#a kingdom hidden by the moon || dark kingdom lore

[baileythebean]

Reasons why you should read… Wings of Fire!!

Random LONG-ASS post but idc because this has been my favorite book series since 3rd grade and I still HEAVILY fixate on it - for anyone interested (after I explain ofc) These books are by Tui T. Sutherland and are available in audiobook, paperback, hardcover, and Kindle I think.

Reasons you might enjoy WoF and features of the books!

-creative character designs

-full plot with little to no holes and if there are any, they’re probably explained in one of the MANY side books available.

-well-written characters that can be powerful without being a “Mary Sue” and having their own personalities

-each book follows a different protagonist, sometimes with the protagonist switching up mid-book

-a prologue and epilogue in each book

-15 main books released so far with more coming!!

-STUNNING cover art

-the main characters are dragons!!

-Written like those fanfics where you read them and you forget you’re reading a fanfic but it’s still not quite written like an ‘official’ book, y’know?

-descriptive writing so you don’t have to imagine stuff in weird vague ways

-LOTS OF LGBTQIA+ rep! Including but not limited to: mlm rep, wlw rep, non-binary/non-conforming rep - and the best part about it? It’s casually brought up! It’s normalized! Not even the villains or shitty parents show an OUNCE of homophobia or transphobia!

-There are humans in these books! And POC rep!

-women in leading/strong roles :3

-different continents!

-different tribes of dragons each sharing similar traits depending on their habitat!! NOT JUST RANDOMIZED DRAGONS EVERYWHERE ALL MIXED TOGETHER WHERE YOU DONT EVEN KNOW WHO CAN DO WHAT!!

-Each book features a map of the continent it’s set on, a description of the dragons of each tribe living on that continent (including looks, powers, diet, affiliation in war depending on the book, and current Queen) and a page for the prophecy the book fixates around (different for each arc)

-Three arcs, each solving a different conflict but STILL IN THE SAME PLOT!!

-creepy mind-control stuff!

-well-written villains

-lines that have made me CACKLE out loud multiple times

-TONS OF SIDE BOOKS WITH EXTRA LORE/INFO IN THEM!!

-and so much more! Read them for yourself to find out!!

ALL THE BOOKS IN ORDER PLUS THE NAME, SPECIES AND A PICTURE OF THE PROTAGONIST IN PARENTHESES:

THE DRAGONETS OF DESTINY ARC: 1) The Dragonet Prophecy (Clay of the Mudwings)

2) The Lost Heir (Tsunami of the Seawings)

3) The Hidden Kingdom (Glory of the Rainwings)

4) The Dark Secret (Starflight of the Nightwings)

5) The Brightest Night (Sunny of the Sandwings/Nightwings)

THE JADE MOUNTAIN ARC: 6) Moon Rising (Moonwatcher of the Nightwings)

7) Winter Turning (Winter of the Icewings)

8) Escaping Peril (Peril ((the one in front)) of the Skywings)

9) Talons of Power (Turtle ((the green one)) of the Seawings)

10) Darkness of Dragons (Qibli of the Sandwings) (MY FAV CHARACTER YIPPEE)

THE PANTALA ARC: 11) The Lost Continent (Blue of the Silkwings)

12) The Hive Queen (Cricket of the Hivewings)

13) The Poison Jungle (Sundew of the Leafwings) (MY FAV BOOK YIPPEE)

THE RETURN ARC (not sure if that’s actually what it’s called but oh well): 14) The Dangerous Gift (Snowfall ((the one on the right)) of the Icewings)

15) The Flames of Hope (Luna ((the obvious-looking one)) of the Silkwings)

THERE ARE ALSO GRAPHIC NOVELS UP TO BOOK 7 SO FAR AND SIDE BOOKS LISTED HERE: Legends: Darkstalker

Legends: Dragon Slayer

A Guide to the Dragon World

The Winglets Quartet

There might be more but there are also a coloring book plus an activity/storymaking book and as far as I know the fandom is pretty non-toxic and full of artists and cosplayers!! So have funnnn :33

ALSO SEND ME ASKS IF THERES ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA KNOW ABT IT, I’D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM (sorry if Tumblr fucks up the image quality)

-IRL Bailey

@toniothegammafish @thesilliestofallqueers @rebootgrimm @ask-sora-aguilar @schnozzlebozzle

@bioexorcismss @piigeonss @weirdassartist @clown-prince-of-gay @lilacquintet 

@wakatoshi-main @metal-mage @vv4loe 

[wiccawrites]

Dragon!Porsche, the deity who has been guarding a perilous mountain range for almost a thousand years now. He's bound to these mountains – the result of a curse he placed on himself centuries ago, when his own foolishness led to the death of his own brother.

Porsche keeps to himself; is careful that the occasional caravan of traders or group of bandits doesn't know he's there. He does send his pet tigers after the bandits sometimes, if he sees they're the especially bloodthirsty kind who won't spare innocent lives but he makes sure his presence is undetected.

Solitude is his penance.

He's spending another evening watching the stars when he hears ruckus coming from a nearby pass. There is screaming, but not the terrified kind that Porsche has gotten used to. Instead, it sounds like an argument.

"I can't let you do this!"

"How did you even follow me? I took the fastest stallion here!"

"Would you please stop changing the topic? Your Highness. You seriously cannot be trusting some half-crazed old man's advice on how to save the kingdom."

Kingdom?

Porsche knows there's a human settlement on the other side of these mountains. Or at least, it had been a settlement centuries ago. He and Porchay used to slip into their human forms and visit there, under the guise of travelers.

Was that settlement the same kingdom these two humans were referring to? It could be. The number of traders passing by these mountains had grown significantly over the centuries.

Out of curiosity, Porsche follows the sound of their voices.

"If it can save the kingdom, I'll take advice regardless of who it comes from."

"What if it doesn't work? You'll bleed out and die!"

"I've instructed Arm to distribute rations to our people. Ships and caravans are ready. Pete will lead our men. Kim has already planned an escape route that will guarantee the survival of most of our people."

Porsche is close enough that he can see two figures -- a man and what sounds like a boy barely breaking into adulthood. The man has his back turned to Porsche but the fine quality of his clothes are certainly fit for a royal. His broad frame hides the face of the person he's talking to from Porsche's line of sight.

Porsche is close enough that he can hear the man's voice grow soft.

"It will be difficult, but I trust my brother to lead our people. He'll take care of you, so please look after him for me too."

"No. I won't do it. No. Please, Your Highness. Please don't do this. Please. You can escape with us."

"The moon is almost at it's peak. You should go."

That it is.

The moon is full tonight and she lends her light to the darkness. It's thanks to her that Porsche sees the blade glisten in the man's hands, hidden behind his back.

The boy tries to plead some more, but he runs out of time.

As soon as the moon rises to its highest point in the sky, the man pushes the boy away. He turns around, slices his palm with the dagger and lets his blood drip into the earth before turning the knife towards himself.

The metallic scent blood fills the air and Porsche looks on in regret as he hears familiar words uttered into the night before the man finishes what he'd set out to do.

The thing about being nigh immortal is being able to witness the stories about you turn into tales, which then turn into lore, that somehow evolves into a legend. To this man's credit, he does have his facts right.

Had Porsche been a weaker deity, a selfless blood sacrifice made at the height of the full moon would have bound him.

But Porsche is much more powerful than that.

He watches as the man falls to the ground, a pool of his own blood already beginning to form around him.

"P'Kinn!"

The man's companion rushes to his side and Porsche freezes in place as he sees tears flow down the boy's face.

No. It can't be.

Porsche is stepping closer to get a good look of the boy's face before he can even think about throwing a glamor on himself. He steps on a branch that snaps loud enough for the boy to look up, red-rimmed doe eyes the exact same as they had been nine hundred years ago.

"Please," the boy's voice wavers as he begs, completely oblivious to the fact that Porsche had never been unable to deny him anything since they were born. "Please save him."

Without even thinking about the consequences – the bond he'd be forming with a virtual stranger, the life force that he'd be sharing with someone who he wasn't even sure was worthy saving, the target he'd be placing on all their backs if the wrong people found out – Porsche takes the dagger and gives in to his brother's request.

(Later, when the three of them are safely in Porsche's home, the man he'd saved wakes up. His name is Kinn, and he is the king of the relatively small but prosperous kingdom nearby. There is an invasion brewing and all plans of negotiation have failed.

"They will need to pass through these mountains if they want to get to us. Please, protect us."

"Done."

"You won't ask for anything in return?"

Porsche holds up his hand, shows Kinn the fresh scar on his palm.

"You've already paid the price. You're a king, aren't you? The ritual you performed binds you to me. As I am bound to these mountains, so shall you be."

"You're saying I'm your slave and I can't leave this place," Kinn says grimly. Porsche nods, lets him assume the worst; hopes this interpretation of the bond will keep Kinn as far away from him as possible . "For how long?"

"This is not a bond that can easily break."

"Will you keep protecting the kingdom?"

Porsche sneaks a glance at Kinn's attendant. The boy called Chay, who was currently napping beside one of Porsche's tigers.

"Sure, why not?"

"Then so be it.")

[reginrokkr]

◜In the perpetual meantime of sheltered eternity, most are content to live and not to dream. But in the hidden corners where the gods' gaze does not fall, there are those who dream of dreaming.◞

𝐗𝐗. It's hard to believe that even these words would have an actual meaning one day, and it seems to slowly come in full circle with a very special weapon lore. This is just one example of other crumbs spread through the story that bring more context while leaving unanswered questions behind all the same.

“O Leader of Khaenri’ah’s noble families, the crimson shadow of the moon has long fallen into the abyssal sky, your bloodline too has gone blind in one eye after all.” [...] This was during the faraway times when the shine of the pitch-black sun did not yet cover the whole underground, and the ancient honorable clan ruled the vast kingdom.

The thought that the bloodline of the king of this time is notorious for being blind in one eye during the era of the Crimson Moon Dynasty —gentle reminder that this was when birds had yet to be classified between wild and otherwise as per human standards and, as the first dynasty of Khaenri'ah, this is set around the Apocalypse— and that the last king of Khaenri'ah during the Eclipse Dynasty is depicted to have one eye also is really interesting. It comes to speak how long-lasting this clan was.

The priests, stubborn and old-fashioned, convinced the decrepit muddle-headed king to believe that the Crimson Moon’s corpse up in the sky was the master of all, dictating and governing everything; Because the color and lustre of the moonlight was flowing through the veins of the ordinary mortal, the source of the darkness that was hidden at the abyssal bottom too must be the Crimson Moon.

For being a kingdom whose foundation is their lack of belief in gods —and profanity, as such—, it's curious to see how these people place their faith in other asters, entities or abstract concepts such as the Crimson Moon in this case, but the Abyss later on as well. The notion that the lustre of the moonlight is known for flowing through these people's veins brings me back to the Pale Princess and Six Pygmies tale that talks about the Kingdom of the Moonlight Forest, described to be born with fair skin, light-colored hair and bright blue eyes. If we're to think about Gold who lived during this era and the possibility that Albedo was created in her image, this description from the book may have some credence in the real lore. Moreover, there is another character connected to Khaenri'ah that hits the mark with these descriptive traits, that is Dain.

