#intentional mummification

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Chinchorro Mummies

Chinchorro mummies, including the example you mention from around 5020 BC, in the Atacama Desert, represent some of the oldest known intentionally preserved human remains in the world.

These mummies predate the more famous Egyptian mummies by thousands of years, showcasing the advanced mortuary practices of the Chinchorro people, a preceramic culture that lived along the coasts of present-day northern Chile and southern Peru.

The extreme dryness of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, played a crucial role in the natural preservation of these remains.

The lack of moisture in the environment inhibited the growth of bacteria, which are typically responsible for decomposition, allowing soft tissues, hair, and even clothing to survive for millennia.

What sets Chinchorro mummies apart is that this culture practiced intentional mummification, beginning as early as 5000 BC.

They developed intricate techniques that included removing the skin and organs, reinforcing the body with sticks and clay, and sometimes painting the exterior, often with black manganese or red ochre.

This practice suggests that the Chinchorro people had a profound respect for their dead, possibly seeing mummification as a way to maintain a connection with their ancestors.

The mummy in the photo is a poignant example of how the Chinchorro culture intertwined with the unique environmental conditions of the Atacama Desert to create a lasting legacy.

These preserved individuals offer a rare and invaluable glimpse into life and death in the ancient world, as well as the technological ingenuity of a civilization that thrived long before written history.

[radiojamming]

Is Lady Dai considered a sacred air mummy?

OH GOOD QUESTION

Lady Dai/Xin Zhui was actually intentionally mummified! If you look at the containers she was buried in (there were many), her body was well-protected. On top of that, she was immersed in a bacteria-killin' fluid that prevented any further decay. Whoever was in charge of her burial attempted some kind of embalming, although iirc it wasn't a widespread technique for her era.

So....... sacred fluid? Is that an option? I'm gonna say it's an option.

[elisegravesbondageliberation]

As a healthcare professional, there are times in which one must regretably deliver bad news. Indeed, on this day, Nurse Elise informs her patient, Kino Payne, that he has suffered a terrible accident resulting in the need to be placed in a full body medical wrap lasting two months. Although Kino might appear to take the news well from the get-go, it is only later that the reality of his situation begins to set in. Beginning with Kino’s head, Nurse Elise skillfully wraps Kino’s entire body in a seated shape. The shape creates ease in rotating him, maneuvering him and simply controlling him. Upon full mummification of her patient, Elise rewards him with a circulation-encouragement vibration device to build his endorphins for the long healing journey ahead of him. Shortly thereafter, Kino expresses his lust for his nurse after he mistakes the attention and care that Nurse Elise bestows on him as a sign of sexual intent. Not someone to have her boundaries crossed, Nurse Elise endeavors to set Kino straight in underscoring their professional nurse-patient relationship. Stay tuned for Part Two during which Nurse Elise pivots to using some unorthodox medical procedures involving a wooden stick and a plastic bag.

[whencyclopedia]

A Gallery of 20 Mummies from around the World

Mummification is the natural or artificial preservation of the soft tissue of a dead body. Natural mummification can happen in extremely cold, dry, or anaerobic conditions. Perhaps the most famous example of a natural mummy preserved in ice is Ötzi, the Iceman. Dry, desert conditions are responsible for the Tarim mummies, for example, and lack of oxygen prevented bog bodies from decaying.

Intentional mummification is mostly associated with ancient Egyptian burial rites, but it was also common practice in the Andean cultures of South America, such as the Nazca civilization. Depending on the culture and the technique, the process can involve the removal of internal organs, dismemberment, heat treatment, the use of chemicals, and wrapping the body. The intentional preservation of some individuals extends into the modern age, with Lenin's embalmed body put on permanent display in Moscow.

In this gallery, we feature 20 images of preserved bodies from all around the world.

Continue reading...

[corvusblackk]

my manifestation routine

- (optional) listen to this subliminal: https://youtu.be/VULQMAQO_WQ?si=V3cvTsR8ZP8G7DZd

- write down or say out loud what i want in detail

- read it attentively or focus on the intention

- visualise the feeling of already having it, with emotions and 5 senses too if i can

- (optional) listen to music to raise my vibrations onto the thing i want to manifest

- trust and let go, forget about it

what i manifested with it

- ace my exams with top grades (got 100/100)

- significant others (more than one time and they were exactly how i scripted)

- get asked ideal questions on tests (even in a matter of minutes right before they asked me)

- crush noticing me

- signs from deities / universe (extremely specific lol, like a big black car with a pink ribbon, a documentary of ancient egypt and mummification, a gold turtle, etc..)

- packages arriving before the estimated date and in good state

- food (that we don’t even eat regularly)

- gifts (for example ipad with procreate, shoes)

- going to the cinema (i love going to the cinema pls it’s my favourite thing)

- other stuff that i don’t remember because i stopped writing them down but i will start noting them again if you’re interested (maybe for motivation) so just let me know :)

[dailycharacteroption]

Mummy (Pathfinder Second Edition Archetype)

(art by Uriak on DeviantArt)

And it’s time for another archetype from Book of the Dead that lets you play an undead character! This time it’s a pretty interesting one in that we’re looking at: mummies!

Mummies have been in RPGs since the beginning, but their presence as undead creatures is actually relatively recent compared to the age of the culture they come from. That’s right, there are straight up no stories of mummies rising from their grave to torment the living in Ancient Egypt, presumably because a mummy, by necessity, was one that had undergone all the proper rites of death and therefore didn’t have any reason for stories of them rising and complaining about it.

Heck, even The Curse of the Pharaohs, the idea that those that dare disturb the tombs of kings would be cursed with a painful death is fairly recent, with the closest thing we actually have from the various dynasties and periods of the nation being warnings to not disturb or desecrate the tombs and sarcophagi of a pharaoh lest they lose the favor of the gods, but those are more akin to having the awareness to realize that your successor is probably gonna deface any statue of you they can find and strike your name from all records they can get ahold of, because that happened a lot.

The actual undead mummy is actually a creation of foreign writers, going as far back as the 1840s with Gautier’s The Mummy’s Foot, and 60 years later with Bram Stoker’s (yes, that Bram Stoker) The Jewel of the Seven Stars, along with others in that period like Arthur Conan Doyle, and so on.

Curiously, most of these undead mummies were not monsters per se, having no hostile intentions towards mortals, but rather, were often love interests for the protagonists, which smacks of elements of the exotification and sexualization of the East, which is unfortunate. On the other hand, if there’s any online community that can emphasize with the idea of dating an immortal being from a bygone era, it’s tumblr. This focus on desire also explains why even more horror-focused mummy fiction often gives the mummies ways to “rehydrate”, regenerating themselves into a fleshy, lifelike form, if only temporarily and usually at the expense of some poor sap, cursed or otherwise.

Mummies as horror monsters didn’t really start until the 1930’s with Boris Karloff in the Universal Studios The Mummy movie, and even that retains the notion of the mummy regaining a semblance of life, since he only spends one scene of the movie as a shambling corpse and the rest as an offputting older gentleman who politely insists not to be touched.

Beyond that, mummies in fiction have ranged from being similar undead sorcerers to being particularly dusty zombies that may or may not have a would-be necromancer commanding them, and their appearance in tabletop games has similarly varied.

In Pathfinder, the generally accepted paradigm is that mummies range in power from the basic variety, which were typically mere servants or mummified accidentally by extreme outdoor conditions such as bogs, deserts, or extreme altitudes, whereas greater mummies (represented by the Osirian Mummy and Mummified creature templates in First Edition) were a step above, retaining their skills and sense of self. Meanwhile, at the pinnacle were mummy lords, created from the bodies and souls of the most powerful and magically-skilled pharaohs.

However, a detail that was brought into focus with Second Edition was that mummies, no matter what culture they belong to or where they are found, are undead tied to the land, which makes sense due to the way that every mummification process involves at least some level of environmental process, from being soaked in anaerobic bog water/peat to being desiccated by the sun or natron salts, and so on. That connection is what gives many mummies their strange powers over the environments they hail from (like conjuring sandstorms or turning into clouds of sand and the like). Of course, that connection also subtly taints the natural world around them wherever they go, given their status as undead beings.

While it is possible to play a character who underwent the ritual to become a mummy in recent times (either just after death or more horrifyingly while still alive), the nature of this archetype lends itself better to playing a time-displaced undead character who only just woke up from their eternal rest. Whether you’re a millenia-old citizen of a now-defunct desert kingdom or some poor explorer that died in a bog and only clawed their way out a century later when someone accidentally stepped on their head while wading through the muck, there’s a lot of potential there.

So let’s take a look, shall we?

Like all undead archetypes and certain other spellcasting ones, you can technically take this archetype at first level, but must obviously take the dedication as your 2nd level feat. In this case, the dedication provides the basic undead benefits, as well as increased physical durability at the cost of fire vulnerability. Additionally, their unarmed strike becomes stronger as they pull water from their targets on contact. Meanwhile, they also establish a bond with an extreme terrain predominant to the region they were mummified within, which determines the aesthetics of later abilities as well as what terrain certain other abilities function with.

