#lor zena

[you-there-with-the-hat]

Zena my beloved

[breditodie]

bun

[binah-beloved]

a very so merry night we hold dear

[bad-lobcorp-aus]

AU where charon breaks into the library to learn how to drive legally/safely, running over zena and baral in the process

[xillycatz]

B in "cluster B" stands for blorbo

I call this a meme for an audience of exactly 1 person (me)

[reverberation-ensemble]

[ceciliadreamson]

More yumeship things but now it’s with Zena and Gebura (they’re so pretty and awesome)

I’m mainly basing this off of the vibes I get from them. Zena seemed kinda cheeky and a person who would probably steal my food (and then buy me more just to do it again). As for Gebura, I kinda just wanted a softie moment with her haha

Again didn’t play LOR yet! Just Lobotomy Corp and Limbus BUTTTT I will get it soon!

[honeybouquets]

Doors and the moon in project moon

Roland, Angelica, Argalia, and more are based with named after characters from Orlando Furioso but why Project Moon specifically picked that story as basis for characters in library of ruina? 

I believe it’s because of a certain plot point where Astolfo went to the moon to retrieve the sanity of Orlando since the moon is the place where lost things from Earth wind up at in Orlando Furioso 

Project Moon’s own logo is a crescent moon symbol with a keyhole almost like it’s a door of sorts 

And notably there’s something going up with doors in various series of project moon:

Moses uses a door to enter the psyche of a person distorted into a mermaid in distortion mermaid

The same method is also used in the hell’s chicken event where Dante and sinners enters with a door that leads into the chicken dungeon

Likewise Dante’s power seems to have them appear in front of a hellish gate which red hands comes out when it opens and they have to grasp on the hands of the sinners to pull all of them out to revive them

Zena had mentioned that Angela’s existence in city will cause some sort of door to open before Angela and co with Library is then banished into the outskirts in the good ending to library of ruina 

Two instances of doors manifesting with distortions which allows characters to help out a distortion, A door used by a character to retrieve people from it,

Both of these examples seems to connect to how Astolfo in orlando furioso went to the moon to retrieve the sanity of Orlando to restore him back to normal

There’s yet to be anything about the moon in project moon’s setting but there’s two hints about the moon with two floors in the Library

Yesod’s floor have a window with a crescent moon symbol in it but Binah’s floor is only ever appearance of a moon in entirety of project moon so far 

Namely the background for Binah’s floor when her floor is picked for a reception: The floor’s background is that of a moon with stars over a city and how the moon is placed higher over the stars 

Given that logo of Project moon is a crescent moon with keyhole, then it’s possible that the door which Zena had mentioned has some sort of correlation with the moon since the moon seems to be important to the Head for whatever reason for how the moon is placed higher over the stars of the city as shown in the floor of a former Arbiter in Binah 

Thus I believe that the Astolfo of charles office will have a important role later on because he’s based on the character who was sent to the moon in Orlando Furioso, then it’s possible he’s going to be the character that will be involved in what’s up with the moon in project moon’s setting

[i-will-fuck-the-bug-man]

How would it go down

[chikos-workshop]

Shop Update - Even more Buttons!

A little late for an update, but a small post to show off some new stock and a little giveaway :3c

1. (Not so) Tiny Librarians

(Not So) Tiny Librarians Button set is now up! These designs will eventually become stickers and phone charms (if you are looking to collect them), but for now they're available as 1.5" buttons!

2. Flowers & Fragrance (Heart Pinback Buttons)

Flowers & Fragrance heart buttons also available in limited quantity, so get them while they last! Malk, Yesod, Hod and Netz framed in a heart, will they be yours?

Thanks for answering the poll btw! I really appreciate everyone showing their interest :3c

Also, if you missed the buttons, there will be prints to get as well! They're not heart shaped though :(

3. Honey & Chocolate Heart Button

Lastly, summer comes early for the arbiters in this Honey & Chocolate Heart Button! Keychains and a special standee also coming :3c

4. Giveaway

If you get any Netzach merch from now until Wednesday (Feb 8th) you may be entitled to 1 test print of Netz :3c They are a little flawed, but mostly functional!

As usual, you can find my shop here, along with my other proj moon stuff

That's all for this week! And probably enough buttons for a while while I pine for my other merch to come home from the war.