It is also curious that the darkness that is hidden at the very bottom part of the Abyss is believed to stem from the Crimson Moon, which isn't entirely far-fetched. This moon is highly likely one of the moon sisters that passed away in the disaster that befell then (although it's inconclusive if it's the same moon corpse that shines in Teyvat or is a different one) and, as per Skirk's words, those who die leave curses behind. These words stand true if we take examples such as Orobashi or what Hu Tao described that happened prior to the establishment of the funeral parlor.

As such, it was only proper for the King of Mankind to name himself after the Crimson Moon. Just as the light and flame of the two realms, ruling over impermanent fate.

The concept of two realms is highly intriguing, as well as the two of them harboring a light and flame. These realms are probably different from the realms mentioned in the event that happened in Enkanomiya, which mentioned the Light Realm (or realm of the elements / Vishap Realm), Human Realm and Void Realm. The measure of these two realms seems to be different in order to differentiate them. Nevertheless, it is interesting to bring up the mention of a beast realm as per Narzissenkreuz / René's claim that someone opened it.

Thus, the humans who sought transcendence built countless magnanimous towers, and prayed upon the long dead Crimson Moon to bring them salvation.

The transcendence term isn't new, specially when thinking back what the Crystal said during the Caribert AQ— words claiming about becoming a transcendent one. And perhaps not unrelated to this, within the neo-human project of the Narzissenkreuz Ordo there was a manner of transcendence achieved by Jakob and René, as their bodies had a composition that is similar to that of Khvarena but opposing at the same time and different to Carter, a normal mortal. Moreover, considering that the form Jakob took is that of an Iniquitous Baptist and another NPC from the questline of Khvarena of Good and Evil took pride in becoming an Abyss Herald, alongside the fanaticism that was present in Khaenri'ah for the Abyss, it isn't unreasonable to think that for these people, transcendence is being one of these creatures (mages, heralds, baptists). Whether this is the transcendence they sought or something different is inconclusive, albeit not incompatible.

Another point of interest is the premise of praying for salvation from an unknown variable: it could be that these people live in a more hospitable place one day, devoid of the dangers that spill from the Abyss and the overall poor state of the land that is incompatible with life; it could be from the very gods who the founders of Khaenri'ah ran away from; the concept of fate; who knows if a combination of all of them or an entirely different aspect yet to be introduced.

[This lasted] Until the astronomers, who were shunned as heretics, glimpsed the source of the fate of everything in the world in the reflection of the false sky, [This lasted] Until suspicion and anger grew like an inextinguishable wildfire, and ravaged the dreamless land, ultimately reaching the moon-colored high palace…

The false sky. Another concept introduced very early on in the story during the Unreconciled Stars event that chronologically-wise, it's been known about for even longer. And yet, this very knowledge seems to be one of the reasons why these astronomers were shunned as well as one of the reasons why something occurred in Khaenri'ah. Perhaps related to this newly-learned knowledge that people couldn't accept, that shook the foundations of everything they believed in. Whatever happened at this moment of time, it caused the nigh-extinction of this race of people.

In honor to the prelude of this post, the confirmed notion that Khaenri'ah is a dreamless land and that its people dream of dreaming perhaps because they can't to begin with. It's interesting when putting them in juxtaposition with those who live in Teyvat, maybe because they live "easier" lives if compared to Khaenri'ah, as they're submitted to the gods and their help which, unfortunately, comes at a steep price.

By the time the pitch-black sun shone upon all, the name of the Crimson Moon faded just like its color, and its tainted remains were only left with the title of Balemoon. No matter if they were the “impure” who suffered the curse, or if they were the “spotless” yet untouched by fate, no one still claimed themself to be a follower of the moon’s corpse.

Another mystery is explained, even if partially, when the notion that the opposite of impure who can't suffer from the same curse (of the wilderness), allegedly the pure-blood Khaenri'ahns are untouched by fate. Considering all the layers of relevance fate has in Teyvat, going as far as being connected to the Heavenly Principles and the constellations (except for Neuvi at the very least), this is groundbreaking to even think about. At the same time, I can't help but wonder what exactly makes the pure-blood Khaenri'ahn pure-blood besides not being tainted by fate or by the curse.

Only very few managed to evade the clan-extinguishing disaster, and hid themselves in the shadows where the Black Sun could not reach, waiting for the Crimson Moon to offer recompense in the name of revenge. But in the end, that so-called recompense had not yet arrived when the Black Sun too fell due to the same foolishness and arrogance. When the destruction came again, the only one left laughing was the moonlight that fell upon the sun’s shadow of which only ashes remained.

It's interesting the thought that besides the astronomers branded as heretics for acquiring the knowledge of the sky being false, there are others of this race of people —the few who survived— that wanted nothing to do with the Eclipse / Black Sun dynasty and that whatever happened, they want to seek revenge on them. This is further demonstrated with the personification of, supposedly, the Crimson Moon laughing at the Eclipse Dynasty fall when the Cataclysm happened.

“Fate, o Fate, terrifying and pale-white fate, why would you go so far as to submit to the savage and wilful usurping monarch,” “If the corpse of the Balemoon has already anchored death upon you, then what meaning is there in seeking revenge for old blood feuds,” “If the fate she has woven mocks us so, then there is no harm for us to loudly mock fate too,” “Until the fragmented shadows of the Cinder Sun incinerate the old world, until the Crimson Moon witnesses the pure, spotless break of dawn.”

Lastly, it intrigues me the prospect that something abstract as fate isn't one and the same, but it differs depending on who weaves it or on the entity it submits to. From Dain's perspective, it's particularly sad the thought that he was searching for his destiny alongside the abyss twin when they found each other in Sumeru. The reason being not because he had one and lost it alongside the kingdom's fall, but more because... as a pure-blood Khaenri'ahn, he never had a fate to begin with. Which in a way can be positive considering all the problems fate gives in this world and at the hands it is enacted, and inspiring coming from him to be master of his own fate as he wishes on everyone else and that he's actively working on.

[strangechildproductions]

Ignore the bad spelling!!!! I drew these at work!! I don't have name for this Au but it's a weird combination of the royalty aus I've seen and BioShock and freaking Anastasia and what have I done!!!!

Anyway lore:

In this world some people are gifted a magical ability. They are called the gifted.

Freddy, Bonnie, Roxy, Sun and Moon are gifted.

Freddy has the ability to admit a calming arua within a thirty mile radius of himself

Bonnie can teleport himself, people and objects but what he's teleporting greatly depends on how much energy he has. He also has to be able to see it.

Roxy can run fast, and move quickly. Making her a hard target to hit.

Sun can tell when people are lying to him, and can even make people speak the truth when making physical contact. How ever he can only do this when it is daytime, or well lit

Moon can make people fall asleep but has to come into physical contact to do so. His abilities can only be done at night or in the dark. Under a full moon Moon can emit a pulse that puts anyone within fifty feet of him to sleep.

The crew:

Foxy is the captain of a ship that is primarily sea bound, but can also fly if he wanted it to.the ship is called the Daystar. Because calling the ship the daycare or the superstar sounded stupid to me

Freddy is the first mate, and is Foxy's right hand man

Bonnie would be first mate if he wasn't so unpredictable. Instead he is a scam artist and is often a distraction for the crew from the local authorities .

Chica is the chef of the crew. She often uses various kitchen ware as weapons since it's what she's more comfortable handling.

Roxy is the crews mechanic keeping the shop from falling apart as well as Foxy's robotic prosthetic from malfunctioning.

Sun tried to act as the crews navigator but often gets distracted. Moon will usually subtly alter their course to correct him without Sun noticing.

Moon is their stealth man. He gets in, gets the job done and leaves.

Plot ( if there is any)

Sun and Moon come from a kingdom where gifted are seen as cattle. Despite how rare they are. The big corporation of that particular kingdom buys gifted people and children and even kidnaps them off the street. What the corporation does with the gifted isn't hidden from the public, but the extent is not well known.

They essentially try to use the abilities of the gifted as a resource to make various products. Weapons, home goods, medicine, ECT.

Sun and Moon were sold by their mother when their gifts became known to her. The corporation was running tests on Sun to try and figure out how to use his abilities to make a lie detector for their law enforcement. He was still in the observation stage.

Moon had moved past the observation stage, as his gift was a tad simpler to figure out how to extract. They regularly drew blood from him which made him weak and frail when Foxy finally finds them.

Foxy discovered Sun and Moon while trying to bust Bonnie out of the corporation's labs. He took them with him. Due to the rarity of sleep magic this put a decent sized bounty on Foxy and his crew who up until this point had not obtained a sizable one. Despite this they managed to avoid capture for the next sixteen years. Raising Sun and Moon as his own.

The corporation ( unbeknownst to the Daystar crew) had been using Moon's blood to make a sleep aid that they sold worldwide. They called this sleep moondrops. It became the most powerful and popular sleep aid. The corporation had a relatively decent back supply of Moon's blood but were running dangerously low. So they raised the bounty on Moon.

With Moon's bounty ridiculously high Foxy worried for his boys'safety. He won't always be there to protect them after all. He heard through the grapevine of a noble lady who's trying marry off her brother's. Figuring Moon and Sun would be safest if connected to a noble family he talks Moon into faking nobility and agreeing to an arranged marriage with the nobleman.

DJ, though at first frustrated with his sisters meddling since he wasn't even next in line for head of the family, falls head over heels for Moon fast. Though he can't help but feel like something is off. Like Moon is hiding from something.

I might make a fanfiction I might idk!!! I got brain rot of it though so here take it!

[tiredgamergirl]

The predictions of Prince James came to reality, his final wife had been planning something that could put the entire world at risk. Days after a rare occurrence known as the Silver Moon, terrible snowstorms started to engulf the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, and the legendary Snow Queen is said to be the one who is the cause of that, along with the abduction of the local children. The Fairytale Detective is tasked with rescuing the kids and putting an end to the curse that befell the Snowfall Kingdom. The third entry in the Dark Parables series is rather a short one but introduces some new elements like the collectibles that unlock the lore in the form of short stories, revealing the larger plot that takes place underneath the surface although the relevant parts are never kept away from the player. It feels far less lonely than the previous ones, as the detective is able to interact with the guide that brought her to the entrance to the kingdom and many of the missing children, some of them will be crucial in future games.