Case in point, most are able to stride through difficult terrain in their bonded environment with ease, as well as see through concealment within it as well, be it the snowstorms of the arctic or mountains, the sand of deserts, or the fogs of the marsh.

Whether it be from their strikes or from another ability, they can use the moisture drawn from other creatures to trigger a transformation, regaining a semblance of life and vitality for a short time.

Many also develop the greater benefits of undeath, as well as resistance to actively harmful aspects of their bonded terrain as well.

Whether they were mummified alive or merely endured the traumas of their soul being bound to their corpse, the process of becoming an undead mummy is filled with anguish, which they can then weaponize in one of their more infamous abilities as an aura of despair. While not yet potent enough to paralyze with fear, it can send foes fleeing.

While this archetype can’t grant true mummy rot, they can inflict a withering necromantic affliction on foes when they get a particularly lucky blow on foes, consuming their vitality and body while it lasts.

Some of these mummies can call upon atmospheric phenomena from their bonded region to summon concealing storms of mist, sand, and the like, making their presence obvious but their exact position impossible to determine, making for a useful defense.

Those of a warrior disposition often learn to channel their lesser curse through weapons rather than their limbs.

While otherwise ordinary cloth, many mummies can infuse some of their malevolence into their wrappings to briefly animate them, following up a strike to entrap foes with them.

Taking their bond with the terrain further, some learn to actually become the terrain, turning into flying clouds of an appropriate substrate such as mist, snow, sand, bog water, and the like.

In a horrific display of their mastery of moisture and life force, powerful mummies can suck both right out of foes in a wide conical area with a horrid inhalation, harming them and healing themselves.

Finally, some refine their despair aura so they can do so more often, and those that are especially affected are outright paralyzed with fear for a few critical moments.

The mummy archetype does a good job of emulating the powers most commonly associated with undead mummies in a balanced way, and can certainly be fun for any sort of character without requiring you to invest super heavily into it. If the game takes place in a lot of set pieces covering their favored terrain, it can be quite powerful if you spec for that, or you can just focus on being an especially tanky undead melee character. Certainly the despair ability is useful for every character, and being able to enshroud oneself or turn into clouds of particulate is useful for close and ranged characters alike. As such, there is no one specific build for this archetype, but you can choose to add it’s benefits to whatever build you’re going for.

Like I said before, it is entirely possible to play a truly ancient undead with this archetype, which opens up some interesting roleplaying opportunities. Obviously culture clash between your original culture and those that exist in the modern era is one, but also consider the knowledge that you bring with you from your old life. After all, undead mummies have included royalty, high priests, mages, and more in fiction, so their perspective can be interesting.

His hairs all fallen out long ago and his husk as dry as an old waybread wafer, Nshantu the Ensnared is the oldest storyteller among the anandi, though that’s hardly an impressive boast since he ventured high into the mountains to become a mummy. Still, the silk-bound arachnid boasts the deepest pool of knowledge in the region, which he will share with those who offer him information in exchange.

In their quest to  defeat the risen pharaoh that has kidnapped their patron, whom he believes is a reincarnation of his lover, the party finds a lead in references to one of his old servants, a jaathoom, or djinn genie who still dwells on the material plane.

Ever since the party made it through Blackwater Bog, something has been following them. They sometimes sense something on the edge of the firelight that vanishes when they try to find it, and just yesterday the woman they’ve been escorting found a muddy handprint on her bag. But is this stalker foe, or friend?

[barbika1508]

Sand, sand everywhere (Moon boys x Reader)

Word Count: 6,7 k Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance Pairing; Moon boys x Reader! Demigod

Summary: A magnet for trouble, is what all of them think of themselves as. Which isn’t far from the truth. It’s what brough them together in the first place. This time around though it leaves them tumbling through the dessert, survival the priority along with definitely a suspicious side-track quest option to explore.

/ Masterlist 2023 /

‘’Sand…fuck off.’’

Nothing changes. The sun remains glaring, scorching on my skin, not a whiff of a breeze the air still and stuffy, our surroundings the same. Sand everywhere. Above us a clear blue cruel sky, no clouds in sight. This is literally one of my nightmares from when I was a kid; how does one survive in the desert?

With half a water bottle at that, and two adult people intent on surviving for more than a day. Okay not to be too dramatic we've been walking for what feels like days, when in reality, we have been stuck in the sun in the middle of nowhere for a few hours. It's quite the change from dreary grey but right now dreamy London. Oh, how I miss the rain. I swear I will never ever again in my life complain about the rain.

‘’Isn’t there a saying, fight fire with fire?’’ I speak up breaking the silence again, ignoring the drips of sweat going down the sides of my face, the scarf I wrapped around my head a blessing and curse. I’ve had a white bombard jacket on me that got destroyed by a random dude who managed to grab me, Marc not far behind punching the fucker off me, the victim being my jacket.

I look at Marc’s back, the man wearing a white hoodie of all things, with camo pants and military boots. Always ready for everything. Meanwhile I’m left in my own to tightly tied boots, regular brown pants and a black t-shirt drenched of course, like I mentioned before in sweat, jacket destroyed and forgotten.

I wasn’t even supposed to tag along. The plan was to scoop out Helwan, a city part of Great Cairo. Mainly to avoid the tourist traps which weren’t our intent either way. Avoid the pyramids is the moto of the trip!

And by moto, I mean my moto. Not being a fan of enclosed spaces - which I can deal with don’t get me wrong - it's just not my personal favourite to crawl around in someone’s tomb. Plus, mummified, mummification all that…

I shake my head and shimmy my shoulders giving a small glare towards the man ahead of me. Thank you so much Steven for your endless depth in knowledge and explanation of mummification rituals and booby trap in tombs leaving me with nightmares on occasions. Bloody brilliant as he would say.

‘’Huh?’’ he finally responds, taking a sudden stop, enabling me to reach him my legs feeling heavier the more we make progress.

‘’Fire with fire.’’ I repeat looking at him nonchalantly, hands on my hips as I glance to the map he’s holding, and compass. Marc doesn’t even look at me, frown which is permanent to his ever-resting face deepening as he looks around. I don’t bother following his look, having noticed he has brought us exactly where one who is getting tired doesn't want to be. A giant hole with mountains of sand surrounding us on all sides.

‘’Do you think I can combine my fire with the heat? As in two elements clashing?’’ I ramble the heat getting to my head somewhat, my concentration, alertness and survival instincts having left a while back thanks to the unbearable climate. To prove my point, I raise my left hand rubbing my thumb with the rest of my fingers together, fire lighting up over my fingertips. It feels cooler sitting atop of my skin even as I spread my palm and let it dance in the middle of my hand.

‘’Ah watch the map, sweetheart.’’ Marc moves the said map away as if I was intentionally going to burn it ‘’And no I don’t think that will work. At least with your train of thoughts.’’

He pauses looking at my hand and up at me, gauging my expression half rising an eyebrow in question ‘’Not working.’’ I confirm bringing both hands together brushing them along, the flame disappearing leaving no trace behind.

‘’Save your energy, baby. Night won’t come in a few hours we still have a trek ahead of us.’’ only his voice softens as he speaks, his hard stoic look deepening as he turns to the map, looking around us as if something new is going to miraculously pop up any moment.

‘’Think positive, thoughts, positive thoughts.’’ I sigh trying not to get irritated ‘’Okay. Why don’t we just stop for a moment…’’ he continues to shuffle the map turning it sideways for some reason ‘’...and regroup because this isn’t going anywhere.’’

‘’We’re fine. I got this.’’ Short and direct Marc takes a step away but halts again.

‘’Aha.’’ I cross my arms watching him, turning towards me glancing uphill of the sand dune, then towards the sky squinting ‘’Why don’t you ask Stev…’’

‘’No, I’ve got it.’’ He's quick to stop me with a look too ‘’I may look lost, but I have a plan and I’m getting us out of here. I don’t break my promises.’’

He’s taking this seriously I mean as he should, but the bravado won’t help us if he gets us lost further even if it’s by accident ‘’I never even thought about you breaking any promises, love.’’ I'm still keeping my cool ‘’Just to share your burdens with me, remember? I might have never been in a desert like you Mr. Mercenary but I’m resourceful too need I remind you?’’

I quirk an eyebrow keeping serious, ignoring the skip of my heart thanks to the smirk he offers keeping his eyes on me, only after a few moments hinting at the map ‘’Oh I’m well aware of your resourcefulness baby.’’’ he muses ‘’I remember well. But like you’ve said I’ve been through this; I’m getting you out.’’

‘’Macho man to the rescue.’’ I grumble letting my arms drop taking half a step back to eye the dune ‘’I say we climb this to find an easier path to take than just, descending and climbing so much.’’

‘’Just wait.’’ he stops me, turning away again ‘’Why would we climb up a dune if our direction is the complete opposite one.’’

