#The Royal Family of Iphigenia

[tosimornottosim]

First Day Of School For Royal Heir

The Princess Nadja began her education today as she departed for kindergarten at one of the schools within the Capitol (the identity of her school has been hidden for privacy although it is believed to be one of the more mundane public schools, in a break from tradition)

In a further break from tradition, the hands-on Queen was seen taking her herself. There have been very few photos of the Princess released to the public since her birth, and it is known that her royal parents have attempted to give her the most ‘normal’ upbringing that can be had.  

[celticcrossanon]

BRF Reading - 27th of September, 2024

This is speculation only

Cards drawn on the 27th of September, 2024

Question: Is King Charles making plans for Harry to return home?

Interpretation: The King has to decide whether to implement his plans or not

Card One: The Two of Swords

This is the card of having to make a difficult decision. The King has to decide what to do about Harry. He can't put it off for any longer - the decision has to be made now. Is Harry in, or is he out? If he is in, that does include his wife or not? This playing-both-sides behaviour, e.g. wishing Harry well overseas but still having him on the website with the working royals - has got to stop. A line has to be drawn, one way or the other.

The energy of this card is of conflict, which is not an energy I associate with the Two of Swords. There is argument about this - a lot of argument. The card shows Agamemnon fighting with his wife over the sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia so the wind will blow and the ships can sail to Troy. I think that The KIng is fighting with family members over this - almost certainly his heir, but also his wife and maybe his sister and brother as well. I'm getting a lot of antagonism between husband and wife from this card - I can feel the couple glaring at each other and approaching each other with 'daggers drawn' on the card and I think that translates to real life as well.

The King is making a decision or has to make a decision about what to do with Harry. From the amount of antagonism I am getting from this card, the decision he has made or is about to make is not one that is popular with his family.

Card Two: The Hanged Man in Reverse

This is a card of action and sacrifice. When the card is upright, you can't do anything, so you have to think about things and maybe gain a different perspective on them. When the card is in the reverse, the time for action has come.

The Hanged Man can involve a sacrifice of something or someone. When the card is in the reverse, you don't want to make that sacrifice. so you try and avoid it. In terms of the picture on the card, you want to free Prometheus and release him from the suffering that is a result of his actions (stealing from the gods).

The Hanged Man can also be a card about hesitancy or stalling, being reluctant to take that final step, make that irrevocable decision, to commit to a plan of action. I don't think that The King is 100% certain of the details or the success of his plan of action, but I think he is going to do it anyway.

I think that The King is going to step in and shelter Harry or protect Harry. I expect this to be from any entanglement Harry has with P. Diddy, but it could be for other things that we don't know about. I think that he may try to bring Harry home regardless of what the public think about it, as this is a card of doing things after a period of reflection. There is definitely rescue and ending suffering energy coming from this card, so I think The King is going to rescue Harry.

Card Three: The Nine of Pentacles in Reverse

This is the card of being rewarded for your efforts when it is upright. In the reverse, there is no reward for your efforts, they are a waste of your time and resources. It can also be seen as a card of living beyond your means, reckless spending, and superficiality. It is known as the happy independent person card when it is upright. In the reverse, you are not independent and you are most likely not happy as well.

I am getting two energies from this card. The first is about Harry himself. The energy here is of recklessness, living beyond your means, spending money like water, and no desire to change. If The King does rescue Harry, any promises made by Harry as a condition of that rescue will be lip-service only, and as soon as he can Harry will return to his old ways. This also tells me that rescuing Harry may cost a lot more than The King anticipates, both in wealth and in status/reputation.

The second energy of this card is of a wasted effort. If The King does rescue Harry, there will be no return for the time, money and effort that he has spent on his son. Harry will not be independent, he will remain dependent on his father (both financially and in other areas). In fact, with the card upright indicating success and achievement, it could even be that the reverse card shows that any attempt to rescue Harry will fail.

Underlying Energy: The Seven of Pentacles

Is the juice worth the squeeze? That is the message of the Seven of Pentacles. It is a card about taking stock of your assets and deciding which ones can be cultivated further and which ones need to be culled or shut down. It is a card of hard work, diligence and planning that usually leads to success.

This is also my card for dodgy sex acts, which considering the P.Diddy case is more than a but worrying with respect to Harry.

This is also my card for having a divided allegiance. In this case I think it refers to the split in The King's allegiance between his duty to his country and his duty to his son, but in that case I think the son (Harry) is winning hands down.

The message from this card is about taking stock of the situation around Harry. How much time, effort and resources has The King invested in his son? How much of a return has he seen on his investment? Is it a wise move to invest further in his son, or is it better to withdraw? It is time to assess the situation before he puts any more time, effort and resources into it.

Conclusion:

The King has to decide what to do about Harry. If he does plan to rescue Harry from whatever situation Harry has found himself in and bring him home, now is the time to do it. However, before making a final decision and putting his plans into action, The King has to decide if it is worth it to invest more time and effort in Harry, especially considering the effect of this on his relationships with his family members and his wife. There are indication that if The King does decide to go ahead and rescue Harry, it will be a waste of his time, effort and resources - either the rescue will fail or he will end up with a Harry on his hands who has no plans to change his ways or reform his life.

There are slight hints in the underlying energy that this has been pushed to 'urgent' because of the P.Diddy sex scandal.

The energy is leaning towards Harry being rescued. I'm not getting any 'abandon him to his fate' energy. I am getting 'waste of resources' 'he needs to be rescued' and 'loyalty to son before loyalty to country' energy. If The King does put his plans into action (and I think he will - I think that behind the scenes the first steps are already being made) then he is going to aggravate a lot of family members, including his wife (Queen Camilla's energy is very angry over this - ice cold and cutting).

EDIT: He may also involve the BRF in the P.Diddy sex scandal and so tarnish its reputation further than what Prince Andrew did.

Final Word

As I was mixing the cards for this reading, moving them face down on the table in a circle so I can get reversals and then gathering them up into a deck, the following card flew out of the pack, flipped over in mid air and landed face up in front of me:

The Three of Wands. It is card of initial success in plans, your ships coming in after their first venture out into the world. It is also my card for the passing on of power in the BRF, either by death or by regency,

The energy of this card is of fear. Fear, and passing the crown on to Prince William.

I think that The King is worried about what will happen to Harry after he is gone, and I think that he has set plans in motion to take care of Harry once the power of the monarchy passes away from him. I think he is waiting for those plans to be successful.

My initial reaction on seeing this card was that The King does not have much longer to live, so he is fixing things up for when he is no longer King (either dead or retired). If that is true, then I hope it is retirement and he lives for a good while yet, but I have to say that my gut is twisting uneasily as I type that, so it probably will not be the case.

This card could also be a warning that if The King does try to rescue Harry and bring him home, it will cause such a scandal (for whatever reasons) that he will be forced to abdicate and pass the crown to William.

