#from corona to crown (him with many crowns)

[achluos]

crown princess of ida

[technicolorxsn]

I wish ntn had the htn dramatis personae so I could tell who the various letter names in the john sections were supposed to be

[chilly-weirdo-in-a-tomb]

Alecto Prediction #11

We’ve seen through Corona that when people from the Houses join Blood of Eden, they receive a new Edenite name. We aren’t told who gave her the name Crown Him with Many Crowns in NTN, but I believe that we will find out that it was Pash. It makes sense if we think about which biblical figure Pash correlates to: John the Baptist. In baptism, a person is christened with a name, just like Corona was christened Crown. But John the Baptist is called the Baptist not just for baptizing the average Tom, Dick, and Harry. He also baptized Jesus. And we have a perfectly good lesbian Jesus ready in the wings to ask to be baptized.

This is why I believe that Gideon/Kiriona will join BoE and Pash will give her a new name.

[kneesheee]

I haven’t watched D4, and I’m probably not going to, but one line that I see floating around is when Cinderella says:

Some people act mean at fist cause they're too afraid to feel. It's survival, it's protection. That's why roses grow their thorns.

Who were the first two “good” people that we met that were “mean?”

Chad and Audrey.

We know Auradon isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

Audrey had a mental breakdown and fell victim to a lingering curse and she was still punished by planning the wedding for Ben and Mal; the reason for said breakdown. Yes, it’s funny, but who would want to tempt fate like that again? Also, yall wasn’t scared that she’d do something to mess it up?

I’m not having someone who does not like me and had literally just said that she wanted to hurt me plan my wedding no matter how sorry she is.

Then we have Chad who this quote fits the best honestly.

Chad has been described as dumb, a womanizer, a jerk etc.

1. He’s the heir to his kingdom.

At the time of D1-D3, he was presumably an only child, meaning that at the time, there were no thoughts about how the inheritance to his throne would go.

This means any girl that succeeded in marrying him and birthing an heir has secured her and her family’s future with no threats.

(This is now a challenge due to Chloe’s existence; if the girl decides that she even wants kids.)

Chad isn’t dumb; he’s proven to be quite smart considering that he made a copy of Jay and Carlos’ dorm room key so that he can use their 3D printer. He’s smart about things that he prefers.

In D1, Doug describes him as someone that inherited all the charm and not much else.

For opportunists, this basically means: He’s an idiot. If I marry him and give him a heir, I can basically be the real power behind the crown.

Not sure how well that’s going to work because in the book Return to the Isle of the Lost; he does seem to care about his kingdom when Ben takes him on a trip there due to Madam Mim’s escape.

Also, it does show that he is concerned about how the line of succession moves if something happens to Ben, and I have thoughts on him, so that’s for another post though.

Back to the point, if he’s “dumb” and they want to take advantage, who wouldn’t turn it around on them? In the movies and books, he canonically had three official girlfriends and a lot more unofficial girlfriends.

1. Ruby Firzherbert; Second in line to Corona and Dark Kingdom.

In some cases, she could be the heir to the Dark Kingdom since in Frozen; Hans mentioned that his brothers were set to one day inherit different kingdoms, and it happened a lot in Ancient Greece that sons would have to find their own kingdoms.

Why not make her the Queen of the Dark Kingdom? It’s been about twenty years. It has definitely been restored to glory.

2. One of Ariel’s nieces.

Ariel has six sisters, and unknown amount of nieces so it’s hard to say what number she is to inherit because the only niece we know of canonically is Arabella. However, if we go with the idea that the sisters were supposed to inherit the seven seas like in the live action version, as a nod to their names and numbers and tails, then this niece would have also been secured in her own lineage.

There is also the fact that said niece could have been the one to inherit the throne to all of Atlantis.

3. Audrey.

She has two kingdoms. Her Father’s and her Mother’s. If we go by the live actions, she has the Moors. She’d also a direct descendant to Queen Ingrinth’s old kingdom. That gives her four kingdoms, but we’re going to stick with two.

Chad was very excited when Audrey wanted to date him. He drove six hours to her with a tire. They broke up in Return to the Isle of Lost, but he still immediately went to help her even after he spent so long on having Evie design his outfit for the Royal Cotillion.

So, the past how many years and months that Ben and Audrey had been together, which really sounds like an arranged marriage from the first book and her line in Queen of Mean where she says “she always thought she’d be the Queen”… then this means he’s watched the only girl he loved be in love with someone else. His best friend basically.

Back to the quote, in D1, we see from Lonnie that the Auradon kids operate under the belief that the villains loved their kids.

Stay with me now.

In D4, we learn that Chad has a younger sister. The early assumption was with the first three movies that he was an only child. Now, we move on to a bit more canonical side. He has a younger sister.

A thing that some mothers fall victim to is living through their daughters.

This gives Cinderella the chance to give her daughter the life that she never had. That same headcanon where everyone says that she spoiled him rotten to make up for her own childhood… it fits better with Chloe because again, Chad is the oldest and the presumed heir so he’d be having a bit more lessons in regards to the kingdom meanwhile he sees his Mother and sister going on another shopping trip or wtv else.

He sees her doting on what he can assumed is the child that she always wanted. He’s obviously not that much older than Chloe, so he could see the difference in how they are treated.

Going with the thought that villains loved their kids and under the presumption, that yeah, his mom loves him, but he wasn’t the child that she wanted… he lashes out.

a. Mal love potions Ben, causing him to publicly embarrass and hurt Audrey.

b. Evie tries to use him just like everyone else.

c. Jay doesn’t have sportsmanship, but he’s quick to take up for the girls. Something that Chad is doing for Audrey, and the parallels are staggering and not something that he wants to see at that point of time.

Now, this my own personal interpretation. You may feel differently. You can disagree with me just as I can disagree with you. That’s your personal right.

[fwitolei]

The Dragon Prince Thoughts 6x05 - Moonless Night

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Spoilers under the cut

“Oh, don’t worry about Viren, everything will be fine.”

Did you notice the way Soren hesitated when addressing Viren by his name? gahhh this poor man deserves happiness why can’t he get a breakkkk—

I wonder if they’re gonna pull some “Father-Lord” shit like Zuko and reference atla

THE WAY HIS FACE FALLS THE MOMENT HE LEAVES THE ROOM 😭😭😭😭

*crying noises*

“Oh, Soren, my son. Is that you?”

Woah Viren’s been in that cell for a while

There’s gonna be so much to unpack here watch

The way Soren absolutely refuses to look at Viren speaks volumes he’s so done taking Viren’s shit

And it’s the one time Viren isn’t giving Soren shit but he’s burned their bridge so badly Soren’s lost all faith and respect

Not to mention Viren took Claudia away from him too in a way

Lmao why was stella trying to steal callum’s book—

I wonder if Rayla learned that lullaby she’s singing from her parents

OOH or even runaan or Ethari—

Nah my bet is her parents

“Maybe I just want to see you suffering.”

Okay the repetition of the scene is totally intentional what are they trying to convey

Why does Soren keep going down there to see Viren when he knows all Viren has done is hurt him? What does he want?

“But with my eyes open, I also see… you.”

NO CUZ it’s the way Soren IMMEDIATELY starts crying when Viren says “you”

Like all he ever wanted was some form of acknowledgement from Viren his WHOLE LIFE but now that he’s got it it’s too late

Soren desperately wants to believe Viren but he’s been hurt so many times he doesn’t allow himself to

“Everything you’re telling me is… is some kind of lie!”