‘’To be honest babe, our direction doesn’t look like it’s too clear to you right now. Is the compass broken?’’

‘’The compass is not broken, why would…’’ he takes a deep breath trying to contain his own frustrations, eyes settling on me but softening as he turns sideways ‘’We’re headed west.’’

‘’Huh??’’ I immediately make a noise in question.

‘’They will be expecting us in the first town we get into.’’ he explains ‘’How many were after us, they have connections. So, we head west towards the sea. The Nile is way behind us. Towns in west are closer than the ones in North.’’

‘’Southwest.’’ I blur out Marc blinking at me in question as I try to remember the map of New Cairo, I took from our hotel lobby out of curiosity ‘’We don’t risk the chance of reaching Suez. I’m sure they will wait for us there too. So Southwest.’’

He stares at me unmoving for a solid moment ‘’Is your geography broken? Are you getting over heated?’’

Placing a hand on my hip I give him full attitude his double take making him hesitate in approaching me ‘’I don’t think you want to fall into argument with me about geography Mr. Spector.’’ I have jabs ready to send his way but refrain from doing so ‘’I’ll give you space to find the way in either case so I’m going this way.’’

Faster than him I reach the dune in two steps stubborn to climb it, even if I can hear him hot on my heel the map rustling ‘’Baby, don’t…’’ he calls after more rustling heard ‘’I didn’t mean to snap, I’m sorry. The heat isn’t helping, please don’t rush.’’

It’s easy to spiral into the flurry of emotions that are intensified by the heat which brings irritation into the mix, anger and frustration not too far behind. Its why I desperately want to keep calm and collected, trusting the man with my life after all with no complaints so far. And what do I get in return ‘’...a moody boyfriend, who wants to be the hero. Marine my ass, we’re in the dessert not the middle of the ocean, gods…’’ I continue grumbling under my breath the dance of trying to keep my balance beginning as the sand under me gives in, making me trip and almost fall the higher I go.

‘’I can hear your kind words, sweetheart.’’ Marc calls out a tinge of amusement in his voice.

‘’Uh huh, anytime hot shot.’’ I snip back, getting irritated by each stumble, landing on my hands every time, knees digging into the sand preventing me from rolling backwards or sideways ‘’Seriously thought, why pyramids, why the desert? Why didn’t we stop in Kefalonia and then side-tracked here? No, that old pigeon had to make it a priority of life and death, didn’t he?’’

‘’Careful, Y/N.’’ he warns as I stumble again.

‘’We just dove right into trouble didn’t we, head first! We are magnets for danger and bad things to happen…ahhh fuckl!! I end up flinching at something black in the corner of my eye, making an appearance. It stands out from the beige hues of the sand the creature turning out to be a scorpion.

‘’You okay babe?’’ Marc calls pausing as have I in our climb.

‘’Yeah, yeah just a scorpion it’s all.’’ I breathe out bringing fire to my left hand the flame bigger this time, slowly reaching towards the creature. My idea works out as the poisonous bugger turns away from danger. Making a grimace I keep my hand on fire even as I take a step higher the small creature not really running away just putting distance from us.

‘’Whatever you do, don’t let it sting you alright?’’

I roll my eyes patience disappearing like water dripping through fingertips, the heat and, dryness of my mouth starting to get to me ‘’Thank you for the warning, Captain Obvious.’’ I snap before I can stop myself, cursing under my breath harshly as another scorpion makes an appearance closer to where I rest my other hand, the fucker wiggling from underneath the sand. Bringing my flame closer in hopes of scaring the creature away it barely moves.

‘’Sorry for trying to look out for you…’’ Marc doesn’t sound too pleased gearing up for a tangent, which is another clear sign the heat is getting to him as well. His voice drifts to the back of my mind as I attempt to step higher placing both hands on the sand to steady myself, ending up bamboozled as a third scorpions makes an appearance the bugger jumping onto my right hand, the touch of its tiny feet or whatever immediately making me straighten up, and wildly swing my arm away thankfully the scorpion flying away as panic raises up my throat, and chest ‘’...not that you listen to me, being stubborn as you are…’’

Unaware of what’s happening Marc's voice continues to rant onwards getting his emotions out at least. My attention shifts onto the shifting of the sand which is not my doing as I’ve buried my knees into it, watching in horror as at first black dots make appearances, not stopping even as the scorpions peek out their tails following.

‘’AH FUCK, NOPE NOPE MARC RUN!’’ I end up totally and completely freaking out not waiting for them to get the chance to crawl closer, as I let my fear even if it’s irrational crawl from my chest and up my arms the mere thought of another tiny beastie touching me sending me into a different type of spiral where I want to cover myself in gasoline and burn myself alive.

Given my predicament, as I shout, I turn around jumping eagerly but carelessly away from the sand landing harshly on my ass, the momentum sending me sliding down towards Marc that watches in confusion, eyes squinting mouth opening to question me.

‘’What are…’’

‘’Run, run, nope, nope.’’ I rush reaching him in no time focused on watching where I’m going to land as I pick myself onto unsteady feet making progress downwards much faster than upwards, barely seeing Marc’s surprise as he sees and realizes what’s happening as I grab his arm fire retreating so I don’t burn him in the process of holding and dragging him with me.

The next few moments pass like a blur as panic fuels me, not even giving me the chance to breathe as we reach the bottom and end up running burning feet and muscles up the other dune. Not even arguing I push my boyfriend in front of me releasing the fire as if I’m a flame thrower towards the oncoming scorpions that cover the entirety of the sand behind us, death staring at our faces.

The little death bringers hiss as they get burned alive, but the others proceed to climb over their dead kin to get us. The feat of the climb would leave us breathless and whipped in normal circumstances – which these are obviously not. Reaching the top Marc unceremoniously grabs me by the back of my shirt, pulling me into himself as I retreat my flames drenched in sweat, and ongoing terror.

We are not given the time to recollect our thoughts or bearings as the world is spinning before my eyes, body hitting the ground again. I’m not sure if he pulls me with him or I pull him, but my eyes close shut as well as my mouth the tumbling and rolling down another dune unstoppable. Picking up speeding I get battered and heavily caked in sand disorientation akin to jumping into the ocean in the middle of the night.

Panic raises as I let out a muffled shout through my closed mouth, something grabbing my arm shadow passing above me resulting in something – someone - landing on me halfway squeezing air from my lungs. Giving into fate as I’ve got nothing better to do, or any other choice the fall ends after what feels like an intense few solid moments.

I expect fully to be tossed and pulled by gravity onto my face. My left knee first hits the sandy ground, body following, I end up hitting my head and crushing with upper body onto something solid, that’s definitely not sand, my hands catching me rather poorly digging into the hot sand.

Opening my eyes, I’m faced with a coughing Marc as he groans, face twisting in pain thanks to the impact he sustained with catching me his attempt at shielding me squeezing my heart when the realization hits me.

‘’Ah damn babe.’’ I rush breathless myself making quick work of getting off him straddling him over the stomach and with shaky hands brushing away sand from his handsome face as he lies with his eyes closed catching his breath ‘’Sorry my love and thank you for that.’’ I rush to say giving him a once over, his clothing lacking any and all colour of blood.

Before I can pepper the man in kisses as thanks, I turn around out of instinct ready for any kind of threat, the scorpions still freaking me out. I’m met with the dune and no sign of danger, the little beasties gone. So, while Marc regains his bearings I check where we landed, noticing a few raised mounds of sand still surrounding us. We’ve landed deeper than we were before, the dune behind us providing some form of shade.

‘’Don’t mention it.’’ Marc groans out squinting as the sun is shining directly into his eyes, prompting me to move and block it as I run my fingers through his slicked hair, and over his head making sure he isn’t injured ‘’Are you an angel?’’

The question has me looking at him pointedly his smile a dead giveaway that he is fucking with me. So, I mildly-lightly punch him on the chest proceeding to climb onto my feet ‘’Ouch. A rough angel.’’ he grumbles as I begin to brush sand that has once more made its way everywhere in my hair and clothes and other places.

‘’You love it.’’ I snicker offering him my hand. He glances from it to my face contemplating ‘’Awww babe you don’t trust me?’’ I joke watching as the man gets serious and grabs onto my forearm. With a literal skip as he pulls me forward for what I was ready he stands up in front of me, both hands settling over my hips, pulling me into him.

‘’Undoubtedly.’’

It always gives me almost a whiplash how quick he can change emotions. How he turns teasing into another level of seriousness and deepness. Guilt tugs at my heart as it’s his turn to touch and make sure I’m alright, ending up cupping my cheek meeting my gaze.

‘’I know love.’’ I offer a smile ‘’I trust you. With my life.’’ I reassure him, as he rests his forehead against my own, holding onto me, as I have my arms wrapped around his neck, even though I am standing on my toes Marc being taller than me. It never posed a problem, he’s always eager to bend down to get kisses. Mr Grumpy is in fact Mr Soft and needy for kisses - but don’t tell anyone that.

