#casimir.01

[engineerzuleima]

“And sarcasm was necessary because?” She asks with a sigh, shaking her head and wondering on the social contexts and niceties that seemed to permeate noble society. Truly an useless and frivolous endeavor, but one she had to bear in order to keep her position protected. “She still resides within Lysara, so it’s less that I care for her opinion and more that this is information I must pass to the Agents. After all, she is no longer my Queen, is she?”

There is a pointed edge to her words that is quickly dismissed as she senses her shadow hounds return. Turning her head to face them, she sighs once more when she realizes they found nothing of use. 

“Any other cryptic yet ominous comment you would like to make before I depart, Casimir?” She asks as she turns to him with a quick movement. “I am awaited back in Eterna.”

"Sarcasm, again, Zuleima," both had been freed from the tenebrous grasp of Veilcrest for quite some time and yet it seemed she retained the wondrous humor and perception that stemmed from being of the Night. He'd noted the way she blinked, a tell of those who were once mortal when taken aback by some stretch of news, and he hummed idly. There was curiosity at her piqued interest, but Casimir knew to be careful; he needn't offend nor surprise her.

"It's nice to see you still value the idea of her opinion though; some things do not change." A bit more barbed than intended but it was a curious affliction to see how the idea of the Queen still affected her too.

[incubusnero]

Person: @casimirnoctis Location: Literally Cas's place

The moment they'd gotten back from that wild bird chase, Nero hadn't gone to his own home around the corner from Knight's Nectar, he'd gone to Casimir's place. Not for any sort of tryst, not even to just look at the disgraced prince and sigh wistfully, he was there for one reason and one reason only. Casimir's bathroom. Because it's not really a castle, the home, but it is incredibly lavish and while Nero liked to mock the nobles and all their riches, he would never balk at any gilding in a washroom. "All yours." Pants on, shirt in hand, towel in other hand, he strides into the master bedroom smelling like a combination of leather and bourbon.

[casimirtully]

|| upon a dornish garden. || 141 a.c.

The Reach and the Westerlands have left for war with the Iron Isles. The Dornish Peace summit appears to be for naught, for soon after their departure, the other kingdoms begin to leave for their respective regions. King Casimir Tully and his household are the last to depart from Dorne. While things are packed and prepared for the journey and ravens begin to arrive from The Reach, Casimir has sought out his bride-to-be, the Princess Loreza Martell, for an urgent discussion…

@lorczamartell

casimir: he’s asked to meet Loreza in one of the gardens of the Old Palace. having traded his Dornish clothing for something more fit for traveling -- and though he has learned to conceal his emotions since becoming king, there is an almost pained look in his eyes as he approaches her.

casimir: Princess.

casimir: he bows low, but it seems more formal than he has been with her in the past.

casimir: You must be eager to return to normal life here, but I’m afriad I have… a serious matter to discuss with you.

casimir: he straightens, unable to even force a smile, and looks as if he has been deep in thought for some time.

loreza: she hears of the prince's plan to meet her rather last minute. it's confusing, but welcome. the whole matter of their marriage has been so up in the air and she's starting to get antsy about the whole thing.

loreza: your grace? her head is tilted slightly, confused by his solemn look and tone.

loreza: there's a pit in her stomach. something is wrong, but she isn't sure what it is. return to her normal life here? but she's supposed to be leaving.

loreza: and what is it?

casimir: this is it, isn’t it? A moment he’s been dreading come to fruition. Loreza has been nothing short of kind to him, just as eager to learn about his people as he hers.

casimir: I…

casimir: he sighs, pausing for a moment. the words feel like hot metal in his mouth.

casimir: I have not yet brought this matter to your brother — as I believe it effects you more directly than it does politics. For now, at least.

casimir: he straightens his posture, shoulders stiff, and for a moment he looks young as he swallows — like a boy who is sorry.

casimir: Princess, I… I have been given an offer that I think I would be a fool to refuse.

casimir: he looks at her directly — he does not avert his gaze, he does not look away.

casimir: I’ve requested to meet you here today to… to ask you to release me from my promise to you.

loreza: her brow furrows. the way he seems so uneasy, how his words linger. she can feel it, something is about to go very wrong.

