#i remembered the quote from sea of monsters

[lover-of-mine]

Poseidon interfering before having to turn Percy into a plankton, maybe. Or a floating patch of kelp.

[niko-sasaki-dbd]

A detail I love about Episode 4, is the symbol that appears in the music ball Charles finds and the meaning it has when it comes to his own story.

The relief in the ball, is a lyre, Orpheus' symbol. It was the musical instrument that he received as a gift from the god Apollo, who was considered his father in some versions of the original myth.

Note: In The Sandman Universe, Morpheus and the Muse Calliope are Orpheus' parents.

CHARLES: I found one of those at a maritime museum once. The Case of the Drowned Diver, wasn't it, Edwin? Superstitious sailors would use them to calm the seas.

Orpheus was well known as a talented musician; his music could intrigue people's minds with supernatural ideas and had the power to broaden their thinking to new and unusual theories.

When he joined the expedition of the Argonauts, he saved them from the Sirens' music by playing his own, more powerful and beautiful melodies. Later, it was also his music that allowed Jason to accomplish the purpose of his journey.

It makes sense that sailors used his symbol on an object designed to calm the seas and guarantee their safety while navigating.

When it comes to Charles, in particular, the way he ends up using the music ball (in the absence of a more technical name for that object) is both literal and metaphorical.

On one hand, he uses the music ball to put Angie, a sea monster, to sleep, thereby solving the case of The Lighthouse Leapers. On the other hand, he uses the instrument to save Edwin and himself from The Night Nurse—not just by literally pushing her into Angie's mouth with the ball in her hands, but by causing her to meet Kashina. This meeting prompts her to remember Kashi's words later, when Charles tried to save Edwin from returning to hell by pointing out it was a mistake, and again when he asked her to open a portal to hell so he could bring Edwin back.

In Orpheus' story, when Eurydice died from a snakebite, he charmed the ferryman Charon and Cerberus, the guardians of the River Styx, by playing the lyre and singing. By doing so, he also softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone, which gave him the chance to bring Eurydice back to the world of the living.

It's curious that the lyre symbolizes the power of persuasion for Orpheus, as this is a quality in which Charles takes great pride (he is indeed very convincing). Still, I hope that's where the coincidences end.

That's all for now. To everyone who knows about Orpheus' myth and the different versions of his story, I apologize for not quoting specific authors here.

[neyafromfrance95]

galadriel's whole arc really can be summarized by nietzsche's quote:

"whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process they do not become a monster. and if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."

her whole rant to adar about exterminating all of his children while keeping him alive to witness it was actually so deranged, i can't believe that they let her be so flawed of a character.

and those aren't "accidental" traits that the show isn't aware are "vices" rather than "virtues", as adar basically called her morgoth's successor to her face after her speech!

she even rejected the heaven bc she couldn't let go of her desire to exact her revenge on sauron.

it makes one think, no wonder that the elves could no longer distinguish her from the evil she fought to defeat (galadriel/sauron's pre-raft storylines parallel too perfectly).

as she did inadvertently keep alive the very evil she sought to defeat, inside her very heart and also quite literally.

and that darkness she pursued so relentlessly, the darkness that is personified by sauron, looked back at her and from the first moment sauron lay his gaze on her, something like a revelation hit him, and the obsessive pursuit became mutual.

indeed, those were the seeds she'd planted and sauron would go on to grope for her mind forever bc she let him in. she let sauron in long before he won her trust as halbrand.

and she might have kept her own darkness at bay later on and closed the doors to it, not consumed by revenge anymore, but she never stopped fighting or thirsting for power, and with trop context all of this is intrinsically connected to sauron. even taking nenya to valinor is given a new layer of context, she holds onto the symbol of her fight and of sauron, taking it with her to valinor (remember how in 1.01 she asked elrond whether he would have her take the fight in her heart to the heaven? oh, maybe she did after all...)

i just love that the lady of the light actually has so much darkness of her own. she is simply so nuanced and complex, and not confined to the limits of what a female protagonist should be like. it's not just her darkness, her pride either. it's not just flaws she is allowed, she is allowed genuine weaknesses. she is so abrasive and reckless that sauron had to make sure she didn't get them drowned in the numenorean sea, lmao. and even her strongest virtue isn't a typical "feminine" virtue, it isn't common sense or nurture, it is willpower.

[joykai]

you know what time it is.....more Incorrect wade/poolverine quotes as things my friends have said!

-

Wade: Ya'll ever just remember that you had someones hands on you and feel like ripping off your skin? Negs: ....no??????

-

Wade: life is meaningless and we all die Logan: *walks in* hey wade I got doughnuts Wade: EVERYTHING IS AWESOM!!!

-

Wade: I am god Al: what you are is a whore you dehydrated, traumatised sea urchin! Wade:....fair

-

Logan: bub what's wrong? Wade: *Crying* THE COLOURS DON'T COLOUR Negs: It might help if you take the caps off you dumb bitch Wade: *immediately stops crying* oh :)

-

Wade: Hey Ashley are you making those "shit we say as quotes" for your little gay men? Me: ...maybe? Wade: can you tell everyone I said Hi? >w< Me: okay <3

(Cora says hi everyone!!!)

-

Yukio: wade! that isn't drinkable!!!! Wade: *currently chugging caramel from a bottle* says who? Logan: says god Wade: well I'm a satanist Logan: ....fair point, carry on

-

Logan: *reading a 21 questions card* how many jellybeans can you fit in your ass????- what the fu- Wade: 20, next question Logan: ... Vanessa: my turn! what is your- Logan: NO WE MOVED ON TOO QUICK FROM THAT *Points at Wade) WHAT THE FUCK!?!

-

Wade: *walks into apartment and wordlessly hugs logan* Logan: you alright bub? Wade: *casually* I got stabbed today Logan: WHAT THE FU-

(Context this was me to Cora- I meant to say, I got pricked by a compass from a dumbass student I had a project with but it came out wrong- I have been stabbed tho lol)

-

Logan: *walks out shower with only a towel around his waist* Wade: I have suddenly been impregnated Al: TMI MOTHERFUCKER!?!

-

Wade: I don't take care of myself enough, so logan is making me drink more liquids *drinks a monster mixed with ungodly amounts of Adderall*

Yukio: now I might not have been apart of that particular conversation but I doubt that *gestures to wade* is what he meant

-

DONE :D More to come soon Hehehehehe

[oriley42]

Do you have any House headcanons? I love your writing so much

Thank you! 🥰 And hmmm....my brain always throws sheets over everything when I'm asked for headcanons, so I end up wandering around like "hey I had a million of those lying around a moment ago..."