That’s until I run my tongue over my teeth, prompting me to run it up and down frown making an appearance as saliva gathers in my mouth.

‘’So, the West is not an option anymore.’’ Marc begins shifting, one hand finding mine as he takes half a step back looking around then upwards to the sky checking the sun and the tops of the dunes. Maybe Khonsu is making an appearance, the god of the moon making his disappearing act rather lengthy.

‘’Maybe we really should wait for the night. Then we can…you, okay?’’

I nod immediately, giving him a thumbs up by letting go of his hand as I turn my back to him taking a few steps away, spitting rather clumsily in my opinion bending down as a result as I try to spit out more of the sand that has gotten in my mouth.

‘’Gross.’’ He mumbles to which I hum in agreement turning around once I deem myself presentable feeling legit happy that Marc is turned away his attention focused on something directly ahead of him. Narrowing my eyes, I wipe my mouth as I step back to him, not even catching up as he out of the blue bolts forward in a rush, breaking into a run towards a smaller stack of sand.

‘’I wasn’t that disgusting, we all spit.’’ I complain, pouting, ready to sit down and wait for the night. Sitting or lying down whatever, just not moving is my goal. I am dehydrated, I am tired, and I’ve had enough life-death experiences to last me a while.

‘’Y/N!’’ Marc shouts rather excitedly and louder than I’ve heard him in a while. With teases and more complaints and whines dying on the tip of my tongue I speed my step approaching my boyfriend as he begins digging. Put of all the things that we could and most importantly should do.

I’ve learned a while back not to question the things my boyfriends tend to do anymore. There’s always a perfectly logical explanation to their actions, even if they look insane doing them. I watched silently as Marc switches his digging position pushing the sand away like a madman, making me rethink of a head injury - he might have a concussion, he did catch me and fell over hard.

Just as I’m about to question and stop him, the sand gives in Marc still digging to reveal stone. Flabbergasted as I look at our surroundings then back to the stone I drop down next to him following blindly uncovering a structure out of all things. The very peak of it.

‘’This is crazy.’’ I find myself stating in awe, quickly realizing we’ve stumbled onto a pyramid.

‘’Insanity.’’ My boyfriend laughs, stopping soon getting tired, dots of sweat littering his forehead, chest rising and falling visibly as he settles his hands on his hips, as I continue pushing the sand away having done it with not as much as rush as he did.

‘’Do you think…’’ he begins but quiets prompting me to stop and turn to look at him in question urging him on ‘’Do you think you could, do some of your magic maybe? To help us out?’’

In normal circumstances, I would go off him - all with good humour of course - Marc calling my powers magic, which no I don’t do magic. I control the four elements: it's completely different! And second the teases and comebacks from before for me not mucking around and needing to save my energy goes all out the window.

But then again these are not normal circumstances after all. And like I’ve said, the desert makes you do and act weirdly. Staying calm and cool is the way to go, even if right now I want to punch a hole in the earth. Oh, excuse me, sand.

‘’You do realize, which I’m realizing as it’s just hitting me the last two, three times I’ve used my powers we’ve been attacked??’’ he glances away then back at me the puzzles clicking in his mind too ‘’The bandits, the weird birds, the scorpions? I feel like the odds are against us.’’ I cross my arms looking at the sky like he did.

Being a descendant of a god, your fate is not to be so ordinary. Hence me meeting the avatar of Khonsu and falling in love with him sticking to the not ordinary path even in the love department. Wacky is the word to use here.

‘’Aren’t they always?’’ he signs deeply glaring at the stone, rethinking his plan immediately ‘’But you’re right. I won’t risk you getting hurt, we’ll just…’’

Knowing where he is going with this, and the change in air only now becoming noticeable as I focus on it, it's rather easy to reach outwards and feel the air move around us. Grasping a weak air current, I twist my wrist wrapping it around my hand, pulling on it with all my might.

‘’...we’ll just have to come back, and…what the…oh no Y/N…’’ Marc notices the shift as sand gets picked up, drawing it away from the stone. I give Marc a quick glance, confidence blooming in my chest as it’s going better than I’d imagined it to.

And then of course things go wrong.

The sand literally swallows me whole. Just like in cartoons.

‘’Y/N!!!!’’ I hear Marc’s desperate cry before everything goes black, thanks to my eyes closing automatically and well the sand eating me. You know, it is an irrational fear they’ve said. Sinking, it doesn't just happen. Frankly I am amazed as I’m not freaking out as much as one might in a situation as this one. It probably has to do with the fact that I don’t want any more sand in my mouth, or up my nose so far avoiding that happening. Oh yeah and I’m still sinking the sand pressing onto me from everywhere.

The stop is abrupt, not soon after leaving me completely turned around – again! This time around through lying on my back thank the gods, the lack of pressure on my front urging me to take a breath, joy legitimately sparkling in my heart at the lack of suffocation.

Taking it as a positive sign I crack my right eye open noticing the shade I’ve slid under. The shade is not the impressive sight, or thing to be amazed by. My gaze settles onto the clear sight of a pyramid that became partially uncovered in whatever I’ve triggered leaving what looks like an entrance exposed to light. The stones of the pyramid are white preserved thanks to the sand. There’s very little damage by first look everything looking picturesque. Tilting my head, I focus on the entrance lacking any barriers.

Peculiar. The sand doesn't seem to be sipping into the pyramid, so it means the lower part of it is in fact sunken. Or so it appears to be. Huh. There had been one too many coincidences today. Too good to be true rings in my head.

Goosebumps rising over my skin only confirm the unsettling feeling that passes through me. I offer a look towards the sky more so in question not expecting much to be revealed. And it’s not. Only that I’ve fallen into a sinkhole. Or something like it, the sand having crumbled in the weirdest way possible - definitely not natural. The shape of the dips makes no sense, and the disappearance of that much sand that enveloped me to go into nothing?

Strange things are on the horizon.

A particular grunt has me moving finally, the joints in my knee cracking as I push myself to look above my head. I observe Marc uncharacteristically, awkwardly and clumsily descend, kicking up sand catching himself on his hands in odd ways, not looking composed at all.

He looks angry. Why is he angry??

Still whipped out from my own fall and a moment of what I thought was my doom, I process things a bit slower, the lack of water a hard thing to ignore. So, I stare as my boyfriend lands on the ground catching himself on his hands, wasting no time with getting up and sliding to me like a baseball player would.

‘’Are you okay hermosa? Are you hurt?’’

I raise both eyebrows in surprise to see Jake fronting, the angry look making sense. And so do his hands that immediately touch, fingers pressing onto my neck checking for injuries not even waiting for an answer.

‘’No, I don’t think so.’’ I manage to find my voice letting him pull me into a sitting position, hands working firmly over my body. He even rolls his sleeves up, worry deeply etched into his face.

‘’Ah you should have been more careful…’’ he picks up a conversation out of the blue angrily his touch gentle as he takes a hold of my left hand examining it ‘’...shouldn’t have let her, in the first place pendejo…’’

It's not hard to figure out he’s arguing with his alters. So, I cup his cheek with my right hand bringing his attention to me, eyes blazing with fire ‘’It’s on me, mi amor.’’ I begin running my thumb over his cheek ‘’I went ahead and ignored Marc, okay?’’ offering a smile it doesn’t ease Jake’s frustration as he goes back to touching me, switching onto my right hand pressing a kiss on top of my knuckles making me know he’s not as angry as he looks ‘’I’m sorry.’’

‘’Nena, you have nothing to be sorry about…’’

Shutting him up in the most effective way I know, I lean forward practically punching him in the face, but luckily avoiding that, as I clash our lips together. And noses.

That doesn’t faze Jake what-so-ever as he sighs into the messy kiss, being the first one to tilt his head and easing it into a more sensual one, that I go along with eagerly. We’ve gone from watching movies together on the plane to a night that we couldn’t stop touching one another, to being almost killed more than I can count in one day, which feels like a lifetime to be honest. It's been too long since we kissed or took a moment to ourselves. Or maybe that’s just my love for them talking. I absolutely adore the men I am with, love them to bits and pieces as Steven would say.

The kiss doesn’t last long thanks to the dryness of our lips partially. I’d happily keep locking lips as long as we would need air to breathe but we are not out of trouble yet.

‘’Mi corazon you don’t always have to jump on my side to defend my silly hiccups.’’ I genuinely smile at his still serious expression that has loosened, without shaking off his worry ‘’Can you let Marc know, he’s not the one to blame? Like at all.’’ I give him a pointed look, Jake staring at me wordlessly, lips twitching as if he wants to speak but is mumbling to himself.

Looking towards the pyramid, thanks to his hand holding my own I can feel the change in his demeanour how his body tenses, shoulders subconsciously squaring up, the look he gives me emotionless for a moment.

‘’Babe.’’ I smile wider ‘’For an ex-mercenary you’re a lousy babysitter.’’

His eyebrows shot up in question as he looks at me fully confused ‘’Babysitter?’’ Marc's American accent comes through, hands not exploratory anymore instead wrapping around me, as he sits finally having been standing on his knees awkwardly this entire time.