loreza: she raises her brows, silently telling him to go on.

loreza: oh?

loreza: what in all seven hells is that supposed to mean?

loreza: promise?

loreza: the princess's expression quickly goes sour. release him? it is more than a promise, this was no love match. it was meant to bring an alliance between their kingdoms, strengthen what was already there with what they've established in the reach.

loreza: with all due respect, your grace, a betrothal is more than a promise. it is a pact, an agreement. i would not be releasing you, it would be you who is breaking it. which you have the right to, as a king. but understand that this will not go over well with my family.

loreza: her tone is much kinder than what she can imagine her brother will be like. she's always been the peacemaker of her family, literally a diplomat. she doesn't want to be mean, but it would be a lie to say she isn't bothered.

loreza: a fool to refuse? so she isn't good enough, then. that stings.

casimir: the earlier hesitation is quickly gone from his face as he listens to her words. he had, at least, attempted to be kind — and it was not something she seemed eager to return.

casimir: I am the last person you need remind of what a betrothal is.

casimir: how green the palms seem against sandstone — more vibrant, even, in the garden pools. casimir: I am aware than anyone that it is more than a promise, Princess.

casimir: the boy is gone, and the king remains.

casimir: The pact in relation to our kingdoms and alliance is one I made to your brother. To you, I promised myself. But I am not in a position where I can simply do what I wish, and am bound by the crown the Rivermen placed upon my head. I have to put those men ahead of myself. Their families. Their lives.

casimir: he bows his head. he has made other promises — promises before Dorne. promises to people who are like family, and would protect him if he needed, and so he will do right by them where his father had not.

casimir: We might have been happy, Loreza. That is why I wished to speak to you first. As two people who might have… found peace with each other. But it is… bigger than two people. War echos on my boarder — so I must secure my boarder for the sake of my people. The details I am afraid I must reserve for my meeting with the Prince.

casimir: he tried. he did. but, trying? it did not seem to be enough for her. perhaps, maybe, it was better this way.

casimir: Frankly, Princess — I came to you today as a friend — more concerned with you — as a person — than of what your family may think. It is your choice and your choice alone if you chose to see me as such. Though, clearly, my hopes of retaining some semblance of that is not returned on your part.

casimir: the river king turns to leave, but then pauses. once more, he bows low as he did when he arrived. then, he turns and departs the garden.

[phnxz]

* privado 01 de 03 con. @casiang habitación de casimir !

psiquis se empieza a quebrar. en busca de mascota ha dado con otro tipo de animal, con su padre. en sus labios yacen los vestigios de esa discusión que sabe bien no ha terminado. phoenix prefiere no darle importancia, en este momento prefiere enfocarse en encontrar a bonham y carlos. también se ha mantenido alerta para poder dar con la mascota de su novio. ' ¿tuviste algo de suerte, mi vida? ' murmura desde el marco de la puerta, adentrándose para buscar al otro leo. ' yo no, pero volveré a buscar, solo vine por — ' palabras quedan a medio pronunciar, sintiendo una punzada en su estómago al ver el estado de casimir. ' ¿qué ...? ' su mandíbula se tensa. ' ¿quién te hizo esto? ' enojo comenzaba a burbujear en su interior, sentía que podía matar a alguien.

[vuldak-juneau]

“Aren’t all wars before our time?” she asked, lifting a brow. She found conflict to be relatively pointless, but unavoidable all the same. Even the longest, hardest-fought wars never brought much permanence in the change they supposedly inspired–just the heavy-handed enforcement of the pedagogy of the winning party and the slow, festering ire of the losing side. Until the next war, that was. “It never seems like the conflicts are original–they’re just the cyclical rehashing of old wounds… generational inheritances, as you say, so old history can’t trace them back to whatever the first slight at the heart of the conflict even was.”  She shrugged her shoulders, thinking him wise to walk away from his station if that were what he found to be the most compelling reason.