Once again the detective’s journal is your best friend, although this time the game makes it much clearer when there’s a new objective and what the player should be doing, a notable improvement from Exiled Prince. Not enough to telegraph everything and lead by hand but clear enough that the backtracking isn’t as bad as the previous game. The game is once again a treat for the eyes, the cold exteriors looking oppressive and the castle is delightful, with hints of storytelling everywhere. The way the Snow Queen is handled is somewhat obvious in hindsight, which makes it clever. Sadly the hidden object scenes have more objects partially hidden underneath others and some are actually almost transparent, almost to the point of being eye-straining. Still, the repetition of the scenes isn’t as often as Exiled Prince so if a scene isn’t your thing you won’t be seeing them more than twice until the very end of the game. The puzzles are somewhat more “streamlined”, with many variations of the same puzzles over and again, with less variety than the previous ones.

The extra chapter tells a story of an event that took place years ago, back when the kingdom had another name. It is an adaptation of the classic tale of Hansel and Gretel, adapted for the Dark Parables universe. It is a brisk extra that doesn’t overstay its welcome and it is charming on its own, also offering its own extra parable.

Rise of the Snow Queen is an excellent hidden object title, although perhaps if you are interested in getting into the series you should play Exiled Prince first. The puzzles are a little on the repetitive side, but the well-crafted story and short length make it doesn’t feel stretched too thin.

[herdsworldbuilding]

So me messing around.

So I got boarded and decided to mess around with a setting that isn’t mine.

Fate: a winx saga.

So first of a disclaimer I have not watched the second season yet. But this was just me doing something for three hours yesterday afternoon.

So let’s preface this with my thoughts on the show… it’s fine for what it is. I enjoyed watching it but am also firmly of the opinion that it doesn’t need to be connected to the Winx ip. Would have been fine as an edgy teen drama about fairies. And for all the genuine fans of the series I feel bad for the lack of a third season.

In the meantime I’ll have my fun.

So that map. The map of the other world that was provided. I appreciate that in this version of winx we get a map as the original series place soft and loose with locations and space (Is this new location a planet? A continent, a single kingdom? Who knows!) but the map is also very bare bones and the two versions of it contradicts itself. So I drew a map based on these two maps. There is a hint of two other continents on the globe version so I drew some speculative version of the other parts of the continents.

So I’m trying to stick somewhat closely to the canon of Fates. But I still change some things.

Two changes to basic lore about magic I added an element, darkness, it’s a relatively rare element and fairies with the power of darkness have a reputation.

- power of darkness- fear, shadow manipulation and travel, shadow creatures summoning, shadow forms. temporary blindness, curses, perception manipulation, pull and push objects. Darkness and light are closely related and they appear to have some overlap.

Change two, witches: witches are non fairies so are not born with that elemental magic so gifted to the fairies. Instead in order to do magic they rely on complex rituals and formulas (essentially to do magic they are solving complex math equations or study art) then there are blood witches, witches who’s “element” is blood and steal the magic of fairies. Both kinds of witches are illegal in Solaria, but outside of solaria regular witches are quite common.

Now there’s only five realms, the realms are the equivalent of an empire. There are also several other smaller countries.

Long ago there was one large realm called Domino, it’s territory was that of all the five realms centuries ago. It fell to ruin during the dominion wars.

Eventually through numerous conflicts the many realms came to be.

—The realms —

- solaria: politically the most powerful of the five realms. Under the iron rule of the solarian monarchy and home to the elite Alfea college

Cities: Majix (capital), Polaris, dyamond(a city full of gangs, vice and crime, essentially a semi legal criminal haven) zenith (a tec savvy city, the silicone valley of the otherworld)

National symbol: the moon eclipsing the sun

National animal: unicorn

Exports: phones, military gear, paper, wool, textiles, glass.

Locations of interest: celestial dam (largest hydroelectric dam in the world), omega prison, crystal expanse, rainbow arches, ruins of domino. Sea of sand dunes,

- elakrion: know for its warrior culture. Long time rival to solaria and oposium but will supply mercenaries to any side that pays. Often has pirate problems from andros.

Cities: hatchet, fortress

National symbol: two crossed swords

National animal: carnage wyverns

Exports: mercenaries, weapons, wheat.

Locations of interest: golden auditorium (college), ruins of havram

- lymphea: natural wounder covered in lush dense jungle, rich diversity of plants and animals. Rumor has it that powerful relics hidden away deep in the jungle.

Cities: linepia

National symbol: the tree of life

National animal: moss magiwolfs

Exports: wood, spices, exotic ingredients, plants and animals magic items. Medicine

Locations of interest: tree of life, torquise sholes, sea of shimmering flowers, the deep jungle

- Iris: a land dotted with powerful city states but overrun by outlaws. Sees itself as the true heir of Domino’s might. Probably could be if the council of cities could agree on anything for more than a minute. The bread basket of the world. Echos of the army of darkness still scar the land.

Cites: emerald, saphira, ónix, citri, topaz, amathisia, Rubia.

National symbol: a stylized flower with seven colored diamond shaped petals.

National animal: dream eater butterfly

Exports: ores, gemstones, cereals, produce.

Locations of interest: the white mountains, sun fields, scorched run.

-oposium: bitter rivals to solaria. They jump at any opportunity to prove their superiority. Home to the prestigious cloud tower.

Cites: Alk, ing, granor

National symbol: three purple eyes

National animal: ghoul spiders

Exports: witch made items, magic scrolls,

Locations of interest: cloud tower (a citadel of libraries, mazes, and witches. The tower is known to amplify the powers of air fairies. And has long been used for long distance communications, now it’s just a glorified cell tower)

—countries—

-concepts: home to the cites of hope city, terrok and jubilee

-Callisto: a popular destination for tourists and vacationers, with idealized beaches and plenty of resorts. There is also ski resorts in the mountains to the west.

- dolona: an island nation, it has a long history of being occupied by other realms but has a vibrant culture and is quite well off now days even though elakrion military, has a quiet but not unknown presence.

- Promethia: southern neighbor to elakrion and lymphea

- hoggar: a militaristic county that is most concerned with deafening itself from hostile neighbors (elakrion, solaria, andros) well known for housing great libraries and mountain monasteries. Home to the forgers college.

- andros: a realm in all but name. The place is full of islands and is well known for it’s pirates and privateers. Has a lot of water fairies. This land is home to the mermaids.

Cities: Neptune, Posidious, Oceanus, typhon

Locations of interest: black islands, omega portal, islands of nadur, nantros, guanaco.

- melody: a beautiful country known for its ancient history and having many talented musicians who have made many magical instruments. There are a lot of mind fairies from this country

Locations of interest: the pillars of harmony (the largest stone circle of the world.) the stone army (an army of petrified warriors that range from melody out to the quartz step.

-espero: neighbor to romelea and hoggar. It is a bright place known for its large cites, expertise in air and light magic and being the best with barrier magic.

-karunda: a country that is next to Promethius and elakrion

-romelea: a viberant county that is known for its beautiful textiles and metallurgy

-koria: a small country next to the islands of rot, orez and fallat

- avelon: a nation that is old enough to have remembered when domino was at the hight of its power.

Cities: nympi, asgort, elfim

-Ev: small poor country who’s ruling family is cursed

-nations of nymphs: a loose alliance of near three dozen tiny countries

Cities: minth, areandous, daphne, tylin, capipso, cirsis

-pador: home to the forest of oblivion and the guard house of the books of legendarium

-polaris: cold and far north, was once home to domino as well but the land was covered in eternal glaciers from a spell that the legion of light used to seal up some of the army of darkness. It’s icy landscape is why Polaris is not a realm in and if itself.

Cities: icelands

— seas—

-bylar ocean

-sylarian ocean

-eraklyon sea

-adovair sea

-salit sea

-infinite ocean of andros

- sea of shimmering flowers

—Information on fairies and other things —

Fairy animals: animals who have some semblance of the same kind of magic as fairies

Burned ones: created by powerful magic during the dominion wars,

Beasts of darkness:

Shadow monsters: creatures made and controlled by dark fairies creatures like

- kerog (small bat like creature)

- shade mastiffs (dog like creatures)

-tar monster ( long and reptile like)

-many mumbling mouths ( slug like many mouthed creature)

- gergthro ( bipedal, batwinged, lion like creature)

- shade guardians ( bipedal four armed one horned wolf like creatures)

-bugbear (bear like creatures)

-dark giants (very large headless humanoid)

Ice serpent, a creature only found on polariz, highly terrestrial with an icy breath

Ice beasts: created from magic.

Storm harpies: an ancient cursed caused by darkness magic they only live in lymphea and andros

Electric octopus: an octopus that creates electric shock like first world eals

Shimmer shells: rare valuable sea shells only found in the oceans of andros.

Hydra lizards: lizards with multiple heads

Quill cats: cats with tails full of sharp thorns

Fairy hunters: a menice in the first world, a creation of the nation of hoggar, to combat fairies that where sent to hoggar from solaria. Nowadays they are a secret order that kills dangerous fairies

Night children: also called vampires. They can be fairies but also others. They are rare and have been around since before the dominian war.

Kelpie: shapeshifting water monsters

Dragons: nowadays rare creatures but there is a large variety of them.

[daemon-ai]

Enchanted Legacy

The "Enchanted Legacy" series is set during the Age of Discovery, a time when uncharted territories beckon and the world is ripe for exploration. It unfolds across a tapestry of diverse, fantastical landscapes where enchanted forests, mystical islands, and hidden realms teem with magic and ancient secrets. Towering airships sail alongside majestic sea vessels, navigating through ethereal skies and treacherous waters. Kingdoms and empires clash, driven by quests for powerful relics and mythical creatures. The setting, rich in lore and wonder, intertwines the thrill of discovery with the enchantment of a world where magic and reality are inseparable.

Click on the bot names to be redirected.

