#gilgamesh makes a surprise appearance too

[atdutiesend]

"Alright, 'Master,' are you done laughing at everyone?"

"Aren't you Hideki's Servant?"

. . .

"... Okay, yeah, fine, I'm done laughing. For now. I'm sorry it's just... hilarious... that there were three questions that only one person got right, and the same person didn't even get all of them! ... Wait, no, results just updated. It's only the one. There are four that only had two right responses each though!"

"How auspicious. Then let's begin with your tricky question, shall we?"

"Right... My favorite fruit is actually kiwifruit! This actually was mentioned before but it was a while ago. Unsurprisingly, everyone except one person went for the low-hanging fruit. I do love pomegranate, too, but I prefer the seeds frozen then dipped in chocolate. So good. I do like cherry juice and cherry wine too, so it's kind of surprising nobody went for that."

"I'll be sure to share that with Gilgamesh. Speaking of your favorite drinks, though..."

"Only three people got this right. Considering I'm known for being a chocolate fiend the number of people who got it wrong is astounding and a little worrying. My favorite drink is hot chocolate. I do like tea and coffee, of course, but even coffee I tend to add chocolate to. Rum's good in mixed drinks."

"Perhaps one day we'll share a drink. Regardless, the jewelry one seems to have stumped as many people as got it right."

"Can probably blame that on my fashion sense being on point. I'll wear jewelry that suits my outfit even if I wouldn't otherwise choose it. I do prefer silvery metals with green gems! I think gold usually makes me look a bit washed out, but I'll wear it when it suits the outfit. I do also like moonstones. The one person who went with platinum and diamonds... Well I certainly don't mind those at all."

"In other words, you don't mind being spoiled? Though I will point out those filigree ear decorations you like to wear do look like rose gold and opals."

"Oh! Those were a gift from Dove. They're rather fond of gold, and they said the opals suited my eyes."

"I see... This next one appears to have only two correct answers."

"Hm, that one was down to observational skills. To be fair, they are all principles I live by, but their true order is something more like... I don't make promises I don't intend to keep, forgive but never forget, I'm made of spite and vinegar, and I won't make the same mistake twice."

"You have to admit, your spite and refusal to give up is quite a bit more blatant than what you don't do."

"When have I broken a promise?"

"... Fair point. And this next one is why I'm here."

"Okay this one absolutely is on me. I forgot to specify it was specifically for this me. Though even accounting for the clocktower haters... you're still Hideki's Servant, not one of the other me's."

. . .

"What, did some other me summon you while we weren't paying attention?"

. . .

"... message received I guess?..."

"Now that that's cleared up..."

[sakuraswordly]

※ Punch Whalen and Derora belong to @PunchSakura

Derora is Jewish. Her original before being born as a human was similar to Fox Mulder in Tsubasa of Phantasia. Derora her will and her wish are the same as Tiné Chelc from Fate/ Strange Fake...

and Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Esmeralda is a Romani or Gypsy woman residing underneath Paris, in the hidden catacombs known as the Court of Miracles. Even when she is finally captured, and seconds away from death, she remains fiercely defiant, knowing her worth, and refusing to degrade herself by surrendering to Frollo.

If you notice Tiné Chelc from Fate/Strange Fake even though she had power in her grip, why she didn't use Gilgamesh to destroy this country?

Normal people thought because she was just a child but remember, Tiné is very a strong person. She made her decision and accepted everything in her life no matter how the consequences will come to her in the future. You did see her first appearance right? Tiné appears during the summoning of False Archer and cuts off his original Master's arm, and she becomes his Master afterward. It was not, at first, her intent to kill him, but the man, driven by wild rage, blasted an unbelievably immense amount of magic at her. It should have killed her immediately. But she spoke a silent chant, and an enormous fiery maw erupted between the two mages. The chant is described as ' a spell that had been compressed so far that it became soundless—a chant of overwhelming power.' But even so...

The same goes for Esmeralda as well. She was the sole individual in all of France to downright rebel against Frollo during his reign and was openly against the judge's accusations of claiming the Romani culture to be a gang of thieves who engage in unholy practices of witchcraft. You did see Esmeralda had unholy practices of witchcraft talent right? Then why did she not use her witchcraft talent to kill Minister Frollo like Jack the Ripper anyway?

Because Esmeralda and Tiné Chelc are ultimately a kind, loving selfless soul underneath. For someone who cares for everyone even if they are the people they don't know both of them love and care for them like their family. And this is the reason they cannot have absolute power or dictatorship. The same way goes for Albert Einstein as well, if he wanted to stop the war he could use his power and his brain, war was a disease and he called for resistance to war. But in the end, he said "I made one great mistake in my life because I made that atom bombs". He hates the war the same way as Esmeralda then why is he heartbroken because of the atom bombs?

 "Being a Jew myself, perhaps I can understand and empathize with how black people feel as victims of discrimination"

This sentence is also the same though as Derora as well. This is the reason behind Derora too. She is non human and she can use them to kill everyone but she chose not too because she's ultimately a kind, loving selfless soul underneath.

#I mean Tine reminds me of people who want demanding justice freedom and equality of skin colour. I'm not surprised that Gilgamesh tell that

This is the true weakness of humans that King Gilgamesh told about but that is what makes King Gilgamesh like humans because humans are weak but they have very strong hearts and are not oppressed.

What I had to create Derora was to focus on Jewish, Real-Life Judaizers and Muslims' feelings. (Even though I don't know much about them. ^^;)

[siriex]

I don't believe I have to say this, but you're not "misgendering" Enkidu by using "they/them" pronouns for them.

Yes, "boku" is used more by men than women in Japan, but it is absolutely used by both. It does not, in and of itself, indicate gender. I'm nonbinary. I use "boku." My pronouns are they/them. Are you gonna start telling me I'm misgendering myself? A lot of nonbinary characters in anime default to boku too! Think Najimi from Komi-san, Kino from Kino's journey, Crona from Soul Eater, pretty much all of the gems from Land of the Lustrous, Yuu from Stars align... I could go on. "Boku" is the most common first-person pronoun for nonbinary characters in anime that I'm aware of. It's harder for me to think of nonbinary characters in anime that don't use "boku." (They do exist, but they're rarer.)

Putting that aside, Enkidu at no point refers to themself as a man.

Kingu is consistently referred to as a man and with masculine pronouns in both Japanese and English, but Enkidu isn't.

You could make an argument that Enkidu should be "he/him" because Gilgamesh refers to them using masculine language on one or two occasions specifically in Babylonia (I don't believe this ever happens in Fate/Strange Fake), but no one else does- and Enkidu definitely never does. Enkidu consistently refers to themself as "not human" and a "tool" and a "weapon." Their general attitude towards themself is that they're not even a living being! (I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they thought "it" was most appropriate given how they talk about themself.) Gilgamesh is constantly fighting them on this, repeatedly insisting that they're human, and him using some masc terms to refer to Enkidu appears to be a part of this. He usually uses gendered terms when he's trying to affirm Enkidu's "humanity" and/or insist they're not just a weapon or a tool.

The thing is, Enkidu repeatedly pushes back against this narrative in their conversations with him in Babylonia, in their internal monologue in Gil's secret garden in CCC, in their My Room lines, and so-on.

In Fate/Strange Fake the narrative goes out of its way to have Faldeus use "he" and "she" for Enkidu before finally settling on neutral pronouns to refer to them. While Faldeus is a character in the story so this isn't exactly a "voice of god" thing, it's probably as close as we'll get- and this happens in both the original Japanese and the English translation.

I think you can make a good argument for using "he/him" for Enkidu.

But for Fate Enkidu specifically, you could also make a good argument for she/her. Enkidu can look however they want- they specifically chose a woman's face when creating their humanoid appearance. There's also a lot of symbolism contrasting them to Gil both in Fate and in the original Epic. Sun vs Moon, Sky vs Earth, man vs woman, etc.

I think you can make an argument for just about any pronouns for Enkidu. And yes! Nonbinary people can use any pronouns. We're not restricted to they/them. But for the love of everything good, it is not misgendering Enkidu to use they/them pronouns. In fact, that interpretation has the most explicit canon support given Enkidu's treatment in their source material (Fate/Strange Fake) and their treatment in official translations. (Which we know Type Moon and Nasu has to approve- see "Altria" instead of "Artoria.")

[ardenssolis]

@oftwilight said (inbox):

( CasGil! ) ❝ You know, Ozymandias. ❞ the caster hums, his crimson gaze casual yet his tone laced with teasing and lips curled into a mild smirk. Having been sat with the other over a couple glasses of wine, the caster can’t help his sudden, impish curiosity. A hand lifts as his frame leans over, grazing the pharaoh’s exposed chest in a light, more playful manner, the limb momentarily trailing upwards before it’s just as swiftly drawing back to allow its owner to settle into his seat once more. ❝ For someome so eager to ‘reprimand’ me for my choice of dress not long ago, you certainly prove you are in a position to speak. How can one expect to hold a conversation when you display yourself so openly like this? And here you were telling me I would be the one to ‘fall into temptation’. How curious. ❞

QUITE CONTENT WITH THE wine that Gilgamesh always provided, he refused to compliment it more than necessary out of fear that the other king would believe his wine better than his own; which, of course, was ridiculous. Still, he couldn’t allow the Sage King’s ego to grow more than it should. Such too was the duty of a king – the greatest, most especially. Placing his glass back down, he had just leaned back to make himself more comfortable when Gilgamesh’s voice cut through the relative quiet. A thin brow rose curiously, a question within his gaze that he hoped would gain an eventual answer. Oh…and how quickly that answer came. He blinked, both brows now risen with surprise as the other reached out, hand just barely grazing across the expanse of his chest before it was gone just like that. It took a moment for his brain to catch up with what had just transpired, a few slow blinks offered until he managed to put composure back in place. Clearing his throat, Ozymandias sat up a little more, usual haughty smirk tugging upon the edge of his lips. ❝Hah! You compare my manner of dress to your own? You can be quite the jester sometimes.❞

     As if his clothing was anything as distracting as theirs. Not that he would outright admit this, though. After all, by stating such a thing, the other king would take that as admission that his clothing was better or some other nonsense. He might even think that Ozymandias was tempted by his looks of all things. Absolutely ridiculous. If anything, things should be the other way around (and they probably were!). ❝As if you are one to talk. Is your chest not so equally exposed?❞ He lifted his hand, gesturing. ❝Not only do you have those most peculiar pants, your chest is free for all to see. Naturally, however, many would be drawn to my appearance more as I am more than aware that my very presence is a distraction. It must be hard for you as well considering you too seem to fall into that category. To be expected when basking in the radiance of the sun like this on a regular basis.❞ How lucky they were to be graced with his attention! The Caster should be singing his praises.

[canmom]

i finished it, it's not very long

the ending is strange. after being more or less lectured on the futility of resurrecting someone by a washed-up, bitter utnapishtim, there's a last minute pair of swerves: there actually is an immortality plant, and gilgamesh gets it, but within about a page a serpent steals it while he's bathing and then... the story just kinda ends. he returns to uruk, people are already forgetting Enkidu, and moves on, if only for a moment.

in some ways it has the paradoxical feeling of a kind of cynical response to later mythology, even though it predates them. utnapishtim is kind of like a Noah character, but rather than fathering a grand lineage, he is stuck on a remote island grieving all the people he's lost. his boat is created as a panicked response by the people of his city after Ishtar decides to kill everyone (she has a bit of a habit of this).