Juneau shifted where she sat, her body language changing and becoming more angled and tense as he took in her form in all of its various and minute details. Her facial expression changed. But it wasn’t a demure shrinking away from him, it was a stone-faced, headstrong look that let him know that her resistance to it wasn’t because she felt he shouldn’t, but because she had no desire to allow him that level of access to her. She didn’t seem to like his question any more than his method of appraisal, and so she did not answer him. Casimir clearly knew the answer anyhow, though it was doubtful that he understood just how little she assessed herself to be worthy of. 

Regardless of the supposed abundance of contracts, she worried she didn’t have the mettle to make it very far on her own. Someone with more years of experience might have pointed out to her that she’d brought herself up from someone very small through many years of negligence before she met Ivar and the skills she had learned under his overly critical, overly watchful eye would not dissipate once she found herself at a distance from him. The idea of leaving him behind was a breath of fresh air and suffocating all at once, and the fear of alone clung to her like a small child’s irrational, paralyzing anxieties about the dark.

The idea of running from Yggdrasildal’s finest hadn’t crossed her mind until he mentioned it. They didn’t strike her as much of a threat–she was good at looking unassuming and slipping by when it was necessary and to the best of her knowledge her face was still an unknown one amongst the rogues gallery of wanted smugglers. But the fact that Casimir read meaning into her statement where she truly wished she hadn’t concerned her grievously. Despite all of his, even if the dhampir walked across the fire ring between them, took her face in his hands, and forced her eyes open to reality, she would refuse to see it. Not on this night, not for many nights to come. “You ought to fix the look on your face,” she advised him coldly.

Casimir waved a hand, the action proved dismissive of the question, but the dhampir gathered the bare bones of any sufficient retort, "I don't wish to fight for wars that are long before my time." It would be difficult to explain the intricacies to Juneau in the time they had, nor did he feel it'd do any good; Lusacan, the Church of Night, his horrid uncle who was currently locked away in the Tower and the war Valerius attempted to instill upon Eterna, his fanatical mother who was Thee Vampire Queen. Really, it'd just be an overwhelming story that was chock full of too much personal details; being this shadow grifter was a much more important image for him to uphold with Juneau.

Casimir assessed her quietly, blood red hues panning over the entirety of her person as though indulging on each subtlety; the rise and fall of her chest, any uptick in her heartrate, the narrowing of her gaze. The dhampir abstained from laughing, merely shaking his head as a suitable action, "Have you never been offered anything merely because-" The question was redundant for Casimir had already presumed that was certainly not the case for Juneau; she was one who had to kneel within the muck and grime, use her teeth and claws to obtain anything she felt deserving of. A shrug is produced next, she needn't know the pathways Casimir had carved for himself in the frigid waste of a kingdom, but he'd wrought something out of nothing and was silently proud of such feat. "There's always a contract to cash in on, chances are I'll see you around," he didn't want to freak her out by saying he often cruised the city as a raven and would likely see her if she'd take the leap; baby steps and all that.

Casimir says little on her lack of trust - it's something any seasoned person in this field would respect and recognize, he can't hold that against her nor protest her reasoning. "Within the cisterns you'll find a tavern; that will take you to Loki's statue," Casimir reaffirms the location, it'd be hard to miss but he could sense her mild hesitancy towards the idea and hoped that a well-established route would warm her to the entire design of it all. He's amused at how Juneau tells on everything they both did not speak of; the elephant in the room that was Ivar. The dhampir's lips purse and his brows knit together, "No, from Yggdrasildal's law enforcement." Casimir makes a very I-told-you-so face as though he'd said anything to the contrary about Ivar and his temper.

[ao3feed-newsies]

Casimir Pulaski Day

by, orangesand_lemons by orangesand_lemons dear race. today is february 24th of 2024. outside, the sun is shining pretty brightly. it could just be me, but it feels boiling. yesterday, the nurse came by the house and told me she'd be staying for the next few days to monitor me instead of splint and i going in and out of the hospital every other day, but i know damn well that's utter bullshit. - Or, Albert passes away, and Race is learning how to cope with this Words: 1184, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken, Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies: The Broadway Musical! (2017) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Categories: M/M Characters: Albert DaSilva (Newsies), Racetrack Higgins, JoJo (Newsies), Splint (Newsies), Henry (Newsies) Relationships: Albert DaSilva/Racetrack Higgins Additional Tags: Character Death, Cancer, Based on a Sufjan Stevens Song, Song: Casimir Pulaski Day, Letters, Grief/Mourning, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Religious Guilt, Author Is Not Religious read : https://ift.tt/7xfM8Uc - August 03, 2024 at 01:17AM

[13melekradyo]

8 Haziran 2024 tarihli program kaydı.

Güncel modern kompozisyon kayıtlarından bir seçki // A selection of recent modern composition recordings. Download.