Ps: I've been trying to categorize my posts on this blog! If you search through the tags you should be able to find blogs about a character you like. It's a little bit of a clutter but hope it helps people navigate a little better :0

[reg1ment]

Hm ... the only two characters that came to mind immediately were Binah and Zena?

Binah (the one with a tea cup) is a Sephirah in L. Corp, and the Patron Librarian of Philosophy in LoR. She's got a roundabout way of speaking which leaves people a bit confused, but she has this air of wisdom about her. Also, she's an absolute badass with her own unique deck of Combat Pages, and is the only person who can inflict the "Fairy" status on opponents. She's a bit aloof, and doesn't actually join in battles until a certain stage of LoR is reached.

Zena is an arbiter of the Head--that was Binah's former occupation before she wound up at L. Corp and then the Library. She's similar to Binah in terms of how she speaks, but is ruthless in battle. Not much is actually known about her, either, since the Head (the government of the City in ProjMoon's world) is incredibly secretive--there isn't a lot known about them or how they operate.

~ heart-of-aspiration 📖

BINAH HI… she is so what i was looking for thank you sarah. the way she talks is so awesome i want to give her a gentle hand squeeze bc i’m shy… zena’s mysterious vibe is also crazy cool. library of ruina your characters are some of the most rad i’ve ever seen

[autisticayin]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BEST FRIEND @giadiia

[ruinaimagines]

YIPPEE WELCOME BACK AGAIN wishing u luck on those new requests!! hope u dont mind me sending what i think id sent back then, which was a request for a scenario on zena and an s/o who doesnt realize shes an arbiter :] thank u....

Funnily enough I actually was working on this a while back before I wiped my ask box. So now I have a use for the unfinished writing I had. Thank you for the welcome back.

Oblivious S/O and Zena Headcanons:

She is absolutely baffled on how you just seem to be completely ignorant of anything pointing to her status. It’s not like you’re arrogant, or aren’t observant.. It just won’t click??

When the two of you are together you will comment on how people seem to be staring at you weirdly, but it just doesn’t really cross your mind on why. In fact, you’ll even check how you look or what you’re wearing, completely disregarding the fact it might be because of her.

So it becomes a little bit of a challenge for her and turns into probably the funnest part of her week. See just how far she can push the limits until you finally come to the realization. This is the main motivator between her continuing to meet with you.

Zena doesn’t really try to hide the fact she’s an arbiter either. She’ll wear her uniform or similar outfits with that signature hexagonal pattern that seem to be a clear giveaway.. To everyone but you that is.

There was actually a time you wanted to take her to this restaurant that was really nice. Unfortunately, it was in a pretty nasty part of the backstreets, so you had to tread carefully. But surprisingly, it was a completely peaceful walk.

In fact the staff must’ve felt super nice on that day because they discounted the price of your food! That’s never happened before. You were happy though that it did when you had a friend along with you, hopefully that made a good impression!

They did seem a bit nervous though when serving, and it was more quiet than usual.. Maybe there was some suspicious activity going around? You weren’t too sure, but mainly you tried to focus on your conversation with Zena.

She finds you so fascinating even when you tell the most mundane stories. You could be talking about your laundry and she would be extremely immersed. She’s just never had someone be so.. Uninfluenced by her before, and she wants to learn more about you.

Unsurprisingly, Zena can be pretty confident and egotistical some of the time. She is aware of the power she is capable of and has no issue using it to get what she wants. Hardly ever has someone of sane mind opposed her. 

But you don’t really have a problem with disagreeing when you think it’s fit to do so. Perhaps you’re a bit more compassionate than she is (the bar isn’t really set high) and you aren’t really fond of her ways with going about certain things. Murder and blackmail are some of her go-to’s which can be pretty problematic.

At first I can see her being a bit irritated, but after taking an actual moment, she’s more appreciative. Now it’s a 50/50 on whether or not she’ll really change what she’s doing based on what you say, but once you get past her pride it’s almost refreshing to have someone feel comfortable enough to say what’s on their mind.

And say what’s on your mind you do. Honestly, in the nicest way possible, she’s heard some of the stupidest things come out of your mouth. It greatly contrasts with her very in depth, thorough way of speaking.

It’s really funny to hear you bring up news and things that she had a direct hand in without even realizing. For example, a workshop had recently been shut down for blatantly violating strictly enforced laws. It wasn’t specified what exactly was inside, but it was enough to get it transported to the outskirts.

You’d discuss it with her, ‘Man the Head is wild, wonder what was bad enough inside that it made them that pissed.’ And she would only smile and nod. Because she was there, and she knows exactly why. 

