor

1. The three worlds puzzle

Set the first lever to the down position.

Set the second lever to the up position.

Set the fourth lever to the down position.

2. The Inca society puzzle

The tile showing the woman with the stretched earlobes: in the second slot down.

The tile showing the man planting maize: in the bottom slot.

The tile showing the man with the silver shoes and headdress: in the top slot.

The tile showing the man holding the knotted cords: in the third slot down.

Chapter 6 — The Sapporo Archive

N/A

Chapter 7 — Endgame

N/A

#relics of the lost age #sometimes you want to rush through the puzzles #while also being able to see the achievements pop up in the corner #i guess not all of these are actual puzzles #and not all of these grant achievements #but eh #the formatting is awful #it is so ugly #f this honestly #i don't know what else to do about it #but it is nice to keep these all in one place #for archiving purposes #otherwise i'll keep losing my notes

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yamayuandadu · 7 months ago

Note

I have seen claims that at the Hinglaj Mata temple a spirit/deity worshiped under the name of "Bibi Nani", is supposedly a continuation of Sogdian/Bactrian Nana. I can't find any actual academic articles confirming this, just random blogspots that all plagiarize eachother, and keep repeating "Ishtar is Durga is Nana" even though we know Nana comes from Nanaya, not Ishtar directly, and afaik, there is no proven relation between Ishtar and Durga. Am I right for assuming this is just bullshit?

On De Gruyter, there are only two publications which mention Bibi Nani at all (other than 19th century reprints), both by the same author - a certain mr. David Gordon White who...... was an assistant of Mircea Eliade at some point according to his wiki page and incorporates Freudian themes into his scholarship. Off to a great start. Let's see what does he have to say under the cut.

The first book we need to look at is The Alchemical Body from 1993 (p. 205):

Well, that sure was illuminating. The use of "Chaldean" in a deeply puzzling context (nobody has ever proposed Nanaya originated as a Chaldean deity, and she predates first references to the Chaldean tribes appearing in Mesopotamia by centuries) coupled with the unawareness the Maccabees passage deals with the same deity would indicate complete unfamiliarity with Nanaya. Note that obviously Nanaya's and Anahita's names are not cognates of this title (let alone each other) judging from the etymology provided... Well, that and they're not "ancient mother goddesses" (I suppose calling the central Asian form of Nana[ya] an "early medieval civic goddess" lacks the mystique).

The only source White lists for this claim is not very promising, to put it very lightly - straight from the 1920s:

The only information here that does seem to check out is that "Bibi Nani" is a title used by Muslims. I can't find any estimates for how old the title is - it must've already been in use in the 19th century, and the Zikri community mentioned elsewhere in relation to the site dates back to the 1600s, but that doesn't help much. So far, no real case for identification with Nanaya to be made. Let's see the other passage, from Daemons Are Forever (p. 201). We are now in 2021, so perhaps mr. White had the opportunity to familiarize himself with at least some Nana(ya) publications.

Ah, nevermind. "Nana or Innana", lol, he didn't even romanize the latter name right. I haven't seen this supposed "generally accepted" idea in ANY publications about Nanaya - regardless of the discipline and language. The general consensus is that attestations of Nanaya go up to the tenth century, and that in the final centuries they are tied to Sogdians. Let's check the footnote.