01 – Sofi Paez – Hammers 02 – Glacis – Under The Bare Sky 03 – Nathan Shubert – Maybe Borealis 04 – Burçe Karaca – Storm Medley 05 – Jakob Lindhagen – The Temporary Normal 06 – Julia Gjertsen – Lotus 07 – Simon Leoza – Camera Obscura 08 – Danny Clay – Part 4 09 – Matti Bye – Elegant Memory 10 – Seán Clancy - Four Sections Of Music Unequally Divided (excerpt) 11 – MIZU – Pump 12 – Diane McLoughlin & The Casimir Connection – The Slow Walk From Home

[murderousink23]

03/01/2024 is Baba Marta 🇧🇬, Beer Day 🍻🇮🇸, National Day of Gratitude 🇰🇿, National Fruit Compote Day 🇺🇸, National Horse Protection Day 🐎🇺🇸, National Peanut Butter Lover's Day 🇺🇸, National Pig Day 🐷🇺🇸, National Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss Day) 📚🇺🇸, National Day of Unplugging 🇺🇸, National Employee Appreciation Day 🇺🇸, National Salesperson Day 🇺🇸, Casimir Pulaski Day 🇺🇸, Self-injury Awareness Day 🇬🇧, St. David's Day 🇬🇧, Zero Discrimination Day 🇺🇳

[iona-tully]

Location: Dorne, Sunspear (Fowler estate/Riverlands’ quarters) Closed starter for @casimirtully​​

Heavy was the head that wore the crown. Iona had her reasons for resenting Grover Tully, and one of them was the way in which he never believed in Casimir, the way in which he had so insidiously instilled in her brother a sense of not being enough. No one was enough for Grover, she’d learned early on. The memory of that wretched, vile man still followed the Tully siblings in different ways and Iona worked to keep that ghost at bay as much as possible, to focus on the living, to focus on the brother and sisters she loved so dearly. And so her steps carried her to the king’s chambers prior to the family gathering for dinner.

She knocked on the half-open door of the room, peeking inside to find her brother scribbling something. Music, she thought, as it flew through Casimir’s blood in the same natural way rivers flowed through their homeland. “I hope I’m not interrupting a stroke of genius,” she said with a subtle smile, “Do you have a moment?”.

[brynnharper]

@casinsheepsclothing

She pulled up to the farm in her blue 1982 Volvo 240 DL. It was a piece of junk but the first car she had ever owned, and she maintained good care of it with the help of Javier and the twins in the auto body shop. She pulled out her dutch oven, which had cooled immensely since last night, and carried it a hundred paces to the front porch of the house. She placed it on the ground and rapped on the door, looking around, unaware if Cas was inside the home or out doing work. It was Sunday morning, so she hoped he had slept in or was still brewing coffee or something. 

Cas emerged from the opposite side of the house, having been doing god-knows-what, since his knees were filled with dirts and his boots were caked. She smiled at the man. “Hi. I hope you’ve been well. I made a mean batch of chicken and dumplings last night, a family recipe. I figure you can eat it for, oh, about a week if you want, or have a potluck and invite some people over to help you finish it off. I think you can add some fresh thyme of yours, too. Oh, I also have banana-nut bread in the car,” she said, pointing over her shoulder as she picked up the massive pan with both hands. Cooking and baking was something that had been ingrained in her from the beginning. She had tried to shed many things from the compound, but being taught that women had a duty to serve and feed and protect their families... yes, she was very family-oriented. But now she got to choose her family, and that was Kane and Javi, maybe even Gabriel her boss. 