I really wonder what stories the surviving version of the Epic was responding to, because at least in this presentation, it's far from a heroic story about a great king, and much more a meditation on grief and loss with the hapless Gilgamesh pretty much just there to suffer.

there's some wonderful mythology logic to it though. Shamhat specifically being summoned to have sex with Enkidu so the animals will become ashamed of him... I don't know how that works exactly but it's the kind of episode that feels revealing of something in the worldview of the authors, though I don't really know if I can say what! this version of the flood/ark story has them gathering the 'seed' of the animals to make a kind of floating sperm bank - that raises so many questions, not least who is supposed to give birth after.

the best scenes are of course the immediate aftermath of Enkidu's death. this is observed so simply and so effectively.

given how prominently it features in TFTBN, I was surprised that the flower quest is a very minor episode, almost tacked on at the end!

I'd like to read another translation of the story to get a better sense of what is specific to Mason's version of Gilgamesh. I don't think there's anything wrong with filling in the gaps of something that was once an oral tradition anyway as a literary exercise, but I would like to know a bit more about the original Epic.

I've got to say too, the version of Gilgamesh that appears in Fate feels like it only barely resembles the character in this story. perhaps the version of Gilgamesh before he loses Enkidu, when he's full of life and having sex with half his kingdom. but afterwards... he's a broken man for most of the story.

good stuff, glad I picked this up

reading Herbert Mason's translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh, as you do!

I went with Mason's translation after I saw it quoted here and there and seemed pretty solidly written - but it isn't precisely right to call it a translation, more a retelling of the story as Mason understands it. so it's not a line by line translation, and some major parts of it are presumably interpolations or paraphrases.

i knew the broad outline of the story but it's fascinating to put it in context, and discover parts of the story i hadn't heard about. for example, i didn't realise the concept of droit du seigneur was part of this story - I'd thought that was basically a goofy myth about the medieval period, but here in the oldest surviving written story, it's just a thing the mythological king Gilgamesh does. though the exact translation seems a little contentious - Mason writes:

As king, Gilgamesh was a tyrant to his people.

He demanded, from an old birthright,

The privilege of sleeping with their brides

Before the husbands were permitted

But Wikipedia quotes a different translation by Stephen Mitchell which says:

He is king, he does whatever he wants... takes the girl from her mother and uses her, the warrior's daughter, the young man's bride.

The general thrust is similar in both cases, but the details of the custom are different. I don't have Mitchell's translation so I can't find how he describes the moment Enkidu arrives to interfere with Gilgamesh doing one of these kingly rapes (like let's not beat around the bush here, it's a different social context and whatever but you can't possibly say no to the demigod king).

Moving on...

Viewed with modern eyes, the transition between the first chapter and the second is kind of abrupt. We've got this great establishing story for Gilgamesh and Enkidu having a rather homoerotic fight and becoming best bros, but then we abruptly skip forward to Gilgamesh declaring that they're going to go fight a monster called Humbaba, and Enkidu is all like, no, that guy is way too high level, you'll die! Modern writing advice would hold that you'd want to spend some time building up Gilgamesh and Enkidu's relationship 'on screen' here, and perhaps foreshadow the existence of Humbaba a bit sooner to build up the threat a bit - but then I'm not carving this into stone tablets, I can afford to be a little bit roundabout, and who knows what's been lost? (scholars of the Epic probably have some idea lol)

The word used for Gilgamesh and Enkidu's relationship is 'friend'. This feels like it's probably a bit of a lossy translation to me - would lover/boyfriend be projecting too much? I obviously don't know the nuances of Sumerian that well, so maybe this is the best available word, but their relationship has a lot of physicality and a lot of affection.

The woman who goes to Enkidu in the wild and has a bunch of sex until he becomes civilised is described here as a 'prostitute'. My understanding was that she belongs to a religious role here, harimtu, that's usually translated as 'sacred prostitution' but apparently this identity is contested, and also she has a name, Shamhat? I don't know why Mason doesn't use her name. Shamhat has a pretty big role in changing Enkidu and convincing him to come meet Gilgamesh, but her own motivation isn't really explored.

Still, I don't want to come off as only complaining. Whether they originate in the Epic or with Mason, I'm enjoying a lot of the poetic turns of phrase in this version - the style is just the right level of minimal - simple appropriate words, but effective for that. Mason writes in verse, but doesn't rhyme - I'm not really familiar enough with meter to say more than that. There are a lot of fairly short, declarative sentences, mixed up with an occasional much longer metaphor across multiple lines. I think you could fairly easily delete the line breaks and just have prose, but having them makes it flow in an interesting way, like waves? Poetry is not my bailiwick so I'm probably describing some fairly basic facets of the medium, but it's interesting to observe.

I'll add more when I've read a bit more, I'll be in this train a while...

[demialwrites]

Bless Me Father, For We Have Sinned

Commission for Anonymous - 1400 words

You moved to Fuyuki with your family. They weren't terribly religious but enough that they wanted to try out the local church. The sermons were fine. Boring, as you expected. The priest's gently wavering voice washed over you and just about put you to sleep. After a few Masses, you met the man. Kirei Kotomine.

His energy was different up close and personal compared to during his sermons. Looking into his eyes while he spoke was like staring into a black hole that took everything in, then radiated a lulling heat. You really should have run the other way.

The first meeting was normal, uneventful. You decided to push your strange attraction by attending confession. You hung around until everyone else had their chance first. The box looked like it had been built when the church was, an ungodly amount of time ago. But it was clean, shiny, and didn't give you a horror movie vibe, so you went inside. You sat on the built-in wooden bench, hoping to God that Kirei recognized you. What you were hoping for beyond that, you didn't know.

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned," you recited. "It has been...a long time since my last confession."

You heard a dry chuckle on the other side of the screen at that. "Go on."

You gave some run-of-the-mill sins. Nothing too sinful. But you leaned heavily on the impure thoughts portion of it.

The silence on the other side of the screen was worrying. Could he tell you lied? Did you displease him?

"Father? My penance?"

"Your penance? Oh, right."

You didn't expect the fumbling answer, like he hadn't been listening at all. Then a creak. And another, longer creak sounding like a door opening. Another door opened, the one leading to your side of the confessional.

He didn't tell you what your penance was but, rather, showed you. You were to satisfy that annoying itch his body had for sex. Aside from a few surprised noises, you let him have his way. He pulled your bottoms and panties down and bent your legs up. Some rustling and he gathered his robe up to take his cock out. Because he was blocking all the light, you didn't see anything. You just heard him breathing deeply.

Him entering you hurt without prep but he didn't stop. Kirei put his hand over your mouth to silence your pained cries and continued to thrust deeper. Then he fucked you against the back wall of the confessional. If anyone was left inside the church, they would hear rhythmic thumping against the wood that sped up over time. He panted down at your face, thrusting at the heart of you.

Your hands slapped against the wood to anchor yourself as he stifled your loud moans, too. Even if you wouldn't finish with him, you wouldn't be far behind. This was everything you hoped for, minus the pain. You couldn't help but think you deserved that, though.

Strangely, he kept going until you began to clamp down on his cock and whine into his palm. It seemed oddly considerate to wait until you finished, too. He pulled out, leaving behind soreness in your core and regret deeply etched into your face. He stood back from the open door to the confessional, already looking presentable. You lay there, dripping cunt on display, terrified of the idea that someone might walk by and see you, let alone hear what just happened. You wouldn't be able to look your parents in the eye tonight.

Kirei smiled.

He left your sight. You managed to put yourself back together and make it home without anyone else laying eyes on you. Still, what you did was stupid. You weren't going to do it again.

Thing was, you couldn't just skip out on Mass without your parents being suspicious. If you left with your family afterwards, you'd never be alone with the priest. So you thought.

During Mass, Kirei swept his arms and gaze over the people sitting in the pews. His gaze stopped on you, of course. How did someone with nothing in his eyes see so much in you? That's what it felt like. And so he had you, without even trying.

You stuck around after Mass for confession. Your body thrummed with anticipation and also that your conscience warred with the rest of you. A tiny voice of reason that you were deaf to. You gave your confession, leaning on impure thoughts again. This time, to your disappointment, he gave you a regular penance. Hail Marys, Our Fathers, etc. You felt a little rejected but you went to kneel in front of the alter to start. It was uncomfortable on the stone floor but you planned to race through it.

You heard footsteps on the stone floor, going around you.

"Good," praised Kirei.

His shoe scruffed the floor and a moment later, his hands were on you. Rather, on the hem of your shirt. Panic flared within he pulled your shirt up. Had everyone else left? You didn't check this time. He was pulling your bra up, now. Just as your skin was pimpling from the cold air, the priest started tugging down your pants. Next, your underwear, his fingers drawing lines down your thighs as he did so. Your heart pounded with fear, you were frozen, but you couldn't find it in yourself to resist him. You could have had an audience behind you in the church but your heart would have pounded from excitement as well as fear.

There was a warmth on your back as he approached you and guided you forward until your hands rested on the stone. You forgot how the prayers went when cloth rustled behind you. He put his hands on your hips and you tilted them up, offering yourself.

He plunged into you immediately and forcefully. Harder than the first time, thrusting, hammering, until your walls gave way to his cock. Pulling your hips back to meet his thrusts and using your body to scratch his itch. He had no need for lust. He saw getting off as a chore to be done. You just made it more enjoyable.

You tried to crawl forward and away. With surprising strength, he stopped you, dragging your hips back again, and continued like it was nothing.

"Please, Father, it hurts!"

"Good. That is your real penance."

He pushed you to your first peak in under a minute and again, he didn't stop. This time, you were privy to short, low moans from the priest. Not loud enough to drown out your own, which were shrill with pain. Your fingers curled against the stone like a kneading cat. It was disgusting, disgusting, that you were letting a priest use you as a cocksleeve in front of the altar.

Kirei was very happy with having you as a playtoy at the moment. Perhaps he would tire of you later and dispose of you. For now, you even made Mass more interesting. You had no idea the emotions that displayed openly on your face when he made sure to concentrate on you. Like in cartoons when a character squirms under a spotlight. He need only glance at you and you were suddenly engrossed in the sermon. Or wondering what his next move was and how you could get into his pants. So easy to read and take advantage of.

"Nice little arrangement you have here."

Kirei gasped as you tensed up all over your body and around his cock, then he smirked. Gilgamesh stood just to the side of Kirei's vision, one hand in his pocket and a maddening grin on his face. Kirei's Servant was very amused by this. Gilgamesh bent down at the waist to get a better look at your face. "Ahhh, your pet does not seem to be enjoying herself."

Kirei hummed thoughtfully, imagining the discomfort on your face. He had seen you like that before; he knew exactly what your expression was. Add in some absolute horror that you had been caught and your trembling, his body warmed with the joy that normally he was denied in his everyday life. Before you could try to get away again, he used the hardened muscles hidden under his cassock to lift you up and hold you in a way that put you on display for his Servant.  You couldn't move. He kept you locked against him with one arm across your chest. With the other hand, he pressed on your clit and rubbed hard. You bent back against his body from the sheer pleasure, your tongue bulging from your lips with each pant. Like you wanted to vomit from the situation but couldn't. Gilgamesh's grin widened.

[fanficimagery]

Sweet Child O’Mine

After helping your fellow Eternals stop the Emergence, it's time you let them in on a little secret you've been keeping for thousands of years.

Words: 1.9K Author’s Note: It’s been a while, yeah? Real life sucks and writer’s block is at an all time high. I probably won’t have a regular posting schedule for a while because I can’t seem to focus on one thing. I’m lucky this was able to be posted, even if I don’t like it much. Druig is my new love. 

