#clan golden guardian

[pestilentbrood]

will you accept this offering?

[iguanodont]

How do birgs stylize their artwork to make the subjects seems ‘divine’ or ‘angelic?’ Like how in earthen cultures, wings, halos, golden glows, and sometimes other animal features and extra limbs are added to make something seem ‘godly.’ What’s the birg equivalent to that?

Depends on the culture. The central Twowi religion believes all gods and spirits originate from an “inverted world” that hangs above the material world, and represents this by drawing divine entities with upside down faces. Perfectly round faces also invoke the forms of celestial bodies, considered the heads or eyes of these beings peering through the vaulted ceiling of the sky. Many satellites of the Twowi also use the upside-down head motif, but it is usually only a seasonal aspect of gods that change form and role with the shifting seasons.

Lower right depicts a “moon consort” priest, which I hope to expand on in its own post eventually. Their garb resembles the body of a black avian, and they serve as astrologers and guardians of hibernating clans.

The “centaur” god is a common and versatile figure in Kakroum belief systems, embodying strength, protection, and virility.

[mirrormazeworld]

Twst Analysis and Findings Why Crowley isn't Malleus's Dad, Unpopular Chapter 5 Diasomnia Twst Theory

While 99.9% of people seem to be convinced that Crowley is Levan, I'm that 0.01% who is still not convinced yet because there are some things that I found really odd if Crowley is Malleus's dad. So odd that this post itself has become a long post.

If you search for something and want to read where Crowley isn't Levan/Malleus's dad, then this theory and analysis is for you because here I'll explain some points for your considerations before jumping to conclusions, though I'm not sure if anyone will care about what I write and hear this small opinion at this point.

1. Heavily implied "another dragon from another country"

In Diasomnia chapter 4, it's said from Lilia's dialogue that "Draconia clan are the descendants of the dragons". All this time we might think that "Draconia are the only dragon in Twisted Wonderland" but in chapter 5 it's revealed that Draconia aren't the only dragon in Twisted Wonderland because there are other dragon clans from faraway country.

Malleus's dad, Levan's title is 竜眼公 in Japanese and it can be translated literally as "Dragon Eye Lord" or "Longan Lord". (More about his title, you can see it in my previous post)

If we see it the way like how longan fruit is named, (龍眼) either 龍眼 or 竜眼 still have the same meaning, but the only difference is 龍眼 is from Cantonese while 竜眼 is from Japanese.

But the main points in common are : They are both "Dragon Eye" and "Eastern Countries"

Which means there's a high possibility that Levan is a dragon from the longan clan/eastern dragon clan.

What's more interesting is that Lilia seems to be very fond of this "Long/Eastern Dragon" that he wants to spend the rest of his life there in their homeland. Out of all the countries he can and had ever visited, why did he choose "Red Dragon Country" in particular?

In first Halloween event Diasomnia also went with the theme of Long and it's revealed that it was Malleus's idea himself with Lilia providing more information about the Eastern Dragon Country culture and the Longs. And then there's that one dialogue said by Lilia himself in the Halloween Event :

"In fact, one such Long became a family's guardian spirit"

It is somehow similar to Levan who has been like a guardian to Meleanor and his draconia family, as her husband, her Left General alongside Lilia (Right General), and her most trusted person (Meleanor's Eyes and Limbs)

If it's not a subtle information but also kind of important that it's heavily implied many times just like Malleus who froze the time in Endless Halloween then I don't know what it is.....

2. Discarded Character Concept (?)

In twst exhibition there's an initial concept art of Crowley where he seems to have a similar theme and is somehow grouped with Diasomnia. It's because he had the same color as that of Diasomnia, even you can see the thorns on his leg and arm which as we know, is the symbol of Diasomnia/related to Draconia family (Sleeping Beauty Squad)

However, if we compare Crowley's old design and his original, usual one, in the design of the Crowley that we know now, twst seems to actually change every Diasomnia/Sleeping Beauty concept out of him and replace it all, from "thorns" to "mirrors" and "golden keys", and leave only the "corvid" part of him.

The question is, Why did Yana and twst team go into such trouble to change him all the way?

In Diasomnia Chapter 4 it's revealed that "Briar Kingdom has two castles : Black Scale Castle (Briar Valley's Main/Capital Castle) and Wild Rose Castle (Meleanor's Castle)

Diasomnia chapter is heavily tied with Wild Rose Castle rather than Black Scale Castle and places the main casts of Diasomnia chapter in Wild Rose Castle rather than Black Scale Castle and wrote Meleanor as Princess rather than a Queen. I know Diasomnia chapter was written with Sleeping Beauty as its story frame, and Meleanor is supposed to take the role of Maleficent in that story, but the question is why they created two castles and used Wild Rose Castle as the main background of the story rather than just create and use one castle, and give the title "Princess" to Meleanor and not a "Queen" since Maleficia, Malleus's grandma is the Queen? In the original and older version of sleeping beauty by Brothers Grimm, "Maleficent" is depicted as a Queen who is jealous of Talia (Sleeping Beauty) and not a Princess. It's as if they want to separate what is "exclusively Diasomnia chapter" from Briar Valley/Briar Kingdom itself.

This is honestly only my personal opinion, but based on these facts, the only logical, possible explanation I can think of is because they want to give this Diablo/Diaval's role to this Lord Longan so that Crowley can play a more bigger role rather than just a diplomat/messenger, and thus, discarded the old Crowley concept and made it invalid.

Thinking the old design as the valid source of information means that you want to tell people that "Epel with skirt and Idia as the little brother are canon" but are they now? Do twst used that concept in the end? Does Epel wear skirt in game and Idia is Ortho's little brother? Of course not, and you already saw it yourself that Yana already discarded that idea completely.

3. A seemingly Disastrous Chronology if Levan is Crowley

With the given information from in game, I want you to think with logic here :

Lilia is 700 years old. NRC gave him a letter of acceptance 500 years ago, but then he ripped it, and then Levan taped it back and stored it in royal archives. Silver said they are in Lilia's dream from 400 years ago and as we know this is when the war between faes and Silver Owl occurred, and at that time it's said that Levan was missing.

Now what I find odd is : if Levan is Crowley, then who sent the NRC acceptance letter to Lilia? We all know the Headmaster is in charge of student admission just like how he permitted Yuu and Grim to become NRC students, sending letters to people acknowledged by dark mirror, persuading Kalim's family, letting Ortho enroll even though he is an android and so on. And if Crowley is Levan, he wouldn't be able to do his job as Headmaster in Land of Dawning because he would need to be present in Briar Valley by Lilia's side to tape back the letter Lilia had torn to shreds.

Keep in mind that there are no official exact years and number from twst itself how long Crowley had been headmaster of NRC yet but from Diasomnia chapter it's clear that NRC already existed back then far before the war between humans and fae.

This one is just my personal opinion, but I'm more convinced that Crowley was the one who cast complex, ancient spell on Grim and therefore, know something about the extremely rare overblot incident that seems to always happen in NRC (and so we heard his voice summoning Yuu and said "we are all running out of time" in the prologue") and so he is tied more heavily to book 8 (Ramshackle/NRC) after Diasomnia if it does exist in the future than book Diasomnia.

Both The Watcher from Island of Woe (Idia's family) and the primeval spell that casted on Grim which seems to be similar to Shroud family's curse were from when the nature of overblot was not known yet and was considered as natural disaster, dated back to the "Age of Gods" which is approximately 1000 years ago.

But then you might think "Oh maybe Crowley had lived that long and pretended to be Levan to play his role." This is impossible because Lilia, Meleanor and Levan are childhood friends and well, Lilia said it himself that they were still children, besides Lilia is 700 years old and not 1000 years old.

Therefore I don't think Crowley is Malleus's Dad, Levan. But if someone said "Crowley was Maleficia's (Malleus's grandma) subordinate, then I can believe them because that way it will be possible for him to exist since the Age of Gods.

And perhaps this is also the reason why Yana and twst teams purposely wrote Diasomnia story with two castles and used Wild Rose Castle as the main background scene in the story rather than just created and used one castle, because they do wanted to separate it and created a place exclusively to tell Diasomnia story so it wont disturb the other plot of the other story and create a plot hole as a whole.

And so that's all the many reasons why I don't think Crowley is Malleus's Dad. Unless someone can answer the questions that had been swirling around my head because of how absurd Crowley is Malleus's Dad theory is which I had been marked with red color in this post and explained it logically or the official told it themselves then I won't be convinced.

[rippleclan]

RippleClan: Moon 65

Clammask gives birth to three healthy mollies not long after Halibutdusk gets greencough. Worried, Clammask decides to name them early.

[Image ID: With Halibutdusk in the background sporting + CONDITION: GREENCOUGH under them, Clammask faces three newborn kits; one red tabby, one white tabby, one black tabby. Under the red tabby, it says NEW PLAYER: POTTERYKIT, 0, FEMALE, SELF-CONSCIOUS. The white kit says NEW PLAYER: MOONKIT, 0, FEMALE, QUIET. Lastly, the black kit says NEW PLAYER: VERVAINKIT, 0, FEMALE, FEARLESS. Under Clammask, it says - CONDITION: PREGNANT, + CONDITION: RECOVERING FROM BIRTH.]

Somehow, giving birth to three kits was more exhausting than five. Perhaps it was all the stress of recent moons; Scrubmask’s death, three of Clammask’s four kits coming down with food poisoning, casually seeing Halibutdusk only to become pregnant… that was a lot for one molly to handle! Add in the fact that the moon did not shine over the Clans on the first day of autumn’s third moon when Clammask felt a familiar pain in her gut, and Halibutdusk was stuck in the quarantine den with a loud case of greencough, how could she not be stressed?

This kitting was shorter, thank StarClan. It was still nightfall when Clammask cleaned off her last little kit and helped her snuggle up to her belly. Oilstripe, Tallowkit, and Slushkit had vacated the nursery for a while to give Clammask room to kit, but Lemmy, her belly fat against her thin frame, still slept inside, dreams undisturbed by the new life born to the Clan. The only other cat in the nursery was Troutpool (Clammask simply couldn’t ask her own son to help deliver her kits, it felt so strange!). 

The head cleric carefully examined the three mollies at Clammask’s side while the golden molly caught her breath. The first was red with markings that reminded Clammask of her father. The second-born kit was white, with pale gray rosettes along her back. Although she was still slick from birth, Clammask could tell she would be long-furred in the future. The youngest looked so much like Drumtooth that Clammask was taken aback for a moment.

“They all look very healthy,” Troutpool said, stepping back. She placed her dirty bowl (once full of strengthening medicine for the kitting) and the broken stick Clammask bit into a basket at the den’s edge. “I don’t notice any deformed limbs or other issues. I… I won’t try to predict their future this time.” Clammask licked each kit’s head. None of them looked like her lost golden daughter. Perhaps that was for the best. “Do you still want me to perform that ceremony we discussed?”