[katerinaaqu]

Lordly Agamemnon

Yup! Definitely not me thinking about Agamemnon's Aristeia Analysis I randomly made, while listening to epic music such as Lion King and Gladiator soundtrack while making this sketch! XD

But it was about time I drew Agamemnon after his dear brother Menelaus sketch I made a little while ago! And decided to have the full armor this time because the Mycenean armors are super underrated! So for the basic shape of the face I was of course inspired by the amazing Greek actor Kostas Kazakos who gave life to Agamemnon for the movie Iphigenia (1977) but I picked the design a bit to make him slightly sharper of features, added some braids and longer hair and longer beard for it! I of course added the colorful plates because there were so many different colors mentioned for his armor in the Iliad that I think is a shame not to feature them here! Also of course horns on his helmet! (I find it ironic how everyone draws the Vikings have horned helmets in pop culture even if they were not historically widely used in battle while for ancient Greek armory especially in Bronze Age they were featured and yet no one draws them in pop culture! Lol!

I also featured some gray hair because why not! I also gave him a nice olive tan complexion because he is a warrior and it suits him!

My other Agamemnon analysis-related material:

Agamemnon Analysis (through a conversation with @smokey07 )

Agamemnon on his marriage with Clytremnestra and Aegisthus

Other Atreide Family member art:

Menelaus

Clytemnestra

Orestes

Pylades

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other Epic Cycle character art:

Diomedes

Odysseus

Calypso

Patroclus

Antilochus

Achilles

Neoptolemus

Penelope

Helen

I also wanna give an honorable mention to my projects with @yararts and the fact that she is one of the few who incorporated mycenean armor inspiration into high fantasy inspired art and created a unique set of armors based on that design! Please go and check out her art!

[littlesparklight]

Some general thoughts on the gods on Troy's side, and why they might be:

Aphrodite: Presumably out of affection for her son, Anchises, and Paris. Very potentially, wanting to assure the gift she's given Paris lasts as long as possible? But if this is a factor, hardly something she is beholden to in any way; it'd probably be more about her own pride in that case. But, given that she also helps protect Hektor's corpse, when he, at least, is no longer able to pay her back for such aid, her affection/aid to the Trojans aren't just for or because of those three.

Apollo: Thetis' warning/prophecy to her son that killing Tennes/a son of Apollo would mean Apollo would kill him (Plutarch, Quaest. Graec. 28, Bibliotethe, Epitome 3.26), then we have Achilles killing Troilus in his sancuary, which would be reason enough on its own but Troilus can also be Apollo's son. There's Apollo so ardently protecting Hektor throughout the war, even/maybe especially after his death (Hektor is also in several sources Apollo's son). Also his relationship with Hecuba and how in Stesichorus he rescues her. (Could also put Kassandra and Helenos here.)

Part of his defense of Troy might be about "fate" and when it's the "proper time" for Troy to fall, but Apollo's ties to Troy/individuals attached to Troy are more deep-set than that. He is the one to punish Neoptolemos' sacrilege of killing Priam at Zeus' altar. Apollo is also rarely present during vase art scenes around the Judgment, potentially connecting to; Apollo specifically being the one to aid Paris (or in some variants, using Paris' shape) to kill Achilles. Real-world wise, the possibility of connecting Apaliuna(s)/Appaluwa as Wilusa/Troy's patron god to Apollo.

Ares: Unstable ally. Hard to say how consistently he is on either side; Athena says he "only yesterday" on the first day of fighting in the Iliad was loudly pledging to Hera and Athena that he'd help the Achaeans.

Perhaps he's been aiding the Trojans more or less secretly/openly throughout the war, as much because he supports whatever side he wishes on a whim as that Aphrodite (and Apollo?) has asked him to. Either way, certainly not as consistent nor out of any particular affection or feeling of protectiveness for the Trojans.

Artemis: "For, in her pity, holy Artemis is angry at the winged hounds of her father, for they sacrifice a wretched timorous thing, together with her young, before she has brought them forth. An abomination to her is the eagles' feast." (Agamemnon, Aeschylus, line 135) ; this is about the eagles and hare omen, which replaces (or in addition to, as this seems to have happened in Mycenae) the snake and sparrows one. Artemis is put forth as unhappy with Troy's (future) fall/the war.

And, it's of course very easy to see the demand for Iphigenia in reparation for Agamemnon's hubris in a similar way, that if he/the army, wants to go off and kill/enslave innocents elsewhere, he/they has to start at home. She may also be helping her brother, and there is the Skamandrios, son of Strophios, who she herself taught to hunt in the Iliad. She has independent connections to Troy, and could be one of the more focused on Trojan deities along with her brother and their mother.

Leto: We have nothing, aside from the fact that she is on the Trojan side with her children in Book 21. But real-world-wise, there's also that Leto was an important goddess on the coast, and in Lycia connected to a Lycian mother goddess. So one could probably make inference for the in-universe reason being as much her siding with her children as that Troy is honouring her (maybe particularly so), along with the rest of the countries on the coast.

Xanthos: intimately woven together with Troy's royal family, as he's married a couple daughters into the line and his (only?) son's daughter married Dardanos.

Zeus: He's technically/actually neutral, a driving force to keep the war going as it "needs to". He's therefore on Troy's side more through the sentiment(s) he expresses or is assigned to him rather than in action.

Particularly so if one turns to the "he planned the war" variants - but these are never about Troy, or Paris, but rather about something much larger than any fault any individual Trojan or Troy has a whole as made themselves guilty of. [Though individual mortals in the Iliad, and in later sources, both tragedies and lyric, will imply that it's Zeus as god of xenia that ensures his working towards Troy's destruction, rather than any plan that has little to do with Troy.]

For his connections to and being for Troy, have Proclus' summary of the Kypria for example, where the plan mentioned at the end is to "relieve the Trojans" specifically, and that phrasing turns Achilles' anger and Zeus acting to fulfil his demands not about Achilles' honour, but about aiding Troy. In Pindar's Paean 6 (fragmentary), Zeus is said to "not dare to change fate [the destruction of Troy]", easily to implicate that he otherwise might, because he would wish to. More important, perhaps, is his statement that Troy is his most favoured city, and how Hera offers up three of her favoured cities for Zeus' one, how he wishes to save Hektor, and the description in the Iliad (by Poseidon) that Dardanos was the/one of the sons [by mortal women, though Elektra couldn't have been that] that he loves the most.

[catindabag]

TBOSAS on Crack short take (47)

Felix: Hey, guys, please settle down and listen to me-

Clemensia: Class Pres, why is your hair bubblegum pink today?

Felix: Well, Clemmie, that’s a funny story. You see, a certain someone happened to steal my very expensive Ravinstill exclusive shampoo and replaced it with pink hair dye-

Androcles: It wasn’t me! I swear on my mother’s cooking that it wasn’t-

Felix: Andie, your mother doesn’t cook.