He seems more sure of this than Falk himself (his article is here). Associating Nanaya with Venus is definitely a minority position though, regardless of the time period (Shenkar voiced a degree of support for Falk's proposal but that's about it, and I don't think this is taken by anyone but White as the source of the lion mount, also...). I wasn't familiar with the other paper listed here, but it's on academia edu. Unlike White, the author notes the identification of Bibi Nani as Nanaya is mostly the domain of publications from the 19th century. He also correctly highlights Nana(ya) is not Inanna (p. 42), and keeps stressing any association between her and the Hinglaj temple's history is purely speculative (pp. 43-44). While Brighhenti's methodology is MUCH more rigorous than White's, and the argument about a crescent-shaped natural rock formation is interesting, I'm personally not entirely convinced since Hinglaj is much further south than most central Asian attestations of Nana(ya); and she was popular chiefly in Sogdia, not in Bactria, especially after the Kushan period. Furthermore, Brighhenti relies on the incorrect assumption Nanaya was associated with earth and water (which is an extension of justifying her being more popular than Anahita or Armaiti by asserting they were interchangeable). He adds a claim from the 1960s that "her cult emphasized natural phenomena" - something I haven't seen anywhere else. Doesn't really seem to check out. The major cult centers of Nana(ya) through her entire history were significant because they were major cities or commercial hubs, not because of any natural phenomena, and neither in Mesopotamian nor Central Asian context I see much of a reason to suspect some deeper connection to nature. Whether in Mesopotamia, in Iran or in Central Asia, Nana(ya) was essentially a civic deity, from Uruk all the way to Panjakent. I don't know enough about the history of Hinglaj to tell if it fits that pattern. I will also note that Oxus and Mithra do appear in Bactrian sources postdating the arrival of Islam in the region but Nana does not, also; virtually all the attestations postdating the Kushans I'm aware of are from Sogdia, Khotan, Chorasmia and places where a significant number of Sogdians at least temporarily resided. Final verdict: not really seeing it but 90% of the Brighhenti paper is fine. I see no reason to challenge the consensus position that Nanaya's history ends roughly in the tenth century, considerably further north, though. I feel like if the evidence really was that strong Bibi Nani would pop up in more recent studies about the transfer of Nanaya's cult. As a side note, not even Brighenti suggests that the modern goddess of Hinglaj is Nana(ya). He proposes she was introduced from northern India in the 9th or 10th century, which lines up with historical sources he provides pretty well.

I did a quick survey of other sites and the only other Nanaya = Bibi Nani truther is Asko Parpola (who is, naturally, convinced she is ACTUALLY Inanna). I refuse to engage with the Parpolas, and Asko is supposedly even less rigorous than Simo. This is par the course for hyperdiffusionists. The final matter to address is the weird claim about Durga being Ishtar or. Whatever. I won't engage with this directly, the source is almost definitely wikipedia's questionable Inanna article which was pretty heavy on this sort of takes and probably still is - courtesy of the Parpolas. Now, the Hinglaj goddess is indeed identified with Durga apparently, but Durga as you correctly pointed outhas nothing to do with Ishtar, and even the connection to Nanaya is at best vague. Basically, it has been suggested that the iconographic type represented by Nanaya with lion on coins might have influenced early depictions of Durga from Mathura (or an unidentified deity iconographically similar to Durga; there's some discussion in Westenholz's article here, pp. 190-191; Potts brings it up in his 2001 Nanaya article too but this one has mixed reception and he assumes Nanaya's spouse in Central Asia was Oesho, not Tishtrya, which doesn't seem to be a widespread view). This doesn't seem too unlikely. However, even if we accept this, it would only constitute transfer of an iconographic type (so the connection between Nanaya and Durga would be about as close as between Nanaya and Dionysus). In a region where these moved in a basically kaleidoscopic manner at that, judging from the fabled case of Tishtrya as Artemis. Iconography can move separately from the actual deity (least we forget Taweret becoming a generic critter on Crete); and as far as I am aware, there is no evidence Nanaya herself was worshiped in Mathura.

#hinadoll39 #sogdian miscellanea #mesopotamian miscellanea

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dojae-huh · 3 months ago

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Unconditional

As I thought, the song is wholly in English. Explains why it was released as a separate single. Aimed at a different market.

Even if Jae participated in writing the lyrics, I doubt he is the only lyricist. "No honey on the side" is not something a foreigner not very adept at another language would come up with. Koreans don't eat pancakes in the morning in diners.

Let's check. This is from Genius

Jaehyun, Hyun, Taneisha Jackson

The latter two also worked on "Roses", hm. Does anyone know a song database with official credits? I wonder about the order of names.