The only thing that comes to mind is deeply silly: do y'all remember that throwaway moment in s2 or 3 where House grabs one of those trashy conspiracy magazines off the stand and is like "they published my letter 😊" all proud and happy and they never do anything else with that set up?!! Because House + conspiracies can go so many fun ways. Like...

1) he perpetuates bigger and bigger hoaxes. He starts with a badly edited picture of fairies inside the MRI machine ("how do you think these things work?? Invisible rays you can't see hitting your bones??? No!!! The loud banging noises are from the tiny fists of the imprisoned workers inside, begging for freedom #crackthemopen) and ends with thousands of followers chanting outside the Surgeon General's offices, demanding they release the magical creatures trapped by indentured servitude to power imagining machines across the United States #freethefairies #wedontneedpixiepictures

2) he rages at any opportunity against gullibility and foolishness. He is constantly sending in elaborate explanations for supposedly paranormal events with quotes from Carl Sagan's Candle on the Dark and adding phases like "you fucking idiots" to the prose. He is thrilled when people listen, but more often than not, he really only gets to enjoy the fight for fighting's sake because flat earthers are impervious to his Logic and Facts. I think this probably precedes the events noted above in #1, then he snaps and seeks revenge via manipulation.

3) House is just secretly a conspiracy fan. Not the shitty anti-Semitic kind (mainly, he just doesn't care enough about politics or economics to care about theories regarding who is or isn't secretly running The Government) but particularly the cryptid creature ones, because he's seen some WEIRD shit in his life and travels and it's not really so far fetched, Wilson, to imagine that some sea creature suffered a bizarre mutation activating ancient DNA that increased its size to mega fauna levels and was spotted by--

Wilson: of course I believe in the Loch Ness Monster you don't have to convince me.*

*Lying his ass off to shut House up. Gets caught in the deception. Ends up forced to accompany House on a bigfoot hunt. Has an amazing time and starts low key believing in UFO abductions. Wilson and House get married with the Jersey Devil officiating.

[zerosconsort]

Zero's Fic Binding - Archive Anthology - Stony Volume 1

A collection of fics all written by Areiton (@areiton)

let me hear (your battle cry) | chains around my daemons | monsters of sea & sky | inspired | muse

Fandom: Marvel

Ship: Steve Rogers / Tony Stark

Start Date: 10/07/24

End Date: 11/25/24

Pages: 355

First Archive Anthology book. This is a collection of 5 of my favorite Arei Stony fics. They are all also from 2021, which I did not mean to do but just so happen to realize as I was typesetting. I wanted to start this proof of concept project with someone who I A) knew and B) would be cool with me using their fics as a test.

So, the cover. She's beautiful. For the AA series, I want the covers to be the uniform - so every Stony book will copy this cover type, but the colors will shift to blue and white for Vol 2, and then back to red and gold for Vol 3. I sketched out the Iron Man that I wanted myself and made an SVG for the first time, leave me alone, adding the swoosh marks to him and to Steve's shield. I wanted a simple, classic looking font for a universal text title. This book series wont have quotes on the back so instead I have a full spread of the graphic. Tony's the icon on the spine this time - and I think he looks great~

Ah! The side shot. I used my guillotine for the first time - so the chop on this bitch is CHRISP. Headband is gold and handstitched. The whole side profile? Crispy like fall leaves.

Title page shots. A TOC (that I only notices was a little low after I had printed both copies) with a new and customized copyright page. I looked at a bunch of pages in the Renegade Bindery discord and compiled something that felt right AND specific to this project going forward.

Typesetting this was not…bad. It did take a while while I worked out fonts and overall ideas, but ones I had them I was able to fly through. There are quite a few here, so lets take a peak...

I kept Let me hear a little simple - with more medieval drop caps and banner headers. This fic is the only one with a nontypical drop caps - but with how simple the titles were I wanted a little bit more. I also - as per my standard - did this fic first, and then started to dig down and get more complicated the further in I got.

Chains has a little more flavor - each chapter has a splash of color. Originally I had hyper detailed headers for this fic, but they just look like SO MUCH, and I couldn't figure out a way to make them look uniform with the different daemons I was showcasing. Scaling back with a flash of color, but not to much, feels much better for this fic. Also realized that I need to figure out how to trim to what my printer considerers a 'full page'.

mos&s has a little more character for the headers, where I pull peace out from each chapter to add to the title. This chapter header - and the last one - are my favorite. I used hand drawn lines to highlight under each chapter title, and pulled a color for the splash image to match with both that line and the matching line breaks in the chapters.

inspired is told from Tony's point of view - so I kept the chapter titles black and white, with harder linework and a focused idea from in each of the chapters.

In contrast, muse is told from Steve's POV - so every chapter header is an explosion of color. They're all based on a variety of art mediums - spray paint, stamp art, charcoal, oil pints, anything I could find that I remember ever doing myself. I also colored each of the drop caps a contrasting color to what the header art is.

All in all, I'm very happy with how this came out. This is the blueprint I'll use for any of my Anthology books going forward. I already have at least three more in mind for Stony specifically, and then a collection of Raven Boys and Good Omens ones that are not long enough to be a book by themselves but I still want THEM ON MY SHELVES.

Thank you again Arei - your wonderful <3 Go read Arei's fics ASAP!

[randomfoggytiger]

Was Mulder really entrapped by Phoebe in "Fire"? Maybe Mulder wasn't quite "in love" with Scully at that point, so it was tempting to fall back into a relationship with Phoebe. Woyld he have jeopardized his closeness to Scully for someine who had already betrayed him? I know that she was a character to possibly replace Scully. I cant remember why they (Carter?) was playing with those ideas. Was it to get a rise out if the audience? Phoebe didn't spark with Mulder. Their interactions felt flat and like complete strangers ACTING. I think this is what makes the DD and GA casting so unique-- they play well off one another and you can get lost in the story and look past the acting.

But, Scully's green eye monster does come out early in their relationship.

At any point, do you think that Mulder flirts or gives an inkling of flirting in front of Scully just to make her jealous and get her to reveal some of her feelings?

Mulder wasn't in love with Scully yet, I don't think. He was reliant on her, and territorial of her; but the two were still in that "no longer a crush" (her side) "but no longer strictly professional" (both sides.)

Fire was great in concept, I think: bring back an ex for Mulder, expose the depth of his naivety and trust in those who've wrong him, explore how much he's matured and how much more he has to go. And explore Scully, too: how does she react when "her" territory is encroached on? What does and doesn't shred her allegiance-- can it be shredded? And, most importantly, prove how quickly and deeply her and Mulder's partnership has blossomed.