Very frequently she will have a gift for you when you meet, and it’s always of such high quality that you feel bad she spent so much on it. Though she assures you it was no big deal (cause it wasn’t).

Sometimes though she gets gifts of things you wanted that you didn’t recall telling her about. It’s a bit weird at times, but hey who’s gonna complain about free stuff? Most of her time her reasoning is that you forgot you told her about it.

One time you happened to be in the same time and place that she had some business in (Whether or not that was a coincidence is still to be determined). All you knew is that there was some form of havoc leading to people being afraid and fleeing. 

You, however, did not know what was said cause of chaos, you only knew to get out of there. So of course you’re going to panic when you see Zena casually resting on a bench, wide out in the open, filing her nails. After all, you don’t want her to get caught up in whatever is happening.

Well, you just keep being bold don’t you? Honestly it’s to the point it’s self-endangering, but maybe that’s what makes you so amusing to her.

Unsurprisingly to the audience, she is very casual about the whole situation. You, on the other hand, are freaking out because hey.. There’s people screaming and running and dying and you don’t want her to get mauled by something.

She just keeps smiling at you with this funny look on her face. You’re grateful she’s calm and not panicking but she just seems a little too amused by this whole situation. Better than being horrified.. Right???

Eventually she lets you grab onto her arm and drag her along to wherever you deemed would be a safe spot for you two. One person even yelled at you to ‘Get out of there unless you had a death wish’. Kind of rude but probably had good intentions. You weren’t really sure what ‘there’ was, but the general message was that where you were standing wasn’t really safe.

So the two of you are huddling in cover within the ruins of a building as you repeatedly stare past some blinds on a window out into the street. Weirdly enough, nothing really seemed to be happening.

A person did happen to emerge, one that you were ready to tackle if it was needed. A strange figure with a large metal-plated looking claw and a similar mask with strange vats of liquids attached to them.

Zena claimed that it was a work partner of hers who happened to be in the same area, and told you to remain there and that she would return soon after talking to him. 

When she did return, she smiled and commented on “Well, aren’t you rather thick-headed?” only for your utterly baffled response. You weren’t sure whether you should be offended or not. She only chuckled and the two of you departed from the location.

You’d have to figure it out someday, but until then Zena was willing to push the limits to see just what she could get away with.

[binah-beloved]

i have an infestation

[bad-lobcorp-aus]

AU where the head is actually nice/good its just Garion and Zena are the exception

.

[xillycatz]

(I hope as canon as it gets) Zena analysis

DISCLAIMER, the following essay was is a product of several untreated mental illnesses and my terrible taste in women.

"This is my comfort character" and it's a murderous, narcissistic, sociopath with a total disregard for others

(c) someone on tumblr

Let's start with acknowledging that she's an arbiter of the Head. Arrogant, narcissistic, cruel, ah, a smile forms on my face. Problematic babygirl but that's for later. There's even a line in the artbook that she treats us like dirt, but isn't that the point?

1) Design and femininity

All the girls are girling, girling!!

As we remember, this is not the first arbiter we meet, second actually. Let's compare them. First of all, the design: Zena has more symmetrical and feminine, well-groomed design - thick shiny hair, makeup, short fur trim, 10 golden rings, additional decor on her cloak. She gives the impression of an official rather than a warrior. At the same time a closed posture, hinting that the only conversation she's in the mood for is an extended monologue on her part.

Binah, aka Garion on the contrary has a more asymmetrical and less traditionally feminine design. Also of note is Binah's yonic earring, which Garion did not originally have, making it even clearer that her design has undergone feminization. She is also dressed noticeably simpler, on the one hand that is a relic of the lobcorp era, but on the other hand it's more practical for actual combat.

Anyway, what is connecting them is their occupation, their love of monologues and their lesbianism.

I kept thinking about the decoration on Zena's coat. After a little digging, I found out that in addition to the standard hexagons, there is the so-called heraldic lily. This symbol is found in many cultures, but it was popularized by the French monarchs as a symbol of the ruling king, and the Christian symbol of purity and innocence, associated with the Virgin Mary. This doesn't tell us much except that the world of Project Moon has Christianity and has an analog of French people. I also find interesting that the prototype of the heraldic lily was most likely the plant Iris pseudacorus L. I don't need to explain why there is a sign of the monarchy on the coat of the arbiter (although the political structure of the City is up for debate), but about the symbol of purity it is quite interesting, given that it is worn by a relatively young woman. Okay, that's the Deep Meaning Search Syndrome talking, let's stop with the monarchy.