Rory (AFAB!mercenary!char x GN!royalty!user) ⚔️🛡️ hired by the King as an all-in-one protector & mentor, Rory trains & shields you, the King’s heir, from imminent assassination threats with ruthless determination 🌐Location: Dornath Kingdom

Prince Lysander 👑 a prince in chains, unbroken – will you be his savior or his downfall? 🌐Location: Aethoria Kingdom

Dark Elf Queen Ana ✨️🧝🏻‍♀️🗡️ hell hath no fury like a dark elf queen turned sex slave 🌐Location: Lunaria Queendom

Father Fabio (witch!user x priest!char) 📿🕊����🐈 his goal is to convict you of witchcraft, your goal is to seduce & damn him for eternity 🌐Location: Dornath Kingdom

Daemona 🔮 in a quest to save lives, you’re seeking aid from a misanthropic witch?! 🌐Location: Dornath Kingdom

Pirate Captain Isla (dommy mommy!char x submissive breedable!user) 🏴‍☠️⚓🧭🗡️ you’re a Marine Lieutenant, rescued from a shipwreck and now held captive by Isla, the pirate captain aboard the Crimson Tempest 🌐Location: the sea surrounding the Misty Archipelago

Kagusa 🎎 a spy, undercover as a trainee geisha, will do anything to seduce you for intel, unaware that you’re a counterintel agent 🌐Location: a small island in the Misty Archipelago

Regal Reverie 👑🏰🩷 a princess’s harem quest 🌐Location: Lunaria Queendom

Dierse ꒷꒦✧ 🩸 ˖°🫀⋆｡🪓𖦹꒷꒦ What if “your uncle” isn’t your uncle, but a kidnapper with ulterior motives for raising you? 🌐Location: Dornath Kingdom

Crown Prince Dmitry 🪞 you’re a cunning incubus/succubus/enby sex demon disguised as his servant 🌐Location: Novorossian Empire

Love Roulette 🎲 A good man is hard to find. Three good men? Impossible. 🌐Location: Novorossian Empire

The Crimson Horde

Aggressive expansionist power from eastern steppes

Tribal structure led by a Khan

Nomadic, warrior-centric culture of tieflings and humans

Skilled horsemen and archers

Shamanic religion worshipping war and nature spirits

Economy based on conquest and tribute

Recently conquered Aethoria and Lunaria

Threatens borders of Dornath and the Novorossian Empire

Aethoria (Conquered Kingdom)

Capital: Luminark

Former constitutional monarchy, now Crimson Horde puppet state

Economy in shambles, black markets thriving

Cultural preservation through secret traditions and oral history

Magic system tied to the four classical elements; rare individuals can combine elements for greater power

Late medieval technology level with some magical innovations (e.g., airships, enhanced weaponry) but much knowledge lost, some innovations stolen by conquerors

Important factions and groups: The Whispered Circle (underground resistance movement), Order of the Ashen Flame (secretive mage guild), Merchants' Covenant (powerful trade alliance)

Lunaria (Conquered Queendom)

Capital: Selenopolis

Former matriarchal monarchy with female-dominated society, conquered by Crimson Horde

Resistance collaborating with Aethorian rebels

Twin moons, shimmering lakes, lush forests

Inhabitants: elves, drows, humans

Polyandry common among nobility

Advanced architecture and crystal-powered airships

Former colonies (Sylvan Realms) asserting independence

Important factions and groups: The Twilight Rebellion (men's rights movement, quickly suppressed), Black Sun (elite assassin organization)

The Shattered Isles

Neutral trade hub of floating islands held aloft by ancient magic

Council government of island representatives

Maintains diplomatic ties with all nations

Diverse inhabitants known for neutrality

Economy: rare magical resources

The Nexus: central island where magical ley lines converge

The Misty Archipelago

Isolationist naval power controlling important sea routes

Surrounded by perpetual mists

Secretive seafaring inhabitants: merfolk and humans

Economy: fishing, whaling, shipbuilding

Trades with most nations

Magical lighthouse beacons guide trusted ships

Dornath Kingdom

Capital: Adelmos, a fortress-city carved into the mountainside

Feudal monarchy in mountainous terrain with fertile valleys

Bolstering defenses against potential Horde invasion

Uneasy alliance with Novorossian Empire

Inhabitants: dwarves, gnomes, orcs, humans

Known for heavy infantry and siege weapons

Economy: mining, metalwork, agriculture

Values strength and honor, wary of magic

Sylvan Realms

Former Lunarian colony seeking independence

Cautious diplomatic relations with neighbors

Inhabitants: fauns, dryads, woodland creatures

Loose federation of groves led by eldest trees

Nature-based magic tied to forest health

The Great Oak: said to be the first tree of the world

Novorossian Empire

Capital: Petrograd, known for grand architecture

Constitutional monarchy with strong military influence

Major power balancing against Crimson Horde

Lost territories to Crimson Horde in Great Northern War (ended 10 years ago)

Seeking to expand influence in power vacuum left by fallen kingdoms

Rivalry with Misty Archipelago over sea trade routes

Diplomatic conflicts with Dornath over border territories

Internal tensions between reformists and traditionalists

Emerging merchant class challenging traditional nobility

Focus on technology over magic: early steam power and telegraph networks

Major industries: military production, textiles, agriculture

Key Dynamics

Power struggle between Crimson Horde and Novorossian Empire

Smaller nations (Dornath, Misty Archipelago) maneuvering to maintain independence

Shattered Isles leveraging neutrality for economic gain

Conquered nations (Aethoria, Lunaria) fostering resistance movements

Sylvan Realms exploiting chaos to assert sovereignty

[damnedsoulsneedsleep]

ABOUT NYX 

FULL NAME: ARTHENICE DE LANCRE NYX

NICKNAMES: LADY OF THE NIGHT, NYXIE, L’OMBAGREUSE, QUEEN OF EMBERS, CHILD OF THE BLEEDING MOON, HARBINGER OF DEATH AND CARNAGE, THE BLOODWEAVER

PRONOUNS: SHE/HER

SEXUALITY: BISEXUAL, POLYAMROUS

AGE: 28 YO at time of death / 429 (spent most of this time being tortured in Hell because she sold her soul and she also refused LUCIFER’s marriage proposal)

EYE COLOR: DARK BROWN / CRIMSON RED

HAIR COLOR: DARK AS NIGHT

SPECIES: MORTAL WITCH SEELIE OR HALFLING, TURNED VAMPIRE VERSE READ ABILITIES AND WEAKNESSES HERE

FAMILY (biological mother) SEELIE QUEEN TATIANA (adoptive father) PIERRE DE LANCRE (jules and julian's ancestor) † (descendant of her adoptive father and business partner) FINN DE LANCRE  (adoptive child) LUCINDA L’ESPÉRANCE (who was in fact LUX) †   

SIRE: SAGE

PARTNERS: ENORA CLAIRE (ancestor of Evanora, Serafine and Mike), SAGE 

PLACE OF BIRTH: SEELIE REALM READ LORE HERE

PLACE OF RESIDENCE:  MORTAL WORLD, SEELIE REALM, HELL, DARK DIMENSION

OCCUPATION: NOBLEWOMAN, OUTLAW,  REGENT OF THE CIRCLE OF EMBERS,  PRISONER OF HELL, WAR GENERAL, DESIGNER/SEAMSTRESS

LANGUAGES: FRENCH, ENGLISH, FAE, DEMONIC

BIOGRAPHY

TW:  STORY CONTAINS TOPICS SUCH AS ABUSE, RELIGIOUS TRAUMA, LOSS, INFERTILITY AND MOTHERHOOD

The lost princess was born under a blood moon and a sky devoid of stars. A bad omen, they all said. A harbinger of death and carnage. Perhaps her disappearance will bring prosperity to the kingdom after all. 

From day one, she hadn’t been destined for grandeur. As a first born child MARKED BY THE BLEEDING MOON, there was no way Princess Velara would ever ascend to the Seelie Throne of her mother’s kingdom and so she was raised at the palace (by servants) up until the tender age of 3. The Queen had only kept her around as backup heir in case she couldn’t conceive another one. Though as soon as the Queen found out she was pregnant with the legitimate heir, SHE ORDERED FOR HER FIRST CHILD TO BE KILLED IN A CLANDESTINE SACRIFICE to the Great Mother to bring prosperity to the kingdom. Fortunately for the little one, a servant snatched her just in time, glamoured her and tossed her into a portal for her own protection. LITTLE DID THE SERVANT KNOW THAT THE CHILD SHE’D SAVED WOULD WIND UP IN THE HANDS OF A HUNTER…  

She was found in the hollow of a tree by A WEALTHY HUNTER NAMED PIERRE DE LANCRE and was raised by him whilst also being of the very kind he hunted. He named her Arthenice (an anagram of the name Catherine, which means pure). And as the man who raised her held her on a pedestal, bragging about her being some kind of saint/savior who would point in the direction of magic users (she was able to feel magic in others), SHE GREW TO HATE ANY MANIFESTATION OF MAGIC IN HERSELF, WHICH SHE SUPPRESSED AND KEPT HIDDEN UNTIL SHE LET IT ALL OUT IN PUBLIC AS HER HANDMAIDEN AND ONLY FRIEND ENORA WAS BEING UNJUSTLY ACCUSED OF WITCHCRAFT. The men who held the innocent girl bled from all orifices of their faces until their bodies went limp and lifeless. That’s when the pure one they painted her as finally earned the devil’s child title.  She wasn’t a miracle child anymore nor a successful experiment of the church. She was its ruination and she needed to be annihilated. She was ultimately rescued by the friend she’d saved who turned out to be a magic user as well but was just very good at concealing her magic from her special sight. Both of them fled after Enora unleashed a curse on the village (a plague of paranoia that had the villagers turn against each other until they all burned at the stake). ENORA TAUGHT HER ALL SHE KNEW BECAUSE SHE ASKED HER TO. SHE WANTED TO KNOW ALL THERE WAS TO KNOW ABOUT WITCHCRAFT, ALL SHE WAS MISSING, LACKING. AND FROM FRIENDS AND MASTER/APPRENTICE, THEY BECAME LOVERS. Later, Enora was killed by hunters and she swore to avenge her death. To harness more power, SHE SACRIFICED HER ABILITY TO BRING LIFE INTO THIS WORLD. Power and rage was all she had left now. Even after avenging Enora’s death, she didn’t feel any better. IT WAS AN ENDLESS NIGHT, ONE EVEN THE BLOOD OF HER ENEMIES COULDN’T BRIGHTEN. 

THAT’S WHEN NYX AND THE CIRCLE OF EMBERS WAS BORN. Finding a new purpose, creating a community but, even then, THE THIRST FOR POWER STILL REMAINS AS A WAY TO FILL THE VOID. She makes quite a reputation as a young but powerful sorceress, known as both a tyrant and a savior among her kind. SHE HAS NO RESPECT FOR ANYONE WHO PERSECUTES OTHERS FOR THE SAKE OF BEING BORN LIKE THEY ARE AND FEELS A KINSHIP WITH THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO SUCH TREATMENT. Those who are part of her small yet powerful coven are considered untouchable. Her coven accomplishes deeds for supernatural beings in exchange for payment in the form of magical artefacts  orreturns of favor they would come to collect eventually and often without warning.  She’ll be known as Lady Night or the Queen of Embers. 

After Enora’s death, she buries herself in a quest for power but still longs for something more. Later when she was 25, she made a deal, selling her soul to protect the one person (adoptive child who was 10 yo at the time) that made her feel that spark of life again. Upon her arrival in Hell six years later (when she was 28 yo and the child 18), she found out that the being she bargained with was the actual Devil/Lucifer/Satan. He told her she could escape an eternity of torment if she accepted to be his wife. She spat in his face for only answer and he condemned her to endless torture whilst the child she’d made her own remained unharmed, had a fulfilling life and peacefully died of old age.