She didn’t mind that she was a stereotypical woman in some ways, and believed that her feminism allowed her to embrace whatever parts of womanhood she wanted to, and deny whatever else she wanted. Cherry-picking, it was called. She had many good skills she picked up from the compound, many of which weren’t flexed here in Lethe, but cooking had always been calming. It was a shame her family wasn’t three times bigger with all the food she made, but at least she could send it to coworkers or families in need. After all, grieving people don’t want to stand in front of a stove all day making jam, or wait for a roast in the oven. So if she could help in any way, she wanted to be there for them. Funerals weren’t a daily occasion since Lethe was so small, and she liked that because she could give each ‘customer’ individual, undivided attention. This is how things were supposed to be. Lethe was Brynn’s haven.

[meadow-kerr]

Location: Southern Jewel Who: @casumbra​

It wasn’t often that Meadow was at the casino. It was usually because she had some sort of article to write about it- gambling wasn’t her thing. But because she had to go there from time to time and those visits usually lasted a decent amount of time she generally got to speak to a lot of the employees there and got to know them pretty decently. She wouldn’t go so far, necessarily, to say that she was friends with them but they were people she had gotten accustomed to speaking to whenever she was there. But it was very rare, oddly enough, for her to run into someone she recognized from the casino outside of the casino. But on that particular day as she was walking through Southern Jewel she spotted a familiar face from the casino- Casimir the floor manager. “Well, fancy seeing you here,” the fae greeted as she moved towards the warlock. “And here I thought you practically lived in the casino.”

[wanou-dorm]

HSA Oc - Zorion Mammon

the most Accurate is Dreads with the The Yellow Gradient

𝗕𝗜𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Name: Zorion Mammon 

Based on: King of Greed from Lobotomy Corp /,(Archer )Gilgamesh  from fate 

Race: Unknown but he’s definitely isn’t a Demon or Human . 

𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: Male

𝗔𝗴𝗲: 18

𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆:April 16

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻:Aries

𝗛𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: 210 cm

𝗘𝘆𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿: Green 

𝗛𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿: White with Gold 

𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗦

𝗗𝗼𝗿𝗺: Hollejigoku @sakuramidnight15

𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿: Second Year

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀: 2-B

𝗢𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Student and Nuance

𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯: Movie Club 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁: Social Media / Management 

Sexuality: Pansexual / Polyamorus 

Homeland:Alpha beta City 

.

𝗙𝗨𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗦:

𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱: Right

𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱: Just about Everything, The Greed  From other  beings .

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱: most food These Demons eat, Mayo 

Likes: Money, Gambling  ,satiating his hunger,  His friend(Knight of Despair , Queen of Hatred, Servant of Wrath )

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀:His Dorm Leaders strict attitude ( Smile for once Buddy ), Boredom ,”the insatiable hunger” , lack of Points(which he hoards often ) .

𝗛𝗼𝗯𝗯𝘆: Jewelry making

𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀:, inventing new ways to get Casimir, Cattleya to smile and Chillax on the spot, finances , Combat , Negotiation, Spotting Cheaters

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 and Backstory:

Zorion is a curious case Among Hollejigoku  Dorm in that he doesn't seen to be a Demon and is kind of offended when call that , He called himself the Embodiment of Happiness liking the idea of Making people happy and smile in his own Greedy way … Not that His Dorm Leaders Like his Attempt at Making them smile . Zorion took that as a Challenge .Zorion is generally incharge of catching  Cheaters and he’s got at Collecting thier Debts to .Zorion dose Respect his dorm leaders but not always . He is very very Vain  and If he catch’s a mistake He. Going to point it out .

Alpha beta City Is like Interstate hill on UBER STEROIDS , The City is Run by 25 Megacorparations that are divided by sector rand if your not Someone with a Decent Paying Job under one of the companies or have your own large Reputation you have a Large Change of being Killed, teleporting Train cars .That even Mentioning that the Cults that give random people Random Things to Do or they die, this not even mentioning Distortions Which many outside the  city think are overblots but no ink and May are still alive after longed the Distortion has taken place . It’s no wonder that Zorion and his Pals Like to embrace the Few Chaotic moments  they have Hollejigoku something you gotta just the cherish those moments .