BEFORE  Ikaris and Sersi had been the two to find you, the two of them ringing your doorbell in the middle of the day to explain what Sersi knew about Ajak, Eternals, Deviants, Celestials and the upcoming destruction of Earth. It was a rude awakening, for sure, and it changed everything you once believed in. They needed your help, they needed the help of every Eternal you had awakened with so long ago on the Domo, and they needed it now. You were terrified of what was to come, but you knew that you'd do anything to stop the destruction of this planet you've become so fond of.

"Give me a couple of hours to get some things in order. I'll meet you at your next stop."

"We're going after Phastos next," Ikaris had said.

"Great. Leave me an address and I'll be there in a couple of hours."

After getting your affairs in order and heading over to Phastos', you were surprised to find him with a husband and a child. He had the perfect life going on for him and you felt terrible for dragging him away from it all. And it was as he was in the middle of making plans to have his family moved to Ajak's farm house that you decided to let him in on the secret that only one other person had known.

You had a daughter of your own- a daughter who inherited powers, but had stopped aging when she hit her sixteenth year mark. To say Phastos was surprised would have been an understatement, but after assuring him that she could watch over his husband and son at Ajak's, he agreed to have his husband go pick her up from where you had left her and take her with him to the farm house.

"So who's the father?" He had asked when Sersi and Ikaris were too busy to pay attention to your conversation.

You had stared at him, expression void of any emotion and shook your head. "Not now, Phastos. Not now."

Being reunited with your fellow Eternals brought forward emotions you had thought you buried so long ago- happiness, anger, sadness and longing. You forgot how much they bickered and though you found amusement in it all, you wish everyone could just get along.

Losing Gilgamesh was truly heartbreaking, especially Thena's reaction to it all, and you knew you would do whatever it took to kill the Deviants responsible. But then secrets were unearthed and hidden agendas were brought forward into the light, and you'd never felt more betrayed than you had when it came out that Ikaris killed Ajak, Sprite was in love with Ikaris and would do whatever he asked, and Kingo walked away from you all.

In the end, Ikaris and Sprite gave themselves up to the Uni-Mind to give Sersi the power needed to kill the Celestial slowly emerging from Earth. Ikaris then flew off, heavy with guilt over all that he'd done, and Sprite allowed Sersi to make her human so she could grow up and live the life she'd always wanted.

AFTER  Phastos had fixed the Domo far more quickly than you anticipated and all too soon you found yourself flying back to Ajak's farm house. Everyone was exhausted and needed time to mourn, but you were on the verge of having an anxiety attack. And glancing at Druig across the Domo as he smiled at Makkari did you no favors.

"So is now the time to ask who the father is?" Phastos asks.

You startle at his sudden appearance, glancing at him briefly as you let out a soft sigh. "You'll know immediately when you see my daughter. There's no mistaking who her father is."

It takes him a minute, but his eyes widen and you know he knows. "No way." He glances across the Domo, gaze set on Druig. "When?"

"Before we all went our separate ways in Babylon."

"And no one's known this entire time?"

"I told Ajak. It took me months to realize something was off with my body. It was tricky getting her alone with Sprite sticking close to her, but Ajak made time for me and the so-called miracle baby I birthed."

"He's going to be angry, you know."

"Will he?" You ask, looking up at Phastos before letting your gaze travel back across the Domo. "I handed him my heart, Phastos. I was in love with him, but he's always had a thing for Makkari."

"YN, he's never-"

"But enough about the past," you say, cutting him off. "I need to mentally prepare myself for the chaos Carina will cause when everyone else realizes who she is."

You walk away from the conversation before Phastos can say anything else on the matter.

It isn't long before the Domo is hovering over the empty fields closest to Ajak's farm house and then landing. A door slides open and everyone exits, making their way towards the house. The screen door is thrown open, a man and a boy stepping out onto the porch. But it's the third individual who throws herself off the porch that catches everyone's attention.

"Mom!"

Every Eternal freezes and you mentally wince. Well it was now or never.

Your beautiful dark haired daughter runs towards you until her feet actually lift off the ground. She's flying, speeding right for you, and you stand your ground as you open your arms wide for the impending embrace. You let out an oomph at the impact, your arms wrapping tightly around your daughter as her feet touch ground once more.

"Mom, you scared me so much. That thing is all over the news and I-"

"Hey. Hey, shhh," you tell her. You lean back from her, your hands going up to cradle her face before smoothing down her hair. "It's okay. It's over."

Carina sniffles. "Ben said that I can call him Uncle Ben and Jack my cousin since he's married to Uncle Phastos."

You huff a laugh. "Did he now?"

"Yeah."

Someone clears their throat, startling you from your little bubble with your daughter. You glance over at the other Eternals, cringing when you see Druig clenching his jaw as he stares right at you. Sersi and Makkari can't stop smiling, Sprite and Thena are frowning in confusion, and Phastos looks like he has a million questions.

Sighing, you tuck your daughter under your right arm and face the other Eternals. "So, uh, this is Carina. My biological daughter."

"How?" Sersi asks in awe.

You shrug. "You tell me. I didn't think we could reproduce. When I told Ajak, she was just as dumbfounded as you guys are right now."

[And she has powers?] Makkari signs. She then looks at your daughter, smiling fondly. [You have powers?]

[I do.] Carina signs back, laughing softly when Makkari looks surprised to see her sign. She looks up at you quickly and you step aside, letting her show them what all she can do. Without much concentration, she lifts up into the air before hovering a few feet off the ground. Then when she lands, she lands in a crouched pose with long blades appearing in her hands made up of golden energy.

"She has Ikaris' flight and Thena's weapons," you say. "She a shit fighter though."

"Mom." Carina's exasperated tone makes the group, sans Druig, chuckle.

"Well I, for one, have many questions," Phastos muses, "but I think YN needs to speak privately with someone."

As one, everyone's gaze lands on Druig and you mentally sigh. Leave it to your daughter to come out looking like the feminine version of her father. Carina looks at you, but you smile reassuringly at her and gesture with your head for her to go back to the house. She listens, but not before hooking her arm with Phastos'.

When the others make it to the house and enter through the front door one right after the other, Druig finally asks, "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"No."

"Does she know who I am to her?"

"Yes." You finally look back at him to meet his gaze. "She knows all about you and the others, and I was leaving it up to her to decide whether or not she went searching for you."

Druig's gaze darts all over your face. "Why didn't you tell me when you found out?"

"Are you kidding me right now?" You scoff. He frowns at you. "Druig, that night we spent together meant everything to me. And then the following morning you were just gone."

"YN, I-"

"No. I get it, okay? We all had jobs to do. I understood that. But then the next day and the day after that, you couldn't even look at me." All the hurt and anger from thousands of years ago comes rushing back, and your eyes fill with tears. You angrily swipe at them before they can fall. "I put my heart on a fuckin' platter for you and you only had eyes for Makkari afterwards."

"Makkari and I were never anything."

"Well I didn't know that!" You sniffle, the anger draining out of you a moment later when you see Druig isn't angry at all. He just looks lost. "All I knew was that I let myself fall in love with you, but you only had smiles for Makkari. And I get that too. Makkari is a goddamn cinnamon roll. At least that's what Carina would say. I'm not sure," you mumble. "She's the only one who knows all the modern lingo."

Druig finally cracks a grin and your heart flutters. Even after all these years, you've missed him. You see his eyes flare gold for a moment and then he really grins. "Did you miss me?"

Your eyes roll. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to."

A weight seems to lift from his shoulders then as if you just answered another question he had. Druig takes a step closer to you and you tense, but you force yourself to relax. Another step turns into three more until he closes the distance between the two of you and then he's hesitant when reaching for your hands. When you let him take them within his own, he leans in to touch his forehead to yours and offers you one of his rare smiles. "So her name is Carina?"

"Yes."

"And she's like us?"

"Yeah. For the first sixteen years of her life I was terrified," you admit. "She was growing every day and I didn't know if I could survive only eighty or ninety years with her. But as her seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth birthday came and went, we realized she wasn't aging anymore."

"I have a lot of catching up to do, no?"

Before you can answer, there's a shout from within the house and then your daughter and Sprite are rushing out the front door. You and Druig break apart, looking at the two girls who already look thick as thieves.

When you catch Carina's gaze, her eyes widen and she stammers, "I-I didn't do it! It was Aunt Thena."

Druig huffs a laugh as you shake your head at her. Then feeling bold at the moment, you glance at Druig and chance reaching for his hand. He looks down at your joined hands, tangling your fingers together and making you exhale in relief. "Come on. Let's officially introduce you to your daughter."

[genshinarchives]

𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐇. 𝟐

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐 : 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 : You discover the true identity of the former ruler of Auruk, Enu, and decide to become king to honour his wish.

𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒 : Al-Haitham, Kaveh; hints of Cyno x reader

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄 : Romance, adventure, isekai

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 : N/A

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 : N/A

𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏

The late God of Heroes had built his fortress city near an oasis. When you first stepped foot in it, you weren't able to suppress the amazement the brilliance of Auruk conjured up inside you. It was more modern than you had initially thought, and you were surprised when Ushar revealed that the same god who built this city had introduced social hierarchies, specialised occupations, coercive political structures, writing, religion and literature, and monumental architecture to his people, which you noted were innovations characteristic of cities.

"The God of Heroes also created the laws of Auruk. He emphasised the importance of them by punishing the transgressors severely," Ushar said.

"He sounds like the incarnation of justice and wisdom," you remarked, "What was his name?"

"High King Enu. He also had a very loyal attendant called Elisha." Ushar then turned his head to you with a smile. "Now that I'm looking at you properly, you bear a strong resemblance to her. She was a beautiful woman, just like you."

You stared at him, wondering if this was a coincidence or not. You had an online friend called Enu in Camelot Chronicles, whose NPC you took the appearance of. The two of you met when he saved you from a group of player killers who were known for killing non-human characters; he was also the one who showed you the ropes of the game and he even helped you create Enki.

However, two years ago... He went missing without a trace. You weren't online when the server had crashed, temporarily locking the players in. It took five hours of maintenance for the server to be up and running again, and you didn't hear anything from him after that incident. In remembrance of your friendship, you had decided to take the form of Elisha and kept your appearance that way since then.

"High King Enu was our ruler when he was alive. Now that he had passed on, the Regency Council is the current governing body," Ushar added, "But with you here, Auruk will have a king again and Gilgamesh Palace will no longer feel empty!"

You could only give him a small smile in response. As Ushar led you up the steps to the palace to introduce you to the Regency Council, you passed by a young woman playing with a Rubik's cube.

"Rubik's Cube?" you exclaimed, making her drop said item in surprise. Before she had the chance to retrieve it, you picked it up from the ground and stared at the cube in bewilderment. Why does a toy from the modern world exist in Teyvat, especially during an ancient period?

"You know what it is too?" Ushar piped up, appearing next to you with twinkling eyes, "This is one of High King Enu's favourite toys. Solving one side is easy, but solving two sides is hard. However, he was able to overcome such an impossible challenge within four seconds, unlike us humans... Oh, he truly was the embodiment of otherworldly wisdom!" He then gave you a thumbs up that's accompanied with a wink. "I have no doubt that you can solve it too though!"

"Of course. My master has unparalleled intelligence, so it's a given that she's able to solve something as simple as a Rubik's Cube," Enki said vehemently.

You stared at Enki and Ushar blankly. Those delusional NPCs are glorifying you way too much, and you could only hope that the people of Auruk won't follow in their footsteps; you'd feel overwhelmed otherwise.