Now.

Carter wrote Mulder and Scully to have a will-they-won't-they tension from the start-- it's his jam, he writes it in everything, etc. etc.-- but, for some reason, he was wavering on Gillian's experience. He believed Phoebe's actress was more skilled and could drum up more natural chemistry with David Duchovny. My guess would be because DD and GA were still pretty inexperienced; and CC thought having a more sexually forward option would heighten the tension more naturally than MSR's (then) chaste, friendly-ish relationship. Glen Morgan and James Wong knew Gillian was great at what she did; and proved it to CC in Beyond the Sea-- afterwards, Chris had no doubts; and fought to keep her after she became pregnant (just as he'd fought to retain her when she and David "slipped into the skins" of his characters in the casting room.)

It was thanks to Morgan that the above information leaked out (quotes here); and I was angry about it, at first. But in stepping back, it was only season one of a small show, with green actors, written and headed by a guy who hadn't had a big production under his belt before-- and in the 90s, under FOX Studios. Everyone was afraid this or that would end it. And Chris probably banked his entire show on the sexual, unresolved chemistry and the peripheral, unsolved mytharc mysteries-- the Scooby Doo of it all, if you will. As much as I don't respect his later actions-- and as much as I dislike him now because of what he's said and done to Gillian (and the fans)-- the logic behind his misgivings then makes sense.

That incident proved his instincts weren't (aren't) always right: that Gillian had more in her than she showed, that her replacement would have demolished the show's star power before it began. And it proved that there was wisdom in surrounding himself with others who had great instincts (Morgan and Wong; Gillian herself; Duchovny and Gilligan; Spotnitz and Shiban; Kim Manners and Rob Bowman; etc. etc. etc.)

So. That's the history. CC was dead wrong about the chemistry after Fire; but he was dead-to-rights in casting Gillian for that same chemistry for the Pilot, and for fighting to keep her after Beyond the Sea.

[11queensupreme11]

Im sorry but WHAT are these ancient fucking laws I keep reading about in so many percy jackson fics 😭😭 I read the books a long time ago, so I don't remember it, but I thought it was just a fanon thing to explain why the gods are neglectful?

OKAY IM REALLY GLAD YOU ASKED THIS CUZ YOU'RE NOT ALONE

ive seen so many comments in arsenic blues from ppl who believe that ALL the gods are being WILLINGLY neglectful towards their kids, and that is NOT true.

the ancient laws are a canon thing in pjo. it's been mentioned many many times, but through scattered discussion. here's a list of dialogues that talk/mention it (the quotes were taken from this helpful reddit post btw)

example 1:

"Do not judge the Lord of the Sea too harshly," the Nereid told me. “He stands at the brink of an unwanted war. He has much to occupy his time. Besides, he is forbidden to help you directly. The gods may not show such favouritism.” “Even to their own children?” “Especially to them. The gods can work by indirect influence only. That is why I give you a warning, and a gift.”

example 2:

“Permission to kill, my lady?” I couldn’t tell who she was talking to, because she kept her eyes on the manticore. The monster wailed. ‘This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws.”

example 3:

"Why show yourself now?" Luke demanded. His shoulders were tense, as if he expected a fight. "All these years I've been calling to you, praying you'd show up, and nothing. You left me with her." He pointed toward the kitchen like he couldn't bear to look at his mother, much less say her name. "Luke, do not dishonor her," Hermes warned. "Your mother did the best she could. As for me, I could not interfere with your path. The children of the gods must find their own way."

example 4:

“Luke, I care very much,’ Hermes said slowly, ‘but gods must not interfere directly in mortal affairs. It is one of our Ancient Laws. Especially when your destiny ...” His voice trailed off.

example 5:

My heart sank. Chiron was right, but it was all we could muster. For once I wished Dionysus were here, but even if he had been, I didn’t know if he could have done anything. When it came to war, gods were forbidden to interfere directly. Apparently, the Titans didn’t believe in restrictions like that.

example 6:

Hermes readjusted the mailbag on his shoulder. ‘Percy, the hardest part about being a god is that you must often act indirectly, especially when it comes to your own children. If we were to intervene every time our children had a problem ... well, that would only create more problems and more resentment.

example 7:

“Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades – and I imagine Poseidon does – they couldn’t retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other’s territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they’re bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero’s actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?”

example 8:

"Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly-that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

don't get me wrong, there are gods who couldn't care less about their kids and willingly neglect them, but it's veeeery wrong to believe that ALL the gods are like this. it's canon that gods cannot interfere in their children's lives, even if they want to. they don't neglect their kids because they don't care about them, they do it because they don't have a choice.

hermes and luke's relationship shows this perfectly. hermes IS a good dad (he's actually one of the best imo). he knew what luke's fate would be and TRIED to change it even though everyone knew it would be impossible, but he was desperate anyway because he loved his son and wanted to try and save him.

unfortunately, every attempt to change his fate always failed (because duh, can't change fate): he sent luke on a quest to "build him up as a hero" only for luke to fail and get a scar, asked percy and annabeth to save him, but they failed too (he even snapped at annabeth for failing to go with his son).

sooo yeah! like i said, there are some godly parents that willingly neglect their kids because they don't care about them, but that's not the case for every single god. there ARE gods who care about their kids, they're just forbidden to interact with them, and that means they can't raise them either.

[little-box-of-autism]

Avatar Prompts, Ideas, & Concepts

Note: These are all free to use for whoever wants to, just be sure to credit me if you use them.

Taglist: @roxynmae @hyperfixatedfandomer @yesthisismycurrenthyperfixation @kaspavanlortsyal

Dialogue Prompts:

"I shouldn't have been born, and no one was happy that I was."

"I'm...tired. I just want this to be over."

"You're my brother." "We haven't been brothers in a long time, you made sure of that."

“I wish I had a time machine so I can go back and stop that from happening.”

"None of it was real, but sometimes I wish it was."

"I want to go home, but I realized I never really had one."

"I told them to kill me because I knew you wouldn't come for me."

"I will never be good enough for you, will I?"

"I never saw you, and that was my fault, not yours."

"I thought I could trust you! I trusted you and you killed my brother!"

Quote Prompts:

The child not embraced by the village, will burn it down to feel its warmth.

Children are what you make of them, so don't be surprised when the child you called a monster becomes one.

I'm not the person you left behind anymore; there is no one here to miss.

Silence has always been my loudest scream

I'm standing in the ashes of who I used to be.