If there on thing you shouldn’t do is leave his insatiable hunger unsatiated or make him mad unless you want see what Lobotomy Corporation Gameplay in Real time .  Hes Says It’s a Curse from the Light  also if he’s Sleeping in a Large Caccoon in his Room don’t .

Unique Magic 

"The amber gate gleaming with greed open

Witness , Road of Gold . “

 The Road of Gold -

A large golden  Door Appears behind Zorion and open,after which  weapons will appear  , This Unique Magic acts a storage Of sorts  for Weapon and Objects how Zorion can manipulate the Weapons he has . However this is Tiring and Makes him extremely  hungry .

Trivia:

The Incantation for Road to gold is the Line Said by King of Greed in Library of Runia the Direct Sequel to Lobo Corp. 

His Birthday Date is part of King of Greeds Subject Classification in Lobotomy Corporation O-01-64 

4 / 16 

His Friends are Twisted from the Other three Magical girls abnormalities , Queen of Hatered, Knight of Despair and Servant of Wrath. 

Not Waking him as well as Zorion Sleeping in a Caccoon is a Reference to King of Greed appearance in Lobotomy Corporation before Breaching in Which She become a Grotesque Angler fish like Creature .

He has Tendency to refer to people he dosent like as  Mongrels .

Despite his Flirtatious tendencies he says “ No one in this Dorm is my Type and everyone here is kinda Ugly “

He is First To back up someone if Their Falsely accused .

He doesn't like Dorm uniform says it needs more gold.

 I do think The Magical girls from Lobo Corp would Fit the vibe especially since they have a Card Suit Motif.

He preferred Weapon is a Large Gauntlet called Gold Rush another Lobo Corp reference .

He was going to Be much more  annoying and absolutely hate  the Dorm leaders. 

It’s mostly unknow what Race he and. His Friend it’s just known thier not humans and are Offended by being referred to as Demon

Voice Claim :

Gilgamesh

Theme Song:

Enuma Elish

[sufjanlive]

2005-07-14 Morning Becomes Eclectic, KCRW, Santa Monica, CA [Audio]

Sufjan Stevens 14 July, 2005 Morning Becomes Eclectic, KCRW, Santa Monica, CA USA

Sources:

FM capture > FLAC

WEB, MP3 downloaded from http://www.kcrw.com/music/shows/morning-becomes-eclectic/sufjan-stevens and split with mp3splt-gtk

Quality: A This radio session was recorded the day before the Illinois tour started. Note that the lossless and lossy recordings shared here come from different sources. The lossless one is an FM capture (sounds brighter, but also has more hiss), while the lossy one was downloaded directly from the KCRW site (no hiss, but sounds a bit more muffled at a lower bitrate).

01. [Intro] 02. Casimir Pulaski Day 03. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts 04. Chicago 05. Interview 06. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. 07. A Good Man is Hard to Find 08. Jacksonville 09. [Outro] Download: FLAC / 128 kbps MP3

[agrcn]

Casimir certainly had a way with words. It wasn’t surprising given who his mother was. Agron had never been afforded the luxury. Not until Valerius had appeared did he truly find his purpose. Becoming a Blademaster had been a necessary stepping stone that he wouldn’t have changed for the world. He wished for the Warriors’ Guild to still accept him after this, but Casimir’s words made him feel like that wasn’t the case. Agron had some semblance of hope that his fate would not be as grim as the other was making it out to be. There was a bear as he listened to Casimir, but none of it was fully being retained. Unsurprising given how much he was looking forward to this. He understood the other’s reluctance to participate though. What reason would he have to march against the Tower? There was a fucking diamond encrusted spoon in his mouth. Again, he had the luxury of not being filled with anger and being able to make the choice to not come with.

“If that’s all you have to say…” Agron paused and looked at Casimir. “I’ll take my leave now. If I see you again or don’t see you again, this was my decision. Remember that well.”

A Child of the Night, Casimir was literally born to take the helm of violence and be constructed as a soldier for Lusacan's beliefs. An outlier in the Noctis home, each of his siblings had blood on their hands, dressed in armor and fitted with weaponry, but Casimir could only curl his lip in distaste at the idea. He'd been reared in the Church of Night, uttered its sermons and excerpts, understood the draconic tongue, but still the young heir could not be roused to fight and die for something that may not ever be a tangible truth again. Lusacan's crypt remained somewhere within the dirt of this realm, a draconic god that was meant to bring back everything Queen Lavinia and her war generals dreamed of; the cataclysm and the chaos that plumed from it.