‘’I’m a menace.’’ I muse referencing an inside joke. One of his neighbours, an older lady that looks like the queen of England to me, literally compared me to Dennis the Menace after the 4 random meet ups with her in the elevator, usually when we were coming back to Steve’s apartment.

He rolls his eyes at that, my boyfriend not entirely agreeing with that categorization ‘’I can handle you. We’ve established that, troublemaker.’’ The smirk he offers has me clicking my tongue and wiggling my eyebrows at the suggestiveness.

‘’Oh, we have yes. But a refresher never hurt.’’ To be extra I give him a wink, getting distracted after by a breeze ruffling my loose hair, ponytail giving in thanks to the tumble I’ve experienced. We both look towards the entrance of the pyramid reality crashing down. We are still stuck in the middle of nowhere.

‘’Raincheck?’’

I snort at that rolling my eyes at his eagerness to always get down and dirty so to speak. I have a retort already on the tip of my tongue, as I start to push myself to stand but get stopped by Marc’s calloused, slightly rough hands cupping my cheeks bringing my attention back to my once more worried boyfriend ‘’You are okay right?’’ he asks so seriously, eyebrows turning upright.

He’s blaming himself ‘’I will be after I get a kiss from you.’’ he softens, giving me a pointed look. So, I throw my arms around his shoulders to be close ‘’I’m serious.’’ I pout giving him puppy dog eyes for good measure. His pretty brown eyes take me in as he contemplates something, gaze darting to my lips two times. He closes the distance simply pressing his lips against my own. I don’t rush him knowing that something is going on in his head.

‘’Ah you see. I’m all better.’’ I speak as we part. But the man is still worried, even under all that serious gruffness, I can read him like the crystal blue sky. Because we are alike.

‘’Promise?’’ he pushes not fully convinced, but willing to let go.

‘’Cross my heart and hope to…’’ Due to another more heated glare I show my tongue before finishing my sentence, delivering a peck to the tip of his nose and on the corner of his lips ‘’Come on. Your adventure is right ahead of you.’’

Feeling energized and more like myself even if it's temporary, I jump to my feet letting Marc do the same and take the lead, following closely behind observing our surroundings. The day is not over yet.

‘’At least I can scratch ‘Tomb Raiding in Egypt’ off my never-want-to-do bucket list.’’ I mumble more to myself, as the sun hits us the feeling of unsettledness hitting me once more. It's as if we are being watched. And I’m sure Khonsu is somewhere around, or close enough but he doesn’t give me the creeps I have at the moment.

‘’Says the one who completed 3 of the Tomb Raider’s games.’’ Marc jests in return, hand brushing over my back as he pulls his sleeves back down his arms pulling me into the shade of the doorway, a frown drawing itself over my face.

‘’It's different.’’

Unsettled and rattled I zone in on the hieroglyphs beautifully preserved in the doorway we take shelter in, shade salvation in the heat and emptiness of the desert. I am not the best decoder nor a reader of them, Steven taking it easy with teaching me as Greek and Latin are hard enough to learn anew after years of not studying actively. What I can see is that someone important has been placed to rest in here at first glance.

‘’Wait for me here.’’

At Marc's statement I turn around immediately staring at him in disbelief ‘’Haaa? What for?’’

‘’I’ll be in and out. Khonsu said this should be trap-free and straightforward. This tomb belongs to an important scribe, but not so important to hide gold and traps. I just need documents. So, stay under the shade…’’ he proceeds to hand me the half empty water bottle that survived everything having been stored in his cargo pants ‘’...and wait for me. No arguing.’’

The last part he adds knowing how I’d react. The only thing keeping me back is him. I don’t want him to get stuck in his head and worrying about my safety all the time. His fear of assuming the worst bringing him endless stress and anxiety, something that I’m trying to get him to stop or at least lessen. I want to help him, make him happy because he deserves the world. And that’s something I’m willing to get for him. By any means necessary to.

Keeping my mouth shut I offer a nod leaning against the wall for effect to prove to him I’ll behave ‘’Good girl.’’ his voice dips lower as he presses a kiss to my forehead offering me a smile before he’s turning away hand running over his slicked hair. He disappears inside as if he’s been here a million times, not really checking his footing or anything.

What a hero huh? I can’t even smile at the thought as he takes things upon himself that he does not need to do so at all. He knows I’m a good fighter, knows my control over the elements provide a huge advantage making the impossible possible, but his stubbornness knows no bounds. So protective, they all are.

Despite my thoughts going astray trying to distract myself from imagining all the scenarios mainly from the video game I’ve played happening - yeah, I mean the death scenes - I reach into the cargo pants I’m wearing, getting my mini notebook out and a broken pencil that has not crumbled into dust.

Sitting down in the shade, I start to scribble and draw the symbols from one wall, ending mumbling out loud at the ridiculousness of my situation. Currently I’m left alone in the middle of the desert, my boyfriend exploring a few thousand years old previously untouched and undiscovered tomb he says isn’t dangerous, which isn’t reassuring even if he said it himself. I could have stayed in London. I could have ignored the world really and stayed in bed where everything is nice and wholesome.

Nahhhh who says no to life and death type adventures huh, where scorpions are out literally to get you, and men paid by other men trying to get your head for money. What a fun world we live in. To be fair, me being a descendant of the gods also…normality is not a word in my practice I can act upon.

Remembering the water bottle I placed on the ground, I take half a sip of it wanting to legit cry at the brief relief it brings. My throat closes quickly around dryness, it not being enough for anything. How spoiled I am having to remind myself to drink water every hour back home to right now being almost willing to kill for it. And yes, that sounds serious and unethical but it's so damn hot and I’m so thirsty…

My eyes flicker towards the entrance, fingers of my left hand grasping a handful of sand. I am weapon-less after all. The shifting of sand is loud from the darkness, my body tense as I’m ready for what by now I imagine a monster to jump out. Not to sound like a broken record but in normal circumstances this bounty of creative imagination would be welcomed.

I groan in relief as my boyfriend makes an appearance, shuffling outside body moving awkwardly as he stands with his hands raised in an ‘I come in peace’ position. He offers a nervous smile trying his best not to freak out by the dark grey spiderwebs that he has entangled himself into. It has even gotten in his hair, that has gone into an unruly mess of curls.

‘’Heya dove.’’ he greets sweetly ‘’Seems I’ve gotten myself a wee bit entangled at the moment, haven’t I?’’

‘’Just a wee bit.’’ I get on my feet taking him in, reaching for the spider web on his left hand, the substance sticking to me ‘’Oh it’s bljehkkk.’’ I make a face at the feeling. Raising my left hand, I point my pointing finger letting it act as a lighter. Bringing it over to the spiderweb I watch it spark and burn away spreading like lightning disappearing from Steven’s arm.

‘’Bloody hell.’’ my boyfriend flinches as I continue freeing him, pulling strands of him the effect more dramatic than the action ‘’Handy trick you’ve got there.'’ He compliments, making me genuinely smile as he is always fascinated by what I can do. A memory resurfaces of just a few months ago when a cold wave hit the UK, and I’ve resorted to using my fire to keep my boyfriend warm. Very cuddly couple of days I gotta say.

‘’Slight of hand.’’ I muse taking a step back to take him in, watching as he brushes his hands over his torso, back, hands, legs I’m sure feeling as if he has something crawling over his skin ‘’So what brings your charming ass back out? A dead end? A spider?’’

The tease slips my mouth as I try to keep my chuckles at bay, the soft glare that he gives me making me give him puppy eyes. He remains fidgeting.

‘’It’s not like ‘m cryin’ dove.’’ he points out, shaking his head, my smile not lessening. He does glance back at the entrance making me do so as well, the brief silence telling as he is hesitant with whatever he has to say. Or ask.

I’m usually the softest to Steven. What a lie I’m always soft for Steven. But Marc’s hero complex is the reason of my wavering. And a bit of ego. I want him to admit that I’m right for the job. I’m in his league, and capable of protecting him as well. Even if I really, really don’t want to go into a pyramid because I don’t define that as fun or intriguing, but given Steven is fronting…

‘’We need your fire.’’

Those are not the words I was expecting. In my dumbfounded-ness Steven comes closer raising his pocket flashlight ‘’Our flashlight broke. We are literally blind in there.’’ he pauses ‘’Marc wanted to spare you this experience and I do to my love, but it appears we are in need of your assistance I’m afraid.’’

Sweetly and slowly, he moves my arms from their crossed position taking my hands in his acting charming as ever the man not even aware of the hold he has on me and how much I cannot resist him especially when he asks this sweet and gives me puppy eyes.

‘’You need me to be your personal torch huh?’’

Despite his olive skin and the heat pressing down on the sand I see a faint blush hit his cheeks, the immediate shake of his head ‘’I wouldn’t put it like that.’’ he grimaces ‘’You’re more than that.’’

I begin giggling, closing in pressing an obnoxiously loud kiss to his right cheek.