You will always remember the day your childhood died before your eyes.

I could have been anyone, anyone else before you made the choice for me.

You hanged onto hope like a rope, but now it's like a noose around your neck.

The sins of the father are such a heavy thing to bear.

It's a strange thing, isn't it? To look at someone you once called brother and find a stranger in their place.

Concepts:

Lo'ak reacted violently when he learned Spider saved Quaritch. It's been five years and when he sees Spider again, he can't ignore the scars he gave him.

Neytiri's cut on Spider's chest scars badly; a long jagged red line across his chest, spanning diagonally from his shoulder to the bottom of his ribs. It becomes a painful, and very visible, reminder of that night on the Sea dragon.

Spider runs away/disappears when he is 12/13 after a confrontation with Neytiri, it takes a few days for the adults to notice but by the time they do it's too late. They never find Spider, or his remains, and this drives a wedge between Lo'ak and Kiri and the rest of the family. When the Sully's arrive in Awa'atlu, they see Spider for the first time in years, only he is now the son of Tonowari and Ronal, and he doesn't need a mask.

"The animals like Spider, they're his friends." That's the only explanation they get from Tuk, or any of their children, after finding Spider playing around with a thanator cub, as it's mother watches.

It takes three days for someone to notice there is something wrong with Spider; to notice the way his speech with suddenly slur, the random nose bleeds, or the way his eyes will glaze over, and he'll just stare at nothing. No one notices any of that, not until Spider is convulsing on the beach in front of everyone.

Song Prompts

The Moon and the Stars - John Mark Nelson

Brother - Kodaline

Home - MGK, Bebe Rexha, X Ambassadors

I Found - Amber Run

Achilles Come Down - Gang of Youths

I'm still here - John Rzeznik

Soldier - Fleurie

Something in the Orange - Zach Bryan

Parachute - Liel Bar-Z

No Way Out - Phil Collins

[nobodysdaydreams]

🌹:)

Thank you! I appreciate the flower and hope you're having a great day! Here's a TMBS quote:

“Now many of you may have heard that the sea is a dangerous place,” began the captain, who had introduced himself as Captain Noland, in a very serious tone. “Full of terrible sea monsters that feast on the flesh of the innocent and sirens with haunting voices that lure weak and unsuspecting sailors to their wretched deaths.”

Nicholas nodded while some of the other passengers, particularly those with young children, began giving the captain strange looks

“But those that have heard such things may be reassured to know that we have no such dangers on this ship. The creatures from those stories are merely myths and legends. Or at least, their existence can’t definitively be proven…”

Noland's voice trailed off and he paused, glancing across the horizon with a worried look in his eyes, as if he was remembering something terrible. And indeed, he was. They said it was the exhaustion, perhaps a flashback from the war, but…Noland would never forget what he’d seen that night. It haunted his nightmares, for just as the sea was beautiful yet terrifying and mysterious, so were the creatures that inhabited her.

“Captain,” prompted one of the officers, Officer Zhao, as he’d been introduced.

“Hm? Ah, yes,” said Noland, snapping out of his trance. “Yes…nothing to worry about there.”

[trippygalaxy]

Hello hello! I just read your MoonGod!FD×SunDeity! I couldn't help myself so sorry for sliding and nerding in;;

The funfact I love the most is thag moon shines thanks to the light it gets from the sun. It makes me think of the quote how the light it gets reflects the love of the Sun

Unlike the Moon, the Sun gave more importance to their duty. When they met the Moon who've shown his admiration for them, the Sun's feeling never changed but it gave more consideration.

Despite his hair, his moonlight, that shone has been cut away, the Sun now did their duty with the Moon in their mind so may the human he admired may still find hope and their way in the darkest of night.

Speaking of humanity, the moon covers a little nowadays but the (ancient) moon acted as a second shield to the Earth's atmosphere. One of the reason of craters, which are created by the impact of asteroids and meteor.

FD was chosen to fight humans but what if it's also to protect other humans? But he is not who he originally supposed to be. What they've done to him was worse than torture... And with no one to guard the moon, it lost its former form and now can barely protect the Earth.

I love the story about the solar eclipse. Sun's grieving is so intense... If the Sun makes you go blind, then the Moon cries for them too.

Moon and ocean are often depicted as lovers because how the ocean is affected by the moon... but imagine if those were the silent cries of the Fierce Diety.

He can barely remember but the sentiments remains. The moon, part of him, his home, now unreachable. His once blue eyes thrown away to the ocean turned into the cries of ceaseless wave and his voice became the roaring wind because the sky clouded his beloved Sun.

Cyclones are an attempt of the Fierce Deity going back to his beloved.

But when there sun shines on the sea, it's calm like singing a song and reflects its lights sparkling on the water's surface like once did and forever will in the Deity's eyes.

Even if he can't see his beloved Sun again, he can still feel their warmth endlessly embracing him.

Okay, this turned rather fluffy... I don't mind if you put dosage sprinkles of angst in it.

I LITERALLY LOVE YOU SO MUCH THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE THIS AND YOU AND I NOW OWE MY LIFE TO YOU AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL BRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT BE SORRY!!! I WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS INTO MY INBOX ANYTIME!!!!!!!!

Now, if you wish for me to grab this gift and sprinkle drown it in angst? I might be able to do that for you :3

The deity, once so joyful and calm, now is nothing more than a vengeful husk of the god he once was. He was once a protector, the shield against the emptiness of the void, the one who guided those with his light when they were shrouded in darkness, their man-made flickers into nothing but ambers. But now? Now, he painted the land he longed to walk upon red with the blood of the mortals he once protected. Now, he brings death and war with every swing of his intertwined blade.

He walked in the dull moon light, his skin prickling with bitter anger as he bathed his blood soaked form in the light.

No god had felt this much blood under their nails. No god had ever dared to harm and torture the mortals like he had. No god had ever...Avoided the sun's gaze as much as he had.

Others thought he found comfort in the night. Others found it ironic he only attacked under the gaze of his now battered and broken celestial body that hangs in the skin. Other simply thought it was a strategic war plan. But not one thought of how the deity shivered at the thought of acts he'd dared to commit under his lover's rays of light.

No matter how far his mind goes, no matter the lack of memories or emotions he looses over the years, he refuses to plan attacks under the sun's watchful eye. For he wouldn't dare slaughter the mortals the sun loved so dearly. He wouldn't dare become a monster to his Sun like he had to his mortals.