He couldn't pretend he'd ever understand the wrath which melded with pride in the face of a heron's mark. The talent and violence Agron could breed merely from wielding a blade whereas Casimir's own talents resided in his mind and the arcana studied. Privilege of such advancements and medicine were not lost on the Shade, but he would leave them behind if it meant he was not to betray himself.

His eyes grazed over Valerius' prized soldier, someone who was ultimately preened for this life but someone who did not falter. One who jumped at the opportunity to cull and maim, murder and conquer. Perhaps there was honor in a warrior's death but Casimir was not interested in learning such fate when his life had barely begun. All within Veilcrest, the technology Queen Lavinia kept shepherded away from the rest of Lysara, was something vital to Casimir but he'd lived little in the rest of this Queendom's regions and it was time for him to do so without the inheritance of a legacy to breathe upon his spine.

Casimir stood tall as the strigoi stepped closer; he'd never known the struggle of hardship nor the grit of Lysara's underbelly. He'd known the rampant craving for blood, the perpetual itch in his throat and yet somehow he was disarmed of this urge to storm the battlefield and kill, "May you feel peace as you go from this life, Agron." Simple as the freshly exiled heir bit his tongue, resigned from the fight, and abandoned his place as a member and soldier for Lusacan's ideology. "And may the vitriol that teems within you shed with each Lysaran you cull under your marked blade."

[moon--wakearchive-blog]

@glxtzy || Starter Call

       Fluffy paw paw pads scrapped along the concrete sidewalk as Lucy trotted diligently beside her painfully uncomfortable and out of place owner as they clumsily made their way through the winding and over-crowded streets of New York City. He had been born in London, which was, arguably, just as dreary and populated as New York, but it had been years since he had set foot in the bustling city, having moved to a small town in what might as well have been the middle of nowhere to most people, almost a decade ago. And America was almost entirely foreign to him so being launched into New York during his very first trip to the country was bound to be overwhelming for the nervous painter, especially when one took into account the fact that he had never been outside of his homeland before. Needless to say, as his constant wringing of Lucy’s old leash in his calloused and paint-stained hands alongside his shallow breathing would imply, he was dreadfully nervous and more than just a bit terrified. Even more so because he hadn’t been able to bring Aeron with him - Aeron didn’t exist, for all intents and purposes, and he couldn’t bring someone out of the country who didn’t have a passport or get one. So he’d opted to bring Lucy along as his plus one, but, well, she was a dog and not exactly helpful. 

         Inhaling the thick, smog-coated air through his nostrils in an attempt to quell the tremor of his heart, he glanced downwards at the map he’s crinkled to hell and back again that was clutched between his fingers. He had the number of the agency that had hired him, of course, but he was too nervous to text or call them to ask for directions when he had not only mistaken the employee they had sent to greet him for a stalker, but had always fled from him when he tried to catch up with him, which was, sadly, not the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to him in entire life, but was most certainly up there (it was Aeron’s fault - he had gone out of his way to point out how dangerous he had heard New York City was so he had assumed the worst). God, he hoped that poor man wasn’t searching the streets for him still. But his sense of direction had never been fantastic to begin with, and being shoved around by sweaty bodies in a loud city wasn’t doing him any favors. 

      Committing the bold lines to memory, he shoved the map back into his pocket and resisted the urge to call Aeron for help because, well, he was thousands of miles away and would probably just laugh at his misfortune anyway. “Don’t w-worry, Lucy, w-we’’ll be fine,” he exhales, though judging from the chipper wag of the collie’s bushy tail, she didn’t need his pathetic attempt at reassurance. Well, at least someone was enjoying this trip - they might have been paying an arm and a leg to have both flown him out here and paid him for his work, but Casimir was seriously starting to regret accepting this job. It wasn’t as if he cared for fame, and if he didn’t have Aeron or Lucy to care for, he wouldn’t have concerned himself so much with money to begin with. But he was here now, and he might as well make the most of it - assuming he could actually find anything in this accursed city.    