For those who wonder why so much "she", it's because it's not a song solely by Jae, but with his involvement. Also, in English it is harder to be vague. "Baby" can't be used multiple times and in all grammatical constructions. Plus, I doubt Jaehyun cares. He agreed to building up his straght image in the past (circa 2019). For some not singing about the sex you are not attracted to is important, for some it isn't.

Lots of high notes, low whispers and changes in ways of singing, heh. Jaehyun really likes to play with his voice and modulations.

Lions don't hunt meerkats, but that was the symbolism in that sequence. Prey on alert and a hunter in hiding/clocking the target. This insertion of African animals is still very sus to me. Especially alongside locally appropriate roosters and bald eagles. And antelopes are more commonly used for "prey on alert". Hard to imagine the MV director coming up with it on their own. There are enough counterparts in North America to choose from (cougars, jaguars, lynxes vs ground squirrels, burrowing owls, juckrabbits, deer, mountain sheep).

Everyone pointed out Lemonade and Lemonade mate connection. Yes, another sus moment. The thing about such "references" is that they are perfectly vague. It can be both an intentional reference and just a thematic coinsidence (America and lemonade stalls, lemonade as a refreshing drink=thirst quenching love).

With the involvement of so many roses, and same songwriters, the song seems to be tied to "Roses". A prequel?

Prada ad was subtle, just one phrase. BP do it more blatantly with Celine and Dior. Heh, shippers also remembered the Prada bag Do and his mom got when Jae became a BA. But I think it is more to do with Jae participating in Prada Music festival and the brand making a video for Jae's album. An exchange of favours.

The MV is simple but fun. A bit too shaky for me, enough of nice shots though. For such MVs its important for the lead to be able to act. Shot in one day, probably. Maybe one and a half, with a trip to the desert.

Thematically Jaehyun didn't deviate from his usual topic: life long love, the one, I'll be there by my love interest's side.

Heh, if there will be a third part to this Roses series. They will get back together, lols.

P.S. "Letter" in the scrable game stands out to me as well. There was nothing about a letter in the lyrics. Yes, it could be there simply to complete the shape of the puzzle. And under its second meaning (a letter in a word). Still, Doyoung is known for his handwritten letters,

#jaehyun is a dance machine #hashtag you #a dandy tune

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superspecial-awesome · 2 months ago

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Yugioh furry au okay so

- Yugi and Atem are cats bc everyone's favorite cat trivia is that they were worshipped to some degree in ancient Egypt also I can do some fun colorpoint patterning with their fur and ears to replicate their awful hair. Also cats famously enjoy puzzles and logic games.

- Anzu is either a deer or a bobcat bc shes agile and her head is box shaped and she yearns for the northeastern united states.

- Jonouchi and Honda are both scary looking dogs but I want honda to be one of those boxy fuckers with cut ears like a cane corso and for jonouchi to be one of the fluffier breeds like idk an akita inu. I don't know dog breeds I'm flipping between this draft and google rn.

- Seto Kaiba is some sort of stoat or weasle or something bc he needs to be noodley like a dragon BUT he also needs to be a mammalian creature often considered to be vermin. He needs to strive to embody something greater than himself while still being unable to escape the flesh of his origin. Mokuba can also be that.

- Ryou and TKB are both goats because vesselhood and sacrifice and evil power and all that. I'm like 10% sure the whole "satan taking the form of a goat" thing comes from goats being used as sacrifices in bibical christian rituals. Like, livestock can only have virtue if it gives its life in submission to god, therefore it sinful for a goat to be portrayed as a being with autonomy let alone Power. Which is very TKB coded.

- Malik and Isis are lions because pride and family and nobility symbolism and lions being extinct in modern day egypt despite being there 3000 years ago blah blah blah. I mostly couldn't think of any way to animalify his hair other than a mane.

- Rishid can be a bull because of his whole moving on from servitude storyline and also because bulls are cool and huge as fuck.