SEE THIS IS WHAT I MEAN

Viren has given Soren some serious trauma and self-worth issues, and even after two years of virtual peace, he’s still keeping it in

Everyone he trusted either didn’t care or isn’t even present in his life (lissa), so he always kept it in, using his “class clown himbo” facade as a coping mechanism

But now that his entire childhood trauma is literally sitting there staring at him he can’t take the idea of working through it all and that’s why he blew up

SEE NOW HE DOESN’T WANNA TALK ANYMORE

I wanna say he’s just not ready to face Viren but at the same time I don’t think he’s ever gonna be ready he just has to take the plunge

Wait is that Fen—

I thought he was with amaya in xadia

Did he get demoted lmao—

Wait does the standing battalion outrank the crownguard or the other way around

“On moonless nights you miss her the most.”

That is so sad omg—

Luna Tenebris disappeared centuries ago too so Esmeray’s been hurting for a really long time

Imagine that i could never 😭

“It’s the Corona of the Heavens.”

WAIT I THOUGHT VIREN’S STAFF HAD A QUASAR DIAMOND—

If all 3 are in the crown wtf is the stone in his staff

OH THE BLINDFOLD DESIGNS ARE LITTLE EYES I SEE IT NOW

OH WOW KOSMO’S CONNECTING TO THE STARS

Just like that huh

WOAH KOSMO PREDICTING FUTURES HERE

“But your path is… darkness.”

Does that mean callum is still on the dark path aaravos was talking about in s4? Or is kosmo just reflecting callum’s soul from his past usage of dark magic like how sol regem sensed it

Oh? Soren’s back

I wonder why he went back

“If you do not accept my words now, Soren, I want you to have them in the future… when you might need them.”

Okay nah this has got to be foreshadowing or something wtf is going to happen to soren—

Omg this was essentially a soren character study sorry lmaooo. I’m not too learned in trauma and all that stuff this is just my take on what’s going on with him I’m just really invested cuz he’s my bbg princess and i need him to be okay 💀

ANYWAYS considering that Rayla really connected with Esmeray in this season i wonder if she’s gonna have some plot relevance later on (i hope so esmeray is fuckin cool) especially cuz even kosmo commented on it and he can see the future. Soren BETTER BE OKAY by the end of this season i can’t take his pain 😭. And also i am SO EXCITED for rayla to see her parents again and for runaan to FINALLY go back to ethari like he DESERVES GAHH— 

But yeah good episode good episode 👍

[humaudrey]

Things my Rewrite Will Fix About Descendants - Ben's Coronation

If you've seen me post an unfinished version of this, no, you didn't. 💗

As Mal in Descendants 2 said, "I'm back".

Anyway, in the first movie of the Descendants franchise, our beloved deuteragonist, Benjamin aka Ben is crowned as the High King of the United States of Auradon at the mere age of 16. Included in the coronation, and what plays a significant role in the ceremony and the first two movies is Fairy Godmother's wand.

Other than the obvious point that a sixteen year old should not be crowned king (with such a prop looking crown might I add, but that's another post), I would've told you that nothing about the previous statement bothers me.

Except that it does.

Fairy Godmother's wand, a magical artifact from "Cinderella", has no significance to the son of King Adam and Queen Belle, the main characters from "Beauty and The Beast". For the future king of the United States of Auradon, which represents a plethora of many other Disney movies, it also has no significance to an overwhelming majority of the country either, nor does it represent the country in any way. And prior to the Descendants movies and books release, if you would've asked me what was the most powerful magical artifact to be featured in a Disney movie, this wand wouldn't have made the top 5. So why use it?

Simple, it's a plot device. The only real purpose it serves is to be stolen. To be sought after. You could do the entire coronation without the wand and nothing changes. Hell, while everyone's distracted at the Cathedral with the coronation, if the wand wasn't going to be a part of the ceremony, Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos could've attempted a second heist at the museum. The wand doesn't have to be in the coronation and that bugs me.

So, for both of my Rewrite ideas, I came up with two solutions to fix this conundrum.

Idea #1

For my first idea, to be featured in "Barriers", I propose that Ben's ceremony consist of more magical artifacts. In an ideal world, I'd pick one artifact from every movie to be featured. There are two problems with that. One, not every Disney movie has a magical artifact that I feel could represent its respective movie (Fairy Godmother's wand from "Cinderella", Genie's lamp from "Aladdin", the Trident from "The Little Mermaid", etc.). Two, even on the off chance that I could come up with an artifact to represent each movie/kingdom, it wouldn't fit well in a setting such as a coronation for the High King of Auradon (such as "Tangled", where the only artifacts I could think of are a frying pan, Rapunzel's tiara, or the Sundrop flower, in which two of these items would better suit a smaller coronation for a future monarch of Corona).

So, I came up with the concept: The Eight Magical Artifacts. While these aren't entirely representative of the entirety of the United States of Auradon, it does a better job than just one lousy wand. Plus, each of the items used could represent traits that the kingdom would want a king to have, and blessing Ben with these could be seen as "bestowing them onto him".

But what are these artifacts? Glad you asked. Here they are:

Fairy Godmother's Wand from "Cinderella", to represent Grace (I wasn't gonna exclude it all together lol)

An Enchanted Rose, similar to the one featured in "Beauty and the Beast", to represent Love

Excalibur from "The Sword and the Stone", to represent Nobility

King Triton's Trident from "The Little Mermaid", to represent Acceptance

Asha's Wand from Wish, to represent Hope

The Sword of Truth and the Shield of Virtue from "Sleeping Beauty"

The Sorcerer's Hat from Fantasia, to represent Wisdom

Basically, I picture the ceremony going as follows. Ben walks down the aisle to the altar. As he stands there, petals of the enchanted rose are being placed around him in a circle. King Triton (who's temporarily human) uses the Trident to alter Ben's suit, adding more gold details that could only shine so bright because of magic. Ben kneels, and is given the Sword of Truth and Shield of Virtue to hold while the Sorcerer's Hat is placed on his head. A prayer or spell of sorts is being chanted for a moment. He is then knighted with the Sword of Excalibur, then again with Asha's Wand. Fairy Godmother's Wand is used to transform the worn crown into a bright, shiny new crown decorated with colorful jewels. Fairy Godmother then knights Ben with her wand finally, removes the hat and places the crown on his head and the coronation is over.

(It's a work in progress, so if you have any ideas/improvements, they're more than welcome)

Also, quite a few of these could make for great weapons come time for my version of the battle between Maleficent and the seven VKs.

Idea #2

For my second, unnamed WIP, the second idea I had to fix Ben's Coronation was pretty simple. In this fic-verse, none of the canon characters exist and the characters and settings are more based on some of the live action movies. The rulers of the United Kingdoms of Auradon are the High King Christopher and his wife, Queen Ella, of Charmont, from the 1997 Rodgers and Hammerstein version of "Cinderella", leaving their daughter (my OC), Elaine to be the future High Queen. Since she's Cinderella's daughter, having her be blessed with Fairy Godmother's wand makes sense.

[harrowharks-iliac-crest]

5

Ninth skull.

As they went out of the school building Nona looked quickly in the alleyway for the person she’d seen in the coat and mask, but they were gone, which meant either they really had been alive or someone else had gotten to them already.

I doubt they were dead.

Maybe they were connected to the person Hot Sauce caught watching them?

Palamedes liked to ask probing questions about exactly what the teacher was teaching, and to say things like “My God, that’s how they teach mathematics?” and cluck Cam’s tongue in a way that was impossible to answer.

Why are you an old man, Palamedes? (Same, though. I'd be the same.)

Nona had decided that she was fine with having eaten fruit, but not with eating fruit; but she was too cheerful to disappoint Camilla, so they both ate slices of sweating orange melon

God I hate those melons. The texture and taste combination is just so yuck. I'm really picky with what fruit I'll eat so I totally understand Nona here.