"Hey! Don't loiter in front of the palace!"

Everyone's attention quickly shifted to the owner of the new voice. A man with two-toned hair was seen approaching the group, the back of his hair bearing the colour of the lush green forest and the tips of his silver bangs dipped in the same green. His stern brown eyes regarded the four of you in annoyance, as if he was a father who had caught his children sneaking out of the house.

"General Kingu!" Ushar said, saluting him as the heels of his shoes clacked together. The young woman who was playing with the Rubik's Cube earlier mirrored his action whilst your eyes zeroed in on the long ears standing upright atop Kingu's head. Their shape and size in proportion to his head reminded you of a fennec fox's ears, and you had to resist the sudden urge to touch them.

Once Kingu was standing in front of you, he glared at the Rubik's Cube in your hand.

"Ereshkigal, you were playing with this toy again, weren't you?" he asked, eyes flickering over to her. The woman in question fidgeted but didn't answer him. "Stop fooling around during your shift and go guard the throne room with your brother."

"Yes sir," she said, turning on her heels to enter Gilgamesh Palace.

"So, who's this?" Kingu asked, finally giving you his attention. Before Ushar could introduce you to him as the new God of Heroes, you gave Kingu a polite bow, shocking Enki.

"I am (y/n). I was exiled to the desert not too long ago," you replied, shocking Ushar this time.

"Ah... So you're one of the God of Woods' followers. It's a good thing Ushar found you before Enkidu did. That god despises humans for some reason." Kingu let out a muted sigh. "Speaking of Enkidu, have you been keeping track of his activities in the desert, Ushar?"

"Yes sir! I witnessed Enkidu's death in the hands of an unidentified god!" Ushar said, making the other man's eyes widen.

"A new god? We've already got our hands full with Gugalanna... Just our luck," Kingu muttered, ruffling his bangs in frustration, "If only we have a way of powering the cannons High King Enu had built to defend this city-"

"Cannons?" you echoed, interrupting him mid-sentence.

"Yes. The cannons are powered by a certain type of magic that only our late king wielded, and they fire the weapons he had collected, created and reforged throughout his reign. Anyway Ushar, you better report that to the Regency Council. They've been losing their minds over our counterattack to Enkidu's future invasions."

❀

Kingu's reaction to being told your true identity was priceless, and it was worth lying to him when he had asked you who you were. As a member of the Regency Council, he attended the meeting when Ushar had gone to make his report about Enkidu, only to be shocked into silence by your introduction as the new God of Heroes. No wonder it felt as if your aura was similar to Enu's! Before the Sand Priestess, Semiramis could brief you on Auruk's state of affairs, Kingu had dropped himself on his knees in front of you with his head bowed low.

"Please forgive me for my ignorance, God of Heroes! I failed to realise who you are on our first meeting. Such transgression should not go unpunished!" he exclaimed, eyes squeezed shut.

"At ease," you said, subconsciously running a hand over his soft ear, "I won't punish you for something as trivial as that. So stand up."

He stiffened at your gesture. "Y-yes..."

As soon as Kingu had calmed down, Semiramis continued from where she was interrupted and explained the situation to you.

Auruk is a nation that was built by the previous God of Heroes, Enu. When he descended to Teyvat many years ago, he saved a group of desertfolk from Enkidu, the god that was prophesised to bring an end to humanity in the Tablet of Destinies. He then brought the desertfolk to a large oasis and summoned an entire fortress using a type of magic that remains unknown to this day (you noted that it's very similar to the high-tier spell the Enu you knew often used when going on long expeditions with you). A city was eventually built around that fortress, giving rise to the protective walls of Auruk and the dingir cannons. Some time after the Archon War began abruptly, Enu was slain by Enkidu when he tried to protect his people from the ravages of war and since then, Enkidu and Enu's long-time rival, Gugalanna have launched several attacks upon Auruk and Elisha tragically lost her life during one of Gugalanna's invasions. The fortress city was only able to make it this far without a god's protection thanks to the Eleven Generals of Tiamat and their Overseer.

When the meeting ended, Kingu was tasked with escorting you and Enki to Enu's chamber, and he then left you to your own devices to help the members of Regency Council prepare for the ceremony that will formally introduce you as Auruk's new god. You decided to look around the room in the meantime as Enki stood guard outside, and came across a large bookshelf that housed many books. You began to flip through the books you've randomly chosen to pass the time, and this activity continued until you found a journal that was written in English.

Your eyes widened.

The owner of this journal was Enu.

Your Enu.

Having studied architecture and social science, he built human civilisation from scratch in Sumeru's desert. He used and derived from the knowledge he had of the modern world to create Auruk for the desertfolk he had saved from Enkidu. With Elisha's help, he trained the Eleven Generals of Tiamat and their Overseer for the purpose of protecting his country from the divine beings in case he disappeared.

His last journal entry was a request for the next player to be transported to Teyvat to look after Auruk in his place. You didn't know how he knew that somebody from his world would eventually land in Teyvat, and assumed that it was simply his desperate, wishful thinking.

As you smiled, you raised your blurry gaze to the ceiling and chuckled.

"Enu... It really was you."

When night fell, you went outside for a stroll with Enki escorting you. You then climbed to the top of the wall and gazed at the seemingly perpetual Sumerian desert whilst absent-mindedly fiddling with Ereshkigal's Rubik's Cube. Enki cast his curious eyes at you when he heard you sigh quietly.

"Enki, do you think I can be a good king for the people my friend had saved?" you asked. You initially accepted Ushar's request for you to be the new God of Heroes for your own gain and survival, but after discovering that this was the country Enu had built, you wanted to protect Auruk to honour his wish.

"In your life, only your decisions are the correct answer," he said, "But are you sure you want to be king? Being 'king' means being a 'monster'."

You stared at the sky in deep thought. If this was a game, you would have no problems saying "yes" - but it wasn't. It's a new world that has become your reality, so every step you take must have some consideration behind it.

"If living this new life as a monster will bring smiles to people's faces, then perhaps it's worth it. They are part of the country Enu had created, and he was my dear friend." You lowered your gaze to your feet as your emotions drowned in the memories of your time with him. "I want power. Power to protect those who are more precious to me than my own life. I wish to become a king with such power."

Stepping forward, Enki gently took one of your hands in his, making you look at him. "A king cannot exercise their power as they wish. The throne in which they sit on is for an immoral beast, one that feasts on flesh and blood. To protect that throne, they must sacrifice all they have, even their own heart. That is their cruel destiny. You may have to stain your hands with blood over and over again. Will you still do it?"

You nodded slowly, your eyes shining with your new resolve which made him smile. He then knelt before you and pressed the back of your hand against his forehead.

"Then engrave this moment into your heart," he vehemently said, "and I promise you that from now on, come what may, I will remain by your side."

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑

The picrew below is Kingu.

[zafirosreverie]

The M word (Ajak x F!Reader) part 2

(part 1) (part 3)

____________________

fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

It was all you could think about as you ran as fast as your immortal legs would carry you. You didn't even bother to be careful with the relics that adorned the ship (priceless but dispensable), this was a life-or-death situation. You had to get to Ajak before Ikaris and avoid being hunted by Thena.

"Just wait for Makkari to come back!" you heard Kingo's voice behind you, probably having joined Thena in her hunt for you. "You can't escape this, Y/N!"

"Why can't you be a normal family?!" you yelled back, picking up your pace.

You knew the man was right, though. You were lucky to have discovered their plans while Makkari, Gilgamesh, Druig, and Sprite were away because any one of them could have easily stopped your escape.

Although, you had to admit that the whole situation was quite funny, at least you knew that you were accepted in this strange, large but beautiful family and that was something you were grateful for.

All the Eternals treated you with respect and affection, some as a child (Gilgamesh and Phastos), most as a sister, and Ajak...Ajak treated you as if you were the only important thing in the universe. It was a new feeling for you since you had spent too much time alone, but now you couldn't imagine a life without her, and you hoped you would be brave enough to tell her one day.

"Y/N!!"

But today would not be that day!

Thena yelled after you, snapping you out of your thoughts, and you managed to react just in time to dodge one of Kingo's energy balls. You smiled to yourself when you saw Ajak's door down the hall. Unless Makkari appeared out of nowhere, you were almost 100% safe.

"It's just a dress!"

"Over my dead body, Kingo!" you shouted back

"Don't tempt me, Y/N" Thena said and you could hear her smile grow on her beautiful face.

"Ajak!!!" you yelled "Come and control your sister, cousin, daughter, best friend, ex-girlfriend, or whatever the fuck Thena is to you!"

You could hear Kingo's laugh and the blonde's slightly amused grunt, but you didn't have time to think about it much when your girlfriend's door opened just in time to let you in, closing firmly behind you seconds later.

Because of the speed, you couldn't stop in time, so you ended up landing on the bed, rolling and crashing into the wall.

"Y/N! Are you okay?!"

You grunted and rubbed your nose as the woman knelt beside you, her hands ready to heal any scratch, however small, she might find on you.

"I'm fine" you said, letting her check your face "but this is getting out of hand"

"I know," she sighed, feeling a little better when your nose returned to its place "I thought they'd get over it after a while."

"It's been, what? Three months?"

"Five" she corrected you

"Five, and I think it's just given them more motivation" you said

Ajak sighed and leaned back against the bed, closing her eyes for a moment. She felt terribly guilty for dragging you into all this chaos. When the other Eternals started making jokes and teasing her about the M word, she believed that it would stay just an inside joke, something that, while it annoyed her a little, she could live with.

She hadn't expected Kingo and his (quite real, she might add) wedding plans to open a pandora's box in the family. You were surprised when you found out that the others wanted you to marry her, and it had been quite an uncomfortable conversation for her, trying to explain her feelings, and putting them into words, it wasn't her strong point.

But you had been kind, understanding, and joking, something light and not heavy enough to affect your relationship with her or the way you looked at her (something that terrified her), and for that, she was deeply grateful.

That's when things got intense. The others decided that they would not take no for an answer and that they had already been patient enough to wait for you to take that step yourself, so it was up to them to drag you down the aisle.

Ajak knew that none of them harbored bad feelings for you and that they really wanted to see you happy, she also knew that for the Eternals, this kind of thing lacked the weight that humans gave it, and that if it weren't for the long centuries that they had lived alongside humans, adopting customs they didn't fully understand, marriage would not even be considered at this point.

But the thing was, they didn't realize how awkward it could be for you. You were immortal, but not an Eternal, and you had lived among humans all your life, you understood their ways better than any of them could, and you knew what they were asking for. For you it wasn't just another title, it would really mean a change, and she was terrified to think that it could be for the worse.

"Are you ok?" you asked carefully when you noticed how quiet she was

"I just…I’m sorry" she whispered

"What?" you frowned "why?"

"It's my fault this is happening" she said, feeling the tears well up slowly in her eyes.

"Ajak, what are you talking about?"

"I'm the prime eternal, it's my duty to keep everyone in line, I should be able to order them to leave this matter alone...but I can't even make them respect me"

You gasped quietly and moved a little closer to her, putting an arm around her. It was not the first time that your girlfriend confessed to you that she felt powerless in front of the other Eternals, but you had never seen her cry about it.

"Ajak-"

"Arishem should have chosen Thena, not me" she continued "Thena is a warrior, she has the respect of everyone on the ship, she knows how to take care of herself, she is brave, her voice sounds all over the place and the others hear it, even Ikaris, no matter how much he denies it. She should be the leader, not me"

"But she's not" you said "Thena is all of that, yes, but that doesn't mean that you aren't the same or better than her to lead. Arishem chose you for a reason."