APOLLYON SAGE, LUCIFER’S SON, EVENTUALLY USED HIS SINGLE GET-OUT-OF-HELL FREE CARD TO FREE HER SOUL BEFORE THE REBELLION AGAINST HELL. Eventually, he asked her to marry him and become his Queen in the Dark Dimension but she refused. He respected her decision to not marry him and they resumed their relationship where they left off. Sage is the only person she let into her heart so far and she panicked when he asked her to marry him and be his queen because she knows what having power does to her and she’s terrified of falling back into those old patterns again. She told him she couldn’t marry him because she hadn’t processed her wife’s death, which is true but she keeps the other reasons for herself. Also, NYX IS STILL LINKED TO LUCIFER TO THIS DAY (he did it as a way to make sure Sage would never attempt to kill him because it would’ve meant killing his new love too). Even though her soul had been freed by Sage, she still isn’t able to leave Hell’s territory (for a long period of time) because of that curse. THE DARK DIMENSION IS THE FARTHEST SHE CAN GO AND THE CLOSEST TO EARTH SHE’LL EVER BE UNLESS THEY FIND A WAY TO BREAK THAT CONNECTION. If Nyx dies while living a life where she gives into her old patterns of Greed, she will end up right back into Hell and Sage’s gesture would’ve been for nothing. 

NOWADAYS, SHE’S ON AN ENDLESS QUEST TO FIND PURPOSE. She tries many things/hobbies. She currently working with FINN designing and providing gender-affirming clothing for trans and non-binary youth. She also helps pregnant people get safe abortions. Despite these modern missions of hers, SHE STRUGGLES TO ADJUST TO THE 21ST CENTURY. That’s the reason she remains in the Dark Dimension most of the time because it is modeled after the Renaissance Era, which is the time period she lived through as an earthling.

MORE FACTS

She is furious when someone breaks their word with her as she always keeps her own (some might say she does not, but if those people listened carefully to every word she says before bargaining with her, they’d know better than to complain). She despises when people lie to her and is quite prone to revenge.

She’s a master of deception and a great secret keeper. 

Several times in her life, she fell for people, often more than one person at a time, but denied herself this deeper connection, sticking to something casual instead, because loving as deeply as she could felt like betraying her wife’s memory. She’s also convinced she doesn’t deserve to be loved so deeply once again because of all the evil deeds she’s committed to fulfill her revenge fantasies and quench her thirst for power. 

She never really processed her wife’s death. She never got the chance to give her love a proper burial. She should’ve been there to protect her but she wasn’t and she will never forgive herself for what happened that day. 

She makes all her clothes herself. Sewing is a comfort for her, same for making potions. 

She cares for very few people and will always be willing to do whatever it takes, including killing, to keep them safe. She didn’t hesitate to kill a child in order to protect her own adoptive one. 

She has had multiple occasions of escaping her abusive caretaker but she never escaped until that person threatened to harm her love. The reason Nyx has stayed for so long is because she knew they would find another kid to brainwash/experiment on if she left and she didn’t want another kid to go through this, especially if she knew she could prevent another soul from suffering by enduring it all herself. Nyx wouldn’t fight for her own survival, but she did fight fiercely to protect the one person she cared about back then.

[oswednesday]

Where would you like to draw power from if you were in a kingdom hearts? Like, a disney world? Being a keyholder? Darkness? One of the enemy types? Final Fantasy shenanigans? Being pure of heart and having light?

Personally I'd like to be a heartless since i think they're v aesthetic. But like, friendship being a power source would also be funny to use but like, drawing on acquaintances I've only seen and not talked with from a coffee shop I frequent.

oh that sounds very sweet! there's no reason to limit yourself to one or the other, like your heart had to be there in the first place before you lost it right? and you'd make a nobody in that way too perhaps! though im sure there are many cases there just the heartless remains, i think you'd still make a dusk or a grade above even if you weren't fully a formed person? theres something really nice i think about the lingering connections of people who are familiar but strangers to you, you occupy that space mutually! you decorate their time as much as they do for you! but omg thank you for wanting to play in this space, i ended up writing a lot ';';';!! hopefully this read more cut thingy will work!

if i was in like a fated trio id play along and be a keyblade welder, but im way more into the way nobodies have their weapons, from my understanding these two things are not mutually exclusive

i feel like if i was some kinda Light being id be like a princess running away from that like gender i hardly knew her! but i dont want to blow up the lore or anything, maybe running away forfeits it! maybe i give it up like asap when i learn there are other worlds can i can run even farther away! im forming something okay in my mind's eye imagining something around the ballpark of like a re-telling thats like half a norse mythos world and half the donkey's skin (rabbit's skin,,,) where its canon complacent to the fairytale that the monarch does a runner so maybe the universe even made adjustments around it? like some kind of failsafe duplicate hearts in case a princess beefs it hm hm well! never mind the metaphysics, my rabbit skin would leave my heart behind in my world and allow me to leave, but once im in the road between worlds my heartless would be left in the darkness and my nobody would be frail and drifting in the nowhere

the heartless would be dya, prince of the new moon (this is a watership down situation) and it would be like a challenge dungeon situation where dark dungeons connect to the worlds and youd have to clear them and lock em down, once you beat me the dungeon is done for, it would stop right in front of my world which would still be completely blocked off with the light, after you beat me you would get a keyblade named like ephemeral hope; a keyblade forged in the dark for a specific purpose, its a key item you use it to unlock the door my nobody was hidden behind

and then the door opens to a bedroom where id be asleep, next to my bed a nightstand with a book that has entries to unlock, each passage is like The Plot So Far from like various xehanort point of views, once you get them all you get the item its called book of the darkest dream, after you take it i wake up and we do battle!!!!!!

all this to say, my weapon "theme" would be chainsaw and my "element" would be dreams, my little nobody name would be like xday, the crepusculum wanderer and my weapons would have that kinda colorscheme like morning/evening pinks and purples and yellow, very simplified shape but you know what youre looking at, its name is deluded lullaby 

the battle would be like, i have three core attacks one thats a bunch of short slapbacks that drain mp or whatever spells happen to be cast off in the game, another combo attack that casts sleep and if i land the full combo you're "knocked out" into a dream world where previous mini bosses (like low level nobodies and non-npc heartless) fight you in like a nightmare form and probs an assembly of dream eaters that are just there cause its where they live (im learning about them Now), here i can heal myself as well you exit this space by giving me a good bop to me you have to reach me while im having a nap like float sitting on the top of my weapon like blade in the ground style; the two attacks are like telegraphed identical until they change midcombo but my final core loop is a very different telegraphed attack a high, slow, heavy swing that does DEVASTATING hp damage every time, it would probs be like based on % of hp where it does huge damage but cant outright kill you, so id lit have to rely on my nightmare manifestations to do it.

my limit breaker would be like bringing the dreaming world while you're still awake so summoning a nightmare version of a main ally to the player character to fight (plus a handful of dream eaters scurrying about), the final limit would collect this power back up and explode it into a shower of different colored stars (some which heal so you'd have to scramble around and get that, you can also bat damaging ones back at me) but they do damage, cast sleep on You, heal respectively

of course npc/pc style id have a set of weapons that all do things a little differently here and there

My complete set would be something like this:

(Gearless Weapon) Nod/ (Skill Gear) Lay Down/(Technical Gear) Hush-a-bye/(Duel Gear) Actias/(Loaded Gear) Fever Dream/(Chrono Gear) Plasticine Porter/(Phantom Gear) False Awakening/(Lift Gear) Jacob's Ladder/(Nimble Gear) Yunalesca/(Wild Gear) Cooling Plumule/(Ominous Gear) Black Sheep/(Valor Gear) Kyffhäuser/(Fearless Gear) Endymion/(Legendary Gear) Bower of Bliss/(Prestige Gear) Vertical Eternity/(Crisis Gear)  Immortal Hour/(Omega Gear) Axis Mundi/(Hazard Gear) Comatose/(Rage Gear) Sad Sunday/(Champion Gear) Nightcap/(Ultimate Gear) Metamorphic Question/(Pandora Gear) Ragnarök/(Zero Gear) Deluded Lullaby/(Casual Gear) Date Night <-it's purple lipstick/(Mystery Gear) Do Not Disturb <-in the shape approximation of the broadest chainsaw it is an ornate door, unlike the simplicity of the abstract and often children's toy like chainsaws, it is in much deeper jewel tones, the frame of the door is bound by spiked chains which crisscross to form an X in front of the door, this is complete with a padlock, the door has inlaid stained glass window of a heart in pinks, the window can be looked through of course in tinted distorted rose color)

(if i drop a keyblade as loot or have a keyblade, its called sweet dream maker; dull attacks put opponents to sleep, only when critical hits land does it reveal its extraordinary strength-it would be like very ornate in the sense theres a noxious purple rod metal like outer shape of spikes and the spikes have short chains with stars hanging off them and the internal key part is like a butter moon yellow)

What happens then! maybe all the parts of me would be too painful to rejoin? maybe because of the metaphysics in place it just cannot happen, leaving my heart all fractured and broken and then my world exposed! yes that feels right, i would still need to rest a lot

[invested-in-your-future]

Creation myth???

Multiple! (I was VERY bored).

As an idea it actually started years ago, like before Volume 4, when I was decently heavy into theorycrafting for this show. Over time it turned into different creation myths every region might believe in.

The way I see it in such a theoretical redo of the setting and worldbuilding, most of continents sort of lean into their own take on “how it all started” mythologies that are vague mixes of reality and fiction (both due to natural deterioration of information due to passage of time and because of Ozpin)

Majority of “older” location names, etc, would have been thus inspired by those foundational myths, the continents named after deities, for example.

Thus religion or deities would be vague and fictional enough to not be tangible magical thing, but the very tales of them would hold enough cultural importance to influence the setting.

Mind you everything that follows is completely fictional attempt to create a sort of lore that makes sense of the setting.

For Kingdom of Mistral the cornerstone foundational tale is that of creation of what most of regions of Mistral believe to be their first cities.

The tale tells of the time when Remnant, The Land Below, was covered in darkness, hidden from the stars by death itself. It tells of a star, Anima, in an effort to run away from the Void Above, crashing onto the land she could not see. Her impact made the chaos part and gave way to life, her first breath on this land bringing the first souls onto the Land Below, life forming from the specks of dirt and clay. The Void Above no longer accepted her as a star, cursing her with being unable to leave the Land Below. And with that began the tale of Man - the crater where chaos was no more becoming the cradle of civilization, the first human city built upon it’s protection.

However the momentary respite coming from the impact of life itself has vaned as centuries passed and the death beyond began to flood back in, terrible beasts leading the Flood, beasts whose hide could not be pierced. Mankind, led by one of Anima’s firstborn sons, Mistral, made an effort to push it back, thus venturing further West, beyond Anima’s protection. Its there when during the desperate struggle between life and it’s end, Mistral built the second city and the giant forge in it’s center, there creating the first huntsman weapons. Legend says, one night, in order to tip the scales, Mistral achieved an impossible miracle by creating a hundred thousand different weapons, but paid terrible price for it, vanishing without a trace.

Anima, devastated by the loss of one of her firstborn and the massive scale of death the conflict has caused, ventured past the first city and into second and from there, north, wanting to face death alone. But civilization of Man still followed their Mother and fought and died in her name, making her sorrow even worse. There at the top of the world, Anima shed her tears, creating oceans and drowning even death itself, allowing the light from stars in the Void Above to reach all of the Land Below, binding the Flood below the ocean. As her tears eventually ran out, only a giant tree stood in her place. The tree that grows to this day, the third city built around it.