‘’You’re my world.’’ I slip my hand into his ‘’Let’s go then, lover boy.’’

Shy Steven is back as he stutters something under his breath but follows eagerly. Bringing fire forth to my right hand still holding onto his, I light up the darkness not entirely safe from anxiousness but reassured given I have my boys with me. I don’t need more reasons to blindly follow them - after all I would go with them, or for them to the Duat if needed.

Copyright 2023© by barbika1508. All rights reserved.

[sehetep-shenwer]

Children of Kemet Episode Synopses!

Emhotep y'all!

I am so excited to share with you the basic elevator pitches of each story from my Children of Kemet series! I am almost done working out some more of the overall story bible so once that is done, I will post a poll where your votes will determine which story gets written first. Anyways, here they are!

The Lioness Who Couldn’t Roar

Being a military brat isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, especially for the shy yet strong Setra, a (lioness). She trains long and hard to become a part of the Daughters of Sekhmet, a force of fierce warriors who are devoted to the war Goddess and dedicated to protecting Egypt either as skilled healers or formidable fighters. But with her short temper, reserved attitude, and overwhelming pressure from her mother, a former Daughter of Sekhmet, Setra will come to find she is meant for more than just sparring in temples and learning fire magic.

The Crocodile Who Couldn’t Swim

The Nile is a paramount place for all of Egypt’s people, especially for the timid and curious Qaha, a (crocodile). Only problem is that he can’t swim, which makes him stand out in a crew of treasure hunters who dive into the Nile and search for sacred artifacts in order to preserve Egypt’s history in honor of the powerful God, Sobek. However when he and his crew are commissioned for their greatest expedition yet, Qaha will not only find himself thrown into the deep end of Egypt’s mystical waters, but his own destiny as well.

The Woman Who Couldn’t Say No

To be an orphan raised by worshippers of the love goddess, Bastet, is both a blessing and a curse for the innocent and agile Mayet, a human. A blessing to essentially have multiple caring mothers and playful sisters but a curse to preach Bastet’s love and warmth in a city that crawls with characters whose intentions are anything but pure. Mayet may have a heart of gold like Bastet Herself, but she will soon find out she’ll need to invoke the protective wrath of the feline Goddess as well.

The Falcon Who Couldn’t Fly

Serving royalty in the form of craftsmanship would be the dream of any Egyptian, though that might not be the case for the insecure but selfless Nebkhau, a (falcon). Unfortunately, Nebkhau broke his wings as a child while helping his father, a patriotic architect, but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to help build impressive statues in honor of the sky god, Horus. However, when some workers mysteriously vanish, Nebkhau will have to spread his broken wings in the face of an unexpected foe that’s been hidden in plain sight.

The Sha Who Couldn’t Change

It’s one thing to be ridiculed for resembling the god of chaos, Set, but it’s another thing when one’s grandmother still worships the false god, Aten, and that’s what the stubborn and scrupulous Sha, Zutekh, has to his name. Living in a city that worships Horus, Zutekh tries to be as orderly as possible to avoid his strict grandmother but ends up getting into trouble with his best friend, a mischievous dwarf named Hedju who serves the fertility god, Bes. But when fate calls from the desert in the form of a group of Set worshippers known as "The Red Ones", Zutekh must escape his pedantic prison of a home and face the eye of an unpredictable storm to realize his true potential.

The Jackal Who Couldn’t Bite

The mummification process is a difficult one for Degem, a clumsy but careful jackal, and it doesn’t help when he’s gifted with a connection to the dead. During the day he assists with mummufying corpses but at night he releases ghosts to the guidance of Anubis, the God of the dead. Little does Degem know that his routine is about to change when his most recently wrapped clients start to walk around on their own as harbingers of demonic forces that transcend the boundaries between life and death.

[rayspookyhistory]

≽^Cats in Ancient Egypt^≼

In Ancient Egypt, cats occupied a place of exceptional esteem and reverence, serving crucial roles in both daily life and spiritual practices.

Practical Roles and Household Companions

Cats were indispensable in Ancient Egypt for their roles in protection and pest control. They were essential in safeguarding granaries and food stores from rodents and snakes, which could devastate supplies and threaten the livelihood of Ancient Egyptians. In domestic settings, cats maintained hygiene by keeping homes free from pests, thereby preventing the spread of diseases carried by vermin.

As household companions, cats were considered members of the family. Depictions in various domestic scenes illustrate the close relationship between cats and their owners. Ancient Egyptians showed their affection for cats by providing them with food, shelter, and even jewellery. Artwork often portrays cats wearing collars and other adornments, underscoring their esteemed status.

Religious and Spiritual Symbolism

Cats held profound religious significance in Ancient Egypt, particularly in their association with the goddess Bastet. Initially depicted as a lioness, Bastet's image evolved into that of a domestic cat, symbolising gentler aspects such as home, fertility, and motherhood while retaining her protective qualities. The reason behind this is believed to be a result of the cultural and religious change in Ancient Egypt. Also due to the fact that more people were keeping cats for domestic use rather than a fierce lioness, pushing a change in how they saw Bastet. As the goddess of home, fertility, and childbirth, Bastet also embodied protection, joy, dance, music, and love.

Temples dedicated to Bastet, especially in the city of Bubastis, became centers of worship. Here, people offered cat statues and mummies to seek her favor and protection. The annual festival of Bastet in Bubastis was one of the most significant religious events, drawing participants from across Egypt. It involved music, dancing, feasting, and processions, reflecting the joy and celebratory spirit associated with the goddess and her feline form. Devotees often brought cats to be mummified as offerings, which were then placed in large cat cemeteries as a form of devotion to Bastet.

Cultural and Artistic Representation

The cultural and artistic representation of cats in Ancient Egypt is rich and varied. Cats are prominently featured in Egyptian art, from tomb paintings to household items. These depictions often show cats in relaxed, natural poses, reflecting their integral role in daily life. In religious and funerary art, cats symbolize protection and guidance, sometimes appearing in hunting scenes that highlight their agility and prowess.

Cat-shaped amulets were popular as protective charms, believed to bring good fortune and safeguard the wearer against evil. These amulets were crafted from various materials, including gold, faience, and bronze. Wealthy Egyptians often wore jewelry featuring cat motifs, signifying their high status and the protection of Bastet.

Legal Protections and Societal Norms

The legal protections afforded to cats in Ancient Egypt were stringent, reflecting their sacred status. The killing of a cat, whether intentional or accidental, was considered a grave offense, often punishable by death. This severe penalty underscored the reverence with which cats were regarded. Additionally, the death of a household cat prompted a period of mourning similar to that for a human family member, including rituals such as shaving one's eyebrows as a sign of grief.

Mummification and Burial Practices

The mummification and burial practices for cats further illustrate their spiritual importance. The mummification process for cats involved similar techniques used for humans, including the removal of internal organs, dehydration of the body using natron, and wrapping in linen bandages. Mummified cats were often buried with their owners or placed in cat cemeteries, indicating their significance in both life and the afterlife.

Archaeological discoveries of large cat cemeteries at sites such as Bubastis, Saqqara, and Beni Hasan contain thousands of mummified cats. These findings highlight the scale of cat worship and their importance in religious practices. Cats mummified as offerings were sometimes placed in elaborate coffins, adorned with inscriptions and images, signifying their sacred role.

Influence And Legacy

The Egyptian reverence for cats influenced neighboring cultures, spreading the domestication and appreciation of cats throughout the ancient world. This legacy continued through Greek and Roman civilizations, which adopted similar attitudes towards cats. The modern perception of cats as symbols of mystery, protection, and grace persists, a testament to the lasting impact of Ancient Egyptian practices and beliefs.

In conclusion, cats in Ancient Egypt were not merely pets but protectors, symbols of divine power, and integral members of society. Their treatment reflects the complexity of Egyptian culture, where practicality and spirituality intertwined to create a unique reverence for these remarkable animals. The enduring legacy of cats in Ancient Egypt continues to captivate and inspire, highlighting the profound connection between humans and their feline companions.

now look at these adorable brown cats :3

[iphisesque]

Sukuna, ascension and sokushinbutsu

A discussion of Sukuna's mummy in Jujutsu Kaisen: how it came to be, the specific religious practice it represents, and speculation on its potential relevance and significance within the story.

Sukuna's full-body mummy has been teased in JJK promotional material since the very beginning, but it was only in chapter 220 that we first saw it in full:

This mummy is consistent with Sukuna's appearance during the Heian era, and is notably wearing traditional Shingon monk attire, alongside the traditional headwear reserved to Shingon mummies, or sokushinbutsu:

In chapter 222, Akutami gives us specific textual confirmation that Sukuna's mummy is meant to be sokushinbutsu, and it comes from Sukuna himself, who appears mildly surprised at the gift.

The sokushinbutsu ritual stands out as one of the sole ritual mummification practices that start when the person is still alive: following in the footsteps of early Heian-era monk Kukai, founder of the Shingon esoteric sect of Buddhism, a monk of old age would choose to pursue sokushinbutsu as a means of reaching enlightenment.