If I made Insector Haga a moth or smth do you think that would imply the existence of other bug people enough to make the name "Weevil" offensive

#this is the peak of my cringe #yugioh #yugioh duel monsters #ygo dm

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satoshi-mochida · 8 months ago

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Where Winds Meet adds PS5 version; ‘Gameplay’ trailer and screenshots

From Gematsu

Northern Song Dynasty-set open-world action RPG Where Winds Meet will launch for PlayStation 5 alongside its previously announced PC version, developer Everstone Studio announced. A release date was not announced. Wishlisting is available now via PlayStation Store.

Here is an overview of the game, via Everstone Studio:

Let the Wind Carry Your Legend on an Epic Journey to the East

Where Winds Meet is an epic Wuxia open-world action–adventure RPG set in ancient China at the tenth century during the tumultuous era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom. Players will assume the role of a young sword master as they embark on a journey to uncover the mysteries of their own identity.

Let the Wind Carry Your Legend in Ancient China Beset by Conflict

Explore the breathtaking vastness of ancient China during a tumultuous era, where political intrigue, power struggles, and epic battles shape the course of history. Amidst the chaos engulfing ancient dynasties, weave your own story as you unravel the mysteries surrounding your own birth and fated destiny in a world brimming with cultural richness and prosperity, where heroes rise and legends are born. Engage in various powerful ancient combat techniques using your fists, sword, spear, bow and spirit to overcome your foes. Embrace your destiny and forge your own path in a legendary tale of your making!

An Open World of Infinite Activities in an Era of Endless Possibilities

Embark on a one-of-a-kind adventure taking you from the tranquil countryside surrounded by majestic wilderness to lively cities flanked by mysterious caves and treacherous canyons. Dive into an immersive world featuring interconnected nature and society with realistic weather conditions, real consequences from natural disasters and human conflicts. Uncover thousands of points of interests, discover over 20 distinct regions, Interact with diverse characters and engage with numerous authentic activities in a world that teems with life. Play traditional Chinese ancient instruments, solve puzzles from enigmatic cats and so much more!

Deep RPG Mechanics to Shape Your Destiny the Way You Want It

Create and customize your character and their progression using a unique eastern combat system inspired by Wuxia (Martial Arts & Chivalry tales originating in China) with multiple familiar and exotic weapons and skills to unlock and upgrade. Face your opponents directly in close-quarters combat, wielding weapons like Spear, Sword, Dual Blades, Glaive, Umbrella and Fan. Hone your skills and progress through your adventure, unlocking unique skills such as Acupuncture Hitting, Lion’s Roar and Tai Chi. Harness the lethal precision of a bow and arrow to take down enemies from afar. Even better, utilize stealth and deception tactics to disorient your foes in strategic ambushes. What’s more, you get to choose how you want to impact the world and its characters and they will in turn react to you in ways that reflect these choices. Help them rebuild their houses, heal their wounds or fight their enemies for them. In Where Winds Meet, you choose who you are, how you fight and what you do to write a tale of your own, through and through.

A Modern Approach to Your Ancient Saga: Play Solo or Multiplayer and Enjoy Ongoing Content

You can journey to the east as a lone sword master and enjoy over 100 hours of rich narrative driven exploration of a lush and exotic world filled with exciting adventures. If you’re looking for some company though, you’re in luck. Where Winds Meet lets you play with up to four friends to venture into the world and write your legend along with them. Additionally, for those who are looking for fearsome adversaries to reach an even greater glory, they can also look forward to player-versus-player battles that will go down in the history books if they so choose to wage them. What’s more, Where Winds Meet features ongoing updates which will keep bringing you more engaging content that will expand your legend as time marches on.

Watch a new trailer below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

Gameplay Trailer

youtube

#Where Winds Meet #Everstone Studio #action RPG #PS5 #wuxia #Gematsu #Youtube

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morkitten · 11 months ago

Note

do you have a favorite pokémon?

I have a lot of favorites... my absolute favorite I think is Braixen

I fell in love with the design of Braixen immediately when I saw it, and then playing Pokémon X and Y itself it made my love grow even more. Not only the way that she animates and emotes in Pokémon Amie really really adorable, but it also made me appreciate how well designed she is. It's really obvious in X and Y that they were very mindful of designing the new creatures in 3D, and making them look good from a variety of angles. Braixen I think bares out that ideology really well: Her design has a BUNCH of triangles, but they're laid out in different angles, instead of focusing on only one axis, so it avoids the issue that, for instance, a character like Sonic has, where he's really spiky when seen from the side, but the impression of his design changes radically when seen directly from the front or behind. Braixen however, has an appealing silhouette that keeps the triangular shapes from pretty much every angle, yet her design isn't overbearing either.