@link-or-sherlock HERES THAT ASK I WAS SCREAMING ABOUT!! /POS

[rubykgrant]

(Talking about Poppy's favorite movie being the Last Unicorn actually created a whole theme in my head about connections with identity, and it turned into a small story; a character study of Poppy explaining certain things about her life, how her favorite movie influenced her, but also how that story is VERY different from what she went through, with quotes from the Last Unicorn added to compare/contrast. The movie is the Rankin-Bass animated 1982 film, based on the book by Peter S Beagle. I think I'll eventually illustrate a comic with Poppy that follows this narrative, but for now, here is the text by itself~)

I remember watching The Last Unicorn when I was little

I first saw it when I was about two, maybe three

I loved it because it was beautiful, and sad, but full of hope… also, the songs were really pretty. The deeper parts of the story I didn’t totally understand, but it was still completely enthralling

I watched it again and again as I grew up. I started to mean more to me when I was older

As important as this movie is… The Last Unicorn isn’t a direct side-by-side comparison to who I am

Everything that happened in my life didn’t mirror the Last Unicorn… but I can understand why some people might think that. I can also understand how other people might relate to it-

“I can feel this body dying all around me!”

“I am a unicorn! I am a UNICORN!”

The Unicorn was turned into a human girl, and at first, that felt wrong to her. She was trapped, feeling like something she wasn’t supposed to be

However, the more time she spends as a human, the more she forgets being a unicorn. Eventually, she wants to stay human forever. She’s afraid to change back…

Until it has to happen. She is a unicorn again, she is herself again, but she also has her human memories and new emotions. After changing so much, she knows she has to keep living, no matter how hard it is

She also frees the other unicorns that have been trapped in the sea, and kills the monster that hunted them all down. That isn’t the focus to this story about identity, but it was still pretty bad-ass, and also something that stuck with me as a little kid

I never felt trapped by my own body. I never felt like I had to change into somebody else… but other people did make me feel like I had to hide. It wasn’t always possible, or safe, to just be myself all the time

When I was still very little, I just really liked the girls in stories the most. They were always my favorite. I wished I was like them. Then I realized, I could be. Then I knew who I was

I never was anything or anybody else

Even when I had to hide, and lie, and pretend… inside, I was still me

“Once, I can’t remember. I was, long ago, someone strange

I was innocent and wise, and full of pain

Now that I’m a woman, everything is strange

Once, when I was searching. Somewhere out of reach

Far away in a place I could not find, or heart obey

Now that I’m a woman, everything has changed”

I had to keep lying for a long time

Eventually, I stumbled into a place where I was finally free to just be myself

It wasn’t a magical transformation, it wasn’t a fairytale ending… but I was happy, and I was really ME

It felt like I found something I had been missing since I was little… I think a lot of people feel like if they don’t have certain kinds of happiness when they’re young, they’ll never have it at all. Like they missed their chance-

“Where have you been? Where have you been? Damn you, where have you been?

Where were you twenty years ago, ten years ago? Where were you when I was new? When I was one of those innocent young maidens you always come to?

How dare you come to me now, when I am this?”

As long as you are still alive, things can change. I had people who really cared about me, and I cared about them. I found my home. Part of my life finally seemed to begin…

 Then, they were gone. I couldn’t save them, or bring them back, or set them free. Part of my life seemed to die… even though I was still alive

I’m not slender

I’m not dainty or delicate

I don’t really wear make-up or jewelry

I never felt like I had to somehow be more “feminine”, or change my features to really be a woman

I’d still be a woman, no matter what I look like. That’s true for everybody- there isn’t a cookie-cutter standard to being a woman. People who act like there is are full of it

One thing I did want, though… I wanted to grow out my hair

Like  princess. A little cliché, I know

If I kept it short, I’d still be a woman. If I ever cut it again, or if it somehow burns off or falls out, I’ll still be a woman. I’ll always be me, because I always have been

I’m still happy that I can actually do this

A change for myself, that feels right, that I want

I didn’t get to be a princess when I was little… but I’m older now, and I can finally be all of myself

I’m alive, and I have a new home

[ideas-on-paper]

Monster Hunter Tri Diary, Part 1: Intro, Arrival in Moga, First trip to Moga Woods

So, inspired by @dragonflight203's Mass Effect replay posts (hope you don't mind me adapting the idea!), I've decided to do a "gaming diary" for my first playthrough of Monster Hunter Tri.

Thanks to the dedicated endeavor of fans from the MH community, the servers of Tri are finally accessible again, so I'm very excited to check this one out. The 3rd Gen is my favorite overall, and I've been yearning to see Loc Lac with my own eyes for years now.

But first, I'll have to spend some time in singleplayer to farm some equipment and re-familiarize myself with the game. Wouldn't want to do the hub quests ill-prepared! So, for now, we're starting slow.

Disclaimer: Text is paraphrased from my localization and might slightly deviate from the English version.

Intro

This is the first time I've seen the intro of MH Tri in person - and it’s such an amazing one, too! I love the correlation between the sea and land environments depicted here: The Jaggi pack is hunting the Aptonoths at the coast (great way to introduce the new small bird wyverns!), while the Ludroths are picking up the scraps that fell into the water.

That Great Jaggi was about to have the feast of his life on that Aptonoth, only to be bowled out by that Rathalos. xD Dude wanted his lunch back so badly that he was even willing to make a stand against the Rathalos. Probably wouldn't have held out for long, though, with Jaggis being weak to fire. (If Tri had turf wars, that Great Jaggi would've been totally obliterated.)

And when the Lagiacrus shows up, the Jaggis are just like: "Okay, this one’s way out of our league. Let’s get the hell out of here." xD

One thing I love about the Lagiacrus is that he's designed like an antithesis to Rathalos: Rathalos wields fire, which is the Lagi's primary weakness. Meanwhile, Rathalos himself is weak against lightning, which makes him vulnerable to Lagiacrus’s attacks. Both are the kings of their respective element, but when encroaching on Rathalos' territory, the Lagiacrus is like a literal fish out of the water.

I wonder what would happen if there was a turf war between them, though. Would there be a 50:50 chance of either one winning? Would the Lagi try to pull Rahtalos into the water? Would he even get out of there by himself? (I imagine it would look like a bird of prey that crashed in the water, but much bigger. Poor Rathalos might need a hand. xD)

I love how Lagiacrus turns away in an "Eh, I didn't mean to hunt this anyway" manner; like having his snack snatched away from under his nose hurt his pride, but he tries to act unbothered by it. xD

Ah, guys... I always get a little teary-eyed when the MH Tri main theme comes up. The Rathalos flying over the vast plains, the music picking up, and then the view with the hunters standing at the cliff... It really doesn't get better than this. :,)

Arrival in Moga

Ah, it's been ages since I saw that cutscene... It's technically the same as in MH3U, but still it feels so good to be back. I love how you see the villagers just going about their daily lives, the children being excited about the trinkets the Chief's Son brought back from his trip and all that... It evokes such a homey feeling right from the start, and it makes the village community feel that much more like family.