For a cycle of 1000 days, the monk would retire to the mountains to meditate and follow mokujiki, a diet of foraging from trees and the forest with a complete abstention from cereal consumption; they would later undertake an even more strict 1000-day regimen of eating tree bark and roots, towards the end of which they would drink tea made of urushi tree sap, a poisonous liquid commonly used to create lacquer. This regimen was followed with the intent of systematically burning the fat in the body and forcefully expelling the water and other liquids present as well as absorbing the toxins present in the tree sap, so as to put the body in a state where it would remain preserved and be inhospitable to the bacteria and maggots that cause decomposition in a corpse.

In the monk's last days, he would climb into a pine box which would then be lowered inside a stone tomb, being given only a narrow airway and a bell to ring to signify he was still alive: when the bell had stopped ringing, the tomb would be sealed, and opened again after another cycle of 1000 days to see if the monk had achieved sokushinbutsu.

Though it was banned by emperor Meiji as a form of suicide in 1879, sokushinbutsu must not be understood as a practice of ritual suicide: the monks undertaking the path of sokushinbutsu would do so after a lifetime of seeking enlightenment according to the principles of Buddhism and Shingon, and they would understand it as another step in their journey of enlightenment, with the completion of sokushinbutsu-mummification being fundamentally understood as an ascension unto a higher plane.

If sokushinbutsu is a practice one must willingly and actively engage in, and not an ordinary mummification done by an outside agent on an already-dead body, why would Heian-era Sukuna, already the King of Curses, undertake it? Possibly, he was curious about the recently invented practice and sought to find the limits of his own body, and used this ritual as a way to push them until he died. More likely, he sought to ascend from the state of being an ordinary curse into becoming another entity altogether, similarly to Tengen, and decided to undergo sokushinbutsu as his chosen path of ascension: some more knowledgeable than me on the subject have posited Tengen, Kenjaku and Sukuna as representing the three different schools of Buddhism, and if Sukuna had indeed chosen ascension through sokushinbutsu, this would place him squarely as representing the esoteric Vajrayāna school of Buddhism, which the Shingon sect belongs to.

How Sukuna's death and sealing played out remains to be seen: that the fingers were preserved in their own grave wax, or adipocere, is not inconsistent with sokushinbutsu, as grave wax develops in anaerobic environments like a sealed tomb and does not, contrary to popular belief, require much moisture or fat to be formed.

Sources on sokushinbutsu: X X X X X

[ana40ratenjoyer]

Time to stop procrastinating and finally do this lmao

Introduction post ig

Idk how to make text colorful, I'll fix this later (':

Hi hello! You can call me Ana! I'm from Brazil and I go by any pronouns!

I mostly enjoy supporting others content, but I will likely post my drawings and Vulture Culture taxidermy here as well!

Important

I'm pretty new to the open web so I don't know any social media "etiquette", sorry if I sound weird or dumb sometimes, for example idk if I should add a bunch of hashtags, or if I should compliment people's art on the comments or their "ask boxes", so yeah aksbakab sorry if I am of nuisance at any moment.

---

- I'm here just for fun

My whimsical little self just enjoys frolicking around this place, I'm not trying to get my ideas out there, so I will likely not post often, but I'll be around!

- I don't function properly lmao

I struggle interpreting an expressing tones a LOT, I also get a bit anxious when replying to people, sorry if at any moment I sound dry, weird or rude, it is most likely not my intention, and please let me know if that happens. I tend to use tone tags sometimes

- Brain fog and co.

I have constant episodes of brain fog/dissociation, along with other personal issues, so I may accidentally forget to respond, if I have pending messages with you for too long, feel free to send me a "hey", I'll appreciate!

- Sensitive content

As said on the beginning, I do VC taxidermy, my main focus is on bug pinning, bone cleaning and mummification, I will add hashtags so people who are uncomfortable can block this content, but feel free to block/unfollow me if that makes you overall uncomfortable

That's all ig! It is nice to meet you anonymous person reading this post!

Oh also, if you have ocs I will very likely get hyped and ask questions (when requested), feel free to dump lore on my dms, I love reading oc lore

For more info or access to my other socials feel free to check the carrd link on my desc!

[absurdist-void]

I forgot to take my meds yesterday and got a migraine today. I’ve been having the most insane migraine dreams.

In one, I dreamt that I explored a perfectly preserved 1950s community where some sort of chemical weapon killed all the residents who didn’t have time to flee. Their corpses were also preserved and looked as if they just died. No mummification. No rotting. They looked like they were sleeping.

I liked going through houses and reading documents from the 50s. I got to read newspapers, journals, medical documentation, and identifying documentation. It felt like a horror game where you have to read notes scattered around to figure out what went wrong.

Many dinner tables were still set with food. Some houses had half-packed suitcases. There were people in their beds, waiting to die. Some of people drank themselves into passing out before the event killed them.

I walked through a shopping center and tasted vintage candy from a candy store. It tasted like wax. Cheesecakes from a bakery also tasted like wax. I tasted so many foods despite knowing they would all taste horrible.

I was able to replay scenes before their deaths but nothing really helped me figure out what killed them or why. I didn’t know if preservation was intentional or just a side effect of the chemical.

To me, the area felt less like a crime scene and more like a historical playground of the dead.

[s-b-party]

Lupus Aureus: Cyno and the Golden Wolf

****Possible spoilers ahead!!!

To start, Cyno is known as the General Mahamatra and his job is to go after those who would dare commit crimes in Sumeru or more particularly in the Akademiya

His constellation, Lupus Aureus or the Golden Wolf, is an unusual reference to the canine most of us know as the jackal since the golden wolf was formerly called a jackal but it actually is a wolf

****Although the name translates to “golden wolf,” there will be parts of this analysis where I alternate between jackal and golden wolf depending on the situation as we will see w/ Anubis

I think it’s funny how I coincidentally learned that golden wolves in Africa were formally referred to as jackals a week or so before Cyno was revealed to be playable 😂

With his headwear, it’s safe to say that Cyno very much resembles the Egyptian jackal-headed god of death & mummification, Anubis

****Very few ever refer to Anubis as having the head of a golden wolf, hence why I use jackal instead

Anubis himself was the jackal-headed god who would guide souls in the afterlife and he was a judge who would weigh hearts on a scale against the Feather of Truth

As for why the jackal was considered sacred in a general sense, one belief is that jackals were associated with death (they would devour corpses irl) so the intention was to have jackals protect the deceased from being devoured so that they may properly pass through the afterlife

Speaking of the concept of the afterlife reminds me of one of his fallen lines mentioning a cycle even in death since the afterlife is essentially where souls continuously come in after death to be judged, so I think that it is in itself a cycle

Going back to the Feather of Truth, if your heart was lighter than the feather, implying that you were a good person in life, then you would be granted passage to the paradise called the Field of Reeds where you essentially experienced what would be a normal life with no death involved

However if your heart was heavier than the feather, implying that you were a bad person in life, then it would be fed to Ammit, who had the head of a crocodile, the upper body of a lion, and the lower body of a hippo

What would determine whether you were good or bad in life was whether your good deeds outweighed your sins and vice versa

We can see that Cyno often makes references to good deeds and evil deeds/sins (one of his idle voicelines, one of his lines for his ultimate is “Your sins weigh upon your soul!”, etc.)

The idea was that strong desire leading to greed & other negative results was what caused your heart to become heavy & it would go against what the Feather deemed as right, which would explain “sins weighing upon one’s soul”

Keep in mind that it’s EXCESS that’s considered bad, which is referenced to in his line about “Lust for Knowledge”

The jackal/golden wolf makes various appearances in the game, mostly in the form of statues that can be found in the desert regions of Sumeru including the underground ruins

More often than not, they come in pairs or there will be an even amount on the two sides of a wall, corridor, hallway, etc.

The statues tend to look similar if not exactly the same (dark stone, same laid down position as the one in his constellation, golden jewelry/a gold necklace w/ hints of green and blue, golden diamond on forehead, blue eyes lined w/ golden makeup(?)/paint(?)/kohl(?), gold marks on ears)

The statues when placed in this manner evoke a sense of guardianship (with the statues watching over the area where they are placed). If not as guardians, then they could also been seen as guides to inside the infrastructure they are placed in front of

With all of the decorations on the jackal statues, one may get a sense of nobility from them (I mean it mostly in terms of character, i.e. a noble guard doing its duty, but you could also think that they belong to those in the upper classes of a hierarchy; both the statues & Cyno have golden adornments, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they belong to royalty/nobility, which is why I thought it might mean something else)

At least in this case, it can represent the connection between the guardian jackals and their god-king Deshret (they are watching over his monuments, temples, mausoleum, etc.)