“I love Crown,” Nona protested, giving the smallest bone a desultory grope. “Why do you love Crown?” Nona thought about it. “She has lovely hair. And when she hugs you she smells like cinnamon, and her breasts feel nice, and she’s so big and pretty.” [...] “That’s not exactly love as I would classify it,” he said. “That’s simply a list of things most red-blooded human beings like about Crown. How do you know what cinnamon smells like, Nona?” “Oh, I don’t know. I just do. Is your timer on?”

Crown... someone from BoE?

Hang on. This could be Coronabeth. Corona means crown. The description fits.

The "Guest List" at the start has Crown as "Crown Him With Many Crowns" - under Blood of Eden, which could mean Coronabeth fully went over to their side (if she wasn't already from the very start) and took on a BoE name.

But she "isn't our friend right now". Ominous.

Why don’t you pick out the piece of bone you like best, and tell me about it?” She looked at them all: there were long treelike pieces with branches coming off them, and little wedged pieces and a long smooth piece with a jaggedy end

Anatomy nerd getting stuck on this: No bones in the human body look like trees, with branches coming off them. Not a one. It could be antlers, or bones that have had necromancy performed on them, but these are not natural human bones.

“Do we still like the Captain?” (Even Nona couldn’t quite love the Captain.) “I pity the Captain to the very depths of my heart, and never did like her much,” said Palamedes.

The Captain!!! Captain Judith Deuteros!!! It must be her!!

I have been wondering what's happened to Corona and Judy and this basically confirms they are both still alive; both working with the Blood of Eden (Judith must be doing so very reluctantly, or under great duress); and both somewhat in contact with our main three.

I'm so happy. This means they will most likely be a more active part of the story later on. Judith flat-out denied the possibility of letting Corona become her cavalier in As Yet Unsent; but then, she also denied ever wanting to work with the Blood of Eden. Stranger things have happened.

Palamedes carefully drew it away—“Good thinking, that’s antiseptic, but I can do better,” he said—and, with fine lines appearing at the side of Camilla’s mouth, the minutest fragment of bone popped out from the blood. Then the wound was gone, and the warm feeling with it.

Palamedes can do necromancy in Camilla's body - interesting.

The "warm feeling" - pain? Thanergy?

“Why is it that the blue light in the sky hurts—other people,” said Nona, “but not you and Cam?” She had asked this upward of a dozen times, especially lately, but Palamedes always answered unhesitatingly no matter how many times he had been asked before. “She’s got the wrong kind of body. She and I can cheat … for now … draw on me, not her, for the unusual kinds of things that I do, with the downside being that our time is very limited. If I was in her body for too long, I’d hurt her and the blue light would start to hurt me. [...] “Is the blue light going to start hurting Pyrrha, Palamedes?” Another question she had begun asking again. Camilla said it was anxiety. Palamedes said gently, “No. She’s immune to the blue light and it’s not going to start hurting her. She’s got the right type of body to be hurt by it, but the wrong soul. She was made to be immune to the blue light.” “So do I have the wrong kind of body, or the wrong kind of soul?” This was the only question Palamedes ever hesitated on. “We don’t know. We were worried that the blue light was hurting you when you first came to us, but you’re fine. This could mean that you’re like Pyrrha, and that you’re immune because your soul is protecting your body. But … there are a lot of factors, Nona.”

A long quote -

The "blue light" is supposed to hurt necromancers.

Palamedes isn't hurt by it because he is protected by Camilla's body, as long as he sticks to time limits. Pyrrha is immune because she is protected by her non-necromantic soul. "She was made to be immune"... is slightly disconcerting, to be honest. It kind of implies that Gideon the First dying in the River was planned.

Which would make sense, to be honest. Did he know?

And Nona is immune, because, well, because she's not Harrow. Harrow isn't around to be hurt by it. She might still be Gideon, without any memories, or she might still be someone else.

“Is that why—Blood of Eden don’t want me?” “Oh, they want you,” said Palamedes. “They want you very badly. Look—are you scared by the conversation Pyrrha and I had this morning?” “Not really. I mean, I know things are getting worse,” she said, wanting to sound worldly. “I know I’m not fixed and we only have a few more months to fix me, and who knows what’s going to happen in the meanwhile. But I’m not scared of We Suffer. I like We Suffer.”

This clears up a few things:

Blood of Eden did send them off on this mission, to "fix" Nona.

Blood of Eden do want her, but presumably as a Lyctor, and allied double agent.

Blood of Eden could easily have been the ones watching earlier that day.

I am slightly scared for Nona, who is showing no signs of being either Gideon or Harrow, and is someone else, who is wonderful and deserves to live.

“Time’s up,” he said. “Give this to Cam for me, will you?” And he spread Nona’s fingers like he always did, and he quietly kissed the second right-hand knuckle. Nona always paid so much more attention to the lessons of the hand and the mouth than she did to the lessons of the bone and the sword: they were significantly more interesting. [...] But she was good at this, whatever this was; she didn’t even know; nobody would give her the words, and she didn’t have them herself. The first time Palamedes had asked her to do it, quite a long time ago, and the first time she had raised Camilla’s hand to her mouth and done it —pretty much exactly as Palamedes had, making the same shape as his mouth had done like she did when speaking languages, and touching the same way as his hands had touched—Camilla had looked at her, and then she had gone away to sit in the bath by herself in the dark for almost an hour, even though there hadn’t been any water in the bath. Now when Nona waited for Camilla’s eyes to clear, and she lifted up Camilla’s hand to press her mouth to it, all Camilla said was, “Thanks.” And she almost didn’t flinch.

Oh god this bit makes me feel all achey and feels-y.

This, this might just be why Judith tried to warn Camilla of being overly attached to her necromancer; what pain - to love someone, share a body with them, but never able to speak directly, or touch, or see each other's faces again.

And they are still barely more than kids.

[groriatrevi10xx]

****Jardín de las cartas/Garden of Cards****

****País de las Maravillas/Wonderland****

-Blake Blac-

"La Reina Blanca/The White Queen"

"La Reina del Ajedrez/The Queen of Chess"

-------

Hace mucho tiempo, antes de que existiera el "Jardín de las Cartas"... Su nombre originalmente era "Jardín de la Soledad"... En el pasado, era un Jardín sin vida y opaco, donde los cristales robaban la luz y la belleza de todo.../Long ago, before the "Garden of Cards" existed... Its name was originally the "Garden of Solitude"... In the past, it was a lifeless and dull Garden, where crystals stole the light and beauty of everything...

Era un lugar sin vida y sin belleza, a pesar de los hermosos cristales que rodeaban el área, en lo más profundo del Jardín existía un Reino más oscuro, oculto de todos con una barrera que parecía indestructible... Hasta que ya no fue así, en el Pasado la Reina Brellatana se levantó entre todos y volvió a caer, para convertirse en cenizas de una leyenda sobre Brujas y Coronas malditas.../It was a place without life and without beauty, despite the beautiful crystals that surrounded the area, deep within the Garden there was a darker Kingdom, hidden from everyone with a barrier that seemed indestructible... Until it was no longer so, in the Past Queen Brellatana rose among everyone and fell again, to become ashes of a legend about Witches and cursed Crowns...

Y las cenizas volaron por todo el Jardín, esparciendo todo lo que quedaba de aquel lúgubre lugar.../And the ashes flew all over the Garden, scattering every bit of what was left of that gloomy place...

Los cristales se fueron rompiendo uno a uno, hasta que quedó el más extraño de todos... Uno pequeño, rojo, que había salido de la nada y era muy diferente a sus hermanos, brillaba con vida a diferencia de los demás... Tenía voluntad propia y un gran deseo de seguir existiendo.../The crystals broke one by one, until the strangest of all remained... A small, red one, which had come out of nowhere and was very different from its brothers, it shone with life unlike the others... It had a will of its own and a great desire to continue existing...