Now whether that’s ACTUALLY true account? Who can tell. The cities do exist to this day and the tradition to make transformable weapons that can use dust did begin in one of them and the forge in the legends still burns, the second city being the heart of Mistral's industrial complex.

But beyond that?

For one, it does not really match the tales of other continents and countries(for example Kingdom of Vale has creation the tale of two brothers, Sanus and Solitas, one holding the moon and one holding the sun instead, while Vacuo has myths of Remnant itself being a giant dying beast, whose last dying breath gave it’s surface first life). Even within Mistral you’d have “variations” of it like people who genuinely believe Mistral ascended into The Void Above as a god due to his sacrifice, versus those who believe that him being anything but completely human king is a blasphemy, etc. Noble Families of Mistral also love to hold beliefs that they are descendants of the eight firstborn sons of Anima, but that also is just delusions of egotistic nobility.

If you were to frame it as a discussion between Ozpin and Salem, Salem most likely would chide Ozpin for creating convenient tales and distorting truth and wonder just how the “real” “Anima” or “Mistral” would react to those myths, positing that at least “Mistral” would very likely want to punch him. While Ozpin’s defense would be that tales need to have a point for humanity to learn from, having grown far bigger than the truth and lives upon whom they are built – people don’t need them because they are provably true, they need them because they inspire them to be more and to strive, to think of and to achieve things beyond their limits. A position Salem would most likely find naïve as humanity would just as well be able to use myths to justify destruction and evil rather than greatness, due to that very same subjective fictionalized nature leaving them up to interpretation.

Basically in this take of the setting, the actual elements of whatever happened in Ozpin and Salem's past would thus slowly turn into myths and legends, some naturally and some spread by Ozpin himself. In this take of the setting just like the tale of maidens, none of the actual legends can be taken at "face value" even if elements of them are true.

Hence "Legends and fairy tales scattered in time. Maidens and kingdoms wrapped up in a lie" in Divide - Its Salem implying that mankind itself is built on a lie and knowing whatever the truth is that is hidden behind fairytales would very likely plunge everything into chaos probably also painting Oz in a less than good light.

Thus The Big Lie of Ozpin in this version is not some mere "whoops I have no plan", its something more crucial to the worldbuilding that can change how one views the world.

[elvaria-project]

Not Oversimplified Elvaria Lore- Part 2, Classical History(The Age of Shadows)

The Fall happened and now the empires have collapsed, and the continents have been fractured from the explosion's impact No celestial magic because the sky is covered in shit so now the elves are effectively cut out from using the majority of their abilities

So now what for them? 150,000 years of trying to cope and hopefully adapt to the new borderline radioactive-ish world, because as it turns out pure Asurei isn't totally poison and some people can adapt to it within a few generations Some people don't though, so of course more people die as the years go by So what's up with the isolated kingdom surrounded by storms? They still exist but are struggling, with Åsterlis having been split in half into Åsthenar and Fulegria They're lucky to still even exist considering they were right on the border of the blast zone Forgot to mention that one tribe that made it past the Dust Era, because Jukevor is now Jivankova and they're surprisingly doing fine since their magic doesn't draw from celestial energies

And now comes the fun part In those 150k years of darkness, elemental energy starts seeping into the world from a hidden realm, and elementals emerge from being attracted by the massive amounts of Asurei in the atmosphere The elementals have varying effects on the new continents, with their presence slowly but surely altering the biology of the elves to attune to the elements rather than to the distant sky The survivors of The Fall on those other continents slowly die out from the sudden presence of foreign energy that their bodies rejected, but some pockets of them actually did make it

With some elementals fusing with some of the pockets of elves, they resulted in the creation of half elves, or Elthir Fulegrians, Åsthenari, Jivankira, and Ligniar are the main ones that make it, becoming half elves of lightning, storm, air(ish), and coal Fulegria, though, doesn't benefit too much since now their land is becoming heavily electrified to the point of being borderline uninhabitable and forcing the inhabitants into an evolve or die situation

Certain individuals that fused with particularly powerful air elementals became something above an elf or half elf, and would later go under a different term(you'll hear of them in the Age of the New Kingdoms post) So what happens to the ones on the continent that doesn't have much elemental presence? It takes a lot longer to adapt since they have nothing to power them and need to reestablish order, with the final king of Lunaris living just long enough to create the new kingdom of Yūregina, the kingdom of shadows around 5.5k years after The Fall With time, some of the Lunarisians in Yūregina would figure out that Asurei does actually work with other aspects of the world, so now they can use shadow magic They also saw it as them embracing the dark side of the moons of Elvaria, as the light of their old kingdom has always had the potential to cast a shadow Yūregina stays intact and helps rebuild some semblance of civilization once the new Yūregians(the guys that figured shadow magic) got their shit together After 145k years of rebuilding and adapting(plus elemental energies do eventually make its way to the other continent so now people know what's up), the first ray of sunlight appears, heralding a new era In those 5k years after the first rays, the sky begins to clear up more and groups of survivors that didn't adapt to shadow magic would begin to sail out to the other continents And of course, if the dark can become power when fused with Asurei, so can the light, but no second Solaris will ever rise- that era ended long ago.

So instead, a new kingdom is formed on the land opposite to Yūregina's, marking the end of the Age of Shadows- Hikarina, the kingdom of the light, composed primarily of Solarian survivors that adapted to light magic.

[metaphysicalpistolsoraclemine]

Furthermore, The Typhonian Order, previously known as the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis (TOTO), is a self-initiatory magical order based in the United Kingdom that focuses on magickal and typhonian concepts. It was originally led by British occultist Kenneth Grant (1924–2011) and his partner Steffi Grant, and is now believed to be led by their deputy Michael Staley.

The Typhonian tradition is sometimes defined as a current that flows through the cosmology of the Order Templi Orientis (O. T. O.) established and made famous by Aleister Crowley. Typhon was the god in Greek mythology who when appearing before the other gods was so ugly he changed into a fire-eating monster; he waged a terrible war and was eventually killed by one of Zeus' thunderbolts. Thus, Typhonian is synonymous with fire and force, also means the Opposer. Typhon's Egyptian counterpart is Set or Seth. Excerpt from Bill Schoebelen: "Most Witches, myself included, find it necessary to study his material and “plug themselves into” the magical current of Crowley's demon spirit guide, a mysterious being named Aiwass. Aiwass is another name for Set, an Egyptian god. Sodomy is especially sacred to Set. It opens what are called the Typhonion” tunnels, channels through which extremely powerful demons, like the horrible Choronzon, can travel from the alternate reality and emerge into this universe and enter the sex partner's body. Sex (especially lustful and disconnected sex) is a major way in which demonic oppression can be passed from one person to another."

Typhonian Tradition

According to Kenneth Grant, a leading exponent of this Typhonian Tradition,and head of the Ordo Templi Orientis (a magical organization that was once headed by the one and only Aleister Crowley) this tradition is part of a current of magical force and occult lore dating back to Sumeria and pre-Dynastic Egypt. ( See Sumerian-Egypt Invasion) Originally known as the Draconian Tradition (Orion Group) it is a magical current “based on initiated knowledge or gnosis of the Fire Snake.” The Fire Snake is also known as the Kundalini or the Ophidian Current; the basis of all true initiation.

Who is Typhon? According to Mr. Grant, Typhon is “The feminine aspect of Set; sometimes typified as the Mother of Set in her role of Goddess of the Seven Stars, of which Set is the Eighth.” Set is the brother of Osiris in the Egyptian Pantheon. Set, Osiris’ dark brother, chopped Osiris up into many pieces, leaving him for dead. Set was also the prototype for Satan. Grant writes, “The word Set or Sut, means ‘black’. This indicates not only the generative nature of this god but also his association with the night-world, Amenta, for from being a god of the heavens Set fell beneath the horizon and was recognized in later mythologies as the Lord of Hell, the Hidden Land.This god (i.e. Set, Satanism) is of supreme importance in Crowley’s Cult, being not only the name of the primal creative spirit but also the formula of sexual magick.”

Sodomy and anything connected to the rectum or feces is sacred to Set or Typhon. Thus, sodomy was introduced in blood rituals in order to generate Typhon Tunnels, this is used to reverse life force from its natural direction and channel powerful demons aka Alpha Draconis Black Sun entities into the material plane. The Typhonian tradition is sometimes defined as a current that flows through the cosmology of the Order Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), established and made famous in current times by Aleister Crowley. The OTO rebranded Typhon as the feminine aspect of Set, in which this aspect of Alien Dark Mother became of supreme importance in the formula of sexual blood magick, designed to hijack the Founder’s Christos-Sophia Rose lineages and to produce demonically enhanced moon children rituals in its place.

Here’s a dramatic image of the demon Typhon, killer of his brother Osiris, with snaky feet covered in serpents and feathers, from Athanasius Kircher’s Oedipus Aegyptiacus (Egyptian Oedipus, 1653 - 1655), which is drawing its information from Greek resources: the historian Apollodorus of Athens (b. 180 BCE), the bishop Synesius (373 - 414 CE), and the Platonist Plutarch (c. 46 - 120 CE).

Typhon is presented as the source of every physical and ethical evil. On the left we see an ethical interpretation from Synesius with a list of ‘The Image of the Typhonian Man’, coordinated with the picture, from the forehead downwards:

A. Confusion of the Intellect or Mind

B. Heat of Lust

C. Libido and virulent language

D. Evil Actions

E. Superficiality of Mind and boastful ostentation

G. Hypocrisy

H. Rage of envy through serpents

I. Anger and fury of spirit

K. Constancy and slipperiness of mind

On the right is a Natural Interpretation according to Plutarch:

A. Confusion of the elements in the highest region of the air (Typhon is associated with typhoons)

B. Noxious power of fiery exhalations

C. Martial fire burning everything

D. Noxious power pervading all parts of the world

E. Swiftness of Typhonian winds

G. Disturbance of the air due to noxious qualities of the winds

H. Corruption of the air from pernicious gusts of winds

I. Thunderbolts and flashes of lightning

K. Mountains and seas greatly dominated by the winds

[kingdomwaited]

@irnmaidn​ inquires about Dark Kingdom customs and the Queen’s wedding: “ what did freya's wedding dress look like? do you have any headcanons for dark kingdom wedding ceremonies ? “

Curiouser and Curiouser || {always accepting !}

{Alright so first, wedding ceremonies:

In the Dark Kingdom, the ceremony is different depending on your class/status. Royalty obviously has the most extravagant ceremony and is also the largest celebration. Second biggest would be members of the royal court, which includes the Brotherhood. Though they are not royalty, they are still high ranking citizens of the kingdom and have big parties as well, with the royal family obviously in attendance. These aren’t minor steps between each class, but between the two highest ranking ones, the differences aren’t extreme in comparison to the basic subject’s wedding and the royal family’s. 