"Or by mistake"

It wasn't the first time the older woman had allowed her mind to disagree with Arishem either. Ever since she met you, or perhaps a little before, hints of doubt had begun to flourish in her, making her wonder if her duty was really worth the price the earth had to pay, if she really was strong enough to continue taking that decision, or if she should simply give up, renounce everything and expect punishment for her disobedience. Maybe she was a factory bug and it had just taken her millennia to start bugging.

But you weren't having any of that. You carefully eased yourself into a better position, spreading your legs so that she could fit between them, and gently pushing her until her back rested against your chest. Your hands encircled her waist and you intertwined your fingers with hers.

"You know? Gilgamesh is strong, but I've seen you lift 25 tons without breaking a sweat, Ikaris flies, but I've seen you do it too. Kingo's energy balls? I remember once you decorated the room with them. Phastos is brilliant, but he would have kept himself in his workshop if you weren't listening so intently. Druig and Sprite would have gone crazy if you didn't remind them that they have a family. Makkari is great, and we all try hard to keep up with her, but at the end of the day, it's you who understands her best, who listens to her even if not a sound comes out of her, and don't get me started on Sersi, we both know you're everything she aspires to be, she admires you more than anyone "

Ajak smiled a little to herself as she remembered the sparkle in the girl's eyes every time she stopped to talk to her or urged her to continue exploring her abilities. Of all the Eternals, Sersi felt like a daughter the most, even more than Sprite, and so she did her best to remind her that she saw her, that she was important.

"And Thena" you continued, feeling the woman tense a little "Thena is a warrior, she is beautiful and strong...but she is broken. Her mind is divided, she is not always herself and she can be dangerous, although we all know that she would never hurt us of her own free will. Gilgamesh helps her, but it's always you who brings her back, she needs you, just like the rest of us. Arishem wasn't wrong, he chose you because he knew only you could keep them all together. They're a team, but you're the one who makes them a family."

The woman closed her eyes again, letting more tears roll down her cheeks as a familiar warmth pooled in her stomach, just below where your hands met. She didn't understand how you always managed to make her feel better.

"I don't deserve you" she whispered

"No" you agreed "you deserve more"

It was the woman's turn to frown and she slowly opened her eyes, turning her head slightly so she could look at you. You weren't crying like she was, but there was a deep sadness in your eyes. You chuckled a little at her confusion and squeezed her a little more before resting your chin on her shoulder and concentrating on your hands. You knew that she knew that you were avoiding her gaze, but you couldn't face her while you were having this conversation.

"I know you don't like to talk about how we met in front of others but...it's just us here right?"

She just nodded, squeezing your hand gently for support and to keep you going, whatever you were going to say to her had to be important because you were shaking. You took a deep breath and remembered in great detail the day your life changed, even though it seemed so far away. 

“I was broken, lost, I had just hit rock bottom and I wanted to give up" you said "I was cold, hungry, thirsty, and I was about to commit a horrible crime that I would have regretted for all eternity"

The woman closed her eyes, also remembering that moment. She had found you in terrible condition, your clothes were tattered, you were dirty, you had blood and bruises everywhere, and your gaze was empty. You seemed like a ghost more than a living being, and she still had nightmares thinking about what could have happened to you if she didn't arrive on time, despite the fact that she hadn't really been looking for you, nor did she know who you were.

"You stopped me, and I'll always be in your debt for that" you whispered "And I…I thought you'd leave after that, that you'd just walk away from me like the ones who had stopped me before had."

But she wouldn't have been able to. She knew from the moment you looked at her and your eyes sparkled with life again, that she could never leave you. But she didn't say it out loud.

"But you didn't" you continued "you...you saw through my cracks, you looked at me, not at the broken doll, but at the soul beneath all that chaos. And you found something...something worth loving. And I...I've tried to honor that all this time, I've tried to prove that I'm worthy of you, that I'm not going to let you down...I guess that's why it hurt so much when you were so firm and clear in rejecting the idea of marriage

Ajak gasped audibly and pulled away from you carefully but firmly. Her mind, which had been trying to catch up with everything, to assimilate the tender but powerful confession you had made to her, suddenly went completely blank.

"You…you wanted to get married?" she whispered, not sure if she really said it or she just thought it.

You just shrugged, staring at the ground. The woman's warm hands went directly to your cheeks, gently cupping your face, guiding you to force you to look at her. You didn't know how to feel under the intensity of her gaze.

“But you…you acted as if you didn’t”

“I tried to be supportive of your choice” you confessed “besides, it hurt less if I pretended it was a game”

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

"For what?" you asked "anyway, now I know your position in this and my place in your life"

"Y/N, I don't-"

"It's okay" you smiled sadly "I promise I'll keep trying to be better...maybe one day I'll be worthy of you"

"You are already more than I deserve" she said "forgive me, forgive me for not realizing this, how you felt, forgive me for-"

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Ajak" you interrupted her "you had no way of knowing...besides, at least I hope that when you're ready to take that step...it can be with me"

"It will be" she promised "there is no one else I would want to take that step with"

You smiled and pressed your forehead against hers, closing your eyes to enjoy the warmth and the familiar scent coming from the woman. You adored these intimate moments where your soul confirmed that you only belonged to her. Too bad it was in such gray circumstances, and with her tears still falling on you.

"Are you alright?" you asked

"Y-yes, I just..." she sighed "No, I'm not. I'm scared, Y/N"

"Of what?" You frowned at her, gently guiding her until she was straddling you, her hands never leaving your face.

"There's a reason why I rejected the idea" she said "And I promise you it has nothing to do with my love for you, or because I don't consider you worthy. It's me. I'm the one who isn't worthy of you"

"Ajak-"

"I'm afraid of not being enough" she interrupted "I'm afraid that your eyes will lose that sparkle, that one day your gaze will simply pass me by, that you won't look at me like I'm something you want in your life. I'm afraid that things change so much, that we can no longer recognize each other. I'm afraid of losing you because I would lose myself, and the universe would be a terrible and cold void."

"Ajak" you whispered, caressing her cheek "things would change, of course, but they could never change so much that I no longer think of you as the most beautiful star in the sky"

"How are you so sure?"

"Because you loved me when I was fading, and now I know, that not loving you as you deserve, would be failing the entire universe, and that is not a debt I want to accept."

Ajak looked at you for a moment, searching for some trace of doubt in you, but she was only received by the universe in your gaze that she already knew and had fallen in love with. She smiled at you and brought her hands closer to your face so that she could join her lips to yours.

She really hoped she could convey to you in that kiss everything she could never do with words. Eternals were used to changes happening around them, not in them, but now she knew she would do anything if you were by her side, no matter how scared she was.

"I love you" she whispered against your mouth

"I love you too" you smiled

Ajak looked at you for a moment, getting lost in your gaze for a few seconds while her hands played with your hair, before gently biting her lip. You knew she was thinking of something.

"What?" you asked softly

"Nothing"

"Ajak"

"It's just...we're not going to get rid of them" she said softly "so..."

"So?"

"...maybe not tomorrow but...would you consider the idea again?"

You couldn't help but smile before drawing her in for another kiss, a little shorter but more intense than the previous one. Your fingers moved up to her ribs, which earned you a couple of giggles and a gentle push as you pulled away from her.

"Are you sure you're ready to think about the M word?" you asked

"Yes, if it's with you"

[kalitera-stin-erimia]

Short reviews of Lovecraft RPF

One of the subsets of my Lovecraft obsession is finding and exploring fiction about Lovecraft, and I finally wrote up my short impressions of most fiction works about Lovecraft that I read/watched. Some of these definitely need larger reviews, and maybe will get them in the future, but one has to start from somewhere and these writings can at least make a foundation for them.

So, let's start. Some mild spoilers may appear.

Shadows Bend by David Barbour and Richard Raleigh: Lovecraft and Robert Howard travel the West of the USA during the Dust Bowl, persued by monsters. I'm surprised that these two meet so rarely in fiction - I mean, they never did in real life, but it still sounds like an obvious idea. Clark Ashton Smith also makes an appearence. I enjoyed the "road movie" feel of the book, and it seemed like the author tried to weave in some lore from the Bishop collaborations, which is the thing I'd love to see more often; however, the book was too plotless and the characterizations too exaggerated, too reliant on the out of date scholarship.

Gilgamesh at the Outback by Robert Silverberg: Another one about HPL and REH meeting, this time in hell. I skimmed this one, reading only the parts about them. Lovecraft is rather bland here, while REH is just bizarre. He has an over-the-top crush on Gilgamesh. WTF was going on in the Robert Howard scholarship in the eighties???

The Planet of Tastless Pleasure by Harry Harrison: One scene parodies Gilgamesh at the Outback. I enjoyed this one more than the Silverberg's book. I like Harrison's humor, what else to say?

Marblehead by Richard Lupoff: I already wrote a large review of this one. Well-researched and I guess well-characterized, but so dry that I'm afraid it doesn't live to the fullest potential. Everything just ends up feeling strangely muted, which is especially jarring in combination with the sensationalist plot and very pulp culmination.

Pages Torn from a Travel Journal by Edward Lee: Ooooof. Lee is not a bad writer, and unlike many others writing about Lovecraft, he clearly knows a lot about him and likes him very much. The other things he likes are (1) rednecks, (2) gore, (3) rape porn. The book is full of all these things and you can make a guess about how well they mix with Lovecraft. In spite of how gleefully campy the book is, the treatment of redneck characters is more sympathetic than I usually see in redneck horror, which is a plus, I guess? On the other hand, Lovecraft getting into an adventure during one of his bus travels seems such an obvious idea for a story, I'm surprised it doesn't get used often.

Trolley 1852 by Edward Lee: I liked this one less than the previous one. It's more creative though, and closer to Lovecraft's kind of horror - which is not surprising, considering that the major part of the book is supposed to be "written" by him as a book within a book (while Pages was rather, ehhh, "historical fiction".)

Pulptime by Peter Cannon: New York period Lovecraft meets aged Sharlock Holmes. Hijinks predictably ensue. A cute calm story which is probably good for removing unpleasant aftertaste of Lee's books (that's how it worked for me, anyway.) What bugged me was that the plot felt too thin for a mystery, and the author seemingly treated the anti-immigrant sentiment of The Horror at Red Hook too uncritically. Lovecraft's characterization was okay, Cannon is better at it than most, but in this book it relied on quoting too much.

The Lovecraft Chronicles by Peter Cannon: Definitely a better book than Pulptime, and the best exploration of the question "What if Lovecraft lived longer?" so far. May get too farcical at places, but I think Cannon finds a good balance between crackfic and seriousness.

The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge: A Very Intellectual postmodernist book which is also a kinda shitposty Lovecraft/Barlow slashfic. Absolutely not worth the hype it had been met with in some mainstream big journals. As far as Lovecraft's characterization goes, I'd say the author tried, however, it's still weirdly superficial and subtly mean-spirited. The treatment of Barlow is even more dissappointing - he was meant to be the center of the book, but the author seems strangely dismissive of his literary and scholarly work and desinterested in his personality. Besides, the majority of the book is not even about them, but about the dull original characters and endless cameos of other historical characters.

Night Gaunts by Brett Rutherford: The play is written by a fan from the zine fandom, and it shows: both in solid characterizations and in bad poetry. I liked this one.