Androcles: Oh, yeah.😐

Coryo: Let’s just go straight to the point, Class Pres.

Felix: *sighs* Fine. So I’ve gathered everyone here to discuss our upcoming PTA meeting this Friday-

Hilarius: PTA meeting?! With my father?! Class Pres, I’m not sure about that-

Felix: Calm down, Heavensbee! Your creepy old man is not even allowed to go near our school.

Urban: True. He can’t even go near us without Dean Highbottom calling the Peacekeepers-

Hilarius: You don’t understand! My old man will try to sneak into that meeting either way!😫

Coryo: Well, if he does, we can always call the President to punish him indefinitely-

Urban: Or strangle him ourselves for the greater good of Panem-

Hilarius: Hey!😠

Urban: Just saying~.

Sejanus: I’ll protect you from that creep, my Coryo, my love!😍

Coryo: Sure, Babe. Whatever you say.

Io: By the way, Hilari, how many restraining orders does your father have?

Hilarius: 42-

Felix: It’s 77 and counting. But anyway, Dean Highbottom told me to list down the parents who would be attending our PTA meeting this Friday. So-

Livia: Obviously, my ever fabulous mama will represent thee~!😌💅

Pup: Meh Daddy~!😘

Felix: Stop saying “daddy” like that, Pup.

Florus: Both or none. Depends on my crazy dad’s mood.

Dennis: Sorry~. My mama can’t attend this week. She’s too busy running the Capitol black market and trading illegal magazines with Cardew’s mom-

Livia: You lying little shi-

Felix: How about you, Urban?

Urban: Same with Florus.

Felix: And the rest?

Io: Both will come as usual~.😎

Arachne: My pushover big brother will represent me as always.

Androcles: My mama and her camera crew-

Felix: Andie, we’ve talked about this issue before. Your mother can’t bring her camera crew to our PTA meetings again-

Androcles: They’ll pay everyone 20 bucks for a feature.

Festus: Free money?!

Coryo: Free money!!

Persephone: I love money!

Dennis: Oh, yes~. Mah money~.😏

Felix: Fine! But this is the last time-

Gaius: Class Pres, can my crazy grandmother attend for me?🥺

Felix: The one who fought and defeated the rebels with a giant toothpick?

Gaius: Pretty please?

Felix: Sure. She’s a war hero.

Palmyra: Can my unhinged mama and her delicious pies-

Felix: No. Next.

Hilarius: My father-

Felix: He’s banned. Next.

Hilarius: My mother-

Felix: She’s banned too. Next.

Vipsania: My gym instructor-

Felix: Nope. Next.

Lysistrata: My drug- I mean, medicine dealer?

Felix: For legal reasons, no. Next.

Iphigenia: The pizza delivery guy next door-

Felix: Not a parent. Next.

Domitia: My emotional support cow-

Felix: Too hairy. Next.

Apollo: My imaginary friends-

Felix: Not real. Next.

Diana: My cute stuffed animals.🥺

Felix: Sure. Why not.

Apollo: That’s not fair-

Felix: Next!

Coryo: I’ll bring my cousin Tigris. But if Highbottom’s drunk, I’ll summon the ghost of my gorgeous dead dad instead.

Sejanus: My Ma will represent!

Coryo: Will she bring food?🥺

Sejanus: Always, Babe. Always~.😘

Coryo: I might kiss you right now-

Lysistrata: Kiss him, Coryo! Kiss him!

Coryo: Not now, Lizzie!

Felix: How about you, Creed?

Festus: My whole family’s going.

Sejanus: The whole Creed Clan?!

Festus: Yup! Free food is free food.

Pup: Especially when Ma Plinth’s the one cooking it.🤤

Juno: Well, whatever, peasants. My royal daddy will represent for me as usual~.😌💅

Urban: Nobody asked you, Juno~.🙄

Juno: Suck a di-

Felix: How about you, Clemmie? Is your dad going too?

Clemensia: Depends~. If my mom wins their annual wrestling match, then she’ll be the one attending-

Vipsania: Wrestling match? What kind?

Clemensia: Do you truly want to know, Sickle?😏

Vipsania: Yes-

Felix: Nope. We don’t wanna know about that, Clemmie.

Persephone: Well, I think my old man-

Coryo: Wasn’t Nero Price banned from the school grounds last year?

Persephone: My dad was banned?!

Coryo: Yes.

Persephone: What for?!

Felix: Cannibalism allegations.

Persephone: That’s a lie-

Coryo: He literally almost bit off Highbottom’s foot when he found out about the Heavensbee Hall Flooding Incident.

Persephone: He did that to defend me!

Felix: He also bit Professor Click’s hand-

Persephone: He was hungry!😭

Coryo: And stole all of Ma Plinth’s ham sandwiches from her body bag.

Persephone: To be fair, my daddy thought that there was a literal dead body inside her bag-

Felix: Still banned. Next.

[ilions-end]

orestes by euripides (ian johnston transl.) has been READ and here we go with the first impressions:

i couldn't help but contrast it to the eumenides. the oresteia feels so intimate and focused on these few characters' problems UNTIL you get to the eumenides and it takes this huge step back to talk about the nature of laws and family and gender and society, you know? which is intentional (order out of chaos and a new dawn for athens etc etc) but as someone who can't get enough of the personal anguish and dilemmas and trauma of these specific characters it's really interesting to read this play that stays locked in on the immediate fall-out of clytemnestra's murder WITHIN the messed up family

so: clytemnestra has just been buried (BY ELECTRA?? oh god what was that like, babygirl?), menelaus and helen are arriving at argos, orestes is mostly incapacitated by fits of madness brought on by the furies, and apollo hasn't said SHIT to him after he ordered him to kill his mother.

that last thing SO juicy to me oughhh. orestes' pain and sense of abandonment -- a GOD orders you to kill your mother and then leaves you to handle all the consequences yourself? man.

this is THE most depressed and hopeless orestes i've read. his mental health is spiraling, everyone demands him to explain his actions over and over, his people want to execute both him and his sister, and suicide seems more and more like the easiest option. OHH ORESTES.

it blew my mind when he contrasted himself with telemachus, and clytemnestra with penelope. like huh, you DO know about the goings-on in other royal families, that's neat

also he delivers the FUNNIEST whataboutism when he's asked "how did you have the heart to kill your mother after she bared her breasts to you" and he's like "OH. OH OKAY so if mothers just bare their breasts to their sons they can do WHATEVER THEY WANT FOREVER??? HUH??"

oughhh pylades. baby. sweetheart. bit of a psycho it turns out. i know "not to me, not if it's you" is basically a tumblr meme at this point, but that shit HITS, man. over and over pylades tells and shows orestes how much he loves him and how all he wants is to protect and take care of him.

like every time they talk about pylades' intention of marrying electra it kinda feels like she's the closest thing to orestes he can get, you know...?

the way i laughed when menelaus, at the climax of the story, asks pylades like "IS THIS TRUE? ARE YOU HIS CO-CONSPIRATOR?" and orestes answers for him like "of course! as you can tell by his agreeing silence". like OHHH OKAY we've switched actors, haven't we? haha! there's something very pleasing about how pylades' silences and non-silences continue being brought to attention.

anyway orestes, electra and pylades are FULLY ride or die with each other in this play. ride or die to absurd degrees. which i will get into

i really like how menelaus and helen have differing viewpoints. helen (who i realized has NOT been in the loop about the sacrifice of iphigenia because obviously SHE WAS ALREADY ABDUCTED at that point) mourns only for the loss of her dear sister, while menelaus feels more duty-bound to orestes, his brother's son.