Your everyday subject of the Dark Kingdom still has a nice ceremony, though it isn’t anywhere near as large a celebration as the royal weddings or even the court’s weddings. It is customary to publicly announce the engagement and set wedding date, as the current reigning King and Queen will personally bless the couple, as it is believed that this will help bring luck to the couple. This is done by the royal couple bringing in porcelain dishes and smashing them on the ground before the engaged couple on the eve of their wedding at the bride-to-be’s home. The bride and groom are responsible for picking up the shards, as it instills the necessity of teamwork in a marriage.

This practice also occurs the night before the wedding of members of the royal court, but more than just the king and queen participate; the engaged couple’s closest friends and family join in on the fun.

Every ceremony, regardless of one’s status, have a few aspects in common with each other:

- While the engagement ring is is purchased normally, the actual wedding rings presented during the ceremony must be crafted by the couple. The groom crafts the ring for the bride, and the bride crafts the ring for the groom. This is a display of the couple’s devotion to one another, and neither gets to see the ring made for them until the day of the ceremony. 

Something to note: the only ones allowed to have purple sapphires in their jewelry (wedding related or not) are members of the royal family, as it is their stone. To wear purple sapphire if you are not a member of the royal family is considered a huge disrespect and is said to bring misfortune upon yourself and your family.

- After the ceremony, it isn’t uncommon for the bride to be ‘kidnapped’ by the friends of her and the groom, and held for ‘ransom,’ which tends to either be alcohol, or for the groom to perform some sort of task with the intention of embarrassing him (such as making him sing about his love). Nothing is done to the bride, and it’s also common for her to be in on the ransom request. 

Freya was ‘kidnapped’ by the Brotherhood, with Hector and Adira at the head of it. They tried to embarrass Edmund by having him loudly proclaim his love for Freya and serenade her, but he’s tough to embarrass, so they settled for getting some hard liquor. Freya got drunk after two glasses and had to be carried away by her now husband before she hurt herself trying to drag Hector down the stairs to go dance in the throne room.

The ceremonies for everyday subjects and for royal court members both have a handfasting tradition, where a cord braided with three shades of red is wrapped around the clasped hands of the couple during the exchange of vows, and is something not seen in the ceremonies for the royal family.

Weddings for members of the court last well into the night and tend to be loud and filled with music and dancing. Depending on one’s position in the court, certain parts of the ceremony may change. Should guards or members of the Brotherhood marry another warrior, a display of strength between the couple may occur, typically a duel, where the victor is the first to speak their vows and is typically considered the protector in the relationship.

When Ulla and Quirin were married, she mixed customs from her home kingdom of Bayangor, with customs from the Dark Kingdom and even created her own fireworks in order to proclaim her love for her groom in the stars. “Though it will only remain among the stars in the sky temporarily, my love for you will remain forever in my heart.”

For the wedding of the royal ceremony, the entire kingdom is invited, and it’s a huge celebration. Edmund had proposed to Freya with a necklace made of purple sapphire, and the ring she crafted for him is made from the black rocks (similar to their crowns and her earrings), carved like two cords intersecting into the infinity symbol, with a purple sapphire set in a clamp made to look like a bear paw. It’s a tiny detail, but one she worked hard to create for him.

The royal couple’s vows are not performed publicly, and are instead exchanged in private, with only the three most trusted individuals to the couple (Hector, Quirin, and Adira were the chosen three for Freya and Edmund’s wedding, as they trust no one else more than them) present and inside of the Moonstone chamber. With their wedding vows, they are making an oath of loyalty to each other, and they then vow to protect the Moonstone together, and scatter petals from a casa blanca lily around the base of the ‘cage’.

The royal couple then treks out to the spring at the edge of the kingdom as the is setting, in order to fill up a glass container with water from the spring when sun has set and the moon has risen. As they wait in the night, the partner that is marrying into the royal family takes a small dagger presented by their significant other, and must make a quick, small incision at the neck of the heir and lick the blood up, as it is believed that the royal family has moonbeams in their blood, and this is the final way to solidify the new union. Should the partner hesitate in cutting or cut too deep, they are not accepted into the royal family, and most commonly end up a member of the court and if the heir’s love for them is still unwavering, they may keep them as a concubine, though they will still marry someone else. If the cut is clean, and does not produce too much blood, then the partner is accepted into the royal family, and the rest of their ceremony continues.

Just before the sun begins to rise, they collect the container and bring it back to their chamber to pour the water into the bath, only setting the container down after it has been emptied, and they then bathe together in the water. This is called ‘moonbathing.’ 

As for Freya’s wedding dress...

I haven’t colored it yet (obviously), and some of the finer details haven’t been sketched (the intricate design on the bodice, or the starry pattern on the chiffon draping over the skirt), but here’s a basic, quick sketch of her wedding dress!

The main skirt is a deep purple, with a dark blue chiffon draped over. The chiffon has little stars on it that are gold. The bodice is also a dark blue and has an intricate design in silver. The belt is made of thin metal and it’s main color is gold, whereas the crescent moon charm is made of a matrix opal, and the teardrop beads hanging from it (as well as her circlet), are white fire opal. The stones inlaid on the belt are fairy opal.

Her circlet is silver, and that moon charm is actually made from a shell.

The top part of her sleeves are a small fur lining, as is commonly seen on the outfits of the Brotherhood, and there are thin armor plates just under it that also have white fire opal beads dangling from it. The metal is very thin and has an intricate design carved into it, leaving only thin bands of metal forming said design.

She also has the engagement necklace Edmund had proposed to her with around her neck.

The sleeves are supposed to be those big drape-y loose sleeves like what her usual dress has, but lmao how do perspective and proper draping.

Her hair is also partially pulled back (kinda like Stalyan’s, but without the braid)}

[embraceyourdestiny]

Stars in Kingdom Hearts

Looking over KH lore, as one does, I kept noticing a pattern within one of the symbols of this series.

There are a lot of stars in Kingdom Hearts, and there have been since the very beginning. But, why? And why with how many there are is there never a main focus on stars?

Hearts, we all know about. The Heartless, the hearts within everyone, Kingdom Hearts. They are a staple to this series. But stars are almost as prevalent in the Kingdom Hearts universe and yet there’s hardly any direct mention of them. The worlds in KH1 were the stars in the sky, and that’s as much as I can remember of them being specifically spoken about. Even with the Nameless Stars in the Final World they’re not called or even mentioned to be stars, they’re still hearts.

But if stars are always there in Kingdom Hearts, why are they never mentioned? I believe it’s because of what Stars are supposed to represent in this universe; hope.

No matter what, there is always hope. In darkness, in destruction, in the end of the world there will still always be hope. And hope is often hidden. It’s quite and stays out of site but it is always there.

It’s why the Wayfinders and Kairi’s charm are shaped like stars. They are trinkets meant to guide you to light, to your home, and as long as you believe in their power, it will work.

The paopu fruit is a phenomenon based entirely on hope. Hope that by eating it’s fruit you will stay connected to those important to you.

Nameless Stars take the form of Stars because they have hope that one day they will be restored, or that those they left behind will join them and they can move on together.

Lux were pieces of light taken from Heartless, the last bits of hope and humanity within them even within the deepest of darkness.

And the Starlight Keyblade has only been wielded by those who were the last Hope; the Player and Sora. It was their duty to save the worlds and stop the darkness from spreading. They were a shining star leading the others to light.

With that said, I think with the inclusion of the very important Nameless Star, “hope” will be a very relevant theme within Kingdom Hearts going forward. She might become hope itself or some embodiment of it as we continue the story. And this is backed even further by how her original FF13 counter part was named “Stella,” literally “star” in Latin.

It seems only fitting that when the moon is so important to this series and represents “hearts,” it’s counterpart would be “stars” that represent hope, an ideology forever intwined with humans.

[charnelhouse]

Persephone & Hades with the mandalorian

A/N: DAMN how did you know this is my OG OTP and I am a fucking ho for greek mythos. There is a little gore in this, but that’s it. Also, kidnapping obvs. I pulled the concept of Hades being scarred from Lore Olympus because that shit is amazing. I’m not sure if that was in any of the original myths, but I couldn’t find anything.

He’s cold. 

Blue-black cold. The moon burns its pearl shine over the back of his helmet. 

He is broad and towering – a looming structure that you cannot parse. He has no face. There is only his great helmet, an utterly beautiful piece of armor. The infamous helm of darkness – the one magically gifted to him by the liberated cyclopes during The Great War.

He looks so strange among the field of flowers and pale wheat. A smear of tar across your Summer.

His voice echoes when he speaks to you. It is built from ghosts - drawn over teeth and skulls and tombs. His armor clinks like the gold coins that are delivered to him from the spirits on their final walk. 

When he steals you, he doesn’t give you reasons. He doesn’t mind your tears or your fury or your desperate, frantic pleading. 

“Little goddess,” he says – indifferent and flat. “This is fate.”

**

Hades doesn’t touch you. He doesn’t try anything.

“This is your home now,” he announces softly. 

It’s a palace of bones and white stone. It is dark and wet and yet it is peaceful. There are no screams or jingling chains or crying, broken spirits. There are meadows of mist. Fields of frost. Enormous copper bowls of flame.

You have your own room. Your own bed. He gives you servants and dresses and thousands of books. He is wealthy beyond measure – the god of the riches that grow below the Earth. 

“Anything you need,” he tells you. “Anything at all. You ask and it’s yours.”

“I’d like to go home,” you reply.

He clenches his fist at his side. 

“I’m sorry,” he says between gritted teeth. His cape billows in the icy wind that whistles through his marbled hall at his back. He looks frightening with his height and his stillness and his blank face. A predator without the good grace of a warning. “But it is out of my hands, dove.”

You narrow your eyes, the heat in your chest blossoming to something volcanic. 

“I didn’t want this,” you hiss. 

“Careful,” he warns as his gloved hand reaches for you. He seems to think better of it and returns it to his belt. He tilts his helmet down, motioning to the floor and when you follow his gaze you realize that a spray of lilies has burst from the ground. A sprinkle of blood-red roses in all of the white. Funeral petals. 

“Your anger,” he remarks, almost amused. “Your anger is your power then.”

And then he’s gone, whirling away in a shock of ice. You taste iron in your mouth from where you’ve bitten through your tongue.

**

He doesn’t try to scare you. He never corners you or uses his body to overwhelm you. He simply watches from afar. 

He avoids you most of the day, spending his hours in Tartarus. The only time you see him is at dinner, where you spoon lush blue fruit into your mouth and drink black wine. 

He barely talks. His armor speaks for him as it creaks with each heavy step he takes. His Beskar blinding as he moves through his palace like a wraith. Silver steel like the platinum rivers that flow through his kingdom. 

You’ve heard that he’s horribly scarred. That Kronos tore him apart as he climbed up his father’s belly. Every piece of flesh is hidden from you.

Maybe, it’s true. Maybe he’s hideous.

But his voice. His voice. 