I think what made me realize and appreciate this was that minigame in Pokemon Amie where the game takes three Pokémon from your party comp and makes a slide puzzle with them where they're laid out at a random distance and angle from each other. It really feels like the game flexing that they wanted these Pokémon to be easily identifiable and appealing in 3D from a variety of angles.

also she's a furry witch like come on. I was recently out as a trans woman (maybe like a year?) and that was catnip for me who wanted to exercise femininity more. her TAIL is a BROOM and a WAND!!!!

other favorites are Clefairy, Luxio (I always thought that Kimba the White Lion was really cute, and my fursona started as a Luxio), Sylveon, Ampharos, Sneasel, Mew, Decidueye, and, of course, fat Pikachu. If anyone tells me they prefer thinner Pikachu it makes me want to gouge their eyes out. They murdered my boy.

#pokemon

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greywritesrandom · 2 months ago

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Legends and Lore - 43 {Monster}

Sphinx

Riddler of Death

The Sphinx, a creature that bridges the divide between Greek and Egyptian myth, is as enigmatic as the sands of time. With the body of a powerful lion and the head of a human, this hybrid being stands as a symbol of mystery and menace. But while both cultures painted this beast in their legends, the Sphinx holds very different roles depending on the lands that tell her tale.

In the scorching deserts of Egypt, the Sphinx was seen as a guardian, a protector of royal power. The Great Sphinx of Giza, carved from stone, is said to bear the likeness of Pharaoh Khafra, its serene, unmoving gaze a testament to his eternal reign. Here, the Sphinx was a benevolent force, warding off evil and safeguarding the divine order of the pharaohs.

But in the craggy mountains of Greece, the Sphinx took on a much darker guise. She was no passive guardian, but a deadly, cunning predator. With the wings of a bird to carry her high above the ground and the serpent’s tail coiled and ready to strike, the Sphinx of Greek myth was as dangerous as she was intelligent. A feminine figure, she possessed not only great physical strength but also a mind as sharp as her claws.

Her most infamous encounter took place on the road to Thebes, where she lurked, ready to pounce upon any traveller who dared cross her path. The Sphinx would pose a riddle, her voice laced with malice, daring her victims to solve it. Those who answered incorrectly faced a grisly fate, torn apart by her lion’s body and devoured beneath her shadow.

The riddle she posed remains etched in the annals of myth: “What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?” Many fell victim to her cruel game, their bones left to bleach under the sun. But it was Oedipus, the tragic hero, who finally unravelled her deadly puzzle, answering, “Man.” With his solution, the Sphinx was defeated, her death shrouded in mystery. Some say she flung herself from a high cliff in a final act of defiance, while others believe she simply vanished, her purpose fulfilled.

Though the Sphinx may no longer haunt the roads of Thebes, her legend endures-a reminder of the perilous power of knowledge, and the fatal price of ignorance. Unlike her Egyptian counterpart, the Greek Sphinx is not a guardian of kings, but a harbinger of death, a creature whose beauty conceals a lethal mind.

The riddle she left behind still echoes through the ages, a symbol of the untamed and unknowable forces that shape our fate. Even in defeat, the Sphinx remains a figure of fear, a creature that holds within her the eternal dance of life and death, wisdom and destruction.

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theroseandthebeast · 1 year ago

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Yuletide Recs, Batch Four

18 recs for North and South, The OC, Ocean's 8, Ocean's Eleven, Only Murders in the Building, Penny Dreadful, Peter Pan, Piranesi, Point Break, and Poker Face

Keeping True, Gen, John Thornton + Hannah Thornton + Fanny Thornton + Maria Hale + Nicholas Higgins + Mill Workers

Five views of Mr Thornton.