“It would make me feel better,” Clammask sighed. Troutpool nodded and stuck her face into her basket. She took out a tiny jar; the gouges carved in for teeth holds left little room on the inside. She peeled off the thin leather lid trapping the contents. The jar was full of dirt. Troutpool sprinkled a bit of dirt over each kitten’s back. Each was too caught up in the shock of being alive, mewing and nursing, to really care.

“Dustfur, Celestial of the Newborn,” Troutpool prayed, setting the jar at Clammask’s head, “you taught the Clans not to mourn the stillborn and those taken before they even got a chance to see the faces of their kin. You were the one who revealed to us how StarClan accompanies litters on their way to the Clans and return to Silverpelt when their time is done. One of Clammask’s kits was one of these StarClan guardians. We do not know what awaits these kits in the coming quarter moon, but we ask you, give them souls of their own. Allow them to grow into strong and proud individuals who will make RippleClan proud. Do not taunt Clammask once more by taking a kit away. Allow them all to live, Dustfur. Give us your celestial blessing.” The ritual done, Troutpool licked the dirt off the kittens, sneering at the taste. 

“If one of your daughters is a StarClan warrior,” Troutpool explained, “performing this ritual so soon after their birth may allow them to become cats of their own, rather than a protector for the others.” Clammask nudged her little mollies back to her belly, purring as they cried outrage at yet another grooming. “When you feel strong enough, we can move you to a fresh nest and get rid of all this dirty moss. Do you need anything else?”

“Maybe a leather pelt over my back?” Clammask asked. “It’s a cold night.”

“I’ll also have Mosspounce build a fire outside the den when he wakes up,” Troutpool promised with a nod. She touched noses with Clammask and trotted off. 

With a few moments alone in the nursery, Clammask stared at her daughters. Halibutdusk’s daughters too. Scrubmask wasn’t one to hold grudges, Clammask doubted she would be mad at her for finding another mate. But was she right for Halibutdusk? Her feelings for them were not a perfect match to her relationship with Scrubmask. Perhaps it was because she grew up alongside Halibutdusk, shared every heartbreak and celebration alongside them. Scrubmask was a whirlwind that pulled Clammask into a new life, a new family. Halibutdusk had just… always been there. They were the ocean, forever licking the shore, something whose absence Clammask could not imagine.

She prayed she would not have to live in that absence soon.

“I’ll warn you now,” Troutpool said, entering the den with a stitched-up pelt thrown across her back, “your sons are chomping at my tail to see you.” Troutpool threw the pelt over Clammask’s haunches.

“Send them in,” Clammask purred.

“We can come in? Finally!” Honeybuzz and Splashtuft shoved their way into the nursery, bumping shoulders to get a better look at their new siblings. Leathermask and Drumtooth lingered behind them, trying to catch a glimpse from the side. Honeybuzz and Splashtuft almost knocked Troutpool over.

“Is that all of them?” Leathermask gasped, squirming between his two boisterous brothers.

“They’re all mollies,” Clammask purred. “How funny is that?”

“Big brothers for little sisters,” Drumtooth hummed, finally managing to get into the den by shoving Splashtuft’s big flank to the side.

“I don’t suppose you can let me out?” Troutpool chuckled, slipping her basket around her neck.

“Sorry, Troutpool,” Splashtuft chirped. He moved to the side and knocked Drumtooth against the den wall. Troutpool left before she became the next victim of the litter’s excitement.

“How do you feel, Mom?” Honeybuzz asked. His clerical eye studied Clammask’s messy nest and the newborn shine on his sisters’ pelts.

“Very tired,” Clammask admitted, “but very happy. And I'm a little nervous if I’m honest.” Clammask nuzzled her daughters once more. “I want to do something, but I’m afraid you may judge me a little, Honeybuzz. I know I should wait to name them, like Scrubmask and I waited to name you four, but I don’t want to do that this time around. I want them to have names now.” Clammask was right; the enthusiasm in Honeybuzz’s face froze as he tried not to let it drop.

“Don’t do that,” Drumtooth huffed, appearing on the other side of the pack and shoving Honeybuzz’s shoulder.

“If you want,” Clammask sighed, “you can help name your sisters. We can keep it between the five of us for now.” 

“Really?” Leathermask gasped softly. “Honeybuzz, let’s name the red kit first!” Honeybuzz squirmed a bit, but joined his brown-furred brother in study of their red-colored sister.

“Could we call her Redkit?” Honeybuzz suggested.

“That’s such a boring name,” Splashtuft scoffed. Clammask couldn’t help but laugh at that. He looked so much like Scrubmask in that moment.

“Troutpool left something behind,” Leathermask pointed out. The small jar with the ritual dust still sat at Clammask’s head. “Huh. The jar is the same color as the red kit’s fur. What if we called her Potterykit?”

“I approve,” Clammask purred. “Let your other brothers name the white molly.” Drumtooth squirmed closer to Splashtuft and they turned their gaze to the long-furred kitten.

“I want to name her Moonkit,” Drumtooth said.

“But our Clan’s guide is called Moonpaw,” Honeybuzz reminded him. “That feels… wrong, in a way.”

“StarClan isn’t going to ban the use of a prefix for the rest of history just because of one cat,” Splashtuft scoffed. “I like it, Drumtooth. Potterykit and Moonkit.”

“But what in the world do we call the last kitten?” Leathermask sighed. All four brothers leaned so close to the black molly, they were practically touching Clammask’s belly.

“I can’t think of a single good name for her,” Splashtuft muttered.

“Nightkit?” Leathermask suggested.

“How many black cats in history have been named Nightkit?” Drumtooth said. “Don’t we want our sister to stand out?”

“Stormkit, Butterflykit, Oysterkit…” Honeybuzz muttered. “Hootkit?”

“Hootkit?” Splashtuft laughed. “Do you want apprentices to make fun of her at Gatherings?”

“Hear me out, hear me out,” Drumtooth said, his soft voice catching his brothers’ attention. “Vervainkit.”

“But vervain is purple,” Splashtuft said.

“And drums are brown,” Drumtooth pointed out. “Vervains are pretty flowers. Something about their color reminds me of her.”

“Potterykit, Moonkit, and Vervainkit,” Clammask declared. She leaned over and nuzzled all of her kits, toms and mollies, newborn and adult. “Welcome to the family.” All four toms purred deeply.

“Do you think Halibutdusk will be upset that we named the kits without them?” Drumtooth wondered. 

“To be fair,” Splashtuft chuckled, pulling back, “we don’t have to tell them.”

“I know you all said you were happy for me,” Clammask said, shuffling tighter around the newborns, “but I want to be sure here. They aren’t a replacement for Scrubmask. I wasn’t trying to do that.”

“We know, Mom,” Honeybuzz promised. “We’ll still love the kits. We’re happy to have little sisters to care for.” Clammask’s purrs took over her entire body. Her sons gathered around her and groomed her tired pelt as she soaked in the joy.

(Clammask: 59, female, caretaker, righteous, lore master, good teacher)

(Halibutdusk: 57, nonbinary (they/them), warrior, gloomy, masterful storyteller, clever)

(Troutpool: 26, female, cleric, insecure, ghost sense)

(Honeybuzz: 13, male, cleric, daring, constantly fiddling with tools)

(Splashtuft: 13, male, historian, adventurous, fast runner, student of art)

(Leathermask: 13, male, warrior, nervous, great speaker, good fighter)

(Drumtooth: 13, trans male, caretaker, loyal, great hunter, clever)

(Potterykit: 0, female, kit, self-conscious)

(Moonkit: 0, female, kit, quiet)

(Vervainkit: 0, female, kit, fearless)

Lavendertwist works with the AshClan historians to make a proper record of the Rippling Ashes (Darkkick, Weedfoot, and Paleseed) and their exploits in the Dark Forest.

[Image ID: Lavendertwist and Splashtuft face a black rosette apprentice. Under her, it says NEW PLAYER: MITEPAW, 7, FEMALE, INSECURE, QUICK TO MAKE PEACE.]

---

“It’s hard to believe our former leader would grow to hate us so much…” sighed Minkshine, an AshClan historian. She and two other historians, Blackmist and Comfreytoe, sat along the AshClan border while Lavendertwist and Splashtuft lounged on their side, sharing tongues with their forest counterparts. It was sunhigh, after all, and if the group was going to spend most of the day describing the official story of the Rippling Ashes, Lavendertwist and Splashtuft were going to relax.

“When you’re stuck in your ways like he was,” Lavendertwist sighed, “friends can quickly become enemies.”

“So Autumnstar used his Dark Forest powers to curse AshClan…” Blackmist muttered, grooming Splashtuft’s long fur as he spoke. “So many of our friends and family died because of him… their names have to be recorded in the story. All of them.”

“Ah, name memorization,” Lavendertwist chuckled, squirming. “My old nemesis.”

“I can handle that,” Splashtuft chirped. “Start listing out names, Blackmist.”

“Actually,” Comfreytoe groaned, glancing back into the trees of AshClan, “we’re still waiting on someone. She should be here before we continue.”

“Who’s our special guest?” Lavendertwist asked, leaves crunching underneath him as he rolled onto his back. 

“Someone who needs a fresh start,” Comfreytoe sighed.

“It’s still hard to believe Eelstar and Barkfur agreed to this,” Blackmist muttered, letting Splashtuft take a turn grooming him, “but if Mitepaw can find some peace from it, so be it.”

“Mitepaw?” Lavendertwist hummed.

“I’m here!” a young voice gulped. While Lavendertwist heard the cat crunching leaves under her paws and panting, he only saw her once she stood in front of a pale bush. She was one of the blackest cats Lavendertwist had ever seen, with even blacket rosette markings. Pale yellow eyes bounced between Lavendertwist and Splashtuft. Bouldersong, one of AshClan’s caretakers, joined the small apprentice.

“RippleClan,” Bouldersong purred, placing his tail on the apprentice’s back, “I would like you to meet Mitepaw. She would like to join your Clan.”

“What?” Splashtuft gasped, sitting up so quickly that his head smacked Blackmist’s jaw. 

“Both of her parents died as a result of the chronic frostbite that kept infecting our older Clanmates,” Minkshine explained as Mitepaw rubbed a paw deep into the leaf litter. “She’s struggled in our Clan ever since. We believe that in order to give her a fresh start, she needs to leave our home for another. Since RippleClan’s developed a reputation for accepting wayward apprentices, we thought she would fit in well with you.”

“Eelstar is letting one of his apprentices join RippleClan?” Lavendertwist scoffed. “I thought he hated us.”

“His opinions are more nuanced than you’d think,” Comfreytoe insisted. “Mitepaw is an artisan apprentice. She has a knack for woodwork and should take to your Clan’s crafts well.”