Nadie sabe cómo sucedió, nadie está vivo para verlo... Pero de ese pequeño cristal, surgió todo tipo de la mayor locura, que llenó de vida nuevamente el Jardín... "Todos podemos sonreír esta vez", pensó el cristal con misteriosa magia, incluso para él... "Un nuevo comienzo, resurgiremos de las cenizas"... Así el Jardín se llenó de vida, de una extraña magia que algunos podrían llamar locura.../No one knows how it happened, no one is alive to see it... But from that small crystal, came all kinds of the greatest madness, which filled the Garden with life again... "We can all smile this time," thought the crystal with mysterious magic, even for him... "A new beginning, we will rise from the ashes"... Thus the Garden was filled with life, with a strange magic that some might call madness...

“Habrá flores que bailen, que canten, árboles que den postres, caminos que se muevan, habrá muebles que hablen, que puedan moverse solos, tengo tantas ideas”… Fue lo último que dijo el cristal, antes de explotar y dar un nuevo comienzo… Aún nuevo Jardín y tal vez, un nuevo Reino con vida…/"There will be flowers that dance, that sing, trees that give desserts, paths that move, there will be furniture that talks, that can move by itself, I have so many ideas"... It was the last thing the crystal said, before exploding and giving a new beginning... Still a new Garden and perhaps, a new Kingdom with life...

Así nació el “Jardín de las Cartas”, con impenetrables muros dorados, un Jardín rodeado de locura, mientras las cartas se mueven y bromean de un lado a otro, o el Ajedrez lucha entre sí... Hay muchas locuras por ahí.../This is how the "Garden of Cards" was born, with impenetrable golden walls, a Garden surrounded by madness, while the cards move and joke back and forth, or Chess fights each other... There are many crazy things out there...

Con un nuevo Reino vivo, lleno de risas y locura, como el País de las Maravillas.../With a new Kingdom alive, full of laughter and madness, just like Wonderland...

Es una historia vaga, pero a ella le encanta... A Blake le encanta la historia, aunque no hay tantos detalles la ha memorizado... Mientras ve las piezas de ajedrez moverse, la chica frente a ella tiene un destino oscuro, le recuerda a Scarlett y Hela... Cómo las extraña, solían ser tan cercanas... Pero cada una había forjado un camino, ella había elegido el suyo al igual que ellas, aunque les había advertido.../It's a vague story, but she loves it... Blake loves history, although there aren't that many details she has memorized it... While she watches the chess pieces move, the girl in front of her has a dark destiny, it reminds her of Scarlett and Hela... How she misses them, they used to be so close... But each one had forged a path, she had chosen hers just like them, although she had warned them...

--¿Es usted pariente de la familia Benaroch?.../Are you related to the Benaroch family?...--

Teagan pregunta sin rodeos... Pero la mujer simplemente se ríe.../Teagan asks bluntly... But the Woman just laughs...

--¡Oh no!... Que horrible, yo no tengo nada que ver con ese apellido, pero sí con Scarlett, ella se casó con ese hombre y luego Hela igualmente se cambió el apellido... Ja, el apellido Blac ha quedado en las sombras, sólo yo lo poseo... Al menos.../Oh no!... How horrible, I have nothing to do with that surname, but I do with Scarlett, she married that man and then Hela changed her surname anyway... Ha, the surname Blac has been left in the shadows, only I possess it... At least...--

La princesa se queda en silencio.../The Princess falls silent...

--Si estás buscando el libro de Scarlett, no te diré dónde está Teagan.../If you're looking for Scarlett's book, I won't tell you where Teagan is...--

--¿C-Cómo sabes m-mi nombre?... No te lo he dicho.../H-How do you know m-my name?... I haven't told you...--

Pero la Reina del Ajedrez sólo sonríe, el destino lo deciden ellos mismos... Ella ha sido capaz de leer cada párrafo, a pesar de que Scarlett y Hela la han llamado loca varias veces.../But the Queen of Chess only smiles, the fates are decided by themselves... She has been able to read every paragraph, even though Scarlett and Hela have called her crazy several times...

--Brittany, vuelve a casa... Umbra debe estar preocupada, realmente no planeo decirte dónde está el Libro de Scarlett... Dime, ¿vale la pena perder todo lo que tienes?.../Brittany, come home... Umbra must be worried, I really don't plan on telling you where the Book of Scarlett is... Tell me, is this worth losing everything you have for?...--

Pero la niña no responde.../But the girl doesn't answer...

--Así sea, querida Blancanieves... Espero que no te arrepientas.../So be it, dear Snow White... I hope you don't regret it...--

Y el País de las Maravillas sigue sonriendo, mientras la Reina Blanca desaparece, perdiéndose en el Palacio de Ajedrez... Dejando a una Princesa sola, sola en soledad.../And Wonderland continues to smile, while the White Queen disappears, getting lost in the Chess Palace... Leaving a Princess alone, alone in solitude...

Tal vez ir a buscar al único pariente vivo de su abuela no había sido una buena idea, como había dicho su dama de compañía... Ahora el libro de la abuela y sus hechizos estaban cada vez más fuera de su alcance, como la Sombra que su Madre proyectaba hacia ella.../Maybe going to look for her Grandmother's only living relative had not been a good idea, as her Lady-in-Waiting had said... Now Grandmother's book and her spells were increasingly out of her reach, like the Shadow her Mother projected towards her...

Sólo podía sentir furia, ira... Rabia.../Could only feel fury, anger... Rage...

--------

G: Si te preguntas dónde está este Jardín, está en algún lugar de Hello Conde, solo diré que está ubicado en ese Au... ✨/If you are wondering where this Garden is, it is somewhere in Hello Conde, I will just say that it is located in that Au... ✨

--------

Blake: Es mía... {It's mine...}

Hello Conde {Au} es de {Hello Conde {Au} is from}: @vanetheglitchfox - @hello-conde

Teagan {Brittany} es de {Teagan {Brittany} is from}: @askkassandragf-v-2

[useless-catalanfacts]

A Medieval king's praise of the Acropolis of Athens... which he had never seen but was ready to defend

The Acropolis of Athens (Greece), with the Parthenon temple on top, is one of the most iconic archaeological sites in the world. This Ancient Greek monument is still a cause of awe nowadays, 2500 years after it was built; and the deep impression it causes was no different in the past. The archaeological remains have suffered from wars and explosions, but already in the Middle Ages some had the clear idea that this heritage needed to be protected.

The Duchy of Athens was part of the Crown of Catalonia-Aragon between the years 1311 and 1388. It was a time with many wars, and much of Greece was being sacked by Navarrese mercenaries (not so different from how some decades before it had been sacked by Catalan mercenaries, the Crusaders, and other warriors of many nationalities). Seeing the Navarrese destruction in Attica (the region of Greece where Athens is located) and having just had to defend Athens itself from them, the Athenian rulers decided to send an embassy to the king of Catalonia-Aragon (and Athens), Peter the Ceremonious.

One of the members of this embassy was John Boïl, who was bishop of Megara (Greece) and a very cultured man. During his stay with King Peter, he vividly described the beauty of Athens' Acropolis. Peter the Ceremonious loved history, architecture, and sculpture, and he was very impressed with that description. Following the bishop's petition, the King of Catalonia-Aragon gave the order to pay from his treasury for the salary of 12 crossbowmen who he sent to the Acropolis of Athens with the objective of protecting it. King Peter wanted to protect the survival of the Acropolis, which he described in these words (translated from Medieval Catalan to English):

The Castle of Athens is the most precious jewel in the world, so much that not even all the Christian kings together could build one just like it.

By "Castle", he means the Acropolis, using a word that would be more familiar to him at the time. He also uses the word "Centines", the Medieval Catalan name for Athens.