TALTHYBIUS MENTIONED. and menelaus points out how he warps the truth and that "heralds always stick to the winning side". i'm still chewing on that re: talthybius as the most sympathetic to the defeated trojans in other plays (because he IS still on the winning side then and following their orders, even if he cries as he does so)

DIOMEDES MENTIONED. he's in assembly voting on orestes' and electra's fates? and i wonder... have you been home yet, diomedes??? do you perhaps have OPINIONS on unfaithful wives and what may or may not be done to them?

orestes is aggressively misogynistic towards electra after he's learned about their death sentence. you CAN read that as-is, but i felt it was more a misguided attempt at hardening himself up by pushing her away. he says he's worried she'll make him cry (and he doesn't want his enemies to see him cry), but then he softens up and eventually hugs her back. i'm imagining him sobbing and sputtering at that point btw.

the antipathy everyone holds towards helen is NOT malleable though. god everyone DESPISES her and she's just, you know, there, mourning her dead sister. her father has disowned her and even wishes she was dead. i mean. damn.

okay i usually don't warn for spoilers, but as i've mentioned i went into this play very blind and that was a lot of fun because

WHOA?!?!?!

WHOAAA THAT ESCALATED

MAN. THIS PLAY TAKES A TURN AFTER THE VOTING HAS CONCLUDED

so spoilers? i guess? under the cut

pylades is like "OH WAIT you know how you WOULDN'T become known as the killer of clytemnestra? IF YOU BECAME THE KILLER OF HELEN" and orestes is like "OHHH YOU'RE SO SMART LET'S DO THAT"

oh my god you're all the same type of crazy

okay, so

this is probably embarrassing to admit, but

what you need to understand... is that at no point reading this... did i NOT think menelaus wouldn't pull through with some ingenious trick. like i believed IN MY HEART that menelaus was gonna think of something and save orestes and electra from stoning

why? because when orestes begged menelaus to save them, menelaus DIDN'T SAY NO. he listed all the ways it would be DIFFICULT to save them (fleeing argos; convincing the assembly) and that they'd need SOME KIND OF TRICK instead (eh? eh?) and the whole conversation felt very open-ended, lots of things unsaid

so when orestes tells pylades and electra "can you believe my ASSHOLE UNCLE refuses to help us? let's kill his wife to make him sorry" i was like NO he didn't refuse! this is the tragedy, isn't it, that menelaus (maybe helen too) is working hard to save them when they think he's given them up. i know they DON'T get executed, so obviously there is a last-minute save coming up. oh I KNOW how tragedy works, yessiree 😏

but like. no. no. nope. menelaus has genuinely given up on them, he sympathises but has washed his hands of the whole affair. straight up not intending to help, his ambigious answer is because he's too cowardly to say no outright. why did i think menelaus was gonna pull off an odysseus-type feat??? oh it's so funny

but like yeah, the way the doomgang excitedly plots how to murder helen is WILD, they're like children just hand-waving central issues (pylades is like "the guards? oh we'll just lock them into various rooms, it'll be fine" like HOW. you can't just assume that'll go off without a hitch!)

HONESTLY I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING THEY PLANNED WOULD WORK.

BUT IT DOES??? MORE OR LESS

it feels like when you read about petty robberies that turn into day-long hostage situations. just SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL. now they're on the roof holding hermione hostage. NOT THE SITUATION I WAS EXPECTING

i know it's all very disturbing and fucked up but i'm also weirdly excited about electra taking such an active part. look at her plot and lie and mislead! you go girl, making decisions and acting on them even if they're awful

oh orestes is SO mean to the trojan servant. genuinely lashing out the moment he has someone cowering and helpless who won't hit back

mmm the god-yoinking-away-a-girl/woman-just-as-she's-about-to-be-murdered is very iphigenia-coded, isn't it

like man. one thing is the turning of the central plot, but this play was really intriguing in how flawed all the characters are. it's all so fucked, it's all so hopeless, but hey here's apollo to remind you they're all divine playthings anyway.

[windywallflower]

Its a very late post into pride month here (we've been exercising sleep-month jk... we've been kinda scrambling to get back on top of everything after May. Idk what it is but every year is the same).

But HEY! If you don't know who we are yet, we're Tas & Winter and we run a small minipub called Windy & Wallflower where we write a bunch of fun stories featuring gaggles of queer characters.

Note: on our shop ALL of our PDFs are 5$ no matter if its comics, prose, zines, what have you (some of our older stuff is free/pwyw).

But here's a VERY quick run down of our series/titles!

AUGUSTINE - is our newest webcomic! A series we lovingly dub as our junkpunk meets greek mythology, borderlands meets hercules, mad max meets... uhhh uhhh t-troy?? ENOUGH COMPARISONS. You've got a found family of freaks who get into trouble pissing off local landlords in a crusty pit of desert lovingly called the Crater. Maybe the group relies on their leader a bit too much, maybe she DOESNT know what she's doing. Maaaaybe we'll find out what happens ... when she ... [spoilerspoilerpsoiler] (You CAN buy the PDF on our shop, the physical copy of Volume 1 OR you can also catch up and read it FOR FREE online!) (.....yes its coming back v soon we're almost done rebuilding the buffer i promise)

MYTH RETOLD - Is prose! Retelling Greek myths but with a queer twist. There are 3 in the series so far: Iphigenia (sapphic babes, Iphigenia gets to KISS Artemis? mmm~), Medusa (maybe she meets a transmasc Perseus... maybe its just bi af and Medusa DOES get a happy en-- wait spoilers--) & Atalanta (what can i say, im a sucker for sapphics... Atalanta x Dyktinna) with loose plans to make ... even More. (You can also get all of these as PDFs or as physical copies... im a sucker for the physical since I went pretty hard with the foil ANd spot gloss--)

PAINT THE TOWN RED - is our other major ongoing comic of the queer persuasion (are we... starting to notice a pattern--). This one with a main cast consisting of Vampires, Werewolves.... ... and other mysterious babes. Story opens up with a werewolf shelter, but what happens when a vampire shows up one night?? Hmmm. Looks like things are a lot messier in Merlot than we thought~ This one releases in volumes first so you can grab them all on our shop OR you can test it out for yourself and see if its your thing by reading the first 2 volumes for FREE online~!)