“You really want to join us, Mitepaw?” Splashtuft asked. He risked crossing the border to approach the small apprentice. Since no one clawed his ears off, he kept going. “This isn’t a decision you can take back.” Mitepaw hesitated, words getting caught in her mouth. She looked at her Clanmates, as though waiting for someone to snap at her. She swallowed hard.

“I don’t like AshClan,” Mitepaw said. “Everyone is grieving. It makes it hard to breathe. I don’t want to grow up in a Clan that’s carrying such hurt with them.” The AshClan historians grew lost as Mitepaw explained herself. No one countered her claim.

“I’m sure Downstar will welcome you, then,” Splashtuft purred, touching noses with Mitepaw.

“You can always talk to your old Clanmates at Gatherings, Mitepaw,” Bouldersong sighed. “I hope RippleClan will be better for you than we have been.” Bouldersong licked Mitepaw’s ear. The young apprentice purred softly. She left Bouldersong’s side and joined Splashtuft.

“So you’ll take her to your camp when we’re finished here?” Minkshine asked.

“Absolutely,” Lavendertwist promised as Splashtuft led Mitepaw across the border. “We have just the mentor for her.” 

(Lavendertwist: 31, male, historian, playful, great singer, good storyteller)

(Splashtuft: 13, male, historian, adventurous, fast runner, student of art)

(Mitepaw: 7, female, artisan apprentice, insecure, quick to make peace)

[Image ID: Rapidleaf, Asterpaw, and Elmsprout stand behind Mitepaw as she listens to Rattlepelt say, “It will be better for you to live in a Clan that is loyal to its members. You’ve escaped a rotten place, Mitepaw.”]

Later that day, as RippleClan buzzed with sunset activity, Mitepaw took in the sights of her new home. The shipwreck was so tall! Despite the late autumn cold, the sand felt warm from the sun. Even the air felt lighter in RippleClan! This was the right choice, Mitepaw was certain of it. There was a glimmer in everyone’s eyes as they surrounded her following her new apprentice ceremony. She soaked it all in as she stood beside her strange and famous new mentor; Rattlepelt. 

“Mitepaw!” A long-furred gray molly made her way to the front of the crowd of unfamiliar faces. A brown molly and a silver tom followed close behind.

“Hello,” Mitepaw chirped softly, bowing to the strangers. 

“No need to bow to your Clanmates in this Clan!” the silver molly said. “You’ve probably heard about me. I’m Elmsprout.”

“Oh, Eelstar’s daughter,” Mitepaw gasped. She took Elmsprout in a second time; she could see Eelstar’s color in Elmsprout’s darker tints. “Your father’s told the kits about you.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” Elmsprout chuckled. “He and I have… an awkward relationship. I wanted to make sure I could talk to you after your ceremony, because I’ve been where you are. We all have. We’re a bit of a Clan-within-a-Clan, you could say. We’ve all left our original Clans to join RippleClan. This is Rapidleaf and Asterpaw.”

“I’ll show you how to adapt to life in RippleClan,” Asterpaw promised, raising his tail high.

“Leaving my Clan was hard for me as well,” Rapidleaf said with a nod. “Like you, staying in LynxClan would have been too painful. RippleClan has built itself on second chances. Elmsprout befriended me as we both recovered from a bought of food poisoning a few moons ago, and we’ve both looked after Asterpaw since his arrival. If you need help, we promise to look after you, too.” 

“That’s…” Mitepaw purred, her whole body rippling, “that’s amazing!”

“It will be better for you to live in a Clan that is loyal to its members.” Oh, right! Rattlepelt was still standing there! She was so unlike any other cat Mitepaw had ever seen. Who else would have the courage to wear a fox pelt? She looked more like a fearsome warrior than the talented artisan Lavendertwist and Splashtuft made her out to be on the walk to RippleClan. “You’ve escaped a rotten place, Mitepaw.”

“I’m excited to learn under you, Artisan Rattlepelt,” Mitepaw said, bowing once more.

“Mitepaw, we don’t bow here!” Elmsprout laughed.

“Leave her be,” Rattlepelt scoffed. “If she wants to bow and use honorable titles, let her. It’s nice to be respected. Now Mitepaw, how would you like to learn the intricacies of leather-making from a master?” Mitepaw’s eyes sparkled. Learn to craft a leather pelt with the quality and skill of Rattlepelt’s fox fur? Learning in a Clan so bright and welcoming, under a mentor that was clearly wise and strong and clever, better than her old mentor in every way?

“Yes please!”

(Mitepaw: 7, female, artisan apprentice, insecure, quick to make peace)

(Elmsprout: 32, female, caretaker, charismatic, helpful insight)

(Rapidleaf: 84, female, warrior, lonesome, prophecy interpreter)

(Asterpaw: 12, male, caretaker apprentice, thoughtful, has lots of ideas)

(Rattlepelt: 48, female, artisan, bloodthirsty, leather artist)

Tallowkit reminds himself it will all be okay while Slushkit chews on a stick.

[Image ID: Tallowkit says “She won’t choke, she won’t choke…” as he watches Slushkit. Under Tallowkit, it says + NEW SKILL: SPLASHES IN PUDDLES. Under Slushkit, it says + NEW SKILL: QUICK WITTED.]

(Tallowkit: 1, male, kit, skittish, splashes in puddles)

(Slushkit: 1, female, kit, polite, quick witted)

Scaleripple and Tempestshade officially become mates.

[Image ID: Scaleripple and Tempestshade face each other. Under Scaleripple, it says + MATE: TEMPESTSHADE. Under Tempestshade, it says + MATE: SCALERIPPLE.]

---

Scaleripple couldn’t help but be in awe of Troutpool and Honeybuzz’s skill. When he had found Tempestshade half a moon prior, leg encased in a shimmering silver jaw, he had been certain it would have to come off. Yet there they were, half a moon later and still possessing four legs, even if one was so bandaged and slathered in ointment that it could hardly be called a leg. Honeybuzz had changed the bandages not so long ago, but Scaleripple could already see dots of blood leaking through. Not that Troutpool and Honeybuzz would notice; no, when Scaleripple visited Tempestshade that day, the Clan had a bit more exciting news to swallow.

“Our instincts are never more controlling than when a queen is kitting,” Troutpool explained to Mosspounce, waiting eagerly outside the den as she and Honeybuzz collected a few supplies into a basket. “Lemmy will know what to do with her kits, but she’ll need spiritual and emotional support. We’ll be with her the entire time, Mosspounce.”

“Are you sure Tempestshade can’t join us?” Mosspounce groaned, glancing around Troutpool to Tempestshade, whose nest sat in a quiet, warm corner of the medicine den. Scaleripple sat beside her, ice-faced and observant. “I want my kits to meet all of their kin.”

“Mosspounce, your kits won’t be able to meet anyone for a while,” Honeybuzz laughed. He slipped the basket around his neck. “They’re born with their eyes and ears shut. They’ll get to meet Tempestshade in the future, don’t worry.”

“But I wanna meet them,” Tempestshade whined. They laid sprawled across the nest, mangled leg carefully frozen on the edge. Their dark green eyes lacked some of their usual sparkle, devoured by the pain.

“You will, I promise,” Mosspounce said. Honeybuzz joined Mosspounce outside the den and the two trotted to the nursery. Troutpool, however, lingered, eyes wandering to Scaleripple.

“Will you be okay while we help Lemmy?” Troutpool asked.

“I won’t die,” Scaleripple growled. He laid in a loaf against Tempestshade’s nest, ignoring Troutpool’s gaze. Tempestshade chuckled, a soft, almost feverish sound. Troutpool shuffled her paws about.

“I didn’t want to have that vision,” Troutpool gulped. “I thought revealing it would spare Tempestshade a guilty verdict and protect RippleClan. I wouldn’t use StarClan to hurt them.”

“Did I say that’s what you did?” Scaleripple scoffed, daring to look up, even if Troutpool’s awkward expression made his skin hurt. “You don’t need to explain yourself. You just have to live with making Tempestshade a living omen of death.” Troutpool bowed her head low, closing her eyes. She followed her former apprentice and Mosspounce to the nursery, where Scaleripple could already hear Lemmy panting with the effort of her kitting.

“You showed her,” Tempestshade mumbled, purring. Scaleripple stared at Tempestshade. Why were they seemingly the only cats who truly understood the other? Scaleripple’s family loved him, he was certain of that, but did they know him like Tempestshade? Did they understand the strange way he worked, which separated him from everyone else? And did anyone else in the Clan dare to face the blunt of Tempestshade’s curse just to spend time with them? Did they appreciate their youthfulness, their honesty, their loyalty? From everything Scaleripple knew, two cats who were as close as he was to Tempestshade could only be called one thing.

“Tempestshade, are we mates?” he asked. Tempestshade cocked their head. A little life came back to their eyes.

“Haven’t we been mates since the summer?” they laughed. Oh. Well then.

“Maybe so,” Scaleripple purred. He rested his head on the edge of Tempestshade’s nest, a whisker length from their nose. Tempestshade hummed happily. They stretched and quickly touched noses with Scaleripple.

For once, Scaleripple didn’t mind.

(Scaleripple: 18, male, warrior, lonesome, formidable fighter)

(Troutpool: 26, female, cleric, insecure, ghost sense)

(Mosspounce: 26, male, caretaker, adventurous, talented fire-starter)

(Honeybuzz: 13, male, cleric, daring, constantly fiddling with tools)

(Tempestshade: 26, nonbinary (they/them), caretaker, childish, incredible cook)

Mosspounce wants to be a father with different motivations than his own, and feels proud when Lemmy delivers four healthy kits.

[Image ID: Lemmy and Mosspounce watch four newborn kits; a tortoiseshell, a black molly, a silver molly, and a gray tabby. Under Lemmy, it says - CONDITION: PREGNANT, + CONDITION: RECOVERING FROM BIRTH. The tortoiseshell says NEW PLAYER: WEEVILKIT, 0, FEMALE, BULLYING. The black molly says NEW PLAYER: RAVENKIT, 0, FEMALE, SWEET. The silver kit says NEW PLAYER: SILVERKIT, 0, FEMALE, DAYDREAMER. Finally, the gray tabby says NEW PLAYER: WOLFKIT, 0, FEMALE, POLITE.]

(Mosspounce: 26, male, caretaker, adventurous, talented fire-starter)

(Lemmy: 41, female, codekeeper, cold, deep StarClan bond)

(Weevilkit: 0, female, kit, bullying)

(Ravenkit: 0, female, kit, sweet)

(Silverkit: 0, female, kit, daydreamer)

(Wolfkit: 0, female, kit, polite)

Downstar is almost intimidated by the knowledge Asterpaw has gained in his short time in RippleClan and confidently names him Asterblaze.