The whole document with king Peter's words, written in 1380, is still preserved in the Archive of the Crown of Aragon (Barcelona, Catalonia). Here's two pages from it, but you can personally check it all out on the archives' website.

Information source: Arxiu de la Corona d'Aragó.

[peony-pearl]

@khoc-week - Journal

I decided to do a little snippet section of what Nimue's journal could look like; it doesn't track the induction of every team member, but mostly some important emotional and plot beats for Nimue (without being too long or spoilery XD)

Day 1: I have decided to chronicle my journey after finding quite a handsome book in a marketplace located somewhere known as Twilight Town. For a world that seems so established, I have never heard of it. I must be very far from home, which feels stranger than having been stuck in the Realm of Darkness.

If my companion, Merlock, is to be trusted, then Yen Sid has become a man of old age, meaning many years have passed while I was locked away. It has been a week since I returned to the Realm of Light and each day my desire to see him cowering and curled at my feet only becomes stronger. I will rid the realm of his cowardice and falsehoods, and I will have peace.

Day 23: It seems Chaos doesn't intend on giving us much space. He has followed us from world to world, even through Merlock's use of dark portals. But he doesn't seem to want to turn us over to Maleficent. He is like a buzzing fly, but I have seen what he is capable of. If we are to be followed around by a godling, I suppose I'd rather it be one that enjoys our company. Merlock isn't too enthusiastic about his presence, but I think I managed to convince him how this could work in our favor. He's a stick in the mud, but he does see how being on the good side of such a creature would be beneficial to us.

Day 30: We were so close. We found his tower! We found his tower and we managed to corner Yen Sid like the vermin he is! But he has allies we weren't prepared for. Fairies, three of them, and a small group of young warriors at his disposal. In the ruckus, a girl tried to stop me with no weapon, no magic; she rushed over to me and grabbed my hands and the hilt of my keyblade in an effort to subdue me. Such a brave little maiden! I didn't have the heart to toss her across the room; unfortunately Merlock doesn't have the heart I have, and he did toss her rather unceremoniously onto her lover boy, a young soldier who serves a 'King Mickey'.

In the middle of the fight, Yen Sid and the Fairies that serve him relocated us to a different world before we could stop him. I don't remember much after that, except for Merlock stopping me from blindly swinging my keyblade, and I had screamed so loud I have now lost my voice. Merlock now insists I drink an herbal concoction to soothe my throat; he won't leave until I drink it. Perhaps he does have a heart.

Day 50: We have a new attendee in the ranks. A girl named Mint attempted to rob Owen as he wandered through the crowds in Corona. He handled her rather swiftly, although once she caught sight of Chaos, she became much more agreeable. She has apparently lost her title of crown princess as of recently, and is looking for something called a Relic to win back her status against her sister. When she learned of our goal, she became enamored with the thought of gaining some powerful magic; and thus we are now a party of five. (Six if you count Puck, but he is Owen... or is Owen Puck? I am still figuring that one out)

Day 62: The days are feeling shorter; it is rather an odd thing. When I was first released, the hours dragged by as I wanted nothing more than to make my way to Yen Sid's tower. To feel my claws tear at him and hear him beg for mercy. But now I can barely keep track of the time. I often find myself in Merlock's presence, hearing his tales of his travels and attempted conquests. He's a talented shapeshifter, and the talisman Maleficent gave him has tremendous magic. I told him I'll bet he's the best sorcerer I've met and he laughed, remarking how I'm saying that out of spite for the man we intend to rob. I laughed hard for the first time in so so long. I didn't want that moment to end, and yet there was nothing incredibly special about it; but I will always remember that sunset.

Day 70: Owen discovered our newest addition today: A sorcerer locked in a rather fantastic mirror who goes by the name of Magnifico. He is an odd fellow. It seems isolation was not very kind to him.

He spoke of a land called Rosas... it has been abandoned since I was a girl. I don't think anyone has lived there since my grandparents' time. Seeing him try to come to terms with this was more painful than I'd like to admit, and thus I offered him a place with us. He seemed reluctant at first, but overall he had little other choice, and he accepted our conditions, and is very enthusiastic about our goals, as it will benefit him greatly.

Day 100: I have come to find out that the girl who tried to stop me from obliterating Yen Sid some weeks ago is named Roxanne, and in putting her hand on my keyblade, it has unlocked her own powers. I saw her put herself in my way today, clumsily wielding her key. She was so determined, though, it was incredibly charming. I yanked the blade from her quicker than she could react. Whoever is training her is giving her quite poor advice, but she has a strong light. Harle managed to push the poor girl through a dark portal and I decided to be a good sport and at least toss her keyblade in after her.

Day 111: I have been humbled today. Our newest member is a scientist named Hollander. A man who allowed himself to be his own experimental model on the darkness; his work mirrors that of mine many years ago, the work Yen Sid destroyed.

He is slowly succumbing to a power he has taken years to control. His body has become twisted and gnarled with dark powers flowing through him. One day, if we don't find a way to reverse his situation, he will become a heartless, and he isn't sure if there will be enough of his true body left to create a Nobody.

Day 130: It is hard to believe how much time has passed since I have been released. My days seem so bright - so much like my days in Felicity.

I look to my team as they rest after a long day. As they talk, and laugh.

I feel nostalgic for days I have lost; days I will never have again.

How can so much joy bring so much pain?

Day 150: I saw it in his eyes; a feeling I wasn't prepared to feel such happiness surge through me again.

I spoke with Merlock, about how we had demolished a rather large heartless Maleficent had put in our path with ease; about plans; about the team, about how we would face glory soon and revel in the spoils of taking Yen Sid's magic.

His excited laughter met mine, and as I felt so jovial, I remembered him.

I remembered Yen Sid, looking at me with those eyes. I thought of old talks of old friends and confidants and those we fought together with.

I became withdrawn, and quickly excused myself for bed, pretending an old injury was acting up. He didn't seem too concerned, which consoled me. I passed by the team, who all had something to say as I retired; but each time I tried to respond in full, my heart felt too tight.

I can't do it again. I can't become attached.

I've finally made my decision, despite how much it hurts; it will only hurt worst if I let it go any further.

When Yen Sid is defeated and I have ensured Merlock's inheritance of his magics -

I will disappear from this world once more, and return to the embrace of the Realm of Darkness, where neither time nor light can hurt me again.

[rampions-story]

louis hofmann, gay, cis male + he/him → isn’t that aurelius rampion lowenhar? i hear that they're rapunzel from rapunzel. i hear they’re 27. they seem to be charismatic & whimsical, but also vain & unreliable. their aesthetics include a flowing waterfall of rich golden hair, sunsets painted with red, orange and purple from the top of a tower, piles of old books strewn across an old couch threadbare from use.

Basics

Name: Aurelius Rampion Lowenhar (Goes by Auri)

Age: 27

Gender:  Cis Male

Occupation: Prince of Corona and General Hobbyist of all Hobbies

Sexual Orientation: Gay

Species: Human

Powers: Healing, Sun/Light Magic (Only with his hair and singing)

Physical

Hair: Golden Blonde/Strawberry Blonde hair that falls well past his ankles, it is ridiculously thick and healthy, very soft, very shiny.

Eye Color: Bluish Green

Height: 6'3

Build: Lithe and Athletic, lean but definitely fit.

Personal

Family: Goldilocks (Cousin), Gothel (Adopted Father)

Skill: Reading, Singing, Playing the Flute, Cooking, Cleaning, Flower Reading, General Tom Foolery, Painting

Alignment: Lawful Good- Auri is a sweet and well meaning boy he follows the rules set forth for him...mostly. He is a good boy at heart and is often led b those emotions to do good and help people even to his own detriment. He won't let rules get in the way of what he believes to be right, but he cannot stand the thought of hurting someone else.