PRISM KNIGHTS - A series of short stories (loosely based on fairytales) in the POV of queer knights! Each story is a 'different shade of queer'. You will be hearing a LOT about these two in the next month because we're funding the paperback print of the omnibus so here are the highlights:

Coquelicot: Evil lesbian knights.

Bronze: A nonbinary, ace knight caught in a time loop.

Lamplight: A haunted trans knight learns to love the beast within.

Juniper: A tragic gay knight meets his blacksmith boyfriend.

Sapphire: A polyship between a dragon, a knight and a royal.

Velvet: A sad bisexual knight overcoming grief.

You can snag ALL of the PDFs on our shop though a lot of the physical copies are out of stock because, as mentioned, we're hosting a campaign to reprint soon. You can follow along to be notified the second we launch! (We'll need a LOT of help pushing this one since... um... it IS a reprint).

THAT'S my schpeel. I know we try our best to offer our stories free/as cheap as we can possibly make them to keep them accessible so if you CAN afford to spend a bit this pride consider checking out our shop! You'd be doing us a real solid.

We have a TON of really cool stories in the works all of them extremely queer so any little bit goes a long way, boosting, sharing, buying, telling your libraries about us.... hinthint, everything helps!!

[slivertm]

IPHIGENIA GALATHENEA ; healer of dawn.

‘ christina nadin, cis female, she/her, 27/ 270 , high fae ’ ― cauldron save you. it seems iphigenia galathenea has been teleported to the dusk court, the high healer from dawn court is said to be observant and is said to be a simmering anger cooking on a low fire, seeing your life laid ahead of you in stone, knowing how it’s meant to end and still think you might be fast enough to outrun duty and with all of this in mind their judgemental nature always seems to get them into trouble. may the mother hold them as they navigate this unthinkable time.

full name: iphigenia argente galathenea nickname: iggy, gen, nia name meaning: strong born (associated with sacrifice) age: two hundred and seventy place of birth: the dawn court gender: cisfemale pronouns: she/her sexual & romantic orientation: pansexual

occupation: high healer of the dawn court personality traits: observant, considerate, judgemental, curt, moody, insecure, envious, avoidant interests: knit, dance, embroidery abilities: winnowing, bargaining, dream manipulation, healing (very strong) character inspiration: robin swift (babel), charlize ronan (taming of the tyrant), eponine thenardier (les miserables), yrene towers (throne of glass)

father: lord second-in-command castores galathenea, brother to the late high lord caelestis galathenea mother: mercy argente step-mother: lady pearl cousins: high lord saint galathenea, lady persephone galathenea, lady erilyn galathenea

height: 5’4” body and build: petite, curvy hair color and style: tousled dark brown hair complexion: deeply tan, bronzed eye colour: green, in the same hue as her father clothing style: she certainly has one signature scent: red currant, amber, vanilla bourbon (i’m thinking caroline herrera’s very good girl)

the acknowledgement of the galathenea cousin is a precarious game of push and pull until, during your childhood, they learn that you can earn your place among your royal family.

your powers manifest unnaturally early and due to to your mother’s quick wits — she ensures that she is well taken care of in exchange for the rest of your miserable life in captivity. despite the centuries between that moment and the version of yourself that exists today, you still remember grasping for the woman who birthed you — sobbing/crying/screaming — begging her not to leave you. she hands you to the woman she once served and you do not see her for another century.

you have always been a pawn.

growing up on your commander-father's estate is lonely. you are a child but you still have the awareness to understand that you are unwanted. your existence embarrasses your father but your powers grants him influence. it balances out his lack of talented progeny and gives him something to boast about against his brother’s children. your father dotes you to the court, ensuring you look befitting of their status, but you are left to your step-mother’s mercy for the most part.

you remember that your mother did look on you with love, calling you something that was not iphigenia. the name was curtesy of your step-mother, treating you like a new pet as she tossed around names until she liked one enough. you can’t remember what your true name was. there’s power in names. your father's family took that from you.

you hate being a galathenea. it’s days of trailing at your step-mother’s heel, like the ghost of her dear friend before the world imploded between them. you crave to leave. you itch for freedom. and one day, you watch your cousin manage it — sneaking away when everyone of consequence leaves. you tuck the moment into your pocket until you're brave enough to follow suit. it takes a year or two, but when you follow his path for the first time, you’re spit out into a forest. you cannot find saint, but you find something else: a human who fancies himself a predator. there’s something poetic in that, the boy thinking himself more dangerous than you. you’d never felt bigger than anyone before. you grow high on that feeling.

now, remember this — open your eyes to the day you lose him. you never tell him about your invulnerability, so he sacrifices himself to save you. the deep, primal rage you’d cultivated since the day you arrived in court boils over at last. how dare they steal what’s yours. it’s the first time you kill. you winnow your beloved to your lands and remember the legends — the theoretical debates you once had about the ethics of turning a human to a god. somehow the stories are verbatim. the boy is alive but he is no longer human. does that make you love him less?

you go to a friend — the one that you know can keep a secret — begging her to help you. she makes it all go away. this big ugly secret, this mistake that you were stupid enough to make. your mother used you. your father used you. you wouldn’t do the same to your beloved. no, you gave him new life. you send him a solar system away to live it how he pleases.

tldr; bastard child of retired second-in-command to the late high lord of the dawn court has a negative outlook in life and makes bad choices!

[myburntwritings]

The Tragic Tale of Aegisthus

All speculation and musings for the character of Aegisthus. Here there be spoilers.

The past has not been kind to Aegisthus. Exiled from his homeland by Agamemnon, his crown stolen after everything he did to get it. He has hidden himself in Troy these past years, where Agamemnon could not find him. But Troy has not been kind to him either. The Trojan royal family were too familiar with what had happened in Mycenae, so he hides from them, instead getting to know the regular people of the city. The flower shop owner, Askalaphos, who is always so kind and cheerful (and makes the best lotus flower drugs.) The waitress, Eurydice, who is always so kind to him and never does anything for herself. She’s been in love with that bartender for an age, but is too busy serving the royals to take something for herself.

Polymestor, the hotel and nightclub owner, knows who he is though, and exploits it. He makes him perform in the Peep windows, holding his identity over his head in the threat of exposure. He gives him a mask, but Polymestor is sadistic and cruel. The Peep windows show outside of the city walls, and once Agamemnon turned his ire on Troy, Aegisthus was forced to perform for the very army that should have been his.