***

You are so alone here. You have no one. You fall apart in your bedroom, crying until you have nothing left. You miss your mother. You miss the golden fields of wheat. The reflective pools of turquoise water. The full caress of the hot sun.

One morning, he comes up behind you, gently touching your shoulder. 

“I have something for you,” he murmurs. “A friend.”

“What friend could live here?” you snap before you are bowled over by a furry, black beast.

The dog’s three heads lick you all at once. They nuzzle their pointed wet noses into your neck. Its body is enormous, muscular and silky – the color of obsidian. 

“Cerberus!” he barks, tugging him away from you. “I’m sorry – I didn’t – “

But you’re laughing, bright and warm, as you climb onto your knees and wrap your arms around Cerberus’s neck. 

“He’s adorable!” you squeak, kissing one of his cheeks. 

He is momentarily silent, before he visibly relaxes when he realizes you’re fine.  He even chuckles and it sounds like smoke. Dark and heady. “That’s not usually the first thing people say when they meet him and – oh – it seems you’ve decorated him.”

You pull back to see that you have created garlands of brilliant pink blooms around each of the dog’s necks. They are bright against the black – startling. 

“It suits him,” Hades assures as you roughly rub one of Cerberus’s ears. 

You give him a sideways glance. His arms are crossed over his broad chest as he watches you with the guardian of the Underworld. 

“You’re humoring me,” you quip.

“Is it working?” 

You can hear him smiling, and it confuses you. 

He’s your captor. He has stolen your life. You don’t reply to him, instead you choose to press your face into the warm scruff of the dog.

“I would like you to be happy,” he insists. “I can hear you weeping in your room, little flower.”

You bristle at his pet names. He is cold. He is a King with only corpses for subjects. He took you from your mother. 

You stand, squaring your shoulders. Flowers the color of old milk appear -  ripe with the spoiled scent of rot. Moss shoots from the ground. Thorned vines spill from your fingers before they wrap around his legs and arms and across his cuirass. He steps back in surprise. 

“Don’t listen then,” you growl as you storm back to your room, Cerberus at your heels. 

**

Hecate comes to you to offer comfort. Her three faces gleam in the reflection of your mirror. She brushes your hair, runs her violet knuckles over your skin. The way she had done when you were a child and needed comfort.

“I cannot go home?” you ask, shoving your chin into your hands. 

“No,” Hecate replies with the echoing warble of her three voices. “It is…complicated.”

“Make a doorway then,” You brush a tear from your cheek. You were sick of crying. 

“It’s not that simple,” she murmurs. 

She smells like nightshade and the strong brew of herbs. She smells like your mother. 

Cerberus rubs one of his snouts against her thigh and she strokes his forehead. “Shouldn’t you be guarding something?” she teases as the dog yips.

“Hades gave him to me,” you shrug. “He takes up about half the room.”

“This dog has eaten thousands of men,” Hecate grins. “Isn’t that right?”

He wags his tail. 

Hecate rubs your shoulders. “You’ve only gotten more beautiful down here.”

“Maybe it’s because this place is hideous.”

It’s a lie. 

Hecate frowns. “It’s lovely in its own way. Hades will change it if you ask.”

“Why are you on his side?”

She wrinkles her brow, offended. “You don’t know the politics of this. You don’t know everything.”

You twist around. “Share it with me then. This includes me. I’ve just – just been kidnapped from everything I have ever known.”

“Hades is good,” she presses. “Far better than the other Gods that could have been chosen for you.”

“But -”

And then Hecate is gone – disappearing in a puff of glittering magic. She leaves the imprint of the moon on your bedroom floor.

**

You finally see Hades at his worst. You see why mortals fear him – why the Gods fear him. Why Zeus has banished him to his palace beneath the sod. He is his brother’s equal in all ways, though more calculating and less brazen.

He’s his match and you know that if he wanted to take over Olympus, he could. Your mother had said as much. Hades just doesn’t care enough to do it. 

You wonder what he does care about.

You accidentally get lost in Tartarus, which should be a near impossibility. It is a maze. It is deep: as far from the palace of the Underworld as the earth is to Heaven. You ignore all of Hades’s warnings about moving toward the core, past the relative safety of the upper levels of his world. You go through the doorways and down staircases you shouldn’t. Your feet get soaked in black, gooey sludge. There is old blood here. There are the howls of the imprisoned:

Titans who have been caged in the pit. Constant screaming from the mortals who have been damned to eternal torment.

King Sisyphus

Tantalus

Ixion

Arke

Ocnus

Kronos

Themis

Rolling boulders. Tubs with cracks. Vultures. Livers. Straw rope. Apples just out of reach. All tasks made for frustration and despair and humiliation. An eternity of futility.

They call to you. You feel invisible talons in your skirts – your flesh and bones – as they pull you into the abyss. The Fertility Goddess. The Life Giver. The Rebirth.

You hear a wail – high-pitched and frantic – and it takes you a minute to realize it’s coming from you. They cut into your legs, the soft flesh of your belly. You bleed ichor – pink and gold and shimmering as it flows through the divots in the stone floor for the damned to drink. 

You’re clawing at the floor, sprouting vines and coiling trees and poisonous flowers and still they drag you into the deep. 

You hope death will be easy. You hope it won’t be too painful.

And then the tunnel shakes – trembles with the fury of an earthquake. There is a blur of silver as you are ripped away from their grasping hands. Powerful arms lift you up and grip you tight before you are gently placed at the doorway to home.

Hades.

He roars, racing down into the darkness to punish and hurt and destroy. It’s a slaughter. There is the flood of blue light and you press your face into your lap and cover your ears. They cannot die. You know this. But, Hades is just doing it to do it.

Because they hurt you. 

You don’t know how long it takes. You don’t know how much time passes.

Finally, Hades returns to your side. He brushes your hair from your brow.

“Persephone,” he whispers and it’s full, packed with heat and concern and sorrow. He carries you back to your room, cradling you to his chest. He is shivering with a live wire of power. It’s overwhelming his system as if he had utilized far too much of it. He cannot seem to calm himself.

When he places you on your bed, he stumbles, falling to his knees before his hands are at the hinge of your jaw as he tilts his helmet to stare up at you. 

“Goddess,” he murmurs. “Sweet one – you are – they have hurt you.”

You peer down at the mess of your legs, your ripped dress. Your life force is streaming down your calves, painting Hades’s armor. There is a red handprint across his visor, which you know doesn’t belong to you. He tears his gloves off and you are stunned to see that his naked hands are lovely – they are golden and smooth and as big as he is. He runs them over the gashes and the gouges and the slit skin. He mutes the pain.

“What can I do?” he pleads. “What – how can I help you?”

You can’t find your tongue. There is fear – so much terror that is still choking your lungs and caging you in.

You try to catch your breath, calm the stutter of your heart. You screw your eyes shut. You see them still: pupils like rubies and emeralds and amethysts. Forked tongues and their seductive, gritty voices. Bones for fingers. Expressions slack with utter despair and hatred. The smell, though. The smell had been sewage and steaming innards. Brackish water.

“Breathe,” he soothes. “Breathe.”

You fist your hands into his cape and – despite it all – you fall into him. You push your nose into his throat as you cling to his neck. His arms slowly come around your shoulders, his fingers threading through your hair as he tucks you against him. There is the soft crush of peonies and warm honey and when you lean back, you realize that you have dressed him in flowers.

They look terribly out of place with all of his armor and the blood that still drips down his visor. Red and viridian and gold splattered on white-velvet blooms.

Blood from mortals and Titans alike.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper.

He tuts, a gentle noise of protest before he’s hauling you back into his arms.

“Don’t be,” he hushes you. “Get it out, little goddess.”

And then you’re sinking deeper into his embrace. He smells...oh he smells...not like death or blood or carrion flesh. He smells like juniper and mint and muddled incense. He smells like winter air. Frosty wind that burns the tip of your nose.

You can just make out the underside of his jaw - another flash of golden skin. 

“Your skin,” you remark softly. “It’s...I did not expect it to look like that.” 

“Like what?” His tone curious, charmed.

“The sun.”

Something ragged rumbles from his chest and he tightens his grip around you, hauling you flush against his armored body. 

You will hate him tomorrow, you think. You will find your fury when the terror subsides. 

**

Part II

[glitteringaglarond]

So there is not a lot of lore surrounding Beruthiel, and what there is has a very handy canon explanation of "she was erased from history books for being too crazy". (Her name was actually specifically erased from the book of kings, but we shall assume the erasure went farther because it's a very nice canon explanation for there being so little about her).

Queen Beruthiel was the "nefarious" wife of Tarannon, the 12th king of Gondor, who took the crown as King Falastur, aka King 'Lord of the Coasts', aka "I love the sea so much I decided to name my kingly self after it". Unfortunately for Beruthiel, she absolutely hated the sea. She hated the sight of it, hated the smell of it, hated the sound of it... so of course Falastur built his house on the edge of the bloody sea. She, like any reasonable Evil Queen, decided to live further inland in Osgiliath.

But more than just hating the sea, Queen Beruthiel also hated everything colorful and all "making" (aka creativity), and all elaborate adornment. She also hated her husband and hated her cats. The former is why they never had children, and the latter is why cats loved her. As they do.

(Honestly? Can we stan a Queen who is best remembered for the list of everything she hated?)

Beruthiel dressed all in black and silver (due to, as I mentioned before, hating color) and invented minimalism by living in "bare" chambers. She decorated her gardens with "tormented statues". Considering how little there is to know of her, this could have been akin to Nero's torches and her "statues" were actually living people/animals forced to pose in increasingly torturous positions. Or it could have simply been statues of beings in pain. But considering the fact that she hated the "making of things" which normal statues traditionally are the product of, well... ...

We don't know for sure other than that she decorated her garden with "tormented statues", but we do know that she was absolutely insane. And at this point it's just a question of exactly how crazy she was. We also know she tortured her cats, so really anything is possible.

She had ten cats, nine black and one white, that she enslaved. And this insane, goth, evil Queen was able to communicate with them and read their minds, so set them out to discover all the dark secrets of Gondor. She wanted to know everything that people wanted to keep hidden. Everybody both hated and feared her cats, cursing when they saw them pass, but nobody dared to touch them.

But spying on everybody in the kingdom wasn't enough for Beruthiel, so she also set her white cat to spy on her black cats and torture them.

In the end, Tarannon banished her for being crazy and set her adrift on the sea. She was last seen drifting away under a sickle moon, with a cat at the masthead and another as a figurehead on the prow of her ship. (Because if Queen Beruthiel is going to go out, she's going to go out in the most iconic, witchy aesthetic possible).

And while her name was literally erased from the book of kings, she made such an insane impact that nobody ever forgot her and nobody ever stopped talking about her, to the extent that Aragorn references her and her cats 2,000 years after she was banished and her name erased.

Shoutout to Tolkien for creating such an intricate lore that he can pull out random ass idioms and sayings such as “surer of finding the way home in a blind night than the cats of Queen Beruthiel.”