The Lamp of Alhazred by August Derleth: A sentimental story about Lovecraft's legacy. One of the better Lovecraftian works by Derleth, and certainly the one with most feeling.

Balsamo's Mirror by L. Sprague de Camp: Good old "but you probably wouldn't be priviledged in your favorite historical period, gotcha". I've seen better works that poked fun at Lovecraft.

When Death Wakes Me Up to Myself by John Shirley: I was so impressed with this one that I've already reviewed it. What I like the most about it is that it's catches the cosmic wonder aspect of Lovecraft's personality, which was just as important for his life and work as cosmic horror, yet gets written about so less often.

HPL by Gahan Wilson: A story by Gahan Wilson about Lovecraft being a brain in a jar could have been more entertaining.

The Lurker in the Shadows by Nathan Carson: It starts as a very indulgent story about correspondence between the elderly Lovecraft and Stephen King in the 1970s, and then takes an unexpected turn into dark comedy about body switching. Simultaneously one of the least racist portrayals of Lovecraft and one of the most villainous ones, though I'm afraid the author didn't think it through. On the other hand, it's not often that you read about Lovecraft marrying Beyonce.

Lovecraft in Heaven by Grant Morrison: Bad trip.

Night-Gaunts by Joyce Carol Oates: An examination of Lovecraft's life, or, rather, an alternative Lovecraft. Unfortunately, it's one of these tiring takes that talk about how Unhappy, Troubled and Neurotic Lovecraft was, and how Gothic and Gloomy his life was. As far as Oates stories go, this one is far from her best, very slow-going and hard to follow at times. More could have been done with the possibility of Lovecraft's father living longer than he did, though I agree he would probably leave less favorable impression on Lovecraft in such case.

The Premature Death of H.P. Lovecraft, Oldest Man in New England by Thomas Ligotti: Seems to be an another take on body hopping, but subtly so? Very short. Well-written, but I'd expect more from a Ligotti story about Lovecraft.

The Exiles by Ray Bradbury: Lovecraft appears in one version of the story, sitting near the fireplace and eating ice cream. Everyone in this story is benevolently caricatured, so I'm fine with it.

Letters from an Old Gent by W.H. Pugmire: The style reads nothing like Lovecraft (but I think it wasn't really the intention, anyway) yet it still works, somehow. Pugmire's case is similar to Lee's, that is, their fondness for Lovecraft is such that it actually improves the quality of their writing. His emotional intellect also appears to be more developed than in most other Lovecraftian writers.

Lovecraft by Hans Rodionoff and Enrique Breccia: A mix of Lovecraft's biography (in the out of date interpretation) and the usual "but what if what he wrote was real???" I heard there were plans to make a Hollywood adaptation of it, and it certainly felt like one at times. The art was great, but the story was way too visceral and hysterical for either Lovecraft's biography or Lovecraftian horror.

Providence by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows: Well-researched and well-thought out. Moore definitely cleaned out his Lovecraft game after the dissappointing Neonomicon. The comic is more about Lovecraft's characters, Lovecraft himself appears only in one issue, but plays an important role in the entire story (well, duh). His characterization is satisfying both as realism and as metafiction, though the usual Moore bullshit is still present in small amounts. Not a huge fan of art, and Lovecraft gets black hair yet another time (and looks like in his forties at 1919).

The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft by Mac Carter: I don't remember this one well, but I remember that Lovecraft here doesn't have much in common with the real one neither in personality, nor in biography, nor in looks. Some things are done with the "underappreciated artist" part of his life, but without the context of his life, they don't amount to much.

H.P. Lovecraft: He who Wrote in the Darkness by Alex Nikolavitch and Gervasio-Aon-Lee: Well, this one is a straightforward biography of Lovecraft, or, rather, his life from 1925 on. As such, it was alright. I liked the way the artist used colors, and that some people from Lovecraft's life like Loveman got more attention than they usually do.

One Night with Lovecraft (Une nuit avec Lovecraft) by Philippe Marcele and Rodolphe: A fan from the future gets a chance to hang out with Lovecraft in the 1930s. Not bad, but had too much padding at times - do we really need shortened adaptations of some Lovecraft's (and one Poe's!) stories within such kind of comic? The artist was great at drawing urban landscapes, but much worse at drawing people.

R.H.B. by Andreas and Riviere: An old French comic about Barlow, his time with Lovecraft and later life. This one would have been better if the artist knew what Barlow looked like. His real appearence would go well with the artist's style.

Rough Riders: Ride or Die by Adam Glass: Lovecraft briefly joins the main team as someone who can see ghosts. I liked the main characters, who were also historical personalities, but Lovecraft himself was super bland. At least the art was decent (and he didn't look grotesque like he often does in the comics.)

Out of Mind: The Stories of HPL: This one is memorable, but mostly because of the actor's performance. The plot is a mess.

[seina91]

I didn’t expect to finish reading this today, but work was a bit slow and I was really excited (but is it really “reading” if I didn’t really understand at least half of it? I really need to study Japanese again…). I was a bit of a perfectionist so I tried really hard to get good pictures, but they’re still not that good. It’s probably better to wait for the kindle version to come out…

Anyways, ramblings under the cut. I’m not very coherent in this. Sorry.

The story starts off some Ayaka flashbacks. I feel like Morii did really well showing how guilty Ayaka feels for what happened at the Semina apartments.

When original Fillia appeared in the flashback, I thought she really looked like Caren lol.

This was a bit surprising. In the novels, it is highly implied that the people Ayaka met at the church was Kotomine and Gilgamesh, but here it is basically stated outright. Reminds me how Vol 1 of the manga shows that it was Caubac talking to Zelretch, while it wasn’t clear in the novels.

Flashbacks ends around here.

Present time - Ayaka and Richard got out of jail and they meet with the drugstore employee and his bandmates.

I think Morii got really good at drawing comedic scenes.

Richard moved by the rock music lol.

Pierre Basile face reveal. Looks a bit older than what I imagined.

Nice scene. Sorry I didnt take pics of what came before. Basically Ayaka was saying - Why are you telling me this (info like who killed you)? That’s like revealing your true name. When you find a better master, you should tell them this stuff, not to me. And Richard reveals his identity just like that. So touching.

(Also put a close up of Richard when he was alive(?) cause I know a few people who like historically accurate designs)

Richard puts on the cool jacket he got from the band and gets ready to make some friends allies.

Next the scene switches to Orlando and Dumas talking about the sword Richard left behind.

Handsome pic of Dumas

Here’s Orlando too (this is their only scene in this volume)

While they’re talking, they discuss how Richard heard stories of King Arthur and the Round Table since he was a kid. We don’t totally see their faces but its probably kid Richard and Eleanor based on the context. cute.

First appearance of Enkidu this volume. Morii had said before that they found Enkidu very hard to draw. I guess their solution is to make Enkidu as pretty as possible lol.

Wolf because this panel is so damn cute. Fluff fluff.

This was supposed to be Richard vs Enkidu, but mostly took pics of Richard. Whoops. Anyways, the stickalibur scene was surprisingly very cool. When I was reading the novel it felt a bit ludicrous, but Morii makes it really cool.

(I thought I took a picture of the page before this, but its not on my phone... It was kind of funny cause Ayaka was pulling on his braid but it was a serious moment) Anyways this scene was really touching. Ayaka was upset that Richard was fighting for her sake. She really doesn’t think highly about herself because of what happened at the Semina apartments. But Richard said she worries too much about the small things. This is the scene where Richard says all he knows how to do is war.

And then Enkidu, Ayaka, Richard and No Name Assassin team up and decide to go back to the villa where No Name was summoned.

Sorry, skipping to Sigma now -picking off from where the previous volume left off on.

Even though I already knew what was going to happen next, reading these pages still made me really tense. You can feel how nervous Sigma is facing a heroic spirit, an enemy who can kill him very easily but not vice versa. That shaking of hands when handling the gun. I didn’t take pictures, but there are more pages that further convey this.

haha.

Context - This is the part when Sigma talks to watcher’s shadows out loud and No Name is like, who are you talking to? No ones there. Your servant? Not!Icarus explains how only sigma can see Watcher.

Sigma: I-I see... (I wish this was the first thing you told me)

No Name uses the hair Zabaniya

No Name Assassin is also called Beautiful Assassin, but I never found her to be super pretty. I thought she was very cute, but not someone I would call beautiful. But seeing these panels... I’m sorry, I take it back.

Sorry, I just found Sigma’s expression funny. He is a lot more emotive than I expected (do I need to revise my Sigma comic...?)

!!! A new Watcher’s shadow!

When sigma first sees them, he wonders if they are a kid shadow.

Based on their clothes and the cross, I thought maybe they were someone from the Crusades. Unless it is a situation like Wu Zetian, I thought maybe this kid was one of the leaders of the Children’s Crusades (you can look it up on wikipedia)

“Now! Chaplin!!“ Even though I knew this was coming it still made me laugh.

Stop, drop and roll. Sorry Sigma is just very funny, even if it is (probably) unintentional.

Anyways, Richard stops Assassin from killing Sigma. And they kind of become allies.

Sigma watching comedies when he was a kid. (tears)

Sorry, I barely took any pictures of this scene. This is when Jack and Flat infiltrate the hospital to find the source of “death“ surrounding the city. I know Jack is just copying the form of someone else, but they look very cute here. Also there werent that many panels with Flat so I just took my favorite one lol.

There was a cool scene here where Jack felt the pressure of Pale Rider from Tsubaki’s room, but I was too lazy to take it. Sorry.

Jester doing typical vampire things - watching people sleep.

Hansa is irritated that Jester managed to run away lol.

Quartet in action! They’re looking for Jester. Though they are only shown in these two pages.

Would be nice if they got to fight in the next novel volume.

Despite being the mediator for the Grail War, no one is coming... lol

In the next page he eats a jalapeno(?) pepper

Talking about the mana batteries.

I feel like I should have taken a picture, but at the end of their conversation It highlights Baz’s intense loyalty for his boss. Which segs to...

This scene is so damn cool. Whenever Faldeus and True Assassin interact the scene always feels intense.

Now to the Clock Tower.

Sorry. I only took one picture cause the rest was stuff already in the novels. We finally learn the name of Rhongall’s disciple. Terrible attempt to romanize his name: Christophel Beilman. Any other suggestions for クリストフェル・ ベイルマン are welcome.

Anyways, El-Melloi calls Ayaka and finds out she’s in Romania. Meanwhile Ayaka in Snowfield gets a text from Fillia who tells her she free to do whatever now. If Ayaka Sajyou is in Romania, then just who is that person in Snowfield?

Finally, we cut to Haruri dying. Above is just a closer look of her command spells.

Dun Dun. A full-ish body reveal of True Berserker. Very cool.

The only panel that Francesca appears in throughout the whole book. Just Haruri’s flashback saying she shouldn’t have agreed to let Francesca have the Caster slot.

As Haruri lays dying she wonders if her father was watching her, and how she wants to see her mother. “Now... Finally...“

However Fillia (Ishtar) has other plans. (Finally Ishtar’s debut!)

I like how Morii manages to distinguish who is in control. Fillia is shown as no nonsense and serious, but Ishtar has a very playful(? maybe condescending is a better description) demeanor. The slight change in hairstyle helps too.

Another panel showing a different angle of True Berserker.

This scene. When I was reading this... Man. You can feel how Ishtar basically overwhelms Haruri. A powerful being who shouldn’t be able to exist, a being who should not exist. So intense. Morii shows so well how terrifying Ishtar is.