He's not doing well for himself, and he desperately wants to return to Mycenae. Aegisthus knows the secret ways out of the city and how to avoid the border guards. He has watched Iphigenia grow up. He has watched as Agamemnon ignored the wife that should have been his, in favour of a pointless war.

Tonight is different. Something important is happening for Iphigenia. It’s her ceremony for Artemis. He wants to be there for her. He steals clothes from the hotel rooms. He gets flowers from Askalaphos.

He ensures Agamemnon is not at the palace before he arrives, and being welcomed by Iphigenia and Clytemnestra feels like home... This is the life he should have had. Clytemnestra would have been his wife, Iphigenia his daughter.

When Agamemnon takes Iphigenia away in favour of his war, sacrificing her for the storm to take his ships to Troy, Aegisthus is the one to help Clytemnestra through her grief. He stops her from ending it all at the loss of Iphigenia. He’s grieving the daughter he could have had.

Then, Clytemnestra shows him what he could have if he only helps her with vengeance. She puts the crown of intestines on his head. He is taken over in that moment, stamping his foot and standing proud like a king.

'Get his guts for me, and you will be my king.'

But he would be recognised by Agamemnon, so he returns to Troy one more time, taking drugs from Askalaphos, taking the mask from the Peep windows that had been his prison. The Greek soldiers don’t pay him any notice when he returns now. Just another war prize for the glory of Agamemnon.

But when he returns to Mycenae, he sees Clytemnestra play her role of welcoming wife a little too well. He knows he’s been used. He takes more time with the drugs. He doesn't kill Agamemnon on the stone table as planned. He hangs back at the showers and Clytemnestra does the deed herself.

And, were the story not to reset, I imagine Aegisthus would be abandoned by Clytemnestra, probably blamed for Agamemnon's murder, right back where he started. In exile.

[littlesparklight]

No help to have I'm afraid.

This is definitely a "do what you vibe with" situation.

Apollodorus says Achilles is fifteen at the first muster (with either 8! years as per Apollodorus or whatever you yourself want to do, to the second muster and Iphigenia's sacrifice); if you vibe with that, go with that!

For anyone else, I find it useful to like... count backwards. What is the age you feel they ought to be in the last year of the war? What are we vibing with? Go from there. Because for the most of these people there are no specific ages set down.

For Andromache and the Trojan royal family, my only suggestion is, again, vibes. As an example; Hektor is the oldest of Priam and Hecuba's children, and Paris is either second-born or further down in the birth order, depending on what source you go with.

For me, I feel like Hektor would be somewhere between 40-45. 45 at the very oldest, and this is only if you add more than just 2-3 years from Paris and Helen leaving Sparta and the Achaeans arriving, or between the first and second muster. (I do think you need a couple years, at least. The Achaeans need to prepare!)

So Andromache's age would then depend on how old you want her to be compared to Hektor. (In my case, I made her five years younger, so in the last year of the war she's 35 to Hektor's 40, because I go with five years between Helen and Paris coming to Troy and the Achaeans doing so. Without those extra five Hektor would be 35 and Andromache 30.)

i have tried to go and research the trojan war timeline and am now more confused than when i began. how is anyone the age they are. send help.

[tosimornottosim]

Nadja: “Mum! Papa! Look!”

Constanze: “Don’t you look sharp in your uniform!”

Sigmar: “You’re going to blow them all away purely from a fashion standpoint!”

Constanze: “And from a school-standpoint.”

Sigmar: “But fashion, Constanze.”

[tragedyrot]

navig

diaphanous darling > iphigenia

a mirror shard in sunlight > elektra

his royal auditorium is a murder scene > orestes

> klytemnestra

> agamemnon

do you see your little red house? > the family destroyed

blood curses > inheritances

despite despite despite > it didn't change anything but we held on anyway

all the energy of not trying to stand between him & the grave > elektra's relationship with orestes

check for poison > elektra's relationship with agamemnon

and i need a shovel to love her > orestes' relationship with elektra

phantom son > orestes & klytemnestra

favourite daughter > iphigenia & klytemnestra

there's a mouth behind the scream > iphigenia darling sacrificial lamb favourite daughter favourite victim beautiful lovely bloody princess iphigenia

for the love of the gods who talk to you when you're asleep > this is your divine right

[pastedpast]

Another one of my artistic heroines, Mrs. Mary Delany (1700-1788), features in several of my earlier blog posts, and this is a book about her life that I bought from a second-hand bookshop in Glasgow last year. She made the most wonderful paper collages from tissue paper detailing a wide range of flowers set against a black background and, what's more, she started her artwork at the age of 72! Although, as the book recounts, she had already made a name for herself in eighteenth century privileged society* (she was on close terms with King George III and Queen Charlotte) for her exquisite embroidery, decorative shellwork and landscape sketches.

*On page 92 there is an example of one of those what I call the-size-of-a-small-sofa dresses, known as 'mantuas', that were favoured by the ladies who attended royal court. Mrs. Delany designed and made her own court dress from black silk which she embroidered with over 200 flowers on the overskirt alone. Her dress was not as exaggerated as those worn by the very fashionable ladies, but instead sounds like perfection, decorated with a veritable Eden of blooms: winter jasmine, hawthorn berries, sweet pea, love-in-a-mist, lily-of-the-valley, anemone, tulips, convolvulus, bluebells, roses, and many others.

POSTSCRIPT: I've actually started reading the book, instead of just grabbing notes from the back cover and flicking through to look at the pictures - and it's a real page-turner! She was more or less forced into a marriage of convenience at the age of seventeen to a wealthy man of nearly sixty, whom she described as a "large, unwieldy person, [with a] crimson countenance." After the wedding, she wrote: "when I was led to the altar, I wished from my soul I had been led, as Iphigenia* was, to be sacrificed." Poor Mary would rather have been dead than marry this decrepit oaf. But she was stuck with her gout-ridden and frequently drunk husband for six long, drawn out years, until she woke one morning, drew back the curtains of their four-poster bed and discovered him lying there drained of all life, face black.

At the age of 43 she married again, this time in a union far more agreeable to her, although the 'lowliness' of her husband's background (he was the son of a servant to one of Ireland's top judges) met with strong disapproval from the male members of her family. Despite their misgivings, Mary went ahead with the marriage to Dr. Patrick Delany and spent the following twenty-five years living in marital bliss. Indeed, her husband penned this charming poem about his beloved, in which he compared her to a rose:

O fairest emblem of the fair My pride, my life, my bliss, my care! Where all the lovelinesses meet - Beauty and grace, both bright and sweet! Emblem of Mary, gift divine. Blest be the hour that made her mine!

*In Greek mythology, Iphigenia was the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and was sacrificed by her father to appease the goddess Artemis before setting out with his men to fight the battle of Troy.

Photograph of the embroidered fabric used in Mary's dress. It was cut into sections and framed by her ancestors.