[Image ID: Asterpaw, now Asterblaze, is an adult! Under him, it says LEVEL UP! ASTERPAW -> ASTERBLAZE, HAS LOTS OF IDEAS -> CONSTANTLY FIDDLING WITH TOOLS.]

(Asterblaze: 12, male, caretaker, thoughtful, constantly fiddling with tools)

While Troutpool and Honeybuzz are on patrol, Troutpool sees strange shimmers in the distance. They encounter a kittypet who grew up with old stories of RippleClan and wanted to raise her kits in the wild. Troutpool and Honeybuzz help welcome five more kits to the nursery.

[Image ID: Troutpool and Honeybuzz approach a brown and white molly and five kits; one light brown, two red, and two brown, all with white markings. Undee the mother, it says NEW PLAYER: HARVEST, 53, FEMALE, NERVOUS, GOOD FIGHTER. Under the light brown kit, it says NEW PLAYER: ANCHOVYKIT, 0, MALE, CHARMING. Under the upper red kit, it says NEW PLAYER: CURRENTKIT, 0, MALE, POLITE. The second red kit says NEW PLAYER: ROBINKIT, 0, MALE, UNRULY. The first dark brown cat in the upper corner says NEW PLAYER: YARROWKIT, 0, FEMALE, NOISY. The last brown kit says NEW PLAYER: BILLOWKIT, 0, MALE, BOSSY.]

(Troutpool: 26, female, cleric, insecure, ghost sense)

(Honeybuzz: 13, male, cleric, daring, constantly fiddling with tools)

(Harvest: 53, female, queen, nervous, good fighter)

(Anchovykit: 0, male, kit, charming)

(Currentkit: 0, male, kit, polite)

(Robinkit: 0, male, kit, unruly)

(Yarrowkit: 0, female, kit, noisy)

(Billowkit: 0, male, kit, bossy)

[the-pea-braned-warlock]

Do you like Setra's title?

Great King

the Imperishable

Khemrikhara

The Great King of Nehekhara

King of Kings

Opener of the Way

Wielder of the Divine Flame

Punisher of Nomads

The Great Unifier

Commander of the Golden Legion

Sacred of Appearance

Bringer of Light

Father of Hawks

Builder of Cities

Protector of the Two Worlds

Keeper of the Hours

Chosen of Ptra

High Steward of the Horizon

Sailor of the Great Vitae

Sentinel of the Two Realms

The Undisputed

Begetter of the Begat

Scourge of the Faithless

Carrion-feeder

First of the Charnel Valley

Rider of the Sacred Chariot

Vanquisher of Vermin

Champion of the Death Arena

Mighty Lion of the Infinite Desert

Emperor of the Shifting Sands

He Who Holds The Sceptre

Great Hawk Of The Heavens

Arch-Sultan of Atalan

Waker of the Hierotitan

Monarch of the Sky

Majestic Emperor of the Shifting Sands

Champion of the Desert Gods

Breaker of the Ogre Clans

Builder of the Great Pyramid

Terror of the Living

Master of the Never-Ending Horizon

Master of the Necropolises

Taker of Souls

Tyrant to the Foolish

Bearer of Ptra's Holy Blade

Scion of Usirian

Scion of Nehek

The Great

Chaser of Nightmares

Keeper of the Royal Herat

Founder of the Mortuary Cult

Banisher of the Grand Hierophant

High Lord Admiral of the Deathfleets

Guardian of the Charnal Pass

Tamer of the Liche King

Unliving Jackal Lord

Dismisser of the Warrior Queen

Charioteer of the Gods

He Who Does Not Serve

Slayer off Reddittras

Scarab Purger

Favoured of Usirian

Player of the Great Game

Liberator of Life

Lord Sand

Wrangler of Scorpions

Emperor of the Dunes

Eternal Sovereign of Khemri's Legions

Seneschal of the Great Sandy Desert

Curserer of the Living

Regent of the Eastern Mountains

Warden of the Eternal Necropolis

Herald of all Heralds

Caller of the Bitter Wind

God-Tamer

Master of the Mortis River

Guardian of the Dead

Great Keeper of the Obelisks

Deacon of the Ash River

Belated of Wakers

General of the Mighty Frame

Summoner of Sandstorms

Master of all Necrotects

Prince of Dust

Tyrant of Araby

Purger of the Greenskin Breathers

Killer of the False God's Champions

Tyrant of the Gold Dunes

Golden Bone Lord

Avenger of the Dead

Carrion Master

Eternal Warden of Nehek's Lands

Breaker of Djaf's Bonds

Which one :)

[ap-kinda-lit]

Saiyan Squad AU (part 1) ⭐️

The Saiyan homeworld is Sadala (because Planet Vegeta is ridiculous), but its capital city is Vegeta, where, of course, the royal family resides. Sadala itself is a conglomerate of Australia, Asia, and Africa and the Saiyans are a mishmash akin to the Spartans, Celts, Aztecs, and Mongols. Sadala is pretty much like a space version of Australia: it’s a chaotic death trap from its climate and wildlife to its inhabitants. The Saiyans are made up of clans and have a feudal system, but they all serve the one ruling monarch.

Saiyans act as mercenaries and hunters. Like Predator, they are best known for traveling galaxies to find worthy opponents to fight. They’re feared and reviled as a race of barbaric savages.

They also look more animalistic: they have pointed ears, sharper teeth, claws, and some fur on their bodies.

Saiyans have had a feud with the Cold Empire for a very long time. At one point, they were allied together but the Cold Empire looked down at the Saiyans and began to subjugate them, so the Saiyans started resisting which led to all out war. When Frieza came to power, he amped up the war. He killed King Vegeta III but spared his young son, Vegeta III, to make the boy his puppet king/child hostage.

The city of Vegeta’s center is where the royalty live, while its outskirts is made up of the slums the third class inhabit. This is where Raditz and Kakarot are born and live with their parents Gine and Bardock. Gine serves as a cook to the troops and the residents while Bardock is a captain of his own troop. Gine and Bardock both teach the boys about hunting but Bardock is mostly in charge of their combat training. The boys start their formal training at five-years-old and are put in the same unit as young king Vegeta.

Raditz is the atypical rough and crass Saiyan boy, but Kakarot is another story. He inherited Gine’s kind heart and good nature, making him seem as weak by most Saiyans. He’s unfortunately treated as an outcast and subjected to bullying from his peers. However, he’s passionate and hard-working and wants to become a great and strong warrior, like his big brother and dad, so he’s committed to training hard. It pays off and he makes enough progress so that when his father Bardock talks with the higher-ups he’s able to convince them to put Kakarot on the same unit as Raditz and Vegeta under Nappa, Vegeta’s guardian.

The Saiyan-Frieza feud reaches its turn years later, when Vegeta approaches age fifteen. By then, he’s old enough by law to rule on his own and he’s determined to break free from Frieza’s grasp. As Vegeta begins to secure his independence and throne and wiggle free, Frieza has become fed up with the Saiyans and sees them as a genuine threat. The final nail in the coffin is when he and his men consult the Kanassans on the future of Frieza’s reign. A Kanassan oracle foretells that Frieza will meet his end at the hands of a golden warrior, presumed to be the legendary Super Saiyan. Frieza straight away comes up with a diabolical plan.

To everyone’s surprise, Frieza not only agrees to Vegeta ruling independently, he also agrees to signing a truce with the Saiyans and ending the bad blood for good. In celebration, a formal coronation is held for Vegeta along with ecstatic festivities all over Sadala. Every Saiyan is recalled back to homeworld for the momentous occasion. However, Bardock and his troop stumble upon Frieza’s real plan: to get all the Saiyans together in one place, make them vulnerable, and destroy them all along with their planet altogether. Bardock’s team is attacked and killed to quiet them but Bardock survives and despite being wounded he races to tell everyone and save his family.

Bardock barely makes it back in time. Just as he’s warning the others, Frieza’s soldiers attack and Frieza himself forms a Death Ball to strike at Sadala. Saiyans desperately try to fight back and escape, but many are killed by Frieza soldiers and many more as the Death Ball collides and the planet begins to destruct. Bardock fights on while trying desperately to find his family.

During Sadala’s destruction, Gine and teenaged Raditz and ten-year-old Kakarot manage to find a pod, but it can only fit two of them. Gine makes the boys get in and go without her, assuring it will all be fine (she knows she’s probably not going to make it, but at least her children will be safe). Sadala finally explodes into oblivion just as Raditz & Kakarot make it to safety. Bardock barely makes it out in time. Gine doesn’t make it.

The Saiyans are thusly reduced to the brink of extinction as only a few thousand remain. Surviving Saiyans flee to a desolated planet to recover. This includes Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz, Kakarot, and Bardock (who barely made it out in time). Because of his wounds, Bardock is put in a comatose state in a healing tank for a few days.

In spite of the loss of Sadala and the majority of the Saiyans, Vegeta swears revenge on Frieza. All remaining Saiyans are ordered to group up and spread out across the galaxies. The war against the Frieza Empire is to continue by any means necessary. Saiyans resort to whipping up secret settlements on planets and fighting back via piracy and guerrilla warfare. The endgame is to tear down Frieza’s empire brick by brick and, ultimately, kill Frieza himself.

Vegeta calls on Raditz and Kakarot to join him and Nappa on his quest to hunt and kill Frieza. Vegeta initially doesn’t want to include Kakarot, whom he deems a liability, but acquiesces.

Frieza puts out a bounty on each and every remaining Saiyan, most of all on the “so-called King of Saiyans” Vegeta.

And so, the Vegeta Force moves out. But they become known as the “Saiyan Squad”. Vegeta and Raditz don’t like it, but Kakarot thinks it’s a cool name.