The chief actually mentions the sea people having crests on their skin and looking a little different from normal humans. I remember this from the MH artbook, where it's stated they gave them a different skin tone/markings as well as webbed hands to distinguish them from normal humans. I thought this was just a scrapped concept (since you don't see much of a visual difference in-game), but I had no idea there was in-game dialogue about it. Cool!

"Diversity means prosperity!" That's actually a really wise quote right there. Both the sea people and wyverians are knowledgeable in their own right, but each have different skills. If they unite them, everyone profits. (I think we could learn something from this for our own society.)

I love the Guild Sweetheart from MH Tri/3U. She's legitimately my favorite of all the Guild receptionists in Monster Hunter (at least those I’m familiar with). And she's trying so hard - she's really upset the Guild apparently forgot about them in this backwater village. Hang in there, sweetie!

"The Guild has permission to hunt and do research in the Moga Woods, and in exchange, we help the village with its problems." A fair trade, but I wonder if the Guild might have ulterior motives. Like, what are they doing with the research results? And do they really only permit just as much hunting as the monster population will allow, or is that just a farce? (I always trusted the Guild was true to their word, but after watching a few Monster Hunter lore videos, I'm not so sure. Ah, I was so gullible back then... xD)

The gossipy lady really loves her silly word games. (And so do I. xD)

"The Chief must have really good relationships with the Guild if he got a hunter like you to come to such a small village in the middle of nowhere." Not an unreasonable thought, actually... How did he convince the Guild to send a hunter to Moga if they otherwise completely ignore it? Is he friends with some of the higher-ups?

"For safety reasons, we’ve collected all information about monsters in a so-called "monster list"." Uh-huh... "Safety reasons"... I'm telling you, the Guild is definitely keeping secrets.

Okay, so the item seller really likes hunters. This reminds me, I think there's one single NPC in the entire series who couldn't stand hunters. (I believe it was some guy in Minegarde, though I can't say for sure since I've never been in that city myself.) Is this dude the only one or are there any others who actually dislike hunters?

I love the Outfitter with her "very important" virtual tests. Like yeah, I'm sure that fantasizing about slaying monsters with no first-hand experience will bring you that much closer to finding the "ideal weapon". (I gotta say, I love this kind of humor that Monster Hunter has - it's so dumb, but in a hilarious kind of way. The game knows it's dumb and doesn't take it too seriously, so it almost feels a bit like satire.)

I'm also quite fond of the Fishmongeress. She is warm-hearted and helpful, but also very assertive and knows what she wants. My kind of woman!

I love the dynamic between the two kids; like one is constantly bragging about how smart he is (while actually being really dumb), while the other, shy one is the actual smart one (can confirm this from personal experience xD).

Our local "whizz kid" tells us that the villagers are threshing rice at the windmills in Moga Village. (The ones you can see in the background near the armory and if you walk across the leftmost pier.) That’s probably what the farm is for, though I haven’t seen any paddy fields there.

You know what I find absolutely hilarious? The way the game incorporates gameplay tips. The villagers say stuff like "Okay, so try imagining a "screen", alright?" and "Try imagining a thing called "Wiimote". No kidding, just try it!". They talk about a yellow cursor ("I know: a what?!") like it's the weirdest thing ever, and "saving the game" is treated like some outlandish slang word. Like, the developers were probably aware that to the people in-universe, these explanations would sound entirely nonsensical, and they put in the extra effort to make it funny - I love it.

Also, the UI design in Tri is absolutely gorgeous. I love the "tribal" style the old games had going on. MH World can't hold a candle to this!

I remember there was an old post on the MH Lore Tumblr blog (sadly, it's been defunct for a while now) that in the MH universe, the Felynes are treated like cheap laborers who are always given the shit jobs nobody else wants to do. Considering how they're constantly seen in positions like chamberlain, farm worker etc., I believe there might actually be something to this. It's kind of sad, but these kitties really don't seem to have the best standing in MH society... :(

I love the Felyne-specific language, though. (Like hairstyling being "grooming", "child's play" is "kitten's play" and so on.) It's so endearing.

So, the shy kid tells me there's a cave at the farm, but I shouldn't go inside because the Chief is gonna get really mad if I do. The Head Farmer tells me it contains some kind of ancient weapon. From what I remember from 3U, that "weapon" is a mask for the Shakalaka. (It's funny how every Monster Hunter used to have this "special", sword-in-the-stone kind of weapon.)

Moga Woods (day)

I gotta say, from a gameplay perspective, I think the tutorial for Tri is really well done. It doesn't immediately throw you into a timed quest so you don't feel pressured from the get-go, and it introduces you to all core mechanics bit by bit.

Village Chief: "Can you hear me?" Yes, I can hear you. I'm not sure how you can speak to me since you technically should be back at the village, but I hear you. (Do these villagers have mastered the art of telepathy somehow?)

"My ancestors had a saying: "Wherever you go, there you are."" Wow - I never could've figured this out on my own. Truly, the wisdom of ages.

It's easy to forget, but MH Tri is actually the first Monster Hunter where gathering points are displayed. I remember how distressed I was when playing MH1 and realizing there were no pop-ups to mark gathering spots. (And now that I’m used MH1 and Freedom Unite, I have to get out of my habit of pressing the gathering button at suspicious looking places. xD)

"That's an Aptonoth: a herbivore. Eats... herbs." You don't say, Chief. You don't say.

I remember when I first played Monster Hunter, I felt so bad for killing an Aptonoth. Now, I’ve kinda gotten used to it - still wouldn’t say I feel good about it, though. ^^’

"You're just like me when I was your age! Of course, my stamina bar was way longer." Yeah, sure - just don't forget to toot your own horn.

When finding the Chief's Son: "Sorry we couldn't talk yesterday, though natural disasters are a great conversational topic!" I've said it once, I will say it again: I love Monster Hunter’s humor.

"I'm Juni-- Er, I'm the Chief’s Son." Ohh, do I hear someone having daddy issues?

"Our tent and bocce set were in that destroyed camp." Oh, no - due to the earthquake, the villagers can't play bocce anymore. What a tragedy.

”I’m so hungry, I could eat an Aptonoth.” Well, friend, you’re in luck - I’ve just slaughtered one of these beasties.