Kinks: Auri is a vain boy and loves being praised and worshiped, he loves hair play and having his hair pulled on (used as reins) he responds very well to verbal praise, he loves to tie men up with his hair, especially Flynn, oral fixation, anal, rimming, facials, excessive cum, marking, fingering, toys of all kinds.

Magic: Aurelius has a magical hair pin he wears that allows him to alter the length of his hair at will all the way to the actual full length of his mane. It helps him to not have to haul around his entire mane all the time but enjoy it when he wishes.

Biography

Crowned Prince of Corona, the Kingdom of the Sun, fittingly the young prince was born as golden as the sun, red gold tresses already abundant on him when he came from the womb. A side effect of the flower they stole from Gothel and gave to his mother. A crime he has a hard time reconciling knowing they were wrong to steal, but they had needed it to help his mother. All the same it happened.

Stolen as a child he grew up in the traditional fairy tale way, up in a tower, his hair growing longer and longer, tended to fastidiously by himself and his father, the song of healing sun to bring youth and power to Gothel whenever he wanted. Eventually his need for more and the rebellious streak of a young man meant he left his tower, adventure ensued and he ended up back with his biological family.

That being said he never held anything against Gothel, he never felt anything but love for his adopted father. Gothel was never cruel to him, gave him a good and safe life, and many treasures. Sure he had been stole in the first place, but his biological parents had stolen from Gothel first.

[paradoxcase]

Chapter 12 of Nona the Ninth

(Slowly figuring out how to work Locked Tomb reading and posting back into my schedule)

As anticipated, it's just Ctesiphon Wing coming to chat

I feel like Kevin would really enjoy the Sims

So they still seem to think that necromancers need their hands free to do necromancy

Do they think that undead bodies have some kind of power that living bodies don't? Like obviously if they died and some other necromancer started piloting their corpse around they'd have to worry about that other necromancer, but I think they'd have a lot bigger issues if there was a necromancer attacking them than these particular people being dead instead of alive. Possibly their use of the word "zombies" to describe necromancers has caused them to forget that there is actually a difference between zombies and necromancers?

I wonder why? If at least some of them think Pyrrha is still a Lyctor, why would it really matter whether Camilla and Nona were with her or not? Furthermore, if they think Nona might possibly turn into a Lyctor at any moment, why isn't she being treated the same way Pyrrha is?

She doesn't like eating fruit, but she does want to eat leaves? And she said a flower was sexy earlier, for some value of "sexy"

I kind of wonder now how Corona would have gotten along with Harrow, aside from the fact that Harrow showed very little inclination towards getting along with anyone except Gideon and maybe Palamedes back at Canaan House. Corona does seem drawn to people who don't want anything to do with her, at any rate

Are they doing some different kind of scanning on Pyrrha than what they do on Camilla and Nona?

I wonder why it's classified information that G1deon is gone? It seems like the Unjust Hope people are aware that Pyrrha isn't a Lyctor since otherwise they wouldn't be waiting for Nona to become a Lyctor again and would probably instead be gunning for Pyrrha, wouldn't they?

I wonder if Gideon is actually going to show up in Corona's vicinity at some point and ask for her sword back? That would be pretty funny, but I don't think Gideon was particularly attached to that sword or anything

I hope Judith shows up actually onscreen at some point in this book, and, maybe even has some interactions with Corona again

So I guess some of this chapter might have actually had Palamedes in it, although Nona claims to be able to tell them apart without needing to see their eyes, and she didn't say anything about it. Or is it just that Camilla is worried that We Suffer will notice that her eyes have changed since whatever she did with Palemedes that caused them to swap?

I wonder what that means

I'm not sure this makes sense. The rest of the universe doesn't seem to have left modern technology behind, and in that case a painted portrait would be worth much more than a photograph, so why would Wake only get a photograph while other important commanders have painted portraits?

I think if Pyrrha was actually a Lyctor she wouldn't need to make any sudden movements to hurt them. But it is possible that that thing would actually kill a Lyctor

So there's at least some people in BOE who still like bladed weapons as much as Corona and Camilla do, even though they have access to guns

Crown Him With Many Crowns is apparently the name of a hymn about Jesus, Thy Full Gallant Legions seems to be the from the English translation of the national anthem of the Ivory Coast, and He Found It In Him To Forgive seems to be from a song by a New Zealand rock band according to the internet, but I'm very sure they were not the only people to ever have used that phrase. I guess that parallels Wake's name in that second part is a translation of a national anthem and the third part is a song lyric, but if these phrases really don't mean anything to BOE anymore, that may not signify. I think from the rest of this that "Troia cell" is just a synonym for "Ctesiphon-3", but I'm not sure about that, and possibly Troia cell/Ctesiphon-3 is how they refer to Pyrrha, Camilla, and Nona?

I hope this person becomes a returning character, because they certainly are a character

Is this supposed to mean something to me?

I mean, Ianthe literally did eat parts of Naberius for necromancy purposes back in Gideon the Ninth, but I think Ctesiphon wing knows that Corona is not a necromancer? I guess the bodyguard just has heard some weird rumors about how people do things in the Nine Houses

More posthumous character development for Wake

I think the only people left alive who can physically travel through the River and aren't currently in this room are Ianthe and John, right? So is Ianthe the negotiator then? Very interested to hear Ianthe's take on her sister's new allegiance

So the Sixth House would be going back to the Empire, despite the break clause? Or did they promise the Sixth House a new home, and then turn around and offer them back to John at a price, and that's what's going on here?

Source Joyeuse is probably Mercy, Source Piotra is maybe Augustine? But I didn't get the impression that they were treating Mercy the same way they are treating Pyrrha now. Do they intend to have a different kind of relationship with Harrow/Nona?

Joyeuse was Charlemagne's sword, Chrysaor, which they use for Cytherea below is from Greek mythology, but I can't find anything about Piotra other than it being a given name

13 people died at or on the way to Canaan House: Marta, Naberius, Isaac, Jeannemary, Magnus, Abigail, Palamedes, Dulcinea, Protesilaus, Colum, Mayonnaise Uncle, Gideon, and Teacher, and Cytherea only killed six of them, as Camilla points out. I guess the ones that We Suffer is excluding here are Gideon and Naberius, assuming they were killed by their necromancers for Lyctor purposes? And Teacher is obviously the "necromantic monster" here. Camilla also didn't mention Gideon and Naberius in her correction

I thought the report at the end of the last book said that Lyctors had not appeared in this capacity in thousands of years? I can understand if she was like, this used to happen in ancient times and we are afraid it will start happening again, but here she is talking like this happens all the time in the current day

I dunno, I think Ianthe also got what she wanted, just not exactly the way she was hoping for it

Are there only 16 people in the Sixth House? Or is it like 16 families or something? I know they are low on population, but that seems pretty extreme

Camilla, are you going to merge with Palamedes and become BOE's pet Lyctor in exchange for the welfare of Nona and the Sixth House? Oh no

[raayllum]

I could have sworn that in an earlier season we were told, or it was heavily implied, that the gem in Viren's staff was a quasar diamond. When Lujanne was inspecting the crown, I was all, "one of them is fake, right?" and when we got confirmation I literally yelled out "I knew it!".

So I don't know if that fact came to me in a dream or if I read it somewhere else but I was really skeptical about the celestial elves having all three quasar diamonds because I could've sworn that Viren's staff had one of the diamonds.

My question is (as the wonderful analyst you are) do you think the celestial elves knew that one of the quasars was fake? Or did they not know and the Corona was "fixed" by an outside force (Aaravos or another Startouch elf maybe)?