[northirish]

Hey Mike you should drink some water today! Big font! 💧

I, Settra, the Great King, the Imperishable, Khemrikhara, The Great King of Nehekhara, King of Kings, Opener of the Way, Wielder of the Divine Flame, Punisher of Nomads, The Great Unifier, Commander of the Golden Legion, Sacred of Appearance, Bringer of Light, Father of Hawks, Builder of Cities, Protector of the Two Worlds, Keeper of the Hours, Chosen of Ptra, High Steward of the Horizon, Sailor of the Great Vitae, Sentinel of the Two Realms, The Undisputed, Begetter of the Begat, Scourge of the Faithless, Carrion-feeder, First of the Charnel Valley, Rider of the Sacred Chariot, Vanquisher of Vermin, Champion of the Death Arena, Mighty Lion of the Infinite Desert, Emperor of the Shifting Sands, He Who Holds The Sceptre, Great Hawk Of The Heavens, Arch-Sultan of Atalan, Waker of the Hierotitan, Monarch of the Sky, Majestic Emperor of the Shifting Sands, Champion of the Desert Gods, Breaker of the Ogre Clans, Builder of the Great Pyramid, Terror of the Living, Master of the Never-Ending Horizon, Master of the Necropolises, Taker of Souls, Tyrant to the Foolish, Bearer of Ptra's Holy Blade, Scion of Usirian, Scion of Nehek, The Great, Chaser of Nightmares, Keeper of the Royal Herat, Founder of the Mortuary Cult, Banisher of the Grand Hierophant, High Lord Admiral of the Deathfleets, Guardian of the Charnal Pass, Tamer of the Liche King, Unliving Jackal Lord, Dismisser of the Warrior Queen, Charioteer of the Gods, He Who Does Not Serve, Slayer off Reddittras, Scarab Purger, Favoured of Usirian, Player of the Great Game, Liberator of Life, Lord Sand, Wrangler of Scorpions, Emperor of the Dunes, Eternal Sovereign of Khemri's Legions, Seneschal of the Great Sandy Desert, Curserer of the Living, Regent of the Eastern Mountains, Warden of the Eternal Necropolis, Herald of all Heralds, Caller of the Bitter Wind, God-Tamer, Master of the Mortis River, Guardian of the Dead, Great Keeper of the Obelisks, Deacon of the Ash River, Belated of Wakers, General of the Mighty Frame, Summoner of Sandstorms, Master of all Necrotects, Prince of Dust, Tyrant of Araby, Purger of the Greenskin Breathers, Killer of the False God's Champions, Tyrant of the Gold Dunes, Golden Bone Lord, Avenger of the Dead, Carrion Master, Eternal Warden of Nehek's Lands, Breaker of Djaf's Bonds… and many, many more titles… Do not need water, I look great.

[snapmite1998]

Nightsister Great Mother: Syla, the Enchantress of the Abyss

Background:

Great Mother Syla is a venerable and powerful Nightsister who sits alongside Mother Talzin, Klothow, Lakesis, and Aktropaw. Her mastery of the dark arts and her profound connection to the mystical forces of Dathomir set her apart as a formidable leader and wise counselor within the Nightsister hierarchy. Her ancient knowledge and exceptional sorcery make her a guardian of the Nightsister clan's deepest secrets and most potent spells.

Appearance:

Syla exudes an aura of otherworldly power. She is adorned in a flowing robe of deep midnight purple, almost black, decorated with intricate patterns woven from golden threads. These patterns depict mythical creatures and ancient runes that shimmer with dark energy. Her headdress is crafted from the bones of ancient beast lizards and adorned with obsidian-colored feathers that cascade down her back, adding to her commanding presence.

Her eyes glow with an ethereal light, shifting between hues of green and violet, a testament to her deep connection with the arcane. Her skin carries the marks of ancient rites, with glowing tattoos that represent her bond with the spirits of the Abyss. Her long, dark hair is often braided with talismans and enchanted stones that amplify her powers.

Powers and Abilities:

Great Mother Syla's abilities are vast and formidable, reflecting her status as one of the foremost practitioners of Nightsister magic:

1. Abyssal Sorcery:

- Syla has explored the darkest depths of Dathomir's magic, allowing her to wield spells that can control shadows and channel the primordial forces of the Abyss. Her sorcery can create portals, summon dark entities, and envelop enemies in shadowy tendrils.

2. Ancient Rites and Rituals:

- Syla is the keeper of ancient Nightsister rites and ceremonies, ensuring that these powerful rituals are passed down through generations. She conducts dark ceremonies that can enhance the abilities of her sisters, bind spirits, and unleash catastrophic spells.

3. Spirit Conjuring:

- Syla possesses the rare ability to commune with and summon powerful spirits from the Abyss. These spirits can serve as guides, protectors, or harbingers of doom, depending on her needs. She can also channel these spirits to heal or empower her sisters.

4. Mastery of Illusions:

- Syla can create powerful illusions that deceive even the most perceptive foes. She uses this ability to conceal her clan, create false images, or terrify her enemies with nightmarish visions.

Role as Great Mother:

Syla’s role within the council of Great Mothers encompasses both leadership and mentorship. She oversees the training of young witches, passing down the darkest and most potent spells to those who show promise. Her wisdom is sought in matters of strategy, magic, and the spiritual well-being of the clan.

Great Mother Syla is often consulted in times of dire need, particularly when the Nightsisters face threats that require the most powerful and forbidden of spells. Her calm and composed demeanor belies the immense power she wields, making her a central and stabilizing force within the clan.

Legacy:

Syla is deeply committed to preserving the Nightsisters' heritage and ensuring their survival amidst the galaxy's tumult, more so after the Nightsisters' previous massacre at the hands of General Grievous and his droid army. She works tirelessly to safeguard their secrets and to empower her sisters through knowledge and magical strength. Young witches look up to her not only as a mentor but as a symbol of the depth and mystery that embody Nightsister magic.

Through her leadership and guidance, Great Mother Syla, the Enchantress of the Abyss, remains a pillar of strength and knowledge, ensuring that the Nightsisters remain a formidable and mystical force within the galaxy. Her presence within the council of Great Mothers reinforces the Nightsisters' unity and their unwavering resolve to protect their way of life.

[palushiemalis-fr]

dergtober -- day 17 -- Lost

Sabrathan’s tail flicked to and fro as she craned her neck over the window ledge, the rest of her long body reclining lazily on the chamber floor. She shook out her antlers, they tinkled with the small bells and the festive streamers she had tied to it for the celebration. She sighed, she was beginning to tire of them now.

She watched her clan mates fly and twist in the cloudless sky to the tune of ecstatic horns, flutes and drums below. The sun was setting on the last days of the Mistral festival and soon they would return to the light territory. Sabra didn’t feel ready to leave.

She glanced at the satchel she had brought over, once heavy with sunbeam fig treats, dried sour strawberries and pelagas bark tea. She had brought a lantern fashioned from painted paper and filled with glowing Reedcleft Sparklers. There had been golden tortoise shells and ferret pelts strapped to to her bags that had clinked and flapped the entire flight over. Now all traded for scrolls.

She had read every one of them as soon as she could; poems, treatise, hatchling doodles and all sorts of wonderful insights into the Cloudsong’s ways. Yet she didn’t recognise a single one. No poems about abandoning hatchlings or apology letters to her directly. She was a fool. All she wanted, she had to admit, was two words. Just two words. ‘Moon Road’.

“Scuse’ me.”

Sabrathan lifted her heavy head to see a little Spiral fledgling tugging at her mane. She smiled, it was one of the little ones of the Wind clan who were hosting them. She was covered in swirling colourful face paints and smiling with a toothy grin.

“Yes? Can I help you?”

“Ondran said that Lea said that Amble said you had sticky june bug sweets.” She handed over a scroll smudged with facepaint, “Can I trade you for some?”

“Of course you can!” Sabra laughed and pulled out a small bag of dried june bugs coated in toffee, “Here you go...!”

The Spiral beamed and immeadiately began crunching on it before scampering out the chamber, returning only to pop her head through the chamber door to thank her and scurrying away again.

Sabra idly toyed with the seal on the scroll; maybe it was better to leave them unopened, she thought, she wouldn’t leave on a disappointed note. She looked out the window and saw the spiral now clumsily flying through the air, sharing out her toffee bugs to her nest mates. She gave her a wave and Sabrathan chuckled.

What’s the festival without trying to take a chance and have a bit of fun?

She broke the seal and unfurled the bamboo paper. No doodle or spring haiku, just a map. She furrowed her brow as she read over the blotchy green ink, it wasn’t easy to parse but the location wasn’t that far off from where she was staying. She checked her compass, South-West on an Islet in Singer’s Brook.

She strapped on her satchel and jingled her antler bells again for good measure before leaping from the window into the air. Soon a small party of her clan mates and hosts joined her as she sailed in the air. The face painted fledglings looped around her until they waved her off. What better way to get into her home-flight spirit than take off on an adventure...?

After she had left the Cloudsong, the melodies and drumming became distant and she could only her the gentle tinkling of her bells. An hour or two passed and the sun had sunken into twilight. Reedcleft sparklers lit up her descent, disturbed from their perches but the gust from her large wings.

“Here we are...” She whispered to herself.

The islet felt like a whispering place. A place didn’t demand quiet, but inspired it.

Statuettes of spirit guardians sat on the edge of the brook that forked around the islet. Frogs, axolotls, cranes and kitsune, all eyeing her in the luminous nightfall. A small shrine lantern covered in moss sat nearby, long abandoned and worn. She ought to leave an offering before she took off, she thought. She curled up under a willow and caught her breath from the journey. Its fronds hung over her and formed a little shelter, it felt cozy under the dimming skies.

She wondered if there was anything special about this islet, other than the fact it was as serene as it was. She laid her head down, perhaps flying out so late wasn’t the wisest idea. But she could lay down to sleep in this unclaimed territory until morning.

The Moon rose over head and the stars began to wink into focus. Then, a fwoosh. A blue flame woke in the shrine lantern. Sabra almost jumped up before she noticed another then another all lighting one after another. She hadn’t noticed the other lanterns encircling the islet, some were broken and half sunken into the moss. Yet they lit up all the same.

She got up and wandered to check on them, perhaps this was a sacred place and she ought to move on with an apology to the spirits. Then, she spotted the tomb stone. An upright stone, covered in chickweed and sandcreeper. Perhaps she could make amends by clearing it from its face to allow it to be legible.

She pulled off the foliage gently with her claws, trying to mind the stone beneath.

- Tomb of the Moon Road Clan - Our Souls rest before their journey into the stars, carried on the Great Singer’s winds...

Sabrathan’s mouth fell open. The silence that had haunted her life where her family should have been wrapped around her in that moment. Every prayer for a memory of understanding beyond the words left to her as a young hatchling, ‘Moon Road’, had been answered by the silence she was engulfed by.

She read the names by starlight. Of course, she recognised no one, she had been so young after all. To be found carried on a storm to the Hewn City ruins, the only words she knew was ‘Moon Road’ she had parroted until she was ready to learn to read.

She had her answer now. A heavy, thudding, painful answer, a heavy burden to carry home. She wept, throwing herself at the bottom of the tombstone. She sobbed until the crickets stopped singing. Sabrathan finally ran out of tears and heaved a rattling sigh.

She didn’t feel heavy at all. Something had lifted from her chest, and the journey home would be the easiest it had ever been...

[pestilentbrood]

holy Crap is that the purple g

[linkspooky]

first of all i'd like to thank you for your incredible analyses, i always look forward to reading them!

my question is, what do you think might be the reason behind gojo's outfit resembling toji's as he goes on to fight sukuna who is possessing megumi's body? (my apologies if you've already answered an ask similar to this)

have a good day/night!