(Ishtar was telling Haruhi she didn’t need to be so scared, but she just made it worst)

Ends with Fillia/Ishtar saying that she since she has arrived, she will make sure to properly rule over humanity.

Yay.

Also, omake picture with the girls. You cant see Francesca’s face well because it is in the gutter section. Better to wait for the kindle images.

Whew. I can barely remember what I was writing. I feel like even though Ayaka and Richard were the focus in the beginning of the manga, I posted much more pictures of Sigma. Oh well.

Anyways, as usual the manga is super good. I’m kind of glad that the manga is published sporadically in volumes, instead of being serialized. It allows Morii to adapt the story at their own pace instead of in monthly/weekly beats. I hope its also less pressure, but idk.

While the novels will always be more detailed and comprehensive, Morii is really good at conveying the scenes.

Ok, my brain is frazzled to talk more coherently. I think I need to sleep or something. Probably(?) won’t update with more thoughts. (This post has been barely proofread. Sorry. Too tired). EDIT: Now proofread, and hopefully more coherent.

[sakuraswordly]

Sakura: Punch! Is your training all done?

Punch: Yes ma'am, that's all for now.

Sakura: Good work but Punch, don't push yourself too hard.

Punch: No problem! I am really fine!

Sonic: .................

Sakura: That's good to hear. Well then, let's head back!

*Thump Thump*

Sonic: Wait, Punch.

Punch: Sonic, what is it?

Sonic: Punch, you shouldn't throw your kindness away! This is...this is wrong!

Punch: ....................

Sonic: I saw you in your meditation earlier....you threw away the excess in yourself, right? I know. I know want to achieve. Not only for just Daniel. Another achieve that you excess include kindness, and that makes up you very core.

Punch: ................

Sonic: If you really do throw it away, then you'll-

Punch: Kind you say.....you did say I am kind right?

Sonic: Right....you're weak but also kind at the same time.

Punch: Sonic. I always act with the feelings of others in mind. The reason is much more straightforward and even easier to understand.

Sonic: .................

Punch: Yes, it's simple......it's all so that I can moving forward. Accurately. Precisely. Without any deviation. Understanding is simply one step I must follow to feel my enemy with certainty. Before differentiating between friend and foe, I understand them. Then I can kill at any time. See? Betray is normal. In the end, it's my lack of experience showing through. I simply threw away an excessive habit, my foolish indiscretion. That's all.

Sonic: .................

Punch: To stand against them in the future, I must cut things out of myself.

Sonic: You threw away your human life for the future you see......(That's why you threw your childhood life away and walked the path as King Gilgamesh, right brother?)

Punch: I warn you just like Homura did tell you, stay away, if you don't want to be killed.

.

Sonic Vs Punch round 1

Syaoran: You really hate this world too much?

Punch: Syaoran....if you want to change the world, ultimately, you have to change yourself. If the world wants to give me misfortune, I'll give misfortune back to the world. That's all.

Sonic: ..................

Punch: I don't care about the peace of your ideal. I live for myself. And the only way to change the world is to do it for yourself.

Sonic: ...............................

Punch: Hmm? How surprising. I came because I heard Syaoran will be here and I find you here. Didn't we already share our information yesterday? I don't believe you have anything to do with me anymore.

Shadow: What did Punch mean by that? Sonic?

Punch: You're a real thorn in my side, are you that desperate for seconds?

Sonic: I could say the same to you. The fear you felt as you were helplessly brought to your knees still hasn't left you, has it?

Syaoran: Umm....you two, why are you glaring at each other? Your goal is the same, so calm down and......

Punch & Sonic: Shut up, Syaoran!

Syaoran: Err.........

Punch: Hey. You aren't trying to provoke me, are you?

Sonic: I wouldn't dream of it. Sorry to say this, I'm not provoking you. I'm lambasting you. Punch.....I knew what are you trying to do. Stop this once.

Punch: Oh my, who's to say? What do you think, Sonic? Right now. I'm nothing more than a betrayer than you are now.

Shadow: !!!!!!!!

Norma: What?! Punch! You're joking right?!

Punch: Joking? Who said anything by joking? Yes, Syaoran. I appear to you right now because I came here to stop you from destroying this labyrinth. Infinity addresses me to stop you.

Rose: No way, you serious?!

Watanuki: Punch! If you do that, then all the village and island--

Punch: I destroy it.

Amy: How could you---?!

Shadow: To be free.....by which you mean you're going to do whatever you feel right, right?

Syaoran: Punch! Do you understand what will happen if you do that?

Punch: By the best for everyone, I don't care, as long as I achieve what I wish for, I don't have to hesitate anymore *Creepy Smile*. And you mongrels are standing in my way!

The fight between Punch begins to start faster. The group and Punch crash into each other as if they were two magnets of opposite polarity. Punch's very super crazy strong with her power of darkness. Everyone lies there, not moving. Punch runs towards everyone----without any mercy, with terrible eyes seemingly bent on slicing Syaoran. Sonic frantically ran to stop Punch.

Sonic: ---Stop it, you stupid idiot......!

Punch: Sonic?! Why? How come you're protecting your companies? You knew your consequences, right?

Sonic: I know, but Punch.....this is wrong! Stop this! You tried to lose your kindness away!

Punch: ------Step aside and I'll forgive you this time. Now. Stop defending him and don't wield that knife against me.

Sonic: ..................you won't kill them, you said to me, even how much you hate them--

Punch: I don't kill humans. But I honour those who surpass human capacity. So I don't mind killing them as something that is my equal.

Sonic: ......................

Punch: I see---you're wielding that knife against me again. I forgave you the first time. But I don't think I can forgive you the second time. ......In the first place, I don't think I can be hurt by your weapon. Even with your Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, you shouldn't be able to see my death right now.

Sonic: I know I can't win against you.....but still....

Peter: Punch. We should go now. They're coming.

Punch: I see. Next time I see you again Sonic, I will fight with you for real. Remember this!

Leila: Everyone! Anyone answer!

Sonic: Leila hurry doing teleport now! (She left.......)

.

Sonic Vs Punch round 2

Punch: Sonic...I choose....to side with darkness and take my revenge path. 

Sonic:.........I see....

Punch: This doesn't surprise you, Sonic?

Sonic: Not at all. I knew that was the only choice you could make.

Punch: Ho? Then I say this, I try to do what I believe to be right. Sentiment and sympathy have their place. My goal has always been the same. It cannot change. I've lived a righteous life to understand the people of this tranquil world. The one thing I crave for is...to destroy it all. So you see Sonic. I am not a kind person from the beginning.

Sonic: ..........Punch.....

Punch: I will stand over you all. That’s why I live, to slay everyone who stand in my way...So now....Sonic...you're standing in my way!

Sonic: I know. I'm ready. To fight you, Punch. Not because I save you but to save myself as well. I'm not a kind person either.

.

Sonic Vs Punch round 9

Punch: I see. You're finally showing your true face.

Sonic: Punch! Why do you do such a thing without thinking?! I haven't forgotten the days when you were kind to me.

Punch: Me? Kind? Hahahahahahaha! I don't love you! I hate you more than anyone!

Sonic: ...............!

Punch: How pitiable I was, sitting in this prison country, constantly reminded of my mother's miserable life every time! But you, you're happy when someone dearest to you betray you! Each day passed in despair. I already cursed the world and hate mankind. I needed power to average for what the world did to me, my mother, my father and everyone in my country. I would gladly walk boldly across to our enemies if it meant I could escape this hellhole! Even if I can do genocide, I will gladly burden everyone's happiness, including you, Sonic.

Sonic: But if you killed me, you'll have one less person in your way. You'll also lose your last blood tie, your brother; the only one who understands you and still loves you. The only one who loved and trusted you.

Punch: What.......?

Sonic: Looking at you, my dear brother, it seems you haven't even shared happiness!

Punch: Silence, Sonic!

Sonic: No! You'll be the most pitiable person in the world if I don't believe in you! You'll be sad, a lonely king! I chose following you and finding you to protect you from broken hearts and despair!

Punch: Stop!

Sonic: A sword can be used in two ways. For self-defence or to kill your enemy. Which would you like me to use?

Punch: You don't understand that this whole world is hell. Even if you trust someone, they will betray you someday. If you love someone, they will use you. This world is kill or be killed! You must deceive or be deceived! You'll never know a single day of happiness! That's why I tried so hard for you not to be involved! You'll die because of me! How can someone like you, who had been loved his whole life, ever understand that, Sonic? I was jealous of you so much....that's why I hate you!

Sonic: If my existence causes you so much pain, then why.....? Why do you want to protect me so much if you do not care about me?!

Punch: That's..........

Sonic: At least.....this is the only thing I can offer you!

Punch: No! Sonic! Don't! I........

Sonic: Punch.........so you really planning to sacrifice yourself!

Punch: I just.......I.......

Sonic: I told you, didn't I? I will believe you to the very end. I won't let you die because of your arrogance! As your dearest brother, I will carry this burden together. I won't leave you behind. This is the reason I am still alive!

[jbreenr]

⚠ ETERNALS SPOILERS ⚠

Though there's no need anymore but…

Alright…

So, the first thing we see in the movie is their powers, which I find awesome.

And the way they put on their suits? Yea!

Also, i love that Shang-Chi was in the M of MARVEL in the opening. Did you see him?

We also have a Dr. Strange mention when Dane asks Sersi if she's a wizard. I do wanna see him as a giraffe.

Dane, he's a baby and Sprite, she's so badass. Her powers, dude, how she multiplied herself AND Sersi? Woooow.

I mean, you can't tell Gemma was already in a MCU movie. Like, her characters are so freaking different and I live that.

And, imma tell you, my brother would yell “The King In The Noth!” every time Richard Madden was onscreen.

And i can't blame him, sorry.

I mean, Richard and Kit. Together. Again. We love them. We were both fangirling.

A mention of Thanos and the blip, people believing that the earthquake had something to do with that. Yeah, weird shit happens there wouldn't be surprised.

Well, Ikaris is, indeed, the most beautiful. And I don't accept other opinions.

Now, I don't know why everyone was so upset about that sex scene. There was nOTHING ONE COULD SEE! It wasn't explicit, it wasn't forced, and it wasn't even long!!!

Ajak choosing Sersi to replace her was something I should have seen coming. Why didn't I is a mystery.

Also, i already know she died. Except I did not think it would happen so early in the story.

Lemme just… MI ✨ TENOCHTITLAN ✨ HERMOSA, TE AMO. Though they didn't show you in your best of moments.

Sorry, I got distracted for a second.

For a sec I was like wtf is happening to Thena? But then we got the explanation of the Mahd' Wy'ry and it kind of made sense.

Knowing that somehow Druig was right but also knowing he couldn't interfere is like uuuuugh!!

But he did it anyway so… yeah.

Now, the DCEU is canon in the MCU. Batman and Alfred and freaking Clark Kent are more canon than Mephisto and Evan Peters' Quicksilver. I don't know how to feel about it.

Did anyone else feel bad about Gilgamesh's pie?):

Also, his friendship with Thena is beautiful. His way of bringing her back was, in my opinion, way better than Nat's lullaby to Hulk. Don't mind me, I don't like that pairing.

Wait, wait, wait. Gil fought with/alongside with Odin? Against Laufey? WTF? I need to know more.

So, there is no Olimpia, The World Forge is where the Eternals are MADE. *insert Scott Lang's voice* Their whole existence is a bunch of… bullshit?

Also, i was not expecting that deviant thing. Like, Arishem created them as well for the intelligent kind to appear. What - -?!