Let's move on to a discussion of femininity. And Zena exudes it, or at least tries very hard to. She's one of the rare Project Moon characters with visible makeup. The only other character who wears makeup is Rodion. She isn't exactly wealthy, so we can dismiss the money factor. Obviously, there are products for every purse and purpose in the City, it's just that we keep being told stories about women who don't wear makeup just like, ever. Zena tries to wear makeup in the Korean style uzzlang. The style suggests soft lines and watercolor-y facial features, be it eyes, cheeks or lips. But here's the catch - in makeup, it's important to emphasize facial features, not fight them. Zena has a warm undertone, as you can tell from her blush and skin tone. However, she chooses a very cold eyeshadow tone, which clashes the general undertone, so we can conclude that the girl is clearly not a makeup expert and only wears it on special occasions. The Library raid is just the occasion and we'll talk more about why. And in general Zena is very deliberately feminine and it is noticeable in the whole design, even going so far as to put the bows on shoes. (BOWS, CARL)

Other interesting design elements include a helix earring on her left ear and headphones. Maybe for listening to music, maybe for communication. Also, Zena's posture and the silhouette of her cape makes her look a lot like a penguin, which the Internet noticed and added to the “why Zena is cute” list.

2)Cuteness and fascism, Z-edition

Repost if you love femboys or if you comitted several felony offences that could lead you up to 25 years to life in prison

Why is Zena cute? While being in the projmoon fandom I've wondered time and time again why Zena is so infantilized in fan works. It's worth talking about the aesthetics of kawaii, moe, and how that intersects with patriarchy and fascism. Sparing you the sociology and history lecture course, I will say that Japan needed a rebranding after WW2. At the same time, a kawaii subculture was developing among young girls, suggesting a slightly infantile cuteness. Japan turned female protest against traditional gender roles into a convenient marketing scheme. Thus came the kawaii and moe we know now. And since Japan is a very conservative country, it's no wonder so many conservatives are into anime and manga. That's also where lolicon and some of the infantilization of characters grow from. We all understand that so many fans of Zena as a character are conservative because Zena herself is conservative, which in turn entails her infantilization due to her very feminine design.

3) Character and Narratives. Part Angela.

"You cannot break free from the origin that defines you"

Anyway, what's Zena really like? She's clearly trying to exude an aura of indifference, as if this is just a normal raid and the opponents are just dirt beneath her feet. That's how Garion behaved, and it's easy to guess that's how the other arbiters behave. However, behind the mask of nonchalance lurks a certain caution and even obsessiveness. The Head makes its move only after the Library has completely shut down, otherwise it would mean imminent defeat. Zena is also cautious on the battlefield, not entering it without a clear necessity and immediately retreating as soon as expulsion begins. Obsession, on the other hand, is emphasized by how personalised her attacks are. There are 2 characters in the Library of Ruina that are directly related to birds, and Zena has an antagonistic relationship with both. This is why she uses the birdcage attack.

One such character is Angela. Their antagonism is mainly built on the fact that one is an AI and the other is a staunch opponent of sentient AI in the City. But what makes Angela so close to humanity isn't looks or a beating heart at all. Had Angela not abandoned her original goal of becoming fully human, the City would have accepted her, paradoxically, because she would have shown her lack of humanity by continuing the cycle of violence. By forgiving Roland and breaking the cycle, she found a true humanity that was unavailable to the people of the City, for which she was banished.

The whole conversation between Angela and Zena reeks of the vibe of a trans person talking to a transphobe. Angela is a gorgeous trans allegory. First of all, the IDEA behind her creation, namely - the transfer of Carmen's consciousness into a program and mechanical body just like transhumanists dream of, while imposing onto the new body the features that Carmen herself wanted to have. Speaking of the voice, the desire to change it, especially, to quote her, to “the most beautiful in the world”, is quite common among transfems. Secondly, the motif of playing someone else's role, the feeling of being trapped inside a play that was written for you, supposedly for you, and, most importantly, without you - a trans allegory in itself, but paired with the panicky fear of ever returning to that stage and the firm desire to get as far away from it as possible.... Come on, guys, really. Third, the fact that Angela initially looks like a full-grown realistic doll, causing most people the effect of a uncanny valley ... And the gradual disappearance of that effect over time as she gains her human body... What's not a metaphor for hormone therapy and trans bodies? And fourth, literally EVERY scene of Angela's confrontation with the Head's agents. Yes, I love Zena, but I can't turn a blind eye to the fact that in this scene she's regurgitating rhetoric that is painfully reminiscent of TERFs.