Yes, I think there is a reason for Gege drawing Gojo in Toji's outfit. They are character foils, both considered the peak of their respective sorcery, Toji the peak of physical ability, and Gojo with using cursed energy. Despite being nearly equals they represent positions in the world, Gojo is the golden child of all of sorcerer society, whereas Toji is the scapegoat of the Zen'in who was kicked out only to return to burn the whole village down.

Which is where they are similar as well, they've both had their whole lives defined by the abusive sorcerer system they are stuck in. Gege draws visual parallels to Toji for characters like Megumi and Maki who are affected by this cycle.

Toji is both victim and perpetrator. His actions towards Megumi make him another link in the chain. When Tengen talks about the chain of events that led to Kenjaku sealing GOjo away, he names Toji as the start of that chain.

Toji was abused his entire life until he lost his ability to believe in his own goodness. Then he discarded his pride and began to kill for money he gambled away anyway. He took a job to kill a girl and shot her in front of Geto Suguru. The sheer injustice of the action broke Geto, who began to look down on non-sorcerers because of that. Which eventually led to his downfall at Gojo's hands years later, and Kenjaku stealing his body.

Each of these players was a victim of violence who then went on to go perpetuate violence against others. Tegen even uses chains while discussing on how he destroyed the future.

Toji's feelings towards Megumi are complex, but he's also an adult abuser. He was victimized by the toxic masculinity of both the Zen'in Clan, and sorcerer society as a whole, and his personality became formed around that toxic image of strength. He's used as a symbol when other characters act like him at their most violent moments. When they choose to continue the cycle of violence. Megumi looks exactly like Toji, something Gojo even comments on this chapter. Whenever Megumi is indulging in his more violent side, he's drawn to look like Toji.

Megumi is paralleld to Toji time and time again to indicate that Megumi is not mentally well. He is still caught up in this cycle of abuse. Whenever he's pushed a little bit in combat he indulges in his more violent side, he easily justifies murder (Megumi: Unlike Yuji I"m totally willing to kill people in the Culling Gage), and on top of that he's passively suicidal at times. This is not the behavior of a well-adjusted kid. Which is why the cycle is a cycle you can at the same time be a victim of violence and perpetuate violence.

Recently when Sukuna emerges from the bath while possessing Megumi's body, his hair is even drawn like Toji's.

The bath who's purpose is to make Megumi be near evil, and completely submerge his soul. Toji is not a good role model, guys. If anything the paralleling of Gojo and Toji's outfits is to show that the way Gojo treated Megumi isn't really that different from Toji.

Gojo appeared on the doorstep of a vulnerable child who had no adult guardian to take care of them, and rather than help that child only saw an opportunity to recruit someone for his child army he plans to overthrow the elders with. It's questionable whether or not Gojo even realizes this is abuse, because he is just doing what was done to him.

Megumi was born with an incredibly powerful technique like Gojo, so I'm sure in GOjo's mind the best thing he can do is to bring out Megumi's full potential as a sorcerer. Gojo doesn't see the option of just letting Megumi live a normal life or have a normal childhood because that wasn't an option for him.

Considering the death of Tsumiki, Gojo's basically failed Megumi in every way that counts TO MEGUMI. After all, the only reason Megumi decided to go with Gojo, is because he thought Tsumiki had a chance of happiness that way. Megumi did everything Gojo asked of him, he let Gojo raise him as a sorcerer for all those years, only for Tsumiki to end up dead in the end.

Gojo also in his own mind takes the blame for what happened to Yaga because it happened while he was sealed away, so he might even be aware of the fact he has failed Megumi.

So dressing up Gojo as Toji is an easy visual indicator that Gojo while he wants to break away from the cycle that harms children, is still very much a part of this cycle of abuse. While Gojo never acted as a father figure to Megumi, he was still an adult mentor that was involved in his life and yet never treated him like a child that needed to be protected. In fact, he sort of just exploited the fact that Megumi "owed him".

Gojo had a real chance to break the cycle of violence when he took in Megumi, the son of a man who harmed both him and Geto so severely. Yet, the cycle remains unbroken because Gojo's yet another adult figure in Megumi's life who failed to take care of him. Now we're at the end result of that, Gojo's got no qualms with beating the tar out of his body while possessed with Sukuna. Because Gojo may care about Megumi, but there's always been something else more important than Megumi's well being and individual needs. Megumi was a tool for Gojo's reform for society first, before he was a child.

[jgoddesstarot]

Pick-A-Pile: Family Dynamics: How Does Your Future Spouse Interact With Their Family?

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🔮Disclaimer: This reading is for entertainment purposes only. Tarot readings are based upon my intuitive interpretation of the cards and about possibilities based on your current energy. Energy is forever changing and nothing is set in stone. Always remember, you have your own free will to make whatever decision you feel is best.

🔮How I read: I use a mix of tarot cards, oracle cards, along with my intuitive abilities of claircognizance, clairaudience, and clairsentience.

🔮How this works: Close your eyes and take deep breaths, pick the pile you are most drawn to. If you aren’t drawn to any pile then that’s okay, these messages aren’t for you at this time.

Pile 1

Tarot Cards: Death, 7 of Pentacles, Knight of Pentacles, Ace of Pentacle, 4 of Swords

Hi my captivating Pile 1's, brace yourself for a tantalizing journey through the vibrant tapestry of your future lover's family dynamics. Ready for the revelations?

First, let's enter a realm of transformation—a space where old realities crumble, giving way to new horizons. Imagine a grand ancestral mansion shifting its walls and corridors, changing its very essence. Such is the profound metamorphosis that has molded your future spouse's family. This change—whether it's the winds of fortune turning or migrating to new shores—has profoundly infused their essence, shaping their familial ties with a blend of nostalgia and acceptance.

Journeying deeper, we find a lush garden where every tree and shrub has been meticulously nurtured over the years. Here, your lover emerges as the devoted gardener, their hands lovingly tending to the familial roots, ensuring that bonds flourish and thrive. They appreciate the slow dance of time, understanding that the most profound connections are nurtured patiently, season after season.

Now, amidst this verdant expanse, stands a sentinel—a knight in shining armor, steadfast and unyielding. This is your partner, the unwavering backbone of their family, always present in times of need. Their feet planted firmly on the ground, they bring pragmatism and reliability to family affairs, ensuring that everyone feels safe and cherished.

But, oh! The story doesn't end here. Amidst the lushness, there's an aura of newness—a gleam of golden opportunities. Your future love is the trailblazer, the one igniting fresh traditions, the beacon guiding their clan to embrace novelty, all while cherishing their rich legacy.

Yet, amidst all this hustle, there's a serene sanctuary—a quiet spot where time stands still. Here, your lover retreats, understanding the sacredness of rejuvenation. They champion the balance between fervent family engagements and soulful solace, ensuring harmony flows through every vein of their lineage.

In wrapping up our delicious saga, delectable Pile 1's, your future love emerges as a potent blend of resilience, dedication, practicality, innovation, and tranquility. They are the heartbeat of their family, a force of stability and renewal. As the threads of destiny intertwine, savor this glimpse into the rich familial tapestry that awaits you

Pile 2

Tarot Cards: Ace of Swords (in reverse), Knight of Wands, 10 of Wands, The Chariot, 5 of Cups

Hey my sultry Pile 2's, fasten your seatbelts as we embark on an exhilarating voyage into the heart and soul of your future beloved, especially the intricate dance of their family dynamics.

Picture a serene moonlit night, where a secretive veil cloaks the stars. Just like that mysterious night, your future partner possesses an art of concealment, especially when family matters arise. They are the silent guardians, preferring to shield their emotions in favor of preserving familial harmony, ensuring no storm disrupts the tranquil waters.

Yet, beneath this gentle facade, a tempest of fiery passion rages. Imagine a blazing phoenix, soaring high and fiercely guarding its realm. That's your future lover when their family's sanctity is at stake. They're a spirited protector, ready to leap into action, driven by a blazing heart that might occasionally prompt them to leap before they look. But rest assured, their intentions are as pure as gold.

But oh, how the universe plays its dualities! This fiery phoenix also carries the weight of the world on its wings. They're the anchor, the one who stands tall amidst family storms, absorbing every thunder and lightning, ensuring no harm befalls their kin. Sometimes it's a labor of love, and at others, a duty they can't escape.

Yet, against these raging storms and burdens, stands a fearless charioteer—your future spouse, taking the reins of their family chariot, navigating through life's tumultuous terrains with unyielding focus. Balancing passion and responsibility, they ensure their family sails smoothly towards their shared destiny.

Amidst these tales of courage and resilience, there's a chapter of heartache. A past that's seen shadows of loss or perhaps unmet expectations. But it's these very shadows that have molded them into the beacon of hope, teaching them to find the silver lining even in the cloudiest of skies.

Drawing our thrilling escapade to its end, my enticing Pile 2's, we unveil a partner enveloped in layers of fierce protection, fiery passion, unspoken sacrifices, unwavering determination, and the wisdom of their past. Their dance with family is both intense and tender, replete with challenges yet underscored by undying love. While these cards are but whispers of fate, always remember: Destiny is a two-player game. Embrace the anticipation and trust in the cosmic dance of love and life.

Pile 3

Tarot Cards: 6 of Swords, 3 of Cups (in reverse), Queen of Pentacles (in reverse), Page of Wands, Knight of Swords

Ah, my captivating Pile 3's, let's embark on a tantalizing journey through the tapestry of your future spouse's family dynamics.

Picture a sailboat gently cutting through stormy seas, setting its compass toward tranquil waters. Your future beloved, it appears, has masterfully navigated their way out of family tempests. They've journeyed from choppy family ties to calmer connections, gracefully steering clear of conflicts to safeguard their peace.

However, beneath this serenity lies a whispered melancholy, like a solitary bird against a dusky sky. There's a quiet space between them and their kin, a distance that feels more emotional than physical. Perhaps the sound of clinking glasses and laughter during family feasts doesn't resonate with the same fervor. Yet, remember, this silence is their protective shield, a sanctuary carved from lessons of yesteryears.

Now, think of a warm hearth, radiating comfort. Curiously, this warmth seems elusive when it comes to their familial ties. It's not that they lack a nurturing spirit; it's just that they've found it challenging to channel it within the family's confines, perhaps holding back from the traditional roles of providing and caregiving.

But ah, there's a twist in our tale! Envision a vibrant flame, dancing with wild abandon. That's the spirit of your future spouse—unyielding, passionate, and bursting with curiosity. Their bond with their family might deviate from the norm, but it's fueled by a desire for a fresh, innovative approach. They're the wildflowers amidst roses, standing out with their unique, fiery essence.

Imagine a swift falcon, diving decisively to its prey. That's your beloved when faced with family matters—direct, unhesitant, and quick to address concerns. They don't let issues fester, choosing instead to face them head-on.