Aaand he snatches the meat right up. Okay, dude - have fun grilling. I’ll just go back to the village all on my lonesome, I guess…

And thus, after finding the lost son and completing our first job for McDelivery, we return to the village...

To be continued

[diet-static]

pressure oc that’s been running around in my head :3 kinda a wip but yea

(and suggestions!)

Z-314 - it/its

- Urbanshade human experiment meant to give humans advanced healing.

- Been injected with DNA strands from octopi, jellyfish, sea stars, and crabs. (moreso candidates, this’ll probably get narrowed down)

- When extremely stressed or hurt, limbs similar to any of the creatures combined with its DNA may sprout from random locations on its body.

- After spending so long in Urbanshade’s containment and being so disfigured by the DNA injected into it and that DNA’s effects, Z-314 lost the feeling of being human at all. It sees itself as a horrific monster, but excuses the fact that this is Urbanshade’s doing with the reasoning that Urbanshade only meant to strengthen it and that the scientists working with it give it much more than it deserves.

- Since it feels the food and shelter Urbanshade gives it is much more than it deserves, it often feels the experiments done on it, no matter how painful or cruel, are merely payment for anything Urbanshade gives it. This can also lead to it eating less if it feels it's messed up in some way or if something it did angered a scientist.

- Often keeps to itself, not wanting others to have to see it, let alone deal with any of its problems.

- Goes to any lengths to do what is asked of it, especially if the request comes from someone positively associated with Urbanshade.

- Stayed in its containment a while after the blacksite was destroyed, at first out of fear, but later believing staying put would make it easier to find it. It eventually left in search of food and saw the remains from the many deaths of operatives attempting to recover the crystal, and decided to find a way out on its own after realizing how dangerous and difficult it would be for it to rely on operatives getting it out.

i also have a few quotes i think describe it very well (taken from tiktok, i don’t remember the authors, so lmk if you happen to recognize them)

- “you could give away pieces of your flesh and still be called selfish for wanting to keep your bones”

- “you cannot save me. i was not made for anyone to hold.”

[pretty-toastie]

...having been thinking about sir gawain again recently and remembering how much i like talking about it, have an essay i wrote about the avoidance of violence in the text for my History of English Literature class.

is it great? no lmao, i had a page count to hit. there's a lot of fluff. am i proud of it though? hell yes i am.

(quote numbers are line numbers in the Simon Armitage translation)

Unimportant Encounters—The Avoidance of Violence in Sir Gawain

Unlike an epic poem such as Beowulf, which places focus on heroic victories in combat, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a romance poem, focuses on inter- and intrapersonal conflicts that are nonviolent in nature. In fact, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tends to dance around violence in general, at least where Gawain is involved. In Fitt 2, the poet skips over Gawain’s encounters with various beasts, focusing instead on his encounters with people. This is because Gawain’s journey is not one of triumph in combat—rather, it is one of introspection and navigating expectations: both his and others’. The Sir Gawain poet demonstrates what the story is not by intentionally leaving out violence involving Gawain, and then emphasises it further by drawing attention to this lack: The poet references the skipped-over encounters with monsters in meta, Gawain’s interactions with the Green Knight subvert expectations, and Gawain is notably absent from the violence of the hunting trips. The poet also emphasises what the story is by intentionally focusing on the person-to-person interactions and conflicts of expectation that Gawain faces, and allowing these conflicts to dominate the story, both in terms of significance and line count.

After receiving the Green Knight’s challenge, Gawain “stayed [in King Arthur’s court] until All Saint’s Day [the first of November]” (line 536). In lines 691–739, the Sir Gawain poet tells us of the trials that Gawain undertook on his two-month journey. Compared to the seventy-four lines spent describing Gawain getting dressed before his trip, the poet relegates this entire section of Gawain’s adventure to just forty-nine lines. Further, the poet tells us that he battles many enemies “so foul or fierce he is bound to use force” (717). He mentions fights with serpents, wolves, wodwos, bulls, bears, boars, and giants, telling us that Gawain’s travels are “so momentous … [that] to tell just a tenth would be a tall order” (718–719). This description of victories almost echoes the boasts of an epic hero like Beowulf, telling of the myriad sea serpents he defeated, but unlike the Beowulf poet, who allows this bragging to take up physical space within the text, the Sir Gawain poet keeps this entire section to only about eleven lines. The poet minimises the space on the page that these encounters occupy, uses the format of a long, run-on list to add a rushed feeling to the section, and even references in meta that these stories are not important. They speak directly to the reader, telling them that it would be a “tall order” to describe these conflicts in detail, drawing their attention to the absence of such descriptions, and simultaneously implying that out of all the happenings that occur in the story of Gawain, this—this two-month journey filled with battles against numerous deadly foes—is the least important, the first to be cut.

The Sir Gawain poet also minimises the relevance and impact of violence by subverting expectations in Gawain’s encounters with the Green Knight. When the Green Knight first arrives in King Arthur’s hall, he is framed as imposing, frightening, powerful: the poet goes out of their way to describe the harm his ax is capable of doing; he speaks first in a bellow, demanding to see the leader of the hall; the guests of the hall watch him with dread, fearing that something terrible will come to pass—and yet, “expect no malice,” the Green Knight tells them (266). King Arthur even outright offers a fair fight, but the Green Knight turns him down, proclaiming “I’m spoiling for no scrap, I swear” (279). Further, even when he admits the violence he does want—a blow for a blow, a beheading for a beheading—the result is not as brutal as expected. The Green Knight, though bleeding, is not really harmed by the blow Gawain delivers to him, and simply rides off, severed head in hand, still very much alive. Then again, when Gawain goes to receive his beheading in turn, the poet builds expectations for violence. Gawain believes that he “might well lose [his] life” (2210), he describes the Green Chapel as “intending to destroy [him]” (2194), and he compares the sound of the ax sharpening to “the scream of a scythe”—a tool with famous associations to death (2202). Again, though, despite this, the beheading is underwhelming. The Green Knight does not kill Gawain—instead, he misses twice with his ax on purpose, and on the final swing his blow is intentionally “far from being fatal / … just skimming the skin” (2312). When Gawain lifts his own weapon, certain that the Green Knight will strike again to finish him off, the Green Knight chides him, telling him that with that one strike, he should “consider [him]self well paid” (2341), indicating that the Green Knight has no intention of further harm. With these subverted encounters, the Sir Gawain poet tells the reader that violence is not the point here, reinforcing the message implied in skipping over Gawain’s earlier encounters with monsters.