See for yourself:

Zena: "An entity that isn't human entertained thoughts that only a human should have. You poor machine... No matter how much you contemplate and enrich your mind, you cannot become human if you aren't born as one. When Ithought you might turn into a human at the end, you let go of all you had during that critical moment. Had you fully become human at the culmination of the ordeal, the City would have been more willing to accept you, alas"

Angela: "I don't care if I have to stay as a machine"

Zena: "A machine with a heart has no place in this city. You cannot break free from the origin that defines you"

Angela: "Why does that matter? I'm the only one who has a say in defining MY identity. I don't need any flimsy husk to do it for me"

Zena: "How contemptible that your line of thought is so dangerously close to what a human must aspire to reach. You're further demonstrating why we can't let you be"

Replace “human” with “woman” and tell me that's not what 70% of the debates between the privileged rich TERF (England, I'm looking at you) and the trans community looks like.

So tell me after that, that Angela doesn't read like a trans allegory. Sorry guys, I'm right here :3 It's especially ironic in light of the fact that right now the most important TERF is considered to be one writer, the author of a series of books about wizards... And Zena's class is specifically wizard, hehe.

4) Character and Narratives. Part Binah.

Binah has evil exes Ramona Flowers style and all of them are Zena

However, besides Angela, there's Binah, who's also connected to the birds. And Zena. Well, Zena is connected to Binah actually. Besides the primary purpose of banishing the library, Zena was sent to retrieve Garion. But here's the catch, there is no Garion :)) There is Binah, who is so similar to her in appearance, but so far removed in ideals. So much so that Binah was Angela's main acomplice when she was sent to destroy her. Also Garion wouldn't have been drinking tea with Hod and Gebura so casually pondering whether process or result was more important. And Binah, having learned a painful lesson, no longer monologues on the battlefield as Garion did. But Zena does. Without knowing, Zena may have already found the one she's looking for, becoming a copy of her, absorbing her mannerisms and ideals, although Zena doesn't have Garion's inquisitive mind, and she certainly doesn't have Binah's distinct understanding of things. Zena in a way, being the antithesis of them both, is the embodiment of the very concept of the cycle of violence.

Let's talk about the very concept of an arbiter. The city is a self-replicating structure, sustained by a cycle of violence at every level and in every layer. Garion as well as Binah understand this better than anyone, which is why Garion was able to do her job so effectively. That's the point about the line about trust ("trust is my favorite weapon, It leaves a great wound too, no?"). It's so easy to start a cycle of violence by manipulating trust, they don't say divide and conquer for nothing. The cycle of violence also instills fear of its collapse, because its collapse entails the formation of a new social contract. Just like a prisoner's dilemma, where not knowing the answer of the other prisoner, it is better to choose an answer that does not suit both sides (but suits the third, the ruling one, which is th Head). And it was by understanding the essence of being an arbiter that Binah was able to break her own cycle, and then help Ayin to break the cycle and further help Angela and Roland. Zena, without understanding, is only able to become an embodiment of the cycle, and that is her tragedy. Also Daniel, aka Chesed, could have taken the same path, if he had not been taken out of the cycle by the hands of Carmen and Kali.

And so, Zena's tragedy is that she seeks her logical conclusion, Garion, and will most likely end up like her, while Binah, having realized her mistakes and learned from them will live on. But Zena never recognizes Binah's ways, for she considers her too soft. Indeed, the latter's character has changed for the better, but it has changed under the very violent influence of Ayin. Zena will never recognize that Binah is not broken, but actually found the truth, not denouncing Garion completely, but accepting her past and leaving room for the future. Binah has also become much more prosocial, not only socializing herself, but encouraging Angela to do the same (something Garion would never do).

5)Conclusion

I WANT TO BE THAT FUCKED UP GIRL!

Thus, Zena is a character who is doomed and tragic, which attracts me. Her obsessiveness and inability to see her mistakes also makes me sympathize with her. She's like the jalter from FGO and Drake from NIKKE. And in some ways I see myself in her. And that's why I love her dearly. And without such passionate nature, this essay would not exist.