Drawing our thrilling escapade to its end, my enticing Pile 3's, we unveil a future partner who's gracefully danced with family challenges, displaying resilience, wisdom, and a fiery individuality. Their family song might not fit the traditional tunes, but it's undeniably rich in character and depth. Let's savor the symphony of these cards and relish in the anticipation of what's to come. After all, every note and rhythm sketches a piece of the fascinating enigma that is your future spouse.

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[writingnocturne]

On Forbidden Ground

This is my contribution to @zelinkcommunity's Zelink Week 2023! Day Two: Forbidden

Look below the break to read! Be sure to check out everyone else's work, as well! They did great!

{ For this week, I will be posting a little peek at art/writing for memories in Call of the Forgotten, a TotK rewrite I am working on (there will obviously be direct and indirect spoilers for TotK). These memories will be posted out of order and are subject to change. They follow the Ancient Hero and Princess during the time of the First Great Calamity. }

Memory ?? – On Forbidden Ground

( Word Count – 1,625 )

A young woman approaches the edge of a forest of ruin. She travels along the Dracozu River, even the ripples of the water carrying her reflection with trepidation. Higher cliffs hang not far above her head, looming over the thin slits of land she has to travel upon. It occurs to her that she would have benefited from bringing along a boat, but it's far too late to turn back now. She braved this accursed wood on a whim; chasing a hope for her people.

You are chosen, Impa had told her, As a child of Light and Time– one born from the bloodline of Hylia herself– you are perhaps the only one worthy of bearing the complete Triforce upon her hand. Awaken it, and perhaps this Calamity you foresee shall fall before it even begins.

This land– the land of Faron– has been one forbidden to set foot in since she was young. However, legend properly written down by the late Queen Sonia states that a magical spring within it is hidden beyond the walls of a temple; one built to resemble a spring of the earth in ancient myth. Although later taken over by an outcast clan of barbarians, the lands holding the site were once the home of King Rauru's own ancestors; and hers. It was a place of ceremony, dedicated to the guardian dragons they worshiped. She hopes, if anywhere, she will have the best luck starting from here. Passing through this place, seeing the old statues overturned and overwhelmed by overgrowth, carries a sort of bitterness; yet this bitterness is nothing she is not already familiar with. This shell of a place is the same as the life she once knew: an empty realm of memories one simply cannot grasp. The emptiness remains, but the resentment it brings alongside it is unmatched. Creatures that once lurked in the night followed the order of the demon responsible for this hollow state. She once hid from them, in fear that The Demon King would discover the heir of his mortal enemy and try to bring her to the same fate as her mother. At that time, she was young… She never could have accounted for the people that had no option to run.

The princess becomes distant from the world she travels amidst; something that has become the norm when her thoughts dwell in a time now lost. It leaves her unaware. This moment of staring off soon twists into folly as, by the time she snaps back into reality, her attention is caught by the sound of swift movement through the tall grass. The young woman is quick to turn her head back towards the source. In unison, a golden aura emits from her body and stops a weapon mid-air. It was mere inches from striking the back of her head… it surely would have knocked her unconscious. She squints, perplexed by the weapon's structure. Suspended before her is a bat with blades fastened into the wood. Resembling a weapon of which a monster would have carried during the Imprisoning War, the club has a peculiar green substance securing the individual parts. As if she has forgotten the obvious threat of whatever threw the weapon, she slowly brings a hand towards it to inspect what has been done to upgrade such a primitive weapon this way. It is almost… familiar. The instant she attempts to investigate where she recognizes the substance from, however, she feels a heavy force drive into her back.

Zelda is sent down to the earth, managing to catch herself just before she can collide with it at full-force. Instinct kicking in, she immediately turns herself to be sure her attacker cannot catch her off guard again whilst she tries to stand. This reveals their now-visible silhouette to be close; they are close enough to easily kick the princess's stomach and pin her down with their weight. She grunts as she finally is forced down. Zelda lifts her right hand to focus a surge of light energy towards the figure, but finds herself pausing at the sight of a paralleled action from her attacker. A green energy comes from their own aimed arm, streams of its power leaking out into the air around them. It now illuminates their form in the shade of the canopy. Although their flowing red hair strikes her as odd, it is their face that particularly stands out. Unlike any Hylian, they have an almost animalistic appearance. And upon their forehead: a tear-shaped stone emits the faintest light of its own.

Almost breathless, she mutters the baffling realization aloud, "You're…– You're a Zonai."

The Zonai's blue eyes widen slightly as they gaze upon her, their right hand leaving the surface of their left arm as the glow slowly dims. She keeps an eye on every movement they make, but they do not seem intent on attacking again. The figure brings their hand to their face, their fingers spread out across it, before… removing this face entirely. In a short flash of light, she finds the Zonai has disappeared. It has been reduced to a carved face in the hands of a new person: a shorter Hylian with a mass of long red hair falling to his sides. He shares the same blue eyes, which continue to stare at the princess for a moment or two in thought. Still alarmed, regardless, Zelda hurriedly scoots back from the figure before returning the gesture with locked eyes.

"You're… like me." His eyes trail to her left arm as he mumbles his words. Zelda looks down to it as well, recalling the clash both lines of her ancestors have over her appearance. It shows even in her ears, which are large and aligned with her hair. With this shared understanding out of the way, the young man suddenly offers a hand to her to help her up. This is certainly an unexpected shift, but the princess would rather accept it over the fight that was seconds away from breaking out. Although hesitant, she slowly places her hand in his own. Less than a second follows before he pulls her up into a stand, then finding he has to now look up to the girl instead. "...you aren't a monster, then."

"Did you… think I was?" Zelda tilts her head, her long ears angling downward slightly. The boy simply shrugs. Perhaps he did, but perhaps he just didn't take the time to properly look at her. It has been years since he's really seen a monster. "...The Imprisoning War has been over for… for over a decade. There haven't been monsters since. How long have you…–?" The boy simply turns around, suddenly beginning to lead her off. "Hey–! What are you doing?"

He glances back for a second, blankly staring again. The young man subtly points ahead of him, but realizes this is not a sufficient answer for the princess. It takes him a while before he eventually decides to give a verbal answer, "...You're going to the head of the river."

Zelda seems slightly surprised that he knows this, but she supposes he must have noticed her following the river. She nods. For him to have attacked her like that initially… Did he aim to protect it? If he is the only one left in these woods, he must have. Such a thought leaves the returning bitterness in her chest. She pities this boy, understanding quickly that both have been barred away– forbidden by fate to have the peaceful lives that they were owed as youth. Deciding they have this common ground, she speaks, "My name is Princess Zelda of Hyrule, daughter of King Rauru and Queen Sonia."

"..." The boy peers back, looking incredibly disturbed by the length of that title. It's clear he tries to brush it off, although he knows his own name is rather bland in comparison, "...Link."

"Link… That does sound familiar…" The princess thinks aloud, finding her gaze wandering back down to his arm. Within the mysterious Zonai form he took, his arms glistened with an eerily recognisable power. It looked similar to her own, but far more decorated. It… reminds her of someone.

As Link leads Zelda over ruin– unintentionally nearly tripping her a time or two– he pulls her along until they reach a split in the river. The Dracozu ends in a pond that jaggedly takes two routes, presenting itself like a set of open jaws. The girl's initial thought is that this is what Link meant by the "head," yet her mind easily changes upon seeing the Great Dragon Head statue casting a shadow upon them both.

"This must be it. The Spring of Courage." Taking a step towards it, the princess focuses on the statue visible within the dragon's mouth. It sits, overlooking the spring, as countless durians oddly float around it upon the water's surface. The statue of Hylia wears a mask of its own: one that imitates the dragon-like face of the figures outside. She decides not to question this fact, for now, simply entering the forsaken yet sacred ground. Link's footsteps are more than audible following behind, which is rather expected. "Link–" The girl turns her head back to the peculiar stranger, "Thank you." Zelda is about to say more, but her words come to a sudden halt. Although their encounter was certainly strange enough, she could have sworn that the eyes of his mask… moved. This is the final detail it takes for her to redirect the course of her words. The princess takes a deep breath, then makes her decision: "There is something I must do here, but… Link, once I am done, may I speak to you for a while longer?"

Thank you for reading! Check out the first concept doodles of them here! Obviously, this is all very incomplete; but most is planned out thoroughly! If you have questions, just ask!

Art Info: (Check my art blog @nocturnalfandomartist!)

Program: Ibis Paint X

Time Elapsed: 7 hours, 27 minutes

[mejomonster]

So I've been rewatching The Untamed. Im to episode 28. I remember why I loved this show so much. I watched Guardian, then the untamed was the second cdrama I watched, and had so much charm and quality I got into more authors than priest, got into more genres. I remember learning ni fangxin from the untamed.

The music <3 the costumes <3 the acting is TRYING and i appreciate it. The strongest aspect, outside of the clear effort of the team working on the show putting their care into it, is the writing and pacing. The pace never dwindles for 5-10 episodes like a lot of cdramas ive dropped (although this is a rewatch, maybe i forgot the pace slowing later in the Present plot). The pace is a touch slow sometimes, when it drags out a moment, but it does serve to intensify the moment so its not a pointless choice. The show purposely does a Ton of cliffhangers, which is annoying, but also sure does work as a motivator to keep me going "well just one more episode, they didnt finish my favorite scene!" Im never bored, and on rewatch i realize how many scenes i didnt grasp on my first watch or forgot thinking of as "less important" are actually doing something great. Every scene, from the class scenes showing Wei Wuxian saying how he thinks cultivation can be done (at surface the show off class clown, in reality the foreshadowing that his views of what is okay to help others is not orthodox, not acceptable, and when the time comes he'll use that method and see if it works). To the scene where Wei Wuxian asks Jiang Yanli why she'd like someone outside (i always figured it was slightly about lan zhan, but on rewatch its also wei wuxian trying to figure out WHY she likes jin zixuan, and him and jiang cheng trying to figure out what SHE wants regarding that mess). Or the scene where lan wangji says he wants to take someone back to cloud recesses, on rewatch its clearer that he saw the blood on the wall... the clans planning to bully wei wuxian to give them his amulet and submit, or paint him as an evil man and kill him. That he is asking because theres not much time. Because he planned to try and heal wei wuxian from the resentment, forced ot not, (not knowing the core is missing or why wei wuxian wont agree to be healed), but by the time theyre at the banquet its way more serious. Theres a time crunch. And lan wangji goes to chongqi road. And maybe he couldve stopped the jins and freed the wen prisoners, civilly, if he got there first. Maybe he wouldve joined wei wuxian, if he arrived during, and saw the jins killing the remaining wens. Or maybe he was always going to be late. And thats the point: he was so close, to dragging wei wuxian home to cloud recesses and healing him. But by the time he gets there, wei wuxians already used the resentment inside again, to kill a bunch of jins. A bunch of lan clan and jiang clan allies. Basically done what allies cant do. Not just that, wei wuxian did it with the unorthodox corruptive resentment that lan wangji wants to heal. But the point is he gets there too late. Theres no way to take wei wuxian home. Theres no way to heal him, surely wei wuxian would have done something else if he had a powerful option to save people besides the resentment - and even if he'd still do this by choice? Wei wuxian is right, as he leaves. He swore to help people, to do the right thing in this world. And lan wangji knows what the allies did was wrong, that saving these people was the right thing to do. Not the easy thing, but the right thing. The heroic thing that needed to be done, with no reward, knowing the steep cost it'll have.