Yes!! As soon as S4 introduced the concept of quasar diamonds it was like "there's one in that damn staff isn't there" (to also explain its general power scaling weirdness, god bless), having that pay off in S6 was infinitely rewarding, honestly, even if I also kinda expected it at that point.

Getting the uber-specific coupled "two of the quasar diamonds in the corona are legit but the third one was stolen like a thousand years ago by Aaravos and placed in the staff" + "Aaravos needs a quasar diamond to get out of his prison" (key to his heart theory I think of you fondly, right idea wrong parts) was WILD since I'd like, just published my chapter of fanon s6 detailing said theory of mine like, 2 weeks before the season aired.

So possibly you saw theories floating around about it? While I didn't think it'd translate to "one diamond = one soul body" I think myself and many others figured it'd be relevant that there was 3 diamonds (otherwise why have it be 3 and not 1) and the easiest obstacle to place in front was that one would be missing or wouldn't work. I don't think S4 itself implies that there's a diamond in the staff (I think s6 definitely does, though, especially in 6x06) but I do think it was a prevalent theory that the staff likely held one, so semi-fandom consensus previously? That might be the implication you're picking up on but idk, I could've missed something in S4!

I wouldn't be entirely surprised if the Celestial Elf knew or suspected, but given that that illusion looks and feels real, and the blindfolds are rarely removed... I could also see the guy not knowing (and I think everyone else is too young / it's been so long, and Aaravos is already very clever and talented at manipulation/deception). If the Elder did know, I don't think he'd really care at that point? The celestial elves seem to take the Stars' indifference to an extreme measure of non-interference (waiting around for the Chosen Two rather than trying to solve their problem themselves at all) so I don't think they'd... Care either way? At least he seemingly wouldn't (Kosmo and Astrid might be another story)

Given that Aaravos cites that he "plans for contingencies" and the staff seems to be a gift from him to Ziard (dark magic connections and all) I think we can assume that even if Aaravos didn't steal the staff himself, he's the reason it was taken + the diamond to boot, presumably at the same time. For what exact end, I don't think we've entirely seen it yet, but maybe in S7!

[emilee1421]

Winters and Nixon find a way to keep warm on a cold night in Bastogne.

The moon wore an icy halo in the cold winter sky. The frigid wind hummed a low mournful hymn through the trees of the dense forest. The silver moonlight streamed through the bare branches and cast long inky shadows onto the snow.

It had been quiet for a while now as the night slipped into that odd no-man's-land between midnight and dawn. It was easy in those late night hours to forget that they were completely surrounded by enemy forces. Winters blinked his eyes against the sting of the cold and fatigue, refocusing them on the treeline across the clearing. He couldn't see past the first few trees that formed the line but he was certain the Germans were there, watching them from their places in the dark as well.

He sat back against the frozen earth of his foxhole, pulling off his helmet and tipping his face up toward the inky, black vastness above. He swore he’d never seen so many stars. they stood out as perfect glittering singularities that seemed to shiver in the bitter December wind.

The crunch of boots through snow broke the quiet and Nixon slid into the hole with him. He propped his rifle up beside him before searching through his coat and producing his silver flask. He took a long pull before holding it out to Winters. “Brought you something warm” he drawled. His dark eyes shone with amusement as Winters shook his head. “Suit yourself.” he chuffed, taking another swallow.

“God, what I wouldn't give for a hot shower.” Nixon murmured a few moments later; puffing breaths of warm air into his cupped hands. Winters watched the way his frozen breath puffed past his perfectly sculpted lips as his mind wandered to the stolen glances of Captain Nixon in the Toccoa barrack showers. Rivulets of water flowing over broad shoulders and the rigid muscle and sinew of his abdomen. His cock twitched and thickened in his pants. He stopped his train of thought before he lost himself in it fully.

“I’d settle for an extra pair of socks at this point.” Winters huffed, forcing the thoughts from his head. The cold and lack of sleep was wearing away at his resolve to keep his mind sharp and not daydreaming about a certain dark haired adonis captain. Despite his efforts, he couldn't deny that the magnetic pull between them had only strengthened. At first he marked it up to bonds between all the men here. The fear and horror of war had a way of creating a deep and unique connection with those who experienced it with you. That’s surely what he felt. A bond with a man who had lived the same nightmare.

He tipped his face up and took a cleansing breath, watching the stars again. Nixon followed his gaze to the heavens. It was beautiful, serene even, and starkly out of place with everything they had seen since arriving in Bastogne.

Nixon shifted closer until they were pressed together from shoulder to knee. He relaxed a bit when Winters made no effort to move away. He took Winters’ gloved hand and directed his pointer finger across the sky to trace the outlines of the constellations.

“Corona borealis,” he murmured softly, tracing his finger over the celestial crown. “Taurus,” he traced over the outline of the bull’s horns.

“How do you know all this?” Winters asked.

“I contain multitudes,” Nixon replied with a smirk, dropping Winter’s hand but holding his cerulean gaze. Nix was certain Winters felt that same pull, like gravity. An inevitable force drawing them to one another. It wasn’t something as vapid at lust. It was much deeper. A bone-deep attraction that was calming and exciting all at the same time. Like the first warm day in the spring or the feel of warm salty ocean waves on a long-awaited holiday.

Nix reached up slowly and traced his thumb over Winters’ chapped bottom lip, fingers ghosting over the rough stubble of his jaw. He studied the lines of his face, the curve of his eyebrows, and the smudges of dirt across the pale skin of his forehead.

He felt Winters’ breath stutter as it caught in his throat but he kept moving his hand slowly, deliberately, watching the other man for any reaction. Winters studied Nix right back, glancing between those dark eyes and those perfectly bowed lips. He leaned into Nix’s touch, pressing his cheek into the warmth of his palm, and sliding a timid hand onto Nix’s thigh. It was permission bordering on desperation.

Both of their breaths came in quick panting bursts as they teetered on the precipice; suspended in the full gravity of the moment. Nix cupped the back of Winter’s neck before pulling him forward and kissing him hard, sending both of them careening over the edge. Nix’s plush lips moved against Winter’s, demanding but gentle all at once as the buzzing attraction became a live wire between them.

He felt Winter’s body tense in brief surprise before relaxing into his touch as he leaned closer, lips parting to let him in. He pulled Nix to him until their bodies were flush, one hand threading into the dark hair that had grown out over the weeks in Belgium. He could taste the whisper of cigarettes and the edge of whisky on his tongue.

Nix claimed Winter’s mouth, vying dominance through the movement of their mouths. He sucked Winters’ bottom lip and nipped it just hard enough to send a thrill of pain and pleasure down Winters’ spine. Winter’s fingers slid into Nix’s coat, savoring his warmth and exploring their way around his ribs before gripping into the muscles of his back in a silent plea for him to not let go.

Nix deepened the kiss, chasing the desperate building between them and stoking the embers of want until he felt flames of desire spread deep in his belly.

Winters pulled back slightly, gentle panting breaths caressing Nix’s skin as he ghosted his lips over the crook of his neck.

“Nix” Winters rasped, making the familiar nickname sound like a prayer.

Fast crunching footsteps approached. The two men instinctively pushed away from each other, repositioning in the foxhole to face the line just in time for the footsteps to skid to a stop behind them. Doc Roe crouched over them, stuffing down bandages and pressure dressings into his medic bag.

“Doc” Nix nodded to the medic.

“Sir” Roe nodded back. “You guys alright?” he asked.

“We’re all good here,” Winters answered.

“Don't forget to move around between watches. Gotta keep warm.” Roe added before hurrying off to the net foxhole.

Both men settled into the dark silence of the night, neither one speaking for a while until Nix shifted closer again and pulled the standard issue wool blanket from his pack. He spread it over both of them and repositioned his rifle within reach.