[littlesparklight]

Just had the thought how, like, yes, Hyacinthus and Apollo being at odds during/because of the Trojan war, which is a juicy conflict on its own. (Especially if you let Apollo be right and sympathetic, especially given his eventual losses.)

But Apollo isn't the only one of the twins who has connections to the Spartan royal family but is on the Trojan side.

Artemis does as well!

Like, even setting aside Iphigenia, if you go with her surviving and being immediately or eventually immortalized, Artemis also immortalizes Phylonoe, sister to Helen and the rest, sometime before the war. And then there's Hyacinthus' little sister Polyboia.

Artemis can have anywhere from 1-3 members of the Spartan royal family in her inner circle of "immortalized mortal girls", and yet she's firmly on the Trojan side, too. That gotta have bred some tension at least for a while! Especially with Phylonoe, who's niece Iphigenia is, if not with Iphigenia herself!

[celticcrossanon]

BRF Reading - 15th of January, 2023

This is speculation only

Cards drawn on the 15th of January, 2023

Question: Does Harry have any damaging information on Prince William and if so, what is it?

Interpretation: Harry has nothing but made up stories about his brother.

Card One: Justice in Reverse

Justice is reverse is the card of injustice, of people not getting justice or of a miscarriage of justice in the courts. This card is coming across as Harry's energy. he is coming from a place of grievance. He thinks that he has been unjustly treated, that his wife has been unjustly treated, and he is on a crusade to get what he sees as justice for both of them (and what everyone else sees as blatant entitlement). From Harry's perspective, things are terribly, horribly unfair and he wants to do something about that . It's the 'I had to share a room with William (the horror!) and my half of the room was smaller (don't ask me how that even works, half a room is half a room) and the BRF owe me for this terrible injustice they perpetrated upon me' energy from his book that I feel here - the energy of 'you treated me and my wife horribly and I am going to make you pay for it.' Waaaah, waaaah, throw all the toys out of the pram and so on.

Justice in reverse is also my card for lying, as Justice upright involves finding the truth. This is an indication that the stories Harry is talking about are lies.

Card Two: The Two of Swords.

This is a card about making a decision. Harry has two choices - to tell his stories or not - and he is making up his mind which one to follow. At the moment, he is standing at the crossroads between those two options. He has a small amount of time to decide which oath to follow, and if he doesn't decide them someone else will make the decision for him.

The card shows Queen Clytemnestra crossing swords with her husband, King Agamemnon, over the sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia. In the background stand Orestes, with his eyes closed and his hands over his ears so he can't see or hear anything. Orestes here represents Harry. He has not seen or heard anything that would be damaging to Prince William, as his eyes are closed and his ears are blocked.

At the same time, Orestes/Harry is blocking out the argument over whether to sacrifice a his sister so his father's ships could leave on their expedition to Troy, or whether it was better not to do this and stay at home. This tells me that Harry is not listening to any outside argument (such as legal advice) that says it is wrong to tell lies about his family. He is blocking all those arguments out and only consulting his own desires in making this decision.

Card Three: The Page of Wands in Reverse.

Pages are messages, and Wands are PR, and in reverse these are messages of bad tidings or bad PR.

Harry wants to create bad PR for the Royal Family, and he is threatening to do so by writing and publishing another memoir that contains stories about his brother (and his father) that Harry implies they would not want published. If Harry decides to go ahead with his threats to publish another book about the Royal Family with all the stories that he says he left out of the previous book, then it will go very badly for him. The second book may be a success, but for Harry personally it will be bad news. He will receive a lot of negative PR from this and it will damage his PR image even further.

Harry will receive messages of bad tidings, most likely from the palace and I think from their lawyers (we have two cards with swords before this and Swords is the suit of legal issues, among other things).

In terms of the stories themselves, the Page of Wands card in reverse says that these stories are bad PR, designed to hurt the reputation of his brother, and like many PR puff pieces they are most likely to be entirely or almost entirely made up - once ounce of truth to a pound of lies.

Underlying Energy: The Moon in Reverse.

The Moon is the card of lies, deceit, illusions, deception. When it comes up in a spread people can't see things clearly and they have to look deeper before they can start to see the truth. When it is in reverse, all those lies and deceptions are brought up into the light of day and exposed. Harry is threatening to expose secrets about his father and his brother, but if he continues along this path the only secrets that will be exposed are his own lies and deceptions.

This card also tells me, quite clearly, that all Harry has on his brother are false stories, deceptive stories, distortions of the truth and even, perhaps, outright lies. The stories he puts in his next memoir will be falsehoods and they will be exposed as falsehoods. He has nothing truthful on his brother that will damage him. He will most likely try to damage his brother with lies/deceptions/illusions, but those will not be the truth and the falseness of them will be exposed.

Conclusion.

Harry is threatening to release damaging stories about his brother because he feels that he has suffered injustice at the hands of the Royal Family. He thinks that he and his wife have been badly done by, and by telling stories about the Royal Family he can correct what he sees as the injustices he and his wife have suffered and/or blackmail the royal Family into correcting those injustices. He has not yet made the decision to publish a second book with those stories in it. If he does publish the book, it will back-fire on him in that it will create bad PR for him. He is also likely to receive bad news from the Royal Family and/or messages from lawyers (possibly of the 'see you in court' kind).

The stories that Harry tells will be lies, distortions, stories where he has twisted the truth, and so on. If he publishes said stories, his lies, deceptions etc will be exposed. He has nothing damaging on Prince William that is the truth and his falsehoods will be called out for what they are. This will damage his image far more than it will damage the reputation of his brother.

Edit: I am getting lawyers and the law energy, but it is not clear for whom the lawyers would be working. The most likely option is if there were people other than the Royal family who were mentioned in the false stories, they would be the ones sending the lawyers after Harry. It is a medium energy at the moment and a bit confused, so that could go another way in the future.

[bookofsloth]

WITHIN SCARLET CHAMBERS...

Secrets are kept, conspiracies are murmured. Noble courtiers and concubines wear many faces and hide their true intention beneath ritual and splendor. The Night Court is deep and bloody. It is a place of opulence and venom where vipers take refuge beneath lilac trees and priceless silks conceal hidden perils. You are safe as long as you stay far away, but that security is no longer an option.

This morning, Night Court officials arrive at your door and you and your family fall to your kneels to hear the decree. Next to you, someone trembles and from the back, you can hear a pair of girls whispering to each other. The air is heavy and burbling and then it is full of their pronouncement:

"Imperial Mother laments! Besides the emperor, there are not enough youths and talents. Open the doors of the Crystal Palace for the worthy!"

Apparently, that includes you.

WITHIN SCARLET CHAMBERS is a dark fantasy interactive story set in a deadly and decadent Fae Court in which conspiracies and betrayals are par for the course. This is a story focused primarily on the development of characters and relationships within the confines of court intrigue.