The poet provides yet another subversion away from violence in the hunting and bedroom scene parallels. The hunting scenes are not afraid to be violent, spending dozens of lines describing the methods by which the slaughtered creatures are processed. They use evocative, violent phrases—almost lustful in places—such as “severed with sharp knives”, “riving open the front”, “hoisted high and hacked away”, “slit the fleshy flaps”, “cleave”, and “break it down its back” (1337–1352). Myriad wildlife is slaughtered in these scenes, and in the boar hunt several of Lord Bertilak’s hounds are slaughtered by the boar’s “back-snapping bite” (1564), and even some of his men are wounded and killed. This stands in stark contrast to the bedroom scenes featuring Gawain. Besides his notable absence from the hunting scenes, his scenes in the bedroom are almost opposite to the hunting scenes. While Lord Bertilak and his men are using physical strength to enact violence, Gawain turns down Lady Bertilak’s advances in as polite a way as possible. He responds “merrily”, calls her his “gracious lady”, and asks her to “please pardon [him]” and allow him to “rise / … and pull on [his] clothes” (1213–1220). He is not tempted by lust, and the poet’s descriptions of these scenes are far from the evocative lustfulness used in the hunting scenes. Yet again, the poet is emphasising that violence does not play a role in Gawain’s journey.

Rather, Gawain navigates through social quandaries of duty using politeness and chivalry. The central plot is his obligation to meet the Green Knight and to honor the deal they made, despite it likely spelling his death. The deal itself was only made because of Gawain’s sense of duty to King Arthur—he acknowledges that the deal is “a foolish affair” (358), but volunteers himself so that Arthur will not have the obligation to participate. Additionally, Gawain takes on the deal with Lord Bertilak, and must carefully handle the advances of the Lady. The poet frames this struggle as a sort of battle in itself: Gawain “fence[s] and deflect[s] / all the loving phrases” of Lady Bertilak. When Gawain does eventually reach the Green Knight, it is revealed that these trials were a test of his character, and for passing, he escapes his fate of death. The Sir Gawain poet makes it very clear that the focus is on Gawain’s navigation of these competing loyalties; Gawain’s success in handling his clashing obligations allows him to avoid the violence of the Green Knight and return home alive. The poet also allows interpersonal conflict to dominate in line count—just as Beowulf spends most of the physical space in the text on combat (among other central themes), Gawain’s struggles with duty take up a significant portion of the text.

By allowing interpersonal social conflicts to dominate the space and significance of the text and by subverting expectations of violence and separating Gawain from the instances of violence that do occur, the Sir Gawain poet emphasises that the focus is on Gawain’s navigation of complex social situations and conflicting duties. The poet also intentionally minimizes the presence of violence. This avoidance of violence permeates the text and can be seen in the poet’s decision to skip over Gawain’s encounters with monsters, in the subverted expectations for the encounters with the Green Knight, and in Gawain’s absence from the more violent and lustful hunting scenes, as well as the absence of that same violence and lust from the bedroom scenes, making it clear that violence is not a central aspect of Gawain’s journey.

end note:

something i think i failed to make clear in the essay is why the incredible violence of the hunting scenes actually supports the idea that sir gawain's journey has nothing to do with violence. the biggest thing is sir gawain's LACK OF PRESENCE on the hunts. he does not, as an epic hero might, go along on the hunt and show off his physical prowess. rather, he stays home with the women and talks. an environment designed for violence is not one where he belongs.

[exalted-dawn-drabbles]

Kubo & The Two Strings | Writing Prompts

🍂🌘🐦🪕📜

Quote Prompts

❝ If you must blink, do it now ❞ ❝ You are my quest ❞ ❝ The most powerful kind of magic there is ❞ ❝ We hold their stories, deep in our hearts ❞ ❝ We grow stronger, the world grows more dangerous. Life has a funny way of keeping things balanced. ❞ ❝ Whatever your quest, it is now my quest too ❞ ❝ This was a happy story. But, it could still be a whole lot happier. ❞ ❝ I still need you ❞ ❝ Heroes come and go ❞ ❝ Cold and hard and perfect ❞ ❝ Well, that’s kind of a long story ❞ ❝ Paper runs out, as does patience ❞ ❝ Always stay hidden from the night sky ❞ ❝ In recognizing [their] compassion, I recognized my own. ❞ ❝ You have questions, I can tell. You get three. ❞ ❝ You’re out of questions now, so just listen ❞ ❝ I spared [their] life. [They] gave me mine. ❞ ❝ Do you need a little help? ❞ ❝ This is real. This is not a story. ❞ ❝ Memories are powerful things ❞ ❝ We can't trust anything you say, because *you* can't trust anything you say. ❞ ❝ They’re family. ❞ ❝ No, they are monsters. ❞ ❝ Promise me you will never let this happen. Promise me. ❞ ❝ Before you went on this great adventure, you were still very much a hero ❞ ❝ Tell us your story, then we can sleep! Please? ❞ ❝ [They] looked into my eyes and uttered four simple words. Those words changed everything. ❞ ❝ Even with just one eye ❞ ❝ Concentrate on what is in front of you. Let everything else fall away. ❞ ❝ I seem to have forgotten my story ❞ ❝ Can you help me? ❞ ❝ The end of one story is merely the beginning of another ❞

Sensory/Imagery Prompts

A meal sitting between two people

Boats made of leaves

The strumming of strings

Skimming rocks across the river

Catching fireflies in the mulberry fields

The warmth of a gaze

Crane songs

The full moon over the ocean

The cold night sky

Braided strands of hair

A father’s clothes

Folded paper

Flowers and stars

Scurrying beetles

Busy market streets

A charm for protection

Lantern light

Long evening shadows

Soaked with sea water

Fishing lessons

Feather cloaks

Broken porcelain masks

Eyes full of secrets

Interrupted stories

Soup that’s too hot

Speaking to lost loved ones

Quiet, lonely mornings

Forbidden festivals

Childhood toys

Making your own wings

Golden armor

Silver moonlight

Hidden caverns filled with treasure

Waking up in the snow

Prominent Theme Prompts

To be looked at and be seen

The sharing of stories

Finding each other again in another life

Remembering what was lost

Fighting the past for the future

The power of humanity

Life takes on a new form

Being the hero of your own story

A mother’s love

A child’s devotion

For every horrible thing, there is something far more beautiful

Memories are the strongest magic

To look someone in the eye and see their soul

All stories must have an end

Making beginnings out of ends

Mementos of the lost

Love endures beyond death

Running from the night

Fighting to see the day

There is beauty in imperfection 

A messy life is still one worth living

Longing for something you never had

Stories are stronger than the sword