Gold along with many types of gemstones & ores were mined in ancient Egypt. Due to their high value, gold and precious gemstones were often seen on people of the upper classes of society, proving that they could afford such luxuries; now the jewelry on the statues might not be exactly gold itself, but it goes to show that these statues were artistically valued considering they were placed in areas of historical importance

I don’t know if King Deshret’s people ever kept jackals/golden wolves as domesticated animals in their civilization but I don’t think it’s entirely impossible for an upper class member to adorn a wild animal with jewelry, especially if they were considered sacred creatures in their civilization

You can tell great care & thought went into the creation of these sculptures based on the amount of details on them & their condition (I don’t know what material the statues are made from, but apparently it’s strong enough to withstand a large passing of time); I don’t think I’ve seen a jackal statue that has corroded away badly or with noticeable chunks missing. We know that there are definitely statues/infrastructure in the game that show signs of erosion so one may find it strange that these statues that belong to a very ancient civilization still survive intact to this day

So how exactly does the golden wolf relate to Cyno’s lore aside from his constellation? With its connection to Anubis, they are like noble guardians that watch over some aspect of their civilization/society (Cyno protects the laws & knowledge in Sumeru, the statues watch over King Deshret’s infrastructures, Anubis watches over & judges the souls in the afterlife)

There’s lore regarding him having made a deal with a spirit at some point; chances are very likely that this spirit looks like a jackal bc it’s probably the one that appears during his burst & changes his appearance (I’m still sad that the lore doesn’t talk much about this spirit, pls tell me more about this spirit 😭)

A small tangent but I want to point out that, in Egyptian mythology, the eye was a frequent symbol of importance & it is no different here for Cyno (although the eye in Egyptian mythology usually refers to either Ra or Horus rather than any of the other deities), we can see multiple references to the eye

On his headwear, there is a single eye in the center decorated by gold, similar to the statues’ eyes lined with gold

When you use his burst, there are set intervals when the screen shows what looks similar to a lens (symbolizing the usage of the eye) which I interpret as a way to say that the enemies on the screen during this interval are being “judged” by Cyno

Cyno's C2 is located near the eye of the jackal constellation. To be fair, not all but A LOT of characters w/ animals for constellations do have specific cons located at the eye (usually if there is no constellation where the eye would be, then it's somewhere on the animal's head); it goes to show how much emphasis there is on the eye as an organ & as a symbol in the game. In this case, the eye is one of the important tools to determine judgement, but it can also be deceiving; you have to look at all the evidence and determine if there is more that is hidden

I think that how Cyno is typically viewed by others is a reference to how Anubis has been misunderstood in media in the past

Anubis has at times been portrayed as a villain in movies, which can be explained by how modern society views the topic of death; many see death as a terrifying & mostly negative concept, so as a god of death (I should mention there is a slight difference, he doesn’t control death itself, he is ASSOCIATED with death but mostly resides over mummification & judging/guiding souls in the afterlife), the negative connotations extended to Anubis being a villain in media at times; although in more recent times, there have been more positive/neutral portrayals of him

Cyno himself is often seen as an intimidating person bc of his position as the General Mahamatra; a lot of scholars fear and/or despise him along w/ the matra overall bc of their diligence in chasing down criminals, to the point of giving all of the matra mostly negative nicknames when the matra are just their jobs

Cyno tells jokes (he is funny, can’t change my mind 😂) & he is a big fan of TCG, two facts which would likely throw people off if they just look at him based on his serious appearance and attitude only

I realize that instead of pointing connections between Cyno & the golden wolf, I made more connections between him & Anubis 😂 but it does make sense that there's so much to say about Anubis since that's who Cyno is based off of

I really hope we get more info on that spirit in the future 👀

[laughterandlust]

Maggie and Lizzy stood in the dimly lit room, their eyes gleaming with anticipation as they surveyed their captive. The woman was tightly bound in a cocoon of restraints, her body encased from head to toe in layers of wrappings that left only her eyes and nose exposed. Her feet, the primary targets of their sadistic intentions, were left bare and vulnerable. A mixture of fear and trepidation hung in the air, a palpable tension that added to the atmosphere of dread.

The helpless woman's eyes darted frantically between Maggie and Lizzy, her dilated pupils reflecting the torment she knew lay ahead. She attempted to struggle, her body wriggling within the confines of her mummification, but it was an exercise in futility. Every effort to escape was met with resistance from the tight bindings that immobilized her.

Lizzy knelt down by the captive's face, her lips curving into a wicked smile as she taunted their prisoner. "Look at you," she purred. "All wrapped up like a snug little package. You must be so scared right now." Her words were laced with a cruel delight, a precursor to the torment to come. "We're going to have so much fun with you."

The captive, her mouth firmly gagged, could only respond with a cacophony of muffled, unintelligible sounds. Her pleas for mercy were reduced to desperate, guttural whimpers and incoherent babbling, which were barely comprehensible even to her tormentors. Each cry was a symphony of fear, an orchestra of anguish.

Maggie joined the taunting, her tone stern but mockingly maternal as she addressed the gagged woman. "Oh, dear," she said, her voice dripping with feigned sympathy. "You seem so distressed. But it's far too late for regrets now." She couldn't help but smile, knowing that their victim's suffering had only just begun. "You know," Maggie mused, "your attempts to beg are quite adorable, in a way."

The captive's muffled cries grew more frantic as she strained against her restraints. Her eyes, wide with sheer terror, locked onto Maggie and Lizzy in a desperate plea for mercy. But in the wicked game these two played, mercy was a commodity that held no value. Maggie and Lizzy reveled in the control they held over their hapless prey, knowing that their captive's sounds of distress would soon give way to laughter and torment.

[ghostly-wisteria-tea]

Timeline Headcannon part 1 - Ammit's rise

Historical Timeline of Khonshu during the rise and fall of Alexander in bullet points. Starting from the Persian invasion.

The Persians invaded Egypt, destroyed the temples and made the citizen's life miserable. Egyptian religion was then banned by the Persians who temporarily ruled over the kingdom.

This badly affected the offerings to be send to the gods. Especially the funeral rites. Creating a shortage of hearts for Ammit to eat.

Ammit have started to be prayed too as many fear of being eaten without the proper mummification rites. Though specifically, they want Ammit to eat the Persian invaders and finally be free from foreign rule.

This spike allowed Ammit to develop some self-awareness and intelligence. This is alarming to Anubis as she is starting to disobey his orders and make choices on her own.

Ammit also met with Khonshu and a bunch of other gods who share the same sentiment.

Anubis can see Ammit's growing charisma and intentions, but he fears her appetite will just make things worse. He warned an old friend, Khonshu, to not always trust the demoness as her hunger is insatiable and will always blind her judgement. Khonshu didn't listen and helped Ammit travel out of the country to find a way to defeat the Persians.

Ammit found Alexander as a young conqueror and figured that he is just what Egypt needs. But Anubis refuses to let her be a full goddess. As only Approved Gods/Goddesses can have Avatars.

Ammit needs to get Anubis out of the picture. It just so happens that Anubis and Osiris are at odds with each other now over figuring out how to deal with the Persians. She framed Anubis for trying to usurp Osiris, using their short feud as a way to make Anubis look like the second Set. The Jackal headed god realized that it was planned by Ammit but it was too late and he was imprisoned. But not before giving one last warning to Khonshu, but he didn't listen. Siding with Ammit due to their shared dream of a sinless world.

With Anubis gone, Ammit was promoted from demoness to full-fledged goddess. She then, with the assistance of Khonshu, the god of travellers, travel to Alexander where she offered the Macedonia the chance to be her Avatar, promising that once he does arrive and get rid of the Persians, he will be hailed as a King and the entire country will be at his dept.

Alexander agreed and arrived with his army. He drove away the Persians, restored the old temple and was crowned as the new King by the Egyptians. Just as Ammit have promised.

[orfeoarte]

In my canon, Saathel owns a bow made from the bones of one of her ancestors, and it's seen as the highest honor one can be bestowed.

Among Bosmer funerary practices could also be mummification, with the intent for it not to rot but preserve the sacred form given by Y'ffre. Taxidermy and other forms of body preservation could be practiced too.

I think they as a culture would highly value the per-formation, the giving shape of things that otherwise would be formless. A humanoid corpse left to rot would be formless, and by taking the constituent parts of it (bones, flesh, fat, sinew, skin, etc) and utilizing them to give structure to other things, you are sacralizing, sanctifying them. To make a drum out of a fallen enemy's skin is to say despite our differences, you deserve Y'ffre's grace [and I am giving it to you once again].

There’s a pretty heavy inclination for people new to the series [or even not new] to equate the Green Pact/The Treaty of Frond and Leaf to just the one part of the Meat Mandate that says the flesh of conquered enemies must be eaten. There’s a lot more to it than that.

[Part of the confusion is that the writers don’t really make an effort to talk about it and often the pact is only brought up when it makes for a convenient plot device. Part of it is a persistent trend of white folks to find death practices that aren’t their own taboo or otherwise disgusting.]

[Also if I see one more person call Bosmer feral or savages because of the Green Pact I’m going to lose my shit, please stop doing that.]

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