Select your character's origins, personality, appearance, skills, and more.

BEGIN WITH THE HISTORY of a false prophetess, an oppressed heiress, or a defamed courtesan. Move through the world as a ray of light, as still waters, as a raging disaster, or as a cloudy sky. Bear the visage of the dragon and power, of heaven and melancholy, of the siren and warmth, of the prince and effulgence, or of the princess and innocence. Specialize in rites, duels, music, calligraphy, or games.

CHOOSE YOUR PATH. Would you like to gain the Imperator's favor and ascend to the highest points of his harem, perhaps even replacing the current Imperatrix? Or would you rather curry favor with those already at his side, hoping to gain benefits and find a promising marriage or even career? Speaking of career, you may be able enough to enter Court by your own talents and efforts, becoming an official, jostling for one of the coveted positions of Magistrate. Or, perhaps even higher?

RAISE YOUR FAME. Tend to your reputation. Use your disposition and persona to hide your true intentions or take the steeper path; use your perpetual honesty to win over supporters and increase integrity. There is always the risk (of sabotage, of discovery) but risks must be taken if you hope to make great achievements. Even gathering infamy may yield promising results.

BUILD STRONG BONDS. Spread your network. Choose between 6-8 love interests (up to 4 male and 4 female.) Up to three polyamorous options; so far, one is definite because it makes so much sense for the characters and setting.

IMPERATOR CASSIANUS I, High King of the Night Court and the current leader of the Nox Imperium. While he pretends to be above power struggles, watching distant from his place at the summit, he is the most aware of "the bigger they are the harder they fall" and the most well informed of how much he has to lose. He is the conqueror who has killed thousands for his throne and he is ready to slaughter more if it grants him godhood.

HERA IPHIGENIA CLARA, the Noble Consort whose name is most honorable. She is the alleged cherished daughter of a revered Night Court family and the longtime favorite of CASSIANUS. She rules the inner chambers and fae high society with a velvet glove and steel talons. In her dreams, the husband is long gone and instead there is an imperial heir, dancing in the soft palm of her hands.

MAGISTER AIDONEUS REX, the ruthless fan-bearer by His Majesty's right hand. The most upright vizier who has been bestowed the royal relic, the Lamella Fan, as a sign of the High King's esteem and appreciation of all the cruelty that Aidoneus has dirtied his hands with in order to further the imperial agenda. Distant and gloomy, he is difficult to read and even more so to know. Whether or not he is truly as steadfast and loyal as he makes himself out to be is yet to be seen.

TANIS, the ambitious palace attendant who’s more than what she appears to be. Returned from the mortal realm, Tanis is a gleamy eyed changeling with strange ways and unorthodox means. Having spent too long with humans, the mundane stink follows her wherever she goes, which causes most members of the Court find her presence awkward and her company undesired. Tanis, however, continues to press forward because her methods, while eccentric, always bear fruit.

PARTHENIA SIBYL, the midnight oracle. May have history with the false prophetess as an unrequited enemy who never really caught onto the fact that she was in an intense rivalry.

MAGNUS HAEMON LAEGATUS, the war hero. May have history with the oppressed heiress wherein he broke off their engagement, causing severe damage to her already delicate reputation.

SOPHOS ELARA TRIBUNI, the candescent courtier. There are those who were born to come in the second wave and climb over fallen comrades in their way to certain victory. Elara has long had the luck to always strike when the iron is hot and grasp hold of her enemies at the crucial moment. May have history with the defamed courtesan as an opportunist who pressed her own advantage at the courtesan's expense.

LETO PROMUS, the cunning eunuch and respected steward of one of the more favored princes. He knows, intimately, what it feels like to stand at the very bottom, to feel the boot heels of so-called superiors on his neck, to lie awake trembling and too terrified to sleep. Never again. He has been to the valley and become the most frightening thing, willing to use any means to protect himself and what he treasures.

The following characters aren't currently romance options. That might change in the future but for now these relationships are mostly concerned with the values of affinity and enmity. They are possible friends, enemies, and allies. Currently, there are two planned platonic partnership options exclusively for any romance averse folks in the crowd and hopefully I'll be able to include more. And while we're here...

FUN FACT ! In the world of WSC, fae only have one public name to give to close acquaintances and casual companions. Their other names are hidden (even from you, dear reader—for now!) and known only to intimates. So the "first name" is typically the title, unless a character has only two names then it's a toss up. Third names are generally honorifics and positions. So, for example, "Hera" is Iphigenia's title and "Clara" is her honorific, used to emphasize her high position. Promus is Leto's title and so on. The only exception is Imperators and Imperatrixes (including the dowager).

ALETHEA TENEBRA one of your fellow candidates and the rare presence that immediately captured CASSIANUS's admiration. She is someone who hides herself deeply and goes with the flow. Skeptical of romance and cold towards amorous intentions, Alethea values kinship, sorority, and her own comfort above all else.

OLYSSEUS ERES the heir apparent to one of the more reputable noble houses at Court. He may have history with the courtesan.

DAREIA SANCTUS the profane priestess who is shamelessly willing and eager to accept bribes in exchange for boosting pious reputations and perhaps even the odd accusation of heresy and defilement. As it takes one to know one, she may in fact have some small amount of credibility. She often clashes with PARTHENIA SIBYL and may have a history with the false prophetess.

GAIA MAEJA PRONUS the former Imperatrix and current imperial mother to IMPERATOR CASSIANUS. She is restless in her role, believing that she is made light of by her nominal son because she is not his birth mother. Instead, she feels much closer to his main wife IMPERATRIX NYX REGINA who is her niece and the cause of much of her current worries. Maeja is suspicious of Nyx's recent illness. She's begun to investigate it where she can and take precautions against the Imperator.

HERA USIRIS CERES the single other titled Hera in the harem. While she may not have Iphigenia's charm and precision, she has her own ways. Deft with deception and unafraid to use her family name to strong arm her adversaries, Usiris has proven herself a contender, even going so far as to relentlessly maneuver her son towards the position of crown prince.

DOMINUS URIAS TRIBUNUS the bitter yet competent underling of HAEMON and the younger brother of USIRIS. He is a constant and important chess piece on her board.

AND MORE ! It's just that I realized that this is getting excessively long!! Ahh!!! Maybe I'll cut some stuff out or something.

There will be adult themes. My aim is to try to make any possible sexual content optional, but given the nature of the game, things may become emotionally intense. Triggering topics such as death, betrayal, and trauma will likely be explored.

In the near future, I'm hoping to post in depth character profiles, a post dedicated to how character customization will work, and of course a demo of the prologue. It's proving a bit lengthy since I'm very new to twine (it took me so long just to set stuff up!!) and also because the prologue follows you from three different starting points.

BLOG | DEMO TBA | CHARACTERS | PINTEREST