          Spotting a stranger standing off to the side near a cafe, he gathered up what little courage he still possessed after the incident of the airport and weaved his way out of the crowd to make his way over to them. Clearing his throat in hopes his voice wouldn’t fail him, though, truth be told, with his stutter it likely wasn’t going to do him much good anyway, he offered a warm smile to the other before forcing out the words, “U-um, excu-use me, I’m sorry, but...I’m lost. W-would y-you help me, please? I’m sorry.” Maybe if he apologized enough times the stranger would take pity on him - he already looked ruffed up enough from the flight over, after all. 

[jessread-s]

Allied (Ruined, #3)

Book Review: Allied by Amy Tintera

Rating: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ (4.0)

The following review is spoiler free. 

Review: Allied is the final book in the New York Times bestselling Ruined series, which I started in early June. It was sad knowing that the series would be coming to a close, but I couldn’t resist zipping through Allied. 

What Worked:

01. The character development. As Tintera’s series came to an end, I took the time to reflect upon the development of all of the characters I know and love. From the very beginning, the main character Em demonstrated her ability to be a great leader. It was fantastic watching her grow from someone full of revenge and hatred to a woman valuing logic and reason. Though she is “Useless” in Ruined standards for not having gifted abilities, it was heartwarming to watch the community look past that and embrace her differences. 

Casimir grew up in a life of luxury as the Prince of Lera and as readers we got to see him grow as a person after experiencing the loss of his parents. Rather than repeat history, Cas made the decision to go against everything his parents stood for in order to be the King his people needed. Dealing with the trauma of attempts on his life, the pain of nearly losing his country, the fear of going to war, and the heartbreak that came with losing his parents, it has been a pleasure watching Cas grow and develop into a strong and just King who only wants the best for his kingdom. 

At the beginning of the series, Aren was a very closed off, tough individual. Dealing with the loss of his parents and the pain of his battle scars, it made sense for Aren to build up walls. As the series progressed, I enjoyed getting to know the real Aren, who is strong, goofy, and very conscious of his own abilities. Rather than abuse his powers, Aren uses them for good and I wouldn’t have known this without other characters like Iria and Galo who were able to break down those walls. I really love who Aren turned out to be and I am so happy he was able to find love and create such a beautiful friendship with Galo.   

02. Like the last novel, Allied includes new perspectives. I loved getting a glimpse of Galo’s life as a soldier. The additional perspective helps to lay out Galo’s family situation and also explains his loyalty to Cas and what his relationship with Mateo is like. In this novel, we also receive Iria’s point of view. While I don’t think Tintera necessarily needed to include it, I will say that it was fun to see things from the perspective of another strong, independent woman. 

03. The villains. I won’t give away too much, but Tintera spent a lot of time creating the antagonists in the story and it was entertaining to see them in action. I appreciated that they did not back down from their twisted points of view and did not change no matter how much the protagonists wanted them to. 

04. As a whole, Allied deals with many complex topics such as genocide, war, toxic living situations, painful relationships, coming to terms with trauma, forgiveness, responsibility for one’s actions, and loss. I really appreciate how these topics were woven into the storyline along with bits of humor and romance. I think that there is a lot to be learned from this series and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who love young adult books. 

What Didn’t Work:

01. The buildup to the end. I was expecting that KABOOM moment where everything is complete and utter chaos. I didn’t really get that from this book. I felt like it was smooth sailing all the way to the end. I did really enjoy how things ended, but seeing that the entire book built up anticipation of a war, I was expecting to feel more on edge. 

02. The final battle was a bit lacking. I don’t want to say much about it, but I will say that it occurred within the blink of an eye and did not give me the goosebumps that I expected. I wanted more from Em.

03. There were many dry patches in this book that dealt with side adventures such as saving a minor character that was kidnapped or plotting to win the war against Olivia. I felt like I was watching the characters constantly travel back and forth as they discussed different strategies that didn’t even work by the way. I just felt that there was maybe too much filler. 

Jess Approved?: ✓ Review posted to Goodreads

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