And that all hurts. Inside Lan Wangji, its all piles of hurt on top of: he was about to take Wei Wuxian away and protect him. But now its too late.

Its the way Jiang Cheng buys that comb for wen qing. And she gives it back because wei wuxian would save her and a ning, and he wouldnt have. The way when jiang cheng was sick and unfixable without a golden core, that wen qing helped cure him. That wen ning saved jiang cheng and recovered his parents remains. The way that by the time Wei Wuxian takes the wens to the burial mounds, he is trying to do the possible and save wen ning. The way wen qing helped do this for wei wuxian, his little brother. The way he got the wens out to safety, the way wen ning got jiang cheng and wei wuxian and jiang yanli to the safety and protection of wen qing during the war. There are so many parallels. And jiang cheng saying wen ning isnt even human now, qas that how jiang cheng thought of himself without a core? The difference in values, when it really comes to it. Wen Qing picks her brother (family) above all, just like jiang cheng prioritizes his family's safety even if others will die. But wen qing still took the risk of helping outsiders. Jiang cheng when put in the same position, cant understand why wei wuxian would take the risk.

Thw way in the cave with the turtle monster, wei wuxian saves mianmian. He saves someone, stands up for whats right, and ends up blaming himself for helping her... as what started the war and got jiang clan killed. But when push comes to shove, he keeps picking to do whats right the next time things come down (except at his most vengeful and paranoid at the height of getting revenge during the war against the wens). The way the allies turn against wei wuxian as he tries to save wen prisoners being killed. But mianmian stands up to everyone, because she knows whats right. And he is doing the right thing here, and has done it before. And it makes sense she is the cultivator to leave the allies. To stand up for whats right.

Theres so many little details, the map maker spy being meng yao, the way his father uses him as a speaker to redirect anger to jin guangyao, the way jin guangyao and lan xichen and nie mingjue become sworn brothers (and how jiang clan and jin clan arent included), how jin guangyao utilizes political skills from nie work to be a spy at the wens, then uses it to be a political player and even spy (for his own dad about clans) in jin clan, how it keeps jin guangyao alive since it pleases father and he needs to defend himself as father uses him as a shield to take the brunt of the negative reactions to his fathers power hungry actions and offensive controlling toward other clans. The way jiang yanli and lan wangji are the two people who can calm down wei wuxian. The way the jiang siblings and wei wuxians ages, positions, skillsets, heavily influence how they handle the world and others handle them. Jiang Yanli is oldest and most politically savy, as set as her mother when she wins political battles, but she has an illness that makes it impossible for her to lead the clan militarily. Jiang Cheng is the birth son, so hes set to be heir, but hes also wei wuxians junior and has always been in a younger brother position. Servant wei wuxian more talented than him in every way, more free like their clan motto, more coddled by their dad and sister, ordering HIM jiang cheng around because ultimately wei wuxian is older and trying to protect him, but then that means jiang cheng struggles to order wei wuxian in return about clan stuff or politeness despite the fact jiang cheng NEEDS to prove he can control those things. Even over wei wuxian. The way outsiders see wei wuxian and jiang yanlis closeness. The way jiang yanli really is the oldest in terms of ready to protect and help her brothers, in terms of knowing the wisest action if only they TELL HER. But wei wuxian, the middle child, always protected jiang chengs feelings. Always was told it was his job to help jiang cheng. And always wants to pay back jiang family for taking him in (which he focuses on jiang yanli as the older figure in his life who nurtured him, loved him unconditionally, and was always there for him). So when people insult yanli (like jin zixuans many misunderstandings and slights) he just cant help personally feeling the need to defend her. Yanli is on a pedestal for him, the only family left whos wiser than him, who he needs to protect and hold onto, the only person who loves him unconditionally in the way a parent could and so hes got to do Anything to return the favor and give her unconditional love back. As they turn into adults it means starting to lie to her, despite her wisdom realizing hes keeping secrets and suffering and her going to lan wangji to ask. It means him trying to hard to fix things so she isnt as pained by him, as the jiang clan leader and madam yu... who died in wei wuxians mind because of his mistakes.

Anyway. All this to say its finally got me in the right mindset to check out the books. I have wanted to for years. But it just never quite was the right time to click. But now seeing un retrospect how tight the show writing was. I want to see the book, the additional details, the original details that the show changed. The way the characters are different. And I will eventually read the english translation (which has its own things to notice comparing vs the original), which i know i have the first volume of in a box somewhere.

But instead ive been listening to the audiobook. Wondering how much ximalaya cut lol. Because i wanted to practice more chinese audio listening practice anyway.

[bonefall]

I tried translating the family of my older OCs into clanmew, it's my first time so it might not be the most accurate.

Silverstrike = Ssoenkubo (silver furred striker). Pretty straight forward like the leader who named her. She was named for her fur colour and ferocity. Although she did receive an honour title of Strikinglight during after the war against her former colony. More detail underneath.

Strikinglight = Kubo-owosha (Striking light clipping around shadow). Significantly more poetic and references her uncle's name as she received it for fighting against Blackbirdshadow, directly and indirectly, throughout his leadership and almost dying. A lot.

Coppertuft = Yaryenaofa (Copper furred with tufts). Also very straightforward but does make you assume he has copper fur. Coppertuft is a phoenix coloured cat, and was born with copper fur but now looks more like a pseudo-cinnamon. The unusually tufty fur is unrelated. Although Coppertuft received the honour title Firewing which is detailed underneath.

Firewing = Kafyarbeof (Wildfire feathered wing). Received the name for successfully running through a burning forest, despite many burns, to warn an allied group of the spreading fire, whose leader demanded he receive an honour title which reflects the feathery wing-like burn scars he received.

Goldbranch = Rreenbaryen (Golden furred branch). Named after golden fur and because he's built thin and long, as well as to reflect his role as guardian which is a role I made for a cat responsible for the territories health (takes notice of weakness or sickness in prey/plants, warns of overhunting) and tends to herbal gardens.

Blackbirdshadow= Ooheemoomae (Blackbird casts blurry shadow from high above). Named to fit the rest of his siblings and black fur as well as his way of hunting which involves making his prey aware of his presence and using that to chase them into an ideal location. Never received the -star title as the Rushbound colony has never practiced that.

Featheredfur = Bufwanfaf (Feathery fur). Brother of Blackbird and father of Striking, Fire and Gold who was named for his fur texture completely. Throughout his youth he was very shy but came more out of his shell with the influence of his (now ex-) mate, Wolfwatcher. Almost received a dishonour name later in life but for political reasons he couldn't get one.

Wolfwatcher = Uruoopipo (Wolf-like with notable sight). Named to invoke strength, which she certainly embodies, due a surprising amount of death shortly before and after she was born, including her siblings and mother. Also named due to her superb vision. Like really, really good sight.

Goldbranch sounds just like a Head of Hunting in BB! Their job is basically territory management. Keeping track of predator territories, biome health, and occasionally organizing efforts to uproot invasives. Though, in base Clan culture they don't truly "garden," that's a role Poppyfrost invents.

Your names are excellent, so I'm drawing a blank on a good word to give you! Great work!

[wutheringskies]

Twin Prides: The Jiang Principles

In MDZS, there's a time frame where both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian'a actions display exemplary Jiang principles. A common theme in the book is that: you may do good, but you are not entitled to the rewards. Another theme would be: one's body may turn to dust but one's soul will pay for retribution or reward.

Having said that, what is so very important to me with events leading upto and after the golden core transfer is that:

1. Jiang Cheng tries to defend Wei Wuxian from Madam Yu. Madam Yu says utterly hateful words to Wei Ying while giving Jiang Cheng love (probably for the first time.)

2. Jiang Fengmian pats Jiang Cheng's head, wishes him well, and asks Wei Ying to protect him.

3. They go back and see everyone is dead; Jiang Cheng wishes to run inside. Wei Wuxian stops him from "taking revenge/killing himself"

4. He beats Wei Ying up and strangles him.

5. Wei Ying goes to buy him food afterwards.

6. Jiang Cheng distracts the guards and gets captured instead.

This timing, and everything that has happened before is so important: Jiang Cheng knows that it isn't Wei Wuxian's fault, has seen everyone blame him and hurt him, including himself. He wanted to go back in, find his parents - all of this culminates into him displaying the true Jiang principle by becoming the bait.

Conclusion:

He ends up getting whipped once by the discipline whip, have three broken ribs, and a melted core.

Obviously, the concluding effects are much more severe than he had expected.

So, he did it. He became what his father always wanted him to be. And where did that land him? Wasn't it all because Wei Wuxian also tried to be righteous? So, he channels his mother - the mother who hugged him, and the mother who always said he was to rule while the others would be drowning in sewers.

Now, onto Wei Wuxian's point of view:

1. He made use of the Jiang principles and the fall of the Jiang clan was pinned onto him by Madam Yu, by Jiang Cheng, by the people.

2. He was treated terribly by Madam Yu, and commanded to protect Jiang Cheng by both of his guardians.

3. Wei Wuxian does NOT know Jiang Cheng distracted the guards. All he's shown is that Jiang Cheng's anger towards him.

4. Despite that, with a sense of responsibility towards the Jiang Clan, he gives up his core so that the Jiang Clan can go on.

Conclusion?

Get caught by Wen Chao (mnnn), get tortured and ultimately thrown into the worst place on earth from where his soul would be denied relief.

The concluding effects are supremely overstated. Wei Wuxian probably expected having to live as an average man without any cultivation, to probably not be able to fight the war, to probably even die in the war.

But now his literal soul is denied existence. He would have been stuck there for ETERNITY. Just another resentful spirit.

Both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian showed the true Jiang principle here.

Both of them got punished so severely for choosing to be righteous.

Their story diverges from here in a way:

Jiang Cheng, armed with Zidian, with the Jiang cultivators, with Jiang swordsmanship and cultivation, never displayes the true Jiang principles ever again. He is another one of the gentry to abandon the ideals upon which any sect is formed ("be righteous" - Lan Qiren)

Wei Wuxian abandons the Jiang cultivators, is removed from the Jiang line, and gives up Jiang swordsmanship, but despite the heavy consequences, chooses again and again to display the true Jiang ideals.