"if you weren't real i would make you up", Ryan Atwood & Summer Roberts + Seth Cohen/Summer Roberts

Tell the truth, but tell it like it’s a lie. Ryan Atwood grows up, and his relationships grow up with him.

Magpie, Ryan Atwood & Sandy Cohen + Ryan Atwood & Kirsten Cohen + Ryan Atwood/Marissa Cooper

Going fast enough, there was motion to it, and shape. The wires dipped in-between the poles, then curved back upward, then back down again - a never ending parabolic curve, like a child's drawing of ocean waves. He would imagine different creatures running on top of the wires - tigers, pandas, lions, cheetahs, or even a little miniature version of himself - running and leaping, keeping up with the car. He'd follow the horizon this way too - holding up one of his toy army men and lining up its legs with the line where the land met the sky. On the interstate, outside of the city, driving past farms and craggy hills and suburban enclaves, bunches of houses crowded up in little clusters like fungus erupting through the cracks in a tree's bark - everything looked like a toy. Like he could roll down the window and just scoop everything up, pull the whole world inside to look at it closer.

Encountering the Nova, Lou Miller/Debbie Ocean

Galaxies of women, there doing penance for impetuousness. Debbie and Lou meet cute.

somebody else's wallet, Danny Ocean/Rusty Ryan

When you look at another man for too long, you risk giving several things away.

What Really Happened with Marco, Danny Ocean/Rusty Ryan

Rusty visits Danny's grave, and remembers. Meanwhile, everyone has a story to tell about Danny and Rusty.

in the meantime, wait and see, Oliver Putnam/Charles-Haden Savage

Mabel Mora loves her old guys dearly, but she is getting tired of them sabotaging each other’s love lives.

1/3 Of What You're Saying, Theo Dimas/Mabel Mora

She dreams of puzzle pieces again, that first night at Theo’s. (Mabel and Theo as roommates, figuring it out.)

An Ingenue Looks at Seventy, Loretta Durkin/Oliver Putnam

Maybe this time, Loretta will get everything she ever dreamed of. Or at least a bigger piece of it.

ignition, Theo Dimas/Mabel Mora

“So, do I need to be worried about you getting with a murderer too, or can I reserve that particular worry for Charles and Charles alone?” Or, everyone seems to know before they do.

Dark Days Coming, Ethan Chandler/Vanessa Ives + Ethan Chandler & Vanessa Ives + Vanessa Ives/Hecate Poole + Ethan Chandler/Hecate Poole

Hecate makes a plan.

Somebody to Watch Over Me, Wendy Darling/James Hook

The Hook she had made up would never smile at a girl as if she were the most interesting person in the world and then tell her that of course, he would patiently await her decision.

Growing Pains, Wendy Darling/James Hook

Wendy knew Hook wasn't propositioning her to join his crew out of the non-existent goodness of his heart. Enchanting his eyes might be, but the coldness in them seeped right into her bones.

The Sixth Statue, Gen, Piranesi | Matthew Rose Sorensen + The House

Matthew Rose Sorensen explores the House.

The Reality of Shadows, Gen, Sixteen | Sarah Raphael

"And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the den and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them? Certainly, he would. … Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner." - Plato, The Republic

The Waters below the Nineteenth Eastern Hall, The House + Piranesi | Matthew Rose Sorensen

Between the Eleventh and Fifteenth days of the Sixth Month in the Year the Albatross Came to the South-western Halls, there are days for which nothing was recorded. To fit into that space: a reflection on certain surprising Elements of the House.

lay my heart down, Bodhi/Johnny Utah

“Hey,” Bodhi says, soaked right down to the bone. “Room for an old friend?” Johnny takes a step back like he’s seen a ghost. “What the fuck?”

Ways to Disappear, Charlie Cale/Original Female Character

Charlie finds a place to stay awhile.

#yuletide #yuletide 2023 #north and south #the oc #ocean's 8 #ocean's eleven #only murders in the building #penny dreadful #peter pan #piranesi #point break #poker face

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