“Get some sleep, Dick. I’ll wake you up if it gets interesting” He murmured, eyes fixed on the treeline across the clearing.

Winters shuffled down, pulling his scarf and coat up around his neck and settling in. He looked back up to the stars, trying to find the constellations Nix showed him until his eyes grew heavy. His last thoughts before surrendering to the irresistible pull of sleep were of perfectly bowed, warm lips and sultry deep-brown eyes.

[tomomiisasleep]

oh god.

wait if Nona's a fused soul she doesn't have infinite thanergy anymore

of whites so white they looked yellow except where they were splotched with reds so red they looked orange, a multihued melange of faces and walls

this can't be Gideon right

Prince Ianthe Naberius the First, the Lyctor Prince, the Saint of Awe

what the hell

oh my god Gideon is also there

Her Most Serene Highness, Crown Prince Kiriona Gaia, heir to the First House, the Emperor’s only daughter

uhh???

ummmmmm??????

“Cam, have you thought about what it means if Nona’s actually—a completed merger? One we will never actually be able to unpick, a successful soul gestalt?”

so??

Camilla did something a little strange then: she tripped. She pitched forward on a raised bit of the carpet and stumbled into the Angel, tried to right herself with her hands on the Angel’s hips and front, and stumbled upward, saying “Sorry—sorry,” glancing out the window like she was embarrassed. Then she turned her head back and looked more normally Camilla, standing as gracefully as though she could never even think about tripping.

this is like the oldest "bug somebody" trick in the books

“Bloody dog. Let me put him in the kitchen with a toy,”

she, or they're gonna get a knife

“Yes, you made it up.”

oh well another kid goes crazy wondering if she's crazy

oh my god that third tantrum scene I'm getting physically ill reading it and Idon't think I've ever been so disturbed reading anything

This second arm had come off longer, and she gripped that one firmly, one hand at the bottom and the other hand atop that one. Even with everything so soggy and slippery, that felt safe.

ok

unless it didn’t recognise it. Unless your soul was a stranger’s … or a melange. Is that the gestalt theory busted—or confirmed? Is that how we explain the rapid healing?”

ok

I can't believe we only get to listen to twins reunion scene. come on! and she's puppeting...that's why she could be there, but where is the planet actually?

Look at you … more beautiful than ever, even with crappy jewellery and a million split ends. Studs, darling? Earrings on a diet?”

just got second-hand judged by Ianthe eight times for every stud I wear daily..

also a weird thing about Corona is, she frickin hates being criticized but loves Ianthe, but Ianthe puts her down all the time. was she being gaslighted from as soon as she could understand words???? judging from how Ianthe almost made Harrow genuinely love her(but she choose not to? not sure) I won't put it past Ianthe to do that, cuz if there was a control dynamic in their relationship Ianthe would be the one in control. Corona wanted to be eaten by her.

The voice cooled and hardened like an ice cube.

“Didn’t Harrow—what? When did you talk to Harrow?”

haha I remember Muir saying on her blog that book 3 is girls being annoyed that it is legal for exes to talk to eachother

“I was on a shuttle with her body for months and months. I want to know what’s going on.”

oh. yeah I figured she's being puppetted too, but like. how? who? why?

I'm 95% percent sure Nona is merged, but Harrow and Gideon seem to live inside her at the same time??? what

The other one, Crown’s boyfriend I think

hahahaha "sister"was said many times, buf Nona still think it's boyfriend. that settles it

If we can get the body of Gideon Nav—the key to the Locked Tomb—out of that barracks, will you give us the Sixth House?”

bruh everyone thinks the tomb is still locked, but I really really believe that Harrow opened it already.

“A pair of scissors,” said Camilla. “Iris dye.” She looked at Nona’s button-up shirt, which was unbuttoned to show the T-shirt underneath. “And the blackest clothes you can find.”

like where this is going.

Which reminds me, how could Gideon see Cytherea's thanergy signals when Harrow overrided her? no Lyctor masking? or did she turn it off? how did she fool everyone for so long?

He was all, Matter doesn’t play by these rules! You’re doing bone parthenogenesis! I told him his mum did bone parthenogenesis. A— told me he’d kill me one day.

*laughing*

wait I just realized

he did try to kill him later

[treeofnonsense]

🖤 tridentarii

💜 kasjory

Other half of your ask! Tridentarii 🖤 (I wrote this in the student union with no shame):

“Sister dearest, won’t you kiss me?” Prince Ianthe Naberius, the Saint of Awe, ran her hand through Coronabeth’s hair. She’d had it combed and perfumed and properly moisturized just hours ago, and now it lay in rippling waves over Corona’s back like it was supposed to as she knelt beside Ianthe’s throne. Still a few tangles and split ends to be worked out, but it was quite good work from a team of skeleton servants, and, really you can’t expect much more from me can you, when you’ve been living in this horrible place for years – I mean honestly, with this humidity it’s a miracle you look this good. Between the hair, Ianthe’s nagging, and the new shimmering dress sourced from the palace of necromantic corridors, it almost felt like home back on the Third again. Corona would have sunk into the familiarity like a warm bath, except…

…except it wasn’t her leg she was leaning against, it was his. Far too thick and meaty for her waifish sister, smelling like starched fabric and tomb air instead of whatever horrible perfume Ianthe had been trying lately. When she looked up she saw a skeletal version of Naberius instead of a skeletal version of herself – and it wasn’t even a good copy! His hair was all wrong, he had bags under his eyes, and the suit was way too garish for him; the real Naberius would have pitched a fit if he saw this in the mirror. Nobody cares about Babs… but she’d never expected to look him in the eye again.

“I won’t while you’re wearing his face. It’s obscene.”

Ianthe scoffed, and all the skeletons around them twitched their heads a little. All that Lyctor power, spilling out even over lightyears; she’d always had too much, enough for two necromancers. “I come back to this miserable little planet for you, and this is the thanks I get? A fight and a stillborn revolution? What else would you have me do, you fool, come down here myself and go regally loopy?” She laughed, but Naberius’s fingernails dug into Corona’s scalp. “Maybe you would, joining your little revolution. What are they calling you now, Crown? You don’t know what a real crown looks like, not until you’ve seen the halo of a dying planet. I could give you that, Corona, if you’d just listen to me, if you’d let me stand in front for once in your life…”

At that the old habits took over, and Corona said something reassuring and saw from the tilt of Ianthe’s head that she didn’t believe a word of it. Her words never changed anything, but they’d both performed this dance so many times that the steps were trodden into their souls. And why, why? – because back on the Third it gave Corona power, because whatever Ianthe’s whining she would still keep up the act, still polish Corona’s image to a mirror shine. Because she needed Ianthe like she needed air. But this wasn’t the Third, and she knelt at her sister’s throne, and Naberius’s face made it crystal clear that Ianthe didn’t need Corona at all.

And they were waiting for Camilla, whose only crime was loyalty, and for Nona, who had once been Harrowhark, or maybe Gideon, and now was clearly something entirely her own. Because no one else had ever done what Nona had – looked straight into Corona’s halo and seen the center even through all the glare. Corona thought she loved their two incumbent visitors, in her own broken way… they certainly deserved better than this. Why couldn’t she have them and her sister? Couldn’t Ianthe play nice, just for one day?

Not on her own. She needed Corona for this, even if she didn’t know it. Corona tilted her face up and put on her best Crown Princess pout – tears were already filling her vision, so it wasn’t hard. Ianthe recognized the submission, the old pattern, and made Naberius smile. “See now, not so hard.”

“I hate this. I hate him.”

“We’ll be together soon enough.” Ianthe kissed her, and even lightyears away, in a different body, it was the same kiss as a thousand times before. Only the tears were Corona’s silent rebellion.