Sorry but Druig os asdfghjklñ, Kingo. He doesn't suck. 🤷🏻‍♀️

And Ikaris left Sersi because he died in the Red Wedding. Xd

No time for jokes? K, got it.

I love Karum, he's iconic.

And Thena is a baby. We must protect her at all cost.

Gil.): I can't believe he died too. Gotta admit that I sobbed. I didn't know you well but you'll always be remembered, my friend.

Abruptly changing the topic; I cAN'T BELIEVE PEOPLE GOT MAD ABOUT A GAY COUPLE IN THE MOVIE!

Like, hello!!! It wasn't forced, it was casual, natural and just fucking normal. And I love how it wasn't a big deal that had to be explained in the film because it is NORMAL.

Ikaris mentions the vibranium, and we saw this in the trailers but I just love how Wakanda and its open doors to the world are relevant.

I'm living for that reference of King Arthur being in love with Thena. Man, we all are and if you're not, you're lying yo yourself.

Okay, we know why Ikaris left Sersi now.

And the fact that thanks to Thanos the emergence was delayed? Was he a good guy?

Not a serious question but it makes you think though.

Now I understand why Ikaris was described as “loyal”.

Because, as I said, I knew Ajak died and I knew it was Ikaris who killed her, but I did not expect it that way!

Now, and I'll be as calmed as possible, WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU, SPRITE?!?! I, TOO, WOULD LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND FOR RICHARD MADDEN BUT HOW COULD YOU BETRAY YOUR FAMILY?

Thena, sweetheart, you're a goddess and I love you, I'm so proud of you for getting rid of that deviant.

I don't know how to feel about Ikaris not being able to kill Sersi. Like, it's not actually a redemption arc, but the fact that he loved her so much he couldn't do it makes me like him.

Yeah, I said that. I understand why all of you hate him but I can't bring myself to do it. And I'm ready to physically fight whoever dares to say anything about him.

Now, Spite got everything she wanted, she's a human ajd I'm happy she got her happy ending.

Or the happiest she can be without Ikaris around.

And, WHY, ARISHEM, DID YOU HAVE TO INTERRUPR DANE WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TO TELL SERSI ABOUT THE BLACK KNIGHT??!?

We all knew he'd be there, but I got excited when Eros made his entrance. My inner fangirl screamed.

DUUUUDE, I saw the leaks but I STILL GOT EXCITED WHEN DANE IS ABOUT TO TAKE THE EBONY BLADE AND HE HEARS, WELL, BLADES' VOICE! AKSÑDLSKÑS. can't wait for that movie.

[steamed-cogs]

Okay. Tell us about Armilly.

Millyyyyyy

So first off, I thought she was a dude for as long as I've seen pics of her, something I'm sure I'm not alone in. I was delighted to find out it wasn't so! Usually with these designs, even for goddamn knights, the artists throw in something to make sure you KNOW they're female AND attractive (bc if she's not pretty why in game hurdur). But Armilly could just as easily be male without changing a thing about her design. Not that there's anything wrong with a female character appearing more "feminine", but y'all know what I mean. The Samus effect: just having a character who's femaleness and attractiveness isn't the focus is so nice. Little girls and women want to be cool action figures too!!! Knights without boob plates! Just let us slay dragons without heels on, y'know?

Now for her actual character. In that regard, Armilly is a breath of fresh air as well. Cheerfully obsessive about her main interest, dying to get into a guild of heroes, hyper focused to the point of obliviousness occasionally, her personality seems more common in male characters and she's just cute. So dang cute in her enthusiasm and optimism that the moments when it falters it's a huge bummer. TVTropes described her as "bifauxnen" and it's true, I would follow her into Hell, my wife.

And yeah yeah, people tend to project onto characters and I already have with Rusty, but... If the creators confirmed she was on the spectrum, I wouldn't be surprised. The single-minded focus, the hyper fixation, the black-and-white complete idolization of Gilgamesh... Have to wonder if it wasn't only her "lowly stature" that got her rejected from the Guild. I feel Copernica is attuned to this about her friend and keeps an eye on her.

[yamayuandadu]

Arahsamnum 2021: Gilgamesh

You might be justifiably surprised by the presence of Gilgamesh among the figures I’m covering - after all, he’s hardly minor, if anything an argument can be made that he’s one of the only Mesopotamian figures to actually have some presence in popular imagination today. While that’s true, I want to focus on a side of this figure which is very rarely discussed - Gilgamesh as a minor underworld god. Worry not, though, more “mainstream” topics will be covered too, including a text indicating the existence of a scenario in which Gilgamesh and Enkidu were eventually reunited. Read on to learn about Gilgamesh’s fate after the events of the epic.

Our story begins in the Ur III period, just like many other stories covered in this series of posts - it was a really good time for Mesopotamian religion and literature, evidently. One of the peculiarities of this era was the sheer enthusiasm the Sumerian rulers, especially Ur-Namma and Shulgi, had for Gilgamesh. While he’s already known from older sources, it is evident that his popularity skyrocketed thanks to these kings. Not only the stories about him which were eventually forged into the epic we know now were in wide circulation, the kings regarded him as their “friend” or even “brother” and regarded him as a god. The deified Gilgamesh evidently had some degree of popularity among commoners too, as he shows up in personal names such as Ur-Gilgamesh. The character of Gilgamesh the hero is well known, but what was Gilgamesh the god like? Rather surprisingly, he was an underworld deity, something which might seem odd to us considering the themes of grief, loss and joys of earthly life well known from the Epic. The standard view was seemingly that Gilgamesh after passing away became an underworld judge. At least one source states that he received this position from the sun god Shamash, one of the deities of justice par excellence. However, other traditions existed too - for example, one incantation lists Gilgamesh as the ferryman of the dead, in this context grouped with Namtar, Ereshkigal’s sukkal (vizier) and Bidu (the gatekeeper of the underworld). Death of Ur-Namma instead presents him as a king of the spirits of the dead, though as the gods normally envisioned as being in charge still appear in it, he presumably still had to answer to them. Yet another tradition associated Gilgamesh with Dumuzi and Ningishzida, two gods who were believed to spend part of the year in the underworld. Dumuzi is well known, but Ningishzida, as a more obscure figure requires a brief introduction: he was the son of Ninazu, himself a puzzling underworld god, and had a wide variety of functions, being a god of the underworld, of vegetation, and seemingly all around a reliable deity. To my knowledge there is no known explanation for his association with Gilgamesh, though. Curiously, a celebration associated with this trio apparently involved wrestling, possibly meant to evoke the fight between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Also, The Epic in it most famous form technically does hint at Gilgamesh’s underworld role and even brings up Ningishzida. The hero’s mother Ninsun makes cryptic references to her son being fated to dwell where Ningishzida and Irnina (personified victory, here presumably Ningishzida’s serpentine courtier and not epithet of Ishtar) do. Last but not least, apparently a belief that Gilgamesh was reunited with Enkidu in the underworld also existed; I will quote A. R. George (book linked below; p. 141-142) here instead of summarizing it myself:

Following this poem, it’s arguably possible to see Gilgamesh’s cultic role as an unexpected happy ending of the famous epic. Was that the intent of the ancient authors, though? Hard to tell.

Further reading:

The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts by A. R. George

Nin-ĝišzida (Reallexikon der Assyriologie entry) by F. A. M. Wiggermann

[fanmoose12]

Levi finds out his birthday is the same as Jesus' and he decides to learn Galilean dialect of Aramaic. Hange is obsessed with Epic of Gilgamesh and learns Sumerian to read it in original. They meet in a library.

sorry for the long wait @aphee-sheiz 🥺💖

Coming here always calms him down.

Levi can't quite explain what is it about the library that soothes him so - is it the faint, ancient-old smell of the books? Or the quiet sound of someone flipping through sheets? Or, maybe, it's the dim-lit, long and narrow hallways? Or the infrequent, thoughtful murmuring?

Or, perhaps, it's the book in his hands? The ancient texts written in a language long forgotten? Or is it a triumphant feeling he gets, when he learns a new word, successfully translates another paragraph?

Or is it a sense that appears from deep inside of him, a sense of something almost resembling a pride?

Perhaps, it is a feeling of connection with something much older, much bigger and far more important that he could ever dream to become. Maybe, it's something he lost long ago, along with his mother. The desire to belong somewhere, even if he finds it a book that talks about a man he simply shares a birth date with.

Whatever it is, Levi enjoys it. Enough to come here whenever he has a chance, whenever he doesn't fall from exhaustion after a hard day at work.

He always takes the same seat, the one in a corner, far away from another visitors. He likes to think of it as his seat, his place. Others are probably of the same mind, because the place in a corner is always vacant.

Perhaps, it would have been easier to take books home with him. Or even try looking for a course online. But Levi likes coming here, likes taking a book and a dictionary from their usual places on bookshelves, bringing them back to his table and then laying down his notebook, filled with neat handwriting.

He spends hours there, leaving only when closing hours draw near or his eyes get too exhausted.

He enjoys the slow but steady progress, enjoys the quiet, soothing solitude, until....

Until he can't enjoy it anymore.

One day, Levi enters the library, takes his books and heads to his place only to find that someone else is already sitting there.

And not on his chair, the one he always claims, no, near it, which is even worse, because now he can't find a reason to make the intruder leave.

Teeth gritting, he takes his seat and gets to work. But work moves along even slower than usual, because Levi can't stop shooting annoyed glances at the intruder.

She seems to be the same age of him, perhaps, still a student, working on a degree, or, maybe, someone who just like him, who finds solace in books after a tiring day at work.

And, no matter, how hard Levi tries to ignore her - he can't. He almost lashes out at her, get out of my head, I can't concentrate, but the intruder is quiet and doesn't bother him in any way.

Still, just her presence bothers him.

Levi hopes he has to suffer just this once, but he comes the other day, and the intruder is in his place again. It repeats again and again, until Levi has no choice but get used to it.

To her credit, the intruder doesn't speak. She doesn't even look at him, too engrossed in her own reading, until...

Until one day, she turns to him, her hand already outstretched.

"I'm Hange," she smiles, all dimples and bright eyes.

Levi doesn't know what caused this change, she never even glanced in his direction, but reluctantly he accepts the offered hand.

"Levi," he grunts, hoping this will be the end of it.

It isn't.

"What are you studying?" she asks, leaning closer to get a better look on his book.

"Not your damn business, four-eyes,," he closes the book and glares at her, hoping his rudeness will push her away.

It doesn't.

"You come here so often, I couldn't help but notice you. I think we should be friends," Hange offers, and Levi snorts.

"I don't need friends, four-eyes."

"I think you do," she says, staring right at him. "That's why you come here, right? To find some sort of connection?"

If it's a lucky guess or four-eyes can read him so easily, Levi doesn't know, but her words downright stun him all the same.

He tries to find his own voice, wants to come up with some answer, but can't.

"We can teach each other so much," Hange continues, a dreamy smile playing on her lips. She curls a lock of her hair around a point finger, shooting Levi a sly look. "Get to know each other better. I think, deep down you want this, Levi."

She pats his hand, softly, and gets to her feet, gathering her notes and books.

"And you?" Levi asks, surprised by the fact that he doesn't want Hange to leave.

She turns back to him, still smiling. "I want the same," she says. "That's why I decided to sit next to you."

The next time, Levi comes to s library, he's filled with unusual feeling of anticipation.

Hange is already in their seat. She smiles when Levi approaches. He smiles back, and fleetingly thinks that, perhaps, a sense of belonging can be